bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vascular loops causing otological symptoms: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chadha N.K. , Weiner G.M. 
Published: February 2008

Objective of review:  To determine evidence for a relationship between vascular loops in contact with the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII) and otological symptoms.Type of review:  Systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies.Search strategy:  Comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Clinical Evidence and Cochrane Central Register of Trials. Reference lists cross‐referenced and authors contacted for missing data. No language restrictions.Evaluation methods:  Included studies: (1) compared symptoms in subjects with a vascular loop contacting CN VIII to subjects without (inter‐subject control); (2) compared the prevalence of vascular loop in contact with CN VIII in symptomatic ears to contra‐lateral asymptomatic ears (intra‐subject control). Study quality systematically appraised.Results:  Five case–control studies included. A statistically significant association was demonstrated for the prevalence of vascular loops in contact with CN VIII, with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: pooled odds ratio (OR) 2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–2.6]. No association was demonstrated for non‐pulsatile tinnitus. A highly significant association with vascular loops was shown in subjects having pulsatile tinnitus, with pooled OR: 78.8 (95% CI: 10.9–821.8).Conclusions:  Vascular loops in contact with CN VIII are a normal variant. Subjects with unilateral hearing loss were twice as likely to have these vascular loops in the symptomatic ear, than in the asymptomatic ear. Subjects with pulsatile tinnitus were 80 times more likely to have a contacting vascular loop than patients with non‐pulsatile tinnitus, suggesting in some cases a causal relationship exists for pulsatile tinnitus, where surgical intervention may be occasionally indicated.
Nucleosome Positioning and Histone H3 Acetylation Are Independent Processes in the
Aspergillus nidulans prnD-prnB
Bidirectional Promoter
Authors: Reyes-Dominguez Yazmid , Narendja Frank , Berger Harald , Gallmetzer Andreas , Fernandez-Martin Rafael , Garcia Irene , Scazzocchio Claudio , Strauss Joseph 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT

In
Aspergillus nidulans
, proline can be used as a carbon and nitrogen source, and its metabolism requires the integration of three signals, including proline induction and nitrogen and carbon metabolite derepression. We have previously shown that the bidirectional promoter in the
prnD-prnB
intergenic region undergoes drastic chromatin rearrangements such that proline induction leads to the loss of positioned nucleosomes, whereas simultaneous carbon and nitrogen metabolite repression results in the partial repositioning of these nucleosomes. In the proline cluster, the inhibition of deacetylases by trichostatin A leads to partial derepression and is associated with a lack of nucleosome positioning. Here, we investigate the effect of histone acetylation in the proline cluster using strains deleted of essential components of putative
A. nidulans
histone acetyltransferase complexes, namely,
gcnE
and
adaB
, the orthologues of the
Saccharomyces cerevisiae GCN5
and
ADA2
genes, respectively. Surprisingly, GcnE and AdaB are not required for transcriptional activation and chromatin remodeling but are required for the repression of
prnB
and
prnD
and for the repositioning of nucleosomes in the divergent promoter region. Chromatin immunoprecipitation directed against histone H3 lysines K9 and K14 revealed that GcnE and AdaB participate in increasing the acetylation level of at least one nucleosome in the
prnD-prnB
intergenic region during activation, but these activities do not determine nucleosome positioning. Our results are consistent with a function of GcnE and AdaB in gene repression of the proline cluster, probably an indirect effect related to the function of CreA, the DNA-binding protein mediating carbon catabolite repression in
A. nidulans
.
Roles of Effectors in XylS-Dependent Transcription Activation: Intramolecular Domain Derepression and DNA Binding
Authors: Domínguez-Cuevas Patricia , Marín Patricia , Busby Stephen , Ramos Juan L. , Marqués Silvia 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT

XylS, an AraC family protein, activates transcription from the benzoate degradation pathway Pm promoter in the presence of a substrate effector such as 3-methylbenzoate (3MB). We developed a procedure to obtain XylS-enriched preparations which proved suitable to analyze its activation mechanism. XylS showed specific 3MB-independent binding to its target operator, which became strictly 3MB dependent in a dimerization-defective mutant. We demonstrated that the N-terminal domain of the protein can make linker-independent interactions with the C-terminal domain and inhibit its capacity to bind DNA. Interactions are hampered in the presence of 3MB effector. We propose two independent roles for 3MB in XylS activation: in addition to its known influence favoring protein dimerization, the effector is able to modify XylS conformation to trigger N-terminal domain intramolecular derepression. We also show that activation by XylS involves RNA polymerase recruitment to the Pm promoter as demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. RNA polymerase switching in Pm transcription was reproduced in in vitro transcription assays. All σ
32
-, σ
38
-, and σ
70
-dependent RNA polymerases were able to carry out Pm transcription in a rigorous XylS-dependent manner, as demonstrated by the formation of open complexes only in the presence of the regulator.
