bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expression of gap junctional connexins 26, 32, and 43 mRNA in ovarian preovulatory follicles and corpora lutea in sheep
Authors: Borowczyk Ewa , Johnson Mary Lynn , Bilski Jerzy J. , Borowicz Pawel P. , Redmer Dale A. , Reynolds Lawrence P. , Grazul-Bilska Anna T. 
Published: December 2006

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the expression of connexins (Cx)26, Cx32, and Cx43 mRNA in granulosa and theca cells during the peri-ovulatory period (experiment 1) and in the corpus luteum (CL) during the estrous cycle (experiment 2) and during prostaglandin F2α (PGF)-induced luteal regression (experiment 3) in FSH-treated ewes. In experiment 1, Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 mRNA was expressed in granulosa and theca cells, and expression of Cx32 and Cx43 mRNA, but not Cx26, was greater (p < 0.001) in granulosa than in theca cells throughout the peri-ovulatory period. Expression of Cx43 mRNA in granulosa and theca cells decreased (p < 0.01) 24 h after hCG treatment. In experiment 2, expression of Cx26 mRNA in the CL tended to be greater (p < 0.06) on day 10 than on days 5 or 15, but expression of Cx43 mRNA was greater (p < 0.01) on day 5 than on days 10 and 15 of the estrous cycle. In experiment 3, expression of Cx26, but not Cx32 or Cx43 mRNA decreased (p < 0.001) during PGF-induced luteal regression. In all 3 experiments, expression of Cx32 mRNA was much less than Cx26 and Cx43 mRNA. Moreover, Cx32 mRNA expression was unchanged during the peri-ovulatory period or during several stages of luteal development and PGF-induced regression of the CL. Thus, we have shown that the mRNA expression pattern of Cx26 and Cx43 changes during peri-ovulatory period and during several stages of the luteal development. This suggests that Cx26 and Cx43 play a role in ovarian tissue remodeling during the critical time around ovulation and throughout luteal tissue growth, differentiation, and regression in sheep.
Experimental infection of the endangered bonytail chub (Gila elegans) with the Asian fish tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi): impacts on survival, growth, and condition
Authors: Hansen S.P. , Choudhury A. , Heisey D.M. , Ahumada J.A. , Hoffnagle T.L. , Cole R.A. 
Published: December 2006

Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934, a tapeworm known to be pathogenic to some fish species, has become established in the endangered humpback chub ( Gila cypha Miller, 1964) in Grand Canyon, USA, following the tapeworm’s introduction into the Colorado River system. The potential impact of this tapeworm on humpback chub was studied by exposing the closely related bonytail chub ( Gila elegans Baird and Girard, 1853) to the parasite under a range of conditions that included potential stressors of humpback chub in their natal waters, such as abrupt temperature change and a limited food base. Survival of infected fish under low food rations was considerably lower than that of control fish, and mortality of infected fish began 20 days earlier. Growth of infected fish was significantly reduced, and negative changes in health condition indices were found. No significant negative impacts were revealed from the synergistic effects between temperature shock and infection. Bothriocephalus acheilognathi does present a potential threat to humpback chub in Grand Canyon and should be considered, along with conventional concerns involving altered flow regimes and predation, when management decisions are made concerning conservation of this endangered species.
Divergent patterns of abundance and age-class structure of headwater stream tadpoles in burned and unburned watersheds
Authors: Hossack Blake R. , Corn Paul Stephen , Fagre Daniel B. 
Published: December 2006

