bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The persisting challenge of selective and specific proteasome inhibition
Authors: Groll Michael , Huber Robert , Moroder Luis 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSince the discovery of the proteasome and its structure elucidation intensive research programs in academic institutions and pharmaceutical industries led to identification of a wide spectrum of synthetic and natural small proteasomal inhibitors. Activity studies with these small molecules helped to deeply understand the complex biochemical organization and functioning of the proteasome. The new structural and biochemical insights placed the proteasome as an important anti‐cancer drug target, as revealed by the dipeptide boronate proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib, which is currently used for treatment of multiple myeloma. Serious side effects and partial cell resistance against bortezomib demand creation and discovery of new improved generations of more specific and potent proteasomal inhibitors. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The inhibitory effect on aldose reductase by an extract of Ganoderma lucidum
Authors: Fatmawati Sri , Kurashiki Kenji , Takeno Sayaka , Kim Yong‐ung , Shimizu Kuniyoshi , Sato Masao , Imaizumi Katsumi , Takahashi Kaori , Kamiya Shinji , Kaneko Shuhei , Kondo Ryuichiro 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe human aldose reductase inhibitory effects of the methanol extracts of 17 medicinal and edible mushrooms were examined. Ganoderma lucidum showed the highest aldose reductase inhibitory activity compared with the other mushrooms. The effect of an ethanol extract of G. lucidum on the galactitol level in the eye lens was studied in a galactosemic rat model in vivo. This mushroom significantly decreased the galactitol accumulation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Search for antimycobacterial constituents from a Tibetan medicinal plant, Gentianopsis paludosa
Authors: Yeung Ming‐Fai , Lau Clara B. S. , Chan Raphael C. Y. , Zong Yuying , Che Chun‐Tao 
Published: December 2008

AbstractFrom the whole plant of Gentianopsis paludosa seven compounds were isolated and identified to be 1,7‐dihydroxy‐3,8‐dimethoxyxanthone (1), 1,7,8‐trihydroxy‐3‐methoxyxanthone (2), 1‐hydroxy‐3,7,8‐trimethoxyxanthone (3), 1,8‐dihydroxy‐2,6‐dimethoxyxanthone (4), oleanolic acid (5), 4′,5,7‐trihydroxyflavone (6) and luteolin‐7‐O‐glucoside (7). Compounds 1, 2, 3 and 5 showed modest inhibitory effect against the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. tuberculosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cytotoxic activity of alkaloids isolated from Stephania rotunda in vitro cytotoxic activity of cepharanthine
Authors: Bun Sok‐Siya , Laget Michèle , Chea Aun , Bun Hot , Ollivier Evelyne , Elias Riad 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThree major alkaloids: cepharanthine (1), tetrahydropalmatine (2) and xylopinine (3) isolated from Stephania rotunda tuber were investigated for their cytotoxic activity in a panel of human cancer cells (HT29, LS174T, SW620 and HepG2) using MTT assay. In the present study, cepharanthine (1) exerted potent cytotoxicity against colon and hepatoma cancer cell lines with IC50 values between 2.4 and 5.3 µM while tetrahydropalmatine (2) and xylopinine (3) displayed weak cytotoxicity. In addition, the mutagenic activity of cepharanthine (1) was investigated using a modified liquid incubation technique of the Salmonella/microsomal assay. This alkaloid (1) was found to be non‐mutagenic for doses up to 8.2 µM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Protective effect of daidzin against d‐galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide‐induced hepatic failure in mice
Authors: Kim Sung‐Hwa , Heo Jeong‐Haing , Kim Yeong Shik , Kang Sam Sik , Choi Jae Sue , Lee Sun‐Mee 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis study examined the effects of daidzin, a major isoflavone from Puerariae Radix, on d‐galactosamine (d‐GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced liver failure. Mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of daidzin (25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) 1 h before receiving an injection of d‐GalN (700 mg/kg)/LPS (10 µg/kg). Daidzin markedly reduced the elevated serum aminotransferase activity and the levels of lipid peroxidation and tumor necrosis factor‐α. The glutathione content was lower in the d‐GalN/LPS group, which was attenuated by daidzin. The daidzin pretreatment attenuated the swollen mitochondria observed in the d‐GalN/LPS group. Daidzin attenuated the apoptosis of hepatocytes, which was confirmed using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end‐labeling method and a caspase‐3 assay. Overall, these results suggest that the liver protection of daidzin is due to reduced oxidative stress and its antiapoptotic activity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Yeast hydrolysate induces longitudinal bone growth and growth hormone release in rats
