bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with limited treatment options
Authors: Hata Masaharu , Tokuuye Koichi , Sugahara Shinji , Fukumitsu Nobuyoshi , Hashimoto Takayuki , Ohnishi Kayoko , Nemoto Keiko , Ohara Kiyoshi , Matsuzaki Yasushi , Akine Yasuyuki 
Published: June 2006

AbstractBACKGROUND.The authors conducted a retrospective review to define the usefulness of proton beam therapy for patients who had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with limited treatment options.METHODS.Twenty‐one patients with HCC for whom other treatment modalities either were contraindicative or were unfeasible because of coexisting diseases and unfavorable conditions received proton beam therapy. Four patients had renal failure, 2 patients had severe heart disease, 9 patients had severe cirrhosis, 1 patient had aplastic anemia, 1 patient had a dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm before treatment, and 4 patients had bleeding tendency or unresectable tumors. Moreover, 2 of the latter 4 patients were allergic to iodine, and 2 other patients were unable to be catheterized for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Hepatic tumors were solitary in 14 patients and multiple in 7 patients, and the tumors ranged in greatest dimension from 25 mm to 100 mm (median, 40 mm). No patient had regional lymph node or distant metastasis. Total doses of 63 grays (Gy) to 84 Gy (median, 73 Gy) in 13 to 27 fractions (median, 18 fractions) were used for tumor treatments.RESULTS.All but 1 of the irradiated tumors were controlled at a median follow‐up of 3.3 years. The objective response rate was 81%, and the primary site‐control rate was 93% at 5 years. Eleven patients had intrahepatic recurrences, and 2 patients had distant metastases in the lungs. Four of 11 patients with intrahepatic recurrences received a second course of proton beam therapy, and all recurrent tumors were controlled. The overall and cause‐specific survival rates were 62% and 82% at 2 years, respectively, and 33% and 67% at 5 years, respectively. Grade ≥3 therapy‐related toxicities were not observed.CONCLUSIONS.Proton beam therapy was safe and effective for a variety of patients with HCC. The current results suggested that this method was tolerable and effective, even for patients with HCC who had limited treatment options. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Randomized phase II study of atrasentan alone or in combination with zoledronic acid in men with metastatic prostate cancer
Authors: Michaelson M. Dror , Kaufman Donald S. , Kantoff Philip , Oh William K. , Smith Matthew R. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractBACKGROUND.Metastatic prostate cancer is characterized by the presence of osteoblastic bone metastases. Bone metastases account for most of the morbidity from this disease. Inhibition of osteoclast activity with the potent bisphosphonate zoledronic acid reduces skeletal complications and decreases serum levels of biochemical bone turnover markers compared with placebo. Atrasentan is an investigational agent that inhibits endothelin‐1 receptor, resulting in decreased osteoblast activity.METHODS.The effects of atrasentan alone versus combination therapy with atrasentan and zoledronic acid were investigated on bone turnover markers in men with bone metastases from prostate cancer. Forty‐four men were randomized to receive either atrasentan alone or combination therapy, and 33 completed at least 12 weeks of treatment and were included in the primary analysis.RESULTS.Treatment with the combination resulted in significantly lower serum levels of N‐telopeptide, a marker of bone resorption, compared with treatment with atrasentan alone. There was no difference between groups in serum levels of bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase, a marker of bone formation, at 12 weeks. Commonly observed adverse effects were edema, rhinitis, fatigue, and shortness of breath, most of which were NCI CTC (version 3.0) Grade 1. No Grade 4 or 5 treatment‐related toxicities were observed. There was minimal clinical efficacy, with no objective responses and only 1 prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) response.CONCLUSIONS.There is no evidence for additive or synergistic effects of combination therapy with atrasentan and zoledronic acid on bone turnover markers in men with metastatic prostate cancer. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
A shallow‐water approximation to the full water wave problem
