bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxidative stability of low density lipoproteins and vitamin E levels increase in maternal blood during normal pregnancy
Authors: De Vriese S. R. , Dhont M. , Christophe A. B. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn 24 healthy pregnant women, parameters related to the oxidative stability of low density lipoproteins (LDL) were determined at three times during pregnancy and shortly after delivery. The fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids (PL) and the plasma concentrations of vitamin E, vitamin A, and β‐carotene were assessed in the same samples. Total triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol concentrations were also determined. The length of the lag phase of isolated LDL challenged with Cu2+ ions significantly increased with the progression of pregnancy. The oxidation rate and the amount of conjugated dienes formed increased and reached a maximum at 29–37 wk of pregnancy. Total TG, cholesterol, and LDL‐cholesterol reached a maximum in the third trimester of pregnancy. β‐Carotene remained stable, vitamin A decreased, and vitamin E significantly increased throughout pregnancy. Vitamin E plasma concentration correlated positively with the length of the lag phase. The increased levels of vitamin E could contribute to the higher resistance of LDL toward oxidation with progressing gestation, measured by the prolonged lag phase. Furthermore, vitamin E plasma levels correlated positively with TG concentration but not with LDL‐cholesterol. The level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in PL decreased with the progression of pregnancy. No correlation was found between the fatty acid composition of plasma PL, nor with the cholesterol concentration, and the parameters studied related to the oxidative stability of LDL. The major finding of this study is the increased oxidative resistance of LDL with progressing gestation.
A new diacylgalactolipid containing 4Z‐16∶1 from the marine cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp
Authors: Son Byeng Wha , Kim Jung Chul , Choi Hong Dae 
Published: November 2006

AbstractA new diacylgalactolipid was isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp., and the structure was elucidated as (2S)‐3‐O‐β‐d‐galactopyranosyl‐1‐O‐(9Z,12Z‐octadecadienoyl)‐2‐O‐(4Z‐hexadecenoyl)glycerol by enzymatic partial hydrolysis using lipase and physicochemical evidence, which included determining the double bond position in the hexadecenoic acid moiety.
β‐Oxidation of conjugated linoleic acid isomers and linoleic acid in rats
Authors: Sergiel Jean‐Pierre , Chardigny Jean‐Michel , Sébédio Jean‐Louis , Berdeaux Olivier , Juaneda Pierre , Loreau Olivier , Pasquis Bruno , Noel Jean‐Pierre 
Published: November 2006

AbstractTo assess the oxidative metabolism of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, rats were force‐fed 1.5–2.6 MBq of [1‐14C]‐linoleic acid (9c,12c‐18∶2),‐rumenic acid (9c,11t‐18∶2), or‐10trans, 12cis‐18∶2 (10t, 12c‐18∶2), and 14CO2 production was monitored for 24 h. The animals were then necropsied and the radioactivity determined in different tissues. Both CLA isomers were oxidized significantly more than linoleic acid. Moreover, less radioactivity was recovered in most tissues after CLA intake than after linoleic acid intake. The substantial oxidation of CLA isomers must be considered when assessing the putative health benefits of CLA supplements.
Dietary α‐linolenic acid lowers postprandial lipid levels with increase of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid contents in rat hepatic membrane
Authors: Kim Hye‐Kyeong , Choi Haymie 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThis study was designed to examine the effects of dietary n−3 and n−6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on postprandial lipid levels and fatty acid composition of hepatic membranes. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were trained for a 3−h feeding protocol and fed one of five semipurified diets: one fat‐free diet or one of four diets supplemented with 10% (by weight) each of corn oil, beef tallow, perilla oil, and fish oil. Two separate experiments were performed, 4‐wk long‐term and 4‐d short‐term feeding models, to compare the effects of feeding periods. Postprandial plasma lipid was affected by dietary fats. Triacylglycerol (TG) and total cholesterol levels were decreased in rats fed perilla oil and fish oil diets compared with corn oil and beef tallow diets. Hepatic TG and total cholesterol levels were also reduced by fish oil and perilla oil diets. Fatty acid composition of hepatic microsomal fraction reflected dietary fatty acids and their metabolic conversion. The major fatty acids of rats fed the beef tallow diet were palmitic, stearic, and oleic. Similarly, linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid in the corn oil group, α‐linolenic acid (ALA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the perilla oil group, and palmitic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the fish oil group were detected in high proportions. Both long‐ and short‐term feeding experiments showed similar results. In addition, microsomal DHA content was negatively correlated with plasma lipid levels. Hepatic lipid levels were also negatively correlated with EPA and DHA contents. These results suggest that n−3 ALA has more of a hypolipidemic effect than n−6 LA and that the hypolipidemic effect of n−3 PUFA may be partly related to the increase of EPA and DHA in hepatic membrane.
Identification of novel nonmethylene‐interrupted fatty acids, 7E,13E‐20∶2, 7E,13E,17Z‐20∶3, 9E,15E,19Z‐22∶3, and 4Z,9E,15E,19Z‐22∶4, in ophiuroidea (Brittle star) lipids
Authors: Sato Daisuke , Ando Yasuhiro , Tsujimoto Ryo , Kawasaki Ken‐ichi 
Published: November 2006

