bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gross well‐width fluctuations in InGaN quantum wells
Authors: Oliver R. A. , Kappers M. J. , Humphreys C. J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn our earlier studies, we showed that the InxGa1–xN quantum wells in some green‐emitting commercial light emitting diodes are highly non‐uniform, containing gross width fluctuations on a 50–100 nm lateral scale. We reproduced such fluctuations in a research laboratory context by either annealing the InxGa1–xN epilayer, or subjecting it to a temperature ramp prior to growth of the GaN cap. We showed that the width fluctuations relate to a network of interlinking InxGa1–xN strips, and that threading dislocations tend to intersect this network between the strips. Here we investigate whether such networks may also be formed under a range of other growth conditions. By examining very thin InxGa1–xN epilayers which are expected to be fully strained, and showing they form networks upon thermal treatment, we rule out any role of strain relaxation in network formation. By examining samples grown at temperatures up to 790 °C, with low indium contents, and observing the formation of a network structure, we eliminate the possibility that spinodal decomposition is involved in network formation. The growth conditions examined are relevant to blue and ultra‐violet light emitters, and we thus suggest that network structures may have broader implications than previously realised. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Human urinary metabolite profile of tea polyphenols analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with data‐dependent acquisition
Authors: Sang Shengmin , Lee Mao‐Jung , Yang Ill , Buckley Brian , Yang Chung S. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractTea is rich in polyphenols and has a variety of biological activities. In order to better understand the biological effects of tea constituents on human health, markers for their exposure and their metabolic fates are needed. Previously, we have characterized several catechin metabolites in the blood and urine, but more information on the metabolite profile of tea polyphenols is needed. In the present study, the human urinary metabolite profile of tea polyphenols was investigated using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with data‐dependent acquisition. With data‐dependent MS/MS analysis by collecting the MS2and MS3spectra of the most intense ions in the sample, we identified more than twenty metabolites of tea polyphenols from human urine samples. (–)‐Epigallocatechin (EGC) glucuronide, methylated EGC glucuronide, methylated EGC sulfate, (–)‐epicatechin (EC) glucruronide, EC sulfate, methylated EC sulfate, as well as the glucuronide and sulfate metabolites of the ring‐fission metabolites of tea catechins, 5‐(3′,4′,5′‐trihydroxyphenyl)‐γ‐valerolactone (M4), 5‐(3′,4′‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐γ‐valerolactone (M6) and 5‐(3′,5′‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐γ‐valerolactone (M6′), were the major human urinary metabolites of tea polyphenols. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the direct simultaneous analysis of the human urinary metabolite profile of tea polyphenols using single sample analysis. This method can also be used for thorough investigations of the metabolite profiles of many other dietary constituents. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Possible dopaminergic stimulation of locus coeruleus α1‐adrenoceptors involved in behavioral activation
Authors: Lin Yan , Quartermain David , Dunn Adrian J. , Weinshenker David , Stone Eric A. 
