bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modulatory role of phospholipase D in the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3 by thyroid oncogenic kinase RET/PTC
Authors: Kim Young-Rae , Byun Hee Sun , Won Minho , Park Kyeong Ah , Kim Jin Man , Choi Byung Lyul , Lee Hyunji , Hong Jang Hee , Park Jongsun , Seok Jeong Ho , Kim Dong Wook , Shong Minho , Park Seung-Kiel , Hur Gang Min 
Published: May 2008

Abstract

Background
RET/PTC (rearranged in transformation/papillary thyroid carcinomas) gene rearrangements are the most frequent genetic alterations identified in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Although it has been established that RET/PTC kinase plays a crucial role in intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cellular transformation, growth, and proliferation in thyroid epithelial cells, the upstream signaling that leads to the activation of RET/PTC is largely unknown. Based on the observation of high levels of PLD expression in human papillary thyroid cancer tissues, we investigated whether PLD plays a role in the regulating the RET/PTC-induced STAT3 activation.

Methods
Cancer tissue samples were obtained from papillary thyroid cancer patients (n = 6). The expression level of PLD was examined using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Direct interaction between RET/PTC and PLD was analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation assay. PLD activity was assessed by measuring the formation of [3H]phosphatidylbutanol, the product of PLD-mediated transphosphatidylation, in the presence of n-butanol. The transcriptional activity of STAT3 was assessed by m67 luciferase reporter assay.

Results
In human papillary thyroid cancer, the expression levels of PLD2 protein were higher than those in the corresponding paired normal tissues. PLD and RET/PTC could be co-immunoprecipitated from cells where each protein was over-expressed. In addition, the activation of PLD by pervanadate triggered phosphorylation of tyrosine 705 residue on STAT-3, and its phosphorylation was dramatically higher in TPC-1 cells (from papillary carcinoma) that have an endogenous RET/PTC1 than in ARO cells (from anaplastic carcinoma) without alteration of total STAT-3 expression. Moreover, the RET/PTC-mediated transcriptional activation of STAT-3 was synergistically increased by over-expression of PLD, whereas the PLD activity as a lipid hydrolyzing enzyme was not affected by RET/PTC.

Conclusion
These findings led us to suggest that the PLD synergistically functions to activate the STAT3 signaling by interacting directly with the thyroid oncogenic kinase RET/PTC.
Enhancer of the rudimentary gene homologue (ERH) expression pattern in sporadic human breast cancer and normal breast tissue
Authors: Zafrakas Menelaos , Losen Inge , Knüchel Ruth , Dahl Edgar 
Published: May 2008

Abstract

Background
The human gene ERH (Enhancer of the Rudimentary gene Homologue) has previously been identified by in silico analysis of four million ESTs as a gene differentially expressed in breast cancer. The biological function of ERH protein has not been fully elucidated, however functions in cell cycle progression, pyrimidine metabolism a possible interaction with p21(Cip1/Waf1) via the Ciz1 zinc finger protein have been suggested. The aim of the present study was a systematic characterization of ERH expression in human breast cancer in order to evaluate possible clinical applications of this molecule.

Methods
The expression pattern of ERH was analyzed using multiple tissue northern blots (MTN) on a panel of 16 normal human tissues and two sets of malignant/normal breast and ovarian tissue samples. ERH expression was further analyzed in breast cancer and normal breast tissues and in tumorigenic as well as non-tumorigenic breast cancer cell lines, using quantitative RT-PCR and non-radioisotopic in situ hybridization (ISH).

Results
Among normal human tissues, ERH expression was most abundant in testis, heart, ovary, prostate, and liver. In the two MTN sets of malignant/normal breast and ovarian tissue,ERH was clearly more abundantly expressed in all tumours than in normal tissue samples. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that ERH expression was significantly more abundant in tumorigenic than in non-tumorigenic breast cancer cell lines (4.5-fold; p = 0.05, two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test); the same trend was noted in a set of 25 primary invasive breast cancers and 16 normal breast tissue samples (2.5-fold; p = 0.1). These findings were further confirmed by non-radioisotopic ISH in human breast cancer and normal breast tissue.

Conclusion

ERH expression is clearly up-regulated in malignant as compared with benign breast cells both in primary human breast cancer and in cell models of breast cancer. Since similar results were obtained for ovarian cancer, ERH overexpression may be implicated in the initiation and/or progression of certain human malignancies. Further studies on large breast cancer tissue cohorts should determine whether ERH could function as a prognostic factor or even a drug target in the treatment of human breast cancer.
Internal validity of a household food security scale is consistent among diverse populations participating in a food supplement program in Colombia
Authors: Hackett Michelle , Melgar-Quinonez Hugo , Uribe Martha C Alvarez 
Published: May 2008

Abstract

Objective
We assessed the validity of a locally adapted Colombian Household Food Security Scale (CHFSS) used as a part of the 2006 evaluation of the food supplement component of the Plan for Improving Food and Nutrition in Antioquia, Colombia (MANA – Plan Departamental de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional de Antioquia).

