bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Termination of pregnancy among very preterm births and its impact on very preterm mortality: results from ten European population‐based cohorts in the MOSAIC study
Authors: Papiernik E , Zeitlin J , Delmas D , Draper ES , Gadzinowski J , Künzel W , Cuttini M , Di Lallo D , Weber T , Kollée L , Bekaert A , Bréart G ,   MOSAIC Research Group
Published: February 2008

Objective  To study the impact of terminations of pregnancy (TOP) on very preterm mortality in Europe.Design  European prospective population‐based cohort study.Setting  Ten regions from nine European countries participating in the MOSAIC (Models of OrganiSing Access to Intensive Care for very preterm babies) study. These regions had different policies on screening for congenital anomalies (CAs) and on pregnancy termination.Population or sample  Births 22–31 weeks gestational age.Methods  The analysis compares the proportion of TOP among very preterm births and assesses differences in mortality between the regions.Main outcome measures  Pregnancy outcomes (termination, antepartum death, intrapartum death and live birth) and reasons for termination, presence of CAs and causes of death for stillbirths and live births in 2003.Results  Pregnancy terminations constituted between 1 and 21.5% of all very preterm births and between 4 and 53% of stillbirths. Most terminations were for CAs, although some were for obstetric indications (severe pre‐eclampsia, growth restriction, premature rupture of membranes). TOP contributed substantially to overall fetal mortality rates in the two regions with late second‐trimester screening. There was no clear association between policies governing screening and pregnancy termination and the proportion of CAs among stillbirths and live births, except in Poland, where neonatal deaths associated with CAs were more frequent, reflecting restrictive pregnancy termination policies.Conclusion  Proportions of TOP among very preterm births varied widely between European regions. Information on terminations should be reported when very preterm live births and stillbirths are compared internationally since national policies related to screening for CAs and the legality and timing of medical terminations differ.
Body size, reproductive allocation, and maximum reproductive rate of two species of aphidophagous Coccinellidae exploiting the same resource
Authors: Honek Alois , Dixon Anthony F.G. , Martinkova Zdenka 
Published: February 2008

AbstractTo test the predictions of allometric analyses of laboratory data on aphidophagous ladybirds, a study was carried out on a small [Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.); dry female body mass 3.7 mg] and large species (Coccinella septempunctata L.; 15.4 mg) (both Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of predatory ladybird, which regularly exploit cereal aphids. In 2003–2006, females of C. septempunctata and in 2006 P. quatuordecimpunctata were collected at 2‐ to 5‐day intervals during the 30‐day period around the peak in cereal aphid abundance, and the number of eggs they laid in the following 24 h in the laboratory was recorded. In addition to the number of eggs laid, clutch mass, live weight, and scutum width of ovipositing females and the sizes of the clutches laid in the field were recorded. As predicted, the reproductive allocation in both species was similar. The weight of the eggs of C. septempunctata (0.20 mg) and P. quatuordecimpunctata (0.18 mg) differed little, and the proportion of body mass allocated to daily reproduction (ca. 12%) was identical in both species. In addition, the maximum number of eggs laid per day in the field by the large species was, as predicted, greater than by the small species. Interestingly, the size of the egg clutches laid by C. septempunctata in the field was similar to the daily oviposition of field‐collected adults recorded in the laboratory, whereas for P. quatuordecimpunctata it was significantly smaller. The role of morphology and physiology of ladybirds in structuring aphidophagous ladybird guilds is discussed.
