bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF A CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING PROTOCOL ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND RIGHT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY IN MONOCROTALINE‐TREATED RATS
Authors: Souza‐Rabbo Maristela P , Silva Luis FF , Auzani Jorge AS , Picoral Marcus , Khaper Neelam , Belló‐Klein Adriane 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

In the present study, we investigated the effects of exercise training on cardiac hypertrophy and oxidative stress in a monocrotaline (MCT)‐induced cor pulmonale model. Male Wistar rats were assigned to one of three groups: sedentary control (SC); sedentary MCT (SM); or trained MCT (TM).
Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) was induced by a single injection of MCT (60 mg/kg, i.p.). Exercise training consisted of running on a treadmill (five times a week, during Weeks 3, 4 and 5). Systemic oxidative stress was evaluated in erythrocytes by chemiluminescence (CL) and the activity of the anti‐oxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S‐transferase (GST) was determined.
At Week 3, MCT‐treated animals exhibited RVH, lung congestion, decreased SOD activity and increased CAT activity. Exercise training reduced MCT‐induced RVH and increased GST activity. At Week 4, MCT‐induced RVH was accompanied by an increase in CL and GST activity. However, in TM animals there was a decrease in CL and augmented SOD activity. At Week 5, there were no survivors in the SM group, whereas GST activity was elevated in TM rats compared with SC rats. There was no difference in GPx activity throughout the experimental protocol between the groups.
Taken together, our results indicate that exercise training is able to ameliorate RVH and improve survival, which is associated with a reduction in oxidative stress in MCT‐treated rats.
SEQUENTIAL ACTIVATION OF THE REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES/ANGIOTENSINOGEN/RENIN–ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM AXIS IN RENAL INJURY OF TYPE 2 DIABETIC RATS
Authors: Miyata Kayoko , Ohashi Naro , Suzaki Yuki , Katsurada Akemi , Kobori Hiroyuki 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

The present study was performed to test the hypothesis that the reactive oxygen species (ROS)–angiotensinogen (AGT)–renin angiotensin system (RAS) axis is sequentially activated in the development of diabetic nephropathy in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) obese rats.
Genetic pairs of male ZDF obese and control ZDF lean rats (n = 12 of each species) were killed every 3 weeks from 12 to 21 weeks of age (n = 6 at each time point).
The ZDF obese rats developed diabetes mellitus at 12 weeks. At that time, urinary excretion rates of 8‐isoprostane were similar between the groups; however, urinary 8‐isoprostane levels were significantly increased at 15 weeks in ZDF obese rats compared with controls (36 ± 6 vs 15 ± 2 ng/day, respectively). At 15 weeks, protein levels of cortical angiotensinogen were similar between groups; however, cortical angiotensinogen levels were significantly increased at 18 weeks in ZDF obese rats compared with controls (relative ratio of 2.32 ± 0.21 vs 1.00 ± 0.20, respectively). At 12 weeks, angiotensin (Ang) II‐like immunoreactivity was similar between groups in both the glomeruli and tubules; however, AngII‐like immunoreactivity was increased significantly at 21 weeks in ZDF obese rats compared with controls (relative ratios of 1.98 ± 0.55 vs 1.00 ± 0.03, respectively, for glomeruli and 1.58 ± 0.16 vs 1.00 ± 0.13, respectively, for tubules). Moreover, at 21 weeks, the desmin‐positive area in the glomeruli (0.63 ± 0.08 vs 0.22 ± 0.05%) and Masson's trichrome stain‐positive area in the interstitium (4.97 ± 0.05 vs 3.18 ± 0.41%) were significantly increased in ZDF obese rats compared with controls, even though these differences had not been observed earlier.
These data suggest that the sequential activation of the ROS–AGT–RAS axis plays an important role in the development of diabetic nephropathy in ZDF obese rats.
EFFECTS OF HESPERIDIN ON CYCLIC STRAIN‐INDUCED ENDOTHELIN‐1 RELEASE IN HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS
Authors: Chiou Chi‐Sheng , Lin Jia‐Wei , Kao Pai‐Feng , Liu Ju‐Chi , Cheng Tzu‐Hurng , Chan Paul 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

Hesperidin, a member of the flavanone group of flavonoids, can be isolated in large amounts from the rinds of some citrus species and has been reported to have antihypotensive and vasodilator properties. However, the mechanism of action of hesperidin in the prevention and treatment of vascular diseases remains unclear.
