bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intergroup relations and home range use in Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi)
Authors: Benadi Gita , Fichtel Claudia , Kappeler Peter 
Published: July 2008

AbstractRelationships between neighboring groups feature prominently in socioecological theory, but few empirical studies have focused on the effects of neighbors on the behavior of primates. Interactions between neighboring groups are most conspicuous during intergroup encounters, but the likelihood of encounters with neighbors can also affect ranging and activity patterns indirectly, and, as a result, behavioral patterns in areas of exclusive use may differ from those in overlap areas of adjacent home ranges. The aim of this study was to examine intergroup relations and spatial variation in home range use in Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) during the annual mating season. Based on 230 hr of focal animal data collected from ten members of five adjacent groups, we found that behavioral patterns and patterns of resource utilization were not markedly different between areas of exclusive use and overlap areas of adjacent home ranges. Group cohesion tended to be higher in overlap than in core areas, but the proportion of time spent resting and foraging did not differ between these two areas. However, dominant males exhibited a higher scent‐marking rate in overlap areas. Observations during intergroup encounters revealed that chases between males occurred frequently, whereas fights involving physical contact were not observed. We also found that the intergroup dominance hierarchy depended on the relative group size or the number of males in each group, with groups of lower dominance rank exhibiting a tendency to sleep proportionally more often in their core areas. The results of this study suggest that in primate species with a moderate level of intergroup aggression, such as Verreaux's sifaka, the possibility of encountering neighbors in areas of home range overlap does not exert strong influence on their behavior and resource utilization. Am. J. Primatol. 70:956–965, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Earp Justin C. , Pyszczynski Nancy A. , Molano Diana S. , Jusko William J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractDexamethasone (DEX) is often given for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and clinical dosing regimens of DEX have often been based empirically. This study tests whether the inflammation processes in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis alters the clearance and volume of distribution of DEX when compared with healthy controls. Groups of healthy and arthritic male Lewis rats received either a low (0.225 mg/kg) or high (2.25 mg/kg) intramuscular dose of DEX. Arthritis was induced by intradermal injection of type II porcine collagen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant emulsion at the base of the tail. DEX was dosed in the arthritic animals 22 days post arthritis induction. Plasma DEX concentrations were determined by HPLC. Plasma concentration versus time data were analysed by non‐compartmental analysis and pharmacokinetic model fitting using the population pharmacokinetic software NONMEM V. A linear bi‐exponential pharmacokinetic model with extravascular input described the data for both healthy and arthritic animals. Clearance was the only parameter determined statistically different between both groups (healthy=1.05 l/h/kg, arthritic=1.19 l/h/kg). The steady‐state volume of distribution for both groups was 4.85 l/kg. The slight difference in clearance was visibly undetectable and unlikely to produce meaningful changes in DEX disposition in arthritic rats. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predicting % of crystallinity in FCC catalysts by FT‐MIR and PLS
Authors: Dago Angel , Talavera Isneri , Fernández Reinaldo , Hernández Noslen , Laza Mercedes 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThis paper describes an analytical procedure for prediction of percent of crystallinity of fluidized catalytic cracking catalysts (FCC) using Fourier transform mid infrared spectroscopy (FT‐MIR) and partial least‐squares (PLS) multivariate calibration technique. In order to make a robust regression model, multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and smoothed second derivative pre‐processing methods were tested. Root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of an independent test set was used to measure the performance of the models. The comparison shows that reasonable values of RMSEP and RMSECV were obtained for PLS‐MSC model (RMSEP = 0.8% and RMSECV = 1.3%). The accuracy of the results obtained by the PLS‐MSC regression model is in accordance with the uncertainty of the XRPD reference method. The developed method can be implemented in a refinery laboratory environment with ease. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of an outreach and internal navigation program on breast cancer diagnosis in an urban cancer center with a large African‐American population
