bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Congenital malformations in offspring of Vietnamese women in California, 1985–97
Authors: Shaw Gary M. , Carmichael Suzan L. , Nelson Verne 
Published: October 2004

AbstractBackgroundLittle is known about reproductive outcome risks for Vietnamese women delivering infants and fetuses in the U.S.MethodsUsing data from a large population‐based registry, we explored risks of selected congenital malformation phenotypes in offspring of Vietnamese women in California. Data were derived from the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, a population‐based active surveillance system for collecting information on infants and fetuses with congenital malformations using multiple source ascertainment. Approximately 3.4 million births (liveborn and stillborn) occurred during the ascertainment period, 1985–97. Information on maternal race/ethnic background was obtained from California birth certificate and fetal death files. Vietnamese women delivered 45,453 births and 1,257,853 births were delivered to non‐Hispanic white women.ResultsThe overall prevalence of structural congenital malformations was 1.92 among Vietnamese and 2.63 among non‐Hispanic whites per 100 births and fetal deaths. Grouping by 20 3‐digit malformation codes of the International Classification of Diseases‐Ninth Revision revealed relative risks of 0.8 or less for spina bifida, eye, upper alimentary, genital, urinary, musculoskeletal, “other” limb, and “other” musculoskeletal anomalies, and relative risks of 1.3 or more for anencephaly and chromosomal anomalies. Grouping by the more specific 4‐digit malformation codes revealed 50, among 178, malformation groupings with associated relative risks of ≥1.3 or ≤0.8. Seventeen relative risk estimates suggested elevated risks for Vietnamese births, and 33 estimates suggested lowered risks for Vietnamese, relative to non‐Hispanic white births. Simultaneous adjustment for maternal age, plurality, and child sex, did not substantially alter observed risks.ConclusionsThese data contribute to a relatively sparse literature about an important subgroup of the U.S. population, but can not elucidate whether increased or decreased risks among Vietnamese are related to potential underlying genetic susceptibilities, to cultural, social, or political differences that could modify exposures, or to the many potential combinations between susceptibilities and exposures. Teratology 65:121–124, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pregnancy outcomes after first trimester exposure to phentermine/fenfluramine
Authors: Lyons Jones Kenneth , Johnson Kathleen A. , Dick Lyn M. , Felix Robert J. , Kao Kelly K. , Chambers Christina D. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractBackgroundFenfluramine was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 because of its association with cardiac‐valve abnormalities in adults. The combination of fenfluramine and phentermine had been widely used to promote weight loss, and many women were inadvertently exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy. The possible effect on the developing fetus has not been studied.MethodsControlled prospective cohort study comparing 98 women who had taken phentermine/fenfluramine to 233 women who had not, all of whom contacted the California Teratogen Information Service during pregnancy.ResultsThe proportion of liveborn infants with major structural anomalies was similar in the two groups (3.6% vs. 1.0%, relative risk (RR) 3.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61, 21.10), as was the proportion of infants with ≥3 minor anomalies (11.7% vs. 7.6%, RR 1.53; 95% CI 0.61, 3.82). Furthermore, no pattern of malformation was identified. There were no significant differences between the groups in spontaneous pregnancy loss (6.1% vs. 8.2%, P = 0.65) or premature delivery (8.6% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.95). Birth weight and head circumference were significantly increased in the exposed group; however, these differences were not associated with anorexiant use itself. The rate of gestational diabetes was significantly increased in pregnant women who took phentermine/fenfluramine during the first trimester of pregnancy.ConclusionsAlthough it is not possible from this study to rule out weak to moderate associations, the lack of an increased risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss, and major or minor anomalies in the offspring of women who took phentermine/fenfluramine at the recommended daily dose during the first trimester of pregnancy is reassuring. Teratology 65:125–130, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mitochondrial transduction of ocular teratogenesis during methylmercury exposure
