bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developing culturally sensitive cancer genetics communication aids for African Americans
Authors: Baty Bonnie Jeanne , Kinney Anita Yeomans , Ellis Sara Marie 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe goal of this project was to develop educational materials to communicate genetic health information in a culturally sensitive manner. These materials were designed to communicate information about cancer risk, genetic testing options, and health management options in an African American kindred with a knownBRCA1mutation. Educational materials were pilot‐tested in four African American focus groups varying in socioeconomic status and gender. The audiotaped focus groups consisted of presentation of the educational materials, followed by a feedback session led by an African American facilitator. Qualitative analysis of the focus group transcripts identified important themes and the educational materials were revised in response to the participants' suggestions. The products included a booklet and a flip chart for use in educational sessions. Focus group participants recommended a substantial reduction in technical detail, and recommended that information be personalized and made relevant to the lives of the target population. Other critical themes included the importance of building trust in the medical system and avoiding words and images that have strong negative associations in the African American community. Strategies that were successful included nontechnical images to explain genetic concepts, clip art images to energize and personalize word slides, vibrant color, identifiably African American figures, and the development of themes relevant to many African Americans. The use of these materials in an ongoing study offeringBRCA1counseling and testing to a large, rural Louisiana‐based kindred will provide additional feedback about the effectiveness of the culturally tailored genetic education and counseling materials. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Famous people and genetic disorders: From monarchs to geniuses—A portrait of their genetic illnesses
Authors: Ho Nicola C. , Park Susan S. , Maragh Kevin D. , Gutter Emily M. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractFamous people with genetic disorders have always been a subject of interest because such news feeds the curiosity the public has for celebrities. It gives further insight into their lives and provides a medical basis for any unexplained or idiosyncratic feature or behavior they exhibit. It draws admiration from society of those who excel in their specialized fields despite the impositions of their genetic illnesses and also elicits sympathy even in the most casual observer. Such news certainly catapults a rare genetic disorder into the realm of public awareness. We hereby present six famous figures: King George III, Toulouse‐Lautrec, Queen Victoria, Nicolo Paganini, Abraham Lincoln, and Vincent van Gogh, all of whom made a huge indelible mark in either the history of politics or that of the arts. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clinical and epidemiological studies of amniotic deformity, adhesion, and mutilation (ADAM) sequence in a South American (ECLAMC) population
Authors: Orioli Iêda M. , Ribeiro Márcia G. , Castilla Eduardo E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAmniotic deformity, adhesion, and mutilation (ADAM) sequence is a heterogeneous condition, with a broad spectrum of anomalies, where intrinsic causes, as defect of germ plasm, vascular disruption, and disturbance of threshold boundaries of morphogens during early gastrulation, alternate with extrinsic causes as amniotic band rupture to explain the condition. This study aimed to identify which phenotypes could be considered as ADAM sequence, determine the prevalence rate, and disclose risk factors for this sequence. We identified 270 cases defined as having some skin evidence of constriction band, plus those having limb defects suggestive of ADAM sequence, among 3,020,896 live and stillborns in the years 1982 to 1998 in ECLAMC (Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations). Half of the cases presented mutilation (reduction), and deformity (ring constriction) affecting distal parts of fingers or toes bilaterally, without associated defects. Acrania, cephalocele, typical or atypical facial clefts, eyelid coloboma, and celosomia were also observed being significantly associated with the skin lesion. One affected infant in every 11,200 births, was found with stable trends during the last 17 years. There was an excess of cases in populations living at high altitude, stillborns, and neonatal infant dead. Among ADAM cases there was an excess of mothers with a prenatal history of febrile acute illness, medication drug use, or vaginal bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy. Higher than expected frequencies of first‐born child, premature birth, low birth weight for gestational length, and non‐cephalic fetal presentation were also found. The observed geographic difference in birth prevalence could be a useful indication to study specific genetic and environmental candidate factors to ADAM susceptibility. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Yeast‐like symbiotes as a sterol source in anobiid beetles (Coleoptera, Anobiidae): Possible metabolic pathways from fungal sterols to 7‐dehydrocholesterol
