bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interferon-gamma is causatively involved in experimental inflammatory bowel disease in mice
Authors: Ito R , Shin-Ya M , Kishida T , Urano A , Takada R , Sakagami J , Imanishi J , Kita M , Ueda Y , Iwakura Y , Kataoka K , Okanoue T , Mazda O 
Published: September 2006

SummaryCytokines may be crucially involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but it remains controversial whether interferon (IFN)-γ, a typical proinflammatory cytokine, is an essential mediator to cause the disorders. In the present study, IFN-γ–/– and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice were fed 2·5% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) in drinking water for 7 days, in order to investigate DSS-induced intestinal inflammation. The DSS-treated WT mice exhibited a robust production of IFN-γ in the gut, a remarkable loss of body weight, as well as high rate of mortality (60%). In striking contrast, IFN-γ deficient mice did not develop DSS-induced colitis, as indicated by the maintenance of body weight and survival rate of 100%. Severe intestinal inflammation was demonstrated exclusively in WT animals in terms of the shortening of the bowel as well as the elevation of the disease activity index, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and serum haptoglobin level. Histological study of DSS-treated WT intestine revealed disruption of mucosal epithelium and massive infiltration of inflammatory cells, while the organ from IFN-γ–/– mice remained virtually normal in appearance. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses indicated abundant production of three chemokines, i.e. monokine induced by interferon-γ (MIG), interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), in the DSS-irritated intestine of WT but not of IFN-γ–/– mice. The present results demonstrate clearly that IFN-γ plays indispensable roles in the initiation of DSS colitis, and some chemokines are produced in an IFN-γ-dependent fashion.
Autoantibodies against CD28 are associated with atopic diseases
Authors: Neuber K , Mähnss B , Hübner C , Gergely H , Weichenthal M 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe B7-1/B7-2-CD28/CTLA-4 pathway is crucial in regulating T cell activation and tolerance. Autoantibodies to surface molecules on lymphocytes have already been described in various immune conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, infections and blood transfusions. The objective of this study was to test sera from healthy individuals and from patients for association of CD28 autoantibodies with inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases. First, CD28 was obtained by digestion of CD28-Ig fusion protein with trypsin. The cleavage products were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate–page gel electrophoresis. Additionally, a CD28/GST fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and was used to establish an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of autoantibodies against CD28. Sera from healthy individuals (n = 72) and patients with different inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin diseases (n = 196) were tested for the presence of autoantibodies against CD28. Using mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), purified autoantibodies against CD28 were tested for their effects on CTLA-4-Ig-induced T cell anergy. In this study, for the first time, we describe the existence of autoantibodies against CD28 in humans which are associated with atopic diseases, e.g. allergic rhinitis and asthma. These antibodies stimulate T cells and overcome the CTLA-4-Ig-induced anergy of T cells in an MLR. The existence of autoantibodies against CD28, which may have a T cell-stimulating function, has been shown. The data indicate that autoantibodies against CD28 could be a new immunological mechanism in allergic inflammation. Additionally, autoantibodies against CD28 could be an important new marker to discriminate between atopic diseases and other inflammatory skin diseases.
Rapid climate change‐related growth decline at the southern range edge of Fagus sylvatica
Authors: JUMP ALISTAIR S. , HUNT JENNY M. , PEÑUELAS JOSEP 
Published: September 2006

AbstractStudies on Fagus sylvatica show that growth in populations toward the southern limit of this species' distribution is limited strongly by drought. Warming temperatures in the Mediterranean region are expected to exacerbate drought where they are not accompanied by increases in precipitation. We studied levels of annual growth in mature F. sylvatica trees over the last half‐century in the Montseny Mountains in Catalonia (northeast Spain). Our results show significantly lower growth of mature trees at the lower limit of this species' distribution when compared with trees at higher altitudes. Growth at the lower Fagus limit is characterized by a rapid recent decline starting in approximately 1975. By 2003, growth of mature trees had fallen by 49% when compared with predecline levels. This is not an age‐related phenomenon, nor is it seen in comparable populations at higher altitudes. Analysis of climate‐growth relationships suggests that the observed decline in growth is a result of warming temperatures and that, as precipitation in the region has not increased, precipitation is now insufficient to ameliorate the negative effects of increased temperatures on tree growth. As the climate‐response of the studied forest is comparable with that of F. sylvatica forests in other southern European regions, it is possible that this growth decline is a more widespread phenomenon. Warming temperatures may lead to a rapid decline in the growth of range‐edge populations and a consequent retreat of the species distribution in southern Europe. Assessment of long‐term growth trends across the southern range edge of F. sylvatica therefore merits further attention.
