bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
P2Y1receptor switches to neurons from glia in juvenile versus neonatal rat cerebellar cortex
Authors: Amadio Susanna , Vacca Fabrizio , Martorana Alessandro , Sancesario Giuseppe , Volonté Cinzia 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackgroundIn the CNS, several P2 receptors for extracellular nucleotides are identified on neurons and glial cells to participate to neuron-neuron, glia-glia and glia-neuron communication.ResultsIn this work, we describe the cellular and subcellular presence of metabotropic P2Y1receptor in rat cerebellum at two distinct developmental ages, by means of immunofluorescence-confocal and electron microscopy as well as western blotting and direct membrane separation techniques. At postnatal day 21, we find that P2Y1receptor in addition to Purkinje neurons, is abundant on neuronal specializations identified as noradrenergic by anatomical, morphological and biochemical features. P2Y1receptor immunoreactivity colocalizes with dopamine β-hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, neurofilament light chain, synaptophysin and flotillin, but not with glial fibrillary acidic protein for astrocytes. P2Y1receptor is found enriched in membrane microdomains such as lipid rafts, in cerebellar synaptic vesicles, and is moreover visualized on synaptic varicosities by electron microscopy analysis. When examined at postnatal day 7, P2Y1receptor immunoreactivity is instead predominantly expressed only on Bergmann and astroglial cells, as shown by colocalization with glial fibrillary acidic protein rather then neuronal markers. At this age, we moreover identify that P2Y1receptor-positive Bergmann fibers wrap up doublecortin-positive granule cells stretching along them, while migrating through the cerebellar layers.ConclusionMembrane components including purinergic receptors are already known to mediate cellular contact and aggregation in platelets. Our results suggesting a potential role for P2Y1protein in cell junction/communication and development, are totally innovative for the CNS.
Multiplex SNaPshot for detection of BRCA1/2 common mutations in Spanish and Spanish related breast/ovarian cancer families
Authors: Filippini Sandra , Blanco Ana , Fernández-Marmiesse Ana , Álvarez-Iglesias Vanesa , Ruíz-Ponte Clara , Carracedo Ángel , Vega Ana 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
It is estimated that 5–10% of all breast cancer are hereditary and attributable to mutations in the highly penetrance susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. The genetic analysis of these genes is complex and expensive essentially because their length. Nevertheless, the presence of recurrent and founder mutations allows a pre-screening for the identification of the most frequent mutations found in each geographical region. In Spain, five mutations in BRCA1 and other five in BRCA2 account for approximately 50% of the mutations detected in Spanish families.

Methods
We have developed a novel PCR multiplex SNaPshot reaction that targets all ten recurrent and founder mutations identified in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Spain to date.

Results
The SNaPshot reaction was performed on samples previously analyzed by direct sequencing and all mutations were concordant. This strategy permits the analysis of approximately 50% of all mutations observed to be responsible for breast/ovarian cancer in Spanish families using a single reaction per patient sample.

Conclusion
The SNaPshot assay developed is sensitive, rapid, with minimum cost per sample and additionally can be automated for high-throughput genotyping. The SNaPshot assay outlined here is not only useful for analysis of Spanish breast/ovarian cancer families, but also e.g. for populations with Spanish ancestry, such as those in Latin America.
Depressive symptoms during pregnancy and low birth weight at term
Authors: Evans Jonathan , Heron Jon , Patel Roshni R. , Wiles Nicola 
Published: June 2007

SummaryThere is conflicting evidence regarding the effect of depression during pregnancy on birth weight. We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to investigate whether depressive symptoms during pregnancy in 10 967 women led to low birth weight at term in their offspring. Those with a high depressive symptom score during pregnancy were more likely to have babies of low birth weight (95% CI 1.16–2.40, P < 0.01), but this attenuated after adjustment for confounders (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 0.87–1.91, P = 0.210). Hence there is little evidence of an independent association between depressive symptoms during pregnancy and birth weight.
Influence of drug company authorship and sponsorship on drug trial outcomes
Authors: Tungaraza Tongeji , Poole Rob 
Published: June 2007

