bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of smoking, obesity and physical activity on the risk of type 2 diabetes in middle‐aged Finnish men and women
Authors: PATJA K. , JOUSILAHTI P. , HU G. , VALLE T. , QIAO Q. , TUOMILEHTO J. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.Objective.  To examine the association of cigarette smoking with the risk of type 2 diabetes and to find out whether the association is modified by obesity and physical activity.Design and subjects.  A prospective study comprising 41 372 men and women aged 25–64 years without a history of diabetes, coronary heart disease or stroke at baseline. Data on incident cases of diabetes were ascertained through the nationwide Drug Register and the Hospital Discharge Register. During the mean follow‐up of 21 years 2770 subjects were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the effect of smoking and other factors on the risk of type 2 diabetes.Results.  Smoking had a graded association with the risk type 2 diabetes, and it remained significant after controlling for age and major risk factors. The multifactorial‐adjusted (age, study year, education, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, physical activity and coffee and alcohol drinking) hazard ratio was 1.22 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.43] amongst men smoking less than 20 cigarettes per day and 1.57 (95% CI 1.34–1.84) amongst men smoking 20 cigarettes per day or more. In women the corresponding hazard ratios were 1.46 (95% CI 1.21–1.76) and 1.87 (95% CI 1.36–2.59) respectively. Smoking increased the risk of type 2 diabetes at all levels of BMI and physical activity.Conclusion.  Smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes independently of BMI and physical activity. Prevention of smoking should be encouraged as a part of efforts to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and it will result in other health benefits, too.
Hypotensive shock and angio‐oedema from angiotensin II receptor blocker: a class effect in spite of tripled tryptase values
Authors: NIELSEN E. W. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.In adverse reactions with shock, tripled tryptase values can support a diagnosis of anaphylaxis. A 51‐year old physically fit woman experienced angio‐oedema and hypotensive shock after irbesartan ingestion requiring noradrenaline infusion. Serum tryptase rose to three times the normal value. Total immunoglobulin E and skin prick tests were normal, however. As nonallergic increases in tryptase have been observed, e.g. during angio‐oedema from angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, and bradykinin itself can degranulate mast cells acutely, we interpret the reaction as a class effect. To our knowledge, our report is one of the first on shock and angio‐oedema from irbesartan.
Abnormal angiopoietins 1&2, angiopoietin receptor Tie‐2 and vascular endothelial growth factor levels in hypertension: relationship to target organ damage [a sub‐study of the Anglo‐Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT)]
Authors: NADAR S. K. , BLANN A. , BEEVERS D. G. , LIP G. Y. H. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.Background.  The increased risk of target organ damage (TOD) in hypertension may be related to a prothrombotic or hypercoagulable state, with abnormalities in platelet activation. Altered angiogenesis, possibly related to increased plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is also a feature of hypertension. We hypothesized a link between altered angiogenesis and TOD in hypertension. Accordingly, the angiogenic growth factors VEGF, angiopoietin 1 and 2 (Ang 1 & 2) and soluble angiopoietin receptor Tie‐2 in plasma and in platelets were assessed in terms of the presence or absence of hypertensive TOD.Methods.  We studied 199 patients (75% men; mean age 68 years) with hypertension. Of these, 125 had evidence of hypertensive TOD (stroke, previous myocardial infarction, angina, left ventricular hypertrophy and mild renal failure). Patients were compared with 74 healthy normotensive controls (69% men; mean age 68 years). Plasma VEGF, Ang 1 & 2 and Tie‐2, and total platelet levels of VEGF and Ang‐1 (obtained by lysing a known number of platelets with 0.5% Tween) were measured by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results.  Hypertensive patients had higher levels of plasma VEGF, Ang‐1, Ang‐2, Tie‐2 and platelet VEGF (all P ≤ 0.01), but not platelet Ang‐1, when compared with normotensive controls. Patients with TOD had higher levels of platelet VEGF and Ang‐1 (both P < 0.001), and plasma Ang‐1 (P < 0.001). Amongst the hypertensives, plasma levels of VEGF correlated significantly with Ang‐1, Ang‐2, Tie‐2 and platelet VEGF, whilst platelet VEGF correlated strongly with plasma levels of VEGF and Ang‐1 (all P < 0.05).Conclusion.  Patients with hypertension have evidence of changes in plasma angiogenic growth factors that correlate with the platelet levels of these molecules. Platelets may be involved in the abnormal angiogenesis seen in hypertension.
Favourable trends in the incidence and outcome of myocardial infarction in nondiabetic, but not in diabetic, subjects: findings from the MONICA myocardial infarction registry in northern Sweden in 1989–2000
Authors: RAUTIO A. , LUNDBERG V. , MESSNER T. , NASIC S. , STEGMAYR B. , ELIASSON M. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.Background: The aim of this study was to compare time trends in incidence, case fatality and mortality due to myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with or without diabetes.Methods: This study was based on the Northern Sweden MONICA Project MI registry with a target population of about 200 000 inhabitants in the age group 35–64 years in the two northernmost counties of Sweden. During 1989–2000, 6254 patients who had had an MI according to MONICA criteria were included in this study: 4569 patients had a first MI and 1685 had a recurrent MI. Sixteen per cent of the men and 20% of the women had had diabetes mellitus diagnosed prior the MI.Results: Over the 12‐year period, there was a declining trend in incidence and case fatality in first MI. Also, the event rates (first ever and recurrent MI) declined in men without diabetes. In women without diabetes favourable time trends were seen in first ever MI, recurrent MI and in case fatality. There were no favourable time trends for any of these outcomes in patients with diabetes.Conclusion: In nondiabetic subjects below the age of 65, the incidence of, and case‐fatality in, MI declined. This led to a decreased mortality over the 12‐year period. These favourable trends over time were not observed in diabetic subjects.
Brain regulation of food intake and appetite: molecules and networks
Authors: BROBERGER C. 
Published: September 2005

