bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lipid extract from completely sporoderm‐broken germinating Ganoderma sinensis spores elicits potent antitumor immune responses in human macrophages
Authors: Zhang Jing‐Ping , Zheng Limin , Wang Jiang‐Hai , Magnusson Karl‐Eric , Liu Xin 
Published: January 2009

AbstractGanoderma sinensis has been used widely in Oriental countries for the prevention and treatment of various diseases including cancer. Previous studies have shown that the lipid extract from Ganoderma exhibits direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Here, it is reported that the lipid extract from germinating G. sinensis spores, at lower concentrations that have no direct tumoricidal activity, induce potent antitumor immune responses in human monocytes/macrophages. Upon stimulation with the lipid extract, monocytes/macrophages exhibited markedly increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and surface expression of costimulatory molecules. Conditioned medium from stimulated cells effectively suppressed the growth of tumor cells. Apparently, the lipid extract triggered macrophage activation via a mechanism different from that associated with LPS. Moreover, it was observed that the lipid extract could partially re‐establish the antitumor activity of the immunosuppressive tumor‐associated macrophages. These results indicated that in addition to its direct tumoricidal activity, the lipid extract from G. sinensis spores could exert antitumor activity by stimulating the activation of human monocytes/macrophages. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Early elementary students' development of astronomy concepts in the planetarium
Authors: Plummer Julia D. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe National Science Education Standards [National Research Council (1996) National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press] recommend that students understand the apparent patterns of motion of the sun, moon and stars by the end of early elementary school. However, little information exists on students' ability to learn these concepts. This study examines the change in students' understanding of apparent celestial motion after attending a planetarium program using kinesthetic learning techniques. Pre‐ and post‐interviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first and second grade students (N = 63). Students showed significant improvement in knowledge of all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program. This suggests that students in early elementary school are capable of learning the accurate description of apparent celestial motion. The results also demonstrate the value of both kinesthetic learning techniques and the rich visual environment of the planetarium for improved understanding of celestial motion. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 192–209, 2009
Performance evaluation of advanced spectrum functionalities for future radio networks
Authors: Bennis Mehdi , Wijting Carl , Abedi Saied , Thilakawardana Shyamalie , Tafazolli Rahim 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis paper presents novel spectral resource management (SRM) functionalities of WINNER ‡The WINNER project is a major European research activity to develop a flexible and scalable radio access interface for future wireless communication systems.
project. The proposed SRM spectrum architecture uses more efficient resource allocation techniques where flexible spectrum access and usage leads to more capable and faster services with high quality‐of‐service (QoS) giving more user satisfaction than conventional networks. In this context, short‐term (ST) spectrum assignment is proposed where spectral resources are exchanged between WINNER radio access networks (RANs) on a fast basis, leading to a better utilization of the spectrum. Moreover, multi‐band scheduler (MBS) and base station (BS) to BS communications are presented as key enablers for efficient dynamic spectrum management. Performance gains of ST spectrum assignment are analyzed in a multi‐network, multi‐cell environment based on realistic traffic patterns while taking inter‐cell interference into account. The results confirm that spectrum availability and utilization can be considerably enhanced. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CDMA underlay network with cognitive interference‐minimizing code assignment and semi‐blind interference suppression
