bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Tachykinin Receptor 3 Is Associated With Alcohol and Cocaine Dependence
Authors: Foroud Tatiana , Wetherill Leah Flury , Kramer John , Tischfield Jay A. , Nurnberger John I. , Schuckit Marc A. , Xuei Xiaoling , Edenberg Howard J. 
Published: April 2008

Background:  A broad region on chromosome 4q was previously linked to the phenotype of alcohol dependence in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism sample. A strong positional candidate gene was identified within this region: tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), which encodes tachykinin receptor 3 (NK3R), the receptor for the tachykinin 3 (neurokinin B) peptide. Pharmacological studies have provided evidence that the administration of NK3R agonists attenuates the intake of alcohol and NK3R can also mediate the acute and chronic behavioral effects of cocaine.Methods:  Thirty SNPs were genotyped throughout TACR3. Family based association analysis was performed in 219 European American families to detect an association with alcohol dependence. Subsequent analyses were performed to evaluate the evidence of association with other definitions of alcohol dependence as well as cocaine dependence.Results:  Seven of the 9 SNPs in the 3′ region of TACR3 provided significant evidence of association with alcohol dependence (p ≤ 0.05). Further analyses suggest that the evidence of association is strongest among those subjects with more severe alcohol dependence (defined by ICD‐10) and those with co‐morbid cocaine dependence. Haplotype analyses further strengthen the evidence of association in the 3′ region of the gene.Conclusions:  These results indicate that sequence variations in TACR3 contribute to the variation in more severe alcohol dependent individuals and those who are also cocaine dependent.
A Multidomain Approach for Predicting Older Driver Safety Under In‐Traffic Road Conditions
Authors: Wood Joanne M. , Anstey Kaarin J. , Kerr Graham K. , Lacherez Philippe F. , Lord Stephen 
Published: April 2008

OBJECTIVES: To identify a battery of tests that predicts safe and unsafe performance on an on‐road assessment of driving.DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.SETTING: University laboratory assessment and an on‐road driving test.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred seventy community‐living adults aged 70 to 88 recruited through the electoral roll.MEASUREMENTS: Performance on a battery of multidisciplinary tests and on a standardized measure of on‐road driving performance.RESULTS: A combination of three tests from the vision, cognitive, and motor domains, including motion sensitivity, color choice reaction time, postural sway on a compliant foam rubber surface, and a self‐reported measure of driving exposure, was able to classify participants into safe and unsafe driver groups with sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 70%.CONCLUSION: In a sample of licensed older drivers, a short battery of tests and a self‐reported measure of driving exposure were able to accurately predict driving safety.
Noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping by maternal plasma with capillary electrophoresis
Authors: Kimura Machiko , Sato Chiaki , Hara Masaaki , Ishihara Osamu , Ikebuchi Kenji 
Published: April 2008

BACKGROUND: Recently, a more accurate and reliable screening test has been investigated for noninvasive prenatal fetal RHD genotyping from D– women. The objective of this study was to perform the new method of noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping with maternal plasma from D– women by use of capillary electrophoresis.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 8 D+ and 8 D– nonpregnant donors and mixed to make test plasma samples. DNA was extracted and the appropriate conditions relating to the initial sample volume as well as polymerase chain reaction cycle numbers were analyzed to detect the RHD gene with RHD exon 10 primer. Blood samples were also obtained from 13 D– pregnant women ranging from the 12th to 39th weeks of gestation. The presence of the RHD gene and Y‐chromosome–specific STR (Y‐STR) derived from the fetus was analyzed. The results were compared with the D status of newborns.RESULTS: In samples from 12 D– pregnant women, the RHD gene was detected. In one sample, the RHD gene was not detected but Y‐STR loci were demonstrated in this sample, indicating a D– male baby. The results of fetal genotyping were all in concordance with the postpartum samples by serologic tests on D as well as with the sex of newborns.CONCLUSION: Capillary electrophoresis can be used for the determination of fetal RHD status in D– women. This diagnostic method is useful for the noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of the fetal RHD genotyping from D– women.
Cost‐efficient sequence‐specific priming–polymerase chain reaction screening for blood donors with rare phenotypes
Authors: Wagner Franz F. , Bittner Rita , Petershofen Eduard K. , Doescher Andrea , Müller Thomas H. 
Published: April 2008

