bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of Shape on Egg Discrimination in American Robins and Gray Catbirds
Authors: Underwood Todd J. , Sealy Spencer G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe eggs of some obligate brood parasites are more spherical than the eggs of their non‐parasitic relatives and hosts, which contributes to the increased strength of their shells. We examined whether egg shape, including the more spherical shape of brown‐headed cowbird eggs (Molothrus ater), influenced egg discrimination in American robins (Turdus migratorius) and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis). We added a series of artificial objects to robin and catbird nests that varied in shape from a control host egg, a rounded, cowbird‐like egg, to odd‐shaped objects. Real cowbird eggs were significantly more spherical than catbird and robin eggs, which confirmed a potential cue for egg recognition. Object shape significantly influenced the probability of rejection and time to rejection in both robins and catbirds. However, rounded eggs and spheres were rejected infrequently and at frequencies similar to control eggs. Therefore, the shape of a brood parasite's egg does not appear to influence egg discrimination in these two rejecters. Robins and catbirds rejected significantly more odd‐shaped objects than egg‐shaped objects and odd‐shaped objects were rejected significantly sooner than egg‐shaped objects. The rejection of odd‐shaped objects likely represents an expression of nest‐sanitation behaviour where debris is removed from the nest. By comparison with other studies of accepters of cowbird eggs, robins and catbirds appear to reject higher proportions of odd‐shaped objects, which suggests they may have more refined abilities to discriminate against foreign objects in their nests.
Evidence that Mating Plug is Related to Null Female Mating Activity in the ScorpionVaejovis punctatus
Authors: Contreras‐Garduño Jorge , Peretti Alfredo V. , Córdoba‐Aguilar Alex 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe document a case in which the mating plug of the scorpionVaejovis punctatusseems correlated with a reduction in female sexual receptivity. We used two morphological and behavioral analyses. The mating plug was dissected and described from both males and females: it bears a set of spines and two enlarged terminations which possibly allow anchoring to the female inside and impede removal. Behavioral observations support this view: after sperm transfer ended, the female tried to remove the plug by rubbing the ventral side of her body using her second and third pair of legs. This pattern was also performed after mate separation. All females seemed unable to displace the plug and rejected male mating attempts. The mating plug suffered a progressive degradation into the female. This degradation was completed 2 or 3 mo prior to parturition, so that the plug did not seem a barrier for the emergence of embryos. Furthermore, females bearing mating plugs in different degradation stages did not accept another mating during the reproductive season, and sexual acceptance was reinitiated only after parturition. The mating plug therefore seems to correlate with a lost in mating activity. The comparison of this structure with that of other scorpion species allows us to hypothesize a sexual coevolutionary scenario in which the effectiveness of the plug to inhibit female remating may lie at the center of such interaction.
Bacteriuria, pyuria and bacteremia frequency following outpatient cystoscopy
Authors: TURAN HALE , BALCI UGUR , ERDINC F. SEBNEM , TULEK NECLA , GERMIYANOGLU CANKON 
Published: January 2006

Aim:  The assumed necessity of antimicrobial prophylaxis prior to cystoscopy is controversial. In this study, the rate of bacteriuria, pyuria and bacteremia in outpatients who underwent cystoscopy without antimicrobial prophylaxis is investigated prospectively.Methods:  The study included 75 patients who underwent cystoscopy for various indications and had sterile urine prior to intervention. A clean midstream urine sample was obtained 24 h before and 48 h after the procedure. Blood cultures were taken 1 h after cystoscopy. Patients were questioned for newly developed symptoms 48 h after cystoscopy. Blood cultures were taken again from patients who presented with fever.Results:  Six patients (8%) developed significant bacteriuria, and six patients (8%) developed pyuria without significant bacteriuria. Bacteremia was not determined in any of the patients. The association between presence of pyuria prior to the procedure and development of bacteriuria after the procedure was significant (P < 0.05). Four patients out of six who had bacteriuria were asymptomatic. In our study we found significant bacteriuria after cystoscopy in 8% of patients, and no bacteremia.Conclusions:  Thus we conclude that cystoscopy is a safe and well‐tolerated procedure. Antimicrobial prophylaxis should not be administrated unless specific indications are present.
Establishment and characterization of human urothelial cancer xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient mice
Authors: ABE TAKASHIGE , TADA MITSUHIRO , SHINOHARA NOBUO , OKADA FUTOSHI , ITOH TOMOO , HAMADA JUN‐ICHI , HARABAYASHI TORU , CHEN QINZHONG , MORIUCHI TETSUYA , NONOMURA KATSUYA 
Published: January 2006

