bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Targeted magnetic resonance imaging of Scavidin‐receptor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro
Authors: Mäntylä Tuomas , Hakumäki Juhana M. , Huhtala Tuulia , Närvänen Ale , Ylä‐Herttuala Seppo 
Published: March 2006

AbstractCurrent therapeutic approaches to treat cancer are often hampered by the lack of specificity of the drugs used for therapy. Scavidin, a novel fusion protein expressed on cell membranes, could be utilized for targeting of therapeutic molecules. Scavidin exploits the high binding affinity between avidin and biotin and is capable of mediating endocytosis of a bound ligand. In the current study we evaluated the efficiency of biotinylated ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) particles in Scavidin‐expressing human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) cultures in vitro as a novel receptor‐targeted magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent. Biotinylated USPIO (bUSPIO) were targeted to Scavidin adenovirus‐transduced HUVECs in vitro. Scavidin expressing cells were capable of binding and mediating endocytosis of the bUSPIO in vitro, which led to a significant decrease in T2 relaxation times, and a loss of signal intensity in comparison to controls. The findings were confirmed with Prussian blue staining for iron and detection of Scavidin by bound biotinylated horseradish peroxidase. Our data shows that biotinylated ligands target specifically to Scavidin‐expressing HUVEC in vitro. The utilization of Scavidin gene transfer ex vivo thus constitutes a platform for potential ligand delivery via cell therapy and time‐independent imaging of biologic processes. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fast‐kzthree‐dimensional tailored radiofrequency pulse for reducedB1inhomogeneity
Authors: Saekho Suwit , Yip Chun‐yu , Noll Douglas C. , Boada Fernando E. , Stenger V. Andrew 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article presents a small‐flip‐angle, three‐dimensional tailored RF pulse that excites thin slices with an adjustable quadratic in‐plane spatial variation. The quadratic spatial variation helps to compensate for the loss in image uniformity using a volume coil at 3 T due to the wavelike properties of the RF field. The pulse is based on a novel “fast‐kz” design that uses a series of slice‐select subpulses alongkzand phase encoding “blips” alongkx–ky. The method is demonstrated by acquiring a series of 5‐mm‐thickT2‐weighted images of the human brain at 3 T using pulses 4.8 ms in length with a 45 ° flip angle. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Magnetic resonance imaging image intensity correction with extrapolation and adaptive smoothing
Authors: Cheng Hu , Huang Feng 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA significant problem in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the inhomogeneity of the image resulting from a number of factors that are hardware related. The obtained image can be treated as the true image multiplied by a signal modulator, which is usually smooth across the image. A class of MR image intensity correction methods extracts the slowly varying component from the image with low‐pass filtering or smoothing to approximate the signal modulator. This usually causes the edge enhancement artifact in the corrected image. A novel method of extrapolating the image in advance is proposed to reduce this effect significantly. Closest point algorithm is implemented to minimize the calculation time for extrapolation. To remove bright spots caused by nonuniform sensitivity profiles, a gradient‐weighted smoothing method is discussed in this work. The partial differential equations based model is applied for locally adaptive smoothing. The filtered gradient of the corrupted image is used as the weight for smoothing. Phantom and clinical data collected on various MRI systems are used for evaluation of our method. These experimental results show that the proposed method solves the edge enhancement and bright spots problem effectively and robustly. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spin echo spectroscopic electron paramagnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Mailer Colin , Sundramoorthy Subramanian V. , Pelizzari Charles A. , Halpern Howard J. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe use of spin echoes to obtain spectroscopic EPR images (spectral–spatial images) at 250 MHz is described. The advantages of spin echoes—larger signals than the free induction decay, better phase characteristics for Fourier transformation, and decay shapes undistorted by instrumental dead time—are clearly shown. An advantage is gained from using a crossed loop resonator that isolates the 250‐W pump power by greater than 50 dB from the observer arm preamplifiers. The echo decay rates can be used to determine the oxygen content in solutions containing 1 mM trityl concentrations. Two‐ and three‐dimensional images of oxygen concentration are presented. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proteome analysis of sorbitol fermentation specific protein in Vibrio cholerae by 2‐DE and MS
Authors: QingHua Zou , XiaoMei Yan , BoQing Li , Xun Zeng , Jun Zhou , JianZhong Zhang 
Published: March 2006

AbstractVibrio cholerae can be differentiated into epidemic and non‐epidemic strains by sorbitol fermentation speed, but little research has been done on its mechanisms. In this study, we investigated differential protein expression of the two strains in response to sorbitol metabolism. V. cholerae strains were cultured in media with and without sorbitol, respectively. Proteins were separated by 2‐DE, and those that showed different expression in the two media were identified by MALDI‐TOF MS. Fifteen proteins in epidemic strains and 11 proteins in non‐epidemic strains showed a different expression in sorbitol medium. Among them, 4 proteins were common to epidemic and non‐epidemic strains. Gene sequence analysis showed that some mutations occurred in these proteins between the two strains. Potential functions of these proteins included sugar uptake, amino acid uptake, electron transport, sulfate and thiosulfate transport.
