bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF FIBRINOLYTIC TREATMENT ON RABBIT MASUGI NEPHRITIS
Authors: Akiba Tomohide , Tanaka Kenzo 
Published: December 2008

We investigated the effects of administration of urokinase (UK) and trans‐4‐aminomethylcyclohexane carboxylic acid (t‐AMCHA) on the development of experimental rabbit Masugi nephritis. Treatment with lOOOU/kg of UK, 5000U/kg of UK and 100 mg/kg of t‐AMCHA twice a day intravenously was initiated on the 7th and continued for 7 consecutive days. Concomitantly with the nephrotoxin injection, 5000U/kg of UK was also given twice a day intravenously for 14 days. The administration of 5000U/kg of UK twice a day for 7 days and 14 days suppressed the increases in BUN values and the decreases in urinary fibrinolytic activity. Fibrin‐flbrinogen degradation products (FDP) were detected more frequently in the urine of rabbits given UK than in the control. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed a decrease in intra‐and extra‐glomerular fibrin deposition, and a decrease in fibrin or fibrinoid deposits in Bowman's space by 5000U/kg of UK was demonstrated electron microscopically. Light microscopy revealed that the accumulation of fibrin in glomeruli, crescent formation, and progressive glomerular disorganization by 5000U/kg of UK were prevented.On the other hand, treatment with t‐AMCHA enhanced the increase in BUN values and there was a decrease in urinary fibrinolytic activity. Dense fibrin deposits in the glomeruli, were observed immunopathologically by treatment with t‐AMCHA and histopathologic changes were found to be even more severe.
NEPHROGENIC ADENOMA IN FEMALE URETHRA
Authors: Furusato Masakuni , Takaki Keizo , Joh Kensuke , Suzuki Masafumi , Chiba Satoru , Nakata Yoshiko , Kakimoto Shinichi , Aizawa Shigeo , Ishikawa Eisei 
Published: December 2008

A case of a 66 years old female who had a nephrogenic adenoma recurring three times during a 6 months course of her illness is reported. With each recurrence, the lesion moved toward the urethral orifice, suggesting an intimate relationship between the recurrent process and physical stimuli to the mucosa. Electron microscopy revealed merely non‐specific morphological features of epithelial cells in the lesion.There were no positive morphological clues in the lesion for supporting the lesion to resemble mesonephric and/or mesodermal tissue. The diagnostic term of tubular metaplasia for the lesion is preferable instead of nephrogenic adenoma.
MORPHOLOGIC STUDY ON AORTA DOT STAINED WITH EVANS BLUE IN NORMAL AND HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RABBITS
Authors: Tanimura Akira , Cho Takanori , Nakashima Akihiko , Nakashima Teruyuki 
Published: December 2008

When a normal rabbit is injected Intravenously with Evans blue, focal blue areas showing strong permeability appear in a region of the aortic arch and in a region distal to the orifice of the aortic branches. These blue areas consist of the dot stained area but are not homogeneous blue area.The morphological changes in the intima of the dot stained area and the relationship between the appearance of dot stained area and lipid deposition in the aorta of cholesterol fed rabbit were investigated. Evans blue showed focal acceleration of the permeability at the region of the aortic arch as early as 10 minutes. Light and electron microscopically such dot stained areas showed the widening of subendothelial space, lifting of some endothelial cells, intracytoplasmic vacuoles and membranous structure, junctional dilatation, and enhanced permeability of peroxidase. In 2% cholesterol fed rabbits, lipid deposition showed a punctuate pattern similar to the dot stained area of normal rabbit.
PATHOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THREE CASES OF CANCER TREATED WITH POLYSACCHARIDES FROM HUMAN‐TYPE MYCOBACTERIUIM TUBERCULOSIS Antitumor Activity through Collagen Fiber Proliferation
Authors: Kimoto Tetsuo 
Published: December 2008

