bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lower urinary tract symptoms and risk of prostate cancer: The HUNT 2 Cohort, Norway
Authors: Martin Richard M. , Vatten Lars , Gunnell David , Romundstad Pål , Nilsen Tom I.L. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractScreening for early prostate cancer is frequently employed in the routine management of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), but the evidence‐base linking LUTS with prostate cancer is limited. We assessed the association of LUTS with a subsequent prostate cancer diagnosis in a prospective cohort study based on 21,159 Norwegian men who completed baseline questionnaires, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire, between 1995 and 2007 as part of the second Nord‐Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2). Men were followed‐up for prostate cancer incidence and mortality from the date of clinical examination to end 2005. During a mean of 9 years follow‐up, 518 incident prostate cancers were diagnosed and 74 men died from prostate cancer. Men with severe LUTS (IPSS 20–35) had a 2.26‐fold (95% CI: 1.49–3.42) increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men reporting no symptoms. A positive association was observed for localized (hazard ratio, HR: 4.61; 2.23–9.54), but not advanced (HR: 0.51; 0.15–1.75), cancers (p for heterogeneity <0.001). There was no evidence that moderate/severe symptoms (IPSS 8–35) were associated with prostate cancer mortality (HR: 0.83; 0.42–1.64) vs. no symptoms. Amongst 518 men with prostate cancer, there was a 46% lower (10–68%) risk of death with moderate/severe symptoms vs. no symptoms. We conclude that LUTS are positively associated with localized, but not advanced or fatal, prostate cancer, suggesting that urinary symptoms are not caused by prostate cancer. Thus, screening for early cancers on the basis of LUTS may not be justified. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitation of circulating tumor cells in blood samples from ovarian and prostate cancer patients using tumor‐specific fluorescent ligands
Authors: He Wei , Kularatne Sumith A. , Kalli Kimberly R. , Prendergast Franklyn G. , Amato Robert J. , Klee George G. , Hartmann Lynn C. , Low Philip S. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractQuantitation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can provide information on the stage of a malignancy, onset of disease progression and response to therapy. In an effort to more accurately quantitate CTCs, we have synthesized fluorescent conjugates of 2 high‐affinity tumor‐specific ligands (folate‐AlexaFluor 488 and DUPA‐FITC) that bind tumor cells >20‐fold more efficiently than fluorescent antibodies. Here we determine whether these tumor‐specific dyes can be exploited for quantitation of CTCs in peripheral blood samples from cancer patients. A CTC‐enriched fraction was isolated from the peripheral blood of ovarian and prostate cancer patients by an optimized density gradient centrifugation protocol and labeled with the aforementioned fluorescent ligands. CTCs were then quantitated by flow cytometry. CTCs were detected in 18 of 20 ovarian cancer patients (mean 222 CTCs/ml; median 15 CTCs/ml; maximum 3,118 CTCs/ml), whereas CTC numbers in 16 gender‐matched normal volunteers were negligible (mean 0.4 CTCs/ml; median 0.3 CTCs/ml; maximum 1.5 CTCs/ml; p < 0.001, χ2). CTCs were also detected in 10 of 13 prostate cancer patients (mean 26 CTCs/ml, median 14 CTCs/ml, maximum 94 CTCs/ml) but not in 18 gender‐matched healthy donors (mean 0.8 CTCs/ml, median 1, maximum 3 CTC/ml; p < 0.0026, χ2). Tumor‐specific fluorescent antibodies were much less efficient in quantitating CTCs because of their lower CTC labeling efficiency. Use of tumor‐specific fluorescent ligands to label CTCs in peripheral blood can provide a simple, accurate and sensitive method for determining the number of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pancreatic cancer cell lines deficient in argininosuccinate synthetase are sensitive to arginine deprivation by arginine deiminase