BACKGROUND: Transfusion support for patients with irregular antibodies to red blood cell (RBC) antigens of high frequency may be hampered by lack of appropriate antigen‐negative RBC units. Often, this perceived lack is due to the low number of typed donors. We developed a simple multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to screen for donors with rare blood group phenotypes.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A multiplex PCR with sequence‐specific priming predicting Yta, Coa, Lub, and Kpb antigens was developed based on a commercially available system (Extract‐N‐Amp, Sigma‐Aldrich) that obviates the DNA purification step. PCR amplicons were analyzed by size fractionation in a 2 percent agarose gel. Samples representing rare phenotypes were identified by the lack of one of the four visible bands. Donors of blood phenotype O D– ccddee were screened.RESULTS: Excluding the preparation of the reaction mixture and the gel, the whole procedure consisted of five pipetting steps. Hands‐on time was 102 minutes for 91 donors. After optimization, interpretable results were obtained in 85 percent of samples without repetition. Among 3422 donors tested, 1 Kp(b–), 6 Co(a–), 10 Yt(a–), and 5 Lu(b–) donors were detected.CONCLUSIONS: Multiplex PCR is a simple, versatile, and cost‐efficient method for the screening for donors with rare phenotypes who may be identified by their genotype. If such donor screening is introduced on a broad basis, transfusion support for patients with anti‐Coa, anti‐Yta, or anti‐Lub will be considerably improved.
Where Are the Muslim Moderates?
Authors: ALI AYAAN HIRSI 
Published: April 2008

The drama between the secularist legacy of Ataturk and the popular surge of Islamist‐rooted politics continues in Turkey, centered on the debate over the headscarf. Is it a sign of religious reaction, or a sign of non‐Western modernization that will ensure higher education for Muslim women? We represent here all sides of the debate.Elsewhere in the Muslim world are the reformers and critics listening to each other, or impeding progress with a blame game? Europe's most controversial figures in this debate—Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Tariq Ramadan—engage here.
Development and Validation of Diagnostic Criteria for Atrial Flutter on the Surface Electrocardiogram
Authors: Weinberg Kenneth M. , Denes Pablo , Kadish Alan H. , Goldberger Jeffrey J. 
Published: April 2008

Background: There are no universally accepted ECG diagnostic criteria for atrial flutter (AFL), making its differentiation from “coarse” atrial fibrillation (AF) difficult. Methods: To develop diagnostic criteria for AFL, we examined two sets of ECGs. Set 1 consisted of 100 ECGs (50 AF, AFL) with diagnoses confirmed by intracardiac recordings. Criteria evaluated were presence of F waves in the frontal plane leads, F waves in V1, sawtooth F waves, rate, and regularity of ventricular response. Set 2 included 200 ECGs taken from the hospital database each of which had already been interpreted by a cardiologist as either AF (n = 100) or AFL (n = 100). Set 2 was blindly read by electrophysiologists whose consensus‐diagnoses were compared to the diagnoses made by using the best criteria identified from the Set 1 data. Results: The criteria of frontal plane F waves, regular or partially regular ventricular response, and their combination had sensitivities of 92%, 98%, and 90% and specificities of 100%, 78%, and 100% in Set 1 for the diagnosis of AFL. In Set 2, concordance of electrophysiologist and cardiologist diagnoses was only 84%. The criteria of frontal plane Fwaves, regular or partially regular ventricular response, and their combination resulted in concordances with the cardiologist diagnoses of 85%, 85%, and 82% and with the electrophysiologist‐consensus diagnoses of 90%, 89%, and 94% (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The criteria of frontal plane F waves and regular or partially regular ventricular response aid in the proper diagnosis of AFL. Because management strategies may differ for AF and AFL, it is important to adopt a more rigorous diagnostic approach.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Haplotype of Four Genes Encoding Cardiac Ion Channels in Chinese and their Association with Arrhythmia
Authors: Zhang Yu , Chang Bingxi , Hu Songnian , Wang Duenmei , Fang Quan , Huang Xianyong , Zeng Qiang , Qi Ming 
Published: April 2008

