bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
JNK/c-Jun Signaling Mediates an Anti-Apoptotic Effect of RANKL in Osteoclasts
Authors: Ikeda Fumiyo , Matsubara Takuma , Tsurukai Taro , Hata Kenji , Nishimura Riko , Yoneda Toshiyuki 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Introduction: RANKL is known to be important not only for differentiation and activation of osteoclasts but also for their survival. Experimentally, apoptosis of osteoclasts is rapidly induced by the deprivation of RANKL. RANKL activates Elk-related tyrosine kinase (ERK), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and NF-κB pathways through TRAF6 in osteoclasts and the precursor cells. It has been shown that ERK is critical for regulation of osteoclast survival. However, an involvement of other RANKL signaling pathways such as JNK signaling in survival of osteoclasts has not been fully understood yet.
Materials and Methods: Osteoclasts derived from primary mouse bone marrow cells by soluble RANKL (sRANKL) were treated with a JNK inhibitor, SP600125, or infected with adenovirus carrying dominant-negative (DN)-c-jun, DN-c-fos, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1), I-κBα mutant, or NF-κB components, p50 and p65. Osteoclasts were cultured with or without sRANKL, and apoptotic phenotype was determined by TUNEL assay, DAPI staining, and expression of cleaved caspase 3 followed by TRACP staining.
Results: Overexpression of TRAF6 activated JNK and NF-κB signaling pathways and clearly prevented osteoclasts from apoptosis caused by abrogation of sRANKL. An anti-apoptotic effect of RANKL/RANK/TRAF6 signaling on osteoclast was inhibited by JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 and by overexpression of dominant-negative JNK1, c-jun, and c-fos. Also, overexpression of MEKK1 inhibited apoptosis of osteoclasts even in the absence of sRANKL along with activation of JNK/c-jun signaling. On the other hand, blockade of NF-κB signaling by I-κBα mutant or overexpression of NF-κB components showed a marginal effect on apoptosis of osteoclasts.
Conclusions: An important role of RANKL-induced activation of MEKK1/JNK/c-jun signaling in the regulation of apoptosis in osteoclasts was shown. Our study suggests that c-fos plays a role as a partner of activator protein-1 factor, c-jun, during the regulation of apoptosis in osteoclasts.
Impact of Systematic Implementation of a Clinical Case Finding Strategy on Diagnosis and Therapy of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Authors: Geusens Piet , Dumitrescu Bianca , van Geel Tineke , van Helden Sven , Vanhoof Johan , Dinant Geert Jan 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Introduction: Case finding for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women is advocated in guidelines of osteoporosis, but implementation is unsatisfactory. We studied, in daily practice, the impact of systematic implementation of a previously validated clinical decision rule and fracture history on referral for bone densitometry (DXA) and drug prescription for osteoporosis.
Materials and Methods: Before-after impact analysis in 41,478 consecutive consulting postmenopausal women, included by 1080 general practitioners (GPs) during 2 mo, using the osteoporosis self-assessment (OST) index (based on age and weight, indicating women at low [LR], moderate [MR], and high risk [HR] for having osteoporosis [T-score &lt; −2.5 in spine and/or hip]) and fracture history. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were calculated between referrals before (n = 6580) and after intervention (n = 10,379) and between risk subgroups.
Results: Post-intervention RR for referral for DXA was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.8–2.0). Compared with LR women with prior DXA, the RR was 6.3 (95% CI, 6.0–6.6) in MR and 10.7 (95% CI, 10.0–11.4) in HR women without fracture, but similar in MR and HR women with fracture (11.4 and 11.6, respectively). New cases of osteoporosis were diagnosed in 3811 women, 96% of whom were prescribed drug treatment. Of HR women, 79% were referred for DXA. The sensitivity of a low OST index to predict osteoporosis was 92% and specificity was 16%.
Conclusions: The impact of temporary systematic implementation of this case finding strategy on GP practice was high: it nearly tripled referrals for DXA, and 96% of patients found to have osteoporosis had treatment. The impact depended on OST index and fracture history. Only 79% of HR women were referred for DXA. Specificity of a low OST index to predict osteoporosis was low. This indicates the need in the GP population for case finding strategies with fewer barriers for referral for DXA and with higher accuracy for predicting osteoporosis.
