bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered bone marrow dendritic cell cytokine production to toll‐like receptor and CD40 ligation during chronic feline immunodeficiency virus infection
Authors: Lehman Tracy L. , O’Halloran Kevin P. , Fallon Samantha A. , Habermann Lindsey M. , Campbell Jennifer A. , Nordone Shila , Dean Gregg A. , Hoover Edward A. , Avery Paul R. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryImpaired dendritic cell (DC) function is thought to be central to human immunodeficiency virus‐associated immunodeficiency. In this study, we examined the effect of chronic feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection on DC cytokine production in response to microbial and T‐cell stimulation. Cytokine production after either Toll‐like receptor (TLR) or CD40 ligation in bone marrow‐derived DCs (BM‐DCs) was measured in naïve and chronically FIV‐infected cats. The BM‐DCs were stimulated with ligands to TLR‐2, ‐3, ‐4, ‐7 and ‐9 or cocultured with 3T3 cells expressing feline CD40 ligand. Ligation of TLR‐4 and TLR‐9 in BM‐DCs from infected cats resulted in a significant decrease in the ratio of interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) to IL‐10. Conversely, TLR‐7 ligation produced a significant increase in the IL‐12 : IL‐10 ratio in BM‐DCs from infected cats. No difference was noted for TLR‐3 ligation. RNA expression levels of TLR‐2, ‐3, ‐4, ‐7 and ‐9 were not significantly altered by FIV infection. CD40 ligation significantly elevated both IL‐10 and IL‐12 messenger RNA production but did not alter the IL‐12 : IL‐10 ratio. Chronic FIV infection alters the ratio of immunoregulatory cytokines produced by BM‐DCs in response to certain pathogen‐derived signals, which is probably relevant to the increased risk of opportunistic infections seen in lentiviral infection.
A role of fukutin, a gene responsible for Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy, in cancer cells: a possible role to suppress cell proliferation
Authors: Yamamoto Tomoko , Kato Yoichiro , Shibata Noriyuki , Sawada Tatsuo , Osawa Makiko , Kobayashi Makio 
Published: September 2008

SummaryFukutin, a gene responsible for Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), is presumably related to the glycosylation of α‐dystroglycan (α‐DG), involved in basement membrane formation. Hypoglycosylation of α‐DG plays a key role for the pathogenesis of FCMD. On the other hand, fukutin and α‐DG are also expressed in various non‐neuromuscular tissues. Recently, a role of α‐DG as a cancer suppressor has been proposed, because of a decrease of glycosylated α‐DG in cancers. In this study, function of fukutin was investigated in two cancer cell lines, focusing on whether fukutin is involved in the glycosylation of α‐DG in cancer cells and has any possible roles related to a cancer suppressor. Localization of fukutin and a result of laminin‐binding assay after RNA interference suggest that fukutin may be involved in the glycosylation of α‐DG in a small portion in these cancer cell lines. In Western blotting and immuno‐electron microscopy, localization of fukutin in the nucleus was suggested in addition to the Golgi apparatus and/or endoplasmic reticulum. Immunohistochemically, there were more Ki‐67‐positive cells and more nuclear staining of phosphorylated c‐jun after knockdown of fukutin in two cell lines. Fukutin appears to suppress cell proliferation through a system involving c‐jun, although it is unclear this process is related to α‐DG or not at present. The result may propose a possibility of another function of fukutin in addition to the glycosylation of α‐DG in cancer cells.