Proteomic analysis of nasal cells from cystic fibrosis patients and non‐cystic fibrosis control individuals: Search for novel biomarkers of cystic fibrosis lung disease
Authors: Roxo‐Rosa Mónica , da Costa Gonçalo , Luider Theo M. , Scholte Bob J. , Coelho Ana V. , Amaral Margarida D. , Penque Deborah 
Published: March 2006

AbstractPotential biological markers for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease were identified by comparative proteomics profiling of nasal cells from deletion of phenylalanine residue 508 (F508del)‐homozygous CF patients and non‐CF controls. From the non‐CF 2‐DE gels, 65 spots were identified by MS, and a reference 2‐DE map was thus established. The majority of those correspond to ubiquitously expressed proteins. Consistent with the epithelial origin of this tissue, some of the identified proteins are epithelial markers (e.g. cytokeratins, palate lung and nasal epithelium clone protein (PLUNC), and squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1). Comparison of this protein profile with the one similarly obtained for CF nasal cells revealed a set of differentially expressed proteins. These included proteins related to chronic inflammation and some others involved in oxidative stress injury. Alterations were also observed in the levels of cytoskeleton proteins, being probably implicated with cytoskeleton organization changes described to occur in CF‐airways. Lower levels were found for some mitochondrial proteins suggesting an altered mitochondrial metabolism in CF. Differential expression was also found for two more enzymes that have not been previously associated to CF. Further studies will clarify the involvement of such proteins in CF pathophysiology and whether they are targets for CF therapy.
Proteomics analysis revealed changes in rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid proteins associated with oil mist exposure
Authors: Lee Yung‐Shan , Chen Pang‐Wei , Tsai Perng‐Jy , Su Shu‐Hui , Liao Pao‐Chi 
Published: March 2006

AbstractExposure to oil mist has been associated with a variety of acute and chronic respiratory effects. Using proteomics approaches to investigate exposure‐associated proteins may provide useful information to understand the mechanisms of associated respiratory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid proteins associated with oil mist exposure using nano‐HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS. The results revealed that 29 proteins exhibited significant changes after exposure. These proteins included surfactant‐associated proteins (SP‐A and SP‐D), inflammatory proteins (complement component 3, immunoglobulins, lysozyme, etc.), growth factors (e.g., transforming growth factor alpha (TGF‐α)), calcium‐binding proteins (calcyclin, calgranulin A, calreticulin, and calvasculin), and other proteins (e.g., cathepsin D, saposin, and intestinal trefoil factor). To further evaluate changes in protein levels, a simple quantitative strategy was developed in this study. A large decrease in protein levels of SP‐A and SP‐D (0.24‐ and 0.38‐fold, respectively) following exposure was observed. In contrast, protein levels of TGF‐α and calcium‐binding proteins were significantly increased (4.46‐ and 1.4–1.8‐fold, respectively). Due to the diverse functions of these proteins, the results might contribute to understand the mechanisms involved in lung disorders induced by oil mist exposure.
