bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HLA‐DR allotype is associated with responsiveness to influenza vaccine in elderly Japanese
Authors: Maruyama Naoki , Yoshida Yuko , Inamatsu Takashi , Fujita Koji , Handa Setsuko , Shinkai Shoji 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Influenza virus infection is a serious problem in elderly people because of a high pneumonia complication rate and a significant increase in mortality. Influenza vaccine in the pre‐endemic period is effective in reducing these problems. The contribution of the major histocompatibility complex to the effectiveness of such vaccination is worth analysis.Methods:  HLA‐DR types of 57 elderly Japanese people were determined after influenza vaccination. HLA‐DR types and responsiveness to the vaccine were defined in the subjects. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) responsiveness was also determined. The association between HLA‐DR types and the responsiveness to the influenza vaccine was evaluated.Results:  The HLA‐DR2 phenotype showed the most significant association with responsiveness to the influenza vaccine. The PHA response as a general immunological parameter for T cell function was not associated with responsiveness to the influenza vaccine.Conclusions:  These findings suggest that HLA‐DR2 phenotype contributes to the enhancement the production of antibodies against the influenza virus in elderly Japanese people.
Therapeutic effectiveness of ranimustine chemotherapy for elderly essential thrombocythemia*
Authors: Umeda Masanori , Iijima Kimiko , Arai Chiaki , Katoh Masako 
Published: October 2004

Background:  We studied the clinical effectiveness of ranimustine (MCNU) chemotherapy for essential thrombocythemia (ET).Methods:  MCNU chemotherapy was carried out in 14 ET patients who were 60 years of age or older, including six men and eight women. Their ages ranged between 61 and 88 years (median age: 73 years). The patients’ mean platelet count before the treatment was 1.157 ± 0.284 × 106/µL. Five of the studied patients had experienced a thrombotic episode, and one had a profuse epistaxis. Patients were treated mainly by intravenous administration of MCNU. In 12 patients, the platelet count was controlled to a level less than 500 × 103/µL, while in two patients, it was controlled to less than 700 × 103/µL.Results:  Cerebral infarction occurred in only one patient during or after MCNU therapy. Even in the cases in which thrombosis had occurred before MCNU treatment, further thrombotic events occurred in only one case. In the patient with a profuse epistaxis, bleeding improved during treatment and normal platelet count was maintained after chemotherapy.Conclusion:  It was suggested that MCNU chemotherapy may be useful for the prevention of complications in elderly ET patients.
Prognostic factors in elderly multiple myeloma patients aged 65 years or older: Comparison with nonelderly patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Umeda Masanori , Okuda Shinya , Izumi Haruka , Sugasawa Yasuyuki , Arai Chiaki , Natori Kazuhiko , Katoh Masako , Kuraishi Yasunobu 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Although age is a prognostic factor in multiple myeloma (MM), the prognostic factors in elderly MM patients may be different to those in nonelderly MM patients due to the patient's age. The difference in the significance of prognostic factors between elderly MM patients and the nonelderly MM patients was studied.Methods:  Forty‐two elderly MM patients aged 65 years or older were compared with 68 nonelderly MM patients, who were less than 65 years of age. The characteristics of the elderly patients included: aged 65–81 years (median, 72 years); female/male ratio of 22 : 20; 24 IgG type cases, 13 IgA type cases, one non‐secretory case and four cases of Bence‐Jones type; one case of stage I, 12 cases at stage II and 29 cases at stage III. The prognostic factors were evaluated by means of univariate analysis and Cox's multivariate analysis.Results:  The median survival time was significantly shorter in the elderly MM patients (24 months) than in the nonelderly patients (50 months) (P < 0.01). Of the univariate prognostic factors, corrected serum Ca (cCa), hemoglobin, serum P, bone marrow plasma cell and uric acid were significant prognostic factors in the elderly MM patients, while nine factors including those listed here, were significant in nonelderly controls. Multivariate analysis showed that serum cCa was the only independent prognostic factor (P = 0.019) in elderly MM patients, while serum P and bone lesions were significant prognostic factors in nonelderly MM patients.Conclusion:  Corrected serum c. (cCa) was an independent prognostic factor in elderly MM patients.
BOOK REVIEW
Authors: Yan Song 
Published: October 2004