Distinct Functions of Natural ADAM-15 Cytoplasmic Domain Variants in Human Mammary Carcinoma
Authors: Zhong Julia L. , Poghosyan Zaruhi , Pennington Caroline J. , Scott Xanthe , Handsley Madeleine M. , Warn Alba , Gavrilovic Jelena , Honert Katja , Krüger Achim , Span Paul N. , Sweep Fred C.G.J. , Edwards Dylan R. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Adamalysins [a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM)] are a family of cell surface transmembrane proteins that have broad biological functions encompassing proteolysis, adhesion, and cell signal regulation. We previously showed that the cytoplasmic domain of ADAM-15 interacts with Src family protein tyrosine kinases and the adaptor protein growth factor receptor binding protein 2 (Grb2). In the present study, we have cloned and characterized four alternatively spliced forms of ADAM-15, which differ only in their cytoplasmic domains. We show that the four ADAM-15 variants were differentially expressed in human mammary carcinoma tissues compared with normal breast. The expression of the individual isoforms did not correlate with age, menopausal status, tumor size or grade, nodal status, Nottingham Prognostic Index, or steroid hormone receptor status. However, higher levels of two isoforms (ADAM-15A and ADAM-5B) were associated with poorer relapse-free survival in node-negative patients, whereas elevated ADAM-15C correlated with better relapse-free survival in node-positive, but not in node-negative, patients. The expression of ADAM-15A and ADAM-15B variants in MDA-MB-435 cells had differential effects on cell morphology, with adhesion, migration, and invasion enhanced by expression of ADAM-15A, whereas ADAM-15B led to reduced adhesion. Using glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays, we showed that the cytoplasmic domains of ADAM-15A, ADAM-15B, and ADAM-15C show equivalent abilities to interact with extracellular signal-regulated kinase and the adaptor molecules Grb2 and Tks5/Fish, but associate in an isoform-specific fashion with Nck and the Src and Brk tyrosine kinases. These data indicate that selective expression of ADAM-15 variants in breast cancers could play an important role in determining tumor aggressiveness by interplay with intracellular signaling pathways. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(3):383–94)
Industry-Sponsored Medical Education — In the Quest for Professional Integrity and Legal Certainty
Authors: Buchner Benedikt 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIndustry-sponsored medical education is a much disputed issue. So far, there has been no regulatory framework which provides clear and definite rules as to whether and under what circumstances the sponsorship of medical education is acceptable. State regulation does not exist, or confines itself to a very general principle. Professional regulation, even though applied frequently, is rather vague and indefinite, raising the general question as to whether self-regulation is the right approach at all. Certainly, self-regulation by industry cannot and should not replace other regulatory approaches. Ultimately, advertising law in general and the European Directive 2001/83/EC specifically, might be a good starting point in providing legal certainty and ensuring the independence of medical education. Swiss advertising law illustrates how the principles of the European Directive could be implemented clearly and unambiguously.
The Influence of the Rulings of the Constitutional Court on the Development of Health Law in Lithuania
Authors: Birmontienė Toma 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article highlights some recent developments in the constitutional doctrine of the right to health care in Lithuania, and more in particular the impact of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania on the development of health law. The right to health care, enshrined in the Constitution, is both an obligation of the state and an individual right. The Constitutional Court has developed a doctrine of the right to health care, as well a doctrine of certain other constitutional social rights, which is based on the understanding of the close interrelation between the different constitutional rights, the principle of indivisibility and equal importance of these rights, and the presumption of justiciability of social rights. The analysis is based on the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. Two cases on the disputes of the legal regulation concerning the pharmaceutical activities are presented in more detail.
Competing Values in World Culture and the Emergence of Middle Ground
Authors: Song Eun young 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis paper, focusing on a Botswanan case of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), illustrates how globalized norms in seeming competition nonetheless reveal a potential middle ground. In Botswana there have been conflicts between regimes of environmentalism and indigenous cultural rights. Environmental protectionism has been based on a concept of “pristine nature” which does not allow for human interaction. Thus, the more protected areas are designated, the more indigenous peoples' lands are claimed as nature reserves. This forces local peoples to abandon cultural practices such as hunting animals and gathering wild plants. In contrast, impelled by the ascention of human rights issues, advocacy groups for the unorganized fourth world and indigenous communities have been struggling to protect indigenous people's cultural rights, thereby giving prominence to human rights issues. NGO advocates for indigenous peoples as well as professionals involved with indigenous groups have found that indigenous people's practices are in fact not harmful to the ecosystem. Rather, their ethno-biological knowledge and customary activities contribute to balancing the local ecosystem. This means that conflicting guidelines can be harmonized in “buffer zones” around protected areas, and the buffering program that has resulted, that by CBNRM, has been widely accepted in Botswana and is likely applicable to other countries in which we find similar value competition.