Authors: Kim Jung Min , Kim Seong‐Yeong , Jung Eun‐Young , Bae Song Hwan , Suh Hyung Joo 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis study investigated the growth promoting effects of yeast extract (YH) fed to Sprague‐Dawley male rats (3 weeks old) for 4 weeks. The negative (N)‐control and positive (P)‐control groups were given a daily oral administration of saline and foremilk (1 g/kg of BW), respectively, and the YH‐1 and YH‐2 groups were given daily administrations of YH (0.5 and 1 g/kg of BW, respectively). After 4 weeks, the YH‐1, YH‐2 and P‐control groups showed significant differences in the body weight gain compared with the N‐control group (p < 0.05). The YH‐1 and YH‐2 groups also had significantly different tibial bone growths (0.47 and 0.49 mm/day, respectively) and femur bone growths (0.52 and 0.53 mm/day, respectively) compared with the N‐control group (0.37 mm/day of tibial growth and 0.42 mm/day of femur growth) (p < 0.05). The YH‐1 and YH‐2 groups had significantly different growth plate (proximal epiphysis) height increments (0.62 and 0.56 mm, respectively) compared with the N‐control group (0.17 mm) (p < 0.05). Lastly, the YH‐1 and YH‐2 groups presented different growth hormone (GH) levels (1.77 and 2.10 ng/mL, respectively) than the N‐control group (0.82 ng/mL) (p < 0.05). YH administration increased longitudinal bone growth and GH secretion in rats. Consequently, YH may offer an improved ability to treat GH deficiency‐related disorders. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antiretroviral activity of fucoidans extracted from the brown seaweed Adenocystis utricularis
Authors: Trinchero Juan , Ponce Nora M. A. , Córdoba Osvaldo L. , Flores María L. , Pampuro Sandra , Stortz Carlos A. , Salomón Horacio , Turk Gabriela 
Published: December 2008

AbstractTreatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1, causative agent of AIDS) infection represents a major challenge in antiviral therapeutics. Many difficulties are associated with the treatment, including toxicity, resistance and high costs. Taking this into account, research for novel compounds able to overcome these limitations is needed. Sulfated polysaccharides appear to be interesting, given their abundance as components of seaweeds. Herein, a series of fractions obtained from the brown seaweed Adenocystis utricularis was analysed for in vitro anti‐HIV‐1 activity. These fractions, which have anti‐herpes simplex virus activity, were determined previously to belong to the family of fucoidans, sulfated polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of brown seaweeds. Assays in human PBMC primary cell culture demonstrated that two of the five fractions analysed had potent anti‐HIV‐1 activity both against WT and drug‐resistant HIV‐1 strains. For active fractions, it was also shown that the inhibitory effect was not due to an inactivating effect on the viral particle (i.e. no virucidal activity was detected) but rather to a blockade of early events of viral replication. Given these encouraging results, these seaweed‐derived fractions appear as good candidates for further studies on their potential for in vivo therapy and/or prophylaxis of HIV‐1 infection. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Process monitoring with ICA‐based signal extraction technique and CART approach
Authors: Huang Shien‐Ping , Chiu Chih‐Chou 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIn order to reduce the variation in a manufacturing process, traditional statistical process control (SPC) techniques are the most frequently used tools in monitoring engineering process control (EPC)‐controlled processes for detecting assignable cause process variation. Even though application of SPC with EPC can successfully detect time points when abnormalities occur during process, their combination can also cause an increased occurrence of false alarms when autocorrelation is present in the process. In this paper, we propose an independent component analysis‐based signal extraction technique with classification and regression tree approach to identify disturbance levels in the correlated process parameters. For comparison, traditional cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart was constructed to evaluate the identifying capability of the proposed approach. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms CUSUM control chart in most instances. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Calculation of transition matrix elements by nonsingular orbital transformations
