bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The E3 ligase AtCHIP ubiquitylates FtsH1, a component of the chloroplast FtsH protease, and affects protein degradation in chloroplasts
Authors: Shen Guoxin , Adam Zach , Zhang Hong 
Published: August 2007

SummaryThe Arabidopsis E3 ligase AtCHIP was found to interact with FtsH1, a subunit of the chloroplast FtsH protease complex. FtsH1 can be ubiquitylated by AtCHIP in vitro, and the steady‐state level of FtsH1 is reduced in AtCHIP‐over‐expressing plants under high‐intensity light conditions, suggesting that the ubiquitylation of FtsH1 by AtCHIP might lead to the degradation of FtsH1 in vivo. Furthermore, the steady‐state level of another subunit of the chloroplast FtsH protease complex, FtsH2, is also reduced in AtCHIP‐over‐expressing plants under high‐intensity light conditions, and FtsH2 interacts physically with AtCHIP in vivo, suggesting the possibility that FtsH2 is also a substrate protein for AtCHIP in plant cells. A substrate of FtsH protease in vivo, the photosystem II reaction center protein D1, is not efficiently removed by FtsH in AtCHIP‐over‐expressing plants under high‐intensity light conditions, supporting the assumption that FtsH subunits are substrates of AtCHIP in vivo, and that AtCHIP over‐expression may lead to a reduced level of FtsH in chloroplasts. AtCHIP interacts with cytosolic Hsp70 and the precursors of FtsH1 and FtsH2 in the cytoplasm, and Hsp70 also interacts with FtsH1, and these protein–protein interactions appear to be increased under high‐intensity light conditions, suggesting that Hsp70 might be partly responsible for the increased degradation of the substrates of Hsp70, such as FtsH1 and FtsH2, in AtCHIP‐over‐expressing plants under high‐intensity light conditions. Therefore, AtCHIP, together with Hsp70, may play an important role in protein quality control in chloroplasts.
Mechanism of the ropivacaine‐induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in rat aortic smooth muscle
Authors: Tokinaga Y. , Ogawa K. , Yu J. , Kuriyama T. , Minonishi T. , Hatano Y. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Ropivacaine is a long‐acting local anesthetic with low cardiac toxicity that induces vasoconstriction in vitro and in vivo. Vascular smooth muscle tone is regulated by changes in both intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the mechanism underlying the increase in [Ca2+]i in ropivacaine‐induced vascular contraction.Methods:  Ropivacaine‐induced contractile responses and changes in [Ca2+]i were examined using an isometric force transducer and a fluorometer, respectively.Results:  Ropivacaine induced a biphasic, concentration‐dependent change in [Ca2+]i and contractile response in rat aortic smooth muscles: an increase in [Ca2+]i occurred at lower ropivacaine concentrations (3 × 10−5 to 3 × 10−4 M) and a decrease was observed at higher concentrations (10−3 to 3 × 10−3 M). Contraction and the [Ca2+]i increase induced by ropivacaine were attenuated significantly by a voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channel antagonist, an inositol 1,4,5‐triphosphate receptor antagonist and Ca2+‐free solution (P  <  0.01, n = 6).Conclusion:  Ropivacaine‐induced contraction of rat aortic smooth muscle is, in part, regulated by Ca2+ influx from the extracellular space and Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Overtriage in trauma – what are the causes?
Authors: Uleberg O. , Vinjevoll O. P. , Eriksson U. , Aadahl P. , Skogvoll E. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Different criteria are employed to activate trauma teams. Because of a growing concern about overtriage, the objective of this study was to investigate the performance of our trauma team’s activation protocol.Methods:  Injured patients with trauma team activation (TTA), admission to an intensive care unit or surgical intermediate care unit with a trauma diagnosis, or trauma‐related death in the emergency department were investigated retrospectively from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2005. Different TTA criteria were analysed with respect to sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and overtriage (1 – PPV).Results:  Eight hundred and nine patients were included, 185 (23%) of whom had an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of more than 15. The performance of our protocol showed a sensitivity of 87%, PPV of 22% and overtriage of 78%. The mechanism of injury as a TTA criterion had a sensitivity of 14%, PPV of 7% and overtriage of 93%. Physiological/anatomical criteria and interfacility transfer showed higher PPV and less overtriage. Undertriage (no TTA despite ISS > 15) was identified in 23 patients (13%), 18 of whom were hospital transfers.Conclusion:  A TTA protocol based on physiological, anatomical and interfacility transfer criteria seems to yield a higher precision than, in particular, that based on mechanism of injury criteria. Because of substantial overtriage in our hospital, the TTA protocol needs to be re‐evaluated.