Authors: Bowles Tawnya L. , Kim Randie , Galante Joseph , Parsons Colin M. , Virudachalam Subbulakshmi , Kung Hsing‐Jien , Bold Richard J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractEukaryotic cells can synthesize the non‐essential amino acid arginine from aspartate and citrulline using the enzyme argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS). It has been observed that ASS is underexpressed in various types of cancers ASS, for which arginine become auxotrophic. Arginine deiminase (ADI) is a prokaryotic enzyme that metabolizes arginine to citrulline and has been found to inhibit melanoma and hepatoma cancer cells deficient of ASS. We tested the hypothesis that pancreatic cancers have low ASS expression and therefore arginine deprivation by ADI will inhibit cell growth. ASS expression was examined in 47 malignant and 20 non‐neoplastic pancreatic tissues as well as a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Arginine deprivation was achieved by treatment with a recombinant form of ADI formulated with polyethylene glycol (PEG‐ADI). Effects on caspase activation, cell growth and cell death were examined. Furthermore, the effect of PEG‐ADI on thein vivogrowth of pancreatic xenografts was examined. Eighty‐seven percent of the tumors lacked ASS expression; 5 of 7 cell lines similarly lacked ASS expression. PEG‐ADI specifically inhibited growth of those cell lines lacking ASS. PEG‐ADI treatment induced caspase activation and induction of apoptosis. PEG‐ADI was well tolerated in mice despite complete elimination of plasma arginine; tumor growth was inhibited by ∼50%. Reduced expression of ASS occurs in pancreatic cancer and predicts sensitivity to arginine deprivation achieved by PEG‐ADI treatment. Therefore, these findings suggest that arginine deprivation by ADI could provide a beneficial strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, a malignancy in which new therapy is desperately needed. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Borderline ovarian tumors in Sweden 1960–2005: Trends in incidence and age at diagnosis compared to ovarian cancer
Authors: Skírnisdóttir Ingiridur , Garmo Hans , Wilander Erik , Holmberg Lars 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate long‐term trends in the incidence of borderline tumors and ovarian cancer in Sweden during 1960–2005, based on data from the population‐based Swedish Cancer Register. We identified 6,288 patients with borderline ovarian tumors and a total of 34,977 cases of ovarian cancer during the study period. The age‐standardized incidence of borderline ovarian tumors increased from 1.0 to 5.3 per 100,000 women‐years from 1960–1964 to 2000–2005 and the incidence of ovarian cancer increased from 16.4 to 19.7 per 100,000 women‐years from 1960–1964 to 1980–1989 and then declined to 16.6 per 100,000 women‐years to the period 2000–2005. Borderline ovarian tumors comprised 15% of all primary ovarian neoplasms and the proportion increased from 8.3 to 23.6% during the study period. The median age at diagnosis for patients with borderline ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer was 55.2 and 61.6 years, respectively. In women younger than 40 years, 34% of all primary ovarian malignancies consisted of borderline ovarian tumors. For the 5 birth cohorts evaluated, the peaks of incidence occurred in stepwise younger age for each younger birth cohort for both borderline tumors and ovarian cancer. The increasing incidence of borderline ovarian tumors could be explained by an increase in diagnostic activity and by a lack of protective effect of oral contraceptive use. The decline in invasive tumors could be explained by a combination of factors, where the contribution of each is uncertain: shifting exposure to risk factors, a protective effect of oral contraceptive use, and increased detection of and removal of precancerous lesions. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Induction of IgG antibodies to MUC1 and survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Oei Angèle L.M. , Moreno María , Verheijen René H.M. , Sweep Fred C.G.J. , Thomas Chris M.G. , Massuger Leon F.A.G. , von Mensdorff‐Pouilly Silvia 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWe investigated whether epithelial ovarian cancer patients participating in a randomized phase III trial comparing single intraperitoneal (IP) administration of yttrium‐90‐labeled murine HMFG1 (90Y‐muHMFG1) plus standard treatment (AT)vs.standard treatment (ST) alone developed IgG ab to MUC1 that had an impact on disease outcome. Serial serum samples from 208 patients in the AT and 199 patients in the ST arm were tested for IgG ab to MUC1 (anti‐MUC1 IgG). Anti‐MUC1 IgG at weeks 4, 8 and 12 ranked higher in the AT than in the ST arm (p< 0.001). The median (range) area under the curve (AUC) of anti‐MUC1 IgG for weeks 1 to 12 was 5.53 (1.51–39.51) and 3.92 (1.17–68.74) for the AT and ST arm, respectively (p< 0.001). An anti‐MUC1 IgG AUC > 13 was associated with a benefit in overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) in the AT arm in univariate (p= 0.043 and 0.036, respectively), but not in multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards regression model). Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed a benefit in OS and DFS in patients with an anti‐MUC1 IgG AUC > 13 in the AT arm (p= 0.043 and 0.036, respectively), but not in the ST arm. A single IP injection with muHMFG1 did not lead to a survival benefit in the randomized trial, but it induced ab to MUC1 that were associated with an improved disease outcome in patients with highest levels of anti‐MUC1 IgG. Immunotherapy against MUC1 could be effective in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Opposing associations of serum n‐3 and n‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with colorectal adenoma risk: An endoscopy‐based case–control study
Authors: Pot Gerda K. , Geelen Anouk , van Heijningen Else‐Mariëtte B. , Siezen Christine L.E. , van Kranen Henk J. , Kampman Ellen 
Published: July 2008

AbstractSeveral human and animal studies have shown that n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) might be associated with a decreased risk, whereas other studies showed that n‐6 PUFA may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, results from these studies are not consistent. We evaluated the associations between serum n‐3 and n‐6 PUFA levels and colorectal adenoma risk in an endoscopy‐based case–control study, conducted in The Netherlands between 1997 and 2002. We included 363 cases of colorectal adenomas and 498 adenoma‐free controls. Serum fatty acids were measured in cholesteryl esters. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR), which were adjusted for age, gender and alcohol intake. Total serum n‐3 PUFA levels were inversely associated with colorectal adenoma risk, the OR comparing the third tertile with the first tertile was 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46–0.96, p for trend = 0.03]. Serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n‐3) and the n‐3/n‐6 ratio were inversely associated with colorectal adenoma risk, but these were not statistically significant. In contrast, the risk of colorectal adenomas was increased by total n‐6 PUFA with an OR of 1.68 (95% CI, 1.17–2.42, p for trend = 0.006) and by linoleic acid (LA; C18:2n‐6) with an OR of 1.65 (95% CI, 1.15–2.38, p for trend = 0.007). This is the first observational study that simultaneously finds an inverse association of serum n‐3 PUFA and a positive association of n‐6 PUFA with colorectal adenoma risk. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Currency crisis duration and interest defence
Authors: Gregori Tullio 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAsymmetric wars of attrition between speculators and a Central Bank can provide a useful framework to address currency crisis length and explain why a speculative attack can fail after some time. Interest rate defence can be analysed too. A non‐linear relationship between interest rates and peg defence emerges, as a rate upsurge can reduce both concession times. With some welfare loss functions, increasing the domestic rate too much is a self‐defeating policy as the Central Bank will opt out before speculators concede, but the reverse holds for lower rates. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
‘Noise‐trader risk’ and Bayesian market making in FX derivatives: rolling loaded dice?