AbstractFatty acids of Ophiuroidea (brittle star) Ophiura sarsi have been investigated by gas‐liquid chromatography (GLC). About 2–13% of four unidentified fatty acids were found in total fatty acids from a sample caught at a depth of 1,100 m. Structural analyses were undertaken after partial hydrogenation of their concentrates with hydrazine hydrate and subsequent isolation of the monoenoate products by argentation thin‐layer chromatography. The structures of the unidentified fatty acids were determined as 7E,13E‐eicosadienoic (20∶2), 7E,13E,17Z‐eicosatrienoic (20∶3), 9E,15E,19Z‐docosatrienoic (22∶3), and 4Z,9E,15E,19Z‐docosatetraenoic (22∶4) acids by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry of dimethyl disulfide adducts and GLC of the monoenoates on a polar column. These fatty acids belong to a family of nonmethylene‐interrupted (NMI) polyunsaturated fatty acids frequently observed in marine invertebrates and conifer seeds. As far as the authors know, however, these NMI fatty acid types with mixed geometry of ethylenic bonds have not been reported previously.
Dehydroepiandrosterone alters phospholipid profiles in Zucker rat muscle tissue
Authors: Abadie Jude M. , Malcom Gray T. , Porter Johnny R. , Svec Frank 
Published: November 2006

AbstractInsulin‐resistant muscle tissue contains low proportions of arachidonic acid (AA), and increased proportions of muscle AA correlate with improved insulin sensitivity. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and AA, like the thiazolidinedione drugs that decrease insulin resistance (IR), are peroxisome proliferators. Long‐chain fatty acids (FA) have been named the “one true” endogenous ligand for activating the peroxisome proliferator‐activator receptor (PPAR), and DHEA has been named a “good candidate” as a naturally occurring indirect activator of PPAR. This study was conducted to determine DHEA's effects on lipid profiles of skeletal and cardiac muscle in lean and obese Zucker rats (ZR), a model of IR, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity. We hypothesize that DHEA may alter long‐chain FA profiles in muscle tissue of obese rats such that they more closely resemble that of the lean. In our experiments we employed a DHEA and a pair‐fed (PF) group (n=6) for 12 lean and 12 obese ZR. For 30 d, the diet of the two DHEA groups was supplemented with 0.6% DHEA; PF groups were given the average daily calories consumed by their corresponding treatment group. Hearts and gastrocnemius muscles were assayed for phospholipid (PL), free FA, and triglyceride (TG) FA profiles. The proportion of PL AA was significantly greater in both muscle types of lean compared to obese rats. Hearts from both DHEA groups had greater PL proportions of AA and less oleic (18∶1) acid than their PF controls. Likewise, 18∶1 proportions were significantly lower in the gastrocnemius; however, AA proportions were not significantly different. Similar phenotypic profile differences were observed in the TG fraction of both muscle types. There were no DHEA‐related TG FA profile alterations.
COMMERCE, CULTURE, AND THE RISE OF ENGLISH POWER
Authors: CLARK GEOFFREY 
Published: November 2006