Authors: Nasir Habib , Noda Hiroaki 
Published: March 2003

AbstractInsects are unable to synthesize sterols and require exogenous sterol sources for their normal development and reproduction. A few exceptions are insects associated with symbiotic yeasts or fungi. We analyzed sterols by GC‐MS in two anobiid beetles (Lasioderma serricorne and Stegobium paniceum), their intracellular yeast‐like symbiotes (YLS), and their diets in order to clarify the sterols synthesized by YLS and the metabolic pathways of the sterols in the beetles. Several C27, C28, and C29 saturated and unsaturated sterols were identified; the predominant sterols were cholesterol and 7‐dehydrocholesterol in the anobiid beetles and ergosterol in the YLS. Most sterols detected in YLS were those known in the late pathway of the ergosterol biosynthesis in yeasts and most of the sterols in the beetles appear to be intermediate metabolites from YLS sterols to 7‐dehydrocholesterol. The anobiid beetles appear to use ergosterol and 5‐dihydroergosterol as sources for 7‐dehydrocholesterol. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 52:175–182, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of silkworm paralytic peptide on in vitro hematopoiesis and plasmatocyte spreading
Authors: Nakahara Yuichi , Kanamori Yasushi , Kiuchi Makoto , Kamimura Manabu 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBombyx mori paralytic peptide (BmPP), a multifunctional cytokine‐like molecule, is expressed in the hematopoietic organ‐wing imaginal disc complex, suggesting that BmPP is involved in both immune response and the hematopoietic process. We studied the effects of BmPP on plasmatocytes and hematopoietic organs of the silkworm. BmPP (1 µM) stimulated spreading of circulating plasmatocytes, but the percentage of spread plasmatocytes was only 20%. Over 10 nM of BmPP, however, elicited prominent spreading in 70% of young plasmatocytes discharged from cultured hematopoietic organs. Cells in hematopoietic organs that were enzymatically dispersed did not spread even after adding 100 nM of BmPP, indicating that plasmatocytes acquired BmPP‐sensitivity immediately after discharge. When cultured in a medium containing larval plasma, hematopoietic organs grew markedly and discharged a large number of hemocytes, over 95% of which were morphologically plasmatocytes. The hemocyte discharge was blocked in the medium containing BmPP dose‐dependently, although hematopoietic organ growth was not suppressed. These results suggest that BmPP plays important roles both in hematopoietic regulation and in the hemocyte immune reaction of the silkworm. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 52:163–174, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Eicosanoid involvement in the regulation of behavioral fever in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria
Authors: Bundey S. , Raymond S. , Dean P. , Roberts S.K. , Dillon R.J. , Charnley A.K. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe desert locust Schistocerca gregaria behaviorally thermoregulates in order to try and maintain a favoured “set point” body temperature. Locusts infected with the deuteromycete fungal pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae var acridumchoose a significantly elevated temperature. This “behavioral fever” greatly delays the progress of mycosis. We have confirmed this phenomenon and shown that desert locusts also fever when infected with the bacterial pathogen Serratia marcescens. Elevation in the prefered environmental temperature occurs also upon injection with laminarin and lipopolysaccharide (microbial cell wall components). Since such treatments also stimulate the immune system it would appear that “behavioral fever” is probably a feature of the immune response. The eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitor dexamethasone prevented laminarin invoked fever. This effect was reversable by arachidonic acid. Therefore in common with the febrile response in mammals behavioral fever in insects may be mediated locally by circulating eicosanoids. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 52:183–192, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transcriptional silencing and translational control: key features of early germline development