Authors: Kývala Mojmír 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA general strategy is described for the evaluation of transition matrix elements between pairs of full class CI wave functions built up from mutually nonorthogonal molecular orbitals. A new method is proposed for the counter‐transformation of the linear expansion coefficients of a full CI wave function under a nonsingular transformation of the molecular‐orbital basis. The method, which consists in a straightforward application of the Cauchy–Binet formula to the definition of a Slater determinant, is shown to be simple and suitable for efficient implementation on current high‐performance computers. The new method appears mainly beneficial to the calculation of miscellaneous transition matrix elements among individually optimized CASSCF states and to the re‐evaluation of the CASCI expansion coefficients in Slater‐determinant bases formed from arbitrarily rotated (e.g., localized or, conversely, delocalized) active molecular orbitals. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
System supports for protocol and application adaptation in vertical handoffs
Authors: Chang Hsung‐Pin , Lin Yu‐Chieh , Chen Shiu‐Hau 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIn overlay networks, the network characteristics before and after a vertical handoff would be drastically different. Consequently, in this paper, we propose an end‐to‐end based scheme to support protocol and application adaptation in vertical handoffs. First, we proposed a Vertical‐handoff Aware TCP, called VA‐TCP. VA‐TCP can identify the packet losses caused by vertical handoffs. If segments losses are due to vertical handoffs, VA‐TCP only retransmits the missing segments but does not invoke the congestion control procedure. Moreover, VA‐TCP dynamically estimates the bandwidth and round‐trip time in a new network. Based on the estimated bandwidth and round‐trip time, VA‐TCP adjusts its parameters to respond to the new network environment. Second, during a vertical handoff, applications also need to be adapted accordingly. Therefore, we design a programming interface that allows applications to be notified upon and adapt to changing network environments. To support our interface, we utilize the signal mechanism to achieve kernel‐to‐user notification. Nevertheless, signals cannot carry information. Thus, we implement the shared memory mechanism between applications and the kernel to facilitate parameters exchange. Finally, we also provide a handoff‐aware CPU scheduler so that tasks that are interested in the vertical‐handoff event are given preference over other processes to attain a prompt response for new network conditions. We have implemented a prototype system on the Linux kernel 2.6. From the experimental results, our proposed protocol and application adaptation mechanisms are shown to effectively improve the performance of TCP and applications during vertical handoffs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three‐dimensional ultrasound diagnosis of cleft palate: ‘reverse face’, ‘flipped face’ or ‘oblique face’–which method is best?
Authors: Martínez Ten P. , Pérez Pedregosa J. , Santacruz B. , Adiego B. , Barrón E. , Sepúlveda W. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo compare the performance of three sonographic techniques, the ‘reverse‐face’, ‘flipped‐face’ and ‘oblique‐face’ methods, for visualizing the hard and soft palate in diagnosing cleft lip and palate (CLP).MethodsA total of 60 fetuses (10 with CLP) with a gestational age ranging from 20 to 33 weeks were examined. We compared visualization of the secondary palate with the previously described reverse‐face and flipped‐face methods (the latter modified by us) and the oblique‐face method developed by us using Oblique View® imaging technology.ResultsAmong the 10 fetuses with CLP the defect involved the lip, alveolus and secondary palate in seven, and the primary palate only in the remaining three. The upper lip and alveolar ridge were well visualized in all cases with all three methods. Involvement of the hard palate was diagnosed correctly in 71% (5/7) of the cases using the reverse‐face view, in 86% (6/7) with the flipped‐face view, and in 100% (7/7) with the oblique‐face view; the hard palate was correctly found to be intact in 78%, 84% and 86%, respectively, of the 50 normal fetuses examined with each view. Involvement of the soft palate was diagnosed correctly in only one of the seven fetuses with defects of the secondary palate in flipped‐face and oblique‐face views, and was correctly considered intact in only 16% of normal fetuses in flipped‐face view and in 26% in oblique‐face images.ConclusionsAccurate visualization of the soft palate requires an excellent initially acquired volume, fluid between the fetal tongue and palate, and curving of the plane to follow the structure of the palate. The oblique‐face or flipped‐face views make it possible to visualize the soft palate well in selected cases. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
UHMWPE for arthroplasty: past or future?
