bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cover and growth habit of Polylepis woodlands and shrublands in the mountains of central Argentina: human or environmental influence?
Authors: Renison Daniel , Hensen Isabell , Suarez Ricardo , Cingolani Ana M. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAim  To determine whether the cover and growth habit of the main forest forming species (Polylepis australis BITT.) in a mountain range with low human population density is mainly affected by anthropogenic activities or by environmental influences.Location  Central Argentina.Methods  Using GIS and field surveys we established 146 plots of 30 × 30 m located in five river basins differing in human impact. We measured P. australis cover, growth habit of each individual (number of basal ramifications), index of long term human impact (percentage of rock exposed by soil erosion due to livestock and fires), evidence of logging, fire scars, local relief, percentage of rock outcrops and altitude above sea level. We analysed the influence of independent variables on P. australis cover and growth habit (average number of basal ramifications per plot) using correlations and General Linear Models.Results  Polylepis australis cover was greater at intermediate altitudes above sea level and in areas with reduced long term human impact. Contrastingly local relief, percentage of rock outcrops and logging in the recent past did not have a major influence on P. australis abundance. Growth habit varied in complex patterns. Individuals with fewer ramifications were found in valley bottoms and more disturbed basins, while more ramifications were found at mid‐ and upper slopes and well preserved basins. In valley bottoms, ramifications decreased with increasing altitude whereas the opposite trend was observed for mid‐slopes. Ramifications were positively related to fires in two river basins and in mid‐ and upper slopes but not in valley bottoms. Fire impact was always less in valley bottoms than at mid‐ and upper slopes.Main conclusions  Human impact had a major role on P. australis cover, while growth habit was determined by complex combinations of potentially cumulative natural and anthropogenic factors. Even in sparsely populated mountains, both human impact and their interaction with natural environmental gradients influence plant communities and need to be understood for effective management.
The DNA‐remodelling activity of DnaD is the sum of oligomerization and DNA‐binding activities on separate domains
Authors: Carneiro Maria J. V. M. , Zhang Wenke , Ioannou Charikleia , Scott David J. , Allen Stephanie , Roberts Clive J. , Soultanas Panos 
Published: March 2006

SummaryThe Bacillus subtilis DnaD protein is an essential protein that has been implicated in the primosomal step of DNA replication, and recently in global DNA remodelling. Here we show that DnaD consists of two domains with distinct activities; an N‐terminal domain (Nd) with oligomerization activity, and a C‐terminal domain (Cd) with DNA‐binding activity and a second DNA‐induced oligomerization activity. Although Cd can bind to DNA and form large nucleoprotein complexes, it does not exhibit global DNA‐remodelling activity. The presence of separate Nd does not restore this activity. Our data suggest that the global DNA‐remodelling activity of DnaD is the sum of three separate oligomerization and DNA‐binding activities residing on two distinct but linked domains.
Proteasome‐ and SCF‐dependent degradation of yeast adenine deaminase upon transition from proliferation to quiescence requires a new F‐box protein named Saf1p
Authors: Escusa Stéphanie , Camblong Jurgi , Galan Jean‐Marc , Pinson Benoît , Daignan‐Fornier Bertrand 
Published: March 2006

SummaryIn response to nutrient limitation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells enter into a non‐proliferating state termed quiescence. This transition is associated with profound changes in gene expression patterns. The adenine deaminase encoding gene AAH1 is among the most precociously and tightly downregulated gene upon entry into quiescence. We show that AAH1 downregulation is not specifically due to glucose exhaustion but is a more general response to nutrient limitation. We also found that Aah1p level is tightly correlated to RAS activity indicating thus an important role for the protein kinase A pathway in this regulation process. We have isolated three deletion mutants, srb10, srb11 and saf1 (ybr280c) affecting AAH1 expression during post‐diauxic growth and in early stationary phase. We show that the Srb10p cyclin‐dependent kinase and its cyclin, Srb11p, regulate AAH1 expression at the transcriptional level. By contrast, Saf1p, a previously uncharacterized F‐box protein, acts at a post‐transcriptional level by promoting degradation of Aah1p. This post‐transcriptional regulation is abolished by mutations affecting the proteasome or constant subunits of the SCF (Skp1–Cullin–F‐box) complex. We propose that Saf1p targets Aah1p for proteasome‐dependent degradation upon entry into quiescence. This work provides the first direct evidence for active degradation of proteins in quiescent yeast cells.
A single amino acid substitution in the enzymatic domain of cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 of Escherichia coli alters the tissue culture phenotype to that of the dermonecrotic toxin of Bordetella spp.
Authors: McNichol Beth A. , Rasmussen Susan B. , Meysick Karen C. , O’Brien Alison D. 
Published: March 2006

SummaryCytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 (CNF1) and dermonecrotic toxin (DNT) share homology within their catalytic domains and possess deamidase and transglutaminase activities. Although each toxin has a preferred enzymatic activity (i.e. deamidation for CNF1 and transglutamination for DNT) as well as target substrates, both modify a specific glutamine residue in RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, which renders these GTPases constitutively active. Here we show that despite their similar mechanisms of action CNF1 and DNT induced unique phenotypes on HEp‐2 and Swiss 3T3 cells. CNF1 induced multinucleation of HEp‐2 cells and was cytotoxic for Swiss 3T3 cells (with binucleation of the few surviving cells) while DNT showed no morphological effects on HEp‐2 cells but did induce binucleation of Swiss 3T3 cells. To determine if the enzymatic domain of each toxin dictated the induced phenotype, we constructed enzymatically active chimeric toxins and mutant toxins that contained single amino acid substitutions within the catalytic site and tested these molecules in tissue culture and enzymatic assays. Moreover, both site‐directed mutant toxins showed reduced time to maximum transglutamination of RhoA compared with the parent toxins. Nevertheless, the substitution of threonine for Lys1310 in the DNT‐based mutant, while affecting transglutamination efficiency of the toxin, did not abrogate that enzymatic activity.
Cardiac diastolic dysfunction in renal‐transplant recipients is associated with increased circulating Adrenomedullin
Authors: Geny Bernard , Ellero Bernard , Chakfé Nabil , Kretz Jean‐George , Brandenberger Gabrielle , Piquard François 
Published: March 2006

