bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
NF‐κB Activation at Implantation Window of the Mouse Uterus
Authors: Nakamura Hitomi , Kimura Tadashi , Ogita Kazuhide , Nakamura Takafumi , Takemura Masahiko , Shimoya Koichiro , Koyama Sinsuke , Tsujie Tomoko , Koyama Masayasu , Murata Yuji 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  Nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) is one candidate transcriptional modulator, which might regulate many kinds of molecules that play sequential roles at implantation in the endometrium. However, temporal and spatial activation of NF‐κB at implantation window is unknown.Methods:  Activation of NF‐κB in the mouse uterus was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Localization of p50 and p65, components of NF‐κB, was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.Results:  NF‐κB was activated in the proestrus and estrus phases in non‐pregnant uterus. In the pregnant uterus, NF‐κB was activated after day 1.5 post‐coitum, and the activation continued during implantation period. The immunoreactivities of p50 and p65 were mainly localized in endometrial epithelium, and were weaker in endometrial stroma cells.Conclusion:  NF‐κB activity is dynamically regulated during the sexual cycle as well as during the implantation period in the endometrium, where the biochemical interaction between mother and conceptus first occurs.
Estrogen Decreases Expression of Chemokine Receptors, and Suppresses Chemokine Bioactivity in Murine Monocytes
Authors: Janis Kelly , Hoeltke Janice , Nazareth Michael , Fanti Peter , Poppenberg Kristin , Aronica Susan M. 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  We propose that the ability of estrogen exposure to increase the probability of a woman developing breast cancer may be related to decreased chemokine activity and suppression of immune surveillance in mammary tissue. The present study was conducted to determine whether estrogen could decrease monocyte bioactivity through alteration of chemokine receptor expression.Method of study:  We examined the effect of estrogen and tamoxifen on the expression of the chemokine receptors CCR2 and CXCR3 on murine monocytes treated in culture and in vivo. Effects of estrogen on chemokine activation of monocytes were also evaluated.Results:  Estrogen and tamoxifen significantly decreased expression of CCR2 and, to a lesser extent, CXCR3 on murine monocytes. Estrogen decreased chemotaxis of monocytes towards MCP‐1/JE. The chemokines MCP‐1/JE and MIP‐1α were unable to evoke increases in intracellular calcium in murine monocytes treated with estrogen, alone or in combination with tamoxifen.Conclusions:  Our results show that estrogen suppresses the ability of monocytes to respond to certain chemokines, suggesting that estrogen exposure might decrease immune surveillance in tissues where the action of specific chemokines is involved.
Tissue Eosinophilia in Pemphigoid Gestationis: Association with Eotaxin and Upregulated Activation Markers on Transmigrated Eosinophils
Authors: Günther Claudia , Wozel Gottfried , Dreßler Jan , Meurer Michael , Pfeiffer Christiane 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  We studied chemotactic cytokines and activation of skin‐homed eosinophils in pemphigoid gestationis, a rare autoimmune bullous disease of late pregnancy.Method of study:  Eotaxin and interleukin (IL)‐5 were analysed in patients’ blister fluid and serum by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Lesional tissue was investigated for eotaxin deposition by immunohistochemistry. Adhesion molecules and activation markers on tissue eosinophils were analysed by immunofluorescence staining.Results:  Eotaxin was elevated in serum of two pemphigoid gestationis patients compared with nine healthy pregnant women. Blister fluid contained even higher amounts of eotaxin and in addition IL‐5. Eotaxin was mainly expressed in subepidermal tissue in close proximity to eosinophils that expressed high levels of adhesion molecules (CD11b, CD11c, CD18 and CD49d) and the activation marker HLA‐DR.Conclusions:  High local levels of eotaxin and IL‐5 as present in the blister fluid correspond to the high state of activation of the infiltrated eosinophils.
Expression of IL‐4, IL‐8 and IL‐18 Messenger RNAs in Maternal Peripheral Blood and Relationships with the HbF‐γ chain mRNA in it
Authors: Kato Chikako , Tamura Takaya , Okuda Tomohiro , Kojima Hidenori , Kinoshita Yoshiyuki , Honjo Hideo 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  This study was designed to examine immunological changes in maternal peripheral blood and the relationship of these changes with the amount of fetal cells in the blood.Method of study:  The expression of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), IL‐8, IL‐18 and fetal hemoglobin gamma chain (HbF‐γ chain) messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in maternal peripheral blood was measured by a quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction method.Results:  In maternal peripheral blood, the expression of IL‐4 mRNA was up‐regulated from the second gestational month (GM) to delivery. The expression of IL‐8 and IL‐18 mRNAs was down‐regulated from the third or fourth GM until the eighth or ninth GM, respectively, and both increased before the onset of labor, though IL‐4 mRNA decreased. The expression of IL‐8 and IL‐18, but not IL‐4, mRNAs was correlated with that of HbF‐γ chain mRNA.Conclusions:  Immunological interactions between maternal peripheral immune cells and fetal cells appear to be related to the onset of labor.
Relationship between Cytokine Concentrations (FGF, sICAM‐1 and SCF) in Serum, Follicular Fluid and ICSI Outcome
Authors: Hammadeh Mohamad Eid , Fischer‐Hammadeh Constanze , Hoffmeister Heidrun , Herrmann Wolfgang , Rosenbaum Peter , Schmidt Werner 
Published: January 2004