Authors: Ulibarri Carlos A. , Anselmo Peter C. , Hovespian Karen , Tolk Jacob , Florescu Ionut 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThis paper develops and simulates a model of a Bayesian market maker who transacts with noise and position traders in derivative markets. The impact of noise trading is examined relative to price determination in FX futures, noise transmission from futures to options, and risk‐management behaviour linking the two markets. The model simulations show noise trading in futures results in wider bid–ask spreads, increased price volatility, and greater variation in hedging costs. Above all, the Bayesian market maker manages price‐risk by trend chasing not for speculative purposes, but to avoid being caught on the wrong side of the market. The pecuniary effects from this risk‐management strategy suggest that noise trading tends to constrain the market maker's capacity to arbitrage; particularly when the underlying price is mean averting as opposed to a Martingale and trading sessions exhibit significant price volatility. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real exchange rates and developing countries
Authors: Kanas Angelos 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAs the real exchange rate of developing countries is especially vulnerable to stochastic events, standard unit root tests do not capture such events adequately. Using a Markov switching extension of the ADF test, which incorporates stochastic regime switching, we address the issue of real exchange rate stationarity for 43 developing countries. We find strong statistical evidence that this approach is preferred to the standard ADF for all countries considered. For 36 countries, there is strong evidence of regime‐dependent stationarity, namely there is a regime in which the real exchange rate is stationary and another regime in which the real exchange rate is non‐stationary. This suggests that over a sample period, there are sub‐periods of stationarity and sub‐periods of non‐stationarity. We identify those sub‐periods and assess their average duration and regime persistence. The results, robust to alternative sample periods, indicate that there exists sample‐dependence in unit root results in previous studies, and help bridge the gap between conflicting results of these studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
3D‐model of adult cardiac stem cells promotes cardiac differentiation and resistance to oxidative stress
Authors: Bartosh T.J. , Wang Zhaohui , Rosales Armando A. , Dimitrijevich S. Dan , Roque Rouel S. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe regenerative inadequacy of the injured myocardium leads to adverse remodeling, cardiac dysfunction, and heart disease. Stem cell‐replacement of damaged myocardium faces major challenges such as inappropriate differentiation, cellular uncoupling, scar formation, and accelerated apoptosis of transplanted cells. These challenges can be met by engineering an in vitro system for delivering stem cells capable of cardiac differentiation, tissue integration, and resistance to oxidative stress. In this study, we describe the formation of three‐dimensional (3D) cell aggregates (“cardiospheres”) by putative stem cells isolated from adult dog myocardium using poly‐L‐ornithine. De novo formation of cardiospheres in growth factor‐containing medium occurred over a period of 2–3 weeks, but accelerated to 2–3 days when seeded on poly‐L‐ornithine. Older cardiospheres developed foci of “beating” cells upon co‐culture with rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. Cardiospheres contained cells that exhibited characteristics of undifferentiated cells; differentiating cardiomyocytes with organized contractile machinery; and vascular cells capable of forming “vessel‐like” networks. They exhibited strong resistance to elevated concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in culture and survived subcutaneous injections without undergoing neoplastic transformation up to 3 weeks post‐transplantation. These findings suggest that cardiospheres are potentially useful for delivering functional stem cells to the damaged heart. J. Cell. Biochem. 105: 612–623, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Removal of nickel from effluents by chelating ion exchange
Authors: Ma Anthony , Shek T H , Allen S J , Lee V K C , McKay G 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: Nickel is a highly toxic metal which is discharged into receiving waters by several industries, in particular, electroplating, PCB and electronics manufacturers. In the present study, a new ion exchanger has been assessed for its ability to remove nickel from solution.RESULTS: By comparing the SSE of different models in the nickel metal ion system, it seems that Redlich‐Peterson isotherm was the best fit model for the three metal ions. But the Langmuir was of a very similar magnitude. The equilibrium sorption capacity has been determined as 2.18 mmol/g and the batch contact time studies have been analyzed and compared using three kinetic models. The rate data were best correlated using the Elovich kinetic model.CONCLUSION: The batch sorption system is a well developed system for the application in the field of water pollution collected in small scale plants. The suitability of a sorbent is determined by the cost, sorption performance and regeneration efficiency. The sorption capacity of resin for nickel metal ions was determined as 2.18 mmol/g. In order to develop a treatment system design it is also important to determine the best kinetic model, Elovich kinetic model, to describe the rate of nickel removal. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Testosterone stimulates the expression of a social color signal in Yarrow's Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus jarrovii