Authors: Gabram Sheryl G. A. , Lund Mary Jo B. , Gardner Jessica , Hatchett Nadjo , Bumpers Harvey L. , Okoli Joel , Rizzo Monica , Johnson Barbara J. , Kirkpatrick Gina B. , Brawley Otis W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND.Compared with white women, African‐American (AA) women who are diagnosed with breast cancer experience an excess in mortality. To improve outcomes, the authors implemented community education and outreach initiatives in their cancer center, at affiliated primary care sites, and in the surrounding communities. They then assessed the effectiveness of these outreach initiatives and internal patient navigation on stage of diagnosis.METHODS.This cross‐sectional study was an analysis of all women with breast cancer who were diagnosed and/or treated in the years from 2001 through 2004. The outreach initiatives were implemented in 2001; 125 trained Community Health Advocates (CHAs) provided educational programs to the community, and Patient Navigators communicated directly with patients to encourage screening, diagnostic procedures, and treatment.RESULTS.In total, 487 patients were diagnosed/treated from 2001 through 2004. Since 2001, there were 1148 community interventions by CHAs with an estimated program attendance of >10,000 participants. In the interval from 2001 through 2004, the proportion of stage 0 (in situ) breast cancers increased from 12.4% (n = 14) to 25.8% (n = 33; P < .005), and there was a decline in stage IV invasive breast cancers from 16.8% (n = 19) to 9.4% (n = 12; P < .05).CONCLUSIONS.The outreach initiatives and internal patient navigation appear to have improved stage at diagnosis. To determine whether specific patients presented earlier as a result of specific community outreach initiatives, prospective work is underway to measure the effects of these interventions on potential stage migration. Similarly, prospective data are being collected to determine whether Patient Navigators influence treatment and appointment adherence as well as the underlying reasons for barriers to specific interventions in this underserved minority population. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Parotid cancer: Impact of changes from the 1997 to the 2002 American Joint Committee on Cancer classification on outcome prediction
Authors: Schroeder Ursula , Groppe Daniela , Mueller Rolf‐Peter , Guntinas‐Lichius Orlando 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND.The TNM classification [American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)] of salivary gland cancer was revised again in 2002. In the present study, the outcome prediction of the new TNM system was compared with the old 1997 TNM system in 202 patients with primary parotid cancer.METHODS.All patients treated from 1986 to 2006 were reclassified in both TNM systems. Disease‐free survival (DFS) rates were calculated. The prognostic validity of both the TNM system and other factors were analyzed univariately (log‐rank test) and multivariately (Cox regression).RESULTS.AJCC TNM stage changes from 1997 to 2002 altered the disease staging in 35% of the patients. Concerning DFS, the new TNM 2002 staging allowed significantly better separation of stage III, but not of stage I versus stage II. The TNM 2002 staging was the most powerful predictor for DFS according to multivariate analysis. The 1997 system showed no independent significance. The subclassification of the new stage IV was not satisfactory; no clear distinction of IVA versus III, and IVA versus IVB was possible.CONCLUSIONS.The TNM 2002 staging is more valid than the 1997 system, but a significant problem was observed in separating stage I from stage II, and within the stage IV subgroups. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Analysis of flow cytometry data using an automatic processing tool
Authors: Jeffries David , Zaidi Irfan , de Jong Bouke , Holland Martin J. , Miles David J. C. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractIn spite of recent advances in flow cytometry technology, most cytometry data is still analyzed manually which is labor‐intensive for large datasets and prone to bias and inconsistency. We designed an automatic processing tool (APT) to rapidly and consistently define and describe cell populations across large datasets. Image processing, smoothing, and clustering algorithms were used to generate an expert system that automatically reproduces the functionality of commercial manual cytometry processing tools. The algorithms were developed using a dataset collected from CMV‐infected infants and combined within a graphical user interface, to create the APT. The APT was used to identify regulatory T‐cells in HIV‐infected adults, based on expression of FOXP3. Results from the APT were compared directly with the manual analyses of five immunologists and showed close agreement, with a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.96 (95% CI 0.91–0.98). The APT was well accepted by users and able to process around 100 data files per hour. By applying consistent criteria to all data generated by a study, the APT can provide a level of objectivity that is difficult to match using conventional manual analysis. © 2008 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