Temporal evolution of epithelial, vascular and interstitial lung injury in an experimental model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis induced by butyl‐hydroxytoluene
Authors: Parra Edwin Roger , Boufelli Gabriela , Bertanha Fernanda , Samorano Luciana de Paula , Aguiar Junior Armando Costa , Costa Fernanda Magalhães Arantes , Capelozzi Vera Luiza , Barbas‐Filho João Valente 
Published: September 2008

SummaryThis study was undertaken to test whether the structural remodelling of pulmonary parenchyma can be sequentially altered in a model and method that demonstrate the progression of the disease and result in remodelling within the lungs that is typical of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Three groups of mice were studied: (i) animals that received 3‐5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxytoluene (BHT) and were killed after 2 weeks (early BHT = 9); (ii) animals that received BHT and were killed after 4 weeks (late BHT = 11); (iii) animals that received corn oil solution (control = 10). The mice were placed in a ventilated Plexiglas chamber with a mixture of pure humidified oxygen and compressed air. Lung histological sections underwent haematoxylin–eosin, immunohistochemistry (epithelial, endothelial and immune cells) and specific staining (collagen/elastic fibres) methods for morphometric analysis. When compared with the control group, early BHT and late BHT groups showed significant decrease of type II pneumocytes, lower vascular density in both and higher endothelial activity. CD4 was increased in late BHT compared with early and control groups, while CD8, macrophage and neutrophil cells were more prominent only in early BHT. The collagenous fibre density were significantly higher only in late BHT, whereas elastic fibre content in late BHT was lower than that in control group. We conclude that the BHT experimental model is pathologically very similar to human usual interstitial pneumonia. This feature is important in the identification of animal models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis that can accurately reflect the pathogenesis and progression of the human disease.
L‐arginine ameliorates experimental autoimmune myocarditis by maintaining extracellular matrix and reducing cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes
Authors: Okabe Taka‐aki , Hattori Miki , Yuan Zuyi , Kishimoto Chiharu 
Published: September 2008

SummaryIt was previously shown that administration of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) aggravated murine viral myocarditis by increasing myocardial virus titres. Experimental autoimmune myocarditis in mice and rats mimics human fulminant myocarditis. The effects of l‐arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide, upon heart failure in experimental autoimmune myocarditis were evaluated. Dietary l‐arginine (l‐arginine group) and l‐arginine plus NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐arginine + l‐NAME group) were administered to C57BL/6 mice immunized with porcine cardiac myosin over 3 weeks. An untreated myocarditis group was prepared. Cardiac damage was less in the l‐arginine group compared with the other two groups, as was incidence of heart failure. In addition, extracellular matrix change was less prominent in the l‐arginine group. Plasma concentrations of nitric oxide were elevated in the l‐arginine group. Cytotoxic activities of lymphocytes were lower in l‐arginine group than in other two groups. l‐arginine treatment may be effective in preventing the development of heart failure in experimental myocarditis by maintaining extracellular matrix and reducing the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes.
Investigating the physiological responses of patients listening to music in the intensive care unit
Authors: Chan Moon Fai , Chung Yuet Foon Loretta , Chung Siu Wai Anne , Lee On Kei Angela 
Published: September 2008

Aims.  To determine whether definable subtypes exist within a cohort of patients listening to music with regard to their physiological patterns and to compare whether associated factors vary between subjects in groups with different profiles.Background.  The intensive care unit (ICU) is one of the most stressful environments for patients among various clinical settings in a hospital. ICU patients are not only compromised by illness but also faced with a wide range of stressors.Design.  A repeated‐measures design was conducted with one music group.Method.  One hundred and one patients were recruited in three intensive care units in Hong Kong. There were two main outcome variables: demographic characteristics and physiological outcomes.Results.  A cluster analysis yielded two clusters. Patients in cluster 1 typically experienced relatively low therapeutic effects from listening to music. There were more males, of a younger age but more educated and employed than patients in cluster 2, and they represented 41·6% of the total respondents. Cluster 2 comprised almost 58·4% of this study sample and they reported high therapeutic effects of music. There were more females in this group as well as more older people and they mainly used a ventilator in the intensive care unit.Conclusion.  Our study shows that music may have a more positive effect on groups of patients whose profile is similar to that of the patients in cluster 2, than for patients such as those in cluster 1. A clear profile may help health professionals to design appropriate care therapy to target a specific group of patients to improve their physiological outcomes.Relevance to clinical practice.  The implication of this study is that music therapy should be provided to patients as a relaxation technique if they are willing to accept it, and the selection of music should be based on their preferences. Information should be given to patients so that they can understand how music therapy works and they should be encouraged to focus their attention on listening to the music to maximise its benefits.