Authors: Elezabi Ayman , Kashef Mohamed , Abdallah Mohamed , Khairy Mohamed 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a code‐division multiple‐access (CDMA) secondary network to operate cognitively as an underlay for a primary network. A novel interference‐minimizing code assignment (IMCA) for secondary users is proposed such that the interference from existing primary and secondary users is minimized. This is accomplished by minimizing the mean square cross‐correlations between the candidate codes and the received signal. Since the codes of the primary CDMA network are unknown to the secondary network the scheme operates blindly and the problem is formulated as a constrained optimization of a Boolean quadratic form. The solution is obtained exhaustively and we demonstrate significant performance gains compared to random code assignment (RCA). We then slightly relax the constraint on the user code space and obtain a near‐optimal solution with complexity that is linear in the spreading factor. For the secondary network, we propose a slightly modified minimum‐output energy receiver that operates semi‐blindly as a first stage followed by parallel interference cancellation. For this receiver structure, we derive improved log‐likelihood ratios for the single‐user decoders based on partial knowledge of the user codes and channel coefficients. Significant error probability performance improvements of 2 dB or more are obtained due to IMCA in the coded case. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Construction of an Integrated Surgical Suite in a Military Treatment Facility
Authors: Acevedo Anibal L. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe OR has long existed as a highly specialized and distinct entity within a hospital. Recent technological advances have allowed the OR to be seamlessly integrated with the larger hospital and, in a virtual sense, with the world.The modern, integrated OR can enhance patients' surgical experiences, improve surgeons' control of OR technology, and increase OR efficiency by reducing surgical times.The Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, is one of the first military health care systems in the southwest to build a fully integrated, voice‐controlled OR. The renovation project transformed 12 ORs into fully integrated surgical suites. AORN J 89 (January 2009) 151–159. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Do‐Not‐Resuscitate Orders in Surgery: Decreasing the Confusion
Authors: Ball Kay A. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTPatients have the right to make decisions regarding their medical care, including the right to refuse treatment or to issue do‐not‐resuscitate orders as part of an advance directive. Health care providers must comply with the patient's wishes regarding care.Automatic suspension or continuation of a do‐not‐resuscitate order for a patient undergoing surgery cannot be justified. Surgical team members should consult with the patient and, if necessary, with an ethics expert or committee to determine whether the do‐not‐resuscitate order is to be maintained or completely or partially suspended during anesthesia and surgery. All surgical departments should have a written policy and procedure concerning the treatment of patients with do‐not‐resuscitate orders. AORN J 89 (January 2009) 140–146. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Highly Diversified Molecular Evolution of Downstream Transcription Start Sites in Rice and Arabidopsis
Authors: Tanaka Tsuyoshi , Koyanagi Kanako O. , Itoh Takeshi 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAlternative usage of transcription start sites (TSSs) is one of the key mechanisms to generate gene variation in eukaryotes. Here, we show diversified molecular evolution of TSSs in remotely related flowering plants, rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), by comprehensive analyses of large collections of full-length cDNAs and genome sequences. We determined 45,917 representative TSSs within 23,445 loci of rice and 35,313 TSSs within 16,964 loci of Arabidopsis, about two TSSs per locus in either species. The nucleotide features around TSSs displayed distinct patterns when the most upstream TSSs were compared with downstream TSSs. We found that CG-skew and AT-skew were clearly different between upstream and downstream TSSs, and that this difference was commonly observed in rice and Arabidopsis. Relative entropy analysis revealed that the most upstream TSSs had retained canonical cis elements, whereas downstream TSSs showed atypical nucleotide features. Expression patterns were distinguishable between upstream and downstream TSSs. These results indicate that plant TSSs were generally diversified in downstream regions, resulting in the development of new gene expression patterns. Furthermore, our comparative analysis of TSS variation between the species showed a positive correlation between TSS number and gene conservation. Rice and Arabidopsis might have evolved novel TSSs in an independent manner, which led to diversification of these two species.