Abstract.In the clinic, obesity and anorexia constitute prevalent problems whose manifestations are encountered in virtually every field of medicine. However, as the command centre for regulating food intake and energy metabolism is located in the brain, the basic neuroscientist sees in the same disorders malfunctions of a model network for how integration of diverse sensory inputs leads to a coordinated behavioural, endocrine and autonomic response. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive; rather, much can be gained by combining both perspectives to understand the pathophysiology of over‐ and underweight. The present review summarizes recent advances in this field including the characterization of peripheral metabolic signals to the brain such as leptin, insulin, peptide YY, ghrelin and lipid mediators as well as the vagus nerve; signalling of the metabolic sensors in the brainstem and hypothalamus via, e.g. neuropeptide Y and melanocortin peptides; integration and coordination of brain‐mediated responses to nutritional challenges; the organization of food intake in simple model organisms; the mechanisms underlying food reward and processing of the sensory and metabolic properties of food in the cerebral cortex; and the development of the central metabolic system, as well as its pathological regulation in cancer and infections. Finally, recent findings on the genetics of human obesity are summarized, as well as the potential for novel treatments of body weight disorders.
The potential costs of accounting for genotypic errors in molecular parentage analyses
Authors: MORRISSEY MICHAEL B. , WILSON ALASTAIR J. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractGenotypic errors, whether due to mutation or laboratory error, can cause the genotypes of parents and their offspring to appear inconsistent with Mendelian inheritance. As a result, molecular parentage analyses are expected to benefit when allowances are made for the presence of genotypic errors. However, a cost of allowing for genotypic errors might also be expected under some analytical conditions, primarily because parentage analyses that assume nonzero genotypic error rates can neither assign nor exclude parentage with certainty. The goal of this work was therefore to determine whether or not such costs might be important under conditions relevant to parentage analyses, particularly in natural populations. Simulation results indicate that the costs may often outweigh the benefits of accounting for nonzero error rates, except in situations where data are available for many marker loci. Consequently, the most powerful approach to handling genotypic errors in parentage analyses might be to apply likelihood equations with error rates set to values substantially lower than the rates at which genotypic errors occur. When applying molecular parentage analyses to natural populations, we advocate an increased consideration of optimal strategies for handling genotypic errors. Currently available software packages contain procedures that can be used for this purpose.
The frequency and rate of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Criss Alison K. , Kline Kimberly A. , Seifert H. Steven 
Published: September 2005