Rice Indeterminate 1 (OsId1) is necessary for the expression of Ehd1 (Early heading date 1) regardless of photoperiod
Authors: Park Soon Ju , Kim Song Lim , Lee Shinyoung , Je Byoung Il , Piao Hai Long , Park Sung Han , Kim Chul Min , Ryu Choong‐Hwan , Park Su Hyun , Xuan Yuan‐hu , Colasanti Joseph , An Gynheung , Han Chang‐deok 
Published: September 2008

Summary Indeterminate 1 (Id1), a classical flowering gene first reported in 1946, is one of the earliest genes whose expression in leaf tissues affects the floral transition in the shoot meristem. How Id1 is integrated into the flowering process is largely unknown. In this study, we examined the genetic action of the rice (Oryza sativa) ortholog OsId1. In rice, OsId1 is preferentially expressed in young leaves, but the overall expression pattern is broader than that in maize (Zea mays). OsId1 is able to activate transcription in yeast. RNAi mutants show a delay in flowering under both short‐day (SD) and long‐day (LD) conditions. OsId1 regulates the expression of Ehd1 (Early heading date 1) and its downstream genes, including Hd3a (a rice ortholog of FT) and RFT1 (Rice Flowering Locus T1), under both SD and LD conditions. In rice, the expression of Ehd1 is also controlled by the photoperiodic flowering genes OsGI (a rice ortholog of GI) and OsMADS51. However, the expression of OsId1 is independent of OsGI, OsMADS51, and OsMADS50 (a rice SOC1 ortholog). This study demonstrates that the activation of Ehd1 by OsId1 is required for the promotion of flowering.
ABCB19/PGP19 stabilises PIN1 in membrane microdomains in Arabidopsis
Authors: Titapiwatanakun Boosaree , Blakeslee Joshua J. , Bandyopadhyay Anindita , Yang Haibing , Mravec Jozef , Sauer Michael , Cheng Yan , Adamec Jiri , Nagashima Akitomo , Geisler Markus , Sakai Tatsuya , Friml Jiri , Peer Wendy Ann , Murphy Angus S. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryAuxin transport is mediated at the cellular level by three independent mechanisms that are characterised by the PIN‐formed (PIN), P‐glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP) and AUX/LAX transport proteins. The PIN and ABCB transport proteins, best represented by PIN1 and ABCB19 (PGP19), have been shown to coordinately regulate auxin efflux. When PIN1 and ABCB19 coincide on the plasma membrane, their interaction enhances the rate and specificity of auxin efflux and the dynamic cycling of PIN1 is reduced. However, ABCB19 function is not regulated by the dynamic cellular trafficking mechanisms that regulate PIN1 in apical tissues, as localisation of ABCB19 on the plasma membrane was not inhibited by short‐term treatments with latrunculin B, oryzalin, brefeldin A (BFA) or wortmannin – all of which have been shown to alter PIN1 and/or PIN2 plasma membrane localisation. When taken up by endocytosis, the styryl dye FM4‐64 labels diffuse rather than punctuate intracellular bodies in abcb19 (pgp19), and some aggregations of PIN1 induced by short‐term BFA treatment did not disperse after BFA washout in abcb19. Although the subcellular localisations of ABCB19 and PIN1 in the reciprocal mutant backgrounds were like those in wild type, PIN1 plasma membrane localisation in abcb19 roots was more easily perturbed by the detergent Triton X‐100, but not other non‐ionic detergents. ABCB19 is stably associated with sterol/sphingolipid‐enriched membrane fractions containing BIG/TIR3 and partitions into Triton X‐100 detergent‐resistant membrane (DRM) fractions. In the wild type, PIN1 was also present in DRMs, but was less abundant in abcb19 DRMs. These observations suggested a rationale for the observed lack of auxin transport activity when PIN1 is expressed in a non‐plant heterologous system. PIN1 was therefore expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has plant‐like sterol‐enriched microdomains, and catalysed auxin transport in these cells. These data suggest that ABCB19 stabilises PIN1 localisation at the plasma membrane in discrete cellular subdomains where PIN1 and ABCB19 expression overlaps.
