bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender differences in free radical homeostasis during aging: shorter‐lived female C57BL6 mice have increased oxidative stress
Authors: Ali Sameh S. , Xiong Chengjie , Lucero Jacinta , Behrens M. Margarita , Dugan Laura L. , Quick Kevin L. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryGender is a profound determinant of aging and lifespan, but little is known about gender differences in free radical homeostasis. Free radicals are proposed as key elements in the multifactorial process of aging and it is predicted that the longer‐lived gender should have lower levels of oxidative stress. While the majority of studies on aging have included a single gender, recent studies in rats compared genders and found that females, the longer‐lived sex, had lower oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction than males. We explored the association between oxidative stress and gender‐specific aging in C57BL6 mice, in which females are the shorter‐lived gender. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured in young and old mice by confocal imaging of dihydroethidium (DHE) oxidation in the brain, and by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry of isolated brain mitochondria. Both genders exhibited significant age‐dependent increases in ROS. However, females had a greater increase with age than males in DHE oxidation but not mitochondrial EPR. Superoxide dismutase 1 (Sod1) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) protein levels were lower in old females. To determine whether enhancing antioxidant defenses would eliminate gender differences in lifespan, mice were treated chronically with a superoxide dismutase mimetic. Treatment blocked the age‐dependent increase in ROS, with a greater effect in females on DHE oxidation, but not mitochondrial EPR. Treatment also increased lifespan to a greater degree in females. Our results indicate that differences in ROS homeostasis contribute to gender divergence in survival, but also suggest that mitochondrial superoxide production may not be primarily responsible for gender differences in lifespan.
Ethanol‐Induced Regulation of GABAA Subunit mRNAs in Prefrontal Fields of Cynomolgus Monkeys
Authors: Hemby Scott E. , O'Connor Joann A. , Acosta Glen , Floyd Donald , Anderson Nancy , McCool Brian A. , Friedman David , Grant Kathleen A. 
Published: November 2006

Background: Recent evidence indicates that functional impairment of the orbital and medial fields of the prefrontal cortex may underlie the deficits in executive control of behavior that characterize addictive disorders, including alcohol addiction. Moreover, previous studies have indicated that alcohol alters GABA neurotransmission and one substrate of these effects may be through the reconfiguration of the subunits constituting the GABAA receptor complex. Given that GABAergic transmission has an integral role in cortical processing, influencing local and interregional communication, understanding alcohol‐induced alterations in GABAA receptors in prefrontal fields of the primate brain may provide insight into the functional impairment of these brain regions in the alcohol‐addicted state and extend our understanding of the molecular consequences of long‐term use in these critical brain regions.Methods and Results: To address this problem, the effects of chronic ethanol self‐administration in male cynomolgus monkeys on GABAA receptor subunit mRNA expression was studied in 3 frontal cortical fields: orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; area 13), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; area 24), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; area 46). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed significant alterations in GABAA subunit mRNA expression in the OFC and DLPFC but not in the ACC. Specifically, expression of the α2, α4, β1, β3, and γ1 to γ3 subunit mRNAs was significantly less in the OFC, whereas the expression of β1, β2, γ1, and δ subunit mRNAs was less in the DLPFC of alcohol‐treated monkeys.Conclusion: These findings suggest that ethanol‐induced alterations in GABAA function may be due to alterations in GABAA subunit mRNA levels and subunit‐specific alterations are selective to particular cortical fields.
Cigarette Smoking and the Risk for Alcohol Use Disorders Among Adolescent Drinkers
Authors: Grucza Richard A. , Bierut Laura J. 
Published: November 2006

Background: Cigarette smoking and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are closely linked, but it is not clear whether higher rates of AUD among smokers are solely attributable to heavier drinking or, alternatively, whether smokers are more vulnerable to alcohol abuse and dependence than nonsmokers who drink comparable quantities. We sought to address this issue using data from a nationally representative U.S. sample of adolescents and young adults. Specifically, we analyzed the relationship between cigarette smoking, drinking, and AUDs.Methods: Data were from the aggregated 2002 through 2004 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Participants were randomly selected, household‐dwelling adolescents and young adults (ages 12–20) from the noninstitutionalized, civilian population of the United States (N=74,836). Measurements included current DSM‐IV alcohol abuse or dependence, number of drinks in the past 30 days, and past‐year cigarette smoking, defined as having smoked more than 100 cigarettes across the lifetime and having smoked during the past year.Results: Past‐year smokers (prevalence=16.0%) drank in higher quantities than never‐smokers, but were also at elevated risk for AUD when compared with never‐smokers who drank equivalent quantities. The effect was observed across age groups, but was more prominent among younger adolescents. After adjusting for drinking quantity and sociodemographic variables, smokers had 4.5‐fold higher odds of AUD than never‐smokers [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 3.1–6.6]. Youths who reported smoking but did not cross the 100‐cigarette threshold were at intermediate risk [odds ratio (OR), 2.3; 95% CI, 1.7–3.3]. Differences in AUD between smokers and never‐smokers were most pronounced at lower levels of drinking.Conclusions: The results are consistent with a higher vulnerability to AUDs among smokers, compared with nonsmokers who drink equivalent quantities.
Activation and Impairment of Platelet Function In Vitro by Fatty Acid Ethyl Ester, a Nonoxidative Ethanol Metabolite: Effect of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters on Human Platelets
Authors: Salem Raneem O. , Laposata Michael 
Published: November 2006