SummaryThe pilin antigenic variation (Av) system of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc) mediates unidirectional DNA recombination from silent gene copies into the pilin expression locus. A DNA sequencing assay was developed to accurately measure pilin Av in a population of Gc strain FA1090 arising from a defined pilin progenitor under non‐selective culture conditions. This assay employs a piliated parental Gc variant with a recA allele whose promoter is replaced by lac‐regulatory elements, allowing for controlled induction of pilin Av. From this assay, the frequency of pilin Av was measured as 0.13 recombination events per cell, with a corresponding rate of pilin Av of 4 × 10−3 events per cell per generation. Most pilin variants retained the parental piliation phenotype, providing the first comprehensive analysis of piliated variants arising from a piliated progenitor. Sequence analysis of pilin variants revealed that a subset of possible recombination events predominated, which differed between piliated and non‐piliated progeny. Pilin Av exhibits the highest reported frequency of any pathogenic gene conversion system and can account for the extensive pilin variation detected during human infection.
The solute‐binding component of a putative Mn(II) ABC transporter (MntA) is a novel Bacillus anthracis virulence determinant
Authors: Gat Orit , Mendelson Itai , Chitlaru Theodor , Ariel Naomi , Altboum Zeev , Levy Haim , Weiss Shay , Grosfeld Haim , Cohen Sara , Shafferman Avigdor 
Published: September 2005

SummaryHere we describe the characterization of a lipoprotein previously proposed as a potential Bacillus anthracis virulence determinant and vaccine candidate. This protein, designated MntA, is the solute‐binding component of a manganese ion ATP‐binding cassette transporter. Coupled proteomic‐serological screen of a fully virulent wild‐type B. anthracis Vollum strain, confirmed that MntA is expressed both in vitro and during infection. Expression of MntA is shown to be independent of the virulence plasmids pXO1 and pXO2. An mntA deletion, generated by allelic replacement, results in complete loss of MntA expression and its phenotypic analysis revealed: (i) impaired growth in rich media, alleviated by manganese supplementation; (ii) increased sensitivity to oxidative stress; and (iii) delayed release from cultured macrophages. The ΔmntA mutant expresses the anthrax‐associated classical virulence factors, lethal toxin and capsule, in vitro as well as in vivo, and yet the mutation resulted in severe attenuation; a 104‐fold drop in LD50 in a guinea pig model. MntA expressed in trans allowed to restore, almost completely, the virulence of the ΔmntA B. anthracis strain. We propose that MntA is a novel B. anthracis virulence determinant essential for the development of anthrax disease, and that B. anthracisΔmntA strains have the potential to serve as platform for future live attenuated vaccines.
Regulation of AmtR‐controlled gene expression in Corynebacterium glutamicum: mechanism and characterization of the AmtR regulon
Authors: Beckers Gabriele , Strösser Julia , Hildebrandt Ulrich , Kalinowski Jörn , Farwick Mike , Krämer Reinhard , Burkovski Andreas 
Published: September 2005

SummaryAmtR, the master regulator of nitrogen control in Corynebacterium glutamicum, represses transcription of a number of genes during nitrogen surplus. Repression is released by an interaction of AmtR with signal transduction protein GlnK. As shown by pull‐down assays and gel retardation experiments, only adenylylated GlnK, which is present in the cells during nitrogen limitation, is able to bind to AmtR.The AmtR regulon was characterized in this study by a combination of bioinformatics, transcriptome and proteome analyses. At least 33 genes are directly controlled by the repressor protein including those encoding transporters and enzymes for ammonium assimilation (amtA, amtB, glnA, gltBD), urea and creatinine metabolism (urtABCDE, ureABCEFGD, crnT, codA), a number of biochemically uncharacterized enzymes and transport systems (NCgl1099, NCgl1100, NCgl 1915–1918) as well as signal transduction proteins (glnD, glnK). For the AmtR regulon, an AmtR box has been defined which comprises the sequence tttCTATN6AtAGat/aA. Furthermore, the transcriptional organization of AmtR‐regulated genes and operons was characterized.
Comparison of extraction procedures and determination of the detection threshold for Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis in tomato seeds
Authors: Hadas R. , Kritzman G. , Klietman F. , Gefen T. , Manulis S. 
Published: September 2005