Authors: Brach del Prever Elena Maria , Bistolfi Alessandro , Bracco Pierangiola , Costa Luigi 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWear debris related osteolysis is recognised as being the main cause of failure in joint replacements based on UHMWPE inserts. However, many solutions and “new” polyethylenes have been suggested in order to address this issue. This review discusses “historical” issues associated with UHMWPE, such as oxidation, sterilization method and storage, as well as “new” topics, such as crosslinking and stabilization. The final aim is to aid orthopaedic surgeons in their selection of polyethylene inserts and in the information given to the patients. The main problem for the polymer is degradative oxidation, which is caused by the combination of the irradiation used for sterilization and oxygen, and which leads to a decrease in wear resistance and mechanical properties. Irradiation and packaging in the absence of oxygen can only reduce the oxidation, while sterilization with gas (EtO or gas plasma) is the only method that effectively eliminates it. Manufacturing processes are of great relevance to the clinical duration and must be considered by surgeons. Crosslinked polyethylene has been developed for joint inserts due to its superior wear resistance compared to conventional UHMWPE; to prevent the oxidation, crosslinked polyethylene requires post-irradiation thermal treatment, which reduces its mechanical properties and which depends on the producer. Several good clinical results from the use of crosslinked acetabular cups have reported at mid-term, while early results for knee replacements are also encouraging. Recently, the use of the antioxidant vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has been introduced for joint prostheses in order to prevent the oxidation of both crosslinked and noncrosslinked UHMWPE.
Analysis of Alternatively Spliced Rice Transcripts Using Microarray Data
Authors: Jung Ki-Hong , Bartley Laura E. , Cao Peijian , Canlas Patrick E. , Ronald Pamela C. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Alternative splicing creates a diversity of gene products in higher eukaryotes. Twenty-five percent (1,583/6,371) of predicted alternatively spliced transcripts can be detected using the NSF45K rice whole-genome oligonucleotide array. We used the NSF45K array to assess differential expression patterns of 507 loci showing at least a twofold change in expression between light- and dark-grown seedlings. At least 42% of these loci show evidence of alternative splicing in aerial seedling tissue of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Nipponbare. Most alternative splice forms display the same pattern of regulation as the primary, or most highly expressed, transcript; however, splice forms for ten loci, represented by 35 oligos, display opposite expression patterns in the light vs. dark. We found similar evidence of alternative splicing events in Affymetrix microarray data for Nipponbare rice treated with the causative agent of fungal rice blast, Magnaporthe grisea. This strategy for analyzing alternative splicing in microarray data will enable delineation of the diversity of splicing in rice.
Effects of methodological variation on assessment of riboflavin status using the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient assay
Authors: Hill Marilyn H. E. , Bradley Angela , Mushtaq Sohail , Williams Elizabeth A. , Powers Hilary J. 
Published: December 2008

Riboflavin status is usually measured as thein vitrostimulation with flavin adenine dinucleotide of the erythrocyte enzyme glutathione reductase, and expressed as an erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRAC). This method is used for the National Diet and Nutrition Surveys (NDNS) of the UK. In the period between the 1990 and 2003 surveys of UK adults, the estimated prevalence of riboflavin deficiency, expressed as an EGRAC value ≥ 1·30, increased from 2 to 46 % in males and from 1 to 34 % in females. We hypothesised that subtle but important differences in the detail of the methodology between the two NDNS accounted for this difference. We carried out an evaluation of the performance of the methods used in the two NDNS and compared against an ‘in-house’ method, using blood samples collected from a riboflavin intervention study. Results indicated that the method used for the 1990 NDNS gave a significantly lower mean EGRAC value than both the 2003 NDNS method and the ‘in-house’ method (P < 0·0001). The key differences between the methods relate to the concentration of FAD used in the assay and the duration of the period of incubation of FAD with enzyme. The details of the EGRAC method should be standardised for use in different laboratories and over time. Additionally, it is proposed that consideration be given to re-evaluating the basis of the EGRAC threshold for riboflavin deficiency.