Caloric Restriction Decreases Cortical Bone Mass but Spares Trabecular Bone in the Mouse Skeleton: Implications for the Regulation of Bone Mass by Body Weight
Authors: Hamrick Mark W , Ding Ke-Hong , Ponnala Sumant , Ferrari Serge L , Isales Carlos M 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Introduction: Body weight is positively correlated with bone mass and density, and both muscle mass and body fat are thought to play a role in regulating bone metabolism. We examined bone metabolism in calorically restricted mice to determine how alterations in soft tissue mass affect bone mass, density, and strength.
Materials and Methods: Caloric restriction (CR) was initiated in male mice at 14 wk of age at 10% restriction, increased to 25% restriction at 15 wk, and then increased to 40% restriction at 16 wk, where it was maintained until 24 wk of age when the study was terminated. Control mice were fed ad libitum (AL). Body composition, BMD, and BMC were measured by DXA, BMD and BMC in the femoral metaphysis were measured by pQCT, femora were tested in three-point bending, serum leptin and IGF-1 were measured using immunoassay, and osteoblast and osteoclast numbers were determined using histomorphometry.
Results: Body weight, lean mass, fat mass, percent body fat, serum leptin, and serum IGF-1 were all significantly lower in CR mice than AL mice. Whole body BMC and BMD did not differ significantly between the two groups. Femur BMC, BMD, cortical thickness, and fracture strength decreased significantly in CR mice, but trabecular bone volume fraction in the femur did not change with food restriction. Vertebral cortical thickness also decreased with caloric restriction, whereas spine BMC, BMD, and trabecular bone volume fraction were significantly increased with caloric restriction.
Conclusions: Caloric restriction and its related weight reduction are associated with marked decreases in lean mass, fat mass, serum leptin and IGF-1, and cortical bone mass. Consistent with the opposite effects of leptin on cortical and cancellous bone, trabecular bone mass is spared during food restriction.
The Changing Role of the Embryo in Evolutionary Thought: Roots of Evo–DevoR. Amundson (2005). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press
Authors: Molenaar Peter C. M. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractEvolutionary developmental biology (evo–devo) has become an established field of research, especially since the spectacular results obtained in the 1990s regarding cross-species molecular homologies of (Hox) genes acting early during embryogenesis in insects, vertebrates, and beyond. Amundson summarizes some of these results, which justify a central assertion of evo–devo, namely that one must understand how bodies are built in order to understand how the process of building bodies can be changed, that is, how evolution can occur. But Amundson's book is not about these discoveries, but about the history of evo–devo.
Sex Differences in the Heritability of Resilience
Authors: Boardman Jason D. , Blalock Casey L. , Button Tanya M. M. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe examine the heritability of psychological resilience among US adults aged 25 to 74 years. Using monozygotic and same sex dizygotic twin pairs from the National Survey of Mid-Life Development in the United States (MIDUS) we show that positive affect is equally heritable among men (h2= .60) and women (h2= .59). We then estimate the heritability of positive affect after controlling for an exhaustive list of social and inter-personal stressors, and we operationalize the residual for positive affect as resilience. According to this specification, the heritability of resilience is higher among men (h2= .52) compared to women (h2= .38). We show that self-acceptance is one of the most important aspects of psychological functioning that accounts for the heritability of resilience among both men and women. However, compared to women, men appear to derive additional benefits from environmental mastery that may enable otherwise sex-neutral resilient tendencies to manifest.