Several seed extraction procedures, used for detection of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis (Cmm) in naturally infected and artificially infested tomato seed lots were evaluated. Extraction methods that included grinding the seeds were significantly better at detecting the pathogen in three different seed lots than methods that used only soaking. The detection threshold of Cmm in relation to seed sample size was determined by adding naturally infected seeds into samples of three different sizes. Cmm was detected by agar plating assay, on three media (CNS, mSCM, D2ANX), and by direct PCR from seeds and Bio‐PCR (bacteria cultured on agar media prior to PCR). In samples of 10 000 seeds containing one infected seed, Cmm could be detected only by Bio‐PCR and in only one replicate out of five. In samples containing five or 10 infected seeds per 10 000 seeds, three of five and five of five replicates, respectively, were detected by the three detection methods. In samples of 5000 seeds, one infected seed could be detected in all five replicates only after adding a concentration step. A high correlation (R2 = 0·9448) between artificially infested seeds and the disease incidence was found. Seed lots infested with less than 58 colony‐forming units (CFU) per g did not cause disease under glasshouse conditions, whereas lots with about 1000 CFU g−1 caused disease in 78 plants out of 2000.
Methods for studying population structure, including sensitivity to the fungicide silthiofam, of the cereal take‐all fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici
Authors: Freeman J. , Ward E. , Gutteridge R. J. , Bateman G. L. 
Published: September 2005

Field isolates (n = 144) of the wheat take‐all fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) were tested for sensitivity to silthiofam, a take‐all‐specific fungicide used as a seed treatment, and identified as A‐ or B‐type by PCR–RFLP analysis of nuclear rDNA. A possible association was identified between polymorphisms in ITS2 of the nuclear rDNA and sensitivity to silthiofam. A Ggt‐specific PCR assay was developed which simultaneously identified isolates of Ggt as A‐ or B‐type, based on the polymorphisms in the nuclear rDNA. A highly significant correlation between Ggt type using the PCR assay and sensitivity to silthiofam was demonstrated in a collection of 358 isolates from three field experiments designed to test the effects of seed‐treatment fungicides on take‐all and Ggt populations in winter wheat. In one experiment the percentages of silthiofam‐sensitive and B‐type isolates were significantly less in populations from plots sown with silthiofam‐treated seed in two consecutive years than in populations from plots sown with nontreated seed. However, silthiofam still provided a significant amount of control of take‐all. The natural occurrence of fungicide‐insensitive isolates, up to about 30% in soils in which the fungicide had never been used, is unusual. The new PCR assay provides a useful tool for studying the population structure of Ggt, and may provide a novel method for assessing the incidence of insensitivity to silthiofam (the target site for which has not yet been identified) in field populations of Ggt.
NMDA‐receptor blockade by CPP impairs post‐training consolidation of a rapidly acquired spatial representation in rat hippocampus
Authors: McDonald Robert J. , Hong Nancy S. , Craig Laura A. , Holahan Matthew R. , Louis Meira , Muller Robert U. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractRecent evidence suggests that N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐receptor mediated plasticity in hippocampus has a more subtle role in memory‐based behaviours than originally thought. One idea is that NMDA‐based plasticity is essential for the consolidation of post‐training memory but not for the initial encoding or for short‐term memory. To further test this idea we used a three‐phase variant of the hidden goal water maze task. In the first phase, rats were pretrained to an initial location. Next, intense, massed training was done in a 2‐h interval to teach the rats to go to a new location after either an injection of the NMDA receptor antagonist (6)‐3‐(2‐carboxypiperazin‐4‐yl)propyl‐1‐phosphonic acid (CPP) or of vehicle. Finally, under drug‐free conditions 24 h after new location training, a competition test was done between the original and new locations. We find that N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐receptor blockade has little or no effect on new location training. In contrast, when tested 24 h later, the strength of the trace for the new location learned during NMDA‐receptor blockade was much weaker compared with the trace for the new location learned after saline injection. Further experiments showed similar effects when NMDA‐receptors were blocked immediately after the new location training, suggesting that this is a memory consolidation effect. Our results therefore reinforce the notion that hippocampal NMDA‐receptors participate in post‐training memory consolidation but are not essential for the processes necessary to learn or retain navigational information in the short term.
RSEP1 is a novel gene with functional involvement in neuropathic pain behaviour
Authors: Wang Xidao , Zhang Yuqiu , Kong Lingwei , Xie Zhiqin , Lin Zhixin , Guo Ning , Strong Judith A. , Meij Johanna T. A. , Zhao Zhiqi , Jing Naihe , Yu Lei 
Published: September 2005