Aim:  To establish and characterize a murine xenograft model of human urothelial cancer in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice for therapeutic simulation.Methods:  Pieces of 30 freshly resected urothelial tumors (24 obtained from bladder and 6 from ureter or pelvis) were implanted subcutaneously into SCID mice, and xenograft tumors were passed in tumorigenic cases. At each passage, histopathology, TP53 mutational status assessed by yeast p53 functional assay, and the Ki‐67 labeling index (LI) were examined to evaluate the preservation of original features. A growth delay assay after single‐dose irradiation was performed in four representative xenografts.Results:  Tumor growth was observed in 18 mice (60%, 18/30). Histologically, 15 of the 18 were epithelial carcinomas similar to the original tumors, whereas the other 3 were Epstein–Barr virus‐associated lymphoproliferative disease, resulting in a 50% (15/30) take rate. No correlation was found between the tumor take rate and the clinicopathologic features, TP53 mutational status, or Ki‐67 LI of the patients’ tumors. Of these 15 xenografts, 11 xenografts were passed from 3 to 10 generations. TP53 mutational status remained stable during the passages, and the Ki‐67 LI of eight xenografts was within a range of 50% of the LI of the original tumors, although the other three xenografts increased by over 50%. Specific growth delay after irradiation, independent of the original tumor growth speed and Ki‐67 LI, was observed in four xenografts.Conclusions:  SCID mice are useful recipients for investigations of human urothelial cancer with a wide biological range. This easy‐to‐handle xenograft system can help to develop a better in vivo preclinical evaluation system for therapeutic agents as well as the investigation of tumor pathophysiology.
Transperineal extended biopsy improves the clinically significant prostate cancer detection rate: A comparative study of 6 and 12 biopsy cores
Authors: TAKENAKA ATSUSHI , HARA RYOUEI , HYODO YOJI , ISHIMURA TAKESHI , SAKAI YUTAKA , FUJIOKA HITOSHI , FUJII TOMOHIRO , JO YOSHIMASA , FUJISAWA MASATO 
Published: January 2006

Background:  We evaluated the improvement in the rate of prostate cancer detection when using a 12‐core transperineal biopsy protocol including transitional zone biopsy.Methods:  Between April 2003 and November 2004, 247 consecutive men underwent transperineal systemic 12‐core biopsy of the prostate. Six cores were obtained at the peripheral zone, four at the transitional zone and two at the apex. We examined the cancer detection rate in each of the 12 cores, and also determined the improvement of cancer detection resulting from the extensive 12‐core versus standard 6‐core biopsy.Results:  Using the extensive 12‐core biopsy, prostate cancer was detected in 98 cases (39.7%). Prostate‐specific antigen (PSA), PSA density, the positive rate in digital rectal examination and transrectal ultrasound findings were significantly higher in the prostate cancer group than in the non‐prostate cancer group, and prostate volume was larger in non‐prostate cancer group. Every site showed almost the same positive rate, between 17.8 and 21.5%. There were 20 cases which were positive in the extended biopsy, but negative in the sextant. The detection improved significantly (20.4%). The improvement of cancer detection in extended biopsy was better in men with PSA levels of 10 ng/mL or less (28.9%), PSA density 0.3 or less (25.8%), negative digital rectal examination (23.3%), and negative transrectal ultrasound (21.6%). Of these twenty patients, no cases with insignificant tumor were detected in the six prostatectomy cases. In particular, three cases of the six were transitional‐zone‐only cancer.Conclusion:  Transperineal extended 12‐core biopsy including 4 transitional zone cores is a more useful procedure than transperineal 6‐core biopsy. Routine transitional zone biopsy, that is different from transrectal biopsy, might be useful for detecting biologically significant cancer.
Videomanometry of the pelvic organs: A comparison of the normal lower urinary and gastrointestinal tracts
Authors: ITO TAKASHI , SAKAKIBARA RYUJI , UCHIYAMA TOMOYUKI , ZHI LIU , YAMAMOTO TATSUYA , HATTORI TAKAMICHI 
Published: January 2006