Objective:  The aim of this study was (i) to investigate the existence of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), soluble intracellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1), and stem cell factor (SCF) in serum and human follicular fluid (FF) of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) patients, and (ii) to determine the relationship between these parameters and ICSI outcome.Material and method:  Seventy‐five patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) after down‐regulation with GnRHa were included in this study. The concentrations of FGF, SCF, and sICAM‐1 were measured by using commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay test kits.Results:  The FGF, sICAM‐1, and SCF concentrations in the serum of women who become pregnant (group I) were 8.5 ± 1.5 pg/mL, 235.8 ± 81.1 ng/mL, and 597.7 ± 139.9 pg/mL, and the corresponding concentrations of women who did not (group II) were 6.4 ± 3.6 pg/mL, 230.6 ± 66.5 ng/mL, and 569.6 ± 91.4 pg/mL respectively. No significant difference was observed between the two investigated groups with regard to the number of hMG ampoules administered for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, estradiol concentration on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection, number of retrieved oocytes and fertilization rate.Conclusion:  The concentration of FGF, sICAM‐1, and SCF did not differ significantly between the two groups in serum or in FF. Besides, the ICSI outcome was not related to their concentrations in serum or FF. Therefore, these parameters could not be used as a prognostic factor in ICSI program.
Analysis of Macrophage Presence in Murine Placenta: Influence of Age and Parity Status
Authors: Lagadari M. , Blois S. , Margni R. , Miranda S. 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  Beneficial effects of multiparity status have been previously reported by different authors. However, this fact has not been fully explained. Taking into consideration the influence of the parity status on the in vitro asymmetric/protective antibodies and the fact that interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is involved in the production and immune‐regulatory functions of placental macrophages, the aim of this work was to compare the placental IL‐6 production and tissue macrophage presence in mice with different age and parity status.Method of study:  Three groups of mice (CBA/J × CBA/J) were analyzed: primiparous young (PY: 3.0 ± 0.5 months old), primiparous old (PO: 8.5 ± 0.5 months old), and multiparous old (MO: 8.5 ± 0.5 months old, with three to four previous pregnancies). Macrophage and IL‐6 were identified in placental tissue by immunohistochemistry employing anti‐F4/80 or anti‐IL‐6 antibodies. IL‐6 secretion was analyzed in the placental culture supernatants by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:  The results obtained indicate that, despite the level of macrophages observed in the PO placentae was higher than in PY ones, their expression in MO placentae was very much increased, appearing like a thick layer between decidua and trophoblast. However, no significant difference was found among the groups in the tissue expression of IL‐6 and in IL‐6 secreted in vitro.Conclusions:  Our data indicate that parity status influences the number of local macrophages and might provide evidence that could explain the known beneficial effect of multipaternity. We suggest that the number of previous pregnancies favor the production of a ‘protective’ population of macrophages.
Shall We properly Re‐examine the Status of Allogeneic Lymphocyte Therapy for Recurrent early Pregnancy Failure?
Authors: Clark David A. 
Published: January 2004