An Integrated Genomics Approach to Define Niche Establishment byRhodococcus fascians
Authors: Depuydt Stephen , Trenkamp Sandra , Fernie Alisdair R. , Elftieh Samira , Renou Jean-Pierre , Vuylsteke Marnik , Holsters Marcelle , Vereecke Danny 
Published: January 2009

AbstractRhodococcus fascians is a Gram-positive phytopathogen that induces shooty hyperplasia on its hosts through the secretion of cytokinins. Global transcriptomics using microarrays combined with profiling of primary metabolites on infected Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants revealed that this actinomycete modulated pathways to convert its host into a niche. The transcript data demonstrated that R. fascians leaves a very characteristic mark on Arabidopsis with a pronounced cytokinin response illustrated by the activation of cytokinin perception, signal transduction, and homeostasis. The microarray data further suggested active suppression of an oxidative burst during the R. fascians pathology, and comparison with publicly available transcript data sets implied a central role for auxin in the prevention of plant defense activation. Gene Ontology categorization of the differentially expressed genes hinted at a significant impact of infection on the primary metabolism of the host, which was confirmed by subsequent metabolite profiling. The much higher levels of sugars and amino acids in infected plants are presumably accessed by the bacteria as carbon and nitrogen sources to support epiphytic and endophytic colonization. Hexoses, accumulating from a significantly increased invertase activity, possibly inhibited the expression of photosynthesis genes and photosynthetic activity in infected leaves. Altogether, these changes are indicative of sink development in symptomatic tissues. The metabolomics data furthermore point to the possible occurrence of secondary signaling during the interaction, which might contribute to symptom development. These data are placed in the context of regulation of bacterial virulence gene expression, suppression of defense, infection phenotype, and niche establishment.
How Does Cyclic Electron Flow Alleviate Photoinhibition in Arabidopsis?
Authors: Takahashi Shunichi , Milward Sara E. , Fan Da-Yong , Chow Wah Soon , Badger Murray R. 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
Cyclic electron flow (CEF) around photosystem I has a role in avoiding photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII), which occurs under conditions in which the rate of photodamage to PSII exceeds the rate of its repair. However, the molecular mechanism underlying how CEF contributes to photoprotection is not yet well understood. We examined the effect of impairment of CEF and thermal energy dissipation (qE) on photoinhibition using CEF (pgr5) and qE (npq1 and npq4) mutants of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) exposed to strong light. Impairment of CEF by mutation of pgr5 suppressed qE and accelerated photoinhibition. We found that impairment of qE, by mutations of pgr5, npq1, and npq4, caused inhibition of the repair of photodamaged PSII at the step of the de novo synthesis of the D1 protein. In the presence of the chloroplast protein synthesis inhibitor chloramphenicol, impairment of CEF, but not impairment of qE, accelerated photoinhibition, and a similar effect was obtained when leaves were infiltrated with the protonophore nigericin. These results suggest that CEF-dependent generation of ΔpH across the thylakoid membrane helps to alleviate photoinhibition by at least two different photoprotection mechanisms: one is linked to qE generation and prevents the inhibition of the repair of photodamaged PSII at the step of protein synthesis, and the other is independent of qE and suppresses photodamage to PSII.
Phthoxazolin A inhibits prostate cancer growth by modulating tumor–stromal cell interactions
Authors: Kawada Manabu , Inoue Hiroyuki , Usami Ihomi , Ikeda Daishiro 
Published: January 2009

Because stroma in tumor tissues can promote prostate cancer development, modulation of tumor–stromal cell interactions may represent an attractive new strategy for cancer treatment. Here, we report that phthoxazolin A and its analog inthomycin B inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer DU‐145 cells by modulating tumor–stromal cell interactions. Using an in vitro coculture system, in which prostate cancer cell growth is upregulated by prostate stromal cells (PrSC), we found that phthoxazolin A and inthomycin B strongly inhibited the growth of DU‐145 cells when in coculture with PrSC compared to DU‐145 cells cultured alone. Although PrSC consist of both fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, phthoxazolin A and inthomycin B inhibited the expression of smooth muscle α‐actin, a myofibroblast marker, without affecting vimentin and β‐actin expression. Because myofibroblasts secrete various factors that can promote tumor cell growth, we examined whether the inhibitory compounds affected the secretion of such factors from PrSC. Proteomic analysis and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction revealed that phthoxazolin A and inthomycin B inhibited the expression of several insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins and insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐I by PrSC. Transforming growth factor‐β1 increased myofibroblast numbers and IGF‐I levels in PrSC. Phthoxazolin A inhibited transforming growth factor‐β1 activity without altering phosphorylation of the downstream molecule smad2. Furthermore, conditioned medium from phthoxazolin A‐treated PrSC failed to increase the phosphorylation of IGF‐IR and Akt in DU‐145 cells. Taken together, our results suggested that phthoxazolin A acts as a small‐molecule modulator of tumor–stromal cell interactions that can indirectly suppress prostate cancer cell growth through inhibition of IGF‐I production by PrSC. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 150–157)
