bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of prognosis in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy
Authors: Duran Nilüfer , Günes Hacı , Duran Ibrahim , Biteker Murat , Özkan Mehmet 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the long‐term follow‐up results of patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy and assess the echocardiographic findings relating to prognosis at time of diagnosis.MethodsThirty‐three patients diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy and hospitalized between 1995 and 2007 were analyzed. Initial echocardiographic data were recorded and long‐term clinical status was evaluated.ResultsEight (24%) patients recovered completely, 10 (30%) died, 2 (6%) underwent heart transplants, and 13 (39%) were left with persistent left ventricular dysfunction. Cut‐off values for initial left ventricular end‐systolic diameter (≤ 5.5 cm) and left ventricular ejection fraction (> 27%) were obtained from patients who had completely recovered.ConclusionCut‐off values for initial left ventricular ejection fraction of > 27% and left ventricular end‐systolic diameter of ≤ 5.5 cm may predict recovery of left ventricle function.
Reducing exercise-induced muscular injury in kendo athletes with supplementation of coenzyme Q10
Authors: Kon Michihiro , Tanabe Kai , Akimoto Takayuki , Kimura Fuminori , Tanimura Yuko , Shimizu Kazuhiro , Okamoto Tadashi , Kono Ichiro 
Published: February 2008

Intensive physical exercise may cause muscular injury and increase oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), on muscular injury and oxidative stress during exercise training. Eighteen male students, all elite Japanese kendo athletes, were randomly assigned to either a CoQ10 group (n 10) or a placebo group (n 8) in a double-blind manner. Subjects in the CoQ10 group took 300 mg CoQ10 per d for 20 d, while subjects in the placebo group took the same dosage of a placebo. All subjects practised kendo 5·5 h per d for 6 d during the experimental period. Blood samples were taken 2 weeks before, during (1 d, 3 d, 5 d) and 1 week after the training. Serum creatine kinase (CK) activity and myoglobin (Mb) concentration significantly increased in both groups (at 3 d and 5 d). Serum CK (at 3 d), Mb (at 3 d) and lipid peroxide (at 3 d and 5 d) of the CoQ10 group were lower than those of the placebo group. The leucocyte counts in the placebo group significantly increased (at 3 d) and neutrophils significantly increased in both groups (at 3 d and 5 d). Serum scavenging activity against superoxide anion did not change in either group. These results indicate that CoQ10 supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscular injury in athletes.
The Objections to Transfer of Criminal Jurisdiction to the UN Tribunal
Authors: Fox Hazel 
Published: February 2008

In a previous issue of this Quarterly Colin Warbrick gave an exposition of the British Order in Council (The United Nations (International Tribunal) (Former Yugoslavia) Order 1996) which implements Security Council Resolution 827. This note gives an alternative view of the scope and legality of that Order.Why. it may be said, should anyone want to raise objection to the Order in Council implementing Resolution 827 when it merely introduced a procedure which ensures war criminals (whether Serb, Croat, or Bosnian) seeking refuge in Britain are promptly handed over to face justice?The answer is that, whilst the immediate purpose of the Order in Council may be unobjectionable, the means by which it has been achieved are out of proportion to that purpose, and open the door to further unconsidered transfers of national powers.
Mass Property Claim Resolution in a Post-War Society: The Commission for Real Property Claims in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Van Houtte Hans 
Published: February 2008

The restoration of the pre-war property fights of displaced persons and refugees is critical to restore the peace.This is particularly true for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The devastating impact of the war which ravaged Bosnia from 1992 until 1995 has left a third of the housing stock destroyed or otherwise uninhabitable. The systematic practice of ethnic cleansing forced Bosniacs, Croats and Serbs to seek shelter in areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina where their ethnic group was in the majority or to seek refuge abroad.1More than half the 4.5 million the pre-war population of Bosnia and Herzegovina fled their homes in search of safety during the course of the war. According to recent estimates from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, over 800,000 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina are still abroad today.2Within Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 800,000 people remain displaced from their pre-conflict homes.3
The beginning and the end of the Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr
Authors: De Jong Albert 
Published: February 2008

AbstractDifferent readings of the first and the last phrase of the short Middle Persian text Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr are suggested; these show that its beginning and end are not as strange or exceptional as is suggested in its latest edition. In particular, it is argued here that a Middle Persian translation of the title of the ‘Abbāsid caliph al-Manṣūr can be found in the text.