Authors: O'Hara Michael F. , Charlap Jeffrey H. , Craig Robert C. , Knudsen Thomas B. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between MeHg developmental toxicity and mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) expression in the embryonic forebrain and pharmacological intervention with PK11195, a ligand for the mitochondrial peripheral‐type benzodiazepine receptor (Bzrp).MethodsPregnant CD‐1 mice were dosed with methylmercury (II) chloride (MeHg) with or without 4 mg/kg PK11195 on Day 9 of gestation. Fetuses were examined on Day 9 (RT‐PCR), Day 15 (histology), and Day 17 (teratology).ResultsMeHg (10 mg/kg) induced microcephaly, microphthalmia and cleft palate. The mean incidences of malformed fetuses were 47.7% with MeHg (P < 0.001) and 19.2% with PK11195 co‐treatment (P < 0.01 for rescue). Cleft palates were 12.8% and 1.5%, respectively. An estimate of neurocranial circumference revealed a small (5%) but highly significant (P < 0.001) reduction that was rescued in a subset of co‐treated fetuses (P < 0.05). RT‐PCR analysis of the Day 9 forebrain revealed inhibition of 16S rRNA expression 3.0 hr after 5 mg/kg MeHg exposure (P < 0.001). This effect was rescued with PK11195 (P < 0.001). Preliminary findings revealed a similar response‐rescue in cultured embryos exposed to 1 μM Hg(II) when exogenous 5‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was added. Protoporphyrin‐IX (PP9), the penultimate precursor to heme and an endogenous ligand of the Bzrp, increased in a manner that was ALA‐dependent and PK11195‐sensitive.ConclusionAt least some teratological effects of Hg appear linked with late steps in the heme biosynthesis pathway through the Bzrp. PK11195, a ligand for these mitochondrial receptors, significantly lessens the risk of microphthalmia, microcephaly, and cleft palate in Hg‐poisoned embryos. Teratology 65:131–144, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Purchasing policy in Switzerland: An empirical study of sourcing decisions
Authors: Quayle Michael 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe economic ties between the United States and Switzerland are strong, both in terms of investment and trade.
Swiss direct investments in the U.S. amount to US$35 billion providing some 300,000 jobs in the U.S. The
U.S. is the second most important export market for Swiss goods (after Germany). These very striking
facts demonstrate how closely intertwined the economies of the U.S. and Switzerland have become in the
twenty‐first century.The recent attention to purchasing decisions in a variety of commercial and government contexts has grown much
faster than detailed understanding of how sourcing decisions are made and their implications for organizations.
This article provides an overview of empirical research into sourcing decisions made in Swiss organizations and
will be of international interest to practitioners and academics in both purchasing (customer and
purchaser) and marketing. The research demonstrates that sourcing decisions are highly contingent situations
and the variable is policy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
International assignments and global careers
Authors: Morley Michael , Heraty Noreen 
Published: October 2004

AbstractExpatriate assignees represent a critical node in most international organizations' networks, and exploring and documenting the experiences of these assignees is important from both the organizational and individual perspective. Subsumed under the theme “International Assignments and Global Careers,” this special issue of Thunderbird International Business Review brings together a complement of selected papers originally presented at the Seventh Conference on International Human Resource Management hosted at the University of Limerick in June 2003. This introduction briefly explores the contemporary context and rationale for the international assignment in order to frame and position the subsequent contributions, which deal with, among other things, knowledge transfer, recruitment, staffing, competencies, and structural specificities in international assignments and global careers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sustained therapeutic effects of oral miglustat (Zavesca, N‐butyldeoxynojirimycin, OGT 918) in type I Gaucher disease
Authors: Elstein D. , Hollak C. , Aerts J. M. F. G. , van Weely S. , Maas M. , Cox T. M. , Lachmann R. H. , Hrebicek M. , Platt F. M. , Butters T. D. , Dwek R. A. , Zimran A. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractSummary: It has been shown that treatment with miglustat (Zavesca, N‐butyldeoxynojirimycin, OGT 918) improves key clinical features of type I Gaucher disease after 1 year of treatment. This study reports longer‐term efficacy and safety data. Patients who had completed 12 months of treatment with open‐label miglustat (100‐300 mg three times daily) were enrolled to continue with therapy in an extension study. Data are presented up to month 36. Liver and spleen volumes measured by CT or MRI were scheduled every 6 months. Biochemical and haematological parameters, including chitotriosidase activity (a sensitive marker of Gaucher disease activity) were monitored every 3 months. Safety data were also collected every 3 months. Eighteen of 22 eligible patients at four centres entered the extension phase and 14 of these completed 36 months of treatment with miglustat. After 36 months, there were statistically significant improvements in all major efficacy endpoints. Liver and spleen organ volumes were reduced by 18% and 30%, respectively. In patients whose haemoglobin value had been below 11.5 g/dl at baseline, mean haemoglobin increased progressively from baseline by 0.55 g/dl at month 12 (NS), 1.28 g/dl at month 24 (p=0.007), and 1.30 g/dl at month 36 (p=0.013). The mean platelet count at month 36 increased from baseline by 22×109/L. No new cases of peripheral neuropathy occurred since previously reported. Diarrhoea and weight loss, which were frequently reported during the initial 12‐month study, decreased in magnitude and prevalence during the second and third years. Patients treated with miglustat for 3 years show significant improvements in organ volumes and haematological parameters. In conclusion, miglustat was increasingly effective over time and showed acceptable tolerability in patients who continued with treatment for 3 years.