Ligand‐independent higher‐order multimerization of CXCR4, a G‐protein‐coupled chemokine receptor involved in targeted metastasis
Authors: Hamatake Makiko , Aoki Toru , Futahashi Yuko , Urano Emiko , Yamamoto Naoki , Komano Jun 
Published: January 2009

CXCR4, a G‐protein‐coupled receptor of CXCL12/stromal cell‐derived factor‐1α, mediates a wide range of physiological and pathological processes, including the targeted metastasis of cancer cells. CXCR4 has been shown to homo‐oligomerize in several experimental systems. However, it remains unclear with which domains CXCR4 interacts homotypically, and whether it dimerizes or forms a higher‐order complex. To address these issues, we used bioluminescent resonance energy transfer and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analyses to measure the homotypic interactions of CXCR4 in living cells. Both assays indicated that CXCR4 interacts homotypically, which is consistent with previous studies. By studying CXCR4 mutants lacking various domains, we found that multiple transmembrane domains probably serve as potential molecular interaction surfaces for oligomerization. The relative contribution of the amino‐ or carboxy‐termini to oligomerization was small. To differentiate between a dimer and a multimer consisting of more than two molecules, bioluminescent resonance energy transfer–bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis was conducted. It revealed that CXCR4 engages in higher‐order oligomerization in a ligand‐independent fashion. This is the first report providing direct experimental evidence for the higher‐order multimerization of CXCR4 in vivo. We hypothesize that CXCR4 distributes to the cell surface as a multimer, in order to effectively sense, with increased avidity, the chemotaxis‐inducing ligand in the microenvironment. Studying the structure and function of the oligomeric state of CXCR4 may lead us to develop novel CXCR4 inhibitors that disassemble the molecular cluster of CXCR4. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 95–102)
Primary cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma of unspecified type with cytotoxic phenotype: Clinicopathological analysis of 27 patients
Authors: Hagiwara Masahiro , Takata Katsuyoshi , Shimoyama Yoshie , Yamamoto Kazuhito , Takahashi Emiko , Asano Naoko , Iwase Yuko , Okazaki Yoshiko , Tamada Yasuhiko , Yoshino Tadashi , Tomita Yasushi , Nakamura Shigeo 
Published: January 2009

The objective of our study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of the currently ill‐defined subtype of primary cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma of unspecified type (CTCLU) with a cytotoxic phenotype and no Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) association. A series of 27 patients with CTCLU (median age 49 years; range 25–87 years; 18 men) was reviewed. Performance status scores above 1 (7%), clinical stages above 2 (15%), B symptoms (26%), extracutaneous involvement (30%), and a fatal course within 1 year of diagnosis (19%) were observed infrequently. The International Prognostic Index was high or high to intermediate in 11%, and the Prognostic Index for Peripheral T‐cell Lymphoma unspecified was above group 2 in 22%. Notably, the rates of spontaneous regression and T‐cell receptor gene rearrangements by polymerase chain reaction analysis were seen in 26 and 17% of our cases, respectively. Histologically, 22 patients had subcutaneous involvement of whom eight showed a lethal clinical course, and five patients without subcutaneous involvement were all survivors. Immunophenotypical and morphological features allowed us to subclassify our cases according to the following four categories: (1) epidermotropic CD8+ T‐cell lymphoma (n = 5); (2) cutaneous γ/δ T‐cell lymphoma (n = 8); (3) cutaneous α/β pleomorphic T‐cell lymphoma (n = 8); and (4) cutaneous medium/large pleomorphic T‐cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (n = 6). All four of these groups of lymphomas exhibited a relatively favorable clinical course compared to previous reports. However, epidermotropic CD8+ T‐cell lymphoma appeared to be unique with a higher ratio (80%) of spontaneous regression, a lower ratio (40%) of subcutaneous involvement, and a more favorable clinical course than the other three subcategories. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 33–41)
Identification of new type III effectors and analysis of the plant response by competitive index
Authors: MACHO ALBERTO P. , RUIZ‐ALBERT JAVIER , TORNERO PABLO , BEUZÓN CARMEN R. 