Problem:  How to evaluate immunological therapy advocated for recurrent spontaneous abortion and implantation failure. I was invited to comment on the opinion article of Chaouat (AJRI December 2003).Methods:  A critical examination of key beliefs and application of the principles of evidence and logic utilizing current data.Results and Conclusions:  Although rationale has no bearing on efficacy of proposed treatments and is not sufficient justification for routine practice, insufficient attention to data concerning patient selection, insufficient attention to treatment methodology, and lack of full disclosure in some clinical trials needs to be corrected. A more systematic collection of follow‐up data is needed.
An Alternate Multiple‐Choice Scoring Procedure in a Macroeconomics Course
Authors: Bradbard David A. , Parker Darrell F. , Stone Gary L. 
Published: January 2004

ABSTRACTIn the standard scoring procedure for multiple‐choice exams, students must choose exactly one response as correct. Often students may be unable to identify the correct response, but can determine that some of the options are incorrect. This partial knowledge is not captured in the standard scoring format. The Coombs elimination procedure is an alternate scoring procedure designed to capture partial knowledge. This paper presents the results of a semester‐long experiment where both scoring procedures were compared on four exams in an undergraduate macroeconomics course. Statistical analysis suggests that the Coombs procedure is a viable alternative to the standard scoring procedure. Implications for classroom instruction and future research are also presented.
Unequal Division of Type I Risk in Statistical Inferences
Authors: Meek Gary E. , Ozgur Ceyhun O. 
Published: January 2004

ABSTRACTIntroductory statistics texts give extensive coverage to two‐sided inferences in hypothesis testing, interval estimation, and one‐sided hypothesis tests. Very few discuss the possibility of one‐sided interval estimation at all. Even fewer do so in any detail. Two of the business statistics texts we reviewed mentioned the possibility of dividing the risk of a type I error unequally between the tails for a two‐sided confidence interval. None of the textbooks that were reviewed even considered the possibility of unequal tails for two‐sided hypothesis tests. In this paper, we propose that statistics courses and texts should cover both one‐sided tests and confidence intervals. Furthermore, we propose that coverage, at least in two semesters and advanced courses, should also be given to unequal division of the nominal risk of a type I error for both tests and confidence intervals. Examples are provided for both situations.
How important is the statistical approach for analyzing categorical data? A critique using artificial nests
Authors: Lewis Keith P. 
Published: January 2004

Ecologists rely heavily upon statistics to make inferences concerning ecological phenomena and to make management recommendations. It is therefore important to use statistical tests that are most appropriate for a given data‐set. However, inappropriate statistical tests are often used in the analysis of studies with categorical data (i.e. count data or binary data). Since many types of statistical tests have been used in artificial nests studies, a review and comparison of these tests provides an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of choosing the most appropriate statistical approach for conceptual reasons as well as type I and type II errors.Artificial nests have routinely been used to study the influences of habitat fragmentation, and habitat edges on nest predation. I review the variety of statistical tests used to analyze artificial nest data within the framework of the generalized linear model and argue that logistic regression is the most appropriate and flexible statistical test for analyzing binary data‐sets. Using artificial nest data from my own studies and an independent data set from the medical literature as examples, I tested equivalent data using a variety of statistical methods. I then compared the p‐values and the statistical power of these tests. Results vary greatly among statistical methods. Methods inappropriate for analyzing binary data often fail to yield significant results even when differences between study groups appear large, while logistic regression finds these differences statistically significant. Statistical power is is 2–3 times higher for logistic regression than for other tests. I recommend that logistic regression be used to analyze artificial nest data and other data‐sets with binary data.
How Romney was framed
Authors: Alfrey Penelope 
Published: January 2004

George Romney 1734‐1802 by Alex Kidson, London: National Portrait Gallery, 2002, 256 pp., 146 col. plates, 70 b. & w. illus., £40.00 Those Delightful Regions of Imagination: Essays on George Romney edited by Alex Kidson, Studies in British Art 9, New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2002, 288 pp. 8 col. plates, 118 b. & w. illus., £35.00
Who knows where the sublime goes?
Authors: Souza Pauline de 
Published: January 2004