Three cases of cancer treated with SSM (Special Substance, Maruyama: a polysaccharide extract from Mycobacterium tuberculosis) for a long period were studied pathologically following biopsies and autopsies. The most significant antitumor activity resulting from SSM treatment was found to be collagenation from stromal cells and the cancer cells themselves. Another significant finding was that collagenation was promoted by macrophages which had been stimulated non‐specifically. However, it was apparent that SSM‐A or B had to be used efficiently and quickly in order to prevent invasion or metastasis of cancer. Collagenation due to SSM treatment was more marked in metastatic cancer lesions in the liver than those in the lung. In a case of breast cancer reported in a previous investigation of SSM treatment, remarkable calcification was found in a metastatic cancer lesion which had become confined through collagenation, thus preventing cancer cell metastasis.The collagenation of cancerous lesions through SSM treatment resembled the healing of caseous tuberculosis lesions through a similar mechanism.
An epidemic outbreak of hepatitis E in Yangon of Myanmar: Antibody assay and animal transmission of the virus
Authors: Uchida Toshikazu , Aye Thein Thein , Ma Xuezhung , Iida Fusae , Shikata Toshio , Ichikawa Munetaka , Rikihisa Tetsuji , Win Khin Maung 
Published: December 2008

An epidemic outbreak of hepatitis E occurred in an army recruit camp of Yangon, Myanmar, in October 1989. One hundred and eleven patients among 600 residents were hospitalized. As high as 83.7% of these patients were positive for the acute phase antibody against hepatitis E virus by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay developed in our laboratory. Also, 30.6% of 49 symptom‐free residents examined were positive for the antibody.We prepared a stool extract from six patients and inoculated it into 10 rhesus monkeys for a series of three subpassages. All of them developed acute biochemical hepatitis along with an elevation of antibody levels. A rechallenge with viruses of the present outbreak failed to provoke hepatitis in two monkeys that had previously recovered from acute hepatitis caused by an isolate of sporadic hepatitis E of the same area. Similarly, the rechallenge of the sporadic strain did not induce hepatitis in two monkeys that had been previously infected with the epidemic virus. These data suggested that the subjects would obtain neutralizing antibodies against the hepatitis E virus once infected, and many adult inhabitants of the endemic area had no protective antibodies and were still susceptible to hepatitis E infection.
Co‐carcinogenic effect of chrysotile and amosite asbestos with benzo(a) pyrene in the lung of hamsters
Authors: Kimizuka Goro , Azuma Minako , Ishibashi Masahiko , Shinozaki Katumi , Hayashi Yutaka 
Published: December 2008

To clarify co‐carcinogenic effects of chrysotile (Chry) and amosite (Amo) asbestos with benzo(a)pyrene (Bap), 0.2 mg UICC (International Union against Cancer) standard reference sample of asbestos and 0.4 mg Bap were applied intratracheally once a week for 6 weeks. Eighteen and 24 months after the last instillation the number of tumors was examined.The Chry + Bap group yielded 37 tumors including 16 carcinomas in 12 animals, and the Amo + Bap group yielded 30 tumors including 11 carcinomas in 12 animals. Tumor‐bearing animals were 100% in the Chry + Bap group and 92% in the Amo + Bap group, and carcinoma‐bearing animals were 83% and 67%, respectively. The animals injected with Chry, Amo, and Bap alone developed no tumors. The number of tumors and carcinomas and the frequency of the tumor‐ or carcinoma‐bearing animals in Chry + Bap and Amo + Bap were significantly higher than those of the groups injected independently. The number of tumors or the frequency of tumor‐bearing animals in Chry + Bap than in Amo + Bap; however, these differences were not significant. These results indicate that both Chry and Amo play an important role in the genesis of bronchogenic carcinoma.
The pathogenesis of biliary atresia in Japan: Immunohistochemical study of HBV‐associated antigen
Authors: Tanaka Mitsugu , Ishikawa Tomohisa , Sakaguchi Masami 
Published: December 2008