Published: January 2009

SUMMARYIn recent years, many efforts have been directed towards the identification of new type III‐secreted effectors, and the completion of the secretomes of several Pseudomonas syringae pathovars. Several functional and bioinformatic screenings have been used to search for candidates, which have been tested for translocation into the plant cell, an essential criterion for the identification of new type III effector proteins. The most common translocation assay is based on the use of ΔAvrRpt2 as a reporter. When fused to a type III effector protein, ΔAvrRpt2 is translocated and elicits a hypersensitive response in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing the RPS2 resistance protein. This approach has been used widely and has allowed the identification of a considerable number of new effectors in a fast and convenient manner. However, as the hypersensitive response is a semi‐quantitative assay, and the conditions do not resemble those occurring in nature, effectors with low expression or translocation efficiency could fail to translocate sufficient ΔAvrRpt2 to trigger a clear hypersensitive response. In keeping with these limitations, this test has failed to detect some true effectors that have been confirmed as such by other means. In order to increase the sensitivity of this method, we have developed a modification of the ΔAvrRpt2‐based translocation assay using a competitive index in mixed infection to monitor the limitation of growth associated with the induction of the hypersensitive response. We have tested several effector candidates from P. syringae pv. phaseolicola and other P. syringae pathovars, and have compared the results obtained by our competitive index translocation assay with those obtained by standard hypersensitive response assays. We have identified six type III secretion system‐translocated proteins using this approach, five of which failed to be identified by hypersensitive response assays. In addition, we have analysed the defence response triggered by one of these effectors using competitive index assays.
Identification of virulence genes in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici by large‐scale transposon tagging
Authors: LÓPEZ‐BERGES MANUEL SÁNCHEZ , DI PIETRO ANTONIO , DABOUSSI MARIE‐JOSÉE , WAHAB HALA ABDEL , VASNIER CHRISTELLE , RONCERO M. ISABEL G. , DUFRESNE MARIE , HERA CONCEPCIÓN 
Published: January 2009

SUMMARYForward genetic screens are efficient tools for the dissection of complex biological processes, such as fungal pathogenicity. A transposon tagging system was developed in the vascular wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici by inserting the novel modified impala element imp160::gfp upstream of the Aspergillus nidulans niaD gene, followed by transactivation with a constitutively expressed transposase. A collection of 2072 Nia+ revertants was obtained from reporter strain T12 and screened for alterations in virulence, using a rapid assay for invasive growth on apple slices. Seven strains exhibited reduced virulence on both apple slices and intact tomato plants. Five of these were true revertants showing the re‐insertion of imp160::gfp within or upstream of predicted coding regions, whereas the other two showed either excision without re‐insertion or no excision. Linkage between imp160::gfp insertion and virulence phenotype was determined in four transposon‐tagged loci using targeted deletion in the wild‐type strain. Knockout mutants in one of the genes, FOXG_00016, displayed significantly reduced virulence, and complementation of the original revertant with the wild‐type FOXG_00016 allele fully restored virulence. FOXG_00016 has homology to the velvet gene family of A. nidulans. The high rate of untagged virulence mutations in the T12 reporter strain appears to be associated with increased genetic instability, possibly as a result of the transactivation of endogenous transposable elements by the constitutively expressed transposase.