Barclays: the business of banking, 1690–1996. By Margaret Ackrill and Leslie Hannah. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Pp. xxi+481. ISBN 0-521-79035-2. £45.00.The worlds of the East India Company. Edited by H. V. Bowen, Margarette Lincoln, and Nigel Rigby. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2002. Pp. xvii+246. ISBN 0-85115-877-3. £45.00.Kingship and crown finance under James VI and I, 1603–1625. By John Cramsie. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2002. Pp. xi+242. ISBN 0-86193-259-5. £50.00.Mammon's music: literature and economics in the age of Milton. By Blair Hoxby. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Pp. xii+320. ISBN 0-300-09378-0. $45.00.Usury, interest, and the Reformation. By Eric Kerridge. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002. Pp. 206. ISBN 0-7546-0688-0. £55.00.The rise of commercial empires: England and the Netherlands in the age of mercantilism, 1650–1770. By David Ormrod. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Pp. xvii+400. ISBN 0-521-81926-1. £55.00.The rhetoric of credit: merchants in early modern writing. By Ceri Sullivan. London: Associated University Presses, 2002. Pp. 217. ISBN 0-8386-3926-7. £38.00.The unshackling of the European economy from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries was achieved, ironically, by the forging of new and stronger chains of trade and credit within nations, across regions, and around the globe. The seven books under review explore that process from different disciplinary standpoints, but chiefly as it affected England, the country that would become emblematic of commercial advancement and under whose sway the modern capitalist system emerged. How England managed this feat financially and commercially, politically and culturally, amidst the shifting opportunities and perils of these centuries is answered with an often impressive sophistication and imagination that take us well beyond hackneyed analyses prompted by the Weber–Tawney thesis.
Clinical findings and PDS mutations in 15 patients with hearing loss and dilatation of the vestibular aqueduct
Authors: Courtmans I , Mancilla V , Ligny C , Hilbert P , Mansbach A L , Maldergem L Van 
Published: November 2006

Following systematic skull imaging of hundred and sixty seven individuals attending a medical referral centre for the deaf in Brussels, Belgium, fifteen patients (9 per cent) aged between two and 25 years were diagnosed with dilatation of the vestibular aqueduct. Careful audiological study, with a baseline assessment then longitudinal follow up, indicated mild to profound deafness with a progressive course (i.e. an average loss of 3.3 dB per year) and frequent dizziness. Sequencing of PDS was performed in all individuals. Alterations of this gene (either homozygous, heterozygous or compound heterozygous base changes) were found in 53 per cent of patients with a large vestibular aqueduct. Four new mutations (two missense, a splice site and a four base pair insertion) were described. We were unable to confirm a correlation between homozygosity, heterozygosity and a Pendred or deafness-only phenotype.
Transtympanic versus intramuscular steroid administration in a histamine-induced inflammatory middle-ear model
Authors: Chimona T S , Panayiotides J G , Papadakis C E , Helidonis E S , Velegrakis G A 
Published: November 2006

Objectives: Assessment of the histopathologic effect of transtympanic and intramuscular administration of dexamethasone in an in vivo experimental animal model of middle-ear mucosal inflammation.Methods: Fifty healthy rabbits weighting 1500–1800 g were randomly divided in three groups. In 10 animals (control group), 0.5 ml of a 20 mg/ml histamine solution was injected transtympanically. In 20 rabbits (group A), histamine challenge followed a three day intramuscular pretreatment with dexamethasone at 1 mg/kg per day. In 20 rabbits (group B), histamine challenge followed pretreatment with dexamethasone via a transtympanic route (0.3 ml, 1.2 mg dexamethasone). Middle-ear mucosa was obtained for histopathology 30 minutes after histamine administration. The following parameters were assessed: inflammation, acute inflammatory component, presence of eosinophils, inflammatory activity and fibrosis.Results: Oedema, vascular dilatation and congestion, inflammation, the presence of an acute (polymorphonuclear) inflammatory component, the presence of eosinophils, and inflammatory activity were found to be of a lesser grade in the mucosae of group B. All differences were found to be statistically highly significant (p<0.01) using the Mann–Whitney test.Conclusion: Our findings validate the transtympanic route of dexamethasone administration in counteracting histamine effects.
Current prescribing practices and opinions about growth hormone therapy: results of a nationwide survey of paediatric endocrinologists
Authors: Hardin Dana S. , Woo Jason , Butsch Robert , Huett Beverley 
Published: November 2006