A Study of Diabetes Mellitus Within a Large Sample of Australian Twins
Authors: Condon Julianne , Shaw Joanne E. , Luciano Michelle , Kyvik Kirsten O. , Martin Nicholas G. , Duffy David L. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractTwin studies of diabetes mellitus can help elucidate genetic and environmental factors in etiology and can provide valuable biological samples for testing functional hypotheses, for example using expression and methylation studies of discordant pairs. We searched the volunteer Australian Twin Registry (19,387 pairs) for twins with diabetes using disease checklists from nine different surveys conducted from 1980–2000. After follow-up questionnaires to the twins and their doctors to confirm diagnoses, we eventually identified 46 pairs where one or both had type 1 diabetes (T1D), 113 pairs with type 2 diabetes (T2D), 41 female pairs with gestational diabetes (GD), 5 pairs with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and one pair with MODY. Heritabilities of T1D, T2D and GD were all high, but our samples did not have the power to detect effects of shared environment unless they were very large. Weight differences between affected and unaffected cotwins from monozygotic (MZ) discordant pairs were large for T2D and GD, but much larger again for discordant dizygotic (DZ) pairs. The bivariate genetic analysis (under the multifactorial threshold model) estimated the genetic correlation between body mass index (BMI) and T2D to be 0.46, and the environmental correlation at only 0.06.
A Likelihood-Ratio Test of Twin Zygosity Using Molecular Genetic Markers
Authors: Erickson Stephen 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe importance of using multiple polymorphic genetic markers to determine unambiguously whether a twin pair is monozygotic (MZ) or dizygotic (DZ) has long been recognized. Concordance among a set of markers is used as evidence of monozygosity, as it would be improbable for DZ twins to be concordant at a large number of polymorphic loci. Several sources give a formula for the probability of two DZ twins sharing the same genotype at a locus, assuming knowledge of allele frequencies but not of either twin's genotype; this probability can be used to determine whether a set of markers will reliably distinguish between MZ and DZ status in a randomly selected twin pair. If the shared genotype is known, however, the likelihood-ratio test (LRT) of the null hypothesis of dizygosity against the alternative hypothesis of monozygosity takes into account the observed genotype and, by the Neyman-Pearson lemma, is the most powerful test of its size. The LRT is equivalent to conditioning on the genotype of one of the twins, and computing the probability, assuming DZ status, of the other twin sharing that genotype. The resultingpvalues are frequently lower than those produced by the unconditional probability, especially if rare alleles are observed. The unconditional probability can be recapitulated from conditional probabilities by averaging across all of the conditioned sibling's possible genotypes. To illustrate properties of the LRT applied to multiple markers, the probability distribution of the LRTpvalue is computed from allele frequencies of twelve unlinked markers published in Elbaz et al. (2006) and compared with thepvalue computed from unconditional probabilities.
Power of the Classical Twin Design Revisited: II Detection of Common Environmental Variance
Authors: Visscher Peter M. , Gordon Scott , Neale Michael C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe expand our previous deterministic power calculations by calculating the required sample size to detect C in ACE models. The theoretical expected value of the maximum log-likelihood for the AE model was derived using two optimisation methods and these gave near-identical results. Theoretical predictions were verified by computer simulation and the results agreed very well. We have developed a user-friendly web-based tool, TwinPower, to perform power calculations to detect either A or C for the classical twin design. This new tool can be found at http://genepi.qimr.edu.au/cgi-bin/twinpower.cgi
No Association of the Genetic Polymorphisms of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase, Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor With Preeclampsia in Korean Populations
Authors: Kim Young Ju , Park Bo Hyun , Park Hyesook , Jung Sung-Chul , Pang Myung-Geol , Ryu Hyun-Mee , Lee Kwang-Soo , Eom Sang-Mi , Park Hyun-Young 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is any association between preeclampsia and eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene polymorphisms, and also to search for a possible association between haplotypes in eNOS, DDHA, and VEGF genes and the risk for preeclampsia. DNA was extracted from whole blood of 223 preeclampsia patients and 237 healthy pregnant women. The genotypes were analyzed by a single base primer extension assay using a SNaPShot assay kit. Results were analyzed with the Student's t-test, Chi-square test, and Logistic regression analysis. Haplotype analyses were performed using Haploview 3.2 version. There were no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene polymorphisms between preeclampsia patients and controls. No increase in the risk of preeclampsia for those genes was observed under any model of inheritance and there were no statistically significant associations between any haplotypes and preeclampsia risk. Polymorphisms in eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene do not seem to be risk factors for preeclampsia.