Background:  Both the lower urinary tract (LUT) and the caudal part of the lower gastrointestinal tract (LGIT) are innervated by the sacral spinal cord. We aimed to compare the normal physiology of the LUT and LGIT using the same videomanometry method.Methods:  We recruited fifteen healthy volunteers (eight men and seven women; mean age, 60 years). The videomanometric measures included fluoroscopic images, subtracted bladder/rectal pressures, urethral/anal sphincter pressures, sphincter electromyography, and urinary/fecal flow.Results:  During the resting phase, the urethral/anal sphincter pressures showed almost the same values (mean, 70 cmH2O and 68 cmH2O, respectively). During the storage phase, the volumes at first sensation and maximum capacity for the LGIT (129 mL and 320 mL) were slightly smaller than those for the LUT (170 mL and 405 mL). Compliance of the LGIT (65 mL/cmH2O) was almost as high as that of the LUT (99 mL/cmH2O). However, the LGIT showed spontaneous phasic rectal contractions (SPRC) that were never seen in the bladder. None of the subjects experienced leakage during bladder/rectal filling. During the evacuation phase, rectal contraction on defecation (14 cmH2O) was present, but was weaker than bladder contraction on micturition (42 cmH2O; P < 0.01). Abdominal strain on defecation (70 cmH2O) was greater than that on micturition (25 cmH2O; P < 0.01). Sphincter pressure increase on defecation (13 cmH2O) was greater than that on micturition (−52 cmH2O). An illustrative case of SPRC that were seen during urodynamic recording was shown.Conclusion:  SPRC and abdominal strain are features of the LGIT, whereas micturition bladder contraction is a feature of the LUT. These features can aid in understanding the possible rectal ‘artifacts’ of videourodynamics and neurogenic pelvic organ dysfunction.
Effect of hypothyroidism on the nitrergic relaxant responses of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle in rabbits
Authors: SARAC BULENT , YILDIRIM MUSTAFA K. , BAGCIVAN IHSAN , KAYA KEMAL , KILICARSLAN HAKAN , YILDIRIM SAHIN 
Published: January 2006

Background:  The incidence of hormonal dysfunction as a cause of impotence remains controversial. However, several recent studies have reported evidence of hormonal abnormalities in 25–35% of impotent men. Hypothyroidism has been reported to occur in 6% of impotent men.Methods:  In the present study, we examined nitrergic responses in hypothyroidism in rabbit corpus cavernosum and compared them with controls.Results:  Carbachol‐induced relaxation responses and electrical field stimulation (EFS)‐induced frequency‐dependent relaxations decreased significantly in hypothyroid rabbits. Papaverine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)‐induced relaxation responses did not change significantly in hypothyroid rabbits. The contraction responses of phenylephrine and EFS‐induced frequency‐dependent contractions were significantly decreased in the hypothyroid group.Conclusions:  We can speculate that the reduction of relaxant responses to EFS and carbachol in hypothyroid rabbits can depend on a decreased release of nitric oxide (NO) from nitrergic nerves and endothelium or a reduction of muscarinic receptor density. Also, decreases in contraction responses may depend on diminished adrenoceptor density.
Sexual activity in Korean male patients on clean intermittent catheterization with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury
Authors: KU JA HYEON , OH SEUNG‐JUNE , JEON HWANG GYUN , SHIN HYUNG‐IK , PAIK NAM‐JONG , YOO TAIWOO , KIM SOO WOONG 
Published: January 2006