Popular visual language as global communication: the remediation of United Airlines Flight 93
Authors: WEBER CYNTHIA 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article argues that while the linguistic turn in mainstream IR is important in broadening how IR approaches global communications, the linguistic turn has its limitations because mainstream IR tends to, in Mattelart’s terms, ‘ex-communicate’ the visual from the linguistic. This is highly problematic, considering, firstly, that popular visual language is increasingly the language that amateurs and experts rely upon in order to claim contemporary literacy and, secondly, that much politics is conducted through popular visual language. If the challenge of this Special Issue is to think about how to bring the discipline of IR to meaningful, political life, then a very good place to start is by asking mainstream IR (again) to take popular visual language seriously as an important aspect of contemporary global communication. This article makes this demand of the discipline of IR. It does so by presenting a case-study – the official US remediation of United Airlines Flight 93 – as an illustration of how contemporary global communications move from the textual to the visual and of what is lost in not taking this move seriously. In particular, it claims that by failing to analyse popular visual language as integral to global communications, mainstream IR risks misunderstanding contemporary subjectivity, spatiality, and temporality.
Transversal communication, diaspora, and the Euro-Kurds
Authors: SOGUK NEVZAT 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe International Relations discipline (IR) has been uniquely resistant to practices and knowledges aimed at broadening the horizons of IR’s subjects. The discipline has worked to incarcerate its subjects in a location of analysis – spatially Cartesian and politically state-oriented – conditioned to ignore the transnational and transversal formations that have become central to politics. However, this disciplining has also engendered counter-movements pressuring the well-rehearsed disciplinary horizons. This article explores such movements through the Kurdish diaspora in Europe. It regards Kurdish diasporic formations as transversal practices that communicate against the disciplinary boundaries imposed upon the political imagination through traditional IR.
Never mind the bollocks: the punk rock politics of global communication
Authors: DUNN KEVIN C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractLargely ignored by scholars of world politics, the global punk rock scene provides a fruitful basis for exploring the multiple circuits of exchange and circulation of goods, people, and messages that moves beyond the limitations of IR. Punk can also offer new ways of thinking about international relations and communication from the lived experiences of people’s daily lives. At its core, this essay has two arguments. First, punk offers the possibility for counter-hegemonic expression within systems of global communication. Punk has simultaneously worked within and against the hegemony of capitalist telecommunication networks, navigating an increasingly interconnected and mediated world. Second, punk is a subversive message in its own right. Focusing on punk’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ethos and the resource it offers for resisting the multiple forms of alienation in modern society, the story I construct here is one of agency and empowerment often overlooked by traditional IR.
Curcumin inhibits FtsZ assembly: an attractive mechanism for its antibacterial activity
Authors: Rai Dipti , Singh Jay Kumar , Roy Nilanjan , Panda Dulal 
Published: February 2008

The assembly and stability of FtsZ protofilaments have been shown to play critical roles in bacterial cytokinesis. Recent evidence suggests that FtsZ may be considered as an important antibacterial drug target. Curcumin, a dietary polyphenolic compound, has been shown to have a potent antibacterial activity against a number of pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus. We found that curcumin induced filamentation in the Bacillus subtilis 168, suggesting that it inhibits bacterial cytokinesis. Further, curcumin strongly inhibited the formation of the cytokinetic Z-ring in B. subtilis 168 without detectably affecting the segregation and organization of the nucleoids. Since the assembly dynamics of FtsZ protofilaments plays a major role in the formation and functioning of the Z-ring, we analysed the effects of curcumin on the assembly of FtsZ protofilaments. Curcumin inhibited the assembly of FtsZ protofilaments and also increased the GTPase activity of FtsZ. Electron microscopic analysis showed that curcumin reduced the bundling of FtsZ protofilaments in vitro. Further, curcumin was found to bind to FtsZ in vitro with a dissociation constant of 7.3±1.8 μM and the agent also perturbed the secondary structure of FtsZ. The results indicate that the perturbation of the GTPase activity of FtsZ assembly is lethal to bacteria and suggest that curcumin inhibits bacterial cell proliferation by inhibiting the assembly dynamics of FtsZ in the Z-ring.
