bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement of erythrocyte deformability and methodological adaptation for small‐animal microsurgical models
Authors: Nemeth Norbert , Gulyas Adrienn , Balint Anita , Peto Katalin , Brath Endre , Kiss Ferenc , Furka Istvan , Baskurt Oguz K. , Miko Iren 
Published: January 2006

AbstractMeasuring erythrocyte deformability with bulk filtrometers is common, but there are problems with standardization and sample quantity in small laboratory animals. In this study, blood was drawn from mice, rats, and dogs, and then erythrocyte suspensions at 1–5% hematocrit were prepared. Bulk filtrometers with a 5‐ or 3‐μm pore‐diameter filter were used to determine the initial relative filtration rate (IRFR) and relative cell transit time (RCTT). Hematological composition was also tested. In all species, the highest IRFR values occurred at 1% hematocrit, and the lowest values at 5%. In mice and rats, RCTT values were lowest at 1% and highest at 5% using a 5‐μm filter, whereas in dogs, RCTT was elevated at 1–2%. Using a 3‐μm filter, each species showed the same phenomena under 3%. RCTT values may become distorted above a certain cell‐size/pore‐size ratio. In mice and rats, 1% suspension is applicable for bulk filtrometry, but only using 5‐μm filters. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 26: 33–37, 2006.
Intestinal ischemic preconditioning in rats and NF‐κB activation
Authors: Ferencz Andrea , Racz Boglarka , Gasz Balazs , Benko Laszlo , Jancso Gabor , Kurthy Maria , Roth Erzsbet 
Published: January 2006

AbstractCold preservation prior to small‐bowel transplantation can moderate tissue injury, although it is unable to protect the bowel graft from acute reperfusion injury. One method to reduce oxidative stress is ischemic preconditioning (IPC). The limited data regarding IPC of the bowel encouraged us to investigate the key factor in this process, i.e., the activation of nuclear factor‐kappa binding (NF‐kB) in bowel tissue. The intestine was preconditioned by various cycles of IPC on rats. Activation of NF‐kB was detected by a chemiluminescence‐based ELISA method. Our findings showed that NF‐kB level was elevated significantly 30 min after IPC. One hour following IPC, NF‐kB decreased to control level; 2 h after IPC, the level significantly increased again. These changes were independent of the number of IPC cycles. Our experiments with various IPC cycles revealed that even a very short IPC cycle was able to activate the IPC cascade in small‐bowel tissue. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 26: 54–57, 2006.
Esophagus reconstruction with free jejunal transfer
Authors: Pavlovics Gabor , Cseke Laszlo , Papp Andras , Tizedes Gyorgy , Tabar Bela A. , Horvath Peter Ors 
Published: January 2006

AbstractFollowing pharyngolaryngectomy, reconstruction is one of the most challenging surgical procedures. Here we review our own experiences using a microvascularly transferred free jejunal graft. This method was performed in 22 patients (19 male and 3 female, aged 40–63 years). Seven patients underwent neoadjuvant chemo‐radiotherapy. Eighteen patients had immediate reconstruction after pharyngolaryngectomy, and 4 patients had delayed reconstruction because of complications from previous surgeries (2 stenoses, and 2 recurrent cancers). The duration of surgery ranged from 5–9 h (mean, 6.3 h), and the ischemic time of the graft was 70–125 min (mean, 88 min). This method has several advantages: it is a one‐step operation; the graft is covered by self‐cleaning mucosa; the development of fistulas and stenoses is rare; and the technique provides good swallowing. Owing to its good blood supply, this reconstructive method can also be used in previously irradiated areas. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 26: 73–77, 2006.