Books reviewed The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently . . . and Why. By Richard E. Nisbett.The Free Press, New York, 2003. 263 pp. ISBN 0‐7432‐1646‐6. Price: $US 24.00 hardcover; $US 13.00 paperback.
Contractual Mix Between Cash and Kind Wages of Casual Workers in an Agrarian Economy
Authors: Datta Samar K. , Nugent Jeffrey B. , Tishler Asher 
Published: October 2004

AbstractA two‐agent general‐equilibrium model is developed for explaining the mix of wage payment between cash and kind among landowners and workers. Its focus is on how, in the absence of insurance instruments but in the presence of heterogeneous tastes and attitudes toward risk among agents, the payment mix between cash and kind can serve as a welfare‐improving, risk‐hedging device. The model is used to determine how this optimal mix of wage payment would be affected by changes in risk‐aversion, consumption preferences, technology, price risk, and production risk. While the complexity and nonlinearity of the model make it impossible to obtain clear‐cut analytical results, simulation results are derived and shown to be rather robust. These results are also broadly supported by the findings of a small‐scale survey of agricultural wage contracts in India.
Robust Poverty and Inequality Measurement in Egypt: Correcting for Spatial‐price Variation and Sample Design Effects
Authors: Jolliffe Dean , Datt Gaurav , Sharma Manohar 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe paper estimates inequality and absolute poverty in Egypt for 1997 with measures that are robust to sample design effects and corrected for spatial variation in price levels. Standard errors for inequality indices are calculated using a bootstrap approach which replicates the sample design. Standard errors for poverty indices are corrected for the design effects resulting from sample stratification and clustering. The authors use data from the Egypt Integrated Household Survey and follow the cost‐of‐basic‐needs methodology to construct region‐specific poverty lines. It is found that 15.7 million people were poor in Egypt in 1997, or 26.5% of the population. The estimates indicate a sharp sectoral difference with rural areas being significantly poorer, but significant differences in poverty were not found between Upper and Lower Egypt. This finding differs substantially from the conventional wisdom that Upper Egypt is poorer than Lower Egypt and results from the correction for spatial‐price variation.
‘Flames and fear on the farms’: controlling foot and mouth disease in Britain, 1892–2001*
Authors: Woods Abigail 
Published: October 2004

Abstract
For over a century, the British government has pursued a policy of national freedom from foot and mouth disease (F.M.D.), a highly contagious disease of cloven-footed animals. One of the cornerstones of this policy was the slaughter of infected animals. However, on several occasions – most notably in 2001 – slaughter struggled to contain F.M.D., and provoked widespread criticism and calls for policy change. Drawing upon a range of previously unexamined sources, this article examines the history of F.M.D. in Britain, in an attempt to explain the twenty-first-century persistence of a Victorian disease control policy.
Travellers in Britain: a minority and the state
Authors: Taylor Becky 
Published: October 2004