Structure and mode of action of the antimicrobial peptide arenicin
Authors: Andrä Jörg , Jakovkin Igor , Grötzinger Joachim , Hecht Oliver , Krasnosdembskaya Anna D. , Goldmann Torsten , Gutsmann Thomas , Leippe Matthias 
Published: February 2008

The solution structure and the mode of action of arenicin isoform 1, an antimicrobial peptide with a unique 18-residue loop structure, from the lugworm Arenicola marina were elucidated here. Arenicin folds into a two-stranded antiparallel β-sheet. It exhibits high antibacterial activity at 37 and 4 °C against Gram-negative bacteria, including polymyxin B-resistant Proteus mirabilis. Bacterial killing occurs within minutes and is accompanied by membrane permeabilization, membrane detachment and release of cytoplasm. Interaction of arenicin with reconstituted membranes that mimic the lipopolysaccharide-containing outer membrane or the phospholipid-containing plasma membrane of Gram-negative bacteria exhibited no pronounced lipid specificity. Arenicin-induced current fluctuations in planar lipid bilayers correspond to the formation of short-lived heterogeneously structured lesions. Our results strongly suggest that membrane interaction plays a pivotal role in the antibacterial activity of arenicin.
Cell Cycle-dependent Binding of HMGN Proteins to Chromatin
Authors: Cherukuri Srujana , Hock Robert , Ueda Tetsuya , Catez Frédéric , Rochman Mark , Bustin Michael 
Published: February 2008

Throughout the cell cycle, the histones remain associated with DNA, but the repertoire of proteins associated with the chromatin fiber continuously changes. The chromatin interaction of HMGNs, a family of nucleosome binding proteins that modulates the structure and activity of chromatin, during the cell cycle is controversial. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that HMGNs are not associated with chromatin, whereas live cell imaging indicated that they are present in mitotic chromosomes. To resolve this controversy, we examined the organization of wild-type and mutated HMGN1 and HMGN2 proteins in the cell nucleus by using immunofluorescence studies, live cell imaging, gel mobility shift assays, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). We find that during interphase, HMGNs bind specifically to nucleosomes and form homodimeric complexes that yield distinct BiFC signals. In metaphase, the nucleosomal binding domain of the protein is inactivated, and the proteins associate with chromatin with low affinity as monomers, and they do not form specific complexes. Our studies demonstrate that the mode of binding of HMGNs to chromatin is cell cycle dependent.
Intersubunit linker length as a modifier of protein stability: Crystal structures and thermostability of mutant TRAP
Authors: Watanabe Masahiro , Mishima Yumiko , Yamashita Ichiro , Park Sam‐Yong , Tame Jeremy R.H. , Heddle Jonathan G. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe ability of proteins to self‐assemble into complex, functional nanoscale structures is expected to become of significant use in the manufacture of artificial nanodevices with a wide range of novel applications. The bacterial protein TRAP has potential uses as a nanoscale component as it is ring‐shaped, with a central, modifiable cavity. Furthermore, it can be engineered to make a ring of 12‐fold symmetry, which is advantageous for packing into two‐dimensional arrays. The 12mer form of TRAP is made by linking multiple subunits together on the same polypeptide, but the usefulness of the 12mers described to date is limited by their poor stability. Here we show that, by altering the length of the peptide linker between subunits, the thermostability can be significantly improved. Since the subunit interfaces of the different 12mers are essentially identical, stabilization arises from the reduction of strain in the linkers. Such a simple method of controlling the stability of modular proteins may have wide applications, and demonstrates the lack of absolute correlation between interactions observable by crystallography and the internal energy of a complex.