Background: Many studies revealed that variations in cardiac ion channels would cause cardiac arrhythmias or act as genetic risk factors. We hypothesized that specific single nucleotide polymorphisms in cardiac ion channels were associated with cardiac rhythm disturbance in the Chinese population. Method: We analyzed 160 nonfamilial cardiac arrhythmia patients and 176 healthy individuals from which 81 individuals were selected for association study, and a total of 19 previously reported SNPs in four cardiac ion channel genes (KCNQ1, KCNH2, SCN5A, KCNE1) were genotyped. Results: The frequency of KCNQ1 1638G>A, as well as the haplotype harboring KCNQ1 1638A, KCNQ1 1685 + 23G and 1732 + 43T (haplotype AGT) was significantly higher in healthy controls than in arrhythmia patients. This finding implicated that this haplotype (AGT) might be a protective factor against arrhythmias. Conclusions: Our study provided important information to elucidate the effect of SNPs of cardiac ion channel genes on channel function and susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmias in Chinese population.
Odour quality discrimination for behavioural antagonist compounds in three tortricid species
Authors: Stephens Andrea E.A. , Suckling David Maxwell , El‐Sayed Ashraf M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe antennal and behavioural response of three tortricid species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to their corresponding sex pheromones and known or putative behavioural antagonists was tested by electroantennography and in field trials. The species and their pheromones and known or proposed behavioural antagonist were lightbrown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) [pheromone: 95% (E)‐11‐tetradecenyl acetate (E11‐14Ac) and 5% (E,E)‐9,11‐tetradecadienyl acetate (E9E11‐14Ac); antagonist: (Z)‐11‐tetradecenyl acetate (Z11‐14Ac)], codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) [pheromone: (E,E)‐8,10‐dodecadien‐1‐ol (codlemone); antagonist: (E,E)‐8,10‐dodecadienyl acetate (codlemone acetate)], and gorse pod moth, Cydia ulicetana (Haworth) [pheromone: (E,E)‐8,10‐dodecadienyl acetate (codlemone acetate); putative antagonist: (E,E)‐8,10‐dodecadien‐1‐ol (codlemone)]. In all three species, the antennal response to the antagonists was not significantly different from the antennal response to con‐specific sex pheromone compounds. In the field trapping experiments, significantly fewer males of all three species were attracted to the respective pheromone when blended with the behavioural antagonist compound. However, this response varied between the species, with lightbrown apple moth and codling moth showing stronger responses to the antagonist compounds than gorse pod moth. Both lightbrown apple moth and codling moth males were able to discriminate between pure pheromone and pheromone blended with the antagonist when placed in traps side‐by‐side separated by ca. 10 cm. The presence of the behavioural antagonist not only affected the catch of males of both species within their own traps but also affected the catch in the neighbouring trap that contained con‐specific sex pheromone; the catch of gorse pod moth was not reduced by the presence of codlemone in the neighbouring trap. These results suggest that strong behavioural antagonists such as codlemone acetate for codling moth and Z11‐14Ac for lightbrown apple moth induce their inhibition effect at a substantial distance downwind from the odour source; however, most of those males that were able to overcome this inhibition effect at the early stage of orientation to odour source, were able to discriminate between the pheromone source and the pheromone source admixed with behavioural antagonist. Moderate behavioural antagonists such as codlemone for gorse pod moth did not elicit a discrimination effect.
Performance of specialist and generalist herbivores feeding on cabbage cultivars is not explained by glucosinolate profiles
Authors: Poelman Erik H. , Galiart Ron J. F. H. , Raaijmakers Ciska E. , Van Loon Joop J. A. , Van Dam Nicole M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractPlants display a wide range of chemical defences that may differ in effectiveness against generalist and specialist insect herbivores. Host plant‐specific secondary chemicals such as glucosinolates (GS) in Brassicaceae typically reduce the performance of generalist herbivores, whereas specialists have adaptations to detoxify these compounds. The concentration of glucosinolates may also alter upon herbivory, allowing the plant to tailor its response to specifically affect the performance of the attacking herbivore. We studied the performance of three Lepidoptera species, two specialists [Pieris rapae L. (Pieridae), Plutella xylostella L. (Yponomeutidae)] and one generalist [Mamestra brassicae L. (Noctuidae)], when feeding on eight cultivars of Brassica oleracea L. and a native congener (Brassica nigra L.) and related this to the GS content. We tested the hypotheses (i) that a generalist herbivore is more affected by high GS concentrations, and (ii) that generalist feeding has a stronger effect on GS levels. Although performance of the three herbivores was different on the B. oleracea cultivars, M. brassicae and P. xylostella had a similar ranking order of performance on the eight cultivars. In most of the cultivars, the concentration of indole GS was significantly higher after feeding by P. rapae or M. brassicae than after P. xylostella feeding. As a consequence, the total concentration of GS in the cultivars showed a different ranking order for each herbivore species. The generalist M. brassicae performed equally well as the specialist P. xylostella on cultivars with high concentrations of GS. Our findings suggest that secondary metabolites other than GSs or differences in nutrient levels affect performance of the species studied.
Aggregation pheromone of the agave weevil,Scyphophorus acupunctatus
Authors: Ruiz‐Montiel Cesar , García‐Coapio Guadalupe , Rojas Julio C. , Malo Edi A. , Cruz‐López Leopoldo , Del Real Ignacio , González‐Hernández Héctor 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe agave weevil,Scyphophorus acupunctatusGyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important insect pest of wild and cultivated agaves in the world. Combined gas chromatography‐electroantennography (GC‐EAD) analysis of male volatile extracts showed that four peaks elicited antennal responses from males and females. The peaks were identified by GC‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) as 2‐methyl‐4‐heptanol (1), 2‐methyl‐4‐octanol (2), 2‐methyl‐4‐heptanone (3), and 2‐methyl‐4‐octanone (4). Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings of both sexes to 0.01‐, 0.1‐, 1‐, and 10‐µg stimulus load of synthetic compounds showed that the dose of the tested compounds and weevil sex significantly influenced the antennal response ofS. acupunctatus. However, there was no sexual dimorphism in the antennal responses to the four synthetic compounds evaluated because the EAG profiles revealed no interaction between doses by sex. Antennae ofS. acupunctatuswere most sensitive to compounds 2 and 4, reaching the threshold at a 0.01‐µg stimulus load. Weevil antennae were less sensitive to compounds 1 and 3, and the threshold response to these compounds was 0.1 µg. Behavioural evaluation of the synthetic compounds showed them to be attractive to both males and females in a Y‐tube olfactometer. Field experiments confirmed the laboratory results, showing that all components, singly or in blends, were attractive to the weevils. In general, traps baited with the quaternary blend of compounds 1–4 captured significantly more weevils than traps baited with males. However, compounds 3 and 4 were sufficient to obtain captures equivalent to those by the quaternary blend. The potential use of the aggregation pheromone in the development of a mass‐trapping programme as a viable pest management alternative forS. acupunctatusis discussed.
Selective CB2 up‐regulation in women affected by endometrial inflammation
Authors: Iuvone Teresa , De Filippis Daniele , Di Spiezio Sardo Attilio , D'Amico Alessandra , Simonetti Sara , Sparice Stefania , Esposito Giuseppe , Bifulco Giuseppe , Insabato Luigi , Nappi Carmine , Guida Maurizio 
Published: April 2008

