bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypermethylation of RASSF1A and BLU tumor suppressor genes in non‐small cell lung cancer: Implications for tobacco smoking during adolescence
Authors: Marsit Carmen J. , Kim Duk‐Hwan , Liu Mei , Hinds Philip W. , Wiencke John K. , Nelson Heather H. , Kelsey Karl T. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe putative tumor suppressors RASSF1A and BLU are mapped adjacent to one another on chromosome 3p21.3, a region frequently deleted in lung cancer. These genes are often inactivated by promoter hypermethylation, but the association of this inactivation with clinical features of the disease or with carcinogen exposure has been poorly studied. Early age starting smoking has been hypothesized as an independent risk factor for lung cancer, and mechanistically, adolescence may constitute a critical period for tobacco carcinogen exposure. To study the relationship of tobacco smoke exposure with hypermethylation of RASSF1A and BLU, methylation‐specific PCR was performed on a case series study of incident, surgically resected non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the prevalence of this alteration was examined in relation to clinical and exposure information collected on the patients. Hypermethylation of the RASSF1A promoter occurred in 47% (83/178) and of the BLU promoter in 43% (68/160) of NSCLC tumors examined. There was no significant association between methylation of these 2 genes, but methylation of either of these genes tended to occur more often in the adenocarcinoma (AC) histology compared to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Controlling for pack‐years smoked, age, gender and histology, starting smoking under age 18 was significantly related to RASSF1A methylation [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–2.3]. These results indicate that starting smoking under age 18 is an independent risk for RASSF1A hypermethylation, thus identifying a molecular alteration related to the epidemiologic effect of teenage smoking as a lung cancer risk. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Frequent microsatellite instability in primary esophageal carcinoma associated with extraesophageal primary carcinoma
Authors: Kubo Naoshi , Yashiro Masakazu , Ohira Masaichi , Hori Takeshi , Fujiwara Ichiro , Hirakawa Kosei 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPatients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) frequently develop other primary cancers, such as gastric cancer and head and neck cancer. Details of carcinogenesis in patients with multiple primaries that include esophageal carcinoma with other primary carcinoma (ECOPC) remain uncertain. We examined microsatellite instability (MSI) status, frameshift mutation in target genes of MSI, mismatch repair protein expression and hypermethylation of the hMLH1 promoter region in ECOPC patients to better understand the underlying carcinogenic processes. High frequency MSI (MSI‐H) was found in 15 (44.1%) of 34 patients with ECOPC, but in only 6 (14.3%) of 42 patients with esophageal cancer alone (p < 0.01). Frameshift mutations in TGFβRII, BAX, MSH3 and MSH6 genes respectively were present in 4, 1, 2 and 2 of 34 ECOPC patients. Immunohistochemical study showed that 12 (80.0%) of 15 MSI‐H tumors showed loss of expression of either hMLH1 or hMSH2. In addition, 6 of 9 tumors (66.7%) that showed reduced hMLH1 expression also had hypermethylation of the hMLH1 promoter region. Our findings suggested that carcinogenesis in ECOPC was closely associated with the MSI pathway because of mismatch repair protein deficiency. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microarray‐based gene expression profiling of benign, atypical and anaplastic meningiomas identifies novel genes associated with meningioma progression
Authors: Wrobel Gunnar , Roerig Peter , Kokocinski Felix , Neben Kai , Hahn Meinhard , Reifenberger Guido , Lichter Peter 
Published: November 2004

AbstractTo identify gene expression profiles associated with human meningiomas of different World Health Organization (WHO) malignancy grades, we analyzed 30 tumors (13 benign meningiomas, WHO grade I; 12 atypical meningiomas, WHO grade II; 5 anaplastic meningiomas, WHO grade III) for the expression of 2,600 genes using cDNA‐microarray technology. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis with a cutoff value of 45% selection probability identified 37 genes with decreased and 27 genes with increased expression in atypical and anaplastic meningiomas, compared to benign meningiomas. Supervised classification of the tumors did not reveal specific expression patterns representative of each WHO grade. However, anaplastic meningiomas could be distinguished from benign meningiomas by differential expression of a distinct set of genes, including several ones associated with cell cycle regulation and proliferation. Investigation of potential correlations between microarray expression data and genomic aberrations, detected by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), demonstrated that losses on chromosomes 10 and 14 were associated with distinct expression profiles, including increased expression of several genes related to the insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) (IGF2, IGFBP3 and AKT3) or wingless (WNT) (CTNNB1, CDK5R1, ENC1 and CCND1) pathways. Taken together, our microarray‐based expression profiling revealed interesting novel candidate genes and pathways that may contribute to meningioma progression. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Water quality aspects of optimal operation of rural water distribution systems for supply of irrigation and drinking water
Authors: Cohen Dani , Shamir Uri , Sinai Gideon 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThis paper considers the control of quality in rural water supply systems by means of dilution and treatment plants. Diverse quality sources can be used to supply consumers with differing quality requirements, such as irrigation of agricultural crops with differing water quality tolerance levels, domestic requirements at drinking water standards, and industrial and municipal uses. Models for optimal operations of such systems are difficult to develop due to the complexity of formulating dilution conditions at junctions as functions, for which the derivative can be calculated (because the flow directions at incident pipes change as the solution procedure progresses); strong scaling effects due to the treatment plants; and the presence of several water quality parameters.The model presented here solves the operation problem for a single period under steady state conditions. The formulation is simplified by representing the hydraulics by a conveyance cost in each pipe with bounds on the maximum allowed discharges (the authors have also developed a model that includes the hydraulics explicitly). The model is therefore suited both to canal and pipe systems for supply of irrigation and drinking water. Improvement of water quality by treatment plants located at the supply system is also considered here. This improvement has been achieved by lowering the concentration of conservative substances (those whose concentration remain time invariant) in the water only such as in the reverse osmosis process. The applicability of the model to practical situations is demonstrated by a case study of a regional rural water supply system with 39 pipes and 37 nodes (of which 11 are source nodes with different qualities, 10 are agricultural consumers with different quality requirements, and 4 are domestic consumers requiring high quality drinking water). The model determines the optimal discharges in all pipes, values of quality parameters at consumer nodes, and removal ratios of the treatment plants. Three cases were studied: (1) a single water quality parameter (salinity) without treatment plants; (2) three quality parameters (salinity, sulphur, and magnesium) without treatment plants; and (3) three quality parameters and eight treatment plants, each located at a different source node. Water quality requirements are represented by constraints on the maximum allowable concentrations at consumer nodes, and, for the case of irrigation, a crop yield function that relates yield loss to salinity. The value of the objective function for Case 3 was 10% lower than for the other cases due to savings in yield loss at the agricultural consumers that were obtained by improvement of the quality of the irrigation water. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel covalently crosslinked gel of alginate and silane with the ability to form bone‐like apatite
Authors: Hosoya Kayo , Ohtsuki Chikara , Kawai Takahiro , Kamitakahara Masanobu , Ogata Shin‐ichi , Miyazaki Toshiki , Tanihara Masao 
Published: November 2004

AbstractHybrids consisting of bone‐like apatite and biodegradable polymers are attractive materials for bone repair. We have shown that an alginate gel crosslinked covalently with ethylenediamine (EDA) enhances the repair of skin and nerves. In this study, we report a novel method for fabrication of an apatite–alginate nanohybrid using a simulated body fluid (SBF). Alginate was reacted with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES), which gives silanol groups after hydrolysis, and/or EDA, by dehydration condensation using water‐soluble carbodiimide to form gels. Modification of alginate with APES alone also gave a gel, because the alginate could be crosslinked by dehydration of silanol groups derived from APES. The gels obtained were soaked in a 1 mol/L CaCl2 solution and subsequently soaked in SBF. Apatite was formed on and inside the alginate gels modified with APES, whereas it was not formed on the gels without APES. Modification of alginate with silanol groups induced not only gel formation but also the apatite‐forming ability on and inside the alginate gel in SBF. Consequently, a hydroxyapatite–alginate hybrid can be produced by modification of alginate with silanol groups and subsequent soaking in CaCl2 solution and SBF. Such a material is expected to be useful in bone repair. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 71A: 596–601, 2004