Authors: Leatherman Judith L. , Jongens Thomas A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe germ lineage has been studied for a long time because of its crucial role in the propagation and survival of a species. While this lineage, in contrast to the soma, is clearly unique in its totipotent ability to produce a new organism, it has now been found also to have specific features at the cellular level. One feature, a period of transcriptional quiescence in the early germ cell precursors, has been observed in both Drosophila and C. elegans, where it is essential for the formation and the survival of the germline. In addition, there are numerous instances where these early germ cells are reliant on translational regulation, especially in Drosophila. The genes that are important for these two functions, the mechanisms of their action, and studies in vertebrate organisms that reveal similarities as well as some potential differences in early germ cell development are discussed. BioEssays 25:326–335, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The intracrine hypothesis and intracellular peptide hormone action
Authors: Re Richard N. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThere is evidence that many peptide growth factors and hormones act in the intracellular space after either internalization or retention in their cells of synthesis. These factors, commonly called intracrines, are structurally diverse while sharing some common functional features. Reports of intracellular peptide hormone binding and action are reviewed here. Also, this laboratory has made proposals regarding the origin and actions of intracrines and these areas are further explored. Intracrine interactions and the relationship of intracrines to transcription factors are discussed. The intracellular/intracrine renin–angiotensin system (iRAS) is reviewed to illustrate the intracrine analogue of a well‐established physiological system. The role of intracrine action in metazoan development is also considered. BioEssays 25:401–409, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neurofilaments and neurological disease
Authors: Al‐Chalabi Ammar , Miller Christopher C. J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNeurofilaments are one of the major components of the neuronal cytoskeleton and are responsible for maintaining the calibre of axons. They are modified by post‐translational changes that are regulated in complex fashions including by the interaction with neighbouring glial cells. Neurofilament accumulations are seen in several neurological diseases and neurofilament mutations have now been associated with Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we discuss the structure, normal function and molecular pathology of neurofilaments. BioEssays 25:346–355, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evolution of adrenal and sex steroid action in vertebrates: a ligand‐based mechanism for complexity
Authors: Baker Michael E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractVarious explanations have been proposed to account for complex differentiation and development in humans, despite the human genome containing only two to three times the number of genes in invertebrates. Ignored are the actions of adrenal and sex steroids—androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and progestins—which act through receptors that arose from an ancestral nuclear receptor in a protochordate. This ligand‐based mechanism is unique to vertebrates and was integrated into the already robust network of transcription factors in invertebrates. Adrenal and sex steroids influence almost all aspects of vertebrate differentiation and development. I propose that evolution of this ligand‐based mechanism in a primitive vertebrate was an important contribution to vertebrate complexity. Sequencing of genomes from a cephalochordate, such as amphioxus, and from hagfish and lamprey will establish early events in the evolution of steroid hormone signaling, and also allow genetic studies to elucidate how vertebrate complexity depends on steroid hormones. BioEssays 25:396–400, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Enzymes and auxiliary factors for GPI lipid anchor biosynthesis and post‐translational transfer to proteins
Authors: Eisenhaber Birgit , Maurer‐Stroh Sebastian , Novatchkova Maria , Schneider Georg , Eisenhaber Frank 
Published: March 2003