uPA dependent and independent mechanisms of wound healing by C‐phycocyanin
Authors: Madhyastha H. K. , Radha K. S. , Nakajima Y. , Omura S. , Maruyama M. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWound repair requires both recruitment and well co‐ordinated actions of many cell types including inflammatory cells, endothelial cells, epithelial cells and importantly fibroblast cells. Urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA) system plays a vital role in wound healing phenomenon. We have previously demonstrated that C‐phycocyanin (C‐pc), a biliprotein from blue‐green algae, transcriptionally regulates uPA through cAMP‐dependent protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. To date, a role for C‐pc in wound‐healing scenario is not elucidated. This study was designed to examine the wound‐healing property of C‐pc in relation to fibroblast proliferation and migration. C‐pc increased fibroblast proliferation in a dose‐dependent manner. It also enhanced G1 phase of cell cycle and increased the expressions of cyclin‐dependent kinases 1 and 2, which facilitate cell cycle progression, in a uPA‐independent manner. In vitro wound healing and migration assays revealed the pro‐migratory properties of C‐pc. Short‐interference RNA studies demonstrated that uPA was necessary for C‐pc‐induced fibroblast migration. C‐pc also significantly elevated the expressions of chemokines (MDC, RANTES, Eotaxin, GRO α, ENA78 and TARC) and Rho‐GTPases (Cdc 42 and Rac 1) in a uPA‐dependent manner. Pre‐treatment of C‐pc‐stimulated cells with pharmacological inhibitor of PI‐3K (LY294002) annulled the expression of GTPases implying that Rac 1 and Cdc 42 were induced through PI‐3K pathway. C‐pc‐induced cellular migration towards wounded area was also negatively affected by PI‐3K inhibition. In vivo wound‐healing experiments in mice validated our finding that C‐pc accelerates wound healing. Our data provides conclusive evidence of a novel therapeutic usage for C‐pc as a wound‐healing agent. C‐pc is a food and drug administration (FDA)‐approved health supplement. We believe this compound can also be beneficial in healing of internal wounds, such as ulcers.
Decrease in stromal androgen receptor associates with androgen‐independent disease and promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion
Authors: Li Yirong , Li Caihong X. , Ye Huihui , Chen Fei , Melamed Jonathan , Peng Yi , Liu Jinsong , Wang Zhengxin , Tsou Hui C. , Wei Jianjun , Walden Paul , Garabedian Michael J. , Lee Peng 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAndrogen receptor (AR) is expressed in both stromal and epithelial cells of the prostate. The majority of studies on AR expression and function in prostate cancer is focused on malignant epithelial cells rather than stromal cells. In this study, we examined the levels of stromal AR in androgen‐dependent and ‐independent prostate cancer and the function of stromal AR in prostate cancer growth and invasion. We showed that stromal AR levels were decreased in the areas surrounding cancerous tissue, especially in androgen‐independent cancer. Using two telomerase‐immortalized human stromal cell lines, one AR‐positive and the other AR‐negative, we demonstrated that stromal cells lacking AR stimulated cell proliferation of co‐cultured prostate cancer cells in vitro and enhanced tumour growth in vivo when co‐injected with PC3 epithelial cells in nude mice. In contrast, stromal cells expressing AR suppressed prostate cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. In parallel with cancer growth, in vitro invasion assays revealed that stromal cells lacking AR increased the invasion ability of PC3 cell by one order of magnitude, while stromal cells expressing AR reduced this effect. These results indicate a negative regulation of prostate cancer growth and invasion by stromal AR. This provides potentially new mechanistic insights into the failure of androgen ablation therapy, and the reactivation of stromal AR could be a novel therapeutic approach for treating hormone refractory prostate cancer.
Inhibition of ERK attenuates autophagy and potentiates tumour necrosis factor‐α‐induced cell death in MCF‐7 cells
Authors: Sivaprasad U. , Basu A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe role of autophagy in cell death is under considerable debate. The process of autophagy has been shown to lead to either cell survival or cell death depending on cell type and stimulus. In the present study, we determined the contribution of ERK1/2 signalling to autophagy and cell death induced by tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF) in MCF‐7 breast cancer cells. Treatment of MCF‐7 cells with TNF caused a time‐dependent increase in ERK1/2 activity. There was an induction of autophagy and cleavage of caspase‐7, ‐8, ‐9 and PARP. Pharmacological inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation with U0126 or PD98059 resulted in a decrease in TNF‐induced autophagy that was accompanied by an increase in cleavage of caspase‐7, ‐8, ‐9 and PARP Furthermore, inhibition of ERK1/2 signalling resulted in decreased clonogenic capacity of MCF‐7 cells. These data suggest that TNF‐induces autophagy through ERK1/2 and that inhibition of autophagy increases cellular sensitivity to TNF.