Abstract
This article explores the developing relations between Travellers and the British state in the context of the expansion of welfare provision. Using four case studies it highlights the key characteristics of Traveller-state relations: the lack of a unified response to Travellers by the state; how Travellers were simultaneously seen as an important target for welfare provision and less entitled to its benefits; and that settlement and assimilation were the motivating factors for schemes. It goes on to show that these trends were the result of three factors: the dominance of stereotypes surrounding Travellers; the structure of the state; and the agency of Travellers themselves.
Staphylococcus aureus
AgrA Binding to the RNAIII-
agr
Regulatory Region
Authors: Koenig Robbin L. , Ray Jessica L. , Maleki Soheila J. , Smeltzer Mark S. , Hurlburt Barry K. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The control of virulence gene expression in the human pathogen
Staphylococcus aureus
is under the partial control of the two-component quorum-sensing system encoded by genes of the
agr
locus. The product of the
agrA
gene has been shown by amino acid sequence similarity to be the putative response regulator; however, binding of AgrA to promoters under its control has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, we isolated and purified soluble AgrA by expression under osmotic shock conditions and ion-exchange chromatography. Purified AgrA showed high-affinity binding to the RNAIII-
agr
intergenic region by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Binding was localized by DNase I protection assays to a pair of direct repeats in the P2 and P3 promoter regions of the
agr
locus. We found that this binding was enhanced by the addition of the small phosphoryl donor, acetyl phosphate. The difference in binding affinity between these two promoters was found to result from a 2-bp difference between the downstream direct repeats of the P2 and P3 sites. Mutation of these base pairs in the P3 site to match those found in the P2 site increased the affinity of AgrA for the P3 site relative to that for the P2 site. These results are consistent with the function of AgrA as a response regulator with recognition sites in the promoter regions of RNAIII and the
agr
locus.
MucA-Mediated Coordination of Type III Secretion and Alginate Synthesis in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Wu Weihui , Badrane Hassan , Arora Shiwani , Baker Henry V. , Jin Shouguang 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The type III secretion system (T3SS) of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an important virulence factor. The T3SS of
P. aeruginosa
can be induced by a low calcium signal or upon direct contact with the host cells. The exact pathway of signal sensing and T3SS activation is not clear. By screening a transposon insertion mutant library of the PAK strain, mutation in the
mucA
gene was found to cause repression of T3SS expression under both type III-inducing and -noninducing conditions. Mutation in the
mucA
gene is known to cause alginate overproduction, resulting in a mucoid phenotype. Alginate production responds to various environmental stresses and plays a protective role for
P. aeruginosa
. Comparison of global gene expression of
mucA
mutant and wild-type PAK under T3SS-inducing conditions confirmed the down regulation of T3SS genes and up regulation of genes involved in alginate biosynthesis. Further analysis indicated that the repression of T3SS in the
mucA
mutant was AlgU and AlgR dependent, as double mutants
mucA/algU
and
mucA/algR
showed normal type III expression. An
algR
::
Gm
mutant showed a higher level of type III expression, while overexpression of the
algR
gene inhibited type III gene expression; thus, it seems that the AlgR-regulated product inhibits the expression of the T3SS genes. It is likely that
P. aeruginosa
has evolved tight regulatory networks to turn off the energy-expensive T3SS when striving for survival under environmental stresses.
The Operator and Early Promoter Region of the Shiga Toxin Type 2-Encoding Bacteriophage 933W and Control of Toxin Expression
Authors: Tyler Jessica S. , Mills Melissa J. , Friedman David I. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The genes encoding Shiga toxin (Stx), the major virulence factor of Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli
, are carried in the genomes of bacteriophages that belong to the lambdoid family of phages. Previous studies demonstrated that induction of prophages encoding
stx
significantly enhances the production and/or release of Stx from the bacterium. Therefore, factors that regulate the switch between lysogeny and lytic growth, e.g., repressor, operator sites, and associated phage promoters, play important roles in regulating the production and/or release of Stx. We report the results of genetic and biochemical studies characterizing these elements of the Stx-encoding bacteriophage 933W. Like λ, 933W has three operator repeats in the right operator region (
O
R
), but unlike λ and all other studied lambdoid phages, which have three operator repeats in the left operator region (
O
L
), 933W only has two operator repeats in
O
L
. As was observed with λ, the 933W
O
R
and
O
L
regions regulate transcription from the early
P
R
and
P
L
promoters, respectively. A lysogen carrying a 933W derivative encoding a noncleavable repressor fails to produce Stx, unlike a lysogen carrying a 933W derivative encoding a cleavable repressor. This finding provides direct evidence that measurable expression of the
stx
genes encoded by a 933W prophage requires induction of that prophage with the concomitant initiation of phage gene expression.
Is Imbibing Al-khamr (Intoxicating Drink) for Medical Purposes Permissible by Islamic Law?
Authors: Deuraseh Nurdeen 
Published: October 2004