A profile of impaired insulin degradation in relation to late‐life cognitive decline: A preliminary investigation
Authors: Okereke Olivia I. , Selkoe Dennis J. , Pollak Michael N. , Stampfer Meir J. , Hu Frank B. , Hankinson Susan E. , Grodstein Francine 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjectiveInsulin degradation pathways may be related to Alzheimer's disease pathology. In preliminary analyses, we considered the relation of combined lower insulin secretion (c‐peptide) and higher insulin––possibly a phenotype for impaired insulin degradation––to cognitive decline.MethodFasting plasma c‐peptide and insulin were measured in 1,187 non‐diabetic Nurses' Health Study participants (mean age = 64 years). Cognitive testing began 10 years later. Participants completed three repeated assessments (over an average span of 4.4 years) of verbal memory, a strong predictor of Alzheimer disease development. C‐peptide and insulin distributions were dichotomized at their medians to create four cross‐tabulated categories. Multivariable linear mixed effects models were used to relate c‐peptide/insulin categories to cognitive decline.ResultsCompared to the lower c‐peptide/lower insulin group, women with lower c‐peptide/higher insulin had a significantly faster rate of verbal memory decline: the mean difference was ‐0.05 units/year (95% CI ‐0.09,‐0.01). This mean difference was similar to that which we found for women 5 years apart in age, indicating that having a profile of lower c‐peptide/higher insulin appeared cognitively equivalent to aging by five years on tests of verbal memory. For women with higher c‐peptide/higher insulin, the estimated mean difference in decline compared to those in the lower c‐peptide/lower insulin group was statistically significant, but slightly lower, at −0.04 units/year (95% CI: ‐0.07,‐0.02).ConclusionThese preliminary analyses of a possible phenotype of impaired insulin degradation provide supportive evidence that deficits in insulin degradation may be related to late‐life verbal memory decline. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Translocation of iron from lysosomes into mitochondria is a key event during oxidative stress-induced hepatocellular injury
Authors: Uchiyama Akira , Kim Jae-Sung , Kon Kazuyoshi , Jaeschke Hartmut , Ikejima Kenichi , Watanabe Sumio , Lemasters John J. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Iron overload exacerbates various liver diseases. In hepatocytes, a portion of non-heme iron is sequestered in lysosomes and endosomes. The precise mechanisms by which lysosomal iron participates in hepatocellular injury remain uncertain. Here, our aim was to determine the role of intracellular movement of chelatable iron in oxidative stress-induced killing to cultured hepatocytes from C3Heb mice and Sprague-Dawley rats. Mitochondrial polarization and chelatable iron were visualized by confocal microscopy of tetramethylrhodamine methylester (TMRM) and quenching of calcein, respectively. Cell viability and hydroperoxide formation (a measure of lipid peroxidation) were measured fluorometrically using propidium iodide and chloromethyl dihydrodichlorofluorescein, respectively. After collapse of lysosomal/endosomal acidic pH gradients with bafilomycin (50 nM), an inhibitor of the vacuolar proton-pumping adenosine triphosphatase, cytosolic calcein fluorescence became quenched. Deferoxamine mesylate and starch-deferoxamine (1 mM) prevented bafilomycin-induced calcein quenching, indicating that bafilomycin induced release of chelatable iron from lysosomes/endosomes. Bafilomycin also quenched calcein fluorescence in mitochondria, which was blocked by 20 μM Ru360, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter, consistent with mitochondrial iron uptake by the uniporter. Bafilomycin alone was not sufficient to induce mitochondrial depolarization and cell killing, but in the presence of low-dose

tert

-butylhydroperoxide (25 μM), bafilomycin enhanced hydroperoxide generation, leading to mitochondrial depolarization and subsequent cell death.

Conclusion:

Taken together, the results are consistent with the conclusion that bafilomycin induces release of chelatable iron from lysosomes/endosomes, which is taken up by mitochondria. Oxidative stress and chelatable iron thus act as two “hits” synergistically promoting toxic radical formation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death. This pathway of intracellular iron translocation is a potential therapeutic target against oxidative stress–mediated hepatotoxicity. (Hepatology 2008.)
