bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Biomarkers of Alcohol Exposure With Total Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels
Authors: Friedrich Nele , Husemoen Lise Lotte N. , Petersmann Astrid , Nauck Matthias , Völzke Henry , Linneberg Allan 
Published: April 2008

Background: A number of studies have shown that self‐reported alcohol intake is positively associated with total serum immunoglobin E (IgE) levels. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of self‐reported alcohol consumption and different biomarkers of alcohol exposure to total serum IgE levels in a general adult population.Methods: A total of 3,443 subjects aged 20 to 79 years from the population‐based cross‐sectional Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) were included in the analyses. Information on alcohol consumption and serum carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate‐amino transferase (ASAT), andalanine‐amino transferase (ALAT) levels were measured. Multivariable linear regression models were performed separately in atopic and nonatopic subjects.Results: In nonatopic subjects positive associations between self‐reported alcohol consumption as well as all considered biomarkers of alcohol exposure and total serum IgE levels were found. Further the results also suggested positive associations between alcohol consumption as well as alcohol biomarkers and total serum IgE level in atopic subjects, even though not all tests for linear trend reached statistical significance.Conclusions: In conclusion, biomarkers of alcohol exposure were positively associated with total serum IgE levels supporting that the positive association between self‐reported alcohol intake and IgE levels observed in previous studies is real and not due to misclassification of alcohol intake or confounding by other factors that may be linked to both alcohol intake and total serum IgE levels.
Immunological Detection of in Vitro Formed Phosphatidylethanol—An Alcohol Biomarker—With Monoclonal Antibodies
Authors: Nissinen Antti E. , Mäkelä Sanna M. , Vuoristo Jussi T. , Liisanantti Marja K. , Hannuksela Minna L. , Hörkkö Sohvi , Savolainen Markku J. 
Published: April 2008

Background:  Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a promising new marker for detecting long‐term alcohol abuse with excellent sensitivity and specificity. Current methods are based on the high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric method and therefore require high levels of expertise and expensive instrumentation. This study was designed to generate PEth‐specific monoclonal antibodies for PEth immunoassay development.Methods:  C57/BL6 mice were immunized with PEth in 3 different carriers, mouse serum albumin, mouse high‐density lipoproteins, and human low‐density lipoprotein (LDL). Mouse splenocytes were fused with a mouse myeloma cell line using the hybridoma technique. Mouse IgM‐producing cell lines were selected by limiting dilutions. Binding characteristics of the anti‐PEth antibodies were studied using luminometric immunoassays and sequence analysis of the variable region mRNA sequences of the antibodies. Produced antibodies were purified by chromatographic methods. PEth was detected with these antibodies in fluorescence immunoassay and flow cytometric analysis.Results:  We generated monoclonal cell lines (2B1 and 2E9) that produce IgM antibodies binding specifically to PEth but not to structurally or chemically similar phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid, and cardiolipin. We show here that these anti‐PEth antibodies can be used to detect PEth in a fluorescent PEth assay and FACS analysis of human red blood cell samples spiked with PEth.Conclusions:  The present study shows that PEth‐specific monoclonal antibodies can be generated using traditional hybridoma technique. Immunogenicity of PEth was enhanced using human LDL as an immunization carrier. The generated monoclonal anti‐PEth antibodies, 2B1 and 2E9 bind to PEth in fluid phase and in biological membranes.
The Relative Contribution of Genes and Environment to Alcohol Use in Early Adolescents: Are Similar Factors Related to Initiation of Alcohol Use and Frequency of Drinking?
Authors: Poelen Evelien A. P. , Derks Eske M. , Engels Rutger C. M. E. , Van Leeuwe Jan F. J. , Scholte Ron H. J. , Willemsen Gonneke , Boomsma Dorret I. 
Published: April 2008

Background:  The present study assessed the relative contribution of genes and environment to individual differences in initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking among early adolescents and examined the extent to which the same genetic and environmental factors influence both individual differences in initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking.Methods:  Questionnaire data collected by the Netherlands Twin Register were available for 694 twin pairs aged of 12 to 15 years. Bivariate genetic model fitting analyses were conducted in mx. We modeled the variance of initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking as a function of three influences: genetic effects, common environmental effects, and unique environmental effects. Analyses were performed conditional on sex.Results:  Findings indicated that genetic factors were most important for variation in early initiation of alcohol use (83% explained variance in males and 70% in females). There was a small contribution of common environment (2% in males, 19% in females). In contrast, common environmental factors explained most of the variation in frequency of drinking (82% in males and females). In males the association between initiation and frequency was explained by common environmental factors influencing both phenotypes. In females, there was a large contribution of common environmental factors that influenced frequency of drinking only. There was no evidence that different genetic or common environmental factors operated in males and females.Conclusion:  Different factors were involved in individual differences in early initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking once adolescents have started to use alcohol.
Enhanced Ethanol Inhibition of RecombinantN‐methyl‐D‐aspartate Receptors by Magnesium: Role of NR3A Subunits
Authors: Jin Chun , Thetford Smothers C. , Woodward John J. 
Published: April 2008