Methods
Subjects included low-income families with pre-school age children in MANA that responded affirmatively to at least one CHFSS item (n = 1,319). Rasch Modeling was used to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the items through measure and INFIT values. Differences in CHFSS performance were assessed by area of residency, socioeconomic status and number of children enrolled in MANA. Unidimensionality of a scale by group was further assessed using Differential Item Functioning (DIF).

Results
Most CHFSS items presented good fitness with most INFIT values within the adequate range of 0.8 to 1.2. Consistency in item measure values between groups was found for all but two items in the comparison by area of residency. Only two adult items exhibited DIF between urban and rural households.

Conclusion
The results indicate that the adapted CHFSS is a valid tool to assess the household food security of participants in food assistance programs like MANA.
Adverse events during rotary-wing transport of mechanically ventilated patients: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Seymour Christopher W , Kahn Jeremy M , Schwab C William , Fuchs Barry D 
Published: May 2008

Abstract
Introduction
Patients triaged to tertiary care centers frequently undergo rotary-wing transport and may be exposed to additional risk for adverse events. The incidence of physiologic adverse events and their predisposing factors in mechanically ventilated patients undergoing aeromedical transport are unknown.

Methods
We performed a retrospective review of flight records of all interfacility, rotary-wing transports to a tertiary care, university hospital during 2001 to 2003. All patients receiving mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube or tracheostomy were included; trauma, scene flights, and fixed transports were excluded. Data were abstracted from patient flight and hospital records. Adverse events were classified as either major (death, arrest, pneumothorax, or seizure) or minor (physiologic decompensation, new arrhythmia, or requirement for new sedation/paralysis). Bivariate associations between hospital and flight characteristics and the presence of adverse events were examined.

Results
Six hundred eighty-two interfacility flights occurred during the period of review, with 191 patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Fifty-eight different hospitals transferred patients, with diagnoses that were primarily cardiopulmonary (45%) and neurologic (37%). Median flight distance and time were 42 (31 to 83) km and 13 (8 to 22) minutes, respectively. No major adverse events occurred during flight. Forty patients (22%) experienced a minor physiologic adverse event. Vasopressor requirement prior to flight and flight distance were associated with the presence of adverse events in-flight (P < 0.05). Patient demographics, time of day, season, transferring hospital characteristics, and ventilator settings before and during flight were not associated with adverse events.

Conclusion
Major adverse events are rare during interfacility, rotary-wing transfer of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Patients transferred over a longer distance or transferred on vasopressors may be at greater risk for minor adverse events during flight.
Correlative Study into Injury Epidemiology, Use of Protective Equipment and Risk Taking Among Adolescent Participants in Alpine Snow Sports
Authors: Cooper Nadine 
Published: May 2008

Abstract
Risk-taking and sensation-seeking behaviors have been found to be common among those engaging in activities such as mountaineering, deep sea diving, skiing, and snowboarding, all of which may be considered relatively high-risk activities for accidental injury. Risk-taking behavioral characteristics have been identified as a possible explanation for the higher incidences of snowsport injuries. The numbers of children and adolescents participating in snow sports continues to rise in Australia. In the southern states of NSW and ACT, school snowsports racing entries since 2001 have increased by 204 %. An exploratory questionnaire was conducted during the 2006 winter season to investigate injury trends, sensation seeking and risk taking in the adolescent snowsport participation population. Sixty-six participants completed a questionnaire. The participants’ ages ranged from 12–18 years old with the mean age of 14 years. Alpine skiing accounted for 68.2 % of the participants, snowboarding 21.2 %, and 10.6 % cross-country skiing. Of the 66 participants, 33 suffered injuries prior to the 2006 winter season, with 19 participants having sustained two or more injuries and one participant was injured ten times. There were a total of 72 injuries among the 66 participants. Of those injured, 62 % were injured while free skiing or snowboarding, 28 % during training, and 10 % while racing. The majority (74 %) of injuries were sustained while skiing with friends, 13 % skiing with family, and 13 % skiing alone. From these results there appears to be a direct correlation between risk-taking behavior and snowsport injuries.
Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Accelerate Recovery of Acute Renal Injury and Prolong Survival in Mice
Authors: Morigi Marina , Introna Martino , Imberti Barbara , Corna Daniela , Abbate Mauro , Rota Cinzia , Rottoli Daniela , Benigni Ariela , Perico Norberto , Zoja Carla , Rambaldi Alessandro , Remuzzi Andrea , Remuzzi Giuseppe 
Published: May 2008