The vascular endothelium can produce potent contracting factors, such as endothelin (ET)‐1, and endothelium‐derived relaxing factors, such as nitric oxide (NO). The aims of the present study were to test the hypothesis that hesperidin may alter strain‐induced ET‐1 secretion and NO production and to identify the putative underlying signalling pathways in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).
Hesperidin (10 and 100 mmol/L) inhibited strain‐induced ET‐1 secretion. Hesperidin also inhibited strain‐induced increases in the formation of reactive oxygen species and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation.
Hesperidin treatment of HUVEC enhanced NO production, endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity and the phosphorylation of eNOS and Akt. Furthermore, hesperidin modulated strain‐induced ET‐1 release and suppressed ERK phosphorylation in part via the NO/protein kinase G pathway.
In summary, we have demonstrated that hesperidin inhibits strain‐induced ET‐1 secretion and enhances NO production in HUVEC.
EFFECT OF STATIN THERAPY ON PLASMA HIGH‐DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN–CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IS MODIFIED BY PARAOXONASE 1 IN CHINESE PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE
Authors: Fu Ran , Sun Yan‐Ming , Su Ying , Wu Yun , Luan Ying 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

We sought to determine the effects of Q192R polymorphism of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene on plasma high‐density lipoprotein–cholesterol (HDL‐C) levels and the response to statin therapy in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
Two hundred and thirty‐six patients with CHD were treated with simvastatin 20 mg/day. Fasting serum lipids were determined before and after 12 weeks of treatment.
No significant differences were detected among the PON1 Q192R polymorphism with respect to plasma lipids. In addition, the effects of simvastatin to increase HDL‐C levels were significantly greater in patients with the RR genotype compared with patients with the QR or RR genotypes (P < 0.05).
We conclude that the Q192R polymorphism of PON1 significantly modulates the HDL‐C response to simvastatin in Chinese patients with CHD.
IDENTIFICATION OF NATURAL COUMARIN COMPOUNDS THAT RESCUE DEFECTIVE ΔF508‐CFTR CHLORIDE CHANNEL GATING
Authors: Xu Li‐Na , Na Wan‐Li , Liu Xin , Hou Shu‐Guang , Lin Sen , Yang Hong , Ma Tong‐Hui 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

Deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 (DF508) of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is the most common mutation causing cystic fibrosis (CF). Effective pharmacological therapy of CF caused by the DF508‐CFTR mutation requires the rescue of both intracellular processing and channel gating defects.
We identified a class of natural coumarin compounds that can correct the defective DF508‐CFTR chloride channel gating by screening a collection of 386 single natural compounds from Chinese medicinal herbs. Screening was performed with an iodide influx assay in Fischer rat thyroid epithelial cells coexpressing DF508‐CFTR and an iodide‐sensitive fluorescent indicator (YFP‐H148Q/I152L).
Dose‐dependent potentiation of defective DF508‐CFTR chloride channel gating by five coumarin compounds was demonstrated by the fluorescent iodide influx assay and confirmed by an Ussing chamber short‐circuit current assay. Activation was fully abolished by the specific CFTR inhibitor CFTRinh‐172. Two potent compounds, namely imperatorin and osthole, have activation Kd values of approximately 10 mmol/L, as determined by the short‐circuit current assay. The active coumarin compounds do not elevate intracellular cAMP levels. Activation of DF508‐CFTR by the coumarin compounds requires cAMP agonist, suggesting direct interaction with the mutant CFTR molecule. Kinetics analysis indicated rapid activation of DF508‐CFTR by the coumarin compounds, with half‐maximal activation of < 5 min. The activating effect was fully reversed for all five active compounds 45 min after washout.
In conclusion, the natural coumarin DF508‐CFTR activators may represent a new class of natural lead compounds for the development of pharmacological therapies for CF caused by the DF508 mutation.