Rational design of a novel calcium‐binding site adjacent to the ligand‐binding site on CD2 increases its CD48 affinity
Authors: Jones Lisa M. , Yang Wei , Maniccia Anna W. , Harrison Alice , van der Merwe P. Anton , Yang Jenny J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractElectrostatic interactions are important for molecular recognition processes including Ca2+‐binding and cell adhesion. To understand these processes, we have successfully introduced a novel Ca2+‐binding site into the non‐Ca2+‐dependent cell adhesion protein CD2 using our criteria that are specifically tailored to the structural and functional properties of the protein environment and charged adhesion surface. This designed site with ligand residues exclusively from the β‐sheets selectively binds to Ca2+ and Ln3+ over other mono‐ and divalent cations. While Ca2+ and Ln3+ binding specifically alters the local environment of the designed Ca2+‐binding site, the designed protein undergoes a significantly smaller conformation change compared with those observed in naturally occurring Ca2+‐binding sites that are composed of at least part of the flexible loop and helical regions. In addition, the CD2–CD48‐binding affinity increased approximately threefold after protein engineering, suggesting that the cell adhesion of CD2 can be modulated by altering the local electrostatic environment. The study provides site‐specific information for regulating cell adhesion within CD2 and gives insight into the structural factors required for Ca2+‐modulated biological processes.
Association of genetic polymorphisms inSLCO1B3andABCC2with docetaxel‐induced leukopenia
Authors: Kiyotani Kazuma , Mushiroda Taisei , Kubo Michiaki , Zembutsu Hitoshi , Sugiyama Yuichi , Nakamura Yusuke 
Published: February 2008

Despite long‐term clinical experience with docetaxel, unpredictable severe adverse reactions remain an important determinant for limiting the use of the drug. To identify a genetic factor(s) determining the risk of docetaxel‐induced leukopenia/neutropenia, we selected subjects who received docetaxel chemotherapy from samples recruited at BioBank Japan, and conducted a case–control association study. We genotyped 84 patients, 28 patients with grade 3 or 4 leukopenia/neutropenia, and 56 with no toxicity (patients with grade 1 or 2 were excluded), for a total of 79 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven genes possibly involved in the metabolism or transport of this drug:CYP3A4,CYP3A5,ABCB1,ABCC2,SLCO1B3,NR1I2, andNR1I3. Since one SNP inABCB1, four SNPs inABCC2, four SNPs inSLCO1B3, and one SNP inNR1I2showed a possible association with the grade 3 leukopenia/neutropenia (P‐value of <0.05), we further examined these 10 SNPs using 29 additionally obtained patients, 11 patients with grade 3/4 leukopenia/neutropenia, and 18 with no toxicity. The combined analysis indicated a significant association of rs12762549 inABCC2(P = 0.00022) and rs11045585 inSLCO1B3(P = 0.00017) with docetaxel‐induced leukopenia/neutropenia. When patients were classified into three groups by the scoring system based on the genotypes of these two SNPs, patients with a score of 1 or 2 were shown to have a significantly higher risk of docetaxel‐induced leukopenia/neutropenia as compared to those with a score of 0 (P = 0.0000057; odds ratio [OR], 7.00; 95% CI [confidence interval], 2.95–16.59). This prediction system correctly classified 69.2% of severe leukopenia/neutropenia and 75.7% of non‐leukopenia/neutropenia into the respective categories, indicating that SNPs inABCC2andSLCO1B3may predict the risk of leukopenia/neutropenia induced by docetaxel chemotherapy. (Cancer Sci2008; 99: 967–972)
Pharmacokinetic interactions of efavirenz and voriconazole in healthy volunteers
Authors: Damle Bharat , LaBadie Robert , Crownover Penelope , Glue Paul 