Published: April 2008

Abstractα1‐Adrenoceptors of the locus coeruleus (LC) have been implicated in behavioral activation in novel surroundings, but the endogenous agonist that activates these receptors has not been established. In addition to the canonical activation of α1‐receptors by norepinephrine (NE), there is evidence that dopamine (DA) may also activate certain brain α1‐receptors. This study examined the contribution of DA to exploratory activity in a novel cage by determining the effect of infusion of various dopaminergic and adrenergic drugs into the mouse LC. It was found that the D2/D3 agonist, quinpirole, which selectively blocks the release of CNS DA, produced a dose‐dependent and virtually complete abolition of exploration and all movement in the novel cage test. The quinpirole‐induced inactivity was significantly attenuated by coinfusion of DA but not by the D1 agonist, SKF38390. Furthermore, the DA attenuation of quinpirole inactivity was blocked by coinfusion of the α1‐adrenergic receptor antagonist, terazosin, but not by the D1 receptor antagonist, SCH23390. LC infusions of either quinpirole or terazosin also produced profound inactivity in DA‐β‐hydroxylase knockout (Dbh −/−) mice that lack NE, indicating that their behavioral effects were not due to an alteration of the release or action of LC NE. Measurement of endogenous DA, NE, and 5HT and their metabolites in the LC during exposure to the novel cage indicated an increase in the turnover of DA and NE but not 5HT. These results indicate that DA is a candidate as an endogenous agonist for behaviorally activating LC α1‐receptors and may play a role in the activation of this nucleus by novel surroundings. Synapse 62:516–523, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In vivoandin vitroethanol exposure in prenatal rat brain: GABABreceptor modulation on dopamine D1receptor and protein kinase A
Authors: Lee H.Y. , Naha N. , Li S.P. , Jo M.J. , Naseer M.L. , Park M.S. , Park T.J. , Chung B.C. , Kim M.O. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractWe have investigated the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on GABABreceptors (GABABRs), protein kinase A (PKA), and DA D1receptor (DAD1R) expressions. GABAB1R and GABAB2R showed different age‐dependent expressions inin vivofetal rat forebrain from gestational days (GD) 15.5 to 21.5 upon 10% ethanol treatment to mother, with and without baclofen at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight/day. The protein level changes could not be attributed to changes in the level of transcription since GABABR mRNA presented different expression patterns uponin vivoethanol treatment. Using in vitro cultivated cortical neurons from GD 17.5 fetuses, we also explored the modulatory effects of ethanol on PKA and DAD1R through GABABRs, under 50 μM baclofen and 100 μM phaclofen administrations, with or without 100 mM of ethanol treatment in the culture media. The results showed that 20 min ethanol treatment without baclofen or phaclofen had increasing effects on both the GABABRs. Further, baclofen and phaclofen administration significantly affected PKA and GABABR levels upon 20 min and 1 h ethanol treatment. In contrast, DAD1R showed increasing effects upon ethanol treatment, which was modulated by GABABR's agonist baclofen and antagonist phaclofen. Therefore the present study suggested that the GABABR activity could modulate ethanol's cellular effects, which possibly including PKA and DAD1R activities, and may be an underlying cause of ethanol's effects. Synapse 62:534–543, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Behavioral and biochemical correlates of the dyskinetic potential of dopaminergic agonists in the 6‐OHDA lesioned rat
Authors: Carta Anna R. , Lucia Frau , Annalisa Pinna , Silvia Pontis , Nicola Simola , Nicoletta Schintu , Micaela Morelli 
Published: April 2008

AbstractProlonged treatment with L‐DOPA induces highly disabling dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In contrast, dopaminergic agonists display variably dyskinetic outcome, depending on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile. The present study was aimed at assessing behavioral and biochemical correlates of intense or mild dyskinesia displayed by the different dopamine (DA) receptors stimulation in a rat model of PD. The effect of subchronic stimulation of the D1 receptor by SKF38393, and the D2/D3 receptor by ropinirole was evaluated in unilaterally 6‐hydroxyDA‐lesioned rats. Sensitization of contralateral turning (SCT) behavior and abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) were assessed as behavioral correlates of dyskinetic responses. Opioid peptides mRNA in the dorsolateral striatum (dlStr) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) mRNA content in globus pallidus (GP), were evaluated as an index of neuroadaptive changes occurring in the direct and indirect basal ganglia pathways. Subchronic SKF38393 caused AIMs and SCT whereas ropinirole elicited SCT only, indicating that both drugs induced some dyskinetic response, albeit of different type. Peptides mRNA evaluation in dlStr, showed that SKF38393 subchronic treatment was associated to an overexpression of both dynorphin (DYN) and enkephalin (ENK) mRNAs, in the direct and indirect striatal pathway respectively. In contrast, a decrease in DYN mRNA levels only was observed after treatment with ropinirole. Analysis of GAD67 mRNA levels in the GP showed an increase after both D1 and D2/D3 agonist treatments. Results suggest that presence of SCT alone or SCT plus AIMs might represent correlates of the differential severity of dyskinetic movements induced by treatment with low (ropinirole) or high (SKF38393) dyskinetic potential. Neuroadaptive increases in opioid peptide expression in both direct and indirect striatal pathways were associated to the appearance of AIMs alone. In contrast, increase of GAD67 mRNA in the GP was associated to both behavioral responses (SCT and AIMs), suggesting that neuroadaptive changes in this area were unrelated to the difference in dyskinetic potential of drugs. drugs. Synapse 62:524–533, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