Sticky Sublime edited by Bill Beckley, New York: Allworth Press, 2001, 269pp., 14 b. & w. illus., £18.95 Death's Showcase by Ariella Azoulay, translated by Ruvil Daniell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 2001, 303pp., 000 b. & w. illus., £23.95
Computer‐Assisted Prediction of HLA‐DR Binding and Experimental Analysis for Human Promiscuous Th1‐Cell Peptides in the 24 kDa Secreted Lipoprotein (LppX) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Al‐Attiyah R. , Mustafa A. S. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractThe secreted 24 kDa lipoprotein (LppX) is an antigen that is specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and M. leprae. The present study was carried out to identify the promiscuous T helper 1 (Th1)‐cell epitopes of the M. tuberculosis LppX (MT24, Rv2945c) antigen by using 15 overlapping synthetic peptides (25 mers overlapping by 10 residues) covering the sequence of the complete protein. The analysis of Rv2945c sequence for binding to 51 alleles of nine serologically defined HLA‐DR molecules, by using a virtual matrix‐based prediction program (propred), showed that eight of the 15 peptides of Rv2945c were predicted to bind promiscuously to ≥10 alleles from more than or equal to three serologically defined HLA‐DR molecules. The Th1‐cell reactivity of all the peptides was assessed in antigen‐induced proliferation and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐secretion assays with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 37 bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG)‐vaccinated healthy subjects. The results showed that 17 of the 37 donors, which represented an HLA‐DR‐heterogeneous group, responded to one or more peptides of Rv2945c in the Th1‐cell assays. Although each peptide stimulated PBMCs from one or more donors in the above assays, the best positive responses (12/17 (71%) responders) were observed with the peptide p14 (aa 196–220). This suggested a highly promiscuous presentation of p14 to Th1 cells. In addition, the sequence of p14 is completely identical among the LppX of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis and M. leprae, which further supports the usefulness of Rv2945c and p14 in the subunit vaccine design against both tuberculosis and leprosy.
Effect of Dendritic Cells on Flow Cytometric Quantification of Cytomegalovirus‐Specific, Interferon‐γ‐Producing T Cells
Authors: Fleischer C. C. , Solling C. , Petersen M. S. , Agger R. , Hokland M. E. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractFlow cytometric measurement of intracellular cytokines in T cells exposed to antigen is a widely used method for quantification of an antigen‐specific T‐cell response. As the frequency of antigen‐specific T cells is often very low, any improvement in signal to noise ratio is of great importance. Thus, in this study, the ability of antigen‐pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) to increase the number of antigen‐specific, interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐producing CD4+ T cells measurable both in fresh peripheral blood and in reconstituted frozen blood mononuclear cell (MNC) samples was evaluated. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was used as antigen in a 10 h assay, using cells from both CMV‐seropositive and ‐seronegative donors. When reconstituted frozen samples were analysed, the general response towards CMV lysate in CMV‐seropositive donors was 23–86% lower compared to the corresponding fresh blood samples. Antigen‐pulsed DCs could not improve the sensitivity of the intracellular cytokine‐detection assay when fresh peripheral blood samples were used. Interestingly, however, the addition of CMV lysate‐pulsed DCs to cryopreserved MNC samples substantially increased the frequency of specifically induced IFN‐γ‐producing cells to a level comparable to the frequency found in the corresponding fresh blood samples.
Clinical Association of Anti‐Golgi Autoantibodies and their Autoantigens
Authors: Hong H.‐S. , Chung W. H. , Hung S. I. , Chen M. J. , Lee S. H. , Yang L. C. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractAnti‐Golgi autoantibodies (AGAs) and their targets have been reported from several diseases. However, the association of AGAs, selective autoantigens and related clinical diseases is still obscure. In this study, the presence of AGAs in the sera of 5983 patients was screened to explore the association of AGAs and clinical diseases. By means of indirect immunofluorescence using HEp‐2 cells, sera of 12 patients bearing AGAs were identified. The location of recognized Golgi autoantigen(s) was confirmed by the treatment of monensin and double immunostaining using β‐COP. Using the immunoelectron microscopy, AGA immunoreactivity was clearly demonstrated at a stack structure, characteristic of the Golgi complex. Furthermore, analysis of the 12 AGA‐positive sera by Western blot revealed at least 15 components of Golgi antigens with relative molecular weights ranging from 54 to 350 kDa, and several Golgi autoantigens identified may be novel. Notably, over half of the AGA‐positive cases found belong to non‐autoimmune diseases, particularly hepatic disorder. This study presents the association of AGAs, components of the Golgi complex and clinical diseases.
Ligation of CD47 During Monocyte Differentiation into Dendritic Cells Results in Reduced Capacity for Interleukin‐12 Production
Authors: Johansson U. , Londei M. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractWe have previously shown that the CD47‐binding thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1)‐derived peptide 4N1K induces a rapid apoptosis‐like death of human monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs). However, not all cells were susceptible to the peptide‐induced cell death and here, we have investigated whether surviving monocytes could differentiate into functionally normal DCs. We found that the cell‐surface phenotype, the T‐cell stimulatory capacity and the ability to undergo lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced maturation into CD83+ DCs were essentially identical in 4N1K‐derived and control DCs. Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) production was also normal, but a significant downregulation of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐12 and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) was observed in the 4N1K‐derived DCs. To the contrary, simultaneous stimulation of control DCs with 4N1K and LPS + interferon‐γ did not alter IL‐12 production. These results indicate that although activation of the TSP‐1‐binding region of CD47 on monocytes induces apoptosis in a large proportion of the cells, it does not hamper the overall capacity of the surviving cells to differentiate into DCs. Such DCs, however, have a reduced capacity for IL‐12 and TNF‐α production, and the possibility that this is linked to the uptake of apoptotic cells is discussed.
Human Plasma‐Derived Mannose‐Binding Lectin: A Phase I Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Valdimarsson H. , Vikingsdottir T. , Bang P. , Saevarsdottir S. , Gudjonsson J. E. , Oskarsson O. , Christiansen M. , Blou L. , Laursen I. , Koch C. 
Published: January 2004

