bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Embryo genetic disorder analysis demonstration project: A model protocol
Authors: Singer Niecee 
Published: April 2005

AbstractA demonstration project designed for couples at a minimum 25% risk for having a child with cystic fibrosis is being undertaken using embryo genetic disorder analysis within an organization proficient inin vitro fertilization techniques. Prior to offering the project to patients, issues were identified that needed to be addressed in order to improve the likelihood of success. We then developed a set of protocols that would enable us to introduce this new technology to our staff and to prospective patients in a consistent manner.
Code of ethics: Day‐to‐day applications
Authors: Benkendorf Judith L. , Callanan Nancy P. , Grobstein Rose , Schmerler Susan , FitzGerald Kevin T. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe following article was originally presented as a workshop at the 1992 NSGC Annual Education Conference. It was the first in a series of programs designed to fulfill the educational component of the Board of Directors' charge to the Ethics Subcommittee of the interpretation, education and application of the Code of Ethics. Applications of the Code to actual problems experienced by genetic counselors are presented. The Code is shown to be a practical guide in the areas of confidentiality and patient advocacy. Because the Committee has received several communications regarding sexual harassment, the need for addressing this issue seemed particularly timely. The third scenario presents a more general discussion regarding this topic.
The Challenge of Military Surgical Education
Authors: Becker Horst Peter , Gerngross Heinz , Schwab Robert 
Published: April 2005

AbstractNow that field hospitals and rescue stations have been provided with state‐of‐the‐art equipment, it is important to tailor the medical qualifications of military surgeons to the specific requirements of missions outside Germany. The objective of this article is to provide guidelines for a new training model. Einsatzchirurgie is defined as surgical treatment provided under restricted conditions in an unfamiliar environment. Its purpose is, first and foremost, to provide emergency treatment. The spectrum of Einsatzchirurgie, however, also encompasses maximum medical treatment on a case‐by‐case basis and emergency surgical treatment in a mass casualty situation. Training, for example, may consist of a 6‐year basic training course in surgery followed by specialist training in abdominal surgery, traumatology, and courses in further disciplines — e.g., urology, gynecology, or neurosurgery. In addition to the qualifications required by the Landesärztekammem (professional organizations of German physicians at the federal countries level), military surgeons who are to become senior medical officers should also be qualified to provide immediate non‐surgical emergency care. In these times, the education of military surgeons remains a great challenge. Motivation to work as a surgeon in the armed forces with multiple deployments during the career requires enthusiasm and professionalism. The attractivness of the training institution and the home hospital is key for successful work as a military surgeon.
In a paperless world a new role for academic libraries: providing open access
Authors: Bosc Hélène , Harnad Stevan 
Published: April 2005

ABSTRACTAcademic libraries should be considered research tools, co‐evolving with technology. The Internet has changed the way science is communicated and hence also the role of libraries. It has made it possible for researchers to provide open access (OA) (i.e. toll‐free, full‐text, online access, web‐wide) to their peer‐reviewed journal articles in two different ways: (i) by publishing in them in OA journals, and (ii) by publishing them in non‐OA journals but also self‐archiving them in their institutional OA archives. Librarians are researchers' best allies in both of these strategies. Examples of these strategies are described. We conclude that an official mandate for OA provision is necessary to accelerate its growth and thereby the growth of research usage and impact worldwide.
A UGT2B17‐positive donor is a risk factor for higher transplant‐related mortality and lower survival after bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Terakura Seitaro , Murata Makoto , Nishida Tetsuya , Emi Nobuhiko , Akatsuka Yoshiki , Riddell Stanley R. , Morishima Yasuo , Kodera Yoshihisa , Naoe Tomoki 
Published: April 2005