Authors: Li Yi A. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractWe demonstrate that the system of the Green‐Naghdi equations as a two‐directional, nonlinearly dispersive wave model is a close approximation to the two‐dimensional full water wave problem. Based on the energy estimates and the proof of the well‐posedness for the Green‐Naghdi equations and the water wave problem, we compare solutions of the two systems, showing that without restrictions on the wave amplitude, any two solutions of the two systems remain close, at least in some finite time within the shallow‐water regime, provided that their initial data are close in the Banach space Hs × Hs+1 for some s > $3 \over 2$. As a consequence, we show that if the depth of the water compared with the wavelength is sufficiently small, the two solutions exist for the same finite time using the uniformly bounded energies defined in the paper. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fatty acid‐induced effect on glucagon secretion is mediated via fatty acid oxidation
Authors: Hong Jing , Jeppesen Per Bendix , Nordentoft Iver , Hermansen Kjeld 
Published: June 2006

AbstractBackgroundWhile the effect of fatty acids and ectopic triglyceride storage in pancreatic beta cells has been well‐defined, only limited information is available on alpha cells. This study evaluates the long‐term impact of fatty acids on alpha cell function and proliferation as well as fatty acid oxidation.MethodsClonal alpha cells were cultured with fatty acids in the presence of high glucose for up to 3 days. The influence of fatty acids on glucagon secretion, glucagon content and triglyceride accumulation from 24 to 72 h was investigated. After a − 72 h culture, cell proliferation, carnitine palmitoyl transferase‐1 mRNA level and the effect of etomoxir were also elucidated.ResultsFatty acids stimulated glucagon secretion and increased triglyceride accumulation in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner, but inhibited alpha cell proliferation. Lower concentrations (0.125–0.25 mM) of fatty acids significantly increased glucagon secretion at 48 and 72 h, but did not affect triglyceride content. However, a marked increment in triglyceride accumulation occurred in the presence of 0.5 mM fatty acids. Fatty acids caused an up‐regulation of the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase‐1 gene. Etomoxir (1 µM) reversed fatty acid‐induced glucagon hypersecretion, but did not inhibit carnitine palmitoyl transferase‐1 mRNA level.ConclusionsOur data indicates that compared with triglyceride accumulation, glucagon secretion is more sensitive to changes in fatty acid concentration. The effect of fatty acids on the glucagon response is mediated through their oxidation. The high carnitine palmitoyl transferase‐1 gene expression and the accumulation of triglyceride may initially be a compensatory oxidation reaction to elevated fatty acids. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Early temporal‐specific responses and differential sensitivity to lithium and Wnt‐3A exposure during heart development
Authors: Manisastry Shyam M. , Han Mingda , Linask Kersti K. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractMembers of both Wnt and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) families of signaling molecules are important in heart development. We previously demonstrated that β‐catenin, a key downstream intermediary of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, delineates the dorsal boundary of the cardiac compartments in an anteroposterior progression. We hypothesized the progression involves canonical Wnt signaling and reflects development of the primary body axis of the embryo. A similar anteroposterior signaling wave leading to cardiac cell specification involves inductive signaling by BMP‐2 synthesized by the underlying endoderm in anterior bilateral regions. Any molecule that disrupts the normal balance of Wnt and BMP concentrations within the heart field may be expected to affect early heart development. The canonical Wnt signaling step mimicked by lithium involves inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β; Klein and Melton [1996] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93:8455–8459). We show that lithium, Wnt‐3A, and an inhibitor of GSK‐3β, SB415286, affect early heart development at the cardiac specification stages. We demonstrate that normal expression patterns of key signaling molecules as Notch‐1 and Dkk‐1 are altered in the anterior mesoderm within the heart fields by a one‐time exposure to lithium, or by noggin inhibition of BMP, at Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stage 3 during chick embryonic development. The severity of developmental defects is greatest with exposure to lithium or Wnt‐3A at HH stage 3 and decreases at HH stage 4. Taken together, our results demonstrate that there are temporal‐specific responses and differential sensitivities to lithium/Wnt‐3A exposure during early heart development. Developmental Dynamics 235:2160–2174, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transgenic Xenopus laevis strain expressing cre recombinase in muscle cells