SummaryBackground  With the advent of several new treatment indications for recombinant hGH, endocrinologists are being asked to make some difficult decisions regarding eligibility for treatment. The purpose of this study was to summarize prevailing attitudes about GH diagnosis and treatment among paediatric endocrinologists.Methods  We sent surveys to all active US members of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (LWPES) listed in the 2004–05 directory (excluding our own group of physicians). Thirty‐eight per cent of the surveys were returned and 182 met eligibility for analysis. Surveys were divided into four parts: demographic data, answers reflecting current diagnosis practices for GH deficiency and treatment with GH, attitudes and clinical practice for the idiopathic short stature (ISS) diagnosis, and four case studies. Through a series of questions, we elicited the influence towards prescribing GH of current height, growth velocity, predicted height, pubertal progression and other variables. Results were entered into a Microsoft Access database and statistical evaluation was conducted.Results  Eighty‐eight per cent of respondents answered ‘no’ to the statement that there is good consensus on who should be treated with GH and over 90% answered ‘no’ to the statement that secretagogue testing was the best way to determine if a child would benefit from GH. Factors listed by respondents as important for prescribing GH include: growth velocity less than the 25th percentile, target height less than the 5th percentile and pubertal stage greater than Tanner 2. Current height was also important; however, answers varied as to what height percentile indicated the need for treatment. When queried about prescribing practices for nonstraightforward cases, 62% of respondents answered that the cost of GH influenced their decision to treat, 55% responded that concerns of future unknown side‐effects affected their decision and 37% noted family persistence influenced their decision. In response to queries about ISS, 82% answered that they were currently using the new indication and 69% answered that there was a need for the indication. The statement that short stature could be a disability received a ‘yes’ response from 78%. Answers to the four cases reflected lack of consensus, with one‐third of all respondents answering that they would treat each case, one‐third choosing to treat more than two of the cases and one‐third treating less than two of the cases.Conclusion  Endocrinologists differed in their answers about cause for treatment with GH but in general favoured use of poor growth velocity, poor target height and low IGF‐1 levels as indications to treat a paediatric patient with GH.
Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) growth and timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom on the Newfoundland–Labrador Shelf
Authors: FUENTES‐YACO C. , KOELLER P. A. , SATHYENDRANATH S. , PLATT T. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractWe examined latitudinal and temporal changes in the availability of food for young shrimp (Pandalus borealis) on the Newfoundland–Labrador Shelf, using a suite of quantitative characteristics of the spring phytoplankton bloom determined from satellite ocean colour data, including bloom initiation time, maximum chlorophyll concentration, timing of the maximum, and bloom duration. We found significant correlations between bloom intensity, timing, and the size of young shrimp. The results are discussed in relation to the observation that, since the early 1990s, carapace lengths of shrimp have been decreasing in many Northwest Atlantic stocks.
Transdifferentiation of pulmonary arteriolar endothelial cells into smooth muscle‐like cells regulated by myocardin involved in hypoxia‐induced pulmonary vascular remodelling
Authors: Zhu Pengcheng , Huang Lei , Ge Xiaona , Yan Fei , Wu Renliang , Ao Qilin 
Published: November 2006

SummaryMyocardin gene has been identified as a master regulator of smooth muscle cell differentiation. Smooth muscle cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of hypoxia‐induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and pulmonary vascular remodelling (PVR). The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of myocardin gene expression in the pulmonary vessels of hypoxia‐induced PH affected by Sildenafil treatment and the involvement of endothelial cells transdifferentiation into smooth muscle cells in the process of hypoxia‐induced PH and PVR. Myocardin and relative markers were investigated in animal models and cultured endothelial cells. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was measured. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to show the expression of smooth muscle α‐actin (SMA), in situ hybridization (ISH) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) were performed respectively to detect the myocardin and SMA expression at mRNA levels. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced suppression of myocardin in cultured cells. We confirmed that hypoxia induced the PH and PVR in rats. Sildenafil could attenuate the hypoxia‐induced PH. We found that myocardin mRNA expression is upregulated significantly in the hypoxic pulmonary vessels and cultured cells but downregulated in PH with Sildenafil treatment. The porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) transdifferentiate into smooth muscle‐like cells in hypoxic culture while the transdifferentiation did not occur when SiRNA of myocardin was applied. Our results suggest that myocardin gene, as a marker of smooth muscle cell differentiation, was expressed in the pulmonary vessels in hypoxia‐induced PH rats, which could be downregulated by Sildenafil treatment, as well as in hypoxic cultured endothelial cells. Hypoxia induced the transdifferentiation of endothelial cells of vessels into smooth muscle‐like cells which was regulated by myocardin.
Expression of cyclooxygenase‐2, alpha 1‐acid‐glycoprotein and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the developing lesions of murine leprosy
Authors: Silva Miranda Mayra , Rodríguez Kendy Wek , Martínez Cordero Erasmo , Rojas‐Espinosa Oscar 
Published: November 2006