SummaryWe recently identified a human minor histocompatibility (H) antigen, encoded by UDP glycosyltransferase 2 family, polypeptide B17 (UGT2B17), whose immunogenicity results from differential expression in donor and recipient cells as a consequence of a homozygous deletion of the UGT2B17 gene. UGT2B17 is highly expressed in the liver and colon, which are major targets for graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD). To assess the significance of homozygous UGT2B17 gene deletion in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), we analysed DNA from 435 stem cell transplant recipients with a haematological malignancy and their human leucocyte antigen‐identical unrelated bone marrow donors using sequence‐specific primer polymerase chain reaction. Homozygous deletion of the UGT2B17 gene was observed in 85% of normal donors and in 82% of patients. The analysis showed no significant association between UGT2B17 mismatch in the GVHD direction and the incidence of acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, relapse, or survival. However, the use of a UGT2B17‐positive donor was an independent risk factor for higher transplant‐related mortality and lower survival after transplantation. UGT2B17 is a metabolic enzyme for hormones, drugs, and potentially toxic exogenous compounds and is expressed in subsets of haematopoietic cells. Thus, the enzyme function of UGT2B17 in donor cells may affect the outcome of allogeneic HSCT.
Serum thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine, macrophage‐derived chemokine and eotaxin as markers of severity of atopic dermatitis
Authors: Jahnz‐Rozyk K. , Targowski T. , Paluchowska E. , Owczarek W. , Kucharczyk A. 
Published: April 2005

Background:  Expression of CCR4 ligands, such as thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine (TARC) and macrophage‐derived chemokine (MDC), leads to preferential influx of T‐helper (Th) 2‐type lymphocytes to the lesional skin in atopic dermatitis (AD). Eotaxin, like the CCR3 ligand, is an important contributor of eosinophils recruitment in the course of AD. These chemokines are assumed to play an important role in the patomechanism of AD.Methods:  In this study, the serum concentration of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) in AD patients and healthy people were compared. Correlation between the studied indices and activity of AD was established. Severity of AD was assessed according to the SCORAD score. The study comprised 44 healthy people and 43 patients with AD. The serum concentrations of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and IgE were measured with the use of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits.Results:  The serum levels of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and IgE appeared to be significantly higher in patients with AD than in healthy people. A strong positive correlation was revealed between the levels of TARC, MDC, total IgE in serum of patients with AD and SCORAD. In contrast, no significant relationship was found for the serum eotaxin concentration and TARC, MDC, IgE or disease severity.Conclusion:  Our findings indicate that TARC and MDC are actively involved in the pathogenesis of AD and their expression, opposite to that of eotaxin, is strongly associated with clinical picture of atopic dermatitis.
Current issues regarding the use of pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines in Australian children
Authors: Mackenzie Grant A , Carapetis Jonathan R , Morris Peter S , Leach Amanda Jane 
Published: April 2005

Objective:  To present the results of child pneumococcal vaccination studies in the setting of current Australian disease epidemiology and immunization policy, and issues that clinicians should consider in discussions with families. Methods:  This paper includes a narrative review of randomized, controlled, double blind studies and systematic reviews which evaluated the efficacy of child pneumococcal vaccination. Results:  7PCV is expected to prevent >80% of childhood invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD, includes meningitis, septicaemia/bacteraemia) and the associated mortality. 7PCV may prevent 6% of all pneumonia, 18% of radiographically‐defined pneumonia, 6% of all otitis media (OM) and 20%–40% of tympanostomy tube procedures. It may also reduce IPD due to antibiotic‐resistant pneumococci, and prevent IPD in unvaccinated individuals. The impact of replacement disease caused by non‐vaccine serotypes is not yet known. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines given to 2‐year‐old children may prevent approximately 19% of all and 26% of recurrent OM. Conclusion:  The Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule recommends universal infant immunization with seven‐valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7PCV). Universal infant 7PCV will prevent pneumococcal diseases and deaths. The potential for its impact to be reduced in the long‐term by serotype replacement must be closely monitored. Information concerning disease epidemiology, vaccine efficacy and safety, disease risk perception and national costs may prove useful in discussions with families.
Novel microbial diversity adherent to plant biomass in the herbivore gastrointestinal tract, as revealed by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis and rrs gene sequencing
Authors: Larue Ross , Yu Zhongtang , Parisi Victoria A. , Egan Adrian R. , Morrison Mark 
Published: April 2005

