bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High‐resolution MAS NMR spectroscopy detection of the spin magnetization exchange by cross‐relaxation and chemical exchange in intact cell lines and human tissue specimens
Authors: Chen Jin‐Hong , Sambol Elliot B. , DeCarolis Penelope , O'Connor Rachael , Geha Rula C. , Wu Yuhsin V. , Singer Samuel 
Published: May 2006

AbstractHigh‐resolution magic‐angle‐spinning (HR‐MAS) NMR spectroscopy detects resolved signals from membrane phospholipids and proteins in intact cell and tissue samples. MAS has the additional advantage of quenching spin‐diffusion through a mutual “flip‐flop” of neighbor spins by time‐independent dipolar coupling as long as the dipolar coupling is “inhomogeneous.” Under MAS, significant magnetization transfer (MT) was observed between water and each proton site in membrane phospholipid and between water and the NMR‐observable protein proton signals. The MT rates between water and membrane phospholipids are lower than those between water and protein proton signals. The interaction of water to other small molecules is selective with the observation of MT from water to creatine, lactate, taurine, and glycine, but not to triglyceride, phosphocholine, choline, or myo‐inositol. HR‐MAS NMR allows the detection of a complete MT network between water and each proton group of creatine. Two creatine pools (one motion‐restricted and one motion‐free) were identified in skeletal muscle. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In vitro antiproliferative effect of six Salvia species on human tumor cell lines
Authors: Fiore Giovina , Nencini Cristina , Cavallo Federica , Capasso Anna , Bader Ammar , Giorgi Giorgio , Micheli Lucia 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis study was designed to examine the in vitro antiproliferative activity of the methanol crude extracts of six Salvia species: Salvia dominica L. leaves, Salvia lanigera Desf. aerial parts, Salvia menthaefolia Ten. roots, Salvia palaestina Benth. aerial parts, Salvia sclarea L. roots and Salvia spinosa L. aerial parts. Extracts were screened for their possible antitumoral activity by MTT test on nine human cancer cell lines: glioblastoma (DBTRG‐05MG, T98G, U‐87MG), colorectal adenocarcinoma (WiDr and HT‐29), prostate adenocarcinoma (MDA Pca2b), choriocarcinoma (JEG‐3), endometrium adenocarcinoma (HEC‐1A) and B lymphoblast (CIR).IC50 values were determined for only five extracts and ranged from 90 to 400 mg/mL approximately. Salvia menthaefolia extract exhibited marked antiproliferative activity against all tumor cell lines showing lower IC50 values, while S. spinosa, S. sclarea and S. dominica extracts showed a degree cytotoxic activity dependent on the cell line type. Finally S. palaestina extract revealed a moderate antiproliferative effect only against three cell lines. Salvia lanigera extract displayed toxic activity at all concentrations tested.The results strengthen the evidence that the genus Salvia could be considered a natural resource of potential antitumor agents. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of non‐covalent complexes of HIV‐1 promoter DNA and polyamides containing N‐methylpyrrole by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Li Huihui , Yuan Gu 
Published: May 2006

AbstractEight novel polyamides containing N‐methylpyrrole were designed to target the sequence (5′‐CTGCATATAAGCAG‐3′/5′‐CTGCTTATATGCAG‐3′) of the TATA box element of the HIV‐1 promoter DNA. The non‐covalent complexes of the promoter DNA and the polyamides were investigated by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, which provided strong evidence for the binding of the novel polyamides to the sequence of the TATA box element. It also revealed that polyamide 2 (PyPyPyPyβDp), a potent binder of HIV‐1 promoter DNA and a lead molecule for the design of new anti‐HIV‐1 drugs, had the highest binding affinity with the TATA box element DNA among these polyamides by examining the stoichiometry and the selectivity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simple Method for the Stretching and Alignment of Single Adsorbed Synthetic Polycations
Authors: Bocharova Vera , Kiriy Anton , Stamm Manfred , Stoffelbach Francois , Jérôme Robert , Detrembleur Christophe 
Published: May 2006

AbstractSpin‐coating of isolated positively charged macromolecules onto mica in the presence of octylamine was found to be a simple and general method of stretching and aligning the macromolecular chains. The contour length and molar mass for the stretched macromolecules can be directly measured by atomic force microscopy, which makes this method a very useful analytical tool. Moreover, the molecular height is increased by co‐deposition with octylamine, which drastically improves the molecular resolution and allows even ultrathin polycations to be visualized. The reason for the key role of the octylamine is found in the formation of an ultrathin liquidlike alkylamine film, which reduces the surface energy of mica and weakens the interactions between the surface and the charged macromolecules.