Background:  The aim of this study was to assess the sexual function and activity in male patients on clean intermittent catheterization with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury.Methods:  Eighty‐nine patients (mean age 37.6 years with a range of 18–66) were included in the study. We requested all subjects to complete a questionnaire including the 5‐item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF‐5).Results:  Of 89 patients, 60 (67.4%) reported having attempted no sexual intercourse over the past 6 months and 28 (31.5%) presented with IIEF‐5 scores less than or equal to 21 points. When subjects were stratified according to the years since injury, 50.0% (16 of 32) with less than 2 years post‐injury had no sexual activity, while 77.2 (44 of 57) with 2 years or more post‐injury did (P = 0.027). Patients with sexual activity were 40.4% (23 of 57) and 18.8% (6 of 32) in patients who were able and unable to perform self‐catheterization, respectively (P = 0.037). Patients with less than 2 years post‐injury had 3.3‐fold higher risk (odds ratio 3.33; 95% confidence interval 1.01–10.97; P = 0.048) of no sexual activity than those with 2 years or more post‐injury on the multivariate model. The other parameters were not appreciably related to sexual activity.Conclusion:  Our results demonstrate that sexual activity as well as erectile function is poor in this population. In addition, our findings suggest that years since injury may influence sexual activity of patients with spinal cord injury.
Absence of synapsin I and II is accompanied by decreases in vesicular transport of specific neurotransmitters
Authors: Bogen Inger Lise , Boulland Jean‐Luc , Mariussen Espen , Wright Marianne S. , Fonnum Frode , Kao Hung‐Teh , Walaas S. Ivar 
Published: January 2006

AbstractStudies of synapsin‐deficient mice have shown decreases in the number of synaptic vesicles but knowledge about the consequences of this decrease, and which classes of vesicles are being affected, has been lacking. In this study, glutamatergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic transport has been analysed in animals where the genes encoding synapsin I and II were inactivated. The levels of the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) 1, VGLUT2 and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) were decreased by approximately 40% in adult forebrain from mice devoid of synapsin I and II, while vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) 2 and VGLUT3 were present in unchanged amounts compared with wild‐type mice. Functional studies on synaptic vesicles showed that the vesicular uptake of glutamate and GABA was decreased by 41 and 23%, respectively, while uptake of dopamine was unaffected by the lack of synapsin I and II. Double‐labelling studies showed that VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 colocalized fully with synapsin I and/or II in the hippocampus and neostriatum, respectively. VGAT showed partial colocalization, while VGLUT3 and VMAT2 did not colocalize with either synapsin I or II in the brain areas studied. In conclusion, distinct vesicular transporters show a variable degree of colocalization with synapsin proteins and, hence, distinct sensitivities to inactivation of the genes encoding synapsin I and II.
Mutations in amyloid precursor protein and presenilin‐1 genes increase the basal oxidative stress in murine neuronal cells and lead to increased sensitivity to oxidative stress mediated by amyloid β‐peptide (1–42), H2O2 and kainic acid: implications for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Mohmmad Abdul Hafiz , Sultana Rukhsana , Keller Jeffrey N. , St. Clair Daret K , Markesbery William R. , Butterfield D. Allan 
Published: January 2006

AbstractOxidative stress is observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, including protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation. One of the major pathological hallmarks of AD is the brain deposition of amyloid beta‐peptide (Aβ). This 42‐mer peptide is derived from the β‐amyloid precursor protein (APP) and is associated with oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo. Mutations in the PS‐1 and APP genes, which increase production of the highly amyloidogenic amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ42), are the major causes of early onset familial AD. Several lines of evidence suggest that enhanced oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis play important roles in the pathogenesis of AD. In the present study, primary neuronal cultures from knock‐in mice expressing mutant human PS‐1 and APP were compared with those from wild‐type mice, in the presence or absence of various oxidizing agents, viz, Aβ(1–42), H2O2 and kainic acid (KA). APP/PS‐1 double mutant neurons displayed a significant basal increase in oxidative stress as measured by protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and 3‐nitrotyrosine when compared with the wild‐type neurons (p < 0.0005). Elevated levels of human APP, PS‐1 and Aβ(1–42) were found in APP/PS‐1 cultures compared with wild‐type neurons. APP/PS‐1 double mutant neuron cultures exhibited increased vulnerability to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis induced by Aβ(1–42), H2O2 and KA compared with wild‐type neuronal cultures. The results are consonant with the hypothesis that Aβ(1–42)‐associated oxidative stress and increased vulnerability to oxidative stress may contribute significantly to neuronal apoptosis and death in familial early onset AD.
Regulatory issues in aging pharmacology
Authors: Hefti Franz F. , Bales Roxanne 
Published: January 2006