SummaryIt is well recognized that a dynamic biofilm develops upon plant biomass in the herbivore gastrointestinal tract, but this component of the microbiome has not previously been specifically sampled, or directly compared with the biodiversity present in the planktonic fraction of digesta. In this study, the digesta collected from four sheep fed two different diets was separated into three fractions: the planktonic phase, and the microbial populations either weakly or tightly adherent to plant biomass. The community DNA prepared from each fraction was then subjected to both ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Both types of analysis showed that dietary factors influence community structure, and that the adherent fractions produced more complex profiles. The RIS‐clone libraries prepared from the planktonic and adherent populations were then subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and DNA sequence analyses, which resulted in a far greater degree of discrimination among the fractions. Although many of the sequenced clones from the adherent populations were assigned to various clusters within the low G+C Gram‐positive bacteria, the clone libraries from animals consuming an all‐grass diet were largely comprised of novel lineages of Clostridium, while in animals consuming the starch‐containing diet, Selenomonas and Ruminococcus spp. were the dominant low G+C Gram‐positive bacteria. Additionally, the libraries from hay‐fed animals also contained clones most similar to asaccharolytic Clostridia, and other Gram‐positive bacteria that specialize in the transformation of plant phenolic compounds and the formation of cinnamic, phenylacetic and phenylpropionic acids. These results reveal, for the first time, the phylogeny of adherent subpopulations that specialize in the transformation of plant lignins and other secondary compounds, which potentiate polysaccharide hydrolysis by other members of the biofilm.
Phenotypic characterization of Rice Cluster III archaea without prior isolation by applying quantitative polymerase chain reaction to an enrichment culture
Authors: Kemnitz Dana , Kolb Steffen , Conrad Ralf 
Published: April 2005

SummaryA so far uncultured member of the Euryarchaeota was enriched from an anoxic riparian soil and phenotypically characterized using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR; ‘real‐time PCR’). The microorganism is related to the Thermoplasmatales and belongs to Rice Cluster III (RC‐III). Enrichment cultures utilized yeast extract (YE) by transiently accumulating acetate as major fermentation product, which was subsequently converted to methane. The abundance of RC‐III archaea within the enrichment cultures was quantified by analysis of the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) and by qPCR. We developed qPCR assays targeting the 16S rRNA genes (16S rDNA) specific for RC‐III as well as for the Archaea in general. The enrichment cultures consisted of a mixed methanogenic community of Bacteria and Archaea, the latter consisting of up to 60% of members of RC‐III. The other archaea belonged to Methanosarcinaceae, Methanomicrobiaceae and Methanobacteriaceae. The enriched RC‐III archaea were represented by two sequences (LL25A, LL37A) that were highly similar to each other and to those detected in the soil inoculum (>98% similarity). However, the 16S rDNA copy numbers of RC‐III archaea were about 1000‐fold lower than those of Bacteria. Nevertheless, we were able to estimate growth parameters and physiological properties of one of the enriched RC‐III archaea (LL25A) by measuring the increase of 16S rDNA copy numbers specific for this group under different growth conditions. The enriched RC‐III archaeon grew optimally at temperatures between 20 and 30°C and neutral pH using YE, meat extract, peptone or tryptone under anoxic conditions. Doubling time was approximately 3 days. No proliferation was detected on carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, glycerol, alcohols, aromatic compounds, purine and pyrimidine bases or pyruvate. Various exogenous electron acceptors (e.g. ferric iron, S0) did not support growth on YE. Proliferation of  the  enriched  RC‐III  archaeon  was  hardly  affected by the antibiotics ampicillin, kanamycin and streptomycin. These findings suggest that the enriched archaeon is a mesophilic anaerobe, which can grow heterotrophically on peptides. Further enrichment on peptone and kanamycin eventually allowed the microscopic detection of coccoid cells stained by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
Adult non‐biting midges: possible windborne carriers of Vibrio cholerae non‐O1 non‐O139
Authors: Broza Meir , Gancz Hanan , Halpern Malka , Kashi Yechezkel 
Published: April 2005