Methylprednisolone and ketorolac rapidly reduce hyperalgesia around a skin burn injury and increase pressure pain thresholds
Authors: Stubhaug A. , Romundstad L. , Kaasa T. , Breivik H. 
Published: August 2007

Background: Glucocorticoids and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) decrease acute postoperative pain and hyperalgesia. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of methylprednisolone and ketorolac on hyperalgesia around a skin burn injury and on pressure pain thresholds.Methods: In a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized trial with cross‐over design, methylprednisolone 125 mg, ketorolac 60 mg or placebo was administered intravenously in 12 male volunteers on three separate days at least 4 days apart. Primary and secondary hyperalgesia were produced by a first‐degree burn injury on abdominal skin 45 min before injection of the test medicines. The area of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia outside the site of injury was measured. Pressure pain stimuli were applied on the base of a fingernail, increasing until the pressure pain detection threshold (PPDT) and pressure pain tolerance threshold (PPTT) were reached.Results: Compared with placebo, the active drugs reduced the area of secondary hyperalgesia (methylprednisolone,P< 0.001; ketorolac,P< 0.01). Ketorolac but not methylprednisolone increased PPDT compared with placebo (P< 0.05). Both active drugs increased PPTT compared with placebo (methylprednisolone,P< 0.01; ketorolac,P< 0.001). Ketorolac increased PPTT more than methylprednisolone (P< 0.05).Conclusions: Methylprednisolone and ketorolac increased PPTT attenuated secondary hyperalgesia around a skin burn injury. PPTT increased after both methylprednisolone and ketorolac. The present study demonstrates analgesic and anti‐hyperalgesic properties of a glucocorticoid and a non‐selective NSAID that have not been demonstrated previously in human subjects.
The comparative effects of sevoflurane vs. isoflurane on cerebrovascular carbon dioxide reactivity in patients with hypertension
Authors: Kadoi Y. , Saito S. , Takahashi K. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Sevoflurane has been shown to have different effects on cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in comparison with isoflurane. In this study, the comparative effects of sevoflurane vs. isoflurane on cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity were examined in patients with hypertension.Methods:  Fifty patients, 30 hypertensive and 20 normotensive, were included in this study. The 30 hypertensive patients were divided into two groups: sevoflurane and isoflurane. Patients with controlled hypertension (n= 9 in each of the two groups) were those with normal blood pressure levels (systolic blood pressure below 139 mmHg). Patients with uncontrolled hypertension (n= 6 in each of the two groups) were those with high blood pressure levels despite medication (systolic blood pressure above 160 mmHg). Anesthesia was maintained with either 1.0 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane or 1.0 MAC of isoflurane in 33% oxygen and 67% nitrous oxide. A 2.5‐MHz pulsed transcranial Doppler probe was attached to the patient’s head at the right temporal window for continuous measurement of the mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (Vmca). After establishing baseline values of Vmca and cardiovascular hemodynamics, the end‐tidal CO2 was increased by decreasing the ventilatory frequency by 2–5 breaths per minute.Results:  Values of the absolute and relative CO2 reactivity in the sevoflurane groups were lower than those in the isoflurane groups. There were no significant intra‐group differences in the absolute and relative CO2 reactivity within the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups.Conclusions:  Our findings suggest that, in hypertensive patients, the control of cerebral blood flow by altering the pressure of arterial CO2 (Paco2) can be more effectively achieved during isoflurane rather than sevoflurane anesthesia.
Use of non‐invasive‐stimulated muscle force assessment in long‐term critically ill patients: a future standard in the intensive care unit?
Authors: Ginz H. F. , Iaizzo P. A. , Urwyler Albert , Pargger H. 