The interdependence of fire, grass, kangaroos and Australian Aborigines: a case study from central Arnhem Land, northern Australia
Authors: Murphy Brett P. , Bowman David M. J. S. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractAim  To describe the nexus between Aboriginal landscape burning and patterns of habitat use by kangaroos in a tropical savanna habitat mosaic, and to provide evidence to evaluate the claim that Aboriginal landscape burning is a game management tool.Location  Central Arnhem Land, a stronghold of traditional Aboriginal culture, in the monsoon tropics of northern Australia.Methods  The abundance of kangaroo scats was recorded throughout a landscape burnt by Aboriginal people, and used as a proxy for the intensity of habitat use by kangaroos. Scat abundance was assessed along field traverses totalling 112 km, at three time periods: (1) 1–4 weeks following mid‐dry season burning (July 2003); (2) in the late dry season (November 2003); and (3) in the following mid‐dry season (July 2004). We compared the intensity with which kangaroos used burnt vs. unburnt areas in various habitat types, with time since mid‐dry season burning. Scats were collected from areas that had been burnt to a varying extent and the abundance of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and carbon to nitrogen ratios (C : N) determined.Results  There was clear evidence of an interaction between burning and habitat type on the abundance of kangaroo scats. Scats were much more abundant in burnt vs. unburnt areas in the moist habitats, but the opposite effect was observed in the dry rocky habitats, with higher scat abundance in unburnt areas. This interactive effect of burning and habitat type on scat abundance was observed immediately (< 4 weeks) following fire, and was still present one year later. High concentrations of nitrogen in resprouting grasses indicate that burnt areas may provide kangaroos with greater access to nutrients. The isotopic composition of scats indicates that kangaroos feeding in extensively burnt areas were consuming more grasses, and possibly sedges, than kangaroos feeding in unburnt areas.Main conclusions  The fine‐scale mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas created by mid‐dry season Aboriginal landscape burning has clear effects on the distribution of kangaroos. Kangaroos move into burnt moist habitats and away from burnt dry, rocky habitats. Isotopic analysis of scats suggests that the mechanism driving this effect is the increased abundance of nitrogen rich grasses in burnt moist habitats.
Multi‐scale analysis of plant species richness in Serengeti grasslands
Authors: Michael Anderson T. , Metzger Kristine L. , McNaughton Samuel J. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractAim To assess scale dependence between environmental factors and plant species richness. Additionally, we aimed to identify the scales at which niche relations and habitat heterogeneity, as hypothesized byA. Shmida & M.V. Wilson (1985)Journal of Biogeography,12, 1–20, operate in the savanna grasslands that were the focus of this study.Location Savanna grassland plant communities of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.Methods Plant species richness was sampled in 102 modified Whittaker plots and tested for associations with two climate factors, mean annual rainfall (MAP) and potential evapotranspiration (PET), and two landscape variables, plot aspect (ASP) and topographic variation (TOPO), using multiple regressions. Scale dependence was assessed by conducting regressions after altering three aspects of spatial scale: grain, extent and focus. Grain was altered by analysing plant richness at 1, 10, 102and 103 m2; extent was investigated by restricting the maximum distance between samples to 75, 100, 125 and 150 km; and focus was manipulated by averaging samples spatially according to geographical land regions. Within the context of our data, we assumed that niche relations were represented by climate factors and habitat heterogeneity by landscape factors.Results Across all 102 plots, plant species richness between 1 and 102 m2had a negative relation to PET and a weak positive relation to MAP. Plant species richness at 103 m2had a positive association with TOPO and weaker associations with climate factors. ASP stayed in the model between grains of 10 and 103 m2, but had a very weak positive association with richness. When the focus was changed to land regions, associations between plant species richness and explanatory variables strengthened, but were not qualitatively different. At spatial extents of 75 and 100 km, PET was the strongest correlate of plant species richness across all spatial grains. At spatial extents ≥ 125 km, PET explained the majority of the model variance at spatial grains ≤ 102 m2, whereas TOPO explained equal amounts or more of the model variance at spatial grains of 103 m2.Main conclusions Both climate and topographic variation explained plant species richness in Serengeti grasslands, but specific patterns depended on grain, extent and, to a lesser degree, focus. Consistent with the ideas ofShmida & Wilson (1985), determinants of plant species richness shifted from niche relations to habitat heterogeneity between spatial grains of 1 and 103 m2, although this occurred only at relatively large spatial extents (≥ 150 km). Finally, the signs, strength and shape of plant species richness relationships in Serengeti closely match those that describe macro‐scale patterns of woody plant species richness across the entire African continent.