An evaluation of antigen B family ofEchinococcus granulosus, its conformational propensity and elucidation of the agretope
Authors: Bhattacharya D. , Pan D. , Das S. , Bera A.K. , Bandyopadhyay S. , Das S.K. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe present communication evaluates the antigen B (AgB) family of bubaline isolates ofEchinococcus granulosuswith respect to their conformational propensity and also discusses the stretches of agretope. AgB, which is abundantly present in hydatid cyst fluid, is encoded by a gene family,AgB1–AgB5. Hydatidosis is of zoonotic and economic importance in India. Buffaloes serve as the intermediate host. However, to date the AgB family has not been fully analysed. During the present study two different primers used for amplification ofAgB1revealed homology toEchinococcus canadensis(G8) as well asE. granulosus sensu stricto(G1/G2). The sequence of AgB3 is homologous to that of the well-defined species,Echinococcus ortleppi(G5), and the predicted amino acid sequence of AgB4 is homologous to bovine isolates identified earlier. α- and β-amphipathic structures were recorded in all the antigens designated as T-cell receptor sites. The antigenic index of different stretches correlated with hydrophilicity because the hydrophobic residues are not accessible to the cells. In this study, we investigated the binding propensity of AgB to MHC II in order to determine stretches of agretope. Agretopes began with four hydrophilic residues. Two to three additional hydrophilic residues were present in the internal motif. This comparison of AgB and its family of bubaline isolates, with respect to their sequence information, α- and β- amphipathic regions, antigenic index and stretches of agretope is the first such report from India.
From sound to syntax: phonological constraints on children's lexical categorization of new words
Authors: FITNEVA STANKA A. , CHRISTIANSEN MORTEN H. , MONAGHAN PADRAIC 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTTwo studies examined the role of phonological cues in the lexical categorization of new words when children could also rely on learning by exclusion and whether the role of phonology depends on extensive experience with a language. Phonological cues were assessed via phonological typicality – an aggregate measure of the relationship between the phonology of a word and the phonology of words in the same lexical class. Experiment 1 showed that when monolingual English-speaking seven-year-olds could rely on learning by exclusion, phonological typicality only affected their initial inferences about the words. Consistent with recent computational analyses, phonological cues had stronger impact on the processing of verb-like than noun-like items. Experiment 2 revealed an impact of French on the performance of seven-year-olds in French immersion when tested in a French language environment. Thus, phonological knowledge may affect lexical categorization even in the absence of extensive experience.
Prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C in injecting drug users attending genitourinary medicine clinics
Authors: BALOGUN M. A. , MURPHY N. , NUNN S. , GRANT A. , ANDREWS N. J. , TEO C. G. , RAMSAY M. E. , PARRY J. V. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYSurveillance reports and prevalence studies have indicated that injecting drug users (IDUs) contribute more to the hepatitis C epidemic in the United Kingdom than any other risk group. Information on both the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C in IDUs is therefore essential to understanding the epidemiology of this infection. The prevalence of hepatitis C in specimens from the Unlinked Anonymous Prevalence Monitoring Programme collected in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 was determined using residual syphilis serology specimens from IDUs attending 15 genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in and outside London. These specimens were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Using this cross-sectional design, anti-HCV-negative specimens were tested for HCV RNA to identify incident infections during the ‘window’ period of infection, and thus to estimate HCV incidence. Results of the multivariable analysis showed that there was marked variation in prevalence by clinic (P<0·0001) and age (P<0·0001). Overall the majority of infections were in males and the overall prevalence in injectors declined over the study period from 36·9% to 28·7%. The annual incidence in these injectors was estimated as being 3·01% (95% CI 1·25–6·73). Over the study period HCV incidence decreased by 1·2% per year. Genotyping of the incident infections identified the most common genotype as type 1 with type 3 being more frequently seen after 1998. Of the prevalent infections, genotype 1 was the most common. The study has confirmed a higher prevalence of anti-HCV in IDUs in the London area compared to those outside London. How representative of the current injecting drug user population are IDUs attending GUM clinics is unclear. Even so, such studies allow prevalence and incidence to be estimated in individuals who have ever injected drugs and inform ongoing public health surveillance.