An immunohistochemical study of HBV‐associated antigen in the liver of 16 Japanese infants with biliary atresia revealed positive findings in 13 of the cases for HBc and/or HBs antigens. The positive cells were mainly small liver cells distributed in the peripheral zone of the lobule, and a few lymphocytes were observed in contact with or around the positive liver cells for HBV‐associated antigen. Again, HBc antigen was demonstrated almost exclusively in the cytoplasm of positive liver cells. As these findings suggest the possibility of destruction and drop‐out of cells constituting the interlobular bile duct in the junctional area by an immunological mechanism, the probability of HBV infection being an important factor in causing and accelerating biliary atresia cannot be denied.Positive findings for HBV‐associated antigen similar to those found in biliary atresia are also seen in neonatal hepatitis and choledochal cysts. These conditions are therefore presumed to belong to the same category.
Waterponding: Reclamation technique for scalded duplex soils in western New South Wales rangelands
Authors: Thompson Ray 
Published: December 2008

Summary  Building on previous trials initiated in the 1960s, a demonstration programme involving 18 landholders was established at Nyngan, New South Wales Australia; in the mid‐1980s to refine ‘waterponding’ techniques used to rehabilitate scalded claypans. The waterponding technique involves building horseshoe shaped banks (about 240 m in length) to create ponds of about 0.4 ha each. Each pond retains up to 10 cm of water after rain which leaches soluble salts from the scald surface. This improves the remaining soil structure, inducing surface cracking, better water penetration and allows entrapment of wind‐blown seed. Consequently, niches are formed for the germination of this (and any sown) seed and recovery of a range of chenopod native pasture species occurs on the sites, which can be supplemented by direct seeding.What started as a project continues now as a standard rangeland rehabilitation process for reclaiming bare, scalded semi‐arid areas of New South Wales and turning them back into biodiverse and productive rangelands. Since 1985, further modifications have been made to the method and the ongoing programme has surveyed, marked out and built approximately 56 700 waterponds within the Marra Creek waterponding district.
Origin of the earliest correlated neuronal activity in the chick embryo revealed by optical imaging with voltage‐sensitive dyes
Authors: Momose‐Sato Yoko , Mochida Hiraku , Kinoshita Masae 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSpontaneous correlated neuronal activity during early development spreads like a wave by recruiting a large number of neurons, and is considered to play a fundamental role in neural development. One important and as yet unresolved question is where the activity originates, especially at the earliest stage of wave expression. In other words, which part of the brain differentiates first as a source of the correlated activity, and how does it change as development proceeds? We assessed this issue by examining the spatiotemporal patterns of the depolarization wave, the optically identified primordial correlated activity, using the optical imaging technique with voltage‐sensitive dyes. We surveyed the region responsible for the induction of the evoked and spontaneous depolarization waves in chick embryos, and traced its developmental changes. The results showed that the wave initially originated in a restricted area near the obex and was generated by multiple regions at later stages. We suggest that the upper cervical cord/lower medulla near the obex is the kernel that differentiates first as the source of the correlated activity, and that regional and temporal differences in neuronal excitability might underlie the developmental profile of wave generation in early chick embryos.
‘The Mind as an Object of God's Knowledge’: Another Cartesian Temptation?
Authors: Vasalou Sophia 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIn this paper my aim is to consider the picture of God's immediate knowledge of the mind as this appears in Wittgenstein's work, where its soundness seems to be brought into question. My argument is that the response to this denial should take the form, not of an investigation of a theological position concerning God's knowledge (“can God look into the human mind?”), but of a negotiation of the difficulties affecting our use of this picture. A great part of the latter can be seen as difficulties in mastering the communicative relation between God and man which lies at the heart of the religious form of life, and which arises from the dislocation which familiar language‐games undergo within it.
Pleonastic Entities: Fictional Characters and Propositions
Authors: Vignolo Massimiliano 
Published: December 2008