Influence of the side group shape on the arrangement of liquid‐crystalline polyethers obtained by ring opening polymerization of oxiranes
Authors: Giamberini Marta , Reina José Antonio , Ronda Joan Carles 
Published: January 2006

AbstractA family of mono‐, di‐, and trisubstituted benzylglycidylether derivatives with 4‐dodecyloxybenzyloxy groups at the 4‐, 3,5‐, and 3,4,5‐ position of the aromatic ring was synthesized and characterized. These monomers were subsequently polymerized with an aluminum‐based ionic‐coordinative initiator, [(CH3)2CHO]2AlOZn OAl[OCH(CH3)2]2 (the Teyssie' catalyst) or an anionic initiator, potassium t‐butoxide. Polymerizations by potassium t‐butoxide gave rise to conversions below 50% in all cases and relatively low molecular weights. The resulting polymers exhibited liquid crystalline phases, which were smectic for the calamitic monomer and columnar for the tapered monomers. When the ionic‐coordinative Teyssie' catalyst was used, the conversion of monomer was almost quantitative according to the higher activity of this type of initiators. The molecular weights and degree of stereoregularity were higher. The results of mesophase characterization, by DSC, XRD, and POM suggested that higher molecular weights and stereoregularity increase the stability of the mesophase and give rise to more compact structures. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1722–1733, 2006
Two types of transmembrane homomeric interactions in the integrin receptor family are evolutionarily conserved
Authors: Lin Xin , Tan Suet Mien , Law S.K. Alex , Torres Jaume 
Published: January 2006

AbstractIntegrins are heterodimers, but recent in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that they are also able to associate through their transmembrane domains to form homomeric interactions. Two fundamental questions are the biological relevance of these aggregates and their form of interaction in the membrane domain. Although in vitro experiments have shown the involvement of a GxxxG‐like motif, several crosslinking in vivo data are consistent with an almost opposite form of interaction between the transmembrane α‐helices. In the present work, we have explored these two questions using molecular dynamics simulations for all available integrin types. We have tested the hypothesis that homomeric interactions are evolutionary conserved, and essential for the cell, using conservative substitutions to filter out nonnative interactions. Our results show that two models, one involving a GxxxG‐like motif (model I) and an almost opposite form of interaction (model II) are conserved across all α and β integrin types, both in homodimers and homotrimers, with different specificities. No conserved interaction was found for homotetramers. Our results are completely independent from experimental data, both during molecular dynamics simulations and in the selection of the correct models. We rationalize previous seemingly conflicting findings regarding the nature of integrin interhelical homomeric interactions. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thermally activated diffusion of indium into layered materials 2H‐TaSe2, and TaS2
Authors: Rajora Onkar 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe have studied the thermal diffusion of indium in single crystals of the layered compounds 2H‐TaSe2, and TaS2 parallel to the layers. Measurements were done in situ in a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X‐ray energy dispersive system. The distance of the diffusing indium front into the crystal was determined as a function of time from secondary electron image as well as from X‐ray line scans for indium taken at different time intervals. The diffusion coefficients D were found by fitting the data to 〈r2〉 = 2Dt, where 〈r2〉 is the mean square displacement in time t. The diffusion coefficients thus obtained were 1.5 × 10–12, 3.8 × 10–12, 7.7 × 10–12, and 17.5 × 10–12 m2/s with an uncertainty of about 10 percent at 351, 375, 411, and 458 K respectively for TaSe2. The values for TaS2 were 5.3 × 10–11, 9.5 × 10–11, 1.7 × 10–10, and 3.6 × 10–10 m2/s at 345, 369, 388, and 437 K respectively. The activation energy E0 of indium diffusion, using D = D0 e, were determined to be (0.32 ± 0.04) eV, and (0.27 + 0.03) eV for TaSe2 and TaS2 respectively. The results show that diffusing indium atoms put severe stress on the layers as they intercalate between them. This stress is relieved by buckling of the layers and these buckling features are clearly visible in secondary electron images. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Antibacterial activity of plant extracts from azuki beans (Vigna angularis) in vitro