Summary Vibrio cholerae is a waterborne bacterium native to the aquatic environment. There are over 200 known serogroups yet only two cause cholera pandemics in humans. Direct contact of human sewage with drinking water, sea‐born currents and marine transportation, represent modes of dissemination of the bacteria and thus the disease. The simultaneous cholera outbreaks that occur sometimes in distant localities within continental landmasses are puzzling. Here we present evidence that flying, non‐biting midges (Diptera; Chironomidae), collected in the air, carry viable non‐O1 non‐O139 serogroups of V. cholerae. The association of V. cholerae with chironomid egg masses, which serve as a V. cholerae reservoir, was further confirmed. In simulated field experiments, we recorded the transfer of environmental V. cholerae by adult midges from the aquatic environment into bacteria‐free water‐pools. In laboratory experiments, flying adult midges that emerged from V. cholerae (O1 or O139) contaminated water transferred the green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐tagged pathogenic bacteria from one laboratory flasks to another. Our findings show that aerial transfer by flying chironomids may play a role in the dissemination of V. cholerae in nature.
Food uptake in the mixotrophic Dinophysis acuminata
Authors: MARANDA LUCIE , GRASON EMILY W. , RINES JAN E. 
Published: April 2005

Evidence of food uptake in the photosynthetic genus Dinophysis comes solely from the presence of food vacuoles, as no photosynthetic cells have ever been observed in the act of feeding. We examined the feeding ecology of D. acuminata in natural populations and under laboratory conditions. Using depth‐integrated sampling of the water column, we determined the frequency of food vacuolated cells at 2‐h intervals over a 24‐h period in a shallow marine embayment. Food vacuoles in preserved cells were enumerated using Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy; ultrastructural characters were recorded by transmission electron microscopy. A peak in the feeding activity was observed toward dusk for an abundant June population, with 26% of cells with at least one food vacuole. Mechanisms of concurrent carbon acquisition were evident from the presence of chloroplasts with starch grains and food vacuoles within the same cell. Vacuole content could not be identified. In a preliminary 2‐wk long simulated grazing experiment, a mixture of two hypothesized preys, Rhodomonas salina and Dunaliella tertiolecta, was offered to D. acuminata; the Dinophysis populations decreased steadily and at the same rate, whether food was present or not. The evaluation of the food vacuole frequency will be repeated in the coming season to verify the observed pattern, while grazing experiments will include a variety of food items and incubation conditions. Our current inability to successfully culture any photosynthetic Dinophysis limits ecophysiological approaches, either at the population or cellular level, to manipulation of field samples.Supported by National Institutes of Health Grant GM62126‐01A1.
Genetically mapping a Tetrahymena cloned and sequenced gene: ASI1
Authors: BARBEAU REBECCA A. , ORIAS EDUARDO , KARRER KATHLEEN M. , HAMILTON EILEEN 
Published: April 2005