AbstractGPI lipid anchoring is an important post‐translational modification of eukaryote proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. In total, 19 genes have been directly implicated in the anchor synthesis and the substrate protein modification pathway. Here, the molecular functions of the respective proteins and their evolution are analyzed in the context of reported literature data and sequence analysis studies for the complete pathway (http://mendel.imp.univie.ac.at/SEQUENCES/gpi‐biosynthesis/) and questions for future experimental investigation are discussed. Studies of two of these proteins have provided new mechanistic insights. The cytosolic part of PIG‐A/GPI3 has a two‐domain α/β/α‐layered structure; it is suggested that its C‐terminal subsegment binds UDP‐GlcNAc whereas the N‐terminal domain interacts with the phosphatidylinositol moiety. The lumenal part of PIG‐T/GPI16 apparently consists of a β‐propeller with a central hole that regulates the access of substrate protein C termini to the active site of the cysteine protease PIG‐K/GPI8 (gating mechanism) as well as of a polypeptide hook that embraces PIG‐K/GPI8. This structural proposal would explain the paradoxical properties of the GPI lipid anchor signal motif and of PIG‐K/GPI8 orthologs without membrane insertion regions in some species. BioEssays 25:367–385, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Wnt–frizzled signaling in the induction and differentiation of the neural crest
Authors: Yanfeng Wang , Saint‐Jeannet Jean‐Pierre , Klein Peter S. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe neural crest is a transient population of multipotent progenitors arising at the lateral edge of the neural plate in vertebrate embryos. After delamination and migration from the neuroepithelium, these cells contribute to a diverse array of tissues including neurons, smooth muscle, craniofacial cartilage, bone cells, endocrine cells and pigment cells. Considerable progress in recent years has furthered our understanding at a molecular level of how this important group of cells is generated and how they are assigned to specific lineages. Here we review a number of recent studies supporting a role for Wnt signaling in neural crest induction, differentiation, and apoptosis. We also summarize the timing of expression of a number of Wnt ligands and receptors with respect to neural crest induction. BioEssays 25:317–325, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The MID1/PP2A complex: a key to the pathogenesis of Opitz BBB/G syndrome
Authors: Schweiger Susann , Schneider Rainer 
Published: March 2003

AbstractOpitz BBB/G syndrome is a monogenic disorder that is characterized by malformations of the ventral midline. Investigations into the underlying genetic defects and the pathobiochemistry of this syndrome have already shed light on the mechanisms of both the physiological and the pathological development of the ventral midline, a complicated multistep process. Moreover, these studies have revealed the ubiquitin‐dependent regulation of microtubule‐associated phosphatase 2A, a central mechanism in many cellular processes. In this review, we summarize recent findings and speculate upon their implications for both medical and general research. BioEssays 25:356–366, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Actin‐based motility: from molecules to movement
Authors: Carlier Marie‐France , Clainche Christophe Le , Wiesner Sebastian , Pantaloni Dominique 
Published: March 2003

AbstractExtensive progress has been made recently in understanding the mechanism by which cells move and extend protrusions using site‐directed polymerization of actin in response to signalling. Insights into the molecular mechanism of production of force and movement by actin polymerization have been provided by a crosstalk between several disciplines, including biochemistry, biomimetic approaches and computational studies. This review focuses on the biochemical properties of the proteins involved in actin‐based motility and shows how these properties are used to generate models of force production, how the predictions of different theoretical models are tested using a biochemically controlled reconstituted motility assay and how the changes in motility resulting from changes to the concentrations of components of the assay can help understand diverse aspects of the motile behavior of living cells. BioEssays 25:336–345, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Eyespot placement and assembly in the green alga Chlamydomonas
Authors: Dieckmann Carol L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe eyespot organelle of the green alga Chlamydomonas allows the cell to phototax toward (or away) from light to maximize the light intensity for photosynthesis and minimize photo‐damage. At cytokinesis, the eyespot is resorbed at the cleavage furrow and two new eyespots form in the daughter cells 180° from each other. The eyespots are positioned asymmetrically with respect to the microtubule cytoskeleton. Eyespots are assembled from all three chloroplast membranes and carotenoid‐filled granules, which form a sandwich structure overlaid by the tightly apposed plasma membrane. This review describes (1) my interest in cellular asymmetry and organelle biology, (2) isolation of mutations that describe four genes governing eyespot placement and assembly, (3) the characterization of the EYE2 gene, which encodes a thioredoxin superfamily member, and (4) the characterization of the MIN1 gene, which is required for the layered organization of granules and membranes in the eyespot. BioEssays 25:410–416, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Block to DNA replication in meiotic maturation: a unified view for a robust arrest of cell cycle in oocytes and somatic cells