Painting, Law and Professions, II: Paris Visual Academie and French Law
Authors: Sciulli David 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAside from English law being cited as pioneering the first professionalism project, French law is also frequently treated as an exemplar of early professionalism. We challenge this consensus by demonstrating that the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture of Paris preceded along a professionalism project centuries in advance of French law. Using this comparison, we also provide alternative explanations for questions and issues which remain troubling in the literature of French law.
Changes of Government Policies Towards Mission Education in Colonial Kenya and Their Effects on the Missions: The Case of the Gospel Missionary Society
Authors: Wamagatta Evanson 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBefore the First World War, the provision and management of African education was almost entirely in the hands of the missionaries. After the war, the government enacted a series of laws that were designed to improve the quality of education. However, the new policies placed a heavy financial burden on the missions, which found it difficult to function without government grants. This paper analyzes the effects of government education policies on the fluctuating fortunes of the Gospel Missionary Society (GMS). It shows that, although the GMS was not opposed to the grants, its small size and faith basis made it impossible to meet the government's conditions for receiving the grants. The government's pressure and the mission's inability to implement the policies eventually forced the GMS to withdraw from the mission field altogether, and that is why there are today no schools or churches associated with it in Kenya. The paper is based on secondary sources and primary materials obtained from the Kenya National Archives (KNA) and the GMS's and other missionary societies' archives.
Constitutive activation of distinct BCR-signaling pathways in a subset of CLL patients: a molecular signature of anergy
Authors: Muzio Marta , Apollonio Benedetta , Scielzo Cristina , Frenquelli Michela , Vandoni Irene , Boussiotis Vassiliki , Caligaris-Cappio Federico , Ghia Paolo 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Stimulation through the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) is believed to be involved in the natural history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Some cases respond to the in vitro cross-linking of surface immunoglobulin (sIg) with effective activation. In contrast, the remaining cases do not respond to such stimulation, thereby resembling B cells anergized after antigen encounter in vivo. However the biochemical differences between the 2 groups are ill defined, and in humans the term B-cell anergy lacks a molecular definition. We examined the expression and activation of key molecules involved in signaling pathways originating from the BCR, and we report that a proportion of CLL patients (a) expresses constitutively phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 in the absence of AKT activation; (b) displays constitutive phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and increased nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT) transactivation; and (c) is characterized by cellular unresponsiveness to sIg ligation. This molecular profile recapitulates the signaling pattern of anergic murine B cells. Our data indicate that constitutive activation of mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway along with NF-AT transactivation in the absence of AKT activation may also represent the molecular signature of anergic human B lymphocytes. CLL cases with this signature may be taken as a human model of anergic B cells aberrantly expanded.
Targeting Bcl-2 family members with the BH3 mimetic AT-101 markedly enhances the therapeutic effects of chemotherapeutic agents in in vitro and in vivo models of B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Paoluzzi Luca , Gonen Mithat , Gardner Jeffrey R. , Mastrella Jill , Yang Dajun , Holmlund Jon , Sorensen Mel , Leopold Lance , Manova Katia , Marcucci Guido , Heaney Mark L. , O'Connor Owen A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractOverexpression of antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family are observed in approximately 80% of B-cell lymphomas, contributing to intrinsic and acquired drug resistance. Nullifying antiapoptotic function can potentially overcome this in-trinsic and acquired drug resistance. AT-101 is a BH3 mimetic known to be a potent inhibitor of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members including Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Mcl-1. In vitro, AT-101 exhibits concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity against lymphoma and multiple myeloma cell lines, enhancing the activity of cytotoxic agents. The IC50 for AT-101 is between 1 and 10 μM for a diverse panel of B-cell lymphomas. AT-101 was synergistic with carfilzomib (C), etoposide (E), doxorubicin (D), and 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) lines. In a transformed large B-cell lymphoma line (RL), AT-101 was synergistic when sequentially combined with 4-HC, but not when both drugs were added simultaneously. AT-101 also induced potent mitochondrial membrane depolarization (ΔΨm) and apoptosis when combined with carfilzomib, but not with bortezomib in MCL. In severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) beige mouse models of drug-resistant B-cell lymphoma, 35 mg/kg per day of AT-101 was safe and efficacious. The addition of AT-101 to cyclophosphamide (Cy) and rituximab (R) in a schedule-dependent manner enhanced the efficacy of the conventional therapy.