SummaryStudies of drug treatments are more likely to report favourable outcomes when they are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. We compared drug trials reported in three major psychiatric journals to investigate these influences. Independent studies were more likely to report negative findings than industry-funded studies. However, the involvement of a drug company employee had a much greater effect on study outcome than financial sponsorship alone.
Asylum claims and memory of trauma: sharing our knowledge
Authors: Herlihy Jane , Turner Stuart W. 
Published: June 2007

SummaryDecisions about asylum are extremely difficult because of the absence of a body of objective evidence. Psychiatrists and psychologists have a breadth of knowledge relating to the memory of trauma which could help to inform the asylum process, but we need to investigate how to apply this knowledge and how to make it accessible to decision makers.
Dialectical behaviour treatment: implementation and outcomes
Authors: Zinkler Martin , Gaglia Amy , Arokiadass S. M. Rajagopal , Farhy Eldad 
Published: June 2007

Aims and MethodDialectical behaviour therapy is an evidence-based treatment for people with borderline personality disorder. We describe implementation and outcomes of a new service.ResultsHospital use and frequency of self-harm were reduced dramatically with dialectical behaviour therapy. Moreover, the therapy can be implemented successfully in a relatively short time at modest costs.Clinical ImplicationsDialectical behaviour therapy provides a useful model of treatment for people with borderline personality disorder and/or self-harm in community mental health settings.
Neuregulin Expression Modulates Clinical Response to Trastuzumab in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: de Alava Enrique , Ocaña Alberto , Abad Mar , Montero Juan Carlos , Esparís-Ogando Azucena , Rodríguez César A. , Otero Ana P. , Hernández Teresa , Cruz Juan J. , Pandiella Atanasio 
Published: June 2007