SummaryMany current drugs increase the average lifespan by preventing fatal diseases or by slowing down the progressive degenerative diseases that increase mortality. The existing strategies and guidelines for the development and regulatory approval of new drugs are designed for such compounds. Rapid advances in understanding molecular mechanisms of aging make it possible to envisage future drugs that extend the lifespan by regulating aging mechanism outside of disease pathways. Strategies for development and regulatory approval of such drugs remain to be defined. Since the drug candidates will be given to healthy, elderly subjects, safety requirements will be extremely high. Clinical studies of many years’ duration will be necessary to prove changes in longevity. These time intervals may exceed those of patent protection and thus minimize commercial incentives. Despite these challenges, two broadly defined pathways are feasible. First, it may be possible to obtain public funding for studies with voluntary participation of humans consuming existing drugs or natural compounds in the ‘expected to be safe’ category. Second, the development of novel drugs may proceed on the basis of well‐defined biomarkers of aging that can serve as surrogate end points in clinical studies. The emerging approaches will prompt the regulatory agencies into taking the first steps towards regulatory guidance.
The effect of water table depth on emissions of N2O from a grassland soil
Authors: Dobbie K. E. , Smith K. A. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractNitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were measured by the closed chamber technique from five plots along a transect in a nitrogen‐fertilised grassland, together with soil water content, soil temperature and water table depth, to investigate the effect of water table depth on N2O emissions. N2O fluxes varied from <1 g N2O‐N ha−1 day−1 to peaks of around 500–1200 g N2O‐N ha−1 day−1 after N fertiliser applications. There was no significant difference in overall average water table depth between four of the five plots, but significant short‐term temporal variations in water table depth did occur. Rises in the water table were accompanied by exponential increases in N2O emissions, through the associated increases in the water‐filled pore space of the topsoil. Modelling predicted that if the water table could be managed such that it was kept to no less than 35 cm below the ground surface, fluxes during the growing season would be reduced by 50%, while lowering to 45 cm would reduce them by over 80%. The strong implication of these results is that draining grasslands, so that the water tables are only rarely nearer to the surface than 35 cm when N is available for denitrification, would substantially reduce N2O emissions.
The role of p28GANK in rat oval cells activation and proliferation
Authors: Shan Yun‐Feng , Zhou Wei‐Ping , Fu Xiao‐Yong , Yan He‐Xing , Yang Wen , Liu Shu‐Qin , Cao Hui‐Fang , Kang Bin , Wu Meng‐Chao , Wang Hong‐Yang 
Published: January 2006

Abstract: Background: Human gankyrin gene product (p28GANK) is a novel oncogenic protein ubiquitously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and also plays a role in cell cycle progression in normal hepatocytes and liver regeneration. However, little is known about the physiological role of p28GANK in the liver oval cell activation and proliferation. We investigated the possible involvement of p28GANK in oval cell‐mediated liver regeneration and cell cycle progression.Methods: We examined the different p28GANK expression in 2‐acetylaminofuorene/partial heptectomy (2‐AAF/PH) rats, as a model of oval cell activation, and PH rats by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Oval cells isolated from 2‐AAF/PH rat model were cultured in our study. p28GANK expression was examined in the oval cells after mitogenic stimulation.Results: In 2‐AAF/PH rats, p28GANK was expressed in the activated oval cells and located in the nucleus. p28GANK protein expression was increased in 2‐AFF/PH rats after hepatectomy lasting for 96 h when retinoblastoma maintained hyperphosphorylation status at Ser‐795. The isolated oval cells express AFP, OV6, CK19, CD34, CD45, c‐kit and albumin. After epidermal growth factor stimulation, p28GANK protein was up‐regulated in oval cells from 24 to 72 h, which coincided with increased expression of CyclinD1, CDK4 and decreased of Rb protein.Conclusions: p28GANK expression was increased in oval cell‐mediated liver regeneration and oval cells after mitogenic stimulation. Thus, p28GANK may play a role in oval cell‐mediated liver regeneration and liver oval cell cycle progression.