SummaryMurine leprosy is a chronic disease of the mouse, the most popular animal model used in biomedical investigation, which is caused by Mycobacterium lepraemurium (MLM) whose characteristic lesion is the macrophage‐made granuloma. From onset to the end of the disease, the granuloma undergoes changes that gradually transform the environment into a more appropriate milieu for the growth of M. lepraemurium. The mechanisms that participate in the formation and maturation of the murine leprosy granulomas are not completely understood; however, microbial and host‐factors are believed to participate in their formation. In this study, we analysed the role of various pro‐inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory proteins in granulomas of murine leprosy after 21 weeks of infection. We assessed the expression of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), alpha acid‐glycoprotein (AGP), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) at sequential stages of infection. We also looked for the nitric‐oxide nitrosylation product, nitrotyrosine (NT) in the granulomatous lesions of murine leprosy. We found that a pro‐inflammatory environment predominates in the early granulomas while an anti‐inflammatory environment predominates in late granulomas. No obvious signs of bacillary destruction were observed during the entire period of infection, but nitrosylation products and cell alterations were observed in granulomas in the advanced stages of disease. The change from a pro‐inflammatory to an anti‐inflammatory environment, which is probably driven by the bacillus itself, results in a more conducive environment for both bacillus replication and the disease progression.
Pollen–plant–climate relationships in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Watrin Julie , Lézine Anne‐Marie , Gajewski Konrad , Vincens Annie 
Published: November 2006

AbstractAim  To demonstrate that incorporating the bioclimatic range of possible contributor plants leads to improved accuracy in interpreting the palaeoclimatic record of taxonomically complex pollen types.Location  North Tropical Africa.Methods  The geographical ranges of selected African plants were extracted from the literature and geo‐referenced. These plant ranges were compared with the pollen percentages obtained from a network of surface sediments. Climate‐response surfaces were graphed for each pollen taxon and each corresponding plant species.Results  Several patterns can be identified, including taxa for which the pollen and plant distributions coincide, and others where the range limits diverge. Some pollen types display a reduced climate range compared with that of the corresponding plant species, due to low pollen production and/or dispersal. For other taxa, corresponding to high pollen producers such as pioneer taxa, pollen types display a larger climatic envelope than that of the corresponding plants. The number of species contained in a pollen taxon is an important factor, as the botanical species included in a taxon may have different geographical and climate distributions.Main conclusions  The comparison between pollen and plant distributions is an essential step towards more precise vegetation and climate reconstructions in Africa, as it identifies taxa that have a high correspondence between pollen and plant distribution patterns. Our method is a useful tool to reassess biome reconstructions in Africa and to characterize accurately the vegetation and climate conditions at a regional scale, from pollen data.
Presence of a lethal protease in the extracellular products of Vibrio splendidus–Vibrio lentus related strains
Authors: Farto R , Armada SP , Montes M , Perez MJ , Nieto TP 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe presence of a lethal extracellular 39‐kDa protease, a virulence determinant of a Listonella pelagia strain which produces vibriosis in turbot, was determined in the extracellular products (ECP) of 33 Vibrionaceae strains. Both immunological and enzymatic techniques distinguished this specific protease from other Vibrionaceae proteins. It was detected in 15% (5/33) of the ECPs assayed belonging to strains of the Vibrio splendidus–V. lentus related group isolated in Galician aquaculture systems (NW Spain). As these strains were associated with diseased octopus and cultured turbot, were able to colonize the internal organs of fish and produced a lethal ECP for fish, they are a potential risk for the health of reared aquatic organisms.