Separation of benzene and deuterated benzenes by reversed‐phase and recycle liquid chromatography using monolithic capillary columns
Authors: Lim Lee Wah , Uzu Hideyuki , Takeuchi Toyohide 
Published: November 2004

AbstractAn alternate pumping‐recycle system utilizing a commercially available low dead‐volume switching valve was developed for microcolumn LC. The recycle system had two separation columns, and the dead volume of the recycling lines was kept to a minimum by avoiding passage of the sample through the pump chamber, sample injector, and the normal path length of a conventional UV detector. The drawback of the high total back pressure caused by the second column that is placed after the detector was overcome by on‐column detection, and this eliminated the need for a high pressure flow cell. The system was used for the separation of an authentic mixture of benzene, benzene‐1,3,5‐d3, and benzene‐d6. Baseline separation was accomplished after six cycles and the calculated theoretical plate number for benzene was 230,000. It was observed that the theoretical plate number (N) increased linearly with increasing number of cycles, and the N per unit time increased with increasing inlet pressure. The separation conditions were optimized and the separation of benzene and benzene‐d6 was accomplished within 75 min at 2.5 MPa inlet pressure.
Optimisation of gradient HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in beer using a CoulArray detector
Authors: Řehová Lucie , Škeříková Veronika , Jandera Pavel 
Published: November 2004

AbstractA method was developed for simultaneous analysis of natural antioxidants in beer using multichannel electrochemical detection with a CoulArray detector, which enables selective and sensitive antioxidant detection in gradient HPLC and facilitates the identification of analytes based on the ratios of signals recorded at different potentials applied to the detection cells arranged in series. The separation conditions were optimised for 27 phenolic compounds including derivatives of benzoic and cinnamic acids, flavones, and a few related glycosides identified in beer samples. Separation selectivities of 11 columns with different stationary phase chemistries were compared, and the pH and gradient programs were optimised for the individual columns to provide best resolution and high number of resolved peaks, using the window‐diagram approach. The effects of pH on the sensitivity of electrochemical coulometric detection were considered in the optimisation approach. The optimised conditions were applied to the analysis of real beer samples.
Production of D‐Lactic Acid by Bacterial Fermentation of Rice Starch
Authors: Fukushima Kazuki , Sogo Kazuaki , Miura Shigenobu , Kimura Yoshiharu 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSummary: D‐Lactic acid was synthesized by the fermentation of rice starch using microorganisms. Two species: Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Sporolactobacillus inulinus were found to be active in producing D‐lactic acid of high optical purity after an intensive screening test for D‐lactic acid bacteria using glucose as substrate. Rice powder used as the starch source was hydrolyzed with a combination of enzymes: α‐amylase, β‐amylase, and pullulanase to obtain rice saccharificate consisting of maltose as the main component. Its average gross yield was 82.5%. Of the discovered D‐lactic acid bacteria, only Lactobacillus delbrueckii could ferment both maltose and the rice saccharificate. After optimizing the fermentation of the rice saccharificate using this bacterium, pilot scale fermentation was conducted to convert the rice saccharificate into D‐lactic acid with a D‐content higher than 97.5% in a yield of 70%. With this yield, the total yield of D‐lactic acid from brown rice was estimated to be 47%, which is almost equal to the L‐lactic acid yield from corn. The efficient synthesis of D‐lactic acid can open a way to the large scale application of high‐melting poly(lactic acid) that is a stereocomplex of poly(L‐lactide) and poly(D‐lactide).Schematic representation of the production of D‐lactic acid starting from brown rice as described here.magnified imageSchematic representation of the production of D‐lactic acid starting from brown rice as described here.