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), nonoxidative metabolites of ethanol, on platelet function. We hypothesized that FAEE increase the risk of bleeding by producing an alteration in platelet membrane structure or function.Methods: Isolated human platelets incubated with FAEE were prepared and multiple assays for platelet activation were performed; β‐thromboglobulin release from platelet granules, platelet aggregation, arachidonate release from phospholipids, and intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels. We examined also the combined effect of epinephrine and FAEE on platelet aggregation.Results: FAEE induced platelet shape change, release of α granules and release of arachidonate from phospholipids without an increase in eicosanoid production and decreased cAMP levels. The platelets did not aggregate in response to FAEE alone, but did shorten the time to maximum aggregation with epinephrine.Conclusion: These studies show that FAEE potentiate platelet activation but do not induce aggregation, presumably because they do not stimulate thromboxane A2 production.
Brain Metabolic Alterations in Adolescents and Young Adults With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Fagerlund Åse , Heikkinen Sami , Autti‐Rämö Ilona , Korkman Marit , Timonen Marjut , Kuusi Tuomo , Riley Edward P. , Lundbom Nina 
Published: November 2006

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure affects brain structure and function. This study examined brain metabolism using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and searched for regions of specific vulnerability in adolescents and young adults prenatally exposed to alcohol.Methods: Ten adolescents and young adults with confirmed heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and a diagnosis within the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) were included. Three of them had fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), 3 had partial FAS (PFAS), and 4 had alcohol‐related neurobehavioral disorder (ARND). The control group consisted of 10 adolescents matched for age, sex, head circumference, handedness, and body mass. Exclusionary criteria were learning disorders and prenatal alcohol exposure. Three‐dimensional 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H MRSI) was performed in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Metabolite ratios N‐acetylaspartate/choline (NAA/Cho), NAA/creatine (Cr) and Cho/Cr, and absolute metabolite intensities were calculated for several anatomic regions.Results: In patients with FASD, lower NAA/Cho and/or NAA/Cr compared with controls were found in parietal and frontal cortices, frontal white matter, corpus callosum, thalamus, and cerebellar dentate nucleus. There was an increase in the absolute intensity of the glial markers Cho and Cr but no change in the neuronal marker NAA.Conclusions: Our results suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure alters brain metabolism in a long‐standing or permanent manner in multiple brain areas. These changes are in accordance with previous findings from structural and functional studies. Metabolic alterations represent changes in the glial cell pool rather than in the neurons.
The molecular diversity of Sema7A, the semaphorin that carries the JMH blood group antigens
Authors: Seltsam Axel , Strigens Susanne , Levene Cyril , Yahalom Vered , Moulds Marilyn , Moulds John J. , Hustinx Hein , Weisbach Volker , Figueroa Dolores , Bade‐Doeding Christina , DeLuca David S. , Blasczyk Rainer 
Published: November 2006