Abstract:  Background:  Renal transplantation is an excellent therapeutic alternative for end‐stage renal diseases. Nevertheless, the cardiac function is often impaired in renal‐transplant patients (RTR) and importantly determines their prognosis. Adrenomedullin (ADM), a peptide involved in cardiovascular homeostasis, is believed to protect both cardiac and renal functions – by increasing local blood flows, attenuating the progression of vascular damage and remodelling and by reducing glomerular injury – and might be involved in renal‐transplantation physiopathology. This work was performed to investigate whether an increase in circulating ADM might be related to RTR cardiac function.Methods:  Twenty‐nine subjects, 19 RTR and 10 healthy subjects, participated in the study. After 15 min rest in supine position, heart rate and systemic blood pressure were measured together with cyclosporine through levels, creatinine and ADM. Systolic and diastolic cardiac functions were assessed, using Doppler echocardiography.Results:  Subjects were similar concerning age, weight, heart rate and blood pressure. Creatinine and ADM (53.8±6.9 vs. 27.2±4.1 pmol/L, p = 0.02) were significantly increased in RTR (73±10 months after transplantation). Cardiac systolic function was normal, but a reduced mitral E:A ratio was observed in RTR (0.90±0.06 vs. 1.38±0.10, p<0.001), reflecting their impaired left ventricular relaxation. Such a ratio was negatively correlated with ADM (r = −0.55, p = 0.002).Conclusions:  RTR present with an increased ADM is likely related to cardiac diastolic dysfunction. In view of its protective effect on the cardiovascular system, these data support further studies to better define the role and the therapeutic potential of ADM after renal transplantation.
Expression of nerve growth factor receptors is correlated with progression and prognosis of human pancreatic cancer
Authors: Dang Chengxue , Zhang Yong , Ma Qingyong , Shimahara Yasuyuki 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of the two types of nerve growth factor receptors (NGFR), namely high‐affinity receptor TrkA and low‐affinity receptor p75NGFR, in pancreatic cancer.Methods:  The mRNA expression of NGFR for TrkA and p75NGFR was examined in 56 human primary pancreatic cancers using real‐time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.Results:  Nerve growth factor (NGF) receptors were found in all tumor specimens. It appears that the growth of pancreatic cancer cells stimulated by NGF depended on the expression levels and the ratio of TrkA to p75NGFR. TrkA and p75NGFR were negatively correlated and both were associated with abdominal or back pain and perineural invasion. Regarding this, patients with high TrkA expression levels exhibited more frequent perineural invasion and a higher degree of pain, whereas the results of p75NGFR were opposite. For Cox univariate analyses in the overall survival study, high expression of p75NGFR was associated with longer overall survival, but TrkA exhibited opposite effects and included an effect on perineural invasion and pain. Histoprognostic grading, tumor size and node involvement were not prognostic factors. In Cox multivariate analyses, TrkA and p75NGFR were both prognostic parameters.Conclusions:  The present study found that the expression of TrkA in pancreatic cancer is a marker of tumor aggressiveness. Conversely, we also found that elevated p75NGFR expression is associated with a favorable prognosis. We demonstrated that NGF exerts both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on pancreatic cancers, with the overall effect determined by the expression levels and the ratio of TrkA to p75NGFR.
Oral peppermint oil is a useful antispasmodic for double‐contrast barium meal examination
Authors: Mizuno Shigeaki , Kato Kimitoshi , Ono Yoshiki , Yano Kiyoshi , Kurosaka Hanzo , Takahashi Atsuhiko , Abeta Hiromi , Kushiro Toshio , Miyamoto Syunpachi , Kurihara Ryuichi , Hiki Naoki , Kaminishi Michio , Iwasaki Ariyoshi , Arakawa Yasuyuki 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Intraluminally administered peppermint oil (PO) is reportedly a safe and useful antispasmodic for gastroscopy, colonoscopy and double‐contrast barium enema. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of oral PO for double‐contrast barium meal examination (DCBM) without other antispasmodics.Methods:  Two hundred and five randomly chosen subjects (PO group) and 215 sex‐ and age‐matched controls were enrolled. All participants underwent DCBM. The PO group was orally administered PO and a barium suspension mixture at the start of DCBM. Radiographs were blindly evaluated for spasm and overlapping with barium‐filled duodenal loops (scored 0–3, indicating none to severe). The quality of barium coating of the mucosa and overall diagnostic quality (scored 0–3, indicating not acceptable to excellent) were also evaluated.Results:  There was no significant difference in subject acceptance between PO group and controls, and no adverse effects in either group. Scores for spasm at the esophagus, lower stomach and duodenal bulb were significantly lower in the PO than in the control group (P < 0.001). Scores for overlapping at the lower stomach and duodenal bulb were significantly lower in the PO than in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). Scores for overall diagnostic quality at the esophagus, lower stomach and duodenal bulb were significantly higher in the PO than in the control group (P < 0.001).Conclusions:  Oral PO reduces spasm of the esophagus, lower stomach and duodenal bulb, inhibits barium flow to the distal duodenum, and improves diagnostic quality without other antispasmodics. Oral PO is a safe, easy to use and effective antispasmodic for DCBM.
Pantoprazole infusion as adjuvant therapy to endoscopic treatment in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding: Prospective randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zargar Showkat Ali , Javid Gul , Khan Bashir Ahmad , Yattoo Ghulam Nabi , Shah Altaf Hussain , Gulzar Ghulam Mohammad , Sodhi Jaswinder Singh , Mujeeb Sheikh Abdul , Khan Mushtaq Ahmad , Shah Nisar Ahmad , Shafi Hakim Mohamad 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Following successful endoscopic therapy in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding, rebleeding occurs in 20% of patients. Rebleeding remains the most important determinant of poor prognosis. We investigated whether or not administration of pantoprazole infusion would improve the outcome in ulcer bleeding following successful endoscopic therapy.Methods:  In this double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, prospective trial, patients who had gastric or duodenal ulcers with active bleeding or non‐bleeding visible vessel received combined endoscopy therapy with injection of epinephrine and heater probe application. Patients who achieved hemostasis were randomly assigned to receive pantoprazole (80 mg intravenous bolus followed by an infusion at a rate of 8 mg per hour) or placebo for 72 h. The primary end‐point was the rate of rebleeding.Results:  Rebleeding was lower in the pantoprazole group (8 of 102 patients, 7.8%) than in the placebo group (20 of 101 patients, 19.8%; P = 0.01). Patients in the pantoprazole group required significantly fewer transfusions (1 ± 2.5 vs 2 ± 3.3; P = 0.003) and days of hospitalization (5.6 ± 5.3 vs 7.7 ± 7.3; P = 0.0003). Rescue therapies were needed more frequently in the placebo group (7.8% vs 19.8%; P = 0.01). Three (2.9%) patients in the pantoprazole group and eight (7.9%) in the placebo group required surgery to control their bleeding (P = 0.12). Two patients in the pantoprazole group and four in the placebo group died (P = 0.45).Conclusion:  In patients with bleeding peptic ulcers, the use of high dose pantoprazole infusion following successful endoscopic therapy is effective in reducing rebleeding, transfusion requirements and hospital stay.
Traumatic tracheoesophageal fistula in a 5‐year old
Authors: JACOB REBECCA , KUNDER SAMUEL , MATHAI JOHN , CHACKO JACOB , JOHN VIJU 
Published: March 2006