Covering ENT out of hours: how confident are senior house officers?
Authors: Davis S J , McDonald S 
Published: May 2006

Background: The implementation of the European working time directive has led to an increase in cross-speciality out-of-hours cover. This survey illustrates ENT out-of-hours cover arrangements and assesses the implications for senior house officers (SHOs) responsible for managing emergencies.Methods: A telephone survey of 100 ENT departments was conducted, asking the on-call SHO about departmental structure, on-call rota design, their previous ENT experience, access to SHO training and their confidence in managing emergencies.Results: 44 per cent of departments used only ENT SHOs on the on-call rota. 73 per cent always had an ENT middle grade on call. In 60 per cent of hospitals, the ENT consultant was sometimes on call with only a non-ENT SHO. At the time of the study, 5 per cent of SHOs had no ENT experience, no access to training, were not confident in managing simple emergencies and were on-call without middle-grade cover.Conclusion: The current junior on-call structure for ENT has implications for patient management.
Steady nonlinear electrostatic plasma wave in a weak transverse magnetic field
Authors: KRASOVSKY V.L. 
Published: May 2006

Abstract.The structure of a stationary electrostatic plasma wave propagating at a right angle to a weak magnetic field is studied. It is shown that the periodic finite amplitude wave is close in its physical structure to Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal wave of a perfectly definite type. The distinguishing feature of such a nonlinear wave is the absence of the resonant particles trapped by the wave. The electron distribution function, density perturbation and the shape of the wave electrostatic potential are found. The nonlinear dispersion relation is derived to determine the frequency shift due to the perturbation of the distribution function in the resonant region.
The crystal structure of human receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase κ phosphatase domain 1
Authors: Eswaran Jeyanthy , Debreczeni Judit É. , Longman Emma , Barr Alastair J. , Knapp Stefan 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe receptor‐type protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) are integral membrane proteins composed of extracellular adhesion molecule‐like domains, a single transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain. The cytoplasmic domain consists of tandem PTP domains, of which the D1 domain is enzymatically active. RPTPκ is a member of the R2A/IIb subfamily of RPTPs along with RPTPμ, RPTPρ, and RPTPλ. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of catalytically active, monomeric D1 domain of RPTPκ at 1.9 Å. Structural comparison with other PTP family members indicates an overall classical PTP architecture of twisted mixed β‐sheets flanked by α‐helices, in which the catalytically important WPD loop is in an unhindered open conformation. Though the residues forming the dimeric interface in the RPTPμ structure are all conserved, they are not involved in the protein–protein interaction in RPTPκ. The N‐terminal β‐strand, formed by βx association with βy, is conserved only in RPTPs but not in cytosolic PTPs, and this feature is conserved in the RPTPκ structure forming a β‐strand. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies show that the presence of reducing agents and higher ionic strength are necessary to maintain RPTPκ as a monomer. In this family the crystal structure of catalytically active RPTPμ D1 was solved as a dimer, but the dimerization was proposed to be a consequence of crystallization since the protein was monomeric in solution. In agreement, we show that RPTPκ is monomeric in solution and crystal structure.
Enhanced automated function prediction using distantly related sequences and contextual association by PFP
Authors: Hawkins Troy , Luban Stanislav , Kihara Daisuke 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe impetus for the recent development and emergence of automated function prediction methods is an exponentially growing flood of new experimental data, the interpretation of which is hindered by a shortage of reliable annotations for proteins that lack experimental characterization or significant homologs in current databases. Here we introduce PFP, an automated function prediction server that provides the most probable annotations for a query sequence in each of the three branches of the Gene Ontology: biological process, molecular function, and cellular component. Rather than utilizing precise pattern matching to identify functional motifs in the sequences and structures of these proteins, we designed PFP to increase the coverage of function annotation by lowering resolution of predictions when a detailed function is not predictable. To do this we extend a traditional PSI‐BLAST search by extracting and scoring annotations (GO terms) individually, including annotations from distantly related sequences, and applying a novel data mining tool, the Function Association Matrix, to score strongly associated pairs of annotations. We show that PFP can correctly assign function using only weakly similar sequences with a significantly better accuracy and coverage than a standard PSI‐BLAST search, improving it more than fivefold. The most descriptive annotations predicted by PFP (GO depth ≥8) can identify a significant subgraph in the GO with >60% accuracy and ∼100% coverage for our benchmark set. We also provide examples of the superb performance of PFP in an assessment of automated function prediction servers at the Automated Function Prediction Special Interest Group meeting at ISMB 2005 (AFP‐SIG '05).
Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical characterization of immortalized odontoblast MO6‐G3
Authors: Mesgouez C. , Oboeuf M. , Mauro N. , Colon P. , MacDougall M. , Machtou P. , Sautier J. M. , Berdal A. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractAim  To investigate an immortalized murine odontoblast cell line as a potential alternative for experimental studies on dentinogenesis.Methodology  The MO6‐G3 cell line was investigated morphologically over 3, 7, 11 and 42 days of culture, using histochemical localization of dentine sialoprotein (DSP), alkaline phosphatase (AP), type I collagen and actin filaments, histoenzymatic staining and biochemical investigation of AP and finally, transmission and scanning electron microscopy.Results  Scanning electron micrographs showed elongated cells. Accordingly, a polarized organization of odontoblasts was observed by transmission electron microscopy, identifying distinct subcellular compartments as described in vivo. The secretion apparatus, which includes cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus saccules and secretion vesicles and granules, was longitudinally organized in the supranuclear compartment ending distally in the secretory pole. A cellular process was observed. The investigation of the cytoskeleton network revealed that actin microfilaments were organized in parallel stress fibre oriented depending on the longitudinal axis of the cytoplasm. Immunofluorescent labelling showed a continuous expression of type I collagen, DSP and AP. A unipolar distribution characterized intracellular DSP immunoreactivity. Histoenzymology revealed AP active sites increasing from 3 to 11 days albeit with a moderate level of activity comparatively to the in vivo situation in dental cells.Conclusion  This cell line MO6‐G3 not only showed the criteria of odontoblast phenotype as previously reported but also the characteristic morphodifferentiation pattern of polarized odontoblasts at the cellular level but with an apparent random distribution.
Black hair follicular dysplasia in Large Münsterländer dogs: clinical, histological and ultrastructural features
Authors: Von Bomhard Wolf , Mauldin Elizabeth A. , Schmutz Sheila M. , Leeb Tosso , Casal Margret L. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractFour Large Münsterländer cross‐bred dogs affected with black hair follicular dysplasia (BHFD) and one unaffected control littermate were observed, and skin was sampled weekly over the first 19 weeks of life. Affected dogs were born with silvery grey hair, a consequence of melanin clumping in the hair shafts. Hair bulb melanocytes were densely pigmented, and contained abundant stage IV melanosomes but adjacent matrix keratinocytes lacked melanosomes. Melanin clumping was not prominent in epidermal melanocytes in the haired skin but occurred in the foot pads. Follicular changes progressed from bulbar clumping, clumping in the isthmus/infundibulum and finally to dysplastic hair shafts. Alopecia developed progressively in pigmented areas.Silver‐grey hair, melanin clumping, accumulation of stage IV melanosomes within melanocytes and insufficient melanin transfer to adjacent keratinocytes are also classic features of human Griscelli syndrome. The underlying cause in Griscelli syndrome is a defect of melanocytic intracellular transport proteins leading to inadequate and disorganized melanosome transfer to keratinocytes with resultant melanin clumping. In view of the correlation in the phenotype, histology and ultrastructure between both disorders, a defect in intracellular melanosome transport is postulated as the pathogenic mechanism in BHFD.