EFFECTS OF ATORVASTATIN AND PRAVASTATIN ON GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, ADIPOKINE LEVELS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIC PATIENTS
Authors: Ando Hitoshi , Sugimoto Koh‐ichi , Yanagihara Hayato , Tsuruoka Shuichi , Saito Tetsuo , Takamura Toshinari , Kaneko Shuichi , Fujimura Akio 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARYSeveral randomized clinical trials have suggested that atorvastatin and pravastatin may differ in terms of their pleiotropic effects. To verify this, we compared the effects of both statins on glucose tolerance, adipokine concentrations and inflammatory markers.A total of 36 hypercholesterolaemic patients without known coronary heart disease (CHD) were enrolled in an open‐label, randomized, crossover study. The patients received pravastatin or atorvastatin (10 mg/day) for 4 months and then switched to the other statin for an additional 4 months.At the end of both treatment periods, atorvastatin significantly reduced the concentration of serum lipids (total and low‐density lipoprotein–cholesterol and triglycerides) and inflammatory markers (high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein and tumour necrosis factor‐a) and increased serum adiponectin levels compared with pravastatin treatment. Although these effects would be expected to improve insulin sensitivity, atorvastatin did not affect glucose tolerance, which was assessed by fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, the homeostasis model assessment index and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Only obese patients showed increased HbA1clevels after atorvastatin treatment.Our results suggest that atorvastatin has both advantages and disadvantages compared with pravastatin treatment. Further studies are required to compare the relative clinical value of atorvastatin and pravastatin, especially in obese patients without CHD.
POST‐TRANSFUSIONAL VARIATION IN URINARY OXYGEN TENSION IN SURGICAL PATIENTS
Authors: Valente Alessio , Sorrentino Luca , La Torre Giuseppe , Draisci Gaetano 
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY

Prior studies have suggested urinary oxygen tension (Puo2) as a putative index of renal blood flow (RBF) and tissue oxygenation.
In the present study, we collected intraoperative data from eight anaemic, bladder‐catheterized patients who received erythrocyte transfusions during various surgical procedures under general anaesthesia. Urinary and arterial blood gas analysis and co‐oximetry were performed before and after transfusion, during an interval in which RBF was assumed to be constant.
Pre‐ and post‐transfusion haematocrit levels were 23 ± 4.8 and 27 ± 6.4%, respectively, and arterial oxygen content (Cao2) was 10.5 ± 2.5 and 12.4 ± 3.1 mL/dL, respectively (P = 0.012). Pre‐ and post‐transfusion Puo2 was 90 ± 14 and 108 ± 20 mmHg, respectively (P = 0.036).
These results, although limited, suggest that under conditions of stable haemodynamics, systemic oxygenation and renal function, intraoperative blood transfusion may increase Puo2 in anaemic anaesthetized patients. If confirmed by subsequent clinical and laboratory studies, Puo2 measurement could become a simple, non‐invasive way to monitor renal medullary oxygenation and tissue oxygen availability and help determine whether red blood cells should be transfused.
Pain influences hedonic assessment of visual inputs
Authors: Godinho Fabio , Frot Maud , Perchet Caroline , Magnin Michel , Garcia‐Larrea Luis 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIt is acknowledged that the emotional state created by visual inputs can modulate the way we feel pain; however, little is known about how acute pain influences the emotional assessment of what we see. In this study healthy subjects scored affective images while receiving painful or innocuous electrical shocks. Painful stimuli did not make unpleasant images more unpleasant, but rendered pleasant pictures significantly less pleasant. Brain responses to visual inputs (64‐channels electroencephalogram) mirrored behavioural results, showing pain‐induced effects in the orbitofrontal cortex, the subgenual portion of the cingulate gyrus, the anterior prefrontal and the temporal cortices, exclusively during presentation of pleasant images. In addition to this specific effect on pleasant pictures, pain also produced non‐specific effects upon all categories of images, engaging cerebral areas associated with attention, alertness and motor preparation (middle‐cingulate, supplemental motor, prefrontal cortex). Thus, pain appears to have a dual influence on visual processing: a non‐specific effect related to orienting phenomena; and a more specific action exerted on supra‐modal limbic areas involved in the production of affective states. The latter correlated with changes in the subjective appraisal of visual stimuli, and may underlie not only the change in their subjective assessment but also reactive processes aimed at coping with unpleasant contexts.
Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea: important players in paddy rhizosphere soil?