Development of an animal model for allergic conjunctivitis: influence of genetic factors and allergen concentration on immune response
Authors: Giavina‐Bianchi Pedro , Kalil Jorge , Rizzo Luiz Vicente 
Published: February 2008

Abstract.Purpose:  Animal models of diseases are extremely important in the study of the physiopathogenesis of human diseases and for testing novel therapeutic interventions. The present study aimed to develop an animal model that simulates human allergic conjunctivitis and to study how allergic response may be influenced by the allergen dose used for immunization and by genetic factors.Methods:  Sixty C57Bl/6 mice and 60 BALB/c mice were immunized with placebo, or 5 μg or 500 μg of allergen derived from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. After ocular challenge, the mice were examined in order to clinically verify the occurrence or not of conjunctivitis. Material obtained from animals was used for total and specific IgE and IgG1 dosage, for assays of Der p‐specific lymphocyte proliferation and supernatant cytokine dosage, and for histopathological evaluation of conjunctiva.Results:  We developed a murine model of allergic conjunctivitis induced by D. pteronyssinus. The model is similar to human disease both clinically and according to laboratory findings. In mouse, conjunctivitis was associated with a Th2 cytokine profile. However, IL‐10 appeared to be involved with disease blockade. Mice of different strains have distinct immune responses, depending on the sensitization dose.Conclusions:  The murine model developed is suitable for the study of immunopathogenesis and as a template for future therapies. Using BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, we demonstrated that genetic factors play a role in determining susceptibility and resistance, as well as in establishing the allergen concentration needed to induce or to block disease development.
On the minimum mass of reionization sources
Authors: Choudhury T. Roy , Ferrara A. , Gallerani S. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
By means of carefully calibrated semi-analytical reionization models, we estimate the minimum mass of star-forming haloes required to match the current data. Models which do not include haloes of total mass M &lt; 109 M⊙ fail at reproducing the Gunn–Peterson and electron scattering optical depths simultaneously, as they contribute too few (many) photons at high (low, z≈ 6) redshift. Marginally acceptable solutions require haloes with M≈ 5 × 107 M⊙ at z≈ 10, corresponding to virial temperatures (∼104 K) for which cooling can be ensured by atomic transitions. However, a much better match to the data is obtained if minihaloes (M∼ 106 M⊙) are included in the analysis. We have critically examined the assumptions made in our model and conclude that reionization in the large-galaxies-only scenario can remain viable only if metal-free stars and/or some other exotic sources at z &gt; 6 are included.
ENZYMATIC PRODUCTION OF CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID MONOACYLGLYCEROLS FROM DEHYDRATED ISOMERIZED CASTOR BEAN OIL
Authors: BAROUH NATHALIE , PIOMBO GEORGES , GOLI THIERRY , BARÉA BRUNO , PINA MICHEL , LAGO REGINA , VILLENEUVE PIERRE 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) monoacylglycerols (MAGs). A chemicoenzymatic process was employed starting from castor bean oil, which was chemically dehydrated and isomerized to obtain new modified triacylglycerols (TAGs) with a very high proportion of CLA fatty acids (>95%). Such TAGs were then used in enzymatic glycerolysis reaction using Candida antarctica B lipase at 55C in tert‐butyl alcohol as a solvent. The effect of enzyme load and substrate molar ratio on the production yield of MAGs was evaluated and optimized using response surface methodology with a two‐factor and three‐level factorial design. A satisfactory linear correlation existed between experimental results and predicted values (R2 = 0.97 and R2adj. = 0.94). Using the contour plot generated from the model for MAG production yield, optimum parameters could be obtained corresponding to an 11/1 glycerol/TAG molar ratio and an enzyme load of 2% (% w/w of both substrates).PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis research work proposes a new route for the synthesis of functional monoacylglycerols combining the emulsifying effect of partial acylglycerols with the nutritional benefits of conjugated linoleic acids, which have been shown to exhibit promising biological properties. The compounds so produced may have potential applications in the food industry.