Background: The effects of ethanol on brain function are thought to be partly because of altered activity of ion channels that regulate synaptic activity. Results from previous studies from this lab and others have shown that ethanol inhibits the function of theN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors, a calcium‐permeable ion channel activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Factors that influence the acute sensitivity of NMDA receptors to ethanol may be critical in determining how neurons and neuronal networks respond to the presence of ethanol. In this study, we have examined the effect of physiologically relevant concentrations of magnesium on the ethanol sensitivity of recombinant NMDA receptors and how ethanol inhibition under these conditions is influenced by the NR3A subunit.Methods: Recombinant cDNAs encoding NMDA receptor subunits were expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp electrophysiology was used to measure currents induced by rapid application of glutamate in the absence and presence of ethanol.Results: In magnesium‐free recording solution, ethanol inhibited glutamate‐mediated currents in cells transfected with NMDA receptor subunits. The magnitude of ethanol inhibition was significantly enhanced when recordings were carried out in media containing 1 mM magnesium. This effect was reversible and required magnesium‐sensitive receptors. Magnesium did not enhance ethanol inhibition of glycine‐activated NR1/NR3A/NR3B receptors. However, NR3A co‐expression prevented the enhancement of ethanol’s inhibitory effect on receptors composed of NR2A but not NR2B subunits.Conclusions: These results suggest that under physiological conditions, NR3A may be an important regulator of the acute ethanol sensitivity of brain NMDA receptors.
Upregulation of β‐Catenin Levels in Superior Frontal Cortex of Chronic Alcoholics
Authors: Al‐Housseini Ali M. , Sivanandam Thamil Mani , Bradbury Edward L. , Tannenberg Rudi K. , Dodd Peter R. , Gu Qiang 
Published: April 2008