Biological activity, availability and duration of phytotoxicity for imazamox in four different soils of central Italy
Authors: PANNACCI E , ONOFRI A , COVARELLI G 
Published: May 2006

SummaryGreenhouse bioassays were carried out from 1999 to 2002 on several types of soils of central Italy to assess the carry‐over risk of imazamox residues to non‐target crops. No observable effect levels (NOELs) were determined on quartz sand; sugar beet showed the highest sensitivity to imazamox (NOEL 0.4–0.8 ng a.i. mL−1 of substrate), followed by spinach, oilseed rape, fennel, cauliflower and lettuce (NOELs from 1 to 5 ng a.i. mL−1 of substrate). Wheat, sunflower, grain sorghum and maize were not very sensitive to this herbicide. Imazamox availability was greatest on sandy soils and decreased in soils with high clay or organic carbon content, where herbicide efficiency was less than 50%, with respect to non‐sorptive media. The decline of herbicide efficiency was quick in sandy soils, where herbicide efficiency dropped to 50% in less than 3 days. In clay‐loam or organic soils, 50% relative efficiency was reached in 15–33 days. Such results suggest that imazamox sprayed at normal field application rates can pose slight risks of carry‐over of residues, which may damage very sensitive species (sugar beet, oilseed rape and spinach) in sandy soils. In these cases, safe recropping intervals of 1–3 months are required, so current label guidelines for imazamox are adequate to protect rotational vegetable crops in central Italy.
Effects of host plant genotype and seedbank density on Striga reproduction
Authors: RODENBURG J , BASTIAANS L , KROPFF M J , VAN AST A 
Published: May 2006

SummaryPrevention of seed input to the seedbank of Striga hermonthica‐infested fields is an important objective of Striga management. In three consecutive years of field experimentation in Mali, Striga reproduction was studied for 10 sorghum genotypes at infestation levels ranging from 30 000 to 200 000 seeds m−2. Host resistance was identified as an important determinant of Striga reproduction, with the most resistant genotypes (N13, IS9830 and SRN39) reducing Striga reproduction by 70–93% compared with the most susceptible genotype (CK60‐B). Seedbank density had a significant effect on Striga seed production. Higher seedbank density resulted in more Striga plants, which led to increased intra‐specific competition and consequently a reduced level of reproduction per plant. For the most susceptible sorghum genotypes, density dependence also occurred in the earlier belowground stages. Striga reproduction continued beyond harvest. At the high infestation level just 8% of the total reproduction was realised after harvest, whereas at the low infestation level 39% was attained after harvest. Even though host‐plant genotype plays a significant role in Striga reproduction, calculations indicated that only at very low infestation levels the use of the most resistant genotype was able to lower the Striga seedbank.
Fusion of CpG‐ODN‐stimulating dendritic cells with Lewis lung cancer cells can enhance anti‐tumor immune responses
Authors: Du Y.‐C. , Lin P. , Zhang J. , Lu Y.‐R. , Ning Q.‐Z. , Wang Q. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractImmunogenicity of tumor cells is generally weak. Therefore, dendritic cells (DCs) have been used to boost anti‐tumor responses of DC‐based vaccines. DC function is highly dependent on its subsets and the level of its maturation. Nowadays, DC/tumor cell fusion vaccines are already used in clinical trials, and there are numerous studies discussing the effects of cytidine‐phosphate‐guanosine‐containing oligonucleotides (CpG‐ODN) on various cell types including DC. CpG‐ODN a powerful immuno‐stimulant can drive DCs fully mature, thus improve the efficacy of vaccine therapy. There are two simple ways to help load tumor antigens onto DCs by direct contact with cells themselves: fusion or co‐culture of DCs with whole tumor cells. In this study, we combined these two approaches to improve the efficacy of DC/tumor cell‐based vaccine. Mature DCs are adept at presenting processed Ag to T cells with loss of its capacity to capture Ag, while immature DCs are on the contrary. Our results emphasize the necessity of considering the stage of DC maturation and corresponding choice of tumor antigen delivery when designing approaches for prophylaxis or therapy of tumors using DC‐based immunization protocols. We used CpG‐ODN‐1826‐stimulated mature DCs and non‐CpG‐ODN‐stimulating DCs as sources of tumor antigen carriers to investigate the appropriate Ag‐loading ways between fusion and co‐culture. Our results displayed that DC/tumor vaccine using CpG‐ODN‐stimulating mature DCs fused, not co‐cultured, with tumor cells can generate a consistent and highly effective anti‐tumor immune responses in vivo.