FATTY ACIDS, TOCOPHEROLS, STEROLS, PHENOLIC PROFILES AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF CUCUMIS MELO VAR. AGRESTIS OIL
Authors: MARIOD ABDALBASIT , MATTHÄUS BERTRAND 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Oil extracted from the seeds of Cucumis melo var. agrestis, collected from Ghibaish (sandy soil) and Gezira (heavy clay soil) provinces in Sudan, was studied in terms of the profile of fatty acids, tocopherols and sterols as well as phenolic compounds and oxidative stability by Rancimat (Metrohm AG, Herisau, Switzerland). The predominant fatty acid was 18:2n‐6, representing 61.3 and 61.4% for Ghibaish and Gezira samples, respectively. There were no variations among the contents of 16:0, 18:0, 18:1n‐9 and 18:2n‐6 between the two samples. γ‐Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol in both samples, representing 80.7 and 77.6% of the total tocopherols, respectively, followed by α‐tocopherol at 18 and 21%, respectively. Total sterol content was 3,879.0 and 3,785.0 mg/kg for Ghibaish and Gezira samples, respectively. The main sterol of the two oils was β‐sitosterol. The two samples showed an oxidative stability of 5.9 and 5.7 h, respectively. The content of total phenolic compounds was determined in each sample according to the Folin‐Ciocalteau method as 33.0 and 31.9 mg/g of dry product, respectively. The phenolic compounds of the oil were separated using a solid phase extraction. The fractions were studied by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection, which revealed four peaks in the two samples. The major components were catechin, vanillic acid, sinapic acid and callistephin. There was little variability according to location between the two samples.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSTwo samples from dried seeds of Cucumis melo var. agrestis were collected. Seeds were crushed and ground using a grinding mill; the oil was extracted from the ground seeds by extraction with petroleum ether in a Soxhlet apparatus, and the physicochemical properties of C. melo var. agrestis oil were determined. The fatty acid and sterol composition were investigated using gas chromatography; the different tocopherol homologs were identified by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the oil oxidative stability was studied by Rancimat (Metrohm AG, Herisau, Switzerland) apparatus. The phenolic compounds were extracted from the obtained oil and then identified by HPLC with diode‐array detection.
SHORT‐ AND LONG‐TERM EFFECTS OF CORN OIL ON SERUM LIPID AND LIPOPROTEIN AND VISCERAL ABDOMINAL FAT PAD PARAMETERS OF RATS
Authors: ASADI FARZAD , SHAHRIARI ALI , POURKABIR MALIHE , MACLAREN ROBIN 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Obesity, in particular, abdominal obesity, is highly correlated with metabolic disorders and cardiovascular lesions in humans and animal models and may in fact play a role in their pathogenesis. The development of obesity, while partially genetic, is largely affected by environmental and lifestyle factors such as diet. The aim of the present study was to determine the short‐ and long‐term effects of dietary corn oil on the abdominal fat pat morphology and serum lipid and lipoprotein profile. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly separated into two groups. The experimental group was fed a corn oil‐rich diet (CRD), which consisted of 32.5% of kilocalories from corn oil and provided a total number of kcal/kg/day similar to the average western diet. The control group received regular chow (6.5% kilocalories from fat source). In each group, eight rats were sacrificed after 3 weeks and the remaining 12 rats in each group were sacrificed after 10 weeks. Adipocyte size, distribution and adipocyte number per gram of abdominal fat pad were determined. The total weight of the abdominal fat pad from the CRD rats was approximately twice the weight of the pad from the control rats at both time points (5.43 ± 0.93 g versus 11.6 ± 1.98 g after 3 weeks and 6.24 ± 1.38 g versus 11.18 ± 2.17 g after 10 weeks). There was a significant increase (P < 0.001) in adipocyte number per gram of fat and in the total triacylglycerol (TAG) content of the fat pad in the CRD group compared to the control at both short‐term and long‐term time points. However, the adipocyte size distribution showed a similar pattern in both the CRD and control groups. Serum TAG, total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and very low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL‐C) were also measured. In the long‐term study, higher values of TAG (P = 0.015), TC (P < 0.001), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001) and VLDL‐C (P = 0.005) were seen in the CRD group in comparison with the control. These results suggest that the deleterious effects of a CRD are because of serum changes rather than adipocyte morphology changes.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONAlthough further research is required, corn oil administration may be associated with the development of cardiovascular disorders.