Purpose Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) overexpression has been associated with the genesis and progression of a subset of breast cancers. The function of HER-2 may be upregulated by overexpression or by the availability of neuregulins (NRGs), a group of transmembrane growth factors. Transmembrane NRGs strongly activated HER-2 and cell proliferation in breast cancer cells that did not overexpress HER-2, and treatment with trastuzumab prevented the proliferative action of transmembrane NRG. This raised the relevant clinical question of whether patients considered as HER-2 negative, but expressing transmembrane NRG, may benefit from treatment with trastuzumab. Patients and Methods MCF7 cells expressing transmembrane NRG (MCF7-NRGα2c) were injected into mice, and their sensitivity to trastuzumab was assessed. A retrospective study of 124 patients with early-stage or metastatic breast cancer was conducted. Expression of transmembrane NRG was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In 11 patients, Western blot for NRGs was also carried out. Statistics were performed to analyze possible correlations between NRG expression and response to trastuzumab-based therapies, event-free survival, and overall survival (OS). Results Trastuzumab inhibited tumor growth in mice injected with MCF7-NRGα2c cells. Transmembrane NRG was frequently expressed in breast cancer patients. Overexpression of transmembrane NRG significantly correlated with a longer event-free survival and OS in patients with low or normal HER-2 expression who were treated with trastuzumab-based therapies but not in patients with HER-2 overexpression. Conclusion We suggest that the spectrum of patients who may benefit from trastuzumab-based therapies may be widened to include patients with metastatic breast cancer without HER-2 amplification but who express transmembrane NRGs.
Rhesus glycoprotein gene expression in the mangrove killifishKryptolebias marmoratusexposed to elevated environmental ammonia levels and air
Authors: Hung C. Y. C. , Tsui K. N. T. , Wilson J. M. , Nawata C. M. , Wood C. M. , Wright P. A. 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYThe mechanism(s) of ammonia excretion in the presence of elevated external ammonia are not well understood in fish. Recent studies in other organisms have revealed a new class of ammonia transporters, Rhesus glycoprotein genes(Rh genes), which may also play a role in ammonia excretion in fish. The first objective of this study was to clone and characterize Rhgenes in a fish species with a relatively high tolerance to environmental ammonia, the mangrove killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus (formerly Rivulus marmoratus). We obtained full-length cDNAs of three Rh genes in K. marmoratus: RhBG (1736 bp), RhCG1 (1920 bp) and RhCG2 (2021 bp), which are highly homologous with other known Rh gene sequences. Hydropathy analysis revealed that all three Rh genes encode membrane proteins with 10–12 predicted transmembrane domains. RhBG, RhCG1 and RhCG2 are highly expressed in gill tissue, with RhBG also present in skin of K. marmoratus. Exposure to elevated environmental ammonia (2 mmol l–1 NH4HCO3) for 5 days resulted in a modest (+37%) increase in whole-body ammonia levels, whereas gill RhCG2 and skin RhCG1 mRNA levels were upregulated by 5.8- and 7.7-fold, respectively. RhBG mRNA levels were also increased in various tissues, with 3- to 7-fold increases in the liver and skeletal muscle. In a separate group of killifish exposed to air for 24 h, RhCG1 and RhCG2 mRNA levels were elevated by 4- to 6-fold in the skin. Thus, the multifold induction of Rh mRNA levels in excretory tissues (gills and skin) and internal tissues in response to conditions that perturb normal ammonia excretion suggests that RhBG, RhCG1 and RhCG2 may be involved in facilitating ammonia transport in this species. Furthermore, the findings support earlier studies demonstrating that the skin is an important site of ammonia excretion in K. marmoratus.
Morphological predictors of swimming speed: a case study of pre-settlement juvenile coral reef fishes
Authors: Fisher Rebecca , Hogan J. Derek 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY
The swimming abilities of fishes are of vital importance to their ecology,and studies on fish swimming have been the focus of research for over a century. Here we explore the relationship between swimming ability and external body morphology, using data on Ucrit swimming speeds of 100 species of pre-settlement juvenile coral reef fishes (at the transition between the larval and adult habitats), comprising 26 different families from 5 orders. The taxonomic diversity of this methodologically consistent dataset provides a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between form and function in fish swimming across a broad taxonomic range. Overall, we found that a predictive model incorporating total length(TL), the square of caudal peduncle depth factor(CPDF2) and aspect ratio (AR) can be used to accurately predict swimming performance of a wide range of fish families, and was able to explain 69% of the variability in swimming performance of these pre-settlement juvenile fishes. The model was also able to successfully predict the swimming speed of an out-group salmonid species (Oncorhynchus mykiss). There was no evidence that the model fit differed among taxonomic groups, despite the inclusion of five different orders of fishes,suggesting that body morphology sufficiently explains the bulk of differences in swimming performance. Furthermore, the model appears to work equally well for fishes from the Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean, and for families with different adult habitat associations and swimming modes. It remains to be determined how well the model predicts the swimming abilities of temperate species as well as adults of these same species. This model provides an invaluable means of predicting swimming abilities of pre-settlement juvenile fishes that are unable to be reared in the laboratory, do not perform well in swimming flumes or are unable to be captured live in the field.
Stimulus frequency differentially affects chirping in two species of weakly electric fish: implications for the evolution of signal structure and function
Authors: Kolodziejski Johanna A. , Sanford Sara E. , Smith G. Troy 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYDuring social interactions, apteronotid electric fish modulate their electric organ discharges (EODs) to produce transient communication signals known as chirps. Chirps vary widely across species and sex in both number and structure. In Apteronotus leptorhynchus, males chirp far more than females and their chirps have greater frequency modulation than those of females. High-frequency chirps are produced by males most often in response to female-like electric signals. As such, they have been hypothesized to function in courtship. The more common low-frequency chirps, produced by both males and females in response to same-sex signals, are hypothesized to function as aggressive signals. To determine whether the two chirp types in the closely related Apteronotus albifrons have similar functions, we stimulated chirping in male and female A. leptorhynchus and A. albifrons with playbacks simulating the EODs of same-sex versusopposite-sex conspecifics. As in A. leptorhynchus, male and female A. albifrons produced low-frequency chirps most often to same-sex signals. Unlike A. leptorhynchus, however, A. albifrons also produced more high-frequency chirps to same-sex stimuli than to opposite-sex stimuli. This suggests that high-frequency chirps in A. albifrons,unlike those in A. leptorhynchus, may not function as courtship signals and that the function of similar chirp types has diversified in Apteronotus. Examples such as this, in which the function of a communication signal has changed in closely related species, are rare. The electrocommunication signals of apteronotids may thus provide a remarkable opportunity to investigate the evolutionary interactions of signal structure and function.
Facile Synthesis of Self-aggregative Zinc Bacteriochlorins by Modifying Naturally Occurring Chlorophyll-a
Authors: Kunieda Michio , Yamamoto Kohei , Sasaki Shin-ichi , Tamiaki Hitoshi 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
We prepared zinc 7,8-cis-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-131-oxo-bacteriochlorin 1 by modifying naturally occurring chlorophyll-a and examined its self-aggregation mimicking self-aggregates of natural bacteriochlorophylls-c/d/e in the main light-harvesting antenna system of green photosynthetic bacteria. Bacteriochlorin 1 has interactive hydroxy groups not only at the 31-position but also at the 7,8-positions, and the latter two hydroxy groups did not disturb its self-aggregation process.
Experimental induction of cervical lymphadenitis in guinea-pigs with group C streptococci
Authors: Olson L. D. , Schueler R. L. , Riley G. M. , Morehouse L. G. 
Published: June 2007