Authors: Hori Y. , Sato S. , Hatai A. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThis study was undertaken to examine the antimicrobial property of azuki beans (Vigna angularis). The water extracts of green, black and red colored azuki beans showed antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In contrast, the extract of white azuki beans showed no inhibition towards any of the microorganisms examined. The extracts of colored azuki beans contained larger amounts of polyphenols including proanthocyanidins than the extracts of white azuki beans. The counts of S. aureus cells, inoculated in the medium containing the extracts of colored azuki beans, were signicantly reduced in comparison with those of control and white azuki beans after 24 h (p < 0.05). These results suggest that polyphenols including proanthocyanidins in colored azuki beans may be responsible for their antibacterial activity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Photostabilization of styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene block copolymer by hindered phenol and phosphite antioxidants
Authors: Luengo Cristina , Allen Norman S. , Wilkinson Arthur , Edge Michele , Parellada M. Dolores , Barrio Juan A. , Santa V. Ruiz 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe photostabilization of poly(styrene‐b‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐b‐styrene) (SEBS), by hindered phenols and their combination with phosphite antioxidants has been studied by using a variety of spectroscopic methods including FTIR, UV, and luminescence spectroscopy coupled with crosslinking and hydroperoxide analysis. The addition of a hindered phenol was found to photostabilize the SEBS in terms of the inhibition of discoloration, and the formation of hydroperoxides, acetophenone, and oxidation products, as well as chain scission and disaggregation of the styrene units. Strong synergism was found with combinations of a hindered phenol and phosphite antioxidant, especially with an increase in the phosphite concentration. Residual titanium traces present as impurities in the material were found to play an important role in the photo‐oxidation of SEBS. Molecular weight appeared to be a determining factor in the proportion of chain scission/crosslinking reactions that occured. Nevertheless, the addition of antioxidants and the reduction of titanium content also proved satisfactory in stabilizing the low‐molecular‐weight material. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL. 12:2–7, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
Impact of early admission in labor on method of delivery
Authors: Rahnama P. , Ziaei S. , Faghihzadeh S. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjectiveThe effect of the timing of admission in labor unit on the method of delivery was evaluated in a cohort study.MethodFour hundred and sixty six low‐risk nulliparous women who were admitted in the labor unit in latent phase (group 1) were compared with 329 parturient women who were admitted in the active phase (group 2) to determine rate of and reasons for cesarean section, cervical dilation at the time of cesarean, and the rate of labor augmentation.ResultThe number of cesarean deliveries in group 1 was greater than that in the group 2 (301 vs 80, p < 0.0001). The main reason for cesarean section in group 1 was dystocia, and in 2, fetal distress. The rate of cesarean section in the women who were augmented was greater in group 1 than in group 2 (54% vs 23%, p < 0.0001).ConclusionLater admission in labor increases the rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery in low risk nulliparous women.
Stabilization of cooperative information agents in unpredictable environment: a logic programming approach
Authors: DUNG PHAN MINH , HANH DO DUC , THANG PHAN MINH 
Published: January 2006

An information agent is viewed as a deductive database consisting of three parts:
an observation database containing the facts the agent has observed or sensed from its surrounding environment;an input database containing the information the agent has obtained from other agents;an intensional database which is a set of rules for computing derived information from the information stored in the observation and input databases.Stabilization of a system of information agents represents a capability of the agents to eventually get correct information about their surrounding despite unpredictable environment changes and the incapability of many agents to sense such changes causing them to have temporary incorrect information. We argue that the stabilization of a system of cooperative information agents could be understood as the convergence of the behavior of the whole system toward the behavior of a “superagent”, who has the sensing and computing capabilities of all agents combined. We show that unfortunately, stabilization is not guaranteed in general, even if the agents are fully cooperative and do not hide any information from each other. We give sufficient conditions for stabilization. We discuss the consequences of our results.