Authors: Waldner Christoph , Sakamaki Kazuhiro , Ueno Naoto , Turan Gülüzar , Ryffel Gerhart U. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractFor reproducible analyses of gene function in Xenopus, the use of transgenic strains is a promising approach but has limitations when investigating factors interfering with development. Therefore, inducible systems are attractive alternatives, and a binary system based on recombinases is a most versatile approach. We have shown previously that Cre and FLP recombinases are active in Xenopus laevis and can induce a silent reporter gene in a corresponding reporter strain. Here, we describe the establishment of the transgenic Xenopus laevis strain A7 expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the muscle‐specific cardiac actin promoter. Upon crossing to several distinct reporter strains, A7 is able to induce EYFP, DsRed2, or LacZ reporter genes in a muscle‐specific manner. This first Cre‐expressing strain allows conditional activation of any gene of interest in muscle cells and, thus, opens up the use of recombinases as a new experimental strategy in Xenopus. Developmental Dynamics 235:2220–2228, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
FGF‐4 signaling is involved in mir‐206 expression in developing somites of chicken embryos
Authors: Sweetman Dylan , Rathjen Tina , Jefferson Matthew , Wheeler Guy , Smith Terence G. , Wheeler Grant N. , Münsterberg Andrea , Dalmay Tamas 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe microRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered short, noncoding RNAs, that regulate gene expression in metazoans. We have cloned short RNAs from chicken embryos and identified five new chicken miRNA genes. Genome analysis identified 17 new chicken miRNA genes based on sequence homology to previously characterized mouse miRNAs. Developmental Northern blots of chick embryos showed increased accumulation of most miRNAs analyzed from 1.5 days to 5 days except, the stem cell–specific mir‐302, which was expressed at high levels at early stages and then declined. In situ analysis of mature miRNAs revealed the restricted expression of mir‐124 in the central nervous system and of mir‐206 in developing somites, in particular the developing myotome. In addition, we investigated how miR‐206 expression is controlled during somite development using bead implants. These experiments demonstrate that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ‐mediated signaling negatively regulates the initiation of mir‐206 gene expression. This may be mediated through the effects of FGF on somite differentiation. These data provide the first demonstration that developmental signaling pathways affect miRNA expression. Thus far, miRNAs have not been studied extensively in chicken embryos, and our results show that this system can complement other model organisms to investigate the regulation of many other miRNAs. Developmental Dynamics 235:2185–2191, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bladder tissue formation from cultured bladder urothelium
Authors: Oottamasathien Siam , Williams Karin , Franco Omar E. , Thomas John C. , Saba Katrina , Bhowmick Neil A. , Staack Andrea , Demarco Romano T. , Brock John W. , Hayward Simon W. , Pope John C. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractTissue recombination is a powerful method to evaluate the paracrine‐signaling events that orchestrate the development of organs using the in vivo environment of a host rodent. Studies have reported the successful generation of primary cultures of rodent bladder urothelium, but none have reported their use to recapitulate bladder tissue with tissue recombination. We propose that primary cultured bladder urothelium, when recombined with inductive embryonic bladder mesenchyme, will form bladder tissue in a recombination model. Adult rat bladders were isolated and urothelium obtained. Sheets of bladder urothelium were re‐suspended in collagen and maintained in tissue culture. After expansion (>20 passages), the urothelium was recombined with embryonic day‐14 mouse bladder mesenchyme, then grafted beneath the renal capsule of immunocompromised mouse hosts. Grafts were harvested after 28 days. Control grafts were performed with bladder mesenchyme alone, cultured bladder urothelium alone, and collagen matrix alone. Final tissues were evaluated with staining and immunohistochemistry (H&E, Gomori's trichrome, broad‐spectrum uroplakin, and smooth muscle actin α and γ). Immunocytochemistry on cultured urothelium for broad‐spectrum keratin, vimentin, and broad‐spectrum uroplakin confirmed pure populations, void of mesenchymal contaminants. Staining of recombinant grafts demonstrated bladder tissue with mature urothelium and stromal differentiation. Control tissues were void of bladder tissue formation. We have successfully demonstrated that a chimeric bladder is formed from primary cultured bladder urothelium recombined with embryonic bladder mesenchyme. This is a powerful new tool for investigating the molecular mechanisms of bladder development and disease. Future applications may include the in vitro genetic manipulation of urothelium and examining those effects on growth and development in an in vivo environment. Developmental Dynamics 235:2795–2801, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Selective assembly of fibulin‐1 splice variants reveals distinct extracellular matrix networks and novel functions for perlecan/UNC‐52 splice variants