BACKGROUND: Semaphorin 7A (Sema7A), the protein that carries the JMH blood group antigen, is involved in immune responses and plays an important role in axon growth and guidance. Because previous serologic studies on red blood cells (RBCs) suggested a considerable diversity of Sema7A, the present study was designed to elucidate the complex picture of the molecular diversity of this protein.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The JMH antigen status was determined by serology, flow cytometry, and Western blot. Genomic and transcript analysis of SEMA7A was performed by nucleotide sequencing. Recombinant Sema7A proteins were used for genotype‐phenotype correlation. A three‐dimensional model of Sema7A was generated for topologic analyses.RESULTS: Our studies on 44 individuals with unusual JMH phenotypes and their family members revealed that aberrant Sema7A expression can be an inherited or an acquired phenomenon and is based on reduced surface expression or qualitative changes in Sema7A. These different phenotypes are caused by variations of the SEMA7A gene or seem to be generated by autoimmune‐related or RBC lineage–specific mechanisms. The variant JMH phenotypes were related to the presence of missense mutations in SEMA7A, predicting amino acid changes in the semaphorin domain of Sema7A. Sequence analysis of the variant SEMA7A alleles revealed mutations affecting codons 207 and 460/461. Topologic analyses showed that Sema7A polymorphisms were prominently located on the top and bottom of the semaphorin domain, suggesting a functional relevance of these sites.CONCLUSION: These findings provide a basis with which to delineate the various ligand‐binding surfaces of Sema7A.
Building Civic Capacity Through an Elastic Local State: The Case of St. Louis
Authors: Laslo David , Judd Dennis R. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractSince World War II the civic leadership of St. Louis has overcome the extreme fragmentation of public authority by building civic capacity through a variety of strategies and means. Three successive strategies for building civic capacity have unfolded in St. Louis to facilitate the revitalization of the downtown and other large‐scale initiatives. Between 1950 and 1965 a regime strategy was employed in which city hall and the city's corporate elites shared a common vision for urban renewal and the significant national resources that were provided to meet that end. By the mid‐1960s, however, a second strategy for downtown revitalization emerged that featured a corporate‐centered politics during which time the successful assembly of civic capacity hinged largely on the ability of the mayor to present and provide projects in which corporate elites and their companies would be willing investors. Since the early 1990s, building the civic capacity to undertake large initiatives has been made possible through the creation of a constellation of quasi‐public corporations and special districts. This third strategy of “shadow governments” are the most recent means of achieving civic capacity in St. Louis and we argue in this article that these new institutions are transforming the local state because they are capable of forging political coalitions, mobilizing resources, and making decisions that transcend general‐purpose governmental jurisdictions. For cities and for urban regions, the importance of this development is far‐reaching.
Regional Place and City Space: How Metropolitan Configurations Influence Central City Policy Responsiveness
Authors: Kelleher Christine A. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe debate between proponents of metropolitan consolidation and polyarchic fragmentation poses many conflicting arguments, offers varied hypotheses, and reaches multiple conclusions about the effects of political structures and institutional arrangements on democratic governance. Despite varied and widespread attention to the topic, however, little resolution has been offered to appease either side. Additionally problematic is that implicit in both of these schools of research is the assumption that efficiency, whether achieved in fragmented or consolidated settings, is the prime preference of the citizenry. In this article, I specifically pursue the following research question: How do jurisdictional and metropolitan configurations influence the responsiveness of urban governments to public opinion? My findings illustrate that not only is considering the effect of metro place on city space a necessary and important pursuit, but a broader conceptualization of citizen preferences is of critical importance to scholars of urban politics, especially when assumptions about public opinion motivate choices about institutional sizes and structures.
New Community Associations for Established Neighborhoods
Authors: Nelson Robert H. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractFrom 1980 to 2000, 50 percent the new housing in the United States was located in a development project where it was subject to the governance of a private community association. The creation of a community association requires unanimous consent, which is achieved in practice by requiring home owner agreement as a condition of initial purchase in new developments. In an established neighborhood of existing homes and other properties, however, it is for practical purposes impossible at present to create a private community association. This paper proposes that state governments enact legislation to allow for retroactive creation of private community associations in established neighborhoods with a vote of less than unanimous consent. In this way, the same advantages of private neighborhood government that have proven so attractive to such large numbers of suburban homeowners in recent years could be extended as well into inner city areas.
Private Governments and Private Services: Homeowners Associations in the City and Behind the Gate
Authors: McCabe Barbara Coyle , Tao Jill 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn this article, we examine homeowners associations (HOAs) as private providers of what are traditionally considered local government services: streets, security, recreation, maintenance, and public works (e.g., water, drainage, sewerage, and trash collection). Although much has been theorized about the nature of such organizations, little empirical data has been collected to examine these prescriptions. We present the results of a 2005 survey of large‐scale HOAs to shed light on the characteristics of such associations, and especially the nature of their relationships with local governments that may be providing similar services. We find that the survey raises interesting questions about how these associations interact with local governments, and that the nature of private as opposed to public governance demands further study.
The Street‐Level Bureaucrats of Elections: Selection Methods for Local Election Officials
Authors: Kimball David C. , Kropf Martha 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe 2000 presidential election and the recount battle in Florida focused attention on local election administration in the United States. The Help America Vote Act, passed by the federal government in 2002, requires wholesale changes in voting equipment and other election procedures. However, the law did not address the selection of individuals who manage elections: both state and local election officials play a great role implementing federal and state election laws. Recently, several election reform advocates have argued for shifting to nonpartisan election administrators in the United States. Others, particularly associations representing election officials, have not endorsed that position. To inform this debate, we provide data on the selection methods and party affiliations for all local election officials in the United States (more than 4,500 individuals or commissions). We find considerable variation in the methods used to select state and local election officials in the United States.
Effect of stress on information processing in the dental implant surgery setting
Authors: Schwartz‐Arad Devorah , Bar‐Tal Yoram , Eli Ilana 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObjectives: Dental implantation is a stressful experience, both physically and psychologically. The effect of anxiety on the patient's ability to process relevant information prior to a stressful clinical situation (implant insertion) was evaluated.Materials and methods: The study included 98 healthy patients, scheduled for implant insertion. Two different audio‐tapes with relevant information regarding implant insertion were listened to immediately pre‐operatively. Recognition questionnaires, consisting of 21 statements (correct and false information) were prepared, one for each tape. The dental anxiety scale (DAS), degree of state anxiety (SA), evaluation of pain expected during surgery, and extent to which patients understood the information provided were examined on 100 mm visual analogue scales.Results: A significant positive correlation was found between patients' DAS and SA and between patients' expectation to experience pain during the surgical procedure. Certainty of understanding (CU) significantly contributed to the explanation of correctly classified statements (β=−0.43, t=3.71, P<0.01). CU was positively related to SA and negatively to DAS.Conclusions: In a stressful pre‐surgical situation, the ability to process relevant information may be severely impaired and should not be given to patients immediately before planned treatment.
Profiling of bacterial flora in crevices around titanium orthodontic anchor plates
Authors: Sato Renya , Sato Takuichi , Takahashi Ichiro , Sugawara Junji , Takahashi Nobuhiro 
Published: November 2006