EST analysis of the heading leaf of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapaL. ssp.pekinensis) in the early phase of the heading stage
Authors: Rui-Juan Gao , Da-Peng Dai , Rong-Cai Ma , Ming-Qing Cao , Yue-Ming Yan , Ya-Dong Wang , Shi-Jun Ren , Xin-Yu Guo 
Published: October 2004

AbstractA cDNA library was constructed from the heading leaf in the early phase of the heading stage of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapaL. ssp.pekinensis). By sequencing the randomly selected clones, 1363 sequences longer than 200 bp were found, with better trace data. After removing the poly(A) and contamination sequences, 1162 ESTs longer than 150 bp were obtained, of which 1102 shared significant similarity with known sequences in protein and nucleotide databases of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) as revealed by searches using the BLASTX and BLASTN engines. Functional assignment of the ESTs was based on the method used in theArabidopsis thalianagenome-sequencing project. About 77% of the putative protein sequences with known biological functions best matched with those ofA. thalianadeposited in the non-redundant database of NCBI. These data suggest that Chinese cabbage is closely related toA. thaliana. This result is different from that reported in otherBrassicaspecies. At nucleotide level, however, 51% of the ESTs were homologous to those deposited forA. thalianawhen all ESTs were searched against the est-others database. In addition, 60 ESTs had no homology with any of the plant gene sequences deposited in GenBank. These ESTs are very important for understanding the unique developmental process of Chinesecabbage and elaborating its genetic mapping. Among the genes with assigned functions, the most abundant representatives were those involved in protein synthesis and energy metabolism. With the 1162 ESTs, 895 non-redundant contigs were generated after being aligned using the Seqman II module of DNAStar software at the threshold of more than 80% homology over a minimum of 40 base pairs. Of these, 723 were singletons containing only one EST sequence, indicating that many kinds of such genes are expressed in the heading leaf of Chinese cabbage. An expression profile of Chinese cabbage heading leaf with the 1162 ESTs was therefore acquired in this work. This could be very useful for uncovering the mechanism of the heading process, which is the most obvious characteristic of Chinese cabbage and perhaps other related species, such asBrassica oleracea. This work could accelerate the finding and characterization of genes specifically expressed in the heading stage of Chinese cabbage.
Study on tobacco disease resistances mediated by the elicitor gene cryptogein from Phytophthora cryptogea
Authors: Donghua Jiang , Zejian Guo , Xujun Chen , Zhiqiang Cheng , Zhong Zheng 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe cryptogein (Crypt) gene was obtained by PCR amplification of genomic DNA from Phytophthora cryptogea and confirmed by DNA sequencing. A promoter of the rice phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene was used to regulate the expression of Crypt, because this promoter has a low level of constitutive expression, is strongly induced by pathogen infection and is expressed in epidermal tissues. These promoter characteristics may be suitable for potential inhibition of pathogen attack on epidermal tissues. For functional interaction of Crypt with its outer plasma membrane binding sites, Crypt was led by a signal sequence of the extracellular pathogenesis-related protein (PR1b) of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The fused gene was constructed into a binary vector and the final plasmid (CHF-PAL::Crypt) was transformed into tobacco using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Twenty-two lines of transformants were obtained from selection medium containing 100 mg/l of kanamycin. Results from PCR amplification and Southern blot analysis demonstrated that Crypt was integrated into the tobacco genome. In the assay of pathogen challenge, nearly two-thirds (68.2%) of the transgenic plants showed significantly enhanced resistance against black shank fungal (Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae), brown spot fungal (Alternaria alternata) and wild fire bacterial (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci) diseases. This observation indicates that low-level constitutive expression of Crypt gene in tobacco could have potential use in generating broad-spectrum disease-resistant plants.