Novel Biodegradable Copolyesters Containing Blocks of Poly(3‐hydroxyoctanoate) and Poly(ε‐caprolactone): Synthesis and Characterization
Authors: Timbart Laurianne , Renard Estelle , Langlois Valérie , Guerin Philippe 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSummary: Novel biodegradable polyester block copolymers have been synthesized by using well‐defined poly(3‐hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) oligomers having a hydroxyl end group and an ester end group with $\overline M _{\rm n}$ values of 800, 2 500, 5 300, 8 000, or 20 000 as an elastomeric soft segment and poly(ε‐caprolactone) as a more crystalline segment. These PHO oligomers prepared by methanolysis were subjected to block copolymerization with ε‐caprolactone. The chemical structure of the copolymers was confirmed by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. All the copolyesters are semi‐crystalline and two Tg were observed by differential scanning calorimetry when the molecular weight of the PHO block is about 20 000.
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Preparation of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(amino ether) Blends by means of the Addition of Poly(butylene terephthalate)
Authors: Granado Ainhoa , Eguiazábal José I. , Nazábal Jon 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSummary: Blends based on poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, with poly(amino ether) (PAE) contents up to 40% were obtained by the addition of 20% poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) to the PET matrix. PBT mixed with PET led to a decrease in the Tm of the matrix that was enough to produce homogeneous blends by mixing in the melt state. Despite the presence of a single peak observed by dynamic‐mechanical analysis, the blends were biphasic, with amorphous phases in which minor amounts of the other component, both reacted and mixed, were present. This presence of minor components gave a fine morphology and significant adhesion that, together with the higher orientation of PAE in the blends, produced blends with a clear synergism in the modulus of elasticity, notched impact strength similar to that of the neat components, and high ductility up to 30% PAE.Young's modulus of the PET‐PBT/PAE blends.magnified imageYoung's modulus of the PET‐PBT/PAE blends.
Occurrence of antibiotic‐resistant enterobacteria in agricultural foodstuffs
Authors: Boehme Sybille , Werner Guido , Klare Ingo , Reissbrodt Rolf , Witte Wolfgang 
Published: November 2004

AbstractAntibiotic‐resistant bacteria or their corresponding resistance determinants are known to spread from animals to humans via the food chain. We screened 20 vegetable foods for antibiotic‐resistant coliform bacteria and enterococci. Isolates were directly selected on antibiotic‐containing selective agar (color detection). Thirteen “common vegetables” (tomato, mushrooms, salad) possessed 104–107 cfu/g vegetable of coliform bacteria including only few antibiotic‐resistant variants (0–105 cfu/g). All seven sprout samples showed a some orders of magnitude higher contamination with coliform bacteria (107–109 cfu/g) including a remarkable amount of resistant isolates (up to 107 cfu/g). Multiple resistances (up to 9) in single isolates were more common in sprout isolates. Resistant bacteria did not originate from sprout seeds. The most common genera among 92 isolates were: 25 Enterobacter spp. (19 E. cloacae), 22 Citrobacter spp. (8 C. freundii), and 21 Klebsiella spp. (9 K. pneumoniae). Most common resistance phenotypes were: tetracycline (43%), streptomycin (37%), kanamycin (26%), chloramphenicol (29%), co‐trimoxazol (9%), and gentamicin (4%). The four gentamicin‐resistant isolates were investigated in molecular details. Only three (chloramphenicol) resistant, typical plant‐associated enterococci were isolated from overnight enrichment cultures. In conclusion, a contribution of sprouts contaminated with multiresistant, Gram‐negative enterobacteria to a common gene pool among human commensal and pathogenic bacteria cannot be excluded.