An evaluation of in vitro protein–protein interaction techniques: Assessing contaminating background proteins
Authors: Howell Jenika M. , Winstone Tara L. , Coorssen Jens R. , Turner Raymond J. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractDetermination of protein–protein interactions is an important component in assigning function and discerning the biological relevance of proteins within a broader cellular context. In vitro protein–protein interaction methodologies, including affinity chromatography, coimmunoprecipitation, and newer approaches such as protein chip arrays, hold much promise in the detection of protein interactions, particularly in well‐characterized organisms with sequenced genomes. However, each of these approaches attracts certain background proteins that can thwart detection and identification of true interactors. In addition, recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli are also extensively used to assess protein–protein interactions, and background proteins in these isolates can thus contaminate interaction studies. Rigorous validation of a true interaction thus requires not only that an interaction be found by alternate techniques, but more importantly that researchers be aware of and control for matrix/support dependence. Here, we evaluate these methods for proteins interacting with DmsD (an E. coli redox enzyme maturation protein chaperone), in vitro, using E. coli subcellular fractions as prey sources. We compare and contrast the various in vitro interaction methods to identify some of the background proteins and protein profiles that are inherent to each of the methods in an E. coli system.
Surface enhanced laser desorption ionization spectrometry reveals biomarkers for drug treatment but not dose
Authors: Paweletz Cloud P. , Wiener Matthew C. , Sachs Jeffrey R. , Meurer Roger , Wu Margaret S. , Wong Kenney K. , Yates Nathan A. , Hendrickson Ronald C. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractHere we describe the use of SELDI‐MS to detect dose‐dependent peptide changes in plasma from mice treated with vehicle or rosiglitazone at one of two doses (10 and 30 mg/kg). SELDI features differentiating spectra from the three conditions were found and used to train classifiers. Samples treated with vehicle could be reliably distinguished from samples treated with either dose, but samples treated with the different doses could not be reliably distinguished from one another. We conclude that while SELDI‐TOF mass spectra can be used to distinguish treated from untreated samples, the reproducibility and information content of SELDI‐TOF are currently not sufficient as a pharmacodynamic readout to distinguish between mice treated with 10 or 30 mg/kg of rosiglitazone. This raises more general questions about whether SELDI's sensitivity is sufficient for detecting dose‐dependent changes in plasma.
PAMAMOS: The first commercial silicon‐containing dendrimers and their applications
Authors: Dvornic Petar R. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe world of dendrimers presently encompasses several thousands of publications, including scientific papers and patents, several hundreds of different compositions, but only a few commercially available families of products (i.e. polyamidoamines (PAMAMs), until recently polypropyleneimines, and phosphorus‐containing dendrimers) This is the story of PAMAMOS, which recently became the first commercially available silicon‐containing dendrimers, and how we journeyed from our initial idea to the point of their commercialization. It focuses on three unique features of these new dendrimers: their ability to form precisely defined nano‐structured, honeycomb‐like, 2D or 3D networks; the amazing usefulness of these networks for the preparation of a variety of nanocomplexes and nancomposites; and some of the new vistas that these materials open up for engineering nanotechnology applications. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2755–2773, 2006
Design of PEO‐based ruthenium carbene for aqueous metathesis polymerization. Synthesis by the “macromonomer method” and application in the miniemulsion metathesis polymerization of norbornene
Authors: Quémener Damien , Héroguez Valérie , Gnanou Yves 
Published: March 2006

AbstractNovel water‐soluble ruthenium carbene complexes with finely tuned structure and properties in solution are reported. These ruthenium‐based initiators were found to exhibit great catalytic activity in aqueous miniemulsion ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene. Stable particles of polynorbornene could be generated in the 200–250 nm size range stabilized with a nonionic surfactant (polystyrene‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2784–2793, 2006
Self‐assembly of star‐shaped polystyrene‐block‐polypeptide copolymers synthesized by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening living polymerization of α‐amino acid‐N‐carboxyanhydrides