Published: August 2007

Background: This study’s main purpose was to test the feasibility of employing a non‐invasive‐stimulated muscle force assessment approach in long‐term critically ill patients.Methods: A case series was performed over a 4‐year period in the intensive care unit (ICU). Of the 25 patients initially recruited, eight patients required long‐time mechanical ventilation for a median of 3.8 weeks (range 2–10 weeks) and were immobilized for 5 weeks (range 2–10 weeks). With a previously tested non‐invasive measuring device, we weekly assessed peak torques and rates of force development and relaxation of patients’ ankle dorsiflexor contractile responses, induced via peroneal nerve stimulation. Subsequently, we derived each patient’s time course of observed progressive weakness and/or recovery.Results: During their critical illnesses, seven out of eight patients elicited significant decreases in measured peak torques. In survivors (n = 6) during their recovery periods, torques gradually recovered. In the two patients who died, their strengths decreased continuously until death. The rate of force development data elicited similar trends as peak torque responses, whereas relative relaxation rates differed more widely between individuals.Conclusion: This approach of non‐invasive‐stimulated muscle force assessment can be used in long‐term critically ill patients and may eventually become a standard in the intensive care unit, e.g. for assessing recovery. This method is easy to employ, reproducible, provides important phenotypic quantification of skeletal muscle contractile function, and can be used for long‐term outcomes assessment.
Pulse pressure variation as a tool to detect hypovolaemia during pneumoperitoneum
Authors: Bliacheriene F. , Machado S. B. , Fonseca E. B. , Otsuke D. , Auler J. O. C , Michard F. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Pulse pressure variation (ΔPP) and systolic pressure variation (SPV) induced by mechanical ventilation have been proposed to detect hypovolaemia and guide fluid therapy. During laparoscopic surgery, chest compliance is decreased by pneumoperitoneum. This may affect the value of SPV and ΔPP as indicators of intravascular volume status. Thereby, we investigated the effects of pneumoperitoneum and hypovolaemia on SPV and ΔPP.Methods:  We measured ΔPP, SPV and the inspiratory (Δup) and expiratory (Δdown) components of SPV, at baseline, during pneumoperitoneum, during pneumoperitoneum and hypovolaemia and after the return to baseline conditions, in 11 mechanically ventilated rabbits. Pneumoperitoneum was induced by inflating the abdomen with carbon dioxide, and hypovolaemia was induced by controlled haemorrhage.Results:  Pneumoperitoneum induced an increase in SPV from 8.5 ± 1.6 to 13.3 ± 2.6 mmHg (+56%, P < 0.05) as a result of an increase in Δup from 2.0 ± 1.0 to 6.7 ± 2.1 mmHg (+236%, P < 0.05), but no significant change in Δdown, nor in ΔPP. Haemorrhage induced a significant (P < 0.05) increase in SPV from 13.3 ± 2.6 to 19.9 ± 3.7 mmHg (+50%), in Δdown from 6.6 ± 3.3 to 14.0 ± 4.9 mmHg (+112%) and in ΔPP from 11.1 ± 4.8 to 24.9 ± 9.8% (+124%) but no change in Δup. All parameters returned to baseline values after blood re‐infusion and abdominal deflation.Conclusions:  SPV is modified by haemorrhage but it is also influenced by pneumoperitoneum. In contrast, ΔPP is modified by haemorrhage but not by pneumoperitoneum. These findings suggest that ΔPP should be used preferentially instead of SPV to detect hypovolaemia and guide fluid therapy during laparoscopic surgery.
A greater decrease in blood pressure after spinal anaesthesia in patients with low entropy of the RR interval
Authors: Fujiwara Y. , Sato Y. , Shibata Y. , Asakura Y. , Nishiwaki K. , Komatsu T. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  The objective of this study was to determine whether pre‐operative heart rate variability (HRV) estimated using the newly developed MemCalc method predicts hypotension after spinal anaesthesia (SA).Method:  Fifty‐two patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II, aged 38–84 years, scheduled to undergo elective transurethral surgery were investigated in this study. Ultra short‐term entropy (UsEn) as a non‐linear index of HRV was estimated before and after SA using the MemCalc method. The patients were then assigned to two groups (Group LO and HI) according to pre‐operative UsEn. SA was performed by intrathecal injection of 17.5 mg of isobaric bupivacaine via interlumbar spaces L3‐4 or L4‐5. After SA, the haemodynamic fluctuations were recorded and compared between the two groups.Results:  SA significantly decreased LF/HF (a ratio of the low frequency component of HRV to that of the high frequency component) but did not affect UsEn. The percentage decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) after SA was 11.4 (9.9)% in group HI, whereas it was 17.5 (9.8)% in group LO (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the number of patients who developed hypotension was significantly higher in group LO.Conclusion:  SA significantly decreased LF/HF without affecting UsEn. Patients with a low UsEn developed a greater decrease in SBP after SA. Furthermore, the incidence of hypotension after SA was higher in patients with a low UsEn.