Authors: Chen Xue‐Ping , Zhu Yong‐Guan , Xia Yue , Shen Ju‐Pei , He Ji‐Zheng 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe diversity (richness and community composition) of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in paddy soil with different nitrogen (N) fertilizer amendments for 5 weeks were investigated using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) jand clone library analysis based on the ammonia monooxygenase α‐subunit (amoA) gene. Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea predominated among ammonia‐oxidizing prokaryotes in the paddy soil, and the AOA:AOB DNA‐targeted amoA gene ratios ranged from 1.2 to 69.3. Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea were more abundant in the rhizosphere than in bulk soil. Rice cultivation led to greater abundance of AOA than AOB amoA gene copies and to differences in AOA and AOB community composition. These results show that AOA is dominant in the rhizosphere paddy soil in this study, and we assume that AOA were influenced more by exudation from rice root (e.g. oxygen, carbon dioxide) than AOB.
Microbial primary production on an Arctic glacier is insignificant in comparison with allochthonous organic carbon input
Authors: Stibal Marek , Tranter Martyn , Benning Liane G. , Řehák Josef 
Published: April 2008

SummaryCryoconite holes are unique freshwater environments on glacier surfaces, formed when solar‐heated dark debris melts down into the ice. Active photoautotrophic microorganisms are abundant within the holes and fix inorganic carbon due to the availability of liquid water and solar radiation. Cryoconite holes are potentially important sources of organic carbon to the glacial ecosystem, but the relative magnitudes of autochthonous microbial primary production and wind‐borne allochthonous organic matter brought are unknown. Here, we compare an estimate of annual microbial primary production in 2006 on Werenskioldbreen, a Svalbard glacier, with the organic carbon content of cryoconite debris. There is a great disparity between annual primary production (4.3 μg C g−1 year−1) and the high content of organic carbon within the debris (1.7–4.5%, equivalent to 8500–22 000 μg C g−1 debris). Long‐term accumulation of autochthonous organic matter is considered unlikely due to ablation dynamics and the surface hydrology of the glacier. Rather, it is more likely that the majority of the organic matter on Werenskioldbreen is allochthonous. Hence, although glacier surfaces can be a significant source of organic carbon for glacial environments on Svalbard, they may be reservoirs rather than oases of high productivity.
Microbial community analysis of two field‐scale sulfate‐reducing bioreactors treating mine drainage
Authors: Hiibel Sage R. , Pereyra Luciana P. , Inman Laura Y. , Tischer April , Reisman David J. , Reardon Kenneth F. , Pruden Amy 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe microbial communities of two field‐scale pilot sulfate‐reducing bioreactors treating acid mine drainage (AMD), Luttrell and Peerless Jenny King (PJK), were compared using biomolecular tools and multivariate statistical analyses. The two bioreactors were well suited for this study because their geographic locations and substrate compositions were similar while the characteristics of influent AMD, configuration and degree of exposure to oxygen were distinct. The two bioreactor communities were found to be functionally similar, including cellulose degraders, fermenters and sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB). Significant differences were found between the two bioreactors in phylogenetic comparisons of cloned 16S rRNA genes and adenosine 5′‐phosphosulfate reductase (apsA) genes. The apsA gene clones from the Luttrell bioreactor were dominated by uncultured SRB most closely related to Desulfovibrio spp., while those of the PJK bioreactor were dominated by Thiobacillus spp. The fraction of the SRB genus Desulfovibrio was also higher at Luttrell than at PJK as determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Oxygen exposure at PJK is hypothesized to be the primary cause of these differences. This study is the first rigorous phylogenetic investigation of field‐scale bioreactors treating AMD and the first reported application of multivariate statistical analysis of remediation system microbial communities applying UniFrac software.
Diel rhythmicity in amino acid uptake by Prochlorococcus
Authors: Mary Isabelle , Garczarek Laurence , Tarran Glen A. , Kolowrat Christian , Terry Matthew J. , Scanlan David J. , Burkill Peter H. , Zubkov Mikhail V. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, the most abundant phototrophic organism on Earth, numerically dominates the phytoplankton in nitrogen (N)‐depleted oceanic gyres. Alongside inorganic N sources such as nitrite and ammonium, natural populations of this genus also acquire organic N, specifically amino acids. Here, we investigated using isotopic tracer and flow cytometric cell sorting techniques whether amino acid uptake by Prochlorococcus is subject to a diel rhythmicity, and if so, whether this was linked to a specific cell cycle stage. We observed, in contrast to diurnally similar methionine uptake rates by Synechococcus cells, obvious diurnal rhythms in methionine uptake by Prochlorococcus cells in the tropical Atlantic. These rhythms were confirmed using reproducible cyclostat experiments with a light‐synchronized axenic Prochlorococcus (PCC9511 strain) culture and 35S‐methionine and 3H‐leucine tracers. Cells acquired the tracers at lower rates around dawn and higher rates around dusk despite >104 times higher concentration of ammonium in the medium, presumably because amino acids can be directly incorporated into protein. Leucine uptake rates by cells in the S+G2 cell cycle stage were consistently 2.2 times higher than those of cells at the G1 stage. Furthermore, S+G2 cells upregulated amino acid uptake 3.5 times from dawn to dusk to boost protein synthesis prior to cell division. Because Prochlorococcus populations can account from 13% at midday to 42% at dusk of total microbial uptake of methionine and probably of other amino acids in N‐depleted oceanic waters, this genus exerts diurnally variable, strong competitive pressure on other bacterioplankton populations.