Isolation and transformation ofTrichoderma virideprotoplasts
Authors: Shi-Wang Liu , Zheng-Yi Wang , Ze-Jian Guo 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe conditions for protoplast isolation and regeneration fromTrichoderma viridewere studied. Protoplasts were optimally isolated when mycelia ofT. viridethat had been cultured for 24 h were digested with 4 mg/ml Glucanex in phosphate buffer (pH 6.98) for 4 h at 30°C, resulting in a protoplast yield of 4.7×107cfu/mg. The maximum regeneration ratio (14.5%) was obtained in mycelia culture medium containing 0.3 mol/l KCl and 0.3 mol/l inositol. In addition, a plasmid pCSSNCC1 carrying a hygromycin resistance gene and an elicitor-producing gene was transformed intoT. virideprotoplasts, with an efficiency of 1–2 transformants/μg DNA. The hygromycin-resistant transformants were determined by PCR and the elicitor protein was detected by ELISA. The results indicate that the elicitor protein was expressed stably inT. viride.
Genetic analysis and molecular mapping of eui1 gene conferring elongated uppermost internode in the indica rice mutant Xieqingzao eB1
Authors: Hong-Li Ma , Shu-Biao Zhang , Qin Lu , Xuan-Jun Fang , Shu-Lan Yang , Ren-Cui Yang 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe indica rice Xieqingzao eB1 (XQZ eB1), a mutant with an elongated uppermost internode, was produced by mutagenesis from elite maintainer line Xieqingzao B (XQZ B) using γ-radiation. Compared with the wild-type XQZ B, plant height and the length of the rice panicle neck, second internode and third internode from the panicle were elongated significantly in XQZ eB1. Genetic analysis indicated that the trait for uppermost internode elongation of XQZ eB1 is controlled by a single recessive gene eui1, which is allelic to that of IR50eui (derived from 76:4512). Further studies were carried out using the bulk segregated analysis approach. An F3 population, derived from the cross XQZ eB1×Aijiaonante, was used to map the mutant gene eui1. Two SSR makers, RM164 and AC9, were identified to link to eui1, their genetic distances to eui1 being 18.4 and 7.9 cM, respectively. The eui1 gene was also mapped to the long arm of chromosome 5 in this research.
Genetic diversity and relationships among Secale L. based on RAMP markers
Authors: Hai-Ying Shang , You-Liang Zheng , Yu-Ming Wei , Wei Wu , Ze-Hong Yan 
Published: October 2004

AbstractGenetic diversity and relationships among 21 accessions of Secale L., including three species and 10 subspecies, were evaluated using RAMP markers. Forty-one out of 80 (50.5%) RAMP primers, which produced clear and polymorphic bands, were selected for PCR amplification of genomic DNA. A total of 446 bands were amplified from the 41 primers, and 428 of these bands (about 96%) were polymorphic. Three to 19 polymorphic bands could be amplified from each primer, with an average of 10.4 bands. The RAMP-based genetic similarity (GS) values among the 21 Secale accessions ranged from 0.266 to 0.658, with a mean of 0.449. A high level of genetic variation was found between or within the wild populations and the cultivars. Based on the GS matrix, a dendrogram was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA). All 21 accessions could be distinguished by RAMP markers. Clustering results showed that the genetic diversity of Secale based on RAMP markers was correlated with geographical distribution. Six rye cultivars, originating from Poland, Portugal, Mexico, Hungary, Armenia and Ukraine, were clustered into one group. The six countries are all located in the transitional region of broad-leaf forests between maritime and continental temperate zones, with narrow latitude span. In comparison, the other five cultivars from countries scattered over a region with large latitude span were distributed within different groups or subgroups. Genetic relationships based on RAMP markers had great deviation from the original taxonomy. Some subspecies of the same species were distributed within different groups, while some accessions of different species were closely clustered into one subgroup. These results suggest that RAMP markers could be an effective technique for detecting genetic diversity among Secale and give some useful information about its phylogenic relationships.