Discretizing the Fracture‐Matrix Interface to Simulate Solute Transport
Authors: Weatherill Douglas , Graf Thomas , Simmons Craig T. , Cook Peter G. , Therrien Rene , Reynolds David A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article examines the required spatial discretization perpendicular to the fracture‐matrix interface (FMI) for numerical simulation of solute transport in discretely fractured porous media. The discrete‐fracture, finite‐element model HydroGeoSphere (Therrien et al. 2005) and a discrete‐fracture implementation of MT3DMS (Zheng 1990) were used to model solute transport in a single fracture, and the results were compared to the analytical solution ofTang et al. (1981). To match analytical results on the relatively short timescales simulated in this study, very fine grid spacing perpendicular to the FMI of the scale of the fracture aperture is necessary if advection and/or dispersion in the fracture is high compared to diffusion in the matrix. The requirement of such extremely fine spatial discretization has not been previously reported in the literature. In cases of high matrix diffusion, matching the analytical results is achieved with larger grid spacing at the FMI. Cases where matrix diffusion is lower can employ a larger grid multiplier moving away from the FMI. The very fine spatial discretization identified in this study for cases of low matrix diffusion may limit the applicability of numerical discrete‐fracture models in such cases.
The PTPN22‐1858C>T (R620W) functional polymorphism is associated with generalized vitiligo in the Romanian population
Authors: LaBerge Greggory S. , Birlea Stanca A. , Fain Pamela R. , Spritz Richard A. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryGeneralized vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder of the skin in which autoimmune‐mediated destruction of melanocytes leads to depigmented patches of skin and overlying hair. The 1858C>T (R620W) functional polymorphism of the PTPN22 gene, which encodes lymphoid protein tyrosine phosphatase (Lyp), has been associated with susceptibility to a number of autoimmune disorders, including generalized vitiligo. The aim of this study was to test genetic association of the PTPN22 1858C>T variant and generalized vitiligo in a Romanian case‐control cohort. We observed significant association of generalized vitiligo with the 1858T risk allele of PTPN22 [P = 0.0138; OR = 2.92 (1.21–7.03)], with significantly different distribution of PTPN22 1858C>T genotypes in cases versus controls [P = 0.036; OR = 2.69 (1.07–6.80)]. Our results provide evidence that the PTPN22 1858T allele contributes to risk of generalized vitiligo in European Caucasian populations, and underscores the importance of a genetically mediated autoimmune mechanism in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.
Symmetrization and norm of the Hardy–Littlewood maximal operator on Lorentz and Marcinkiewicz spaces
Authors: Colzani Leonardo , Laeng Enrico , Morpurgo Carlo 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe prove that when a function on the real line is symmetrically rearranged, the distribution function of its uncentered Hardy–Littlewood maximal function increases pointwise, while it remains unchanged only when the function is already symmetric. Equivalently, if ℳ is the maximal operator and 𝒮 the symmetrization, then 𝒮ℳf(x)⩽ℳ𝒮f(x) for every x, and equality holds for all x if and only if, up to translations, f(x) = 𝒮 f(x) almost everywhere. Using these results, we then compute the exact norms of the maximal operator acting on Lorentz and Marcinkiewicz spaces, and we determine extremal functions that realize these norms.
Dynamic Modeling of Satellite Tether Systems Using Newton’s Laws and Hamilton’s Principle
Authors: Mankala Kalyan K. , Agrawal Sunil K. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to derive the dynamic equations of a tether as it is deployed or retrieved by a winch on a satellite orbiting around Earth using Newton’s laws and Hamilton’s principle and show the equivalence of the two methods. The main feature of this continuous system is the presence of a variable length domain with discontinuities. Discontinuity is present at the boundary of deployment because of the assumption that the stowed part of the cable is unstretched and the deployed part is not. Developing equations for this variable domain system with discontinuities, specially using Hamilton’s principle, is a nontrivial task and we believe that it has not been adequately addressed in the literature.