Abstract
Transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) or stromal cells from rodents has been identified as a strategy for renal repair in experimental models of acute kidney injury (AKI), a highly life-threatening clinical setting. The therapeutic potential of BM-MSC of human origin has not been reported so far. Here, we investigated whether human BM-MSC treatment could prevent AKI induced by cisplatin and prolong survival in an immunodeficient mouse model. Results showed that human BM-MSC infusion decreased proximal tubular epithelial cell injury and ameliorated the deficit in renal function, resulting in reduced recipient mortality. Infused BM-MSC became localized predominantly in peritubular areas and acted to reduce renal cell apoptosis and to increase proliferation. BM-MSC also induced protection against AKI-related peritubular capillary changes consisting of endothelial cell abnormalities, leukocyte infiltration, and low endothelial cell and lumen volume density as assessed by morphometric analysis. These findings indicate that human MSC of bone marrow origin hold potential to prolong survival in AKI and should be considered for testing in a clinical trial.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Hematopoietic Stem Cells Regulate Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Induction into Osteoblasts Thereby Participating in the Formation of the Stem Cell Niche
Authors: Jung Younghun , Song Junhui , Shiozawa Yusuke , Wang Jingcheng , Wang Zhuo , Williams Benjamin , Havens Aaron , Schneider Abraham , Ge Chunxi , Franceschi Renny T. , McCauley Laurie K. , Krebsbach Paul H. , Taichman Russell S. 
Published: May 2008

Abstract
Crosstalk between hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the cells comprising the niche is critical for maintaining stem cell activities. Yet little evidence supports the concept that HSCs regulate development of the niche. Here, the ability of HSCs to directly regulate endosteal development was examined. Marrow was isolated 48 hours after “stressing” mice with a single acute bleed or from control nonstressed animals. “Stressed” and “nonstressed” HSCs were cocultured with bone marrow stromal cells to map mesenchymal fate. The data suggest that HSCs are able to guide mesenchymal differentiation toward the osteoblastic lineage under basal conditions. HSCs isolated from animals subjected to an acute stress were significantly better at inducing osteoblastic differentiation in vitro and in vivo than those from control animals. Importantly, HSC-derived bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2) and BMP-6 were responsible for these activities. Furthermore, significant differences in the ability of HSCs to generate a BMP response following stress were noted in aged and in osteoporotic animals. Together these data suggest a coupling between HSC functions and bone turnover as in aging and in osteoporosis. For the first time, these results demonstrate that HSCs do not rest passively in their niche. Instead, they directly participate in bone formation and niche activities.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Hoxb1 Controls Cell Fate Specification and Proliferative Capacity of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells
Authors: Gouti Mina , Gavalas Anthony 
Published: May 2008

Abstract
The directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into neural stem cells (NSCs) of specific identities and the identification of endogenous pathways that may mediate expansion of NSCs are fundamental goals for the treatment of degenerative disorders and trauma of the nervous system. We report that timely induction of a Hoxb1 transgene in ESC-derived NSCs resulted in the specification of NSCs toward a hindbrain-specific identity through the activation of a rhombomere 4-specific genetic program and the repression of anterior neural identity. This change was accompanied by changes in signaling pathways that pattern the dorsoventral (DV) axis of the nervous system and concomitant changes in the expression of DV neural progenitor markers. Furthermore, Hoxb1 mediated the maintenance and expansion of posterior neural progenitor cells. Hoxb1+ cells kept proliferating upon mitogen withdrawal and became transiently amplifying progenitors instead of terminally differentiating. This was partially attributed to Hoxb1-dependent activation of the Notch signaling pathway and Notch-dependent STAT3 phosphorylation at Ser 727, thus linking Hox gene function with maintenance of active Notch signaling and the JAK/STAT pathway. Thus, timely expression of specific Hox genes could be used to establish NSCs and neural progenitors of distinct posterior identities. ESC-derived NSCs have a mixed DV identity that is subject to regulation by Hox genes. Finally, these findings set the stage for the elucidation of molecular pathways involved in the expansion of posterior NSCs and neural progenitors.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Assessing the Prevalence of Depression among Individuals with Diabetes in a Medicaid Managed-Care Program
Authors: Kahn Lindas , Fox Chester H. , McIntyre Roger S. , Tumiel-Berhalter Laurene , Berdine Diane E. , Lyle Heather 
Published: May 2008