First‐trimester screening for trisomy 21 by free beta‐human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A: impact of maternal and pregnancy characteristics
Authors: Kagan K. O. , Wright D. , Spencer K. , Molina F. S. , Nicolaides K. H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo use multiple regression analysis to define the contribution of maternal variables that influence the measured concentration of free beta‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A), and the interaction between these covariates, in first‐trimester biochemical screening for trisomy 21.MethodsThis was a multicenter study of prospective screening for trisomy 21 by a combination of fetal nuchal translucency thickness, and maternal serum free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks of gestation. In the pregnancies subsequently found to have trisomy 21 and in those with no obvious chromosomal abnormality, we used multiple regression analysis to account for pregnancy characteristics that influence the measured concentrations of free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A. We fitted Gaussian distributions to the distribution of log multiples of the median (MoM) values in trisomy 21 and in unaffected pregnancies.ResultsThere were 491 cases of trisomy 21 and 96 803 chromosomally normal pregnancies. Compared with values in Caucasian women, those who were parous, non‐smokers and those who conceived spontaneously, PAPP‐A was 57% higher in women of Afro‐Caribbean origin, 3% higher in South Asians, 9% higher in East Asians, 2% higher in nulliparous women, 17% lower in smokers and 10% lower in those conceiving by in‐vitro fertilization (IVF). Free β‐hCG was 12% higher in women of Afro‐Caribbean origin, 9% lower in South Asians, 8% higher in East Asians, 2% higher in nulliparous women, 4% lower in smokers and 9% higher in those conceiving by IVF. In screening for trisomy 21 by maternal age and serum free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A the estimated detection rate was 65% for a false‐positive rate of 5%.ConclusionsIn first‐trimester biochemical screening for trisomy 21 it is essential to adjust the measured values of free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A for maternal and pregnancy characteristics. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association of isolated short femur in the mid‐trimester fetus with perinatal outcome
Authors: Weisz B. , David A. L. , Chitty L. , Peebles D. , Pandya P. , Patel P. , Rodeck C. H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence of fetal isolated short femur in a cohort of women screened for Down syndrome by the integrated test, and to compare the outcome of fetuses with isolated short femur in the mid‐trimester with that of fetuses with normal femur length (controls).MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 1262 women booked for antenatal care and delivery at University College London Hospital. All women had integrated testing in the late first and early second trimesters and a detailed anomaly scan in the mid‐trimester. All scan reports, screening results and neonatal data were analyzed statistically.ResultsThe fetal femur was short (< 5th percentile) in 5.1% of patients and 4.7% had isolated short femur. In pregnancies with isolated short femur, the birth weight was significantly lower and there were higher rates of small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) and low birth weight (LBW) infants, compared with controls (P < 0.01). The odds ratios for SGA and LBW in pregnancies with isolated short femur were 3.0 (95% CI, 1.5–5.9) and 2.60 (95% CI, 1.1–6.2), respectively. Isolated short femur was associated significantly with low levels of pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (P = 0.001).ConclusionsIsolated short femur in the mid‐trimester fetus is associated with fetal growth restriction and SGA. In the context of normal Down syndrome screening and a normal anomaly scan, this marker should be regarded as a predictor for SGA, and fetal growth should be monitored during these pregnancies. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A series of promoters for constitutive expression of heterologous genes in fission yeast
Authors: Matsuyama Akihisa , Shirai Atsuko , Yoshida Minoru 
Published: April 2008

AbstractInducible/repressible promoters are useful for the maintenance of toxic genes or timely expression. For ectopic expression of cloned genes in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the thiamine‐regulatable nmt1 promoter has been widely used, since the transcriptional activity of this promoter can be controlled by thiamine. However, this property sometimes limits a certain type of research, since the expression inevitably requires cells to be cultivated under the conditions that induce promoter activation. To allow constitutive expression of heterologous genes, we cloned three promoters of cam1+, tif51+ and ef1a‐c+. Construction of a series of vectors comprising these promoters and their introduction into the fission yeast cells demonstrated that the activity was different among these promoters but was not affected by cultured media commonly used in fission yeast. Therefore, a promoter with appropriate strength would be selectable from these promoters, depending on the genes to be expressed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Volumetric abnormalities associated with cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Wolf Robert Christian , Höse Annett , Frasch Karel , Walter Henrik , Vasic Nenad 