Authors: Abraham Sinoj , Ha Chang‐Sik , Kim Il 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe self‐assembling nature and phase‐transition behavior of a novel class of triarm, star‐shaped polymer–peptide block copolymers synthesized by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and living ring‐opening polymerization of α‐amino acid‐N‐carboxyanhydride are demonstrated. The two‐step synthesis strategy adopted here allows incorporating polypeptides into the usual synthetic polymers via an amido–amidate nickelacycle intermediate, which is used as the macroinitiator for the growth of poly(γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate). The characterization data are reported from analyses using gel permeation chromatography and infrared, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. This synthetic scheme grants a facile way to prepare a wide range of polymer–peptide architectures with perfect microstructure control, preventing the formation of homopolypeptide contaminants. Studies regarding the supramolecular organization and phase‐transition behavior of this class of polymer‐block‐polypeptide copolymers have been accomplished with X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analyses. The conformational change of the peptide segment in the block copolymer has been investigated with variable‐temperature infrared spectroscopy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2774–2783, 2006
Soft magnetic properties and microstructure of Fe65Co35 thin films with different underlayers
Authors: Fu Yu , Cheng Xiaofeng , Yang Zheng 
Published: March 2006

AbstractHigh‐moment soft magnetic Fe65Co35 thin films with well in‐plane uniaxial anisotropy were obtained by cosputtering on Co93Fe7, Ni80Fe20, Cu and Fe underlayers. The single‐layer Fe65Co35 film with thickness of 100 nm shows a magnetic anisotropy. The coercivity along easy axis H ce and that along hard axis H ch are equal to 3.3 kA/m and 2.1 kA/m, respectively. The soft magnetic properties of Fe65Co35 films were much improved by using an underlayer. The H ce and H ch of Fe65Co35 films with Ni80Fe20, Co93Fe7 and Cu underlayers can be reduced to 0.9–1.1 kA/m and 0.08–0.20 kA/m, respectively. For films with Fe underlayer, the H ce and H ch reduced to 1.1 kA/m and 0.6 kA/m, respectively. In the case of Co93Fe7, Ni80Fe20 and Fe underlayers, the coercivity of films did not depend remarkably on the thickness t of underlayer at t > 1 nm. While in the case of Cu underlayer, the coercivity of films changed remarkably with increasing underlayer thickness. It was shown that the texture of double‐layered underlayer/Fe65Co35 films is dependent on the material and the thickness of underlayer. The influence of the underlayer on the surface morphology and micro‐magnetic structure of films were investigated by AFM and MFM. It was suggested that the modification of the structure of Fe65Co35 films by using an underlayer is an important way to improve their soft magnetic properties. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Preparation and characterization of pulse electrodeposited GaAs films
Authors: Murali K. R. , Trivedi D. C. 
Published: March 2006

Abstract GaAs is a III–V compound possessing high mobility and a direct band gap of 1.43 eV, making it a very suitable candidate for photovoltaic applications. Thin GaAs films were prepared by plating an aqueous solution containing GaCl3 and As2O3 at a pH of 2 and at room temperature. The current density was kept at 50 mA cm–2 and the duty cycle was varied in the range 10–50%. The films were deposited on titanium, nickel and tin oxide coated glass substrates. Films exhibited polycrystalline nature with peaks corresponding to single‐phase GaAs. Optical absorption measurements indicated a direct band gap of 1.40 eV. Atomic force microscope measurements indicated uniform coverage with large crystallites for the films deposited at higher duty cycles. Photoelectrochemical cells were made using the films as photoelectrodes and graphite as counter electrode in 1 M polysulphide electrolyte. At 60 mW cm–2 illumination, an open‐circuit voltage of 0.5 V and a short‐circuit current density of 5.0 mA cm–2 were observed for the films deposited at a duty cycle of 50%. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Chemomodulatory effects of Azadirachta indica on the hepatic status of skin tumor bearing mice