AbstractStephen Schiffer holds that propositions are pleonastic entities. I will argue that there is a substantial difference between propositions and fictional characters, which Schiffer presents as typical pleonastic entities. My conclusion will be that if fictional characters are typical pleonastic entities, then Schiffer fails to show that propositions are pleonastic entities.
Doubting Thomases and the Cougar: The Perceptions of Puma Management in Northern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Harvey Lemelin R. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe purpose of this discussion is to provide a better understanding of the conflicting perceptions regarding cougar (Puma concolor) management in northern Ontario, Canada. Despite two alleged puma attacks, numerous cougar sightings throughout the region and the recent confirmation of the puma's existence in Ontario through DNA analysis, the existence of these animals in the north‐east of Canada and the USA remains largely contentious. Findings derived from interviews conducted in northern Ontario and content analysis of media sources in Canada and the USA suggest that the ongoing debate over the existence of pumas in this region of Canada can be attributed to current wildlife management largely predicated on the grand narrative of the wildlife expert. This centralised, bureaucratic approach decreases the opportunity for constructive dialogue between stakeholders and mitigates the implementation of community‐based wildlife management approaches. While this analysis largely focuses in Ontario, Canada, the debate provides insights into the human dimensions of wildlife management, especially elusive wildlife, in North America and elsewhere.
Divestitures, privatization and corporate performance in emerging markets
Authors: Hanousek Jan , Kočenda Evžen , Svejnar Jan 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWe use new firm‐level data to examine the effects of firm divestitures and privatization on corporate performance in a rapidly emerging market economy. Unlike the existing literature, we control for accompanying ownership changes and the fact that divestitures and ownership are potentially endogenous variables. We find that divestitures increase the firm's profitability but do not alter its scale of operations, while the effect of privatization depends on the resulting ownership structure – sometimes improving performance and sometimes bringing about decline. The effects of privatization are thus more nuanced than suggested in earlier studies. Methodologically, our study provides evidence that it is important to control for changes in ownership when analyzing divestitures and to control for endogeneity, selection and data attrition when analyzing the effects of divestitures and privatization.
Neuroprotective effects of donepezil through inhibition of GSK‐3 activity in amyloid‐β‐induced neuronal cell death
Authors: Noh Min‐Young , Koh Seong‐Ho , Kim Youngchul , Kim Hyun Young , Cho Goang Won , Kim Seung Hyun 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAcetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChE‐inhibitors) are used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, the AChE‐inhibitor donepezil was found to have neuroprotective effects. However, the protective mechanisms of donepezil have not yet been clearly identified. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of donepezil and other AChE‐inhibitors against amyloid‐β1–42 (Aβ42)‐induced neurotoxicity in rat cortical neurons. To evaluate the neuroprotective effects of AChE‐inhibitors, primary cultured cortical neurons were pre‐treated with several concentrations of AChE‐inhibitors for 24 h and then treated with 20 μM Aβ42 for 6 h. In addition to donepezil, other AChE‐inhibitors (galantamine and huperizine A) also showed increased neuronal cell viability against Aβ42 toxicity in a concentration‐dependent manner. However, we demonstrated that donepezil has a more potent effect in inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) activity compared with other AChE‐inhibitors. The neuroprotective effects of donepezil were blocked by LY294002 (10 μM), a phosphoinositide 3 kinase inhibitor, but only partially by mecamylamine (10 μM), a blocker of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Additionally, donepezil’s neuroprotective mechanism was related to the enhanced phosphorylation of Akt and GSK‐3β and reduced phosphorylation of tau and glycogen synthase. These results suggest that donepezil prevents Aβ42‐induced neurotoxicity through the activation of phosphoinositide 3 kinase/Akt and inhibition of GSK‐3, as well as through the activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Cassowary dispersal of the invasive pond apple in a tropical rainforest: the contribution of subordinate dispersal modes in invasion