Growth and nodulation competitiveness of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) metabolism mutants of Sinorhizobium meliloti and effects of exogenous biotin
Authors: Mei-Xue Dai , Zachertowska Alicja , Charles Trevor C. , Bo Wu , Xue-Liang Bai , Cheng-Gang Zhang , Qing-Sheng Ma 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThis paper has been retracted by Dai Mei-Xue
Construction of plant expression vector and analysis of herbicide resistance and salt tolerance of transgenic tobacco
Authors: Xian-Yan Wang , Xiao-Yi Shan , Ai-Fang Yang , Ju-Ren Zhang 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe plant expression vector pCAMBIA1300-AtNHX1-als was constructed by inserting the herbicide resistance gene als of Arabidopsis thaliana into the plasmid pCAMBIA1300-AtNHX1, which contains the AtNHX1 gene encoding the Na+/H+ antiport from the vacuolar membrane of A. thaliana. Transgenic tobacco plants were obtained via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. PCR and Southern blot assay indicated that genes als and AtNHX1 had been integrated into the genome of the transgenic plants. The herbicide resistance and salt tolerance of transgenic plants increased by about 1000-fold and by 1.5% NaCl concentration, respectively, compared with controls. Herbicide resistance of the T1 progeny was evaluated by spraying transgenic plants with different concentrations of Luhuanglong at the four-leaf stage. Controls gradually died under 100 mg/l Luhuanglong whereas 73% of the T1 plants still survived at 500 mg/l Luhuanglong. Thus the plant expression vector pCAMBIA1300-AtNHX1-als could be used to improve the herbicide resistance and salt tolerance of crops.
Characterization of genotypes and genetic relationships of cili (Rosa roxburghii) and its relatives using RAPD markers
Authors: Xiao-Peng Wen , Xiu-Xin Deng 
Published: October 2004

AbstractCili (Rosa roxburghii Tratt), characterized by containing the highest vitamin C content among fruits and showing attractive senescence-retarding and cancer-preventing effects, has gained widespread interest. RAPD markers were applied to identify the seven genotypes of cili and to evaluate the genetic relationships within cili, as well as among its relatives. Sixteen arbitrary primers screened from 154 were adopted to analyse polymorphism in RAPD profiles for the 15 samples. A total of 137 RAPD bands ranging in size from 480 bp to 3.3 kb were obtained, among which 95 were polymorphic, covering 69.3% of the total bands obtained; and an average of 8.6 bands/primer was scored. The genotypes of cili and seedless cili could be identified efficiently by 14 genotype-specific bands, which were obtained from the polymorphic primers OPB-11, OPAF-16 and OPW-02. Additionally, using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, a dendrogram showing genetic relationships among the 15 samples was constructed based on cluster analysis of genetic distance. The possible origin of seedless cili and multiple-corolla cili is also discussed.
Secondary Ultraweak Luminescence from Humic Acids Induced by γ-Radiation
Authors: Gorączko Wieslaw , Sławiński Janusz 
Published: October 2004

Humic substances (HSs) are products of biochemical transformations of plant and animal residues that make up a major fraction of the organic carbon of soil and aquatic systems in the environment. Because radioisotopes occur in the Earth's crust and because the entire biosphere is continuously exposed to cosmic radiation, ionizing radiation continually interacts with HSs. This chronic irradiation could have a significant ecological impact. However, very few publications are available that address possible consequences of chronic exposure of HSs to ionizing radiation from terrestrial and cosmic sources. This study was conducted to investigate possible impacts of exposure of HSs to ionizing radiation. Dried humic acid (HA) or its associated aqueous solution (in 0.1 M Na2CO3) were exposed to absorbed γ-radiation in high doses of 1–90 kGy using a 60Co source. Following the γ-ray exposures, a secondary, ultraweak radiation emanation with wavelengths in the spectral range λ = 340–650 nm was recorded as a long-lived chemiluminescence (CL) from the aqueous solutions; however, the CL was not observed after irradiating dry HA. Absorption spectra (for λ = 240–800 nm) of irradiated solutions indicated that polymerization/degradation processes were operating on the HA macromolecules. The effect of specific CL enhancers (luminol and lucigenin) on the intensity and kinetics of the CL implicated the participation of reactive oxygen species and free radicals in the CL and polymerization/degradation processes. For the range of absorbed doses used (1–10 kGy), the intensity of the induced CL was nonlinearly related to dose, suggesting that complex radical formation mechanisms were involved.