bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
S100A1: a powerful marker to differentiate chromophobe renal cell carcinoma from renal oncocytoma
Authors: Li G , Barthelemy A , Feng G , Gentil‐Perret A , Peoc'h M , Genin C , Tostain J 
Published: March 2007

Aims:  The common subtypes of renal tumours are conventional, papillary, chromophobe carcinoma and oncocytoma. The morphological differentiation between chromophobe carcinoma and oncocytoma may be difficult. The aim was to evaluate S100A1 as a new marker for the differentiation of the two subtypes.Methods and results:  Thirty‐nine tumour samples [nine clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), six papillary RCCs, nine chromophobe RCCs and 15 oncocytomas] were studied. The protein expression of S100A1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The gene expression of S100A1 was analysed by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. Nine oncocytomas showed strong immunoreactivity for S100A1. Four oncocytomas were scored as moderate and one as weak reactivity. In total, 14/15 (93%) of oncocytomas were considered to be immunopositive. In contrast, all nine chromophobe RCCs were considered to be immunonegative. There was a significant difference in the positive percentages of staining of S100A1 between these two subtypes (P < 0.01). S100A1 immunoreactivity was observed in 6/9 clear cell and 4/6 papillary carcinomas. The results of S100A1 gene expression corresponded well with the results of immunohistochemistry.Conclusion:  S100A1 may be a potentially powerful marker to differentiate the chromophobe RCC from renal oncocytoma.
Lewis X oligosaccharides targeting to DC‐SIGN enhanced antigen‐specific immune response
Authors: Wang Jingxue , Zhang Yongmin , Wei Jing , Zhang Xiaoping , Zhang Bei , Zhu Zhenyuan , Zou Wei , Wang Yiqin , Mou Zhirong , Ni Bin , Wu Yuzhang 
Published: March 2007

SummaryDendritic cell‐specific intercellular‐adhesion‐molecule‐grabbing non‐integrin (DC‐SIGN) is a potential target receptor for vaccination purposes. In the present study, we employed Lewis X (Lex) oligosaccharides, which mimic natural ligands, to target ovalbumin (OVA) to human dendritic cells (DCs) via DC‐SIGN, to investigate the effect of this DC‐SIGN‐targeting strategy on the OVA‐specific immune response. We demonstrated that Lex oligosaccharides could enhance the OVA‐specific immune response as determined by enzyme‐linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT), intracellular interferon‐γ staining and 51Cr‐release assay. An almost 300‐fold lower dose of Lex‐OVA induced balanced interferon‐γ‐secreting cells compared to OVA alone. Furthermore, secretion of interleukin‐10, a reported mediator of immune suppression related to DC‐SIGN, was not increased by Lex‐OVA, either alone or together with sCD40L‐stimulated groups. A blocking antibody against DC‐SIGN (12507) reduced the numbers of interferon‐γ‐secreting cells during Lex‐OVA stimulation, yet it did not prevent Lex oligosaccharides from promoting the secretion of interleukin‐10 that was induced by ultra‐pure lipopolysaccharide. These results suggested that the strategy of DC‐SIGN targeting mediated by Lex oligosaccharides could promote a T‐cell response. This DC‐targeting may imply a novel vaccination strategy.