Published: February 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Efavirenz 400 mg q24 h reduces exposure to voriconazole 200 mg q12 h when the two drugs are co‐administered.• Furthermore, voriconazole increases the systemic exposure of efavirenz.• Co‐administration was therefore initially contraindicated. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • The doses of efavirenz and voriconazole can be adjusted to provide adequate exposure to both drugs when the two are co‐administered, without compromising safety.• Appropriate adjustment of doses for both drugs may thus represent an alternative to a mere contraindication.AIMSCo‐administration of standard‐dose voriconazole and efavirenz results in a substantial decrease in voriconazole levels, while concurrently increasing efavirenz levels. Hence, concomitant use of standard doses of these drugs was initially contraindicated. This study assessed different dose combinations of efavirenz and voriconazole, with the goal of attaining a dose combination that provides systemic exposures similar to standard‐dose monotherapy with each drug.METHODSThis was an open‐label, four‐treatment, multiple‐dose, fixed‐sequence study in 16 healthy males. Steady‐state pharmacokinetics were assessed following two test treatments (voriconazole 300 mg q12 h + efavirenz 300 mg q24 h and voriconazole 400 mg q12 h + efavirenz 300 mg q24 h) and compared with standard‐dose monotherapy (voriconazole 200 mg q12 h or efavirenz 600 mg q24 h).RESULTSDose adjustment to voriconazole 300 mg q12 h with efavirenz 300 mg q24 h decreased voriconazole area under the concentration–time curve (AUCτ) and maximum concentration (Cmax), with changes of −55% [90% confidence interval (CI) −62, −45] and −36% (90% CI −49, −21), respectively, when compared with monotherapy. Voriconazole 400 mg q12 h plus efavirenz 300 mg q24 h decreased voriconazole AUCτ (−7%; 90% CI −23, 13) and increased Cmax (23%; 90% CI −1, 53), while increasing efavirenz AUCτ (17%; 90% CI 6, 29) and not changing Cmax when compared with the respective monotherapy regimens. No serious adverse events were observed with voriconazole plus efavirenz.CONCLUSIONSWhen co‐administered, voriconazole dose should be increased to 400 mg q12 h and efavirenz dose decreased to 300 mg q24 h in order to provide systemic exposures similar to standard‐dose monotherapy.
The different effects of itraconazole on the pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine enantiomers
Authors: Tateishi Tomonori , Miura Masatomo , Suzuki Toshio , Uno Tsukasa 
Published: February 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT• Recently, we have shown that the plasma concentration ofR‐fexofenadine is greater than that of theS‐enantiomer.• Although itraconazole co‐administration is known to increase the bioavailability of a racemic mixture of fexofenadine, little is known about the stereoselective inhibition of P‐gp activity by itraconazole.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS• This study indicates that the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine are due to P‐gp‐mediated transport and its stereoselectivity is altered by itraconazole, a an inhibitor of P‐gp.AIMSThe aim of this study was to determine the inhibitory effect of itraconazole, a P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) inhibitor, on the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine.METHODSA two‐way double‐blind, placebo‐controlled crossover study was performed with a 2‐week washout period. Twelve healthy volunteers received either itraconazole 200 mg or matched placebo in a randomized fashion with a single oral dose of fexofenadine 60 mg simultaneously. The plasma concentrations and the amount of urinary excretion (Ae) of fexofenadine enantiomers were measured up to 24 h after dosing.RESULTSAfter placebo administration, mean AUC(0,24 h) ofS‐ andR‐fexofenadine was 474 ng ml−1 h (95% CI 311, 638) and 798 ng ml−1 h (95% CI 497, 1101), respectively. Itraconazole affected the pharmacokinetic parameters ofS‐fexofenadine more, and increased AUC(0,24 h) ofS‐fexofenadine andR‐fexofenadine by 4.0‐fold (95% CI of differences 2.8, 5.3;P < 0.001) and by 3.1‐fold (95% CI of differences 2.2, 4.0;P = 0.014), respectively, and Ae(0,24 h) ofS‐fexofenadine andR‐fexofenadine by 3.6‐fold (95% CI of differences 2.6, 4.5;P < 0.001) and by 2.9‐fold (95% CI of differences 2.1, 3.8;P < 0.001), respectively. Additionally, theR : Sratio for AUC(0,24 h) and Ae(0,24 h) were significantly reduced in the itraconazole phase, whiletmax,t1/2and renal clearance were constant during the study.CONCLUSIONSThis study indicates that the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine are due to P‐gp‐mediated transport and its stereoselectivity is altered by itraconazole, a P‐gp inhibitor. However, further study will be needed because the different affinities of the two enantiomers for P‐gp have not been supported byin vitrostudies.