Wildfire is a potential threat to many species with narrow environmental tolerances like the Rocky Mountain tailed frog ( Ascaphus montanus Mittleman and Myers, 1949), which inhabits a region where the frequency and intensity of wildfires are expected to increase. We compared pre- and post-fire counts of tadpoles in eight streams in northwestern Montana to determine the effects of wildfire on A. montanus. All streams were initially sampled in 2001, 2 years before four of them burned in a large wildfire, and were resampled during the 2 years following the fire. Counts of tadpoles were similar in the two groups of streams before the fire. After the fire, tadpoles were almost twice as abundant in unburned streams than in burned streams. The fire seemed to have the greatest negative effect on abundance of age-1 tadpoles, which was reflected in the greater variation in same-stream age-class structure compared with those in unburned streams. Despite the apparent effect on tadpoles, we do not expect the wildfire to be an extirpation threat to populations in the streams that we sampled. Studies spanning a chronosequence of fires, as well as in other areas, are needed to assess the effects of fires on streams with A. montanus and to determine the severity and persistence of these effects.
Eighteenth Annual Pezcoller Symposium: Tumor Microenvironment and Heterotypic Interactions
Authors: Weinberg Robert , Mihich Enrico 
Published: December 2006

Abstract
This symposium was held in Trento, Italy, from June 27 to 29, 2006, and was co-chaired by Robert Weinberg and Enrico Mihich. The interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment were discussed with particular emphasis on their molecular mechanisms. The roles of transforming growth factor β signaling, urokinase, and matrix metalloproteinases in matrix remodeling; the effects of matrix-tumor interactions on cell proliferation and migration; the tumor-promoting effects of inflammation and of related host cell and cytokine functions; the signaling mechanisms affecting the biology of the stroma; and the mechanisms governing angiogenesis were discussed. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(24): 11550-3)
Cancer Chemoprevention and Cancer Preventive Vaccines—A Call to Action: Leaders of Diverse Stakeholder Groups Present Strategies for Overcoming Multiple Barriers to Meet an Urgent Need
Authors: Herberman Ronald B. , Pearce Homer L. , Lippman Scott M. , Pyenson Bruce S. , Alberts David S. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract
The emerging field of cancer prevention through chemoprevention agents and cancer vaccines offers significant promise for reducing suffering and death from cancer. However, that promise may not be kept unless major barriers to progress are lowered or eliminated. Among the most significant barriers are the relatively small investment from government and industry in research and development of cancer preventive agents; a predominant emphasis of translational cancer research on therapeutic interventions for metastatic or advanced cancer; complexities of prevention trial design; a relatively uncharted Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for preventive agents; insufficient public and patient understanding of the importance and potential for cancer preventive measures, with consequent unpredictable public and patient willingness to take preventive agents; an uncertain reimbursement from payors; and limitations in patent law, liability protection, and data package exclusivity that undermine the opportunity for recouping investment. Viewed individually or collectively, each of these barriers serves as a substantial deterrent to intellectual and financial investment by all sectors of the cancer community. In an effort to ultimately overcome these barriers, a Cancer Prevention Research Summit was assembled June 12–13, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland, organized by C-Change with support from the AACR. The Summit brought together some 120 leaders from private, public, and not-for-profit entities, including cancer researchers and clinicians; federal health officials; regulatory agency representatives; pharmaceutical, biotech, and food industry leaders; patent attorneys; economists; public and private provider group executives; and advocates. Participants engaged in a detailed process to more carefully define the major barriers, identify potential solutions, and formulate initial priorities and recommendations for action. At the conclusion of this dialogue among experts, the following recommended actions were outlined: define policy solutions to patent, intellectual property, and liability law barriers; create an advisory document about the approval process for cancer chemopreventive agents and vaccines for the FDA; develop new design models for cancer chemopreventive clinical trials; outline the business case for chemopreventive agents and vaccines for federal research agencies, payors and investors; and implement a communications strategy to increase public awareness about the importance of chemoprevention and cancer preventive vaccines. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(24): 11540-9)
Anthocyanin Prevents CD40-Activated Proinflammatory Signaling in Endothelial Cells by Regulating Cholesterol Distribution
Authors: Xia Min , Ling Wenhua , Zhu Huilian , Wang Qing , Ma Jing , Hou Mengjun , Tang Zhihong , Li Lan , Ye Qinyuan 
Published: December 2006