AbstractObjectives: The aims of this study were to characterize the microflora in crevices around titanium orthodontic anchor plates using anaerobic culture and molecular biological techniques for bacterial identification, and to compare the microbial composition between crevices around anchor plates and gingival crevices.Material and methods: Samples from crevices around titanium anchor plates and healthy gingival crevices of 17 subjects (aged 20–29) were cultured anaerobically, and isolated bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing.Results: The average logarithm colony‐forming units/ml were 6.84, 7.51 and 8.88 in healthy anchor plate crevices, inflamed anchor plate crevices and healthy gingival crevices, respectively, indicating that the bacterial density of anchor plate crevices was lower than that of healthy gingival crevices. Of 184 strains isolated from healthy anchor plate crevices of seven subjects, 108 (59%) were anaerobic bacteria, while 73 (40%) were facultative bacteria. Predominant isolates were Gram‐negative rods, such as Campylobacter (12%), Fusobacterium (10%) and Selenomonas (10%), and Gram‐positive facultative bacteria, such as Actinomyces (17%) and Streptococcus (8.2%). Of 133 strains isolated from inflamed anchor plate crevices of three subjects, 110 (83%) were anaerobic bacteria, while predominant isolates were Gram‐negative rods, such as Prevotella (47%), Fusobacterium (33%) and Campylobacter (16%). On the other hand, of 146 strains isolated from healthy gingival crevices of seven subjects, 98 (67%) were facultative bacteria, while 45 (31%) were anaerobic bacteria. Predominant isolates were Gram‐positive facultative bacteria, such as Actinomyces (37%) and Streptococcus (20%).Conclusions: These results suggest that the environment in crevices around titanium orthodontic anchor plates is anaerobic and supportive of anaerobic growth of bacteria, which may trigger inflammation in the tissue around the plates.
Complex structures in galaxy cluster fields: implications for gravitational lensing mass models
Authors: King Lindsay , Corless Virginia 
Published: November 2006

Abstract
The distribution of mass on galaxy cluster scales is an important test of structure formation scenarios, providing constraints on the nature of dark matter itself. Several techniques have been used to probe the mass distributions of clusters, sometimes yielding results which are discrepant, or at odds with clusters formed in simulations – for example giving Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) concentration parameters much higher than expected in the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model. In addition, the velocity fields of some well-studied galaxy clusters reveal the presence of several structures close to the line of sight, often not dynamically bound to the cluster itself. We investigate what impact such neighbouring but unbound massive structures would have on the determination of cluster profiles using weak gravitational lensing. Depending on its concentration and mass ratio to the primary halo, one secondary halo close to the line-of-sight can cause the estimated NFW concentration parameter to be significantly higher than that of the primary halo, and also cause the estimated mass to be biased high. Although it is difficult to envisage how this mechanism alone could yield concentrations as high as reported for some clusters, multiple haloes close to the line-of-sight, such as in the case of Abell 1689, can substantially increase the concentration parameter estimate. Together with the fact that clusters are triaxial, and that including baryonic physics also leads to an increase in the concentration of a dark matter halo, the tension between observations and the standard CDM model is eased. Additionally, we note that if the alignment with the secondary structure is imprecise, then the estimated concentration parameter can also be even lower than that of the primary halo, reinforcing the importance of identifying structures in cluster fields.