Oxysterol‐induced osteogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells is regulated by Dkk‐1 inhibitable and PI3‐kinase mediated signaling
Authors: Amantea Christopher M. , Kim Woo‐Kyun , Meliton Vicente , Tetradis Sotirios , Parhami Farhad 
Published: July 2008

AbstractOsteoporosis and its complications cause morbidity and mortality in the aging population, and result from increased bone resorption by osteoclasts in parallel with decreased bone formation by osteoblasts. A widely accepted strategy for improving bone health is targeting osteoprogenitor cells in order to stimulate their osteogenic differentiation and bone forming properties through the use of osteoinductive/anabolic factors. We previously reported that specific naturally occurring oxysterols have potent osteoinductive properties, mediated in part through activation of hedgehog signaling in osteoprogenitor cells. In the present report, we further demonstrate the molecular mechanism(s) by which oxysterols induce osteogenesis. In addition to activating the hedgehog signaling pathway, oxysterol‐induced osteogenic differentiation is mediated through a Wnt signaling‐related, Dkk‐1‐inhibitable mechanism. Bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) treated with oxysterols demonstrated increased expression of osteogenic differentiation markers, along with selective induced expression of Wnt target genes. These oxysterol effects, which occurred in the absence of β‐catenin accumulation or TCF/Lef activation, were inhibited by the hedgehog pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, and/or by the Wnt pathway inhibitor, Dkk‐1. Furthermore, the inhibitors of PI3‐Kinase signaling, LY 294002 and wortmanin, inhibited oxysterol‐induced osteogenic differentiation and induction of Wnt signaling target genes. Finally, activators of canonical Wnt signaling, Wnt3a and Wnt1, inhibited spontaneous, oxysterol‐, and Shh‐induced osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells, suggesting the involvement of a non‐canonical Wnt pathway in pro‐osteogenic differentiation events. Osteogenic oxysterols are, therefore, important small molecule modulators of critical signaling pathways in pluripotent mesenchymal cells that regulate numerous developmental and post‐developmental processes. J. Cell. Biochem. 105: 424–436, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
NF‐κB, but not p38 MAP Kinase, is required for TNF‐α‐induced expression of cell adhesion molecules in endothelial cells
Authors: Rajan Suja , Ye Jianming , Bai Shanshan , Huang Faqing , Guo Yan‐Lin 
Published: July 2008

AbstractIn response to inflammation stimuli, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) induces expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in endothelial cells (ECs). Studies have suggested that the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and the p38 MAP kinase (p38) signaling pathways play central roles in this process, but conflicting results have been reported. The objective of this study is to determine the relative contributions of the two pathways to the effect of TNF‐α. Our initial data indicated that blockade of p38 activity by chemical inhibitor SB203580 (SB) at 10 µM moderately inhibited TNF‐α‐induced expression of three types of CAMs; ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin, indicating that p38 may be involved in the process. However, subsequent analysis revealed that neither 1 µM SB that could completely inhibit p38 nor specific knockdown of p38α and p38β with small interference RNA (siRNA) had an apparent effect, indicating that p38 activity is not essential for TNF‐α‐induced CAMs. The most definitive evidence to support this conclusion was from the experiments using cells differentiated from p38α knockout embryonic stem cells. We could show that deletion of p38α gene did not affect TNF‐α‐induced ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1 expression when compared with wild‐type cells. We further demonstrated that inhibition of NF‐κB completely blocked TNF‐α‐induced expression of ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin. Taken together, our results clearly demonstrate that NF‐κB, but not p38, is critical for TNF‐α‐induced CAM expression. The inhibition of SB at 10 µM on TNF‐α‐induced ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin is likely due to the nonspecific effect of SB. J. Cell. Biochem. 105: 477–486, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does α‐effect exist in E2 reactions? A G2(+) investigation