Objective—Intracellular tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) translocation to lipid rafts is a key element in CD40-induced signaling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of anthocyanin on CD40-mediated proinflammatory events in human endothelial cells and the underlying possible molecular mechanism.Methods and Results—Treatment of endothelial cells with anthocyanin prevented from CD40-induced proinflammatory status, measured by production of IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 through inhibiting CD40-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation. TRAF-2 played pivotal role in CD40–NF-κB pathway as TRAF-2 small interference RNA (siRNA) diminished CD40-induced NF-κB activation and inflammation. TRAF-2 overexpression increased CD40-mediated NF-κB activation. Moreover, TRAF-2 almost totally recruited to lipid rafts after stimulation by CD40 ligand and depletion of cholesterol diminished CD40-mediated NF-κB activation. Exposure to anthocyanin not only interrupted TRAF-2 recruitment to lipid rafts but also decreased cholesterol content in Triton X-100 insoluble lipid rafts. However, anthocyanin did not influence the interaction between CD40 ligand and CD40 receptor.Conclusions—Our findings suggest that anthocyanin protects from CD40-induced proinflammatory signaling by preventing TRAF-2 translocation to lipid rafts through regulation of cholesterol distribution, which thereby may represent a mechanism that would explain the anti-inflammatory response of anthocyanin.
The Role of the Anteromedial and Posterolateral Bundles of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Anterior Tibial Translation and Internal Rotation
Authors: Zantop Thore , Herbort Mirko , Raschke Michael J. , Fu Freddie H. , Petersen Wolf 
Published: December 2006

Background A rupture of the entire fibers of the anterior cruciate ligament leads to knee instability due to increased anterior tibial translation and increased internal tibial rotation. The influence of isolated deficiency of the anteromedial or posterolateral bundle of the anterior cruciate ligament on the resulting knee kinematics have not yet been reported. Hypothesis Transection of the anteromedial bundle will lead to increased anterior tibial translation at 90°. Transection of the posterolateral bundle will show an increased anterior tibial translation as well as a combined rotatory instability at 30°. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Kinematics of the intact knee were determined in response to a 134-N anterior tibial load and a combined rotatory load of 10 N·m valgus and 4 N·m internal tibial rotation using a robotic/universal force moment sensor testing system. Subsequently, the fibers of the anteromedial and posterolateral bundle were resected in an alternating order and the new translation in response to the same external loading conditions measured. Statistical analysis was performed using a 2-way ANOVA test. Results Transection of the anteromedial bundle increased anterior tibial translation at 60° and 90° of knee flexion significantly. Isolated transsection of the posterolateral bundle increased anterior tibial translation in response to 134-N anterior load at 30° of knee flexion significantly and resulted in a significant increase in combined rotation at 0° and 30° in response to a combined rotatory load compared with the intact knee and isolated resection of the anteromedial bundle. Conclusion The anteromedial and posterolateral bundles stabilize the knee joint in response to anterior tibial loads and combined rotatory loads in a synergistic way. Clinical Relevance The results of the current study suggest that, from a biomechanical point of view, it may be beneficial to reconstruct both bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament to better restore normal anterior tibial translation and combined rotation.
The Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS)
Authors: Nilsson-Helander Katarina , Thomeé Roland , Grävare-Silbernagel Karin , Thomeé Pia , Faxén Eva , Eriksson Bengt I. , Karlsson Jon 
Published: December 2006