AbstractMannose‐binding lectin (MBL) is an important component of innate immunity that can bind to certain sugar residues on the surface of many types of pathogenic micro‐organisms. On binding, MBL generates opsonic activity mainly through activation of the complement system. Genetically determined MBL deficiency is very common and can be associated with increased susceptibility to a variety of infections, especially in children and immunosuppressed individuals. The potential benefits of MBL reconstitution therapy therefore need to be evaluated. We have carried out a phase I safety and pharmacokinetic study on 20 MBL‐deficient healthy adult volunteers. The MBL was prepared from plasma of nonremunerated, voluntary Danish donors tested and found negative for hepatitis B surface antigen, antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus. Each volunteer received a total of 18 mg of MBL in three 6 mg doses given intravenously, once weekly over a period of 3 weeks. The volunteers were closely monitored at the University Hospital in Reykjavik for 8 h after each infusion and daily thereafter for 5 days after each infusion. No adverse clinical or laboratory changes were observed in any of the 20 participants, and frequent measurements did not reveal any signs of infusion‐associated complement activation. No antibodies to MBL, HIV or hepatitis viruses were observed 24 weeks after the last infusion. Serum MBL levels increased up to normal levels (1200–4500 ng/ml) immediately after each infusion, but the half‐life of the infused MBL was highly variable, ranging from 18 to 115 h (mean 69.6). It is concluded that infusion of purified MBL as prepared by Statens Serum Institut (SSI) is safe. However, adults have to be given at least 6 mg twice or thrice weekly for maintaining protective MBL levels assumed to be about 1000 ng/ml.
Immunological Crossreactivity of the Mycobacterium leprae CFP‐10 with its Homologue in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Geluk A. , Van Meijgaarden K. E. , Franken K. L. M. C. , Wieles B. , Arend S. M. , Faber W. R. , Naafs B. , Ottenhoff T. H. M. 
Published: January 2004

Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate protein‐10 (CFP‐10) (Rv3874) is considered a promising antigen for the immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) together with early secreted antigens of M. tuberculosis (ESAT‐6). Both ESAT‐6 and CFP‐10 are encoded by the RD1 region that is deleted from all tested M. bovis bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) strains but present in M. leprae, M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. kansasii, M. africanum and M. marinum. In this study, the homologue of CFP‐10 in M. leprae (ML0050) is identified and characterized. Interferon‐γ production in response to this homologue by T cells from leprosy patients, TB patients and unexposed controls shows that CFP‐10 of M. leprae is a potent antigen that crossreacts with CFP‐10 of M. tuberculosis at the T‐cell level. This crossreactivity has implications for the use of CFP‐10 of these mycobacterial species as diagnostic tool in areas endemic for both the diseases.