bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distinct detergent‐resistant membrane microdomains (lipid rafts) respectively harvest K+ and water transport systems in brain astroglia
Authors: Hibino Hiroshi , Kurachi Yoshihisa 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe detergent‐resistant microdomains (DRM) of cell membranes scaffold different molecules and regulate cell functions by orchestrating various signaling pathways including G‐proteins and tyrosine kinase. Here we report a novel role for DRM in astroglial cells. K+‐buffering inwardly rectifying Kir4.1 channels and the water channel AQP4 are expressed in astrocytes and they may be functionally coupled to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in the brain. Kir4.1 and AQP4 channel proteins were abundant in noncaveloar DRM in the brain and also in HEK293T cells when exogenously expressed. In HEK293T cells, depletion of membrane cholesterol by methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MβCD) resulted in loss of Kir4.1 association with DRM and its channel activity but did not affect either the distribution or the function of AQP4. Immunolabeling showed that Kir4.1 and AQP4 were occasionally distributed in close proximity but in distinct compartments of the astroglial cell membrane. Astroglial noncaveolar DRM may therefore be made up of at least two distinct compartments, MβCD‐sensitive and MβCD‐resistant microdomains, which control localization and function of, respectively, Kir and AQP4 channels on the cell membrane.
Chronic and acute alterations in the functional levels of Frequenins 1 and 2 reveal their roles in synaptic transmission and axon terminal morphology
Authors: Romero‐Pozuelo Jesús , Dason Jeffrey S. , Atwood Harold L. , Ferrús Alberto 
Published: October 2007

AbstractFrequenin (Frq) and its mammalian homologue, neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS‐1), are important calcium‐binding proteins which enhance neurotransmitter release and facilitation. Here, we report the discovery of a second Frq‐encoding gene (frq2) in Drosophila. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of the two genes are very similar, and the proteins they encode, Frq1 and Frq2, are 95% identical in amino acid sequence. Frq1 is more abundant than Frq2, and is most highly expressed in larva. Loss‐of‐function phenotypes were studied using dominant negative peptides to prevent Frq target binding, RNAi to reduce gene transcription, or both methods. To discriminate chronic from acute loss‐of‐function effects, we compared the effects of transgenic expression and forward‐filling the dominant‐negative peptide into presynaptic terminals. In both cases, a 70% reduction in quantal content per bouton occurred, demonstrating that this trait does not result from homeostatic adaptations of the synapse during development. The chronic treatment also produced more synaptic boutons from MNSNb/d‐Is motorneurons, but fewer active zones per bouton. By contrast, excess‐of‐function conditions yielded a 1.4‐ to 2‐fold increase in quantal content and fewer boutons in the same motorneuron. These synaptic effects resulted in behavioural changes in the Buridan locomotion assay, showing that walking speed is dependent on Frq activity in the nervous system. All the effects were identical for both Frqs, and consistent with excess‐ and loss‐of‐function genotypes. We conclude that Frqs have two distinct functions: one in neurotransmission, regulating the probability of release per synapse, and another in axonal growth and bouton formation.
Differential impact of brain damage on the access mode to memory representations: an information theoretic approach
Authors: Lauro‐Grotto Rosapia , Ciaramelli Elisa , Piccini Carolina , Treves Alessandro 
Published: October 2007

AbstractDifferent access modes to information stored in long‐term memory can lead to different distributions of errors in classification tasks. We have designed a famous faces memory classification task that allows for the extraction of a measure of metric content, an index of the relevance of semantic cues for classification performance. High levels of metric content are indicative of a relatively preferred semantic access mode, while low levels, and similar correct performance, suggest a preferential episodic access mode. Compared with normal controls, the metric content index was increased in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), decreased in patients with herpes simplex encephalitis, and unvaried in patients with insult in the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, the metric content index was found to correlate with a measure of the severity of dementia in patients with AD, and to track the progression of the disease. These results underline the role of the medial‐temporal lobes and of the temporal cortex, respectively, for the episodic and semantic routes to memory retrieval. Moreover, they confirm the reliability of information theoretic measures for characterizing the structure of the surviving memory representations in memory‐impaired patient populations.