Authors: Kubota Yumiko , Takisawa Haruhiko 
Published: March 2003

AbstractUnder certain conditions, the cell cycle can be arrested for a long period of time. Vertebrate oocytes are arrested at G2 phase, while somatic cells arrest at G0 phase. In both cells, nuclei have lost the ability to initiate DNA synthesis. In a pair of recently published papers,1,2 Méchali and colleagues and Coué and colleagues have clarified how frog oocytes prevent untimely DNA synthesis during the long G2 arrest. Intriguingly, they found only Cdc6 is responsible for the inability of immature oocytes to replicate DNA. Cdc6 is a key component for replication licensing, and for G0 cells to re‐enter the proliferative stage. Strikingly similar strategies for preventing the untimely replication in both cells suggest that the suppression of replication licensing is a universal mechanism for securing the prolonged arrest of the cell cycle. BioEssays 25:313–316, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Topoisomerase II may be linked to the reduction of chromosome number in meiosis
Authors: Paliulis Leocadia V. , Nicklas R. Bruce 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA reduction of chromosome number in meiosis is essential for genome transmission in diploid organisms. Reduction depends on a change in kinetochore configuration.1 A recent study2 connects changes in kinetochores with other changes in chromosome structure and raises the intriguing possibility that topoisomerase II, the DNA untangling enzyme, is involved. BioEssays 25:309–312, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A small issue addressed
Authors: Gumienny Tina L. , Padgett Richard W. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractCell size is an important determinant of body size. While the genetic mechanisms of cell size regulation have been well studied in yeast, this process has only recently been addressed in multicellular organisms. One recent report by Wang et al. (2002) shows that in the nematode C. elegans, the TGFβ‐like pathway acts in the hypodermis to regulate cell size and consequently body size.1 This finding is an exciting step in discovering the molecular mechanisms that control cell and body size. BioEssays 25:305–308, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pre‐whitening of data by covariance‐weighted pre‐processing
Authors: Martens Harald , Høy Martin , Wise Barry M. , Bro Rasmus , Brockhoff Per B. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA data pre‐processing method is presented for multichannel ‘spectra’ from process spectrophotometers and other multichannel instruments. It may be seen as a ‘pre‐whitening’ of the spectra, and serves to make the instrument ‘blind’ to certain interferants while retaining its analyte sensitivity. Thereby the instrument selectivity may be improved already prior to multivariate calibration. The result is a reduced need for process perturbation or sample spiking just to generate calibration samples that span the unwanted interferants. The method consists of shrinking the multidimensional data space of the spectra in the off‐axis dimensions corresponding to the spectra of these interferants. A ‘nuisance’ covariance matrix Σ is first constructed, based on prior knowledge or estimates of the major interferants' spectra, and the scaling matrix G = Σ−1/2 is defined. The pre‐processing then consists of multiplying each input spectrum by G. When these scaled spectra are analysed in conventional chemometrics software by PCA, PCR, PLSR, curve resolution, etc., the modelling becomes simpler, because it does not have to account for variations in the unwanted interferants. The obtained model parameter may finally be descaled by G−1 for graphical interpretation. The pre‐processing method is illustrated by the use of prior spectroscopic knowledge to simplify the multivariate calibration of a fibre optical vis/NIR process analyser. The 48‐dimensional spectral space, corresponding to the 48 instrument wavelength channels used, is shrunk in two of its dimensions, defined by the known spectra of two major interferants. Successful multivariate calibration could then be obtained, based on a very small calibration sample set. Then the paper shows the pre‐whitening used for reducing the number of bilinear PLSR components in multivariate calibration models. Nuisance covariance Σ is either based on the prior knowledge of interferants' spectra or based on estimating the interferants' spectral subspace from the calibration data at hand. The relationship of the pre‐processing to weighted and generalized least squares from classical statistics is outlined. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.