AbstractNeuropathic pain from nerve injury by trauma, disease or surgery often causes prolonged suffering. To explore the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuropathic pain, we used mRNA from the L4–5 segments of the lumbar spinal cord of rats with chronic constriction injury (CCI)‐induced neuropathic pain, and differentially screened a cDNA library from the rat brain. A novel gene, termed RSEP1 (Rat Spinal cord Expression Protein 1), was identified. Northern blots revealed that RSEP1 was expressed mainly in the central nervous system including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, brainstem and spinal cord, as well as in the kidney and ovary. In situ hybridization showed a high level of RSEP1 expression in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus and the small sensory neurons in the dorsal horn, as well as the large neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Intrathecal injection of RSEP1 antisense oligonucleotide into the spinal cord lumbar enlargement attenuated neuropathic pain behaviours in CCI rats, suggesting a functional involvement of RSEP1 in neuropathic pain.
The upper airway in Weaver syndrome
Authors: CRAWFORD MARK W. , ROHAN DENISE 
Published: September 2005

SummaryWeaver syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown etiology characterized by skeletal overgrowth, distinctive craniofacial and digital abnormalities, and advanced bone age. The prime anesthetic problem reported in children with Weaver syndrome is difficulty with tracheal intubation, resulting in part from relative micrognathia, short neck, and an anterior and cephalad position of the larynx. In this report, the authors describe their experience with two children diagnosed with Weaver syndrome who presented for dental surgery. Contrary to previous reports, tracheal intubation was accomplished with relative ease, suggesting that difficulty in intubation in Weaver syndrome may be age‐related, diminishing with advancing age and growth of the mandible, as has been reported for other micrognathic syndromes such as Pierre Robin sequence.
The comparative effect of single dose mivacurium during sevoflurane or propofol anesthesia in children
Authors: HADIMIOGLU NECMIYE , ERTUGRUL FATMA , ERTUG ZEKI , YEGIN ARIF , KARAGUZEL GUNGOR , ERMAN MELIHA 
Published: September 2005

SummaryBackground:  We aimed to randomly compare intubating conditions, recovery characteristics and neuromuscular effects of single dose of mivacurium (0.2 mg·kg−1) during sevoflurane vs. propofol anesthesia in 60 healthy children, undergoing inguinal surgery.Methods:  All children were randomly allocated to receive 2 mg·kg−1 propofol iv or sevoflurane 8% inspired concentration for induction of anesthesia. Anaesthesia was maintained with 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen and 100–120 μg·kg−1 propofol or sevoflurane approximately 2–3% inspired concentration with controlled ventilation. The ulnar nerve was stimulated at the wrist by a train‐of four (TOF) stimulus every 20 s and neuromuscular function was measured at the adductor pollicis. When the response to TOF was stable, 0.2 mg·kg−1 mivacurium was given. The trachea was intubated successfully at the first attempt in all patients.Results:  Onset time following a single dose of mivacurium was shorter in the sevoflurane group (2.99 min), than in the propofol group (4.42 min). The times to 25, 50, 75, and 90% recovery were significantly longer in the sevoflurane group (13.1, 15.7, 18.6, and 21.2 min, respectively) than in the propofol group (11.4, 13.2, 14.4, and 17.2 min respectively). TOF ratios of 50, 70, and 90% were significantly occurred later in sevoflurane group than propofol group.Conclusions:  Our results indicate that when compared with propofol group, the sevoflurane group had an accelerated onset and a delayed recovery of neuromuscular block induced by mivacurium in children.