Transient receptor potential A1 mediates acetaldehyde‐evoked pain sensation
Authors: Bang Sangsu , Kim Kyung Yoon , Yoo Sungjae , Kim Yoon Gyoon , Hwang Sun Wook 
Published: October 2007

AbstractSix transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels expressed in the sensory afferents play an important role as body thermosensors and also as peripheral pain detectors. It is known that a number of natural compounds specifically activate those sensory neuronal TRP channels, and a well‐known example is cinnamaldehyde for TRPA1. Here we show that human and mouse TRPA1 are activated by acetaldehyde, an intermediate substance of ethanol metabolism, in the HEK293T cell heterologous expression system and in cultured mouse trigeminal neurons. Acetaldehyde failed to activate other temperature‐sensitive TRP channels expressed in sensory neurons. TRPA1 antagonists camphor and gadolinium, and a general TRP blocker ruthenium red inhibited TRPA1 activation by acetaldehyde. Camphor, gadolinium and ruthenium red also suppressed the acute nociceptive behaviors induced by the intradermal administration of acetaldehyde into the mouse footpads. Intradermal co‐application of prostaglandin E2 and acetaldehyde greatly potentiated the acetaldehyde‐induced nociceptive responses, and this effect was reversed by treatment with the TRPA1 antagonist camphor. These results suggest that acetaldehyde causes nociception via TRPA1 activation. Our data may also help elucidate the mechanisms underlying acetaldehyde‐related pathological symptoms such as hangover pain.
Structural and functional remodeling in the retina of a mouse with a photoreceptor synaptopathy: plasticity in the rod and degeneration in the cone system
Authors: Specht Dana , Tom Dieck Susanne , Ammermüller Josef , Regus‐Leidig Hanna , Gundelfinger Eckart Dieter , Brandstätter Johann Helmut 
Published: October 2007

AbstractKnowledge about the plastic and regenerative capacity of the retina is of key importance for therapeutic approaches to restore vision in patients who suffer from degenerative retinal diseases. In the retinae of mice, mutant for the presynaptic scaffolding protein Bassoon, signal transfer at photoreceptor ribbon synapses is disturbed due to impaired ribbon attachment to the active zone. In a long‐term study we observed, with light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry and electroretinographic recordings, two overlapping events in the Bassoon mutant retina, i.e. loss of photoreceptor synapses in the outer plexiform layer, and structural remodeling and formation of ectopic photoreceptor synapses in the outer nuclear layer, a region usually devoid of synapses. Formation of ectopic synaptic sites starts around the time when photoreceptor synaptogenesis is completed in wild‐type mice and progresses throughout life. The result is a dense plexus of ectopic photoreceptor synapses with significantly altered but considerable synaptic transmission. Ectopic synapse formation is led by the sprouting of horizontal cells followed by the extension of rod bipolar cell neurites that fasciculate with and grow along the horizontal cell processes. Although only the rod photoreceptors and their postsynaptic partners show structural and functional remodeling, our study demonstrates the potential of the retina for long‐lasting plastic changes.
Context modulates the expression of conditioned motor sensitization, cellular activation and synaptophysin immunoreactivity
Authors: Rademacher David J. , Napier T. Celeste , Meredith Gloria E. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that amphetamine (AMPH)‐induced conditioned motor sensitization is accompanied by cellular activation (measured by Fos immunoreactivity) and synaptophysin immunoreactivity in reward‐related brain areas. Forty‐eight rats were tested for conditioned motor sensitization using a conditioning paradigm that was performed in a three‐chambered apparatus. Rats underwent two drug pairings with 1.0 mg/kg AMPH in one outer chamber and, on alternate days, were paired with saline in the other. On the fifth day, relative to the first AMPH treatment, AMPH administration increased motor activity in the AMPH‐paired context but not in the saline‐paired context. Relative to the first saline treatment, saline on the fifth day produced a conditioned increase in motor activity when given in the chamber previously paired with AMPH, and saline given in the saline‐paired context produced a conditioned decrease in motor activity. AMPH administered in the AMPH‐paired context increased the density of both Fos and synaptophysin immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus, cornu ammonis (CA)1, CA3, basolateral amygdala and dorsolateral striatum. This pairing between context and drug increased Fos but not synaptophysin immunoreactivity in the nucleus accumbens core and shell. Saline administered in the AMPH‐paired context increased the density of Fos immunoreactivity in the basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens core. These data indicate that the basolateral amygdala–nucleus accumbens core pathway is necessary for the context‐elicited conditioned motor responses, while the hippocampus encodes the spatial context.