Published: April 2008

AbstractWhile functional neuroimaging studies on attention and executive function in schizophrenia have reported several functionally aberrant cortical regions, less is known about the relationship of cognitive impairment and regional volume alterations. In order to investigate the relationship between cognitive impairment and structural alterations, we studied healthy control subjects and partially remitted, medicated inpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and a standardised neuropsychological test battery. Schizophrenic patients showed reduced grey matter (GM) density in the bilateral temporal cortex, the left inferior parietal lobule, the cingulate gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus. Reduced GM volume was additionally found in the left hippocampal gyrus and the right superior frontal cortex. Reduced white matter density was found in the posterior corpus callosum. Structure-cognition regression analyses revealed that decreased GM density of the left inferior parietal and the right middle temporal cortex was associated with worse performance during divided attention. Worse performance during the spatial span was associated with volumetric abnormalities of the hippocampal gyrus. These results indicate that regional abnormalities in brain structure may offer an account for some impaired cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia, while other cognitive domains may remain relatively less affected by volumetric alterations.
Stability and treatment outcome of distinct classes of mania
Authors: van Rossum Inge , Haro Josep Maria , Tenback Diederik , Boomsma Maarten , Goetz Iris , Vieta Eduard , van Os Jim ,   for the EMBLEM Advisory Board
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackgroundPsychopathological heterogeneity in manic syndromes may in part reflect underlying latent classes with characteristic outcome patterns. Differential treatment course and outcome after 12 weeks of treatment were examined for three distinct classes of patients with acute mania in bipolar disorder.Subjects and methodsThree thousand four hundred and twenty-five patients with acute mania were divided into three distinct mania classes: ‘Typical’, ‘Psychotic’ and ‘Dual’ (i.e. comorbid substance use) mania. Persistence of class differences and social outcomes were examined, using multilevel regression analyses and odds ratios.ResultsThe three classes showed substantial stability post-baseline in the pattern of associations with class-characteristic variables. Psychotic and Dual mania predicted poorer outcome in terms of psychosis comorbidity and overall bipolar and mania severity, while Dual mania additionally predicted poorer outcome of alcohol and substance abuse. Worse social outcomes were observed for both Dual and Psychotic mania.ConclusionThe identified distinct classes are stable and associated with differential treatment outcome. Overall, Dual and Psychotic mania show less favourable outcomes compared to Typical mania. These findings additionally give rise to concern on the generalisability of randomized clinical trials RCTs.
Comparison of costs of care between patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Zhu Carolyn W. , Scarmeas Nikolaos , Stavitsky Karina , Albert Marilyn , Brandt Jason , Blacker Deborah , Sano Mary , Stern Yaakov 
Published: April 2008

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to compare total costs of care and its major components for community‐living patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from the Predictors II Study took place in three university‐based AD centers in the U.S.MethodsCommunity‐living patients clinically diagnosed with probable AD (n = 170) or DLB (n = 25) with a modified Mini‐Mental State examination (mMMS) score ≥30, equivalent to a score of approximately ≥16 on the Folstein Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), participated in this study. Patient and informant reported on patients' use of direct medical care, direct nonmedical care, and informal care. Patients' clinical and demographic characteristics included global cognitive status (measured by MMSE), functional capacity (measured by Blessed Dementia Rating Scale), psychotic symptoms, behavioral problems, depressive symptoms, extrapyramidal signs, comorbidities, age, and sex. Costs were compared by using covariate matching methods.ResultsUnadjusted total costs and direct medical costs were not significantly different between AD and DLB patients. Compared with AD patients, unadjusted indirect costs were significantly higher and unadjusted direct nonmedical costs were significantly lower among DLB patients. After adjusting for age, sex, cognitive and functional status, differences in all cost components between DLB and AD patients were no longer statistically significant.ConclusionsApparent cost differences were largely attributed to differences in patients' cognitive and functional status. However, the small sample size for DLB patients might have limited power to detect statistically significant differences in costs of care between these groups.