Survival benefits select for group living in a social spider despite reproductive costs
Authors: BILDE T. , COATES K. S. , BIRKHOFER K. , BIRD T. , MAKLAKOV A. A. , LUBIN Y. , AVILÉS L. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe evolution of cooperation requires benefits of group living to exceed costs. Hence, some components of fitness are expected to increase with increasing group size, whereas others may decrease because of competition among group members. The social spiders provide an excellent system to investigate the costs and benefits of group living: they occur in groups of various sizes and individuals are relatively short‐lived, therefore life history traits and Lifetime Reproductive Success (LRS) can be estimated as a function of group size. Sociality in spiders has originated repeatedly in phylogenetically distant families and appears to be accompanied by a transition to a system of continuous intra‐colony mating and extreme inbreeding. The benefits of group living in such systems should therefore be substantial. We investigated the effect of group size on fitness components of reproduction and survival in the social spiderStegodyphus dumicolain two populations in Namibia. In both populations, the major benefit of group living was improved survival of colonies and late‐instar juveniles with increasing colony size. By contrast, female fecundity, female body size and early juvenile survival decreased with increasing group size. Mean individual fitness, estimated as LRS and calculated from five components of reproduction and survival, was maximized for intermediate‐ to large‐sized colonies. Group living in these spiders thus entails a net reproductive cost, presumably because of an increase in intra‐colony competition with group size. This cost is traded off against survival benefits at the colony level, which appear to be the major factor favouring group living. In the field, many colonies occur at smaller size than expected from the fitness curve, suggesting ecological or life history constraints on colony persistence which results in a transient population of relatively small colonies.
Evolution of total net fitness in thermal lines:Drosophila subobscuralikes it ‘warm’
Authors: SANTOS M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractFisher's fundamental theorem states that heritable variation for net fitness sets a limit to the rate of response to natural selection. How will temperate (i.e. cold‐tolerant) species cope with contemporary rapid global warming? Using three‐fold replicated lines ofDrosophila subobscurathat had been allowed to evolve for 4 years (between 32 and 59 generations) at 13 °C (cold), 18 °C (the supposed optimum temperature), and 22 °C (warm) I assess here how net fitness changes according to thermal environments. Net fitness was estimated following the classical approach in population genetics of competing over a number of generation in outbred experimental populations multiple wild‐type O chromosomes (homologous to arm 3R inD. melanogaster) independently derived from each base thermal stock in an otherwise homogeneous genetic background against a balancer chromosome. Warm‐adapted populations (‘warm‐adapted O chromosomes’) performed comparatively well at all tested temperatures. However, net fitness was severely reduced in cold‐adapted populations when transferred to warmer conditions. It seems, therefore, that thermal fitness breath forD. subobscuraflies is positively associated to temperature. These findings are discussed in relation to the fast world‐wide clinal shifts in the frequency of genetic markers correlated with current climate change.
Social heterosis and the maintenance of genetic diversity
Authors: NONACS P. , KAPHEIM K. M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractGenetic diversity in species is often high in spite of directional selection or strong genetic drift. One resolution to this paradox may be through fitness benefits arising from interactions of genetically diverse individuals. Advantageous phenotypes that are impossible in single individuals (e.g. being simultaneously bold and shy) can be expressed by groups composed of genetically different individuals. Genetic diversity, therefore, can produce mutualistic benefits shared by all group members. We define this effect as ‘social heterosis’, and mathematically demonstrate maintenance of allelic diversity when diverse groups or neighbourhoods are more reproductively successful than homogenous ones. Through social heterosis, genetic diversity persists without: frequency dependence within groups, migration, balancing selection, genetic linkages, overdominance, antagonistic pleiotropy or nonrandom allele assortment. Social heterosis may also offer an alternative evolutionary pathway to cooperation that does not require clustering of related individuals, nepotistic favouritism towards kin, or overt reciprocity.