Background There is a need for a patient-relevant instrument to evaluate outcome after treatment in patients with a total Achilles tendon rupture. Purpose To develop and validate a new patient-reported instrument for measuring outcome after treatment for total Achilles tendon rupture. Study Design Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 1. Methods Development of this instrument consisted of item generation and test construction, item reduction, validation, evaluation of structure and internal consistency, test-retest, and test for responsiveness. The final version, the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS), was tested for validity, structure, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) on 82 patients and 52 healthy persons. A correlation analysis was performed of the ATRS with the 2 validated foot/ankle/Achilles tendon scores, the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and the Swedish version of the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles questionnaire (VISA-A-S). Structure was evaluated with factor analysis. Test-retest reliability was evaluated on 43 patients. The ATRS responsiveness was tested on 43 patients by calculating the effect size. Results The total score for the patients ranged from 17 to 100 with a mean (median) of 77 (85) and a standard deviation (interquartile range) of 21.4 (23). A significantly (P < .0001) higher total score was found for the healthy subjects, ranging from 94 to 100 with a mean (median) of 99.8 (100) and a standard deviation (interquartile range) of 1.1 (0). The ATRS correlated significantly (P < .01) with all subscales of the FAOS (r = 0.60-0.84) and the VISA-A-S (r = 0.78). The factor analysis gave 1 factor of importance. The internal consistency was 0.96 as measured with Cronbach's alpha. The test-retest produced an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.98. The tests for responsiveness showed an effect size between 0.87 and 2.21. Conclusion The ATRS is a patient-reported instrument with high reliability, validity, and sensitivity for measuring outcome after treatment in patients with a total Achilles tendon rupture. Clinical Relevance The ATRS is a self-administered instrument with high clinical utility, and we suggest the score for measuring the outcome, related to symptoms and physical activity, after treatment in patients with a total Achilles tendon rupture.
Rotator Cuff Contusions of the Shoulder in Professional Football Players
Authors: Cohen Steven B. , Towers Jeffrey D. , Bradley James P. 
Published: December 2006

Background No published reports have studied the epidemiology and magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder in professional football players. Purpose To determine a single professional football team's incidence, treatment, and magnetic resonance imaging appearance of players sustaining rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods From 1999 to 2005, a North American professional football team's injury records were retrospectively reviewed for athletes who had sustained a rotator cuff contusion of the shoulder during in-season participation. Those patients who had magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder with a 1.5-Tesla magnet were reviewed by a musculoskeletal radiologist and graded according to the appearance and severity of clinical injury. Results Twenty-six players had a rotator cuff contusion. There was an average of 5.5 rotator cuff contusions per season (47% of all shoulder injuries). The predominant mechanism of injury was a direct blow in 70.3%. Magnetic resonance imaging findings included peritendon edema at the myotendinous junction, critical zone tendon edema, and subentheseal bone bruises. Treatment consisted of a protocol involving modalities and cuff rehabilitation in all patients. Six patients had persistent pain and weakness for a minimum of 3 days and were given a subacromial corticosteroid injection. Overall, 3 patients (11.4%) required later surgical treatment on the shoulder. Conclusion Rotator cuff contusions accounted for nearly half of all shoulder injuries in the football players in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging is an extremely useful tool in determining severity of injury and integrity of the rotator cuff. The majority of athletes are able to return to sports with conservative treatment; a minority of shoulders might progress to more severe injuries such as rotator cuff tears.
Preliminary investigations into the sorption of boron by clay minerals
Authors: Fleet M. E. L. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe sorption of boron by clay minerals from natural waters has been studied experimentally. The quantity of boron sorbed per unit weight of clay mineral is dependent on both the salinity and the boron content of the solution. Previous work has shown that illite is the best clay mineral sorbent, though kaolinite and montmorillonite do sorb some boron and this is confirmed by the present work. The new experimental results demonstrate that the amount of boron sorbed by illite is not affected by the original boron content of the mineral and suggest that the process of incorporation of boron into the lattice proceeds in two stages. The bearing of these experimental results on the use of boron as a palaeosalinity indicator in sedimentary rocks is discussed and this leads to the conclusion that the rate of sedimentation may also influence the boron content of such rocks.
Potassium retention in montmorillonites
Authors: Weir A. H. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe amounts of potassium retained, after exchange with normal ammonium acetate solution at pH 7, were measured with six montmorillonite-beidellite minerals, whose interlayer charge ranged 0·72-1·00 M+/Si8O22 and where tetrahedral substitution of Al for Si ranged 0·14-0·93 M+/Si8O22. The amount of potassium retained increased with increasing interlayer charge, but there was no correlation between the amount of potassium retained and the tetrahedral charge.
Chemical dissolution techniques in the study of soil clays: Part II
Authors: Follett E. A. C. , McHardy W. J. , Mitchell B. D. , Smith B. F. L. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe removal of the alkali-soluble fraction from soil clays has been found to influence markedly the efficiency with which iron oxides can be removed from such clays. In clays pretreated with 5% Na2CO3, up to 40% more iron oxide was extracted by dithionite (Na2S2O4) than from soil clays treated with this reagent alone. Chemical analysis, electron microscopy, X-ray and differential thermal examination, and specific surface area and cation-exchange capacity measurements indicated an improved dispersion brought about by the removal of aluminosilicate binding material by Na2CO3. The electron-optical studies also showed that the dithionite-soluble iron was principally in the form of small granules. These were amorphous to X-rays and electrons and chemical analysis of the dithionite-soluble fraction suggested that they were ferruginous complexes containing considerable quantities of silica and alumina.
Multivariate analysis of montmorillonite
Authors: Rayner J. H. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractVarty & White's application of multivariate analysis to Grim & Kulbicki's measurements on montmorillonites has been re-examined and extended. Inconsistencies between their table of scored data and derived similarity table, and some unexplained errors in the similarity table, have only a small effect on their results. Similarities calculated from Grim & Kulbicki's data, using a different similarity coefficient, lead to a two dimensional representation which separates the groups of montmorillonites more clearly. The groups can be clearly separated even in a one dimensional representation, by changing the relationship between distance and similarity.
Significance of recent structure determinations of layer silicates for clay studies
Authors: Brown G. 
Published: December 2006