Factors explaining increased body size in common shrews (Sorex araneus) on Scottish islands
Authors: White Thomas A. , Searle Jeremy B. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractAim Island populations of small mammals are often characterized by a larger body size compared with neighbouring mainland or continental populations of the same species. A number of reasons have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to test which of these hypotheses can best explain the increase of body size in common shrews (Sorex araneus) on islands.Location The fieldwork for this study was carried out on the islands of the Inner Hebrides, Clyde Islands and the west coast of Scotland.Methods This study compared body sizes of common shrews from mainland and island sites on the west coast of Scotland, based on measurements of hind foot lengths. On 10 of the 13 islands sampled, common shrews were significantly larger than on the mainland. Body size did not vary significantly among mainland populations. We used the directional contrasts method to test the relative contributions of possible factors explaining the large body size observed in the island populations.Results We found that body size of common shrews on islands was positively related to distance from mainland, negatively related to average annual temperature, negatively related to island size, and may also be influenced by the presence or absence of pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus) on the island.Main conclusions Our results suggest a role for founder events, Bergmann's rule andK‐selection in determining body size of common shrews on islands.
Oxidative stress in nonallergic nasal polyps associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness1
Authors: Cheng Y.‐K. , Tsai M.‐H. , Lin C.‐D. , Hwang G.‐Y. , Hang L.‐W. , Tseng G.‐C. , Shen P.‐S. , Chang W.‐C. 
Published: September 2006

Background:  Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of upper airway with unknown etiology. NP is frequently associated with asthma; the interaction between these comorbidities remains interesting. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of NP and asthma. The aim of this study is to investigate the significance of oxidative stress in sinonasal microenvironments by evaluating its association with clinopathological parameters and its impacts on the pathogenesis of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in NP.Methods:  Polyp biopsy specimens were obtained from 20 nonallergic patients; control mucosas were obtained from 20 volunteers. The levels of free radicals in the tissues and in blood were determined by a sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method. NP patients were substratified into three subgroups, NP without BHR, NP with asymptomatic BHR, and NP with BHR and asthma by the results of provocative testing. Four histological characteristics of NP, inflammatory cells, eosinophil infiltration, edema and fibrosis were estimated and applied to correlate with the tissue‐CL.Results:  The mean CL level in polyp‐tissues, but not in blood, was higher than in the control specimens. In NP patients, tissue‐CL was associated with endoscopy score; high tissue‐CL levels were positively correlated with the abundance of inflammatory cells and eosinophils. Tissue‐CL and endoscopy score were associated with BHR/asthma phenotype.Conclusion:  These results suggest an important role for oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of NP and a causal relation between oxidative stress and inflammatory cells, especially the eosinophils. Free radical levels in polyp‐tissues associated with NP severity and with BHR/asthma phenotype in nonallergic NP patients.
Prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in Japanese men: Population‐based study in a town in Hokkaido
Authors: KUNISHIMA YASUHARU , MORI MITSURU , KITAMURA HIROSHI , SATOH HIROSHI , TSUKAMOTO TAIJI 
Published: September 2006

Aim: To determine the prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in Japanese men living in one town.Methods: A cross‐sectional and population‐based study was performed in a town that had 6385 men aged from 20 to 79 years. We sent two questionnaires, the validated Japanese version of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index and the International Prostate Symptom Score (I‐PSS) with questions about individual medical information, to 1424 randomly selected community‐indwelling men. Subjects were defined as having prostatitis‐like symptoms if they complained of perineal and/or ejaculatory pain or discomfort and their total pain score was four or greater.Results: A total of 512 men (36%) responded completely to the questionnaires. Of the 512 responders, 25 men (4.9%) were identified as having prostatitis‐like symptoms. Prevalence of symptoms was the same in men aged younger than 50 years (5.0%) as those 50 years and older (4.8%). The I‐PSS score was 10.8 in men with prostatitis‐like symptoms, which was higher than in those without symptoms.Conclusions: Prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms was 4.9% in randomly selected men. International comparison of prevalence of the symptoms may contribute to further understanding of chronic prostatitis.
Ejaculatory disorder caused by alpha‐1 adrenoceptor antagonists is not retrograde ejaculation but a loss of seminal emission
Authors: HISASUE SHIN‐ICHI , FURUYA RYOJI , ITOH NAOKI , KOBAYASHI KO , FURUYA SEIJI , TSUKAMOTO TAIJI 
Published: September 2006

Aim: The etiology of the ejaculatory disorder induced by alpha‐1 blockers is still controversial, although it has been suggested to be retrograde ejaculation. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of alpha‐1 adrenoceptor subtype mRNA in human seminal vesicles, and to analyze the prevalence and etiology of the disorder in healthy men.Methods: Experimental Study. Seminal vesicles from 10 surgical specimens (eight radical prostatectomy, two radical cystectomy) were dissected. Real‐time PCR was conducted for quantification of mRNA expression of each alpha‐1 adrenoceptor subtype. Clinical Study. Ejaculatory disorder was investigated using 17 healthy male volunteers. Tamsulosin (0.2 mg and 0.4 mg) and naftopidil (50 mg and 100 mg) were administered in a crossover manner for 3 days. The ejaculatory volume, sperm count in midstream urine after ejaculation, and fructose concentration in seminal plasma were investigated.Results: Real‐time PCR revealed that alpha‐1a mRNA was significantly predominant in seminal vesicles (P < 0.001; 1a, 75.0%; 1b, 11.7%; 1d, 13.3%). Ejaculatory volume (baseline 2.72 ± 0.28 mL) significantly decreased in the tamsulosin group (0.2 mg, 1.75 ± 0.31 mL; 0.4 mg, 1.51 ± 0.39 mL; P < 0.05), but not in the naftopidil group (50 mg, 2.70 ± 0.24 mL; 100 mg, 2.48 ± 0.26 mL; P = NS). There was no sperm in midstream urine after any ejaculation.Conclusions: The current study demonstrates that alpha‐1a mRNA is predominant among the adrenoceptor subtypes in human seminal vesicles. Decreased capacity of contraction of the seminal vesicles is proposed as the cause of the ejaculatory disorder induced by alpha‐1 blockers.
Up‐regulation of interleukin‐6 gene expression in cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis in mice: An in situ hybridization histochemical study
Authors: NISHII HISAE , NOMURA MASAYOSHI , FUJIMOTO NAOHIRO , MATSUMOTO TETSURO 
Published: September 2006

Aim: To determine the time course and the cellular sources of interleukin (IL)‐6 in the bladder during experimental cystitis, the expression of the IL‐6 gene and IL‐6 protein was examined in the bladder during cyclophosphamide (CP)‐induced cystitis.Methods: Mice were killed at 0, 1, 2, 6, 12 and 48 h after the intraperitoneal administration of 0.9% saline containing either CP (200 mg/kg) or saline. The expression of IL‐6 gene and IL‐6 protein were detected using in situ hybridization histochemistry and immunocytochemistry, respectively.Results: In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that IL‐6 gene expression was significantly up‐regulated in the bladder at 1 h in comparison to that at 0 h after CP administration. The levels of IL‐6 gene expression peaked at 6 h after CP administration and then declined thereafter. In contrast, only a few IL‐6 transcripts were expressed in the bladder but they remained unchanged following the administration of saline at all time points examined. The IL‐6 transcripts were predominantly distributed in the perivascular area of the submucosal layers during CP‐induced cystitis. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated IL‐6 immunoreactivity in the spindle‐shaped cells located in the vicinity of the dilated vessels of the submucosal layers during CP‐induced cystitis.Conclusion: IL‐6 gene expression was up‐regulated in the submucosal layer of the bladder and peaked at 6 h after CP administration, suggesting that the primary source of IL‐6 may be fibroblasts in the bladder during CP‐induced cystitis.