The Tetrahymena thermophila ASI1 gene encodes a leucine zipper protein that is upregulated during post‐zygotic development (Udani and Karrer 2002). AT‐rich sequence flanking chromosome breakage junctions in T. thermophila frequently contain insertion/deletion polymorphisms between inbred strains B and C3 that are amenable to genetic mapping. ASI1 contains one intron, which likewise is AT‐rich and presumably not under stringent selection. PCR‐amplification with intron‐flanking primers revealed a B‐C3 PCR product size polymorphism. The segregation pattern of B and C3 alleles of ASI1 in meiotic segregant panels showed that it maps to the linkage group JO6 on micronuclear chromosome 3R. The segregation pattern in a terminal assortant panel showed that ASI1 does not co‐assort with any previously mapped polymorphism. Comparison of the ASI1 sequence with the genome sequence database at TIGR showed that this locus is carried on a 0.98‐Mb sequence scaffold. Therefore mapping the ASI1 polymorphism has identified one additional genetically mapped and sequence‐tagged macronuclear chromosome and the corresponding sequence scaffold. DNA polymorphism‐tagged MAC chromosomes and sequence scaffolds should accelerate the co‐assortment mapping of mutant genes with interesting phenotypes to known sequence scaffolds, which will facilitate positional cloning and candidate gene identification.Supported by NIH grant RR02931. Preliminary sequence data were obtained from The Institute for Genomic Research website.
The effect of heavy metals on the rumen ciliate Entodinium caudatum
Authors: MIHALIKOVÁ K. , JAVORSKY P. , VÁRADYOVÁ Z. , KISIDAYOVÁ S. 
Published: April 2005

The effect of three heavy metals on the growth of the rumen ciliate Entodinium caudatum was studied in vitro. The Entodinium caudatum (E.c.) cells were treated with mercury (HgCl2), copper (CuCl2) and chromium (K2Cr2O7) for a period of 4–5 days. The tested concentrations of mercury and copper were 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 mg/l1 and concentrations of chromium were 2, 10, 20, 40, 100 mg/l. All experiments were performed under two different conditions: either in presence of intact bacterial population in culture or reduced bacterial population, when culture was treated by antibiotics. Concentration of Hg of 5–20 mg/l1 significantly decreased the concentration of E.c. cells at the end of experiment. The dose of 50 mg/l was lethal. Copper caused significant decrease in the E.c. cell concentration after exposure to 10–50 mg/l. No tested concentrations of copper resulted in culture death. Chromium was the most toxic metal. Concentration of 2–20 mg/l caused significant decrease in cell growth and concentrations of 40 and 100 mg/l were lethal. Cultures treated by antibiotics were more sensitive to tested heavy metals. It could be concluded that all heavy metals decreased the cell growth of E.c. at concentration from 5 mg/l.The study was supported by funds from grant Agency for Science of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (2/3058/23, 2/3064/23) and funds from APVT grant (51012602).
A METHOD FOR ESTIMATING GLOBAL CORPORATE CAPITAL COSTS: THE CASE OF BESTFOODS
Authors: Pettit Justin , Ferguson Mack , Gluck Robert 
Published: April 2005

The financial management practices of many multinational corporations are at odds with both financial theory and the strategic case for global expansion. Despite the weight of academic literature, many financial executives still cling to ad hoc rules of thumb that discourage value‐enhancing global growth. In particular, they tend to require large risk premiums for making foreign investments while ignoring the diversification benefits of such investments for their shareholders.This article presents a practical method for estimating the cost of capital for use by multinationals both in evaluating foreign investment opportunities and in measuring the ongoing performance of overseas business units. The method represents a kind of “hybrid” version of the global CAPM—one that attempts to reconcile some of corporate executives' concerns about the distinctive risks of foreign investment with the finance theorist's portfolio perspective and reliance on capital market information. More specifically, the framework uses information from capital markets to determine the appropriate risk premiums for currency and sovereign risks associated with each country in an MNC's portfolio. But, at the same time, these risk premiums are partly offset by taking account of any diversification benefits that foreign investment provides for the firm's shareholders.The method is illustrated using the case of Bestfoods, a Fortune 200 company with extensive overseas operations that recently adopted the method. For the purpose of evaluating new projects, Bestfoods produces quarterly updates of its cost‐of‐capital estimates for each country in which it has (or expects to have) major operations. For evaluating the ongoing performance of each country business unit, the relevant cost of capital is calculated annually (at the beginning of each fiscal year).