SummaryTracheosophageal fistula following blunt trauma is rare and diagnosis and management can be difficult. All reported cases have involved victims above 12 years of age. Here we report the anesthesia management, for surgery, of a tracheoesophageal fistula caused by blunt trauma in a 5‐year‐old boy.
Release of antimicrobial actives from microcapsules by the action of axillary bacteria
Authors: Kromidas L. , Perrier E. , Flanagan J. , Rivero R. , Bonnet I. 
Published: March 2006

SynopsisWe describe the use of unique microcapsules that may be degraded by the actions of bacteria. These microcapsules are approximately 35 μm in diameter, are composed of natural protein, and may be filled with a variety of actives. We describe the use of antimicrobial actives such as farnesol and methylparaben to demonstrate that their release by the degradative actions of axillary bacteria such as Corynebacterium minutissimum, C. urealyticum, and Staphylococcus epidermidis leads to their demise. These microcapsules may be used in consumer products such as deodorants and antiperpirants that may, under actual use conditions, control malodor.
Transfollicular delivery of linoleic acid in human scalp skin: permeation study and microautoradiographic analysis
Authors: Raufast V. , Mavon A. 
Published: March 2006

SynopsisThere are a large number of studies on the pharmacological activity of lineolic acid (LA) on the skin; however, very little work has been carried out to determine how LA targets the follicular structure. The aim of this study was to identify the preferred route of penetration of LA and to localize the molecule, using a microautoradiographic technique associated with a compartmental approach. In an in vitro test using topical application of 0.05 g of a formulation containing 1% of LA, 10% of the total recovery was found in the stratum corneum and dermis after 6 h. Microautoradiographic analysis of a ‘virtual’ slide showed most of the silver grains, i.e. LA, at the hair sheath, and none in the dermal compartment, confirming the diffusion of LA through a preferred transfollicular route. These results show, for the first time on human scalp skin, that the combination of compartmental analysis and microautoradiography points to a preferred transfollicular route of diffusion of topically applied LA. Thanks to its high‐resolution, microautoradiography offers the advantage of providing detailed in situ information on the delivery of LA in the skin, including the cellular location of the molecule.
An interlaboratory comparison of methods used to assess antioxidant potentials1
Authors: Buenger J. , Ackermann H. , Jentzsch A. , Mehling A. , Pfitzner I. , Reiffen K.‐A. , Schroeder K.‐R. , Wollenweber U. 
Published: March 2006