SRFR1, a suppressor of effector‐triggered immunity, encodes a conserved tetratricopeptide repeat protein with similarity to transcriptional repressors
Authors: Kwon Soon Il , Kim Sang Hee , Bhattacharjee Saikat , Noh Jae‐Jong , Gassmann Walter 
Published: September 2008

SummaryEffector‐triggered immunity provides plants with strong protection from pathogens. However, this response has the potential to be highly deleterious to the host and needs to be tightly controlled. The molecular mechanisms in the plant that regulate the balance between activation and suppression of resistance are not fully understood. Previously, we identified Arabidopsis suppressor of rps4‐RLD 1 (srfr1) mutants with enhanced resistance to the bacterial effector AvrRps4. These mutants were recessive and retained full susceptibility to virulent bacteria, suggesting that SRFR1 functions as a negative regulator and that AvrRps4‐triggered immunity was specifically enhanced in the mutants. Consistent with this, we show here that the response to flagellin, an elicitor of basal resistance, is unaltered in srfr1‐1. In contrast, resistance to AvrRps4 in srfr1‐1 requires EDS1, a central regulator of effector‐triggered immunity via multiple resistance genes. SRFR1 is a single‐copy gene encoding a pioneer tetratricopeptide repeat protein conserved between plants and animals. The SRFR1 tetratricopeptide repeat domain shows sequence similarity to those of transcriptional repressors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans. Indeed, a sub‐pool of SRFR1 transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf cells localizes to the nucleus. Identification of SRFR1 may therefore provide insight into the regulation of the transcriptional reprogramming that is activated by effector‐triggered immunity.
Comparison of transperitoneal and retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma: A single‐center experience of 100 cases
Authors: Okegawa Takatsugu , Noda Haruhisa , Horie Shigeo , Nutahara Kikuo , Higashihara Eiji 
Published: September 2008

Objectives:  To report our experience with the retroperitoneal and transperitoneal approaches of laparoscopic nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Methods:  Between July 2001 and December 2007, 100 patients with RCC underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy at our institution for clinically localized RCC. Fifty‐three patients received a retroperitoneal procedure and 47 received a transperitoneal procedure. The perioperative and oncological outcomes of these groups were reviewed retrospectively.Results:  Mean follow up was 34 months. No statistically significant difference was found between the two approaches in terms of pathological stage, operative time, need for additional procedures such as adrenalectomy and/or lymph node sampling, estimated blood loss, need for blood transfusions, analgesic requirement, length of hospital stay, or the incidence of minor or major complications. The 5‐year disease‐free survival rate was 90% for both the retroperitoneal and transperitoneal procedures. The 5‐year overall survival rates were 98% and 96%, respectively. Therefore, no significant difference was observed in the long‐term oncological outcome between the two groups.Conclusions:  Tumor control and surgical morbidity in laparoscopic radical nephrectomy seem not to be significantly influenced by the approach.
Pharmacological prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in contemporary radical retropubic prostatectomy: Does concomitant pelvic lymphadenectomy matter?
Authors: Jessie Benjamin C , Marshall Fray F 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe prevention of venous thromboembolism is a major concern in cancer patients undergoing pelvic surgery. Radical retropubic prostatectomy is a common treatment for localized prostate cancer and has been identified as a high risk procedure for postoperative venous thromboembolism. However, most patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in the current era have clinically localized, low volume disease and the risk of venous thromboembolism is very low. Multiple guidelines exist for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy and pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis is recommended. Most urological surgeons in the USA however, do not routinely utilize pharmacological prophylaxis. A major concern arises when radical retropubic prostatectomy is performed with a concomitant pelvic lymphadenectomy. Pharmacological prophylaxis is known to increase the rate of lymph drainage and the rate of lymphocele formation. Evidence suggests that lymphocele may be an independent risk factor for venous thromboembolism in the postoperative period. These factors raise concern over current guidelines calling for routine use of pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in radical retropubic prostatectomy especially when lymphadenectomy is performed simultaneously.