Safety of supracostal punctures for percutaneous renal surgery
Authors: YADAV RAJIV , ARON MONISH , GUPTA NARMADA P , HEMAL ASHOK K , SETH AMLESH , KOLLA SURENDRA B 
Published: September 2006

Aim: Supracostal superior calyceal access has been shown to be the most suitable approach for staghorn calculi, calculi in the upper ureter and complex inferior calyceal calculi, as well as for antegrade endopyelotomy. However, many urologists hesitate in using this approach because of the potential for chest complications. The aim of this study was to analyze one institution’s data regarding the safety and efficacy of this approach for percutaneous renal surgery.Methods: A total of 890 renal units (762 patients) were treated with percutaneous renal surgery (849 percutaneous nephrolithotomy, 41 antegrade endopyelotomy) from July 1998 to July 2004. Supracostal access was obtained in 332 (37.3%) patients. The indications for a supracostal approach were ureteropelvic junction obstruction, staghorn and complex inferior calyceal calculi, and stones in the upper calyx or the upper ureter. All punctures were made by the urologist under C‐arm fluoroscopic guidance in the prone position.Results: The interspace between 11th and 12th rib was used in all except four patients in whom the puncture was made above the 11th rib. Eleven patients (3.31%) had a pleural breach presenting with fluid in the chest. Insertion of a chest tube was required in seven patients, while other four were managed conservatively. No patient had injury to the lung or other viscera. Hospital stay was not significantly prolonged as a result of the pleural breach in any patient. Except for staghorn calculi where multiple tracts were a necessity for maximal clearance, a single supracostal superior or middle posterior calyceal access served the purpose in 86% (177/205) of patients who underwent percutaneous surgery for renal or upper ureteric calculi.Conclusions: The supracostal superior calyceal approach was found to be effective as well as safe, with an acceptably low risk of chest complications.
Urological complications in 980 consecutive patients with renal transplantation
Authors: DAVARI HAMID R , YARMOHAMMADI HOOMAN , MALEKHOSSEINI SEYED A , SALAHI HESHMATOLLAH , BAHADOR ALI , SALEHIPOUR MEHDI 
Published: September 2006

Aim: To present the urological complications of renal transplantations performed in the last 14 years at one center and to briefly explain a modified method of Lich–Gregoir ureteroneocystostomy.Methods: The data of 980 patients receiving kidney transplants at the authors' institution from April 1991 to February 2004 were reviewed in a retrospective prospective study. In particular, surgical techniques and urological complications were noted.Results: A total of 980 patients had received kidney transplantation. Extravesical ureteroneocystostomy (Lich–Gregoir method) was used in the first 480 patients (group A). In the subsequent 500 patients, the authors' modified method of extravesical ureteroneocystostomy, using single layer anastomosis and small feeding tubes as stent, was used (group B). Overall urological complication rate was 2.8% (28 patients), including leakage (13 patients, 1.3%), stenosis (seven, 0.7%), obstruction (one, 0.1%), distal ureter necrosis (four, 0.4%), pelvocalyceal fistula (two, 0.2%) and implantation of ureter into the peritoneum (one, 0.1%). Urological complications were significantly more common in group A compared to group B (16, 3.3% and 9, 1.8%, respectively; P < 0.05).Conclusions: Preserving the adventitia, fat and blood supply of the ureter by delicate dissection of the ureter during donor nephrectomy, short ureters, and fixation of the adventitia, fat and blood supply of the ureter to the bladder wall, to prevent kinking or twisting, are important factors in decreasing urological complications. Additionally, the authors' method of ureteroneocystostomy is also effective in decreasing the incidence of ureteric complications.