Background:  Chronic and excessive alcohol misuse results in neuroadaptive changes in the brain. The complex nature of behavioral, psychological, emotional, and neuropathological characteristics associated with alcoholism is likely a reflection of the network of proteins that are affected by alcohol‐induced gene expression patterns in specific brain regions. At the molecular level, however, knowledge remains limited regarding alterations in protein expression levels affected by chronic alcohol abuse. Thus, novel techniques that allow a comprehensive assessment of this complexity will enable the simultaneous assessment of changes across a group of proteins in the relevant neural circuitry.Methods:  A proteomics analysis was performed using antibody microarrays to determine differential protein levels in superior frontal cortices between chronic alcoholics and age‐ and gender‐matched control subjects. Seventeen proteins related to the catenin signaling pathway were analyzed, including α‐, β‐, and δ‐catenins, their upstream activators cadherin‐3 (type I cadherin) and cadherin‐5 (type II cadherin), and 5 cytoplasmic regulators c‐Src, CK1ε, GSK‐3β, PP2A‐Cα, and APC, as well as the nuclear complex partner of β‐catenin CBP and 2 downstream genes Myc and cyclin D1. ILK, Gα1, Gβ1, and Gβ2, which are activity regulators of GSK‐3β, were also analyzed.Results:  Both α‐ and β‐catenin showed significantly increased levels, while δ‐catenin did not change significantly, in chronic alcoholics. In addition, the level of the β‐catenin downstream gene product Myc was significantly increased. Average levels of the catenin regulators c‐Src, CK1ε, and APC were also increased in chronic alcoholics, but the changes were not statistically significant.Conclusion:  Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption leads to an upregulation of α‐ and β‐catenin levels, which in turn increase downstream gene expressions such as Myc that is controlled by β‐catenin signaling. This study showed that the β‐catenin signal transduction pathway was upregulated by chronic alcohol abuse, and prompts further investigation of mechanisms underlying the upregulation of α‐ and β‐catenins in alcoholism, which may have considerable pathogenic and therapeutic relevance.
The Sankey Diagram in Energy and Material Flow Management
Authors: Schmidt Mario 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe Sankey diagram is an important aid in pointing up inefficiencies and potential for savings in connection with resource use. This article, the second of a pair, examines the use of Sankey diagrams in operational material flow management. The previous article described the development of the diagram and its use in the past.Simple Sankey diagrams follow the requirement of conservation of energy or mass and allow a physical view of production systems. Advanced diagrams integrate stocks of materials beside the flows or show the different (ecological) quality of the materials. For the purpose of management, however, a further step is necessary: to illustrate the economic value of the energy and material flows and to use information from cost accounting. The use of flow charts showing added value or the costs of energy and material flows is particularly important for production systems. This article describes examples of each of these uses as well as assumptions that must be taken into account for Sankey diagrams to be used as an effective aid for decision‐making in business and public policy.
Can the Emergency Department Algorithm Detect Changes in Access to Care?
Authors: Lowe Robert A. , Fu Rongwei 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectives:  The “emergency department algorithm” (EDA) uses emergency department (ED) diagnoses to assign probabilities that a visit falls into each of four categories: nonemergency, primary care–treatable emergency, preventable emergency needing ED care, and nonpreventable emergency. The EDA’s developers report that it can evaluate the medical safety net because patients with worse access to care will use EDs for less urgent conditions. After the Oregon Health Plan (OHP, Oregon’s expanded Medicaid program) underwent cutbacks affecting access to care in 2003, the authors tested the ability of the EDA to detect changes in ED use.Methods:  All visits to 22 Oregon EDs during 2002 were compared with visits during 2004. For each payer category, mean probabilities that ED visits fell into each of the four categories were compared before versus after the OHP cutbacks.Results:  The largest change in mean probabilities after the cutbacks was 2%. Attempts to enhance the sensitivity of the EDA through other analytic strategies were unsuccessful. By contrast, ED visits by the uninsured increased from 6,682/month in 2002 to 9,058/month in 2004, and the proportion of uninsured visits leading to hospital admission increased by 51%.Conclusions:  The EDA was less useful in demonstrating changes in access to care than were other, simpler measures. Methodologic concerns with the EDA that may account for this limitation are discussed. Given the widespread adoption of the EDA among health policy researchers, the authors conclude that further refinement of the methodology is needed.
Productivity and Career Paths of Previous Recipients of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Research Grant Awards
Authors: Young Kelly D. ,   on behalf of the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Grants Committees
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectives:  The objective was to assess productivity of previous recipients of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) grant awards.Methods:  All previous recipients of SAEM Research Training Grants, Neuroscience Research Awards, Scholarly Sabbatical Awards, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Research Fellowship awards funded through 2004 were identified through SAEM’s records and surveyed. Award categories assessed were those still offered by SAEM at the time of the survey and therefore excluded the Geriatric Research Award. The 2005–2006 SAEM Grants Committee developed a survey using previous publications assessing productivity of training grants and fellowship awards and refined it through consensus review and limited pilot testing. We assessed measures of academic productivity (numbers of publications and additional grants awarded), commitment to an academic career, satisfaction with the SAEM award, and basic demographic information.Results:  Overall response rate was 70%; usable data were returned by all seven Research Training Grant awardees, both Neuroscience awardees, four of five Scholarly Sabbatical awardees, and six of 14 EMS Research Fellowship awardees. Of those who gave demographic information, 78% (14/18) were male and 94% (16/17) were non‐Hispanic white. All the respondents remained in academics, and 14 of 19 felt that they will definitely be in academics 5 years from the time of the survey. They have a median of 1.8 original research publications per year since the end of their grant period, and 74% (14/19) have received subsequent federal funding. All found the SAEM award to be helpful or very helpful to their careers.Conclusions:  Previous recipients of the SAEM grant awards show evidence of academic productivity in the form of subsequent grant funding and research publications, and the majority remain committed to and satisfied with their academic research careers.
Substance P regulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase in cultured human gingival fibroblasts
Authors: Cury P. R. , Canavez F. , De Araújo V. C. , Furuse C. , De Araújo N. S. 
Published: April 2008

Background and Objective:  Substance P may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease; however, its mechanisms of modulation are not clear. This study evaluated the effect of two concentrations of Substance P on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in cultured human gingival fibroblasts.Material and Methods:  Fibroblasts were stimulated for 48 h with 10−4 or 10−9 m Substance P; untreated fibroblasts served as controls. The expression of MMP‐1, ‐2, ‐3, ‐7 and ‐11 and of TIMP‐1 and ‐2 was evaluated using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.Results:  There was a significant, concentration‐dependent stimulatory effect of Substance P on MMP‐1, ‐2, ‐3 and ‐7 and TIMP‐2 gene expression (p < 0.05), and a probable effect on MMP‐11 (p = 0.06). At the higher concentration (10−4 m Substance P), MMP‐1, ‐2, ‐3, ‐7 and ‐11 and TIMP‐2 showed the greatest up‐regulation; at the lower concentration (10−9 m Substance P), MMP‐1, ‐3 and ‐7 and TIMP‐2 exhibited diminished up‐regulation, with MMP‐2 and ‐11 showing down‐regulation (p < 0.05). Expression of TIMP‐1 was not affected by Substance P (p > 0.05). Western blotting confirmed that Substance P up‐regulated MMP‐1, ‐2, ‐3 and ‐11 and TIMP‐2. MMP‐1, ‐3 and ‐11 and TIMP‐2 showed greater up‐regulation at the higher Substance P concentration and diminished up‐regulation at the lower concentration. MMP‐2 was up‐regulated to a similar degree at both Substance P concentrations.Conclusion:  In gingival fibroblast cells, Substance P at the higher concentration (10−4 m) induced greater up‐regulation of MMP‐1, ‐3 and ‐11 and TIMP‐2 expression, but at the lower concentration (10−9 m) induced diminished up‐regulation, which may represent a mechanism for modulating periodontal breakdown.
Cellular responses of rat periodontal ligament cells under hypoxia and re‐oxygenation conditions in vitro
Authors: Amemiya H. , Matsuzaka K. , Kokubu E. , Ohta S. , Inoue T. 
Published: April 2008