Changes in neural activity associated with a surprising change in the predictive validity of a conditioned stimulus
Authors: Bucci David J. , MacLeod Jill E. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractChanges in how well a conditioned stimulus (CS) predicts future events can alter the amount of attention paid to that cue. For example, the unexpected violation of a previously established relationship between a CS and another stimulus can increase attentional processing and subsequent conditioning to that cue [J.M. Pearce & G. Hall (1980)Psych. Rev., 106, 532–552]. Previous lesion studies have implicated the central nucleus of the amygdala (CN) and basal forebrain corticopetal cholinergic system in mediating surprise‐induced changes in attention. Here, expression of the immediate‐early gene c‐fos was used to determine which cortical targets of the basal forebrain cholinergic system are activated during an increase in attentional processing. Consistent with previous studies, increased Fos expression was observed in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) when a visual stimulus no longer reliably predicted occurrence of a tone. Similar results were observed in the secondary auditory cortex; however, there were no significant changes in Fos expression in other auditory or visual cortices or in other cortical association areas that have been implicated in attentional function (frontal, cingulate or retrosplenial cortex). These findings support the notion that the PPC is the primary cortical component of a neural system mediating incremental changes in attention. In addition, an increase in Fos‐positive cells was detected in the substantia innominata/nucleus basalis and the CN at the time of surprise. An opposite pattern of results was observed in the basal lateral nucleus of the amygdala, providing evidence for different stimulus‐processing mechanisms in regions of the amygdala.
D4 receptor gene variation modulates activation of prefrontal cortex during working memory
Authors: Herrmann M.J. , Walter A. , Schreppel T. , Ehlis A.‐C. , Pauli P. , Lesch K.‐P. , Fallgatter A.J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIt has been shown that dopamine (DA) influences performance on neurocognitive tests, which are thought to rely on prefrontal activity. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of gene polymorphisms related to DA activity, namely the D4 DA receptor (DRD4) gene exon III polymorphisms, on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. In this study we measured the brain oxygenation of the PFC during ann‐back task with near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We investigated 40 young healthy subjects, 12 of which carried theDRD4exon III 7‐repeat allele (group 7). These were compared with subjects without a 7‐repeat allele (n = 28, group 4). Additionally, we compared good and bad performers with respect to brain activation. As expected, we found significant increases in the concentration of oxygenated haemoglobin [O2Hb] during the 1‐back and 2‐back condition compared with baseline, and a corresponding significant decrease of deoxyhaemoglobin concentration. As a main result of this study we also found an interaction effect between task condition andDRD4genotype with higher increases of [O2Hb] during the 2‐back version compared with the 1‐back version for the subjects of the 7‐repeat allele group only. The same effect was seen as a statistical trend, when we compared bad performers with good performers. Therefore, we interpret the effects of the 7‐repeat allele group ofDRD4as a sign of ineffective brain activity, perhaps even as a sign of prefrontal noise.