Promoter region ‐318 C/ T and ‐1661 A/G CTLA‐4 single nucleotide polymorphisms and type 1 diabetes in North Indians
Authors: Baniasadi V. , Narain N. , Goswami R. , Das S. N. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractSingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CTLA‐4 gene have been associated with manifestation of type 1 diabetes in several populations. We assessed the association of five SNPs present in the CTLA‐4 gene [‐318C/T, ‐1661A/G and ‐1722C/T in the promoter region, +49A/G in exon 1 and CT60 in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) region] with type 1 diabetes in North Indian subjects. Genotyping was performed in the patients (n = 130) and the healthy control (n = 180) subjects by polymerase chain reaction‐fragment length polymorphism analysis using MseI, BbvI, BstEII and NcoI restriction endonucleases for the ‐318, ‐1661, ‐1722, +49 and CT60 SNPs, respectively. The frequency of G alleles at ‐1661 locus was significantly higher in the patient group compared with the control subjects. Although the frequency of T alleles at ‐318 SNP was significantly higher in patients with type 1 diabetes compared with the controls, it did not remain significant after Bonferroni correction for the number of alleles tested. The frequencies of C/T alleles and genotypes at ‐1722C/T and G allele at +49A/G and CT60 SNPs were not significantly different between the patient and the control groups. Of the various possible haplotypes constructed using the five genetic loci tested (‐318, ‐1661, ‐1722, +49, CT60), the frequency of ‘TGTAG’ haplotype was significantly higher in the patients when compared with the controls. The results of the present study indicate that the presence of G allele at ‐1661 locus at the CTLA‐4 gene (IDDM12 locus) is associated with increased susceptibility to type 1 diabetes in North Indians, whereas A allele is protective.
Experimental manipulations of microbial food web interactions in a humic lake: shifting biological drivers of bacterial community structure
Authors: Kent Angela D. , Jones Stuart E. , Lauster George H. , Graham James M. , Newton Ryan J. , McMahon Katherine D. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryA previous multiyear study observed correlations between bacterioplankton community composition (BCC) and abundance and the dynamics of phytoplankton populations and bacterivorous grazers in a humic lake. These observations generated hypotheses about the importance of trophic interactions (both top‐down and bottom‐up) for structuring bacterial communities in this lake, which were tested using two multifactorial food web manipulation experiments that separately manipulated the intensity of grazing and the composition of the phytoplankton community. Our results, combined with field observations, suggest that a hierarchy of drivers structures bacterial communities in this lake. While other studies have noted links between aggregate measures of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton communities, we demonstrate here correlations between succession of phytoplankton assemblages and BCC as assessed by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). We used a novel approach linking community ARISA data to phylogenetic assignments from sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries to examine the responses of specific bacterial phylotypes to the experimental manipulations. The synchronous dynamics of these populations suggests that primary producers may mediate BCC and diversity through labile organic matter production, which evolves in quality and quantity during phytoplankton succession. Superimposed on this resource‐mediated control of BCC are brief periods of intense bacterivory that impact bacterial abundance and composition.
GENDER AND ETHICS COMMITTEES: WHERE’S THE ‘DIFFERENT VOICE’?
Authors: DICKENSON DONNA 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTProminent international and national ethics commissions such as the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee rarely achieve anything remotely resembling gender equality, although local research and clinical ethics committees are somewhat more egalitarian. Under‐representation of women is particularly troubling when the subject matter of modern bioethics so disproportionately concerns women’s bodies, and when such committees claim to derive ‘universal’ standards. Are women missing from many ethics committees because of relatively straightforward, if discriminatory, demographic factors? Or are the methods of analysis and styles of ethics to which these bodies are committed somehow ‘anti‐female’? It has been argued, for example, that there is a ‘different voice’ in ethical reasoning, not confined to women but more representative of female experience. Similarly, some feminist writers, such as Evelyn Fox Keller and Donna Haraway, have asked difficult epistemological questions about the dominant ‘masculine paradigm’ in science. Perhaps the dominant paradigm in ethics committee deliberation is similarly gendered? This article provides a preliminary survey of women’s representation on ethics committees in eastern and western Europe, a critical analysis of the supposed ‘masculinism’ of the principlist approach, and a case example in which a ‘different voice’ did indeed make a difference.