Authors: Muriel Joaquin M. , Xu Xuehong , Kramer James M. , Vogel Bruce E. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractFibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D splice variants have been conserved throughout metazoan evolution and have distinct functions in Caenorhabditis elegans development. Both splice variants are required for the assembly of hemidesmosome‐mediated mechanosensory neuron and uterine attachments, although the molecular associations that underlie their distinct functions at these locations are not known. Here, we show that the assembly of fibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D splice variants at these anchorages is dependent upon distinct components of the extracellular matrix (ECM): Fibulin‐1D assembly at uterine and mechanosensory neurons attachments is dependent upon a perlecan/ UNC‐52 splice variant that includes alternately spliced IG8‐IG10, whereas the assembly of fibulin‐1C at mechanosensory neuron attachments is dependent upon laminin/ EPI‐1. These data not only indicate that fibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D are components of distinct networks of ECM but also demonstrates a novel function for a major class of perlecan splice variants found in C. elegans and mouse. In addition, we demonstrate that overexpression of another ECM protein, collagen XVIII, can suppress gonad morphogenesis defects associated with loss of fibulin‐1C, suggesting that some genetic defects that result in a weakened basement membrane can be compensated by overexpression of genes for ECM components that stabilize basement membranes. Developmental Dynamics 235:2632–2640, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A comparative study of the essential oils of the genus Plumeria Linn. from Malaysia
Authors: Tohar Norsita , Mohd Mustafa A. , Jantan Ibrahim , Awang Khalijah 
Published: June 2006

AbstractThe chemical composition of the flower oils of three Malaysian Plumeria Linn. species, P. acuminata Ait. (white flower), P. rubra Linn. (reddish‐orange flower) and P. rubra Linn. (red flower), were determined by gas chromatography on two columns of different polarity, GC–MS and Kováts retention indices. The oil of P. acuminata Ait. (white flower) was made up predominantly of benzyl salicylate (39.0%), benzyl benzoate (17.2%), trans‐nerolidol (10.6%), neryl phenylacetate (10.5%) and linalool (8.9%). Phenylethyl benzoate at 12.3% was the most abundant compound in the oil of P. rubra Linn. (reddish‐orange flower), followed by dodecanoic acid at 11.8% concentration. Hexadecanoic acid constituted 9.3% and 27.2% of the oils of P. rubra Linn. (reddish‐orange flower) and P. rubra Linn. (red flower), respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Composition and antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil of Artemisia kopetdaghensis Krasch., M.Pop. & Linecz ex Poljak from Iran
Authors: Ramezani M. , Behravan J. , Yazdinezhad A. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractArtemisia kopetdaghensis Krasch., M.Pop. & Linecz ex Poljak (Asteraceae) is a common perennial herb growing wild in north‐eastern parts of Iran. The essential oil of A. kopetdaghensis was isolated by hydrodistillation in 2.14% (v/w) yield. The chemical composition of the essential oil was examined by GC and GC–MS. Thirty‐three compounds were identified, representing 86.8% of the total oil. The major constituents were methyleugenol (24.4%), geranial (13.6%), davanone (11.1%), camphor (9.8%) and neral (7.4%). Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined, using the agar dilution method, against eight bacteria and two fungal strains. The essential oil showed a moderate antimicrobial activity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Essential oil composition of Leucas milanjiana Guerke
Authors: Moody J. O. , Gundidza M. , Wyllie G. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractA hydrodistilled oil obtained from the leaves of Leucas milanjiana Gurke (Lamiaceae) was analysed by capillary GC and GC‐MS. The leaf volatile oil contained 30 components, out of which 26 were identified. The predominant components were found to be β‐cubebene (38.15%), α‐pinene (19.71%), trans‐caryophyllene (7.41%) and α‐terpinolene (5.34%). The results are qualitatively and quantitatively at variance with data on other Leucas species and may therefore be of some chemotaxonomic significance for the genus. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Volatile compounds after spontaneous fermentation of musts from Vitis vinifera cv. Albariño grapes cultivated in different origins from Rías Baixas AOC, Spain