An association between renal cell carcinoma and multiple myeloma: a case series and clinical implications
Authors: Choueiri Toni K. , Baz Rachid C. , McFadden Carolyn M. , Khasawneh Mohamad , Karam Mary Ann , Kelly Megan , Hussein Mohamad A. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVETo describe an association between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and multiple myeloma (MM) in patients with both disorders, and suggest possible explanations for the association.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with MM and RCC at the Cleveland Clinic between 1990 and 2005, and identified 1100 with MM, 2704 with RCC and eight with concomitant MM and RCC. The medical records of these eight patients were reviewed.RESULTSIn four of the eight patients, RCC was diagnosed after the MM at 3, 8, 23 and 46 months, respectively; in the remaining four, the RCC was diagnosed before MM by 108, 35, 13 and 1 months, respectively. The number of cases of RCC expected in the present 1100 patients with MM over 15 years was lower than the four recorded (P < 0.001, Fisher’s exact test). Similarly, the number of cases of MM expected in the 2704 patients with RCC was also lower than the four recorded (P < 0.001, Fisher’s exact test).CONCLUSIONSRCC and MM can occur in the same patient at an incidence higher than the expected rate. Possible explanations include genetic abnormalities, environmental exposures or immune‐related mechanisms predisposing to the second malignancy. These findings are particularly relevant in the management of patients with known RCC and lytic bone lesions, or those with known MM and subsequent or concomitant renal masses, especially those involving the right kidney.
Sacral neurostimulation for urinary retention: 10‐year experience from one UK centre
Authors: Datta Soumendra N. , Chaliha Charlotte , Singh Anubha , Gonzales Gwen , Mishra Vibhash C. , Kavia Rajesh B.C. , Kitchen Neil , Fowler Clare J. , Elneil Sohier 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVESTo report our 10‐year experience of sacral neurostimulation (SNS) for women in urinary retention, comparing the original one‐stage with the newer two‐stage technique, as SNS therapy is a well‐established treatment for urinary retention secondary to urethral sphincter overactivity (Fowler’s syndrome).PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween 1996 and 2006, 60 patients with urinary retention had a SNS device inserted; their case records were reviewed and data on efficacy, follow‐up, need for continued clean intermittent self‐catheterization (CISC), complications and operative revision rate were assessed.RESULTSOverall, 43 of 60 (72%) women were voiding spontaneously, with a mean postvoid residual volume of 100 mL; 30 (50%) no longer needed to use CISC. During a total of 2878 months of SNS experience, adverse event episodes included lead migration in 20, ‘box‐site’ pain in 19, leg pain/numbness in 18 and loss of response/failure in 18 patients; 53% of the women required a surgical revision related to their implanted stimulator. The efficacy of the two‐stage was similar to that of the one‐stage procedure (73% vs 70%). Women with a normal urethral sphincter electromyogram had worse outcomes than women with an abnormal test (43% vs 76%). Although the efficacy was no different in those taking analgesia/antidepressant medication, this group of women had a higher surgical revision rate. Failure and complications for the one‐stage procedure were not restricted to the early follow‐up period. The mean battery life of the implant was 7.31 years.CONCLUSIONSSNS has sustained long‐term efficacy but the procedure has a significant complication rate. At present, the two‐stage technique has comparable efficacy to the one‐stage technique but a longer‐term follow‐up is required. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommended the use of SNS in women with urinary incontinence who fail to respond adequately to anticholinergic therapy, but patients choosing this treatment should be made aware of the high complication rate associated with the procedure.
Expression of multiple proteins using full‐length and deleted versions of cowpea mosaic virus RNA‐2
Authors: Sainsbury Frank , Lavoie Pierre‐Olivier , D’Aoust Marc‐André , Vézina Louis‐Philippe , Lomonossoff George P. 
Published: November 2007

SummaryThe use of multiple copies of vectors based on either full‐length or deleted versions of cowpea mosaic virus RNA‐2 for the production of heteromeric proteins in plants was investigated. Co‐infiltration of two full‐length RNA‐2 constructs containing different marker genes into Nicotiana benthamiana in the presence of RNA‐1 showed that the two foreign proteins were efficiently expressed within the same cell in inoculated tissue. Furthermore, the proteins were co‐localized to the same subcellular compartments, an essential prerequisite for heteromer formation. However, segregation of two separate RNA‐2 molecules, and therefore expression of the two proteins, was observed on systemic spread of the recombinant viruses. Thus, efficient assembly of heteromeric proteins is likely to occur only in inoculated tissue. To determine the optimum approach for expression in inoculated tissue, the heavy and light chains of the blood group‐typing immunoglobulin G (IgG) C5‐1 were inserted into full‐length and deleted versions of RNA‐2, and the constructs were agroinfiltrated in the presence of RNA‐1. The results obtained showed that full‐size IgG molecules accumulated using both approaches, but that the levels were significantly higher when deleted RNA‐2 vectors were used. The levels were also greatly enhanced by the inclusion of an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C‐terminus of the heavy chain. As the potential benefit of using full‐length RNA‐2 constructs, the ability to spread systemically, appears to be irrelevant to the production of heteromeric proteins, the use of deleted versions of RNA‐2 is clearly advantageous, particularly as they offer the benefit of biocontainment.