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of self-reported depression symptoms among diabetic individuals enrolled in Gold Choice, a Medicaid managed care organization specifically for people with mental health and/or substance abuse diagnoses; and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of individuals' self-report with encounter data. Methods: The 9-item depression scale of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was mailed to 454 Gold Choice members in Western New York diagnosed with diabetes; and 249 completed PHQ-9 forms were returned (55% response rate). The PHQ-9 forms were compared to primary care encounter data to determine whether the respondents had been diagnosed with depression. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was undertaken. Results: The majority (56%) of individuals in the sample screened positive for depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), and half (49%) did not have evidence of a diagnosis in their encounter data. The percentage of those diagnosed with depression rose with increasing PHQ-9 severity levels, with 63% of individuals with the most severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 20) having a diagnosis. This trend was statistically significant, confirmed by independent sample t-tests and chi-square tests. The sensitivity of the PHQ-9 was moderate (66%), as was the specificity (52%). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that depressive disorders may be under-recognized and under-treated amongst individuals with diabetes in the primary care setting. Half (51%) of those with PHQ-9 scores ≥ 10 had depression diagnoses, suggesting poor compliance rates and/or a need for therapy reassessment.
Benefits of Consumer Psychoeducation: A Pilot Program in South Africa
Authors: Seedat Soraya , Haskis Anne , Stein Dan J. 
Published: May 2008

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that patient adherence to antidepressant treatment is unsatisfactory. There is, however, little published data on adherence in the South African context. In this pilot study we explore the possible benefits of a consumer psychoeducation program. Method: First, drop-out rates during the first four months of paroxetine treatment were surveyed in patients participating in a psychoeducational program focused on depression and its treatment. Practitioners were also surveyed about their perceptions of the program. Second, drop-out rates during the first four months of paroxetine treatment were estimated from a pharmacy database of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescriptions in South Africa. Results: Patients who participated in a psychoeducational program demonstrated comparatively lower drop-out rates during treatment compared with drop-out rates in patients on paroxetine (and other SSRIs) obtained from a national pharmacy database. Improved adherence on the psychoeducational program was attributed to an increased understanding of depression and the need to take medication, a realization that patients are not alone (i.e., depression is a widespread problem) and a better understanding and acceptance of the possible side-effects of medication. Both practitioners and patients were positive about their experience of the program and 80% of doctors judged the program to be very useful. Conclusion: Drop-out rates during SSRI treatment in South Africa appear to be unacceptably high, whether or not patients receive concomitant benzodiazepines. Psychoeducational programs may prove valuable in increasing adherence to treatment regimes.
Multiple Episodes in Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder: Comorbidity, Hospitalization, and Treatment (Data from a Cohort of 8,129 Patients of a National Managed Care Database)
Authors: Castilla-Puentes Ruby 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The purpose of this study was to delineate the prevalence, demographic characteristics, comorbidity, hospitalization, and medication use of a large cohort of patients with and without multiple episodes per year. We hypothesized that children and adolescents with multiple episodes per year would have a higher comorbidity and require more hospitalizations and pharmacological treatment than their counterparts without multiple episodes. Methods: Analysis was conducted on a cohort of 8,129 children and adolescents patients (≤ 18 y.o.) with bipolar disorders (BD), from the Integrated Healthcare Information Services (IHCIS) identified from June 30, 2000 to July 1, 2003. Demographics variables, type of hospitalization, and psychotropic medication used in the year of follow-up were compared between children and adolescents with multiple and those without multiple episodes per year. Results: Included were 58 patients with multiple episodes (defined as: ≥ 4 or more reports of inpatient treatment for any affective disorders per year) and 8,071 without multiple episodes. Children and adolescents with multiple episodes versus those without multiple episodes were differentiated as follows: more comorbid attention deficit disorder (ADD) (80.9% versus 29.4%) (χ2=70.61, df=1, p < 0.0001); higher rate of hospital admission for depression (12.1% vs. 1.8%, χ2=27.86, df=1, p < 0.0001); for other psychiatric conditions (48.3% vs. 11.2, χ2=74.47, df=1, p < 0.0001) and for medical conditions (22.4% vs. 3.9%, χ2=46.26, df=1, p < 0.0001). Patients with multiple episodes per year were more likely than those without multiple episodes to be given mood stabilizers (91.4% vs. 60.3%, χ2=22.02, df=1, p < 0.0001), antidepressants (79.3% vs. 59.2%, χ2=8.82, df=1, p=.0003), and antipsychotics (89.7% vs. 45.8%, χ2=42.91, df=1, p < 0.0001). The use of stimulants did not differ between the two groups (24.1% vs. 23.0%), χ2=0.02, df=1, p=0.96). Conclusions: Our findings support previous studies demonstrating that children and adolescents with multiple episodes per year present a higher comorbidity and require more hospitalizations and pharmacological treatment than those without multiple episodes. The diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with BD will have to take into account the high comorbidity of ADD mainly in children and adolescents with multiple episodes. Future prospective studies will help to better characterize the impact of multiple episodes in the course of pediatric BD and facilitate appropriate treatment strategies.