Reliability of pollen ratios for environmental reconstructions on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Herzschuh Ulrike 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAim  Pollen ratios are widely used to gain palaeovegetation and palaeoclimatic information from fossil pollen spectra, although their applicability has seldom been tested with modern pollen data. I used a data set of 113 lake‐surface sediments from the eastern Tibetan Plateau to test the reliability of several pollen ratios.Location  The lake‐surface pollen spectra cover a wide range of vegetation types (temperate desert, temperate steppe, alpine desert, alpine steppe, high‐alpine meadow, sub‐alpine shrub, coniferous and mixed forest) and climatic conditions (mean July temperature, TJuly: 4.0–17.4°C; mean annual precipitation, Pann: 104–670 mm).Methods  Lake‐surface sediments were analysed palynologically, and several pollen ratios were calculated. These ratios were interpreted with respect to vegetation and climatic conditions.Results  The arboreal pollen sum (AP) was highest in samples from forested areas and was significantly correlated with Pann (r2 = 0.44). In non‐forested areas, samples from large lakes and from lakes surrounded by sparse vegetation had increased AP values, suggesting that AP is a useful vegetation density indicator. Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratios were lowest in desert areas and were positively correlated with Pann (r2 = 0.25). The aridity pollen index was inappropriate for inferring (palaeo‐)climatic information from samples on the eastern Tibetan Plateau as it had no significant correlation with the environmental factors. Artemisia/Cyperaceae (A/Cy) ratios had a significant correlation with TJuly (r2 = 0.23), but only a weak correlation with Pann, which indicates that the A/Cy ratio is applicable as a temperature indicator. Furthermore, it is a valuable tool for the differentiation of high‐alpine meadow from steppe vegetation.Main conclusions  AP sum, A/C ratio and A/Cy ratio are useful tools for qualitative and semi‐quantitative palaeoenvironmental reconstruction on the Tibetan Plateau; however, the results obtained should not be interpreted quantitatively.
Phylogeography and population structure of the saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and the influence of hybridization: mitochondrial and microsatellite data
Authors: NITTINGER FRANZISKA , GAMAUF ANITA , PINSKER WILHELM , WINK MICHAEL , HARING ELISABETH 
Published: March 2007

AbstractMicrosatellite as well as sequence analysis of the mitochondrial control region were applied to infer phylogeography and population genetic structure of the saker falcon (Falco cherrug). Furthermore, we compared the patterns of mitochondrial haplotypes with the variation of microsatellite alleles among the species of the hierofalcon complex (F. cherrug, Falco rusticolus, Falco biarmicus, Falco jugger) to test hypotheses on population history. Historical samples from museum specimens of F. cherrug were analysed together with samples from contemporary populations to investigate possible influences of hybrid falcons escaped from falconry on the genetic composition. In the mitochondrial DNA analysis, none of the four species represents a monophyletic group. Moreover, there are no clearly defined groups of haplotypes corresponding to taxonomic entities. In the microsatellite analysis most of the variation is shared between species and no clear differentiation by private alleles is found. Yet, with a Bayesian clustering method based on allele frequencies, a differentiation of F. cherrug, F. rusticolus and two geographic groups of F. biarmicus was detected. Results from both nuclear and mitochondrial markers are compatible with the previously postulated ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis assuming an African origin of the hierofalcons. From an ancestral African population, F. cherrug, F. rusticolus and F. jugger split off in separate waves of immigration into Eurasia and South Asia. A combination of evolutionary processes, including incomplete lineage sorting as well as hybridization, may be responsible for the currently observed genetic patterns in hierofalcons.
Invasion of European pine stands by a North American forest pathogen and its hybridization with a native interfertile taxon
Authors: GONTHIER P. , NICOLOTTI G. , LINZER R. , GUGLIELMO F. , GARBELOTTO M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIt was recently reported that North American (NA) individuals of the forest pathogen Heterobasidion annosum were found in a single pine stand near Rome, in association with the movement of US troops during World War II. Here, we report on some aspects of the invasion biology of this pathogen in Italian coastal pinewoods, and on its interaction with native (EU) Heterobasidion populations. Spores of Heterobasidion were sampled using woody traps in pine stands along 280 km of coast around Rome. DNA of single‐spore colonies was characterized by two sets of nuclear and one set of mitochondrial taxon‐specific polymerase chain reaction primers. NA spores were found not only in a single site, but in many locations over a wide geographic area. Invasion occurred at an estimated rate of 1.3 km/year through invasion corridors provided by single trees, and not necessarily by sizable patches of forests. Within the 100‐km long range of expansion, the NA taxon was dominant in all pure pine stands. Because abundance of the EU taxon is low and identical among stands within and outside the area invaded by NA individuals, we infer that the exotic population has invaded habitats mostly unoccupied by the native species. Discrepancy between a mitochondrial and a nuclear marker occurred in 3.8% of spores from one site, a mixed oak‐pine forest where both taxa were equally represented. Combined phylogenetic analyses on nuclear and mitochondrial loci confirmed these isolates were recombinant. The finding of hybrids indicates that genetic interaction between NA and EU Heterobasidion taxa is occurring as a result of their current sympatry.