High Caudal Epidural Anaesthesia with Local Anaesthetics or α2‐Agonists in Calves
Authors: Meyer H. , Starke A. , Kehler W. , Rehage J. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryThe objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of a caudal epidural anaesthesia using lidocaine or xylazine in a high volume for analgesia of the flank, navel and hamstring tendon. Fourteen calves weighing 57.7 ± 5.1 kg and 37.9 ± 9.3 (mean ± SEM) days old were randomly divided into two groups of seven calves each. Calves belonging to the lidocaine group were given a 2% lidocaine solution in the sacrococcygeal vertebral space epidurally at a volume of 0.4 ml/kg (8 mg/kg) body weight (BW). Animals of the xylazine group were administered an epidural anaesthesia with xylazine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg BW, diluted with a 0.9% saline solution to a corresponding final volume of 0.4 ml/kg BW. Heart rate and respiratory rate were measured and the degree and duration of analgesia was determined by the response to a skin prick with a hypodermic needle over a period of 350 min after epidural injection. After epidural anaesthesia with lidocaine the mean heart rate increased during dorsal recumbency, whereas after xylazine both heart rate and respiratory rate decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The epidural injection of xylazine compared with lidocaine caused longer (P < 0.05) analgesia at the hamstring tendon (mean ± SEM, 120.7 ± 29.7 min versus 93.6 ± 3.5 min) and at the flank (100.7 ± 24.4 min versus 78.3 ± 11.1 min). There were no differences in the intensity of analgesia between groups. After xylazine application analgesia at the navel was achieved for 95.0 ± 14.1 min whereas after lidocaine injection sufficient analgesia at the navel was found in just two of seven calves for 55 and 95 min respectively. Based on above experiences, a second study was performed, in which a combination of xylazine and local anaesthetics was used and the injection volume was increased to prove the efficacy of caudal epidural anaesthesia in 15 calves (26.3 ± 26.7 days; 57.1 ± 19.5 kg) submitted to the clinic for regular umbilical surgery. In these cases the xylazine (0.1 mg/kg BW) was diluted with 2% lidocaine (n = 7) or 2% procaine (n = 8) to a corresponding final volume of 0.5–0.6 ml/kg BW. In all cases complete anaesthesia of the surgical area was achieved and no adverse effects were observed. Overall the high volume caudal epidural anaesthesia represents an effective, safe, cheap and easy to perform alternative for anaesthesia of the navel, flank and hamstring tendon in calves without major side effects.
A Potentized Homeopathic Drug, Arsenicum Album 200, Can Ameliorate Genotoxicity Induced by Repeated Injections of Arsenic Trioxide in Mice
Authors: Banerjee P. , Biswas S. J. , Belon P. , Khuda‐Bukhsh A. R. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryGroundwater arsenic contamination has become a menacing global problem. No drug is available until now to combat chronic arsenic poisoning. To examine if a potentized homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album‐200, can effectively combat chronic arsenic toxicity induced by repeated injections of Arsenic trioxide in mice, the following experimental design was adopted. Mice (Mus musculus) were injected subcutaneously with 0.016% arsenic trioxide at the rate of 1 ml/100 g body weight, at an interval of 7 days until they were killed at day 30, 60, 90 or 120 and were divided into three groups: (i) one receiving a daily dose of Arsenicum Album‐200 through oral administration, (ii) one receiving the same dose of diluted succussed alcohol (Alcohol‐200) and (iii) another receiving neither drug, nor succussed alcohol. The remedy or the placebo, as the case may be, was fed from the next day onwards after injection until the day before the next injection, and the cycle was repeated until the mice were killed. Two other control groups were also maintained: one receiving only normal diet, and the other receiving normal diet and succussed alcohol. Several toxicity assays, such as cytogenetical (chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, mitotic index, sperm head anomaly) and biochemical (acid and alkaline phosphatases, lipid peroxidation), were periodically made. Compared with controls, the drug fed mice showed reduced toxicity at statistically significant levels in respect of all the parameters studied, thereby indicating protective potentials of the homeopathic drug against chronic arsenic poisoning.