Streptococcal lymphadenitis with macroscopic abscesses was induced in guinea-pigs when an isolate of Lancefield's group C streptococci of guinea-pig origin was sprayed orally. The disease was also produced in guinea-pigs when another isolate was injected sublingually but not when it was sprayed orally. Treatment with prednisolone did not increase the susceptibility to the latter isolant when sprayed orally. Abscesses could not be induced in the cervical lymph nodes of guineapigs exposed by injecting group E streptococci sublingually, although the organism was isolated from the cervical lymph nodes 2 days after inoculation. Neither could abscesses be induced by injecting these streptococci sublingually in guinea-pigs treated with prednisolone.
Designing Price Contracts for Boundedly Rational Customers: Does the Number of Blocks Matter?
Authors: Lim Noah , Ho Teck-Hua 
Published: June 2007

When designing price contracts, one of the major questions confronting managers is how many blocks there should be in the contract. We investigate this question in the setting of a manufacturer-retailer dyad facing a linear deterministic consumer demand. Theoretical marketing models predict that the manufacturer’s profits rise dramatically when the number of blocks in the contract is increased from one to two because both channel efficiency and its share of channel profits increase. However, increasing the number of blocks to three yields no incremental profits.We test these predictions experimentally and find that increasing the number of blocks from one to two raises channel efficiency but not the manufacturer’s share of profits. Surprisingly, having three blocks in the contract increases channel efficiency even further and also gives the manufacturer a slightly higher share of profits. We show that these results can be explained by a quantal response equilibrium model in which the manufacturer accounts for noisy best response due to nonpecuniary payoff components in the retailer’s utility. We also show that the retailer is sensitive to the counterfactual profits it could have earned if it were charged a lower marginal price for earlier blocks in the multiple-block contract.
A Disposable Multianalyte Electrochemical Immunosensor Array for Automated Simultaneous Determination of Tumor Markers
Authors: Wu Jie , Yan Feng , Tang Jinhai , Zhai Chun , Ju Huangxian 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
Background: Automated and convenient multianalyte detection with high throughput is increasingly needed in clinical diagnosis. We developed a disposable 4-by-2 array for programmed simultaneous amperometric immunoassay of 4 tumor markers.
Methods: We used a screen-printed technique, 1-step immobilization method, and flow injection technique. We immobilized carcinoembryonic antigen, α-fetoprotein, β-human choriogonadotropin, and carcinoma antigen 125 as model analytes in a redox mediator–grafted, biopolymer-modified, screen-printed carbon electrode array to capture corresponding horseradish peroxidase-labeled antibodies in competitive immunoreactions. The simultaneous multianalyte immunoassay was automatically carried out to amperometrically monitor the mediator-catalyzed enzymatic response to hydrogen peroxide, which decreased in proportion to the concentrations of analytes in samples.
Results: The multianalyte immunosensor array had a throughput of 60 samples/h and allowed simultaneous detection of carcinoembryonic antigen, α-fetoprotein, β-human choriogonadotropin, and carcinoma antigen 125 in clinical serum samples with concentrations up to 188 μg/L, 250 μg/L, 266 IU/L, and 334 kIU/L, respectively. The detection limits (limits of the blank, mean of blank plus 3 SD) were 1.1 μg/L, 1.7 μg/L, 1.2 IU/L, and 1.7 kIU/L. The inter- and intraassay imprecision (CVs) of the immunosensor arrays were &lt;7.8% and &lt;9.0%, respectively. The immunosensor arrays were stable for 28 days.
Conclusions: This newly constructed immunosensor array provides a simple, automated, simultaneous multianalyte immunoassay with high throughput, short analytical time, and sufficiently low detection limits for clinical application. This method offers the capability of miniaturizing the multianalyte detection device.
Concise Review: Roles of Polycomb Group Proteins in Development and Disease: A Stem Cell Perspective
Authors: Rajasekhar Vinagolu K. , Begemann Martin 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
The acquisition and maintenance of cell fate are essential for metazoan growth and development. A strict coordination between genetic and epigenetic programs regulates cell fate determination and maintenance. Polycomb group (PcG) genes are identified as essential in these epigenetic developmental processes. These genes encode components of multimeric transcriptional repressor complexes that are crucial in maintaining cell fate. PcG proteins have also been shown to play a central role in stem cell maintenance and lineage specification. PcG proteins, together with a battery of components including sequence-specific DNA binding/accessory factors, chromatin remodeling factors, signaling pathway intermediates, noncoding small RNAs, and RNA interference machinery, generally define a dynamic cellular identity through tight regulation of specific gene expression patterns. Epigenetic modification of chromatin structure that results in expression silencing of specific genes is now emerging as an important molecular mechanism in this process. In embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult stem cells, such specific genes represent those associated with differentiation and development, and silencing of these genes in a PcG protein-dependent manner confers stemness. ES cells also contain novel chromatin motifs enriched in epigenetic modifications associated with both activation and repression of genes, suggesting that certain genes are poised for activation or repression. Interestingly, these chromatin domains are highly coincident with the promoters of developmental regulators, which are also found to be occupied by PcG proteins. The epigenetic integrity is compromised, however, by mutations or other alterations that affect the function of PcG proteins in stem cells leading to aberrant cell proliferation and tissue transformation, a hallmark of cancer.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
E2F-6 Suppresses Growth-Associated Apoptosis of Human Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells by Counteracting Proapoptotic Activity of E2F-1
Authors: Kikuchi Jiro , Shimizu Rumi , Wada Taeko , Ando Hidenobu , Nakamura Mitsuru , Ozawa Keiya , Furukawa Yusuke 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
E2F-6 is a dominant-negative transcriptional repressor against other members of the E2F family. In this study, we investigated the expression and function of E2F-6 in human hematopoietic progenitor cells to clarify its role in hematopoiesis. We found that among E2F subunits, E2F-1, E2F-2, E2F-4, and E2F-6 were expressed in CD34+ human hematopoietic progenitor cells. The expression of E2F-6 increased along with proliferation and decreased during differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors, whereas the other three species were upregulated in CD34− bone marrow mononuclear cells. Overexpression of E2F-6 did not affect the growth of immature hematopoietic cell line K562 but suppressed E2F-1-induced apoptosis, whereas it failed to inhibit apoptosis induced by differentiation inducers and anticancer drugs. Among E2F-1-dependent apoptosis-related molecules, E2F-6 specifically inhibited upregulation of Apaf-1 by competing with E2F-1 for promoter binding. E2F-6 similarly suppressed apoptosis and Apaf-1 upregulation in primary hematopoietic progenitor cells during cytokine-induced proliferation but had no effect when they were differentiated. As a result, E2F-6 enhanced the clonogenic growth of colony-forming unit-granulocyte, erythroid, macrophage, and megakaryocyte. These results suggest that E2F-6 provides a failsafe mechanism against loss of hematopoietic progenitor cells during proliferation.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.