Sublingual immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides monomeric allergoid down‐regulates allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E and increases both interferon‐γ‐ and interleukin‐10‐production
Authors: Cosmi L. , Santarlasci V. , Angeli R. , Liotta F. , Maggi L. , Frosali F. , Rossi O. , Falagiani P. , Riva G. , Romagnani S. , Annunziato F. , Maggi E. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryBackground
The clinical efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for aeroallergens has been demonstrated in several trials, whereas the immunological changes induced by this treatment, which may account for the clinical improvement, are still unclear.Objective
To investigate the effects of a successful SLIT on the in vitro allergen‐driven T cell response and cytokine secretion as well as on the serum levels of chemokines and of IgE, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies (Abs).Materials and methods
Twenty‐five Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp)‐sensitive patients with perennial rhinitic and/or rhinitic and asthmatic symptoms were randomized into two groups (13 untreated (UT) and 12 SLIT‐treated) for a 1 year and half study. The proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) to purified Der p1 allergen, their cytokines (IFN‐γ, IL‐4, IL‐10 and TGF‐β) production and serum levels of chemokines associated with T helper type 1 (Th1) (CXCL10) or T helper type 2 (Th2) (CCL22) responses and of Dp‐specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG4 Abs were evaluated before and after 6 months of treatment.Results
SLIT induced a significant reduction of symptom medication scores after 6, 12 and 18 months of treatment in comparison with UT patients. SLIT‐treated patients showed a significant decrease in serum levels of DP‐specific IgE Abs, whereas total IgE, and specific IgG1 and IgG4 Abs remained unchanged. The proliferative response of allergen‐specific T cells to Der p1 in vitro after 6 months of treatment was reduced, while no effect was observed on T cell proliferation to recall antigen (streptokinase). Moreover, Der p1‐driven IFN‐γ and IL‐10 were significantly increased in culture supernatants of PBMC from 6 month‐treated patients in comparison with those detected at the beginning of therapy.Conclusions
These data suggest that the allergen‐driven enhancement of IL‐10‐ and IFN‐γ‐producing T cells precedes and associates with SLIT‐induced down‐regulation of specific IgE, thus providing a rationale to explain the clinical benefit of SLIT in allergic patients.
Stage of exercise and health‐related quality of life among overweight and obese adults
Authors: Lee Pi‐Hsia , Chang Wen‐Ying , Liou Tsan‐Hon , Chang Pi‐Chen 
Published: January 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study whose main aim was to understand the correlation between stages of exercise and health‐related qualities of life among overweight and obese adults in Taiwan.Background.  Regular exercise has been shown to improve health‐related quality of life in the general population and among patients with chronic diseases. Nevertheless, systematic investigations of the correlation between exercise stages and the health‐related quality of life among overweight and obese adults are lacking in Taiwan.Method.  A cross‐section of people from the weight loss clinics of a medical centre in Taipei was recruited to the study. The Chinese version of the Stages of Exercise and the Taiwanese version of Short Form 36 questionnaires were used to collect data from those whose body mass indexes were equal to or >24 kg/m2. The data were collected in 2003.Results.  In total, 212 overweight and obese adults participated in the study. The majority were in the preparation (38·2%) or contemplation (31·6%) stages of exercise; relatively few were in the action (14·2%) or maintenance (11·3%) stages, and the smallest number (4·7%) were in the precontemplation stage. Although over 70% of respondents were not in the habit of taking regular exercise, their motivations were very high. For the Short Form 36 scales, the highest scores were for physical functioning (84·5 ± 17·3), while the lowest were for general health (55·5 ± 20·9), vitality (59·8 ± 18·1), and mental health (MH) (66·0 ± 17·9). Different stages of exercise showed statistically significant differences within the eight domains of Short Form 36 (Wilks = 0·733, P = 0·001); a statistically significant difference was also found for physical functioning (P ≤ 0·001), general health (P = 0·003), and vitality (P = 0·005).Conclusion.  Since stages of exercise are correlated with health‐related quality of life among overweight and obese adults, healthcare providers need to understand what stages people are at in order to educate them to achieve a better quality of life and to motivate those who are inactive to do more exercise on a regular basis.
Spirituality and family nursing: spiritual assessment and interventions for families
Authors: Tanyi Ruth A. 