Racial and seasonal differences in 25-hydroxyvitamin D detected in maternal sera frozen for over 40 years
Authors: Bodnar Lisa M. , Catov Janet M. , Wisner Katherine L. , Klebanoff Mark A. 
Published: April 2008

Serum banks from large, decades-old epidemiological studies provide a valuable opportunity to explore the contributions ofin uterovitamin D exposure to fetal origins of adult diseases. We compared 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) by race and season (two powerful predictors of vitamin D status) in sera frozen for ≥ 40 years with sera frozen for ≤ 2 years to determine whether 25(OH)D is stable enough to test vitamin D-related hypotheses. Data and sera came from seventy-nine pregnant women at 29–32 weeks' gestation in the Boston Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP; 1959–66) and 124 women at 20–36 weeks' gestation in a 2003–2006 Pittsburgh cohort study. Multivariable linear regression models were used to test main and joint effects of race and season after confounder adjustment. In both cohorts, serum 25(OH)D levels were lower among black than white women (CPP 33·3v.46·7 nmol/l,P < 0·01; Pittsburgh 47·1v.89·6 nmol/l;P < 0·0001) and in winter than summer (CPP 32·7v.47·6 nmol/l,P < 0·0001; Pittsburgh 66·7v.89·8 nmol/l,P < 0·001), with no evidence of a race × season interaction in either cohort. Differences remained significant after confounder adjustment. When CPP and Pittsburgh results were compared, there was no significant difference in the race or season effects. The similarity in the relative change in 25(OH)D in these cohorts by two powerful predictors of vitamin D status suggests that, even if 25(OH)D deteriorated somewhat, it did so similarly across samples. Therefore, trends could be obtained from the decades-old serum data that would be relevant in exploring vitamin D-related hypotheses in future studies.
K-richterite–olivine–phlogopite–diopside–sanidine lamproites from the Afyon volcanic province, Turkey
Authors: AKAL CÜNEYT 
Published: April 2008

AbstractMiddle Miocene volcanic activity in the Afyon volcanic province (eastern part of Western Anatolia) is characterized by multistage potassic and ultrapotassic alkaline volcanic successions. The volcanism is generally related to the northward subduction of the African plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. In Afyon, the Middle Miocene volcanic products consist of melilite leucitite, tephriphonolite, trachyte, basaltic–trachyandesite, phonolite, phonotephrite, tephriphonolite and lamproite rocks. Near-surface emplacement and relatively quiescent subaerial eruptions of lamproitic magma produced different emplacement forms such as dome/plug-shaped bodies and lava flows, showing variation in volume and texture. The mineralogical constituents of the lamproites are sanidine, olivine (77 < Mg no. < 81), phlogopite (74 < Mg no. < 78), K-richterite, clinopyroxene (74 < Mg no. < 78), with accessory apatite, calcite and opaque minerals. Afyon lamproites resemble Mediterranean-type Si-rich lamproites. Their compositional range is 50–52 wt% SiO2, 4–8 wt% MgO, and they display a typical lamproitic affinity. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns exhibit enrichment in LREE relative to HREE ((La/Yb)CN=15.3–17.0). They show extreme enrichment in LILE relative to primitive mantle values and troughs of Nb and Ti. The lamproites give a range of high initial87Sr/86Sr ratios and low143Nd/144Nd ratios. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics suggest that lamproitic magma is derived from highly metasomatized mantle. The enrichment history may include metasomatic events related to subduction, as in other active orogenic areas of the Mediterranean.