Authors: Ren Yi , Yamataka Hiroshi 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe gas‐phase base‐induced bimolecular elimination (E2) reactions at saturated carbon with 13 bases, B− + CH3CH2Cl → BH + CH2CH2 + Cl− (B = HO, CH3O, CH3CH2O, FCH2CH2O, ClCH2CH2O, Cl, Br, FO, ClO, BrO, HOO, HSO, and H2NO), were investigated with the high‐level G2(+) theory. It was found that all α‐bases with adjacent lone pair electrons examined exhibited downward deviations from the correlation line between the overall barriers and proton affinities for the normal bases without adjacent lone pair electrons, indicating the existence of the α‐effect in the gas phase E2 reactions. The sizes of the α‐effect for the E2 reaction, ΔHα(E2), span a smaller range if the α‐atoms are on the same column in the periodic table, in contrast to the corresponding SN2 reactions, where the ΔHα(SN2) values significantly decrease from an upper to a lower column. The origin of the α‐effects in E2 reactions can be interpreted by the favorable orbital interaction between the lone‐pair electrons and positively charged anti‐bonding orbital. It is worth noticing that the neighboring electron‐rich π lobe instead of lone pair electrons could also cause the α‐effect in E2 reaction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009
Paying for environmental services: The case of Brazilian Amazonia
Authors: Hall Anthony 
Published: July 2008

AbstractCompensating natural resource users for the environmental services they supply is becoming an increasingly attractive policy option in a number of countries. Ranging from official carbon trading through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol to more informal arrangements, payments for environmental services (PES) can offer financial incentives for promoting ecologically sound conservation and development practices. PES principles could be applied more widely in Brazilian Amazonia to help curb high rates of deforestation which are gradually undermining the region's capacity to supply key services such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity maintenance and water cycling, and to sustain people's natural resource‐dependent livelihoods. This potential could be especially significant if avoided deforestation were eventually to be permitted for acquiring certified emissions offsets under the CDM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of respiratory structures in embryos and first and second instars of the bark scorpion, Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
Authors: Farley Roger D. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe SEM was used to study the development of respiratory structures in successive stages in relation to the overall changes occurring in the scorpions. Book lung development is a slow process, starting with spiracles and a sac‐like atrium in the early embryo and continuing lamellar formation to 150 or more in the adult. In the embryo, the primordial epithelial cells become aligned in a planar pattern as they secrete granules of material that aggregate spontaneously to form the cuticular walls of the lamellae. A blade‐like structure is formed consisting of cells sandwiched within the two cuticle walls they secreted. These cells are in the primordial air channel. The adjacent hemolymph channel is nearly devoid of cells, but cross‐bridges develop and help stabilize the cuticle walls and maintain the width of the channel. The cells in the primordial air channel undergo cytolysis, leaving it open for air except for cuticular cross‐bridges. Development continues in the newborn (first instars); the air channels of some lamellae still contain cells and are not yet functional for gas exchange. The first instars are weak and relatively inactive. They climb up on the mother's dorsum until the first molt (about 8 days). With the cuticular walls of the lamellae in place, cells adhering to the wall in the hemolymph channel produce a thin, new tissue layer (epithelium) on the lamellar wall facing the hemolymph channel. This layer has many discontinuities as though it is slowly developing. Formation of the tissue layer and cytolysis of the cells in the air channels continue through the first molt in which little book lung cuticle is shed as exuvium. The air channels of the second instars (foraging nymphs) are now cell free and open for air passage except for the cross‐bridges. The tissue layer is still incomplete and continues to be formed. It may provide the hypodermal primordium for cuticle replacement in later molts, but development was not studied beyond the second instar except for comparison with book lungs in the adult. The blade‐like lamellae in the adult are larger and more numerous than in the second instar, but in the anterior book lung the shape of the cuticle wall and cross‐bridges and the widths of the air and hemolymph channels are about the same as in the second instar. The air channels in the posterior part of the lamellae have distinctive, vein‐like space‐holders. The similarity of the adult anterior lamellae with those in the second instar suggests retention of this part through the 4–5 molts to maturation, and/or cell processes like those in the embryo are repeated, but this needs to be examined in further studies of cell and cuticle changes before and during the molts. J. Morphol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.