Cervical Column Morphology and Craniofacial Profiles in Monozygotic Twins
Authors: Sonnesen Liselotte , Pallisgaard Carsten , Kjær Inger 
Published: February 2008

AbstractPrevious studies have described the relationships between cervical column morphology and craniofacial morphology. The aims of the present study were to describe cervical column morphology in 38 pairs of adult monozygotic (MZ) twins, and compare craniofacial morphology in twins with fusions with craniofacial morphology in twins without fusion. Visual assessment of cervical column morphology and cephalometric measurements of craniofacial morphology were performed on profile radiographs. In the cervical column, fusion between corpora of the second and third vertebrae was registered as fusion. In the twin group, 8 twin pairs had fusion of the cervical column in both individuals within the pair (sub-group A), 25 pairs had no fusions (subgroup B), and in 5 pairs, cervical column morphology was different within the pair (subgroup C), as one twin had fusion and the other did not. Comparison of craniofacial profiles showed a tendency to increased jaw retrognathia, larger cranial base angle, and larger mandibular inclination in subgroup A than in subgroup B. The same tendency was observed within subgroup C between the individual twins with fusion compared with those without fusion. These results confirm that cervical fusions and craniofacial morphology may be interrelated in twins when analysed on profile radiographs. The study also documents that differences in cervical column morphology can occur in individuals within a pair of MZ twins. It illustrates that differences in craniofacial morphology between individuals within a pair of MZ twins can be associated with cervical fusion.
Posidonia oceanica seeds from drift origin: viability, germination and early plantlet development
Authors: Belzunce Miriam , Navarro Rafael M. , Rapoport Hava F. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Recruitment of Posidonia oceanica from seeds is infrequent owing to the rare and unpredictable occurrence of sexual reproduction. However, in years of high reproductive success, ample supplies of seeds become available in drifting fruit; this could be a useful source of material for seabed restoration. In this study we introduce and combine viability tests and culture procedures for evaluating this material. Three different groups of collected fruits representing a phenological or maturation sequence were tested for seed viability with tetrazolium. We also examined the effects of storage on the germination and development of seedling root and shoot systems. The younger groups showed good (67–86%) germination and survival, with the tetrazolium viability test proving useful for predicting these processes. However, although a strong correlation between fruit and seed weight was observed, higher values of these parameters did not confer greater germination capacity. The seeds of fruits collected late in the season were more developed and plantlet roots and shoots grew faster under culture, but survival after 4 weeks was reduced (40%). Under the conditions tested, viability was highly reduced and there was no final seedling survival following storage.
Survival of sand-burial by seaweeds with crustose bases or life-history stages structures the biotic community on an intertidal rocky shore
Authors: Anderson Robert J. , Anderson Dylan R. , Anderson James S. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractResponses of a rocky intertidal community to seasonal sand-inundation were investigated on the cool-temperate west coast of South Africa by experimentally testing the hypothesis that the crustose components in certain macroalgae survive burial, enabling them to dominate the community when the shore is sand-free. Twelve 0.25×0.25 m plots served as controls in the mid-eulittoral and 12 in the upper eulittoral zone. Treatment 1 (T1) comprised a further 12 plots in each zone that were cleared of all biota (scraping, wire-brushing and burning) soon after the sand moved off in year 2. Treatment 2 (T2) comprised clearing a further 12 plots in each zone at the end of Year 2, just before sand returned, in case T1 had inadvertently removed early-settling microscopic stages. Mid-eulittoral zone controls developed similar communities each year dominated byMazzaella capensis,Gymnogongrus complicatus, barnacles, mussels and small limpets, with smaller covers of several other macroalgae. Both treatments significantly reducedM. capensis,G. complicatusandG. glomeratus, but did not affect covers of other species. These three species persisted as crustose holdfasts, and the latter two also as crustose tetrasporophytes; the crusts probably comprise coalescent sporelings. All other species recruited annually as the sand moved off. In the upper eulittoral zone, T2 had no effect on the biota that developed, indicating that none of the species (including the dominantsPorphyra capensisandChthamalus dentatus) relied on persistent elements to survive burial. These results confirm that sand-disturbed communities comprise a mixture of opportunistic and disturbance-tolerant species, but experimentally show the importance of crustose elements for survival of these red algae.