Authors: Koul Ashwani , Ghara Abdollah Ramzani , Gangar Subhash Chander 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe liver plays an important role in the modulation of the process of carcinogenesis, as it is the primary site for the biotransformation of xenobiotics including carcinogens as well as anticancer drugs. The present study was designed to evaluate the biochemical alterations occurring in the liver of 7,12‐dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induced skin tumor bearing male Balb/c mice and their modulation by aqueous Azadirachta indica leaf extract (AAILE). It was observed that skin tumor induction caused hepatic damage characterized by a decreased hepatosomatic index and significantly increased (p < 0.001) activities of the hepatic tissue injury marker enzymes, namely alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. However, upon treatment with AAILE, the above‐mentioned alterations, including the increased activities of hepatic tissue injury marker enzymes, were significantly reversed, which signified the hepato‐protective efficacy of Azadirachta indica. Increased oxidative stress was also observed in the hepatic tissue of skin tumor bearing mice as revealed by a significant increase (p < 0.001) in lipid peroxidation levels and a decrease in reduced glutathione contents and activities of various antioxidant enzymes studied, namely glutathione‐S‐transferase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. The AAILE treatment reduced oxidative stress by decreasing lipid peroxidation levels and enhancing the reduced glutathione contents and activities of various antioxidant enzymes. The activities of the xenobiotic biotransformation enzymes, namely cytochrome P450, cytochrome b5 and glutathione‐S‐transferase, were found to be decreased in the hepatic tissue of tumor bearing mice. Treatment with AAILE further caused a decrease in the activity of cytochrome P450 and cytochrome b5, whereas it up‐regulated the activity of glutathione‐S‐transferase. The significance of these observations with respect to the progress of the process of carcinogenesis is explained in the present research article. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A water soluble extract from Uncaria tomentosa (Cat's Claw) is a potent enhancer of DNA repair in primary organ cultures of human skin
Authors: Mammone Thomas , Åkesson Christina , Gan David , Giampapa Vincent , Pero Ronald W. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractCat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) water extracts, essentially free of oxindole alkaloids, have been shown to possess a broad spectrum of biological activity including DNA repair enhancement and antiinflammatory properties. These two biological mechanisms are key molecular targets to develop treatments that protect skin exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. Because C‐Med‐100, a Cat's Claw water extract, is the only documented natural source of components that can up‐regulate simultaneously both DNA repair and antiinflammation, its ability to modulate DNA repair in human skin organ cultures was undertaken. For this purpose skin cultures were treated with or without 5 mg/mL C‐Med‐100, irradiated with 0–100 mJ/cm2 UVB, and microscopically analysed for necrosis as well as the level of pyrimidine dimers using immunofluorescent TT‐dimer antibody staining. The data clearly demonstrated that co‐incubation with C‐Med‐100 reduced skin cell death from UV exposure, and this protection was accounted for by a concomitant increase in DNA repair. Based on these results, it was concluded that C‐Med‐100 was a natural plant extract worthy of further consideration as a sunscreen product. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of combining extracts (from propolis or Zingiber officinale) with clarithromycin on Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Nostro A. , Cellini L. , Bartolomeo S. Di , Cannatelli M.A. , Campli E. Di , Procopio F. , Grande R. , Marzio L. , Alonzo V. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractPropolis and Zingiber officinale have been shown to be specifically targeted against Helicobacter pylori strains, to possess antiinflammatory, antioxidant and antitumoral activity and to be used in traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments. Considering that these natural products could potentially serve as novel therapeutic tools also in combination with an antibiotic, the aim of this work was to evaluate their effect when combined with clarithromycin on clinical H. pylori isolates (n = 25), characterized in respect to both clarithromycin susceptibility and the presence of the cagA gene. The results showed that the combinations of propolis extract + clarithromycin and Z. officinale extract + clarithromycin exhibited improved inhibition of H. pylori with synergistic or additive activity. Interestingly, the susceptibility to combinations was significantly independent of the microbial clarithromycin susceptibility status. Only one H. pylori strain showed antagonism towards the Z. officinale extract + clarithromycin combination. The data demonstrate that combinations of propolis extract + clarithromycin and Z. officinale extract + clarithromycin have the potential to help control H. pylori‐associated gastroduodenal disease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.