Transcription Levels of Endothelin‐1 and Endothelin Receptors are Associated with Age and Leaflet Location in Porcine Mitral Valves
Authors: Pedersen L. G. , Offenberg H. , Moesgaard S. G. , Thomsen P. D. , Pedersen H. D. , Olsen L. H. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe aim of the study was to investigate the expression levels of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) and ETAand ETBreceptors (ETA‐R and ETB‐R) in porcine mitral valves and associate the transcription levels to age, leaflet location and deposition of mucopolysaccharides (MPS). Tissue samples from the chordal and inter‐chordal insertion area of the anterior mitral valve leaflet from 11 sows (≥2 years of age) and 10 slaughter pigs (approximately 6 months old) were obtained and the relative gene expression levels of ET‐1, ETA‐R and ETB‐R measured by semi‐quantitative real‐time PCR. A separate tissue sample was taken for histopathological grading of MPS deposition. The transcription levels of ET‐1 (P < 0.0001) and ETA‐R (P < 0.0004) were significantly higher in leaflets from the sows compared with slaughter pigs. The gene expression of ETB‐R was not associated to age (P = 0.38), but increased in chordal insertion areas compared with inter‐chordal areas (P = 0.01). The expression of ET‐1 and ETA‐R mRNA did not differ significantly between the two leaflet locations. The valve leaflets from sows had a significantly increased degree of MPS deposition compared with slaughter pigs upon histological examination (P = 0.04). In conclusion, an age‐related valvular degeneration is observed in porcine mitral valve leaflets and ET‐1 is suggested to be involved through action of both ETAand ETBreceptors.
Development of a Microarray for Studying Porcine Cytokine Production in Blood Mononuclear Cells and Intestinal Biopsies
Authors: Andersson M. , Berg M. , Fossum C. , Jensen‐Waern M. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryA microarray for demonstration of a limited number of porcine cytokines was initiated. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were synthesized for four house‐keeping genes, cyclophilin, β‐actin, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and the following cytokines: interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐12 p35, IL‐12 p40, IL‐18, interferon (IFN)‐α, IFN‐β, IFN‐γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, macrophage inhibition factor (MIF) and granulocyte/macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF). Cytokine production was induced by incubation of porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with Concanavalin A (ConA) or oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) 2216. RNA was isolated after 6 or 24 h from stimulated cells or unstimulated control cells and from intestinal biopsies. Cytokine expression was analysed using a 3‐DNA Array 350TM labelling kit from Genisphere. Data were normalized using external control genes and analysed with the genepix pro 5.0 software. All the cytokines could be induced in PBMC and expressed on the array and the cytokines IL‐6 and IFN‐α were also analysed at protein level. All but one cytokine were expressed in samples from intestinal biopsies. Densitometric analyses of PCR products of the house‐keeping genes were performed to validate the results from the microarray. Thus, this microarray will enable analyses of the cytokine profile during local and systemic infections in the pig.
Direct Measurements of Nitric Oxide Release in Relation to Expression of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Isolated Porcine Mitral Valves
Authors: Moesgaard S. G. , Olsen L. H. , Aasted B. , Viuff B. M. , Pedersen L. G. , Pedersen H. D. , Harrison A. P. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe aim of this study was to measure the direct release of nitric oxide (NO) from the porcine mitral valve using a NO microelectrode. Furthermore, the expression and localization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the mitral valve was studied using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and RT‐PCR. Results show that bradykinin increases NO release from mitral valves (ΔBradykinin: 33.71 ± 10.41 nm NO, P < 0.001, n = 10), whereas N‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl esther (l‐NAME) decreases NO release when compared with basal level (Δl‐NAME: 82.69 ± 15.66 nm NO, P < 0.005, n = 4). Both protein and mRNA expression of eNOS in mitral valves and in isolated valvular endothelial cells suggest that the NO release is mainly associated with the mitral valve endothelium. It is concluded that direct NO release from porcine mitral valves coincides with eNOS expression. This study documents useful techniques for investigations into the role of local NO release in mitral valve diseases.