Authors: Westcott David A. , Setter Melissa , Bradford Matt G. , McKeown Adam , Setter Stephen 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTDispersal is a significant determinant of the pattern and process of invasions; however, weed dispersal distances are rarely described and descriptions of dispersal kernels are completely lacking for vertebrate‐dispersed weeds. Here, we describe dispersal kernels generated by a native disperser, the endangered southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius, L.) for an invasive, tropical rainforest plant, pond apple (Annona glabra, L.). Pond apple is primarily water‐dispersed and is managed as such. We consider whether cassowary dispersal, as a numerically subordinate dispersal mode, provides an additional dispersal service that may modify the invasion process. In infested areas, pond apple seed was common in cassowary dung. Gut passage had no effect on the probability of single seed germination but deposition in clumps or as whole fruits reduced the probability of germination below that of single seeds. Gut passage times ranged from 65 to 1675 min. Combined with cassowary movement data, this resulted in estimated dispersal distances of 12.5–5212 m, with a median distance of 387 m (quartile range 112–787 m). Native frugivores can be effective dispersers of weeds in rainforest and even terrestrial dispersers can provide long‐distance dispersal. Importantly, though pond apple might be expected to be almost entirely dispersed downstream and along the margins of aquatic and marine habitats, cassowaries provide dispersal upstream and between drainages, leading to novel dispersal outcomes. Even through the provision of small quantities of novel dispersal outcomes, subordinate dispersal modes can play a significant role in determining invasion pattern and influence the ultimate success of control programs by providing dispersal to locations unattainable via the primary mode.
Modelling chorotypes of invasive vertebrates in mainland Spain
Authors: Real Raimundo , Márquez Ana L. , Estrada Alba , Muñoz A. Román , Vargas J. Mario 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTWe investigated the existence of chorotypes – assemblages of species with similar geographical ranges – of invasive species in a host territory, and their potential use to advocate similar control or management strategies for species in the same chorotype. We analysed the distribution of 13 exotic terrestrial vertebrate species (six birds, six mammals, and one reptile) with well‐known distributions in mainland Spain. We used the presence/absence data on a grid of 10 km × 10 km UTM cells from the Atlases of terrestrial vertebrates of Spain. These data were aggregated to a grid of 50 km × 50 km UTM cells, because it entailed no loss of meaningful information and allowed dealing with a much lower number of cells. Using cluster analysis and a probabilistic assessment of the classification, we identified seven significant chorotypes: four multispecific and three monospecific. The compound chorotypes grouped together species that tended to share certain characteristics about their introduction, release cause, establishment, and spread. We modelled the chorotypes using a favourability function based on a generalized linear model and 31 variables related to spatial situation, topography, lithology, climatic stability, energy availability, water availability, disturbances, productivity, and human activity. Climatic factors affected the favourability for every chorotype, whereas human variables had a high influence in the distribution of three chorotypes involving eight species. On the basis of these variables, we identified favourable areas for all the chorotypes in mainland Spain. The favourability for a chorotype in an area may be a useful criterion for evaluating the local conservation concern due to the whole set of species. Favourable but unoccupied areas can be used to infer possible colonization areas for each chorotype. We recommend using chorotypes to optimize broad‐scale surveillance of invasive species.
Disentangling relationships between habitat conditions, disturbance history, plant diversity, and American black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) invasion in a European temperate forest
Authors: Chabrerie Olivier , Verheyen Kris , Saguez Robert , Decocq Guillaume 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTWhether non‐native plant invasions are causes, consequences, or independent of the low species diversity in recipient ecosystems remains a debated question. We tried to test these three hypotheses in the special case of the American black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), a gap‐dependent tree species, which is invading European temperate forests. We compared plant communities, soil properties, and disturbance history between P. serotina‐invaded and uninvaded paired‐stands in a managed mixed forest. Relationships between invasion, disturbances, plant communities, and environmental conditions were investigated using redundancy analyses with variation partitioning. Several soil characteristics differed between paired stands, but were rather components of stand invasibility than invasion effects, except for topsoil available phosphorus. The disturbance history was similar among paired stands except for the amount of storm‐induced tree falls, which correlated with the invader's density. Wild boar‐disturbed soil areas were more important beneath P. serotina canopies, suggesting a positive feedback on its own establishment. Overall, species assemblages in invaded and uninvaded stands were similar; their ecological inconsistency suggested a management‐sustained non‐equilibrium. Habitat conditions and disturbances explained most of the variation in both plant diversity and P. serotina density, the last two factors exhibiting a weak direct association. We conclude that in managed forest ecosystems where plant communities are mainly driven by non‐interactive factors and immigration processes, non‐native plant species can naturalize without being directly influenced by measured features of the plant community in the receiving environment on the short term.