Marine benthic diatoms from Potter Cove, King George Island, Antarctica
Authors: Al-Handal Adil Y. , Wulff Angela 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAntarctic benthic marine diatoms from the Potter Cove region, King George Island were studied in samples collected during the austral summer 2003. A floristic list was made to add information on the Antarctic benthic diatom distribution. A total of 84 species was identified from four localities in Potter Cove, the majority of which are of cosmopolitan distribution. The most common taxa encountered wereCocconeisspp.,Gyrosigma fasciola, Naviculacf.cancellata, N.cf.perminuta, Petroneis plagiostomaandPleurosigma obscurum. BothG. fasciolaandP. obscurumare recorded for the first time from Antarctica with such common occurrence. The overall diatom population in Potter Cove appeared rather different from other diatom populations observed in Antarctic marine habitats.
Sawblade Vibration Mode Shape Measurement Using ESPI
Authors: Schajer Gary S. , Steinzig Michael 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) is used to measure the vibration mode shapes of circular and bandsaws. A video camera views a vibrating sawblade that is illuminated by a laser light. The image within the camera is mixed with a reference light to create an interference pattern. The reference phase is stepped by 180 degrees using a piezoelectric actuator before measuring each successive image. Subtraction of the successive images gives a contour view of the vibration mode of the sawblade. The technique is noncontacting and displays vibration mode shapes in real-time. It has the advantage over the classical Chladni method because it avoids the need to spread a powder over the sawblade surface and because it can also identify low-frequency vibrations.
Impaired Autoregulation in Preterm Infants Identified by Using Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy
Authors: Wong Flora Y. , Leung Terence S. , Austin Topun , Wilkinson Malcolm , Meek Judith H. , Wyatt John S. , Walker Adrian M. 
Published: February 2008

OBJECTIVE. The absence of cerebral autoregulation in preterm infants has been associated with adverse outcome, but its bedside assessment in the immature brain is problematic. We used spatially resolved spectroscopy to continuously measure cerebral oxygen saturation (expressed as a tissue-oxygenation index) and used the correlation of tissue-oxygenation index with spontaneous fluctuations in mean arterial blood pressure to assess cerebral autoregulation.
PATIENTS AND METHODS. The tissue-oxygenation index and mean arterial blood pressure were continuously measured in very premature infants (n = 24) of mean (±SD) gestational age of 26 (±2.3) weeks at a mean postnatal age of 28 (±22) hours. The correlation between mean arterial blood pressure and tissue-oxygenation index in the frequency domain was assessed by using cross-spectral analysis techniques (coherence and transfer-function gain). Values of coherence reflect the strength of linear correlation, whereas transfer-function gain reflects the amplitude of tissue-oxygenation index changes relative to mean arterial blood pressure changes.
RESULTS. High coherence (coherence ≥ 0.5) values were found in 9 infants who were of lower gestational age, lower birth weight, and lower mean arterial blood pressure than infants with coherence of &lt;0.5; high-coherence infants also had higher median Clinical Risk Index for Babies scores and a higher rate of neonatal deaths. Coherence of ≥0.5 predicted mortality with a positive predictive value of 67% and negative predictive value of 100%. In multifactorial analysis, coherence alone was the best predictor of mortality and Clinical Risk Index for Babies score alone was the best predictor of coherence.
CONCLUSIONS. High coherence between mean arterial blood pressure and tissue-oxygenation index indicates impaired cerebral autoregulation in clinically sick preterm infants and is strongly associated with subsequent mortality. Cross-spectral analysis of mean arterial blood pressure and tissue-oxygenation index has the potential to provide continuous bedside assessment of cerebral autoregulation and to guide therapeutic interventions.