Pseudotumor of the omentum with a fishbone nucleus
Authors: Yamamoto Takatsugu , Hirohashi Kazuhiro , Iwasaki Hiroto , Kubo Shoji , Tanaka Yoshinori , Yamasaki Keiichi , Koh Masae , Uenishi Takahiro , Ogawa Masao , Sakabe Katsu , Tanaka Shogo , Shuto Taichi , Tanaka Hiromu 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA 23‐year‐old Japanese man was admitted with a chief complaint of abdominal pain. He was previously healthy, and his past medical history was unremarkable. Local tenderness and rebound tenderness at McBurney’s point were elicited. Abdominal roentgenography was non‐diagnostic. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a tumor with a central core. Based on a diagnosis of appendicitis with omental inflammation or an omental tumor, laparotomy performed. Intraoperatively, no site of gastrointestinal perforation was detected; however, a 5‐cm omental granuloma was identified that proved to have a fishbone nucleus on pathological examination. The postoperative course was uneventful, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and barium enema were unremarkable. A large solitary omental pseudotumor is rare, and the clinical course in this case was atypical compared with the usual course of intestinal perforation by a foreign body and formation of an intra‐abdominal granuloma.
Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in Wnt10bgene with bone mineral density
Authors: Usui Takahiko , Urano Tomohiko , Shiraki Masataka , Ouchi Yasuyoshi , Inoue Satoshi 
Published: March 2007

Background:  Wnt signaling pathway regulates bone mineral density (BMD) through the lipoprotein receptor‐related protein (LRP)5, a receptor of this signaling. Recently, we and several groups have shown that genetic variations at the LRP5 gene locus are associated with osteoporosis. These data suggest that genetic variations in Wnt signaling genes may affect the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. To explore whether the Wnt signaling molecules are involved in the maturation of osteoblasts, we analyzed the expression levels of Wnt signaling genes, including LRP5, LRP6 and Wnt10b, in rat primary osteoblasts. Then, we studied an association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in Wnt10b gene with BMD.Methods:  Expression levels of LRP5, LRP6 and Wnt10b mRNA were analyzed during the culture course of rat primary osteoblasts by real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Association of the Wnt10b gene polymorphism at 1059C/T (His353His), that is the only coding SNP found in J‐SNP database with BMD, was examined in 221 postmenopausal Japanese women.Results:  LRP5, LRP6 and Wnt10b mRNA were detected during the differentiation of rat primary osteoblasts. As an association study of the SNP in the Wnt10b gene, the subjects without the T allele (CC; n = 59) had significantly higher total body and lumbar BMD than the subjects bearing at least one T allele (TT + TC; n = 162) (total body, P = 0.0091; lumber spine, P = 0.0052).Conclusion:  Wnt10b mRNA was expressed and regulated in rat primary osteoblasts. A genetic variation at the Wnt10b gene locus is associated with BMD, suggesting an involvement of the Wnt10b gene in the bone metabolism. SNP of Wnt signaling genes would serve to facilitate early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.
Disability Support Pension Recipients: Who Gets Off (and Stays Off) Payments?
Authors: Cai Lixin , Vu Ha , Wilkins Roger 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe use Centrelink payment records on Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipients over the period 1995 to 2002 to investigate individual transitions off payments. Our findings are consistent with the existence of a close correspondence between disability benefit receipt and labour market outcomes: entry to DSP via unemployment benefits is associated with substantially reduced prospects of exiting DSP, while employment during the DSP spell is associated with not only an increased probability of exiting DSP, but also more success in staying off payments once an exit has been made. A further finding of our analysis is that persons who exit DSP due to take‐up of employment have a relatively high rate of return to payments compared with persons who exit for other reasons, and indeed exhibit a high propensity to cycle off and on payments.