Anti-Windup Using Switch for SISO System
Authors: Kosaka Manabu , Uda Hiroshi 
Published: February 2008

In this paper, we propose a new anti-windup method with a clear procedure of initialization to avoid vibrations and overshoots in spite of saturation of the control input. This method is based on a single-input single-output 2 degree of freedom model matching control system and by using a switch, a saturated control input and an output are respectively used for updating a reference output and a feedforward input instead of a control input and a reference output; these are not affected by input saturation. By this means, even if the control input is saturated, the state of the reference model corresponds with that of the control object and at the moment the updated control input is not saturated, the output immediately corresponds with the reference output. Furthermore, a procedure to initialize the reference model by which vibrations and overshoots do not occur even if the control input is saturated, is given. This method is suitable for systems in which vibrations and overshoots are taboo, such as tool machines. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulation.
Ultrasound‐guided periarticular injections of the sacroiliac region in horses: A cadaveric study
Authors: COUSTY M. , ROSSIER Y. , DAVID F. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryReasons for performing study: The traditional techniques for injection of the sacroiliac (SI) region are based on external landmarks. Because of the depth of the SI joint and pathological modifications, SI injections are sometimes challenging in horses.Hypothesis: An ultrasound‐guided technique would allow placement of the needle without depending on external landmarks.Methods: Fourteen pelvic specimens were isolated from mature horses. A 20 cm bent spinal needle was positioned with ultrasonographic guidance under both iliac wings aiming for SI joints using 5 approaches: cranial, craniomedial, medial and 2 caudal approaches. The length of needle inserted was recorded and 2 ml of latex injected. The distance from latex to the closest sacral articular margin, the contact between latex and the SI interosseous ligament or the contact with the neurovascular structures emerging from the greater sciatic foramen were recorded at the time of dissection.Results: Latex was identified under the iliac wing in all injections but one. The distance from the latex to the closest sacral articular margin was significantly shorter (P = 0.02) for the 2 caudal approaches compared to the cranial, craniomedial and medial approaches. Contact between latex and the SI interosseous ligament was significantly more frequent (P = 0.01) with the cranial, craniomedial and medial approaches (38/73) compared to the caudal approaches (1/24). Contact between latex and the neurovascular structures was significantly less frequent (P = 0.005) for the cranial and craniomedial approaches (0/47) compared to the medial and caudal approaches (8/60). Four erratic injections were encountered.Conclusions: Ultrasonographic guidance allowed the needle to engage under the iliac wing without being dependent on external landmarks. The caudal approaches allowed deposition of liquid extremely close to the SI joint although retroperitoneal injections occurred.Clinical relevance: Each approach has advantages/drawbacks that could be favoured for selected purposes, but additional work is required to evaluate them on clinical cases.
Use of ultrasonography to detect pulmonary lesions in Thoroughbred foals in Argentina
Authors: Cortez J. , Aguilar J. J. , Lagioia M. , Fernandez R. , Losinno L. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryRhodococcus equi is an important cause of pulmonary disease in foals often related to economic losses and death. A study was performed on a Thoroughbred farm (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) where this disease was enzootic causing 1–2% of foal deaths every year. One hundred foals were monitored by thoracic ultrasonography at ages 1–5 months to detect pulmonary lesions in order to initiate an early treatment. This strategy allowed reducing the number of foal deaths almost totally. In our experience, thoracic ultrasonography was proved to be very efficient in detection of early cases of pneumonia on a farm with high density of horses and intensive management.
Coxsackievirus B4 infection of murine foetal thymus organ cultures
Authors: Brilot Fabienne , Jaïdane Hela , Geenen Vincent , Hober Didier 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe infection of foetal thymus with coxsackievirus B4 (CV‐B4) E2 has been studied ex vivo by using CD‐1 mice on foetal day 14, as a ready source of organs for experimentation to investigate the hypothesis of the role of thymic viral infections in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. The replication of CV‐B4 E2 in murine foetal thymus organ cultures has been demonstrated by evaluating the levels of positive‐ and negative‐stranded viral RNA in cells by using a real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR method and by determining titres of infectious viral particles in culture supernatants for 7 days post‐infection (p.i.). Staining of tissue sections with an anti‐cytokeratin antibody and haematoxylin–eosin showed that CV‐B4 infection had no visible effect on cell survival and organ integrity. Cell counts in mock‐ and virus‐infected foetal thymus organ cultures increased from day 1 through day 7, and live cell numbers were comparable in both conditions as shown by Trypan blue exclusion test and 7‐amino‐actinomycin D staining of thymocytes. Compared with controls on day 7 p.i., cytofluorometric analyses on cells from CV‐B4 E2‐infected foetal thymus organ cultures displayed a marked increase in the percentage of the most immature CD3−CD4−CD8− thymocytes, and a decrease in the percentage of immature CD3−CD4+CD8+ cells, together with an increase in the percentage of mature CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells. These data show that CV‐B4 E2 disturbs T‐cell maturation and differentiation processes in infected murine foetal thymus organ cultures and provide evidence of a suitable system to investigate the effect of viruses in T‐cell differentiation. J. Med. Virol. 80:659–666, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.