Predictors of discharge stability in the first year following hospital admission for a frail elderly population
Authors: Heppenstall C. P. , Hanger H. C. , Wilkinson T. J. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe frail elderly are a group of patients who are at high risk of institutionalization and death. Specialist older person’s health care aims to maximize function and independence. However, there is little published work on the long‐term outcomes following hospitalization in a frail elderly population. This study examines the outcomes in the first year after hospitalization for this group. We find that 62% are able to remain in their own homes and that functional status is the strongest predictor of outcome, with age and living arrangements also significant.
General physicians: born or made? The use of a tracking database to answer medical workforce questions
Authors: Poole P. , McHardy K. , Janssen A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBackground: The aim of the study was to use a tracking database to investigate the perceived influence of various factors on career choices of New Zealand medical graduates and to examine specifically whether experiences at medical school may have an effect on a decision to become a general physician.Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to medical students in the current University of Auckland programme at entry and exit points. The surveys have been completed by two entry cohorts and an exit one since 2006.Results: The response rates were 70 and 88% in the entry and exit groups, respectively. More than 75% of exiting students reported an interest in pursuing a career in general internal medicine. In 42%, this is a ‘strong interest’ in general medicine compared with 23% in the entry cohort (P < 0.0001). There is correlation between a positive experience in a clinical rotation and the reported level of interest in that specialty with those indicating a good experience likely to specify career intentions in that area. Having a positive experience in a clinical rotation, positive role models and flexibility in training are the most influential factors affecting career decisions in Auckland medical students. Only 11% of study respondents reported that student loan burden has a significant influence on career decisions.Conclusion: Quality experiences on attachments seem essential for undergraduates to promote interest in general medicine. There is potential for curriculum design and clinical experiences to be formulated to promote the ‘making’ of these doctors. Tracking databases will assist in answering some of these questions.
Circuits of Secularity or the Aesthetics of Religion in an Age of Cities and Citations
Authors: ELMORE MARK 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis article explores the circulation of contemporary discourses on religion and secularity in the western Himalayas. It traces a media circuit from Himachal Pradesh's remote villages to its urban centers and back again, using the circuit as a hermeneutic to illuminate how religion and the city become mutually constituted problems in need of definition, defense or reform. The conjoined circulation of ‘religion’ and ‘the city’— both as discursive products and as lived realities — has restructured how Himachalis understand, perform and problematize relations to local deities and the rites they enjoin as well as performances in and reflections on urban spaces and their rural exteriors. In this new circulatory system, the individual becomes the foundation of authority, the state trumps competing organizational forms, deities become metaphysical abstractions, particular beliefs are repurposed as religion, and villages emerge as ‘heritage’ to be promoted and observed. I use this argument to show why, despite the self‐evidence of religion's meaning for those mobilizing its powers, a stable definition must remain forever a chimera.RésuméCet article examine la circulation des discours contemporains sur la religion et la sécularité dans l’Ouest de l’Himalaya. Il retrace un circuit de médias qui va et revient entre les villages reculés et les centres urbains de l’Himachal Pradesh, en utilisant ce circuit comme herméneutique pour expliquer comment la religion et la ville deviennent des enjeux qui se constituent mutuellement et qui appellent à une définition, une défense ou une réforme. La circulation conjointe de “la religion” et de “la ville”— toutes deux étant des produits discursifs et des réalités vécues — a restructuré la manière dont les Himachalis comprennent, pratiquent et considèrent les relations à l’égard des divinités locales et des rites prescrits ainsi que les célébrations et les matérialisations dans les espaces urbains et leurs extérieurs ruraux. Dans ce nouveau réseau de circulation, l’individu devient le fondement de l’autorité, l’État prévaut sur les formes organisationnelles concurrentes, les divinités deviennent des abstractions métaphysiques, des convictions particulières refinalisées en religion, et les villages apparaissent comme un “patrimoine”à promouvoir et respecter. À partir de cet argumentaire, il est montré pourquoi, malgré l’évidence intrinsèque de la signification de la religion pour ceux qui mobilisent ses pouvoirs, une définition stable doit rester une chimère à jamais.