Is Regionalism Viable? A Case for Global Free Trade
Authors: Oladi Reza , Beladi Hamid 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe assume an imperfectly competitive world with n commodities and address the question of whether or not (regional) trade blocs are viable. To answer this fundamental question, we use a notion of stability, offered by Greenberg (1990), and show that regional trade blocs are not viable as they are not stable. On the other hand, we demonstrate that a global trade bloc is viable. Therefore, our results provide theoretical support for advocates of global free trade.
Productivity Measurement in Manufacturing and the Expenditure Approach
Authors: Sørensen Anders , Schjerning Bertel 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper studies conversion factors based on the expenditure approach and evaluates the appropriateness for international comparisons of output levels in manufacturing. We apply a consistency check based on the insight that relative productivity levels should be invariant to the choice of base year. Consequently, convergence parameters and dispersion of productivity across countries should also be unaffected by this choice. The results are disappointing: relative measures of productivity depend heavily of the choice of base year and change systematically as the base years roll forward. The conclusion is insensitive to the applied method for developing conversion factors. The implication is that we cannot measure relative productivity levels in manufacturing across countries using the expenditure approach.
Jespersen’s cycle in Arabic and Berber1
Authors: Lucas Christopher 
Published: October 2007

AbstractMany varieties of Arabic and Berber have undergone a process of syntactic change known as Jespersen’s Cycle (JC). In JC a postverbal item is reanalysed as part of a discontinuous marker of negation together with the original preverbal negator. In some cases the original preverbal negator is then lost. This paper investigates the synchronic and historical data relevant to JC in the varieties in question, arguing that the innovation of the postverbal negator began in Arabic and later spread to Berber through contact. The various syntactic reanalyses involved in the Arabic JC are sketched, and the implications of the Arabic and Berber data for better‐known instances of JC in European languages are discussed.
Parameters of morphosyntactic variation in Bantu1
Authors: Marten Lutz , Kula Nancy C. , Thwala Nhlanhla 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBantu languages are fairly uniform in terms of broad typological parameters. However, they have been noted to display a high degree of more fine‐grained morphosyntactic micro‐variation. In this paper we develop a systematic approach to the study of morphosyntactic variation in Bantu by developing nineteen parameters which serve as the basis for cross‐linguistic comparison and which we use for comparing ten southeastern Bantu languages. We address conceptual issues involved in studying morphosyntax along parametric lines and show how the data we have can be used for the quantitative study of language comparison. Although the work reported is a case study in need of expansion, we will show that it nevertheless produces relevant results.
Specifier‐to‐head reanalyses in the complementizer domain: evidence from Welsh
Authors: Willis David 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper considers specifier‐to‐head reanalyses within the complementizer domain. Such reanalyses are well attested. This paper focuses on one such change, the emergence of affirmative main‐clause complementizers in Welsh (present‐day Welshmiandfe). It is demonstrated that these emerged from earlier preverbal subject pronouns that satisfied a V2‐constraint in SpecCP. The reanalysis proceeded via two stages, one in which the expletive pronounef(e),efowas reanalysed as an affirmative main‐clause complementizer, the second in which all other pronouns were reanalysed as affirmative main‐clause complementizers that showed agreement with a pronominal subject. This agreement was lost between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, with different results according to dialect. These changes are considered in the context of other cases where new agreeing complementizers have been created in varieties of Dutch and German, and from the general perspective of formal approaches to grammaticalization and unidirectionality of change.