Expression profiles of effector proteins SopB, SopD1, SopE1, and AvrA differ with systemic, enteric, and epidemic strains of Salmonella enterica
Authors: Streckel Wiebke , Wolff Anne‐Christin , Prager Rita , Tietze Erhard , Tschäpe Helmut 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe presence and expression of sopB, sopD1, sopE1, and avrA genes encoding virulence associated effector proteins were studied comparatively in 405 Salmonella enterica strains. They belong to different serovars and clonal types (genotypes, phage types) and originated from different clinical (systemic infection, focal enteritis, enterocolitis) and epidemic sources (epidemics, sporadic cases). The sopB and sopD1 determinants were commonly prevalent, but sopE1 and avrA genes only in 55% and 80%, respectively. A correlation of this pattern of absence and presence of the respective genes to the epidemic and clinical origin could not be detected. In contrast, the expression of the respective genes appeared differently: SopB and SopE1 proteins are well produced, but SopD1 and AvrA proteins only rarely under the applied standard culture conditions. However, using a range of different environmental signals (temperature, pH, cations, etc.) some of the S. enterica nonproducer strains (e. g., S. Agona, S. Bovismorbificans, S. Virchow, etc.) begin to produce AvrA and SopD1. They turned now into an expression profile which was found typically for the epidemic strains of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. Also S. enterica strains from systemic infections could be characterized by their strong SopB and SopE1 expression while SopD1 and AvrA proteins were missing. Although it is premature to outline generally a correlation of these expression profiles and the clinical and epidemiological potency of Salmonellae, the reported results allow a first understanding how a fine tuning of their virulence will take place.
General Mills boosts promotion marketing creativity through pro bono consulting to nonprofits
Authors: Peterson Jeff 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSpurred by the acquisition of rival Pillsbury, the General Mills promotion marketing department developed a promotion competency model, a consistent identity that reflects the value of having an in‐house promotional function aligned with the company's success factors. The most important of the model's nine competencies—and the trickiest to develop—is creativity. One of several development initiatives, the department's Good Idea program is built around service learning: Department members exercise their creative muscles by addressing the promotional and branding problems of nonprofit organizations. In this emerging form of corporate philanthropy, everybody is winning. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pay attention to subtlety: The little things are the big things
Authors: Gandossy Robert , Effron Marc 
Published: November 2004

AbstractResearch by Hewitt Associates has found that the top companies for developing leaders practice three fundamentals: their CEOs and boards of directors provide leadership and inspiration; they focus on the best talent; and they put in place the right programs, done right. But even with these pieces in place, these companies'ultimate success may also depend on effectively managing the more subtle aspects of the process, five “little things” important for building great leaders. © 2004 Hewitt Associates LLC
Employee health contributes to corporate financial health at Johnson & Johnson
Authors: Isaac Fikry W. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSince its inception, health care products giant Johnson & Johnson has taken the health of its employees very seriously. Over the last decade it has fully integrated its health and wellness programs, and continuously improved them; as a result, employees have reduced their health risks and adopted positive lifestyle behaviors, while the company has lowered its health care costs. © 2004 Johnson & Johnson
Hydration mechanism of polysaccharides: A comparative study
Authors: Despond S. , Espuche E. , Cartier N. , Domard A. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractWater sorption was studied at 20 °C on films composed of different natural polymers. Three polysaccharides were investigated: chitosan, cellulose, and alginate. The major differences between these polymers, from a structural point of view, lay in the substitution of an OH group by an NH2 function for chitosan and by an ionic COO−Na+ group for alginate. An analysis of the experimental water sorption isotherms, expressed as the number of water molecules sorbed per repeating unit in the amorphous phase, associated with an analysis of the enthalpy profile related to the water sorption allowed us to propose a water sorption mechanism in two steps for all the polymers: water sorption on polymer‐specific sites in the first step and water clustering around the first sorbed water molecules in the second step. It was determined that two water molecules interacted with the polymer chains for cellulose and chitosan, whereas four water molecules were bonded to alginate chains. The specific sorption sites were identified as OH groups for cellulose, OH and NH2 groups for chitosan, and ionic and OH groups for alginate. A systematic reduction of the half‐sorption time was observed in the activity range corresponding to this first sorption step, and it was explained by a water plasticization effect. On the other hand, an increase in the half‐sorption time was observed in the second sorption step, at a high activity (>0.8), for chitosan and alginate. A modelization associating the Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer model and the clustering theory, applied to our systems, allowed us to relate the occurrence of this last phenomenon to the formation of water clusters containing more than two water molecules. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 48–58, 2005