SynopsisMany analytical methods are used to measure the antioxidative activity of substances yet little is known about the comparability of the test results between laboratories. After an initial evaluation of a broad range of methods conducted by one laboratory, the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay, the lipid assay (or 2,2′‐azobis(2‐aminepropane) (ABAP) assay) and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay were selected to be evaluated in the interlaboratory study. The antioxidative potentials of trolox, tocopherol, lipochroman‐6, ascorbic acid, 4‐methyl‐brenzcatechin, and/or 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxytoluene (BHT) were assessed using each of the methods. These methods were then evaluated in respect of their reproducibility and classification properties. Based on the results of this study, the DPPH assay followed by the TEAC assay yielded the best results based on reproducibility and sensitivity both within one laboratory and between laboratories. The results of the interlaboratory study were then compared with the single center results obtained from the commercially available photochemolumiescence (PCL) kit. To assess the transferability of chemical data to biological systems, they were also compared with the single center results obtained using the cell‐based Dichlorodihydrofluoresceine (DCFH) assay.
DISUTILITY, OPTIMAL RETIREMENT, AND PORTFOLIO SELECTION
Authors: Jin Choi Kyoung , Shim Gyoocheol 
Published: March 2006

We study the optimal retirement and consumption/investment choice of an infinitely‐lived economic agent with a time‐separable von Neumann–Morgenstern utility. A particular aspect of our problem is that the agent has a retirement option. Before retirement the agent receives labor income but suffers a utility loss from labor. By retiring, he avoids the utility loss but gives up labor income. We show that the agent retires optimally if his wealth exceeds a certain critical level. We also show that the agent consumes less and invests more in risky assets when he has an option to retire than he would in the absence of such an option.An explicit solution can be provided by solving a free boundary value problem. In particular, the critical wealth level and the optimal consumption and portfolio policy are provided in explicit forms.
Cromwellian England: A Propaganda State?
Authors: PEACEY JASON 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article explores the attitude to the press on the part of Oliver Cromwell and his chief ministers in terms of press control and propaganda and in terms of the theory and the practice of government policy. It examines whether the regime sought and whether it was able to achieve strict press control through pre‐publication censorship and swift and severe punishment of malefactors as well as effective and pervasive propaganda, which was centrally organized, controlled, funded, and distributed. It argues that between 1653 and 1659 profound changes were implemented regarding intelligence‐gathering, press censorship and propaganda in the deployment of resources and bureaucratic efficiency, not least by centralizing power in the hands of the secretary of state, even if the regime sought to exert its power in only some areas of print culture rather than to achieve a complete press monopoly.
Slave Women and Reproduction in Jamaica, c.1776–1834
Authors: MORGAN KENNETH 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article explains the failure of the Jamaica slaves to reproduce naturally in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It argues that the explanation for the failure stemmed from dietary inadequacies and the harsh working routines of sugar cultivation, which compounded epidemiological and whatever social, cultural and political factors may have motivated Jamaican slave women concerning their own reproductive capabilities.
‘By the Law or the Sword’: Peterloo Revisited
Authors: POOLE ROBERT 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article looks again at the ‘Peterloo massacre’ of 16 August 1819 in Manchester, and offers new evidence from the Home Office Disturbances Papers about how it came about and who was responsible. In Section I the revisionist case that Peterloo was a conflict rather than a massacre is examined and found wanting. Section II argues that in the months before Peterloo, the Home Office had consistently urged the Lancashire magistrates to combat radical agitation ‘either by the law or the sword’; its well‐known advice for restraint on 16 August was a piece of qualified back‐pedalling which came too late. It also argues that the authorities misinterpreted the peaceful mass platform agitation of 1819 in the light of their experience of the attempted insurrections of 1817. Section III shows that the prosecution at the Peterloo trial privately conceded that its own version of events had been discredited. Section IV suggests that both conservative and progressive versions of what happened at Peterloo are constricted by whiggish assumptions, proposes some questions for further study, and offers a brief summary explanation of the Peterloo massacre.