Background and Objective:  The aim of this study was to investigate the responses of periodontal ligament cells under hypoxia and re‐oxygenation conditions in vitro.Material and Methods:  Periodontal ligament fibroblasts were isolated from rat incisors. In the hypoxia group, cells were incubated in 2% O2 for 1–3 d. In the re‐oxygenation group, cells were first incubated under the same conditions as the hypoxia group for 24 h and then were returned to normoxic conditions and cultured for 1–2 additional days.Results:  Proliferation ratios increased in all groups in a time‐dependent manner. Proliferation ratios in both the hypoxia and re‐oxygenation groups were significantly higher than in the control group on days 2 and 3. Alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher in the hypoxia group than in the control and the re‐oxygenation groups. The expression of bone sialoprotein mRNA was significantly higher in the hypoxia group than in the control group on days 1 and 2. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA was significantly higher in the hypoxia group than in the control group on days 1 and 2. In the re‐oxygenation group, the level of expression of bone sialoprotein mRNA and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA were similar to those of the control group. The expression of heat shock protein 70 mRNA in the hypoxia group was similar to that in the control group, whereas in the re‐oxygenation group it was statistically higher than in the other groups.Conclusion:  These results suggest that periodontal ligament cells maintain their osteogenic ability in hypoxia and re‐oxygenation conditions in vitro.
China's Economy in 2007/2008: Coping with Problems of Runaway Growth
Authors: Wong John 
Published: April 2008

AbstractFuelled by high domestic investment and rapid export expansion, China's economy grew by 11.4 percent in 2007, the highest increase since 1994 and the fifth consecutive year of double‐digit growth. Such spectacular growth performance is unprecedented in the world s economic history. However, the Chinese Government is again worried about a possible “hard landing” for the economy, as no economy can sustain very strong growth for extremely long period without overheating. Cracks in China s economy are indeed emerging. The consumer price index shot up to 6.9 percent in November 2007, the highest level in a decade, with the annual inflation for 2007 rising to 4.8 percent, well above the governments “comfort level” of 3 percent. This prompted China s top leadership to declare that reducing economic overheating and curbing inflation would be the top policy priorities for 2008. To contain such cost‐push inflation, the government has to tackle its root causes, such as excessive liquidity, which is caused by the undervaluation of the renminbi, which in turn is attributable to China s chronic external and internal macroeconomic imbalances. High growth is likely to continue in 2008, at around 10 percent, with inflation of 5–6 percent expected, despite the anticipated tighter macroeconomic control measures and the more troubled external economic environment (e.g. the expected US economic slowdown). Regardless, China s fundamental problems associated with runaway growth will largely remain. In addition, if the US economy slips into a serious recession, the Chinese economy will not be able to decouple from it and escape unscathed.
Local “Land Finance” in China's Urban Expansion: Challenges and Solutions
Authors: Cao Guangzhong , Feng Changchun , Tao Ran 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper considers the issue of local “land finance” in the context of China's fast urban expansion. In an analysis of China s land requisition and public leasing system we argue that low‐cost land acquisition is the fundamental cause of land‐related distortions that have occurred during China s urbanization. Granting farmers the power to negotiate directly with land users during urban expansion, combined with coordinated land tax reforms to consolidate local tax bases is the key to China achieving both equity and land use efficiency in urban expansion.
Payment for Environmental Services: The Sloping Land Conversion Program in Ningxia Autonomous Region of China
Authors: Zhang Lei , Tu Qin , Mol Arthur P. J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractChina's Sloping Land Conversion Program has been implemented since 2002. It aims to achieve goals of ecological recovery and poverty alleviation, by retiring steeply sloping land from crop production and freeing surplus agricultural labor for off‐farm activities. Given the huge investment that has been poured into it, and its ecological and social impacts, this government‐initiated program has attracted significant academic attention and triggered a flood of debate. Since 2004, the debate has concentrated on the sustainability of the program. Although targets have been overachieved in some provinces, concern has still emerged regarding the livelihood of farmers after subsidies stop. The present paper analyzes the implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program in Ningxia Autonomous Region, with a focus on the required social capital for sustained participation of farmers and the development of off‐farm economic activities.