Published: January 2006

Aim.  The aim of this paper is to propose a guideline for spiritual assessment and interventions explicitly for families, while considering each family member's unique spirituality.Background.  Spirituality's positive effect is pervasive in health care and in the lives of many families; therefore, there is a need to integrate spiritual assessment and interventions in total family care.Discussion.  The majority of published guidelines on spiritual assessment and interventions are designed predominantly for individuals. They fail to differentiate between individual and family spirituality or offer only brief discussions on family spirituality. Such guidelines are potentially problematic. They may lead nurses to focus only on individual spirituality and neglect to discern family unit spirituality or recognize the presence of conflicts in spiritual perspectives within the family. While other disciplines such as social work and family therapy have several guidelines/strategies to assess family spirituality, there is a dearth of such guidelines in the family health nursing and spirituality literature, in spite of the rhetoric about incorporating spirituality as part of total family assessment. As a beginning solution, guidelines are proposed for spiritual assessment and interventions for the family as a unit, and the category of spiritual interpretation to represent diagnosis is introduced. Case studies exemplify how to integrate the guideline, and illustrate elements that may favour specific interpretations which would guide the interventions.Conclusion.  As nurses continually strive to assist families with their health needs, they must also attend to their spiritual needs, as one cannot truly assess a family without assessing its spirituality.
Loss of At4 function impacts phosphate distribution between the roots and the shoots during phosphate starvation
Authors: Shin Heungsop , Shin Hwa‐Soo , Chen Rujin , Harrison Maria J. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryPlants display a range of adaptive responses to phosphate (Pi) starvation including an increase in the proportion of Pi allocated to the roots, which enhances lateral root development and consequently Pi acquisition. The mechanisms by which plants sense Pi and signal Pi reallocation are largely unknown. Previously, we cloned At4, a gene predicted to contain multiple short open‐reading frames (ORFs), whose expression is strongly induced by Pi starvation. At4 is a member of a small gene family whose members, AtIPS1 and two additional genes reported here, At4.1 and At4.2, share little conservation among the predicted ORFs but high conservation of a 22‐nt sequence located in the 3′ half of the transcript. Here, we show that under Pi‐starvation conditions, At4 is expressed in the vascular tissue and transcript levels are regulated by both cytokinin and ABA. at4, an At4 loss‐of‐function mutant fails to redistribute Pi to the roots correctly in response to Pi deprivation and At4 shoots continue to accumulate a greater proportion of Pi relative to wild type. Consistent with this, the primary root growth rate in at4 is faster than wild type in low‐Pi conditions. The conserved sequence found in all members of the At4 gene family hybridizes to a small RNA present in Pi‐starved roots. These data support a role for At4 in the internal allocation of Pi and suggest that the At4 gene is not only subject to Pi‐starvation‐inducible expression, but that transcript levels may be adjusted at a post‐transcriptional level by the activity of an miRNA.
A high‐throughput screen for genes from castor that boost hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in seed oils of transgenic Arabidopsis
Authors: Lu Chaofu , Fulda Martin , Wallis James G. , Browse John 
Published: January 2006

SummaryIt is desirable to produce high homogeneity of novel fatty acids in oilseeds through genetic engineering to meet the increasing demands of the oleo‐chemical industry. However, expression of key enzymes for biosynthesis of industrial fatty acids usually results in low levels of desired fatty acids in transgenic oilseeds. The abundance of derivatized fatty acids in their natural species suggests that additional genes are needed for high production in transgenic plants. We used the model oilseed plant Arabidopsis thaliana expressing a castor fatty acid hydroxylase (FAH12) to identify genes that can boost hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in transgenic seeds. Here we describe a high‐throughput approach that, in principle, can allow testing of the entire transcriptome of developing castor seed endosperm by shotgun transforming a full‐length cDNA library into an FAH12‐expressing Arabidopsis line. The resulting transgenic seeds were screened by high‐throughput gas chromatography. We obtained several lines transformed with castor cDNAs that contained increased amounts of hydroxy fatty acids in transgenic Arabidopsis. These cDNAs were then isolated by PCR and retransformed into the FAH12‐expressing line, thus confirming their beneficial contributions to hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. Although we describe an approach that is targeted to oilseed engineering, the methods we developed can be applied in many areas of plant biotechnology and functional genomic research.