In the last 10 years or so much work has been done to determine the crystal structures of layer silicates more precisely than previously and, as a result, ideas about these structures have had to be revised.Around 1930 the classical studies of Bragg and his collaborators, and of Pauling, established the general geometrical features of layer silicate structures. The basic building units were found to be layers of linked tetrahedra articulated, by sharing oxygens, with layers of octahedra. In the 1 : 1, kaolinite type materials, with layer thicknesses about 7 Å, the composite layer unit was made up of one tetrahedral layer and one octahedral layer; in the mica and chlorite minerals the silicate layer was formed by joining two tetrahedral layers, one on either side, to an octahedral layer.
The measurement of orientation distribution and its application to quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis
Authors: Taylor R.M. , Norrish K. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractUsing X-ray techniques, the orientation distributions of crystal planes in laboratory prepared and naturally occurring aggregates were measured. A small specimen was mounted on the axis of a goniometer and the diffracted intensity measured as the specimen was rotated. Mo radiation was used to reduce the absorption effects. A mathematical relation between the distribution of particles and the distribution of crystal planes was derived for platy and fibrous particles in flake-like and rod-shaped specimens.When diffracted intensities of the 001 reflection of several different kaolinites were corrected for the degree of orientation in the respective specimens, a constant value was obtained. This would enable quantitative diffraction analyses to be made without the large errors that can be introduced by orientation effects. The degree of particle orientation achieved appeared to be more dependent on particle morphology than on the method of sample preparation or formation.
The formation and mineralogy of bentonites in Azerbaijan
Authors: Seidov A. G. , Alizade Kh. A. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractCretaceous and Eocene bentonites from Azerbaijan have been studied from the standpoint of their occurrence, mode of formation, and mineralogy. The bentonites are shown to be derived from the vitroclastic products of volcanic eruption by transformation in a marine environment.
Some factors affecting the relation between the clay minerals in soils and their plasticity
Authors: Dumbleton M. J. , West G. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe clay mineral composition is one of the factors that affect the physical properties of soils, and a knowledge of it is required to promote a fuller understanding of the origin of these properties. The relationships between the clay content and the plastic and liquid limits of natural montmorillonitic and kaolinitic soils and of artificial mixtures have been examined and compared. Factors affecting the relationships are discussed, and illustrated by the effect of particle aggregation on the measurement of the liquid limit of tropical red clays and on the sedimentation analysis of the Keuper Marl. The effect of muscovite and of silt-sized material on the position of soils on the Casagrande classification chart has also been examined.