Understanding Solitude: Young Children's Attitudes and Responses Toward Hypothetical Socially Withdrawn Peers
Authors: Coplan Robert J. , Girardi Alberta , Findlay Leanne C. , Frohlick Sherri L. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe goal of the present study was to explore young children's attitudes and responses to different forms of social withdrawal by eliciting responses to hypothetical vignettes. Participants included 137 children (49 boys, 88 girls) in kindergarten and grade 1 classes (Mage = 75.94 months, SD = 9.03) in Ottawa, Canada. Parents rated child characteristics, including shyness, unsociability and aggression. Children were also interviewed individually and presented with a series of hypothetical vignettes describing the behaviors of shy, unsociable, aggressive and socially competent children. In response to each vignette, children were asked a series of questions designed to assess their perceptions, attitudes and responses toward each child behavior. Results suggested that young children made surprisingly sophisticated distinctions between shyness and unsociability, demonstrating differences in terms of attributions of behavioral intent, liking and sympathetic responses. In addition, unsociable children evidenced a distinct pattern of responses to hypothetical peers. These findings add to the growing body of research distinguishing different forms of social withdrawal, and shed some light as to why unsociability in early childhood may not be so benign.
Victimization Within Mutually Antipathetic Peer Relationships
Authors: Card Noel A. , Hodges Ernest V. E. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractChildren's victimization experiences within relationships characterized by mutual animosity were examined among 210 6th‐ and 7th‐grade boys and girls. Participants reported that a greater proportion of mutual antipathies, relative to other peers, victimized them. Moreover, the receipt of victimization within antipathetic relationships was greater when the partner in the relationship was aggressive, physically strong, non‐victimized and had low levels of internalizing problems. Perceptions of victimization and levels of maladjustment were also found to be more strongly associated with victimization from mutual antipathies than with victimization from other peers. Together, these findings highlight the importance of studying victimization in the context of antipathetic relationships and contribute to an emerging literature on the developmental significance of these relationships.
Exploring Access and Equity in Higher Education: Policy and Performance in a Comparative Perspective
Authors: Clancy Patrick , Goastellec Gaële 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA comparative analysis of how access and equity are defined and how policies have evolved reveals a number of commonalities and differences between countries. The overall trend is a movement from the priority given to ‘inherited merit’ in the admission process through a commitment to formal equality, towards the application of some modes of affirmative action for selected under‐represented groups. This overall convergence, which is accompanied by a growing appreciation of the complexity of social identities, is complemented by significant national specificity in respect of the social categories which are used to define social diversity. In the absence of appropriate comparative measures of participation a Higher Education Participation Index is developed to facilitate cross‐country comparisons. A review of current attempts to measure equity in access to higher education points to the need to develop a programme of comparative research which focuses on the social characteristics of students who are currently enrolled in higher education.
Waiting for the Tide to Change? Strategies for Survival of Portuguese Private HEIs
Authors: Teixeira Pedro N. , Amaral Alberto 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe topic of declining private higher education (PHE) has become a timely one, especially for many countries that had previously experienced a rapid and massive expansion of their systems of higher education, and of PHE in particular. In the case of Portugal this was very likely due to the stabilisation and then the slight decline in the number of applicants and the steady expansion of the public system Thus, the Portuguese system has become an interesting case study of the several types of strategies that may be adopted by PHE institutions when facing a declining student demand.
Psychological Wellness and Distress among Recent Immigrants: A Four‐year Longitudinal Study in Israel and Germany1
Authors: Mirsky Julia , Slonim‐Nevo V. , Rubinstein L. 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTFindings regarding immigrants' psychological wellness and distress are contradictory. Some studies find elevated levels of distress among immigrants, others failed to demonstrate such reactions. We suggest that such inconsistencies may be the result of loose time definitions in immigration studies. It is hypothesized that immigrants enjoy relative psychological wellness in the initial stages after their arrival in the host country (the first 12–16 months) and subsequently, their well‐being deteriorates. The study involves families (parents and adolescents) from the former Soviet Union who immigrated to Israel and to Germany. The respondents were assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) at three time intervals: toward the end of the first year subsequent to their migration, in their second, and again in their fourth year after immigration.The adolescents who immigrated to Israel and to Germany presented good psychological well‐being during their first year in the new country. The hypothesis about deterioration in immigrants’psychological wellness after an initially benign phase was confirmed only in regard to the two adolescent groups. Adolescents who immigrated to Israel, however, showed an improvement in their psychological condition later on (the classic U curve), while the condition of their German counterparts continued to deteriorate. Among the parents, different trends were observed: either an improvement in the level of psychological well‐being over the years, or no significant change. These results are discussed in light of theoretical models of migration and different environmental factors in the two countries.