Stewards of Virtue? The Ethical Dilemma of CSR in African Agriculture
Authors: Blowfield Michael E. , Dolan Catherine S. 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTIn recent years companies have responded to increasingly powerful consumer politics by expanding the scope of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to include ethical trade. This article examines the ethic embedded in and promulgated through ethical trade by use of a case study of African agriculture. Building on recent conceptualizations of globalization, neoliberalism and anthropological analyses of the audit economy, the authors put forward three inter‐related arguments. First, that there is a clear, if largely unacknowledged, ethic that positions ethical trade as an inherently neo‐utilitarian response to the economic and political imperatives of globalization, with important implications for its intended beneficiaries in the South and advocates in the North. Second, that this ethic is at the core of a form of governmentality that advances the project of neoliberalism, not by force but rather through the technologies and embedded norms of voluntary regulation, resulting in a model of governance that is fundamentally constrained by structurally embedded limitations. And third, that attempts to remove these limitations may be less likely to achieve the democratic, empowering outcomes of ethical trade's proponents than to serve the interests of the internationally dispersed ‘stewards of virtue’ that grant ethical trade its legitimacy.
Negotiating Cultural Heritage? Aboriginal–Mining Company Agreements in Australia
Authors: O'Faircheallaigh Ciaran 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTMining and other forms of industrial development can result in profound and often irreversible damage to the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples. Fear of such damage regularly results in indigenous opposition to development and, in many cases, to delays in construction of development projects or even to their abandonment. Government legislation has generally proved ineffective in protecting indigenous heritage. An alternative means of achieving protection arises from the growing recognition of indigenous land rights and the opportunity this creates for negotiations with mining companies regarding the terms on which indigenous landowners may support development. To evaluate the potential efficacy of negotiated approaches, this article analyses forty‐one agreements between mining companies and Aboriginal peoples in Australia. It argues that negotiated agreements do have the potential to protect indigenous cultural heritage, but only where underlying weaknesses in the bargaining position of indigenous peoples are addressed. This finding has wider implications given that negotiation and agreement making are increasingly being promoted as a means of addressing the structural disadvantages faced by indigenous peoples and of resolving conflicts between them and dominant societies.
‘Model Tribes’ and Iconic Conservationists? The Makuleke Restitution Case in Kruger National Park
Authors: Robins Steven , Waal Kees van der 
Published: April 2008

ABSTRACTThis article investigates how the Makuleke community in Limpopo Province achieved iconic status in relation to land reform and community‐based conservation discourses in South Africa and beyond. It argues that the situation may be more complex than it first appears, and the ways in which the Makuleke story has been deployed by NGOs, activists, academics, conservationists, the state and business may be too simplistic. The authors discuss historical representations of the Makuleke ‘tribe’ against the backdrop of their experiences of living in the borderland Pafuri region of the Kruger National Park prior to their forced removal. After investigating the ways in which the chieftaincy, and its relation to communal land, has been strengthened by local mobilizations against threats from the neighbouring Mhinga Tribal Authority, the authors suggest that a central tension in the Makuleke area is the conflict between democratic principles governing the legal entity in control of the land (i.e., the Communal Property Association), and traditionalist patriarchal principles of the Tribal Authority. The article shows how these restitution‐linked processes became implicated in the establishment in 2002 of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. The authors also argue that the image of the Makuleke as a ‘model tribe’ is both a product of changing historical circumstances and a contributor to contemporary discourses on land restitution and conservation.