Authors: Cox Robert M. , Zilberman Viktoriya , John‐Alder Henry B. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe sex steroid testosterone has been shown to regulate the development of male‐specific coloration in many organisms that exhibit sexual dichromatism, but the role of testosterone is less certain for species in which both sexes express bright coloration. Lizards in the genus Sceloporus possess bright blue patches on their throats and abdomens. These patches, which are used in social signaling, are often regulated by testosterone and are consequently expressed only in males of most species. However, Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii, Cope 1875) exhibits a derived condition in which both sexes express bright blue ventral patches despite dramatic sexual differences in circulating testosterone levels throughout postnatal ontogeny. In this study, we used surgical castration and hormone replacement in juvenile males to test the hypothesis that testosterone stimulates the expression of blue ventral coloration in S. jarrovii. In two separate experiments conducted in captivity and the natural field environment, we found that surgical castration decreased the hue and saturation while increasing the brightness of blue throat and abdominal patches. Castration also decreased the amount of black pigment bordering the blue throat patch. Treatment of castrated males with exogenous testosterone restored all aspects of ventral coloration to values similar to those of intact control males. Early organizational effects of testosterone during prenatal development may lead to the expression of blue coloration in both sexes, but the results of our present experiments indicate that subsequent effects of testosterone during sexual maturation further enhance the coloration of males. J. Exp. Zool. 309A:505–514, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of locomotor approach on feeding kinematics in the green anole (Anolis carolinensis)
Authors: Montuelle Stéphane J. , Daghfous Gheylen , Bels Vincent L. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractSquamates are well‐known models for studying to examine locomotor and feeding behaviors in tetrapods, but studies that integrate both behavioral activities remain scarce. Anolis lizards are a classical lineage to study the evolutionary relationships between locomotor behavior and complex structural features of the habitat. Here, we analyzed prey‐capture behavior in one representative arboreal predator, Anolis carolinensis, to demonstrate the functional links between locomotor strategies and the kinematics of feeding. A. carolinensis uses two strategies to catch living insects on perches: Head‐Up Capture and Jump Capture. In both cases, lizards use lingual prehension to capture the prey and the kinematic patterns of the trophic apparatus are not significantly influenced by the selected strategies. Therefore, to capture one prey type, movements of the trophic structures are highly fixed and A. carolinensis modulates the locomotor pattern to exploit the environment. Predation behavior in A. carolinensis integrates two different behavioral patterns: locomotor plasticity of prey‐approach and biomechanical stereotypy of tongue prehension to successfully capture the prey. J. Exp. Zool. 309A:563–567, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synergistic effect of gene‐electro transfer and adjuvant cytokines in increasing the potency of hepatitis C virus genetic vaccination
Authors: Arcuri Mirko , Cappelletti Manuela , Zampaglione Immacolata , Aurisicchio Luigi , Nicosia Alfredo , Ciliberto Gennaro , Fattori Elena 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBackgroundGene electro‐transfer (GET) increases DNA uptake and expression by muscle cells following intramuscular plasmid injection. This technology has been used to increase the production of therapeutic proteins, such as cytokines and growth factors, and to improve immunization efficiency following the injection of antigen‐encoding plasmids.MethodsHepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 and cytokine encoding plasmids were co‐injected in the mouse quadriceps with or without GET and vaccination outcome was monitored by analysis of antigen‐specific cellular‐mediated or antibody‐mediated immunity.ResultsGET co‐injection of cytokine‐encoding and HCV E2‐encoding plasmids strongly enhanced T‐ or B‐cell responses to various levels, depending on the particular combination used.ConclusionsWe propose that a cocktail of plasmids followed by GET can be the most efficient and fine‐tunable approach for genetic immunization. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.