AbstractEndometritis is defined as an inflammation of the endometrial mucosa of the uterus. In endometritis large amounts of toxic mediators, including nitric oxide (NO) are released by inflammatory cells. As a consequence of nitric oxide‐dependent injury, the cells respond by triggering protective mechanisms, by changing the endo‐cannabinoid system (ECS) which comprises both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands. The aim of our study was to seek out evidence for the presence of cannabinoid receptors in inflammatory endometrial tissue as well as for their potential role in endometrial inflammation. Our results showed a selective up‐regulation of both transcription and expression of CB2 receptors in biopsies from women affected by endometrial inflammation compared to healthy women. The experiments with the nitric oxide‐donor S‐Nitroso‐L‐Glutathione (GSNO) suggest that such a selective up‐regulation may be related to the nitric oxide release occurring during endometrial inflammation. In addition, we demonstrated an increase in chymase expression, a marker of mast cells, in biopsies of women affected by endometritis. Therefore our results support the hypothesis that the up‐regulation of CB2 occurs mainly on mast cells and that it might tend to sensitize these cells to the anti‐inflammatory effect exerted by endogenous cannabinoids by binding their receptor and thus preventing the mast cell degranulation and the release of pro‐inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, we believe that the selective CB2 up‐regulation might play a role as a novel prognostic factor in endometrial inflammation.
Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors on keratinocytes in psoriasis: regulated by calcium independent of VEGF
Authors: Man Xiao‐Yong , Yang Xiao‐Hong , Cai Sui‐Qing , Bu Zhang‐Yu , Zheng Min 
Published: April 2008

AbstractPsoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and angiogenesis. Recently, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs, including VEGFR‐1, VEGFR‐2 and VEGFR‐3) were found to be expressed in normal human epidermis and associated with proliferation and migration of keratinocytes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of VEGFRs on psoriatic keratinocytes and the roles of calcium and VEGF in regulating VEGFR expression. Skin samples from 17 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and 11 normal controls were included. The expression of VEGFRs in psoriatic keratinocytes at mRNA and protein levels was determined by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and Western blot analysis. Localization of the VEGFRs in skin lesions was determined by immuno‐fluorescent method. Since keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation rely on calcium concentrations, and VEGF is overexpressed in psoriatic epidermis, we further investigated the roles of calcium and VEGF in regulating the expression of VEGFRs. Overexpression of VEGFR‐1, VEGFR‐2 and VEGFR‐3 in psoriatic epidermis was demonstrated both at mRNA and protein levels in vitro. VEGFRs were strongly labeled in non‐lesional, perilesional and lesional psoriatic keratinocytes in all viable epidermal stratums in vivo. Furthermore, both exogenous VEGF165 and calcium enhanced the expression of VEGFRs. Calcium also enhanced the expression of VEGF in non‐lesional psoriatic keratinocytes, while targeted blockade of VEGF activity by bevacizum‐ab could not inhibit calcium‐induced up‐regulation of protein levels of VEGFRs. We conclude from these results that VEGFRs are overexpressed in lesional psoriatic epidermal keratinocytes. Both calcium and VEGF regulate VEGFRs expression in psoriatic epidermis. More importantly, calcium is a potential regulator for VEGFR independent of VEGF.
Trichostatin A causes p53 to switch oxidative‐damaged colorectal cancer cells from cell cycle arrest into apoptosis
Authors: Habold C. , Poehlmann A. , Bajbouj K. , Hartig R. , Korkmaz K.S. , Roessner A. , Schneider‐Stock R. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractMany studies aim at improving therapeutic efficacy by combining strategies with oxidative stress‐inducing drugs and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in colorectal cancer. As p53 and p21WAF1 are essential in oxidative stress‐induced DNA damage, we investigated epigenetic regulation of p21WAF1 promoter. Firstly, HCT116 p53+/+ and p53−/− colorectal cancer cells were treated with H2O2 for 6 hrs and 24 hrs (early/late response). Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed transcriptional transactivation of p21WAF1 in HCT116 p53+/+ cells as shown by increased binding of p53 and acetylated H4 around two p21WAF1 promoter sites, the responsible element (RE) and the Sp1 site, while both proteins bound preferentially on the RE. Interestingly, H3 was not involved, suggesting H4‐specific transactivation of the p21WAF1 promoter. H2O2 addition resulted in G2/M arrest of both HCT116 cell lines without significant cell death. To investigate whether a HDAC inhibitor strengthens G2/M arrest, we pretreated cells with Trichostatin A (TSA). In HCT116 p53+/+ cells, we found (i) remarkably increased acetylated H4 around both p21WAF1 promoter regions, especially at the Sp1 site; (ii) increased acetylation of p53 at lysines 320 and 382;(iii) displacement of HDAC1 from the Sp1 site, thus inhibiting its repression effect and increasing p53 binding.p53 seems to trigger H4‐acetylation around the p21WAF1 promoter because there was nearly no H4 acetylation in HCT116 p53−/− cells. For the first time we show that there is a time‐dependent TSA mode of action with increased p53‐dependent histone H4 acetylation at the p21WAF1 promoter in early response, and decreased acetylation in late response. Reduced p53‐triggered transactivation of p21WAF1 in late response allows cells to re‐enter cell cycle, and TSA causes p53 to simultaneously induce apoptosis.