Authors: Zamúz S. , Vilanova M. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractWhite wines experimentally produced from the white grape variety Albariño from three different areas from Rias Baixas AOC, north‐western Spain, have been analysed in this study. The contents of terpenes, C13‐norisoprenoids, alcohols, acetates and ethyl esters were determined by GC–MS. The Albariño wines from O Rosal are characterized by a high content of higher alcohols, while wines from Val do Salnés show the highest concentrations of free terpenes, acetates and ethyl esters; and wines of Condado do Tea show the highest concentrations of C13‐norisoprenids, principally due to the α‐ionone. Two principal components accounting for 90.7% of the total variance were calculated by means of a principal components analysis (PCA), and the graphical representation of these two components allows grouping the wines according their respective origins. Volatile compounds with fruity and floral odours showed the highest odour activity values, contributing in a great measure to the aroma of Albariño wines. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Higher‐resolution hyperbolic‐coupled‐elliptic flux‐continuous CVD schemes on structured and unstructured grids in 2‐D
Authors: Edwards Michael G. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractHigher‐order convection schemes have been developed for the essentially hyperbolic systems of reservoir simulation and can significantly enhance solution quality. Locally conservative full‐tensor flux‐continuous finite‐volume schemes have also been developed for the porous medium pressure equation with general geometry and permeability tensors on structured and unstructured grids. These schemes removeO(1) errors induced by standard methods, and are now recognized as an essential component of any numerical method designed for reservoir simulation and modelling flow in porous media.In this paper, novel higher‐resolution hyperbolic conservation law schemes, designed for convective flux approximation on unstructured grids are coupled with general full‐tensor continuous Darcy flux approximations. The schemes are developed for multi‐phase flow in porous media. Benefits in terms of improved front resolution are demonstrated. Comparisons with current methods including the control‐volume finite element (CVFE) method highlight the advantages of the new formulation for flow resolution in reservoir simulation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Higher‐resolution hyperbolic‐coupled‐elliptic flux‐continuous CVD schemes on structured and unstructured grids in 3‐D
Authors: Edwards Michael G. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractNovel three‐dimensional unstructured grid higher order convection schemes are presented. The schemes are coupled with locally conservative flux continuous control‐volume distributed (CVD) finite‐volume schemes for the porous medium general tensor pressure equation on structured and unstructured grids in 3‐D.The schemes are developed for multi‐phase flow in porous media. Benefits of the schemes in terms of improved front resolution and medium discontinuity resolution are demonstrated. Comparisons with current methods including the control‐volume finite element method highlight the advantages of the new formulation for three‐dimensional reservoir simulation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of reduction in cross‐validation intervals on the performance of multifactor dimensionality reduction
Authors: Motsinger Alison A. , Ritchie Marylyn D. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractMultifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) was developed to detect genetic polymorphisms that present an increased risk of disease. Cross‐validation (CV) is an important part of the MDR algorithm, as it prevents over‐fitting and allows the predictive ability of a model to be evaluated. CV is a computationally intensive step in the MDR algorithm. Traditionally, MDR has been implemented using 10‐fold CV. In order to reduce computation time and therefore allow MDR analysis to be applied to larger datasets, we evaluated the possibility of eliminating or reducing the number of CV intervals used for analysis. We found that eliminating CV made final model selection impossible, but that reducing the number of CV intervals from ten to five caused no loss of power, thereby reducing the computation time of the algorithm by half. The validity of this reduction was confirmed with data from an Alzheimer's disease (AD) study. Genet. Epidemiol. 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.