AbstractIn this article attempts are made to study one of the important topics that has been widely discussed in Islamic legal literature, namely al-tadawi bi al-muharramat (treatment with forbidden things), with special reference to al-khamr (intoxicating drink). In this regard, there are two different opinions of Muslim jurists regarding the use of intoxicating drink (al-khamr) for medical purposes. The majority of Muslim jurists are of the opinion that treatingdisease with forbidden things is unlawful. As such, they did not allow the use of intoxicating drink for any reason, including its use as a remedy, or to quench thirst, even if there are no other permissible fluids to drink. On the other hand, a few Muslim jurists did allow the use of an intoxicating drink as a remedy, or to quench thirst if no other permissible fluid is available.
Monastic Reading and Learning in eighteenth-century Bilād al-Šām: Some Evidence from the Monastery of al-Šuwayr (Mount Lebanon)
Authors: Walbiner Carsten-Michael 
Published: October 2004

AbstractA thematic analysis of the manuscripts which were read, copied and written by the monks, the paper raises the issue of education and knowledge amongst the members of the Greek Catholic congregation of the Basilians of al-Šuwayr (Mount Lebanon) during the 18th century, a time in which the order constituted an intellectual centre in Syria, although its influence remained mainly restricted to the own communiy. Despite all efforts the level of knowledge remained—compared with European standards—low. But the monks nevertheless developed a basic attitude, which was important for the introduction of modernity to the Arab world in the 19th century. They had broad interests beyond the narrow limits of their own religion and did not assume from the start a disapproving attitude towards the knowledge and inventions of the West. These were decisive preconditions for a process of learning that had become imperative if the Orient wanted to close the quickly widening scientific gap between East and West.
Perceptions of a New Era? Historical Writing in Early Ottoman Damascus
Authors: Meier Astrid 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe year 922/1516-7 is usually treated as an important turning point in the history of Bilād al-Šām. The Ottoman conquest initiated change in various fields which has been the focus of much scholarly attention. However, it is still difficult to understand in what ways the new Ottoman subjects perceived these changes, especially in terms of allegiance to the ruling dynasties. To trace the attitudes of different persons and groups, scholars have often turned to the rich body of contemporary historical writing and used it as a source of information. In this article, which is centred on Ottoman Damascus, I argue that chronicles and biographical collections themselves are important witnesses of change and worth to be studied in their own right. As a step towards a more comprehensive understanding of the social uses of knowledge, I suggest that we need to enquire further into the significance of melancholy and solitude in Ottoman historical writing.
Is Mass Higher Education Working? Evidence from the Labour Market Experiences of Recent Graduates
Authors: Elias Peter , Purcell Kate 
Published: October 2004

This paper uses a variety of recent sources of information to explore the labour market experiences of those who gained a degree in the 1980s and 1990s. Specifically, we address the issue of ‘overeducation’ — the view that the expansion of higher education in the 1990s created a situation in which increasing numbers of graduates were unable to access employment that required and valued graduate skills and knowledge. Two complementary approaches to this issue are adopted. We review available evidence on the graduate earnings premium and change in the UK occupational structure, and we conduct a detailed examination of the earnings and characteristics of jobs done by a large sample of 1995 graduates seven years after graduation.We conclude that, while there may have been a decline from the high premium enjoyed by older graduates, for those who graduated in 1995 the average premium was holding up well, despite the expansion. Although we found differences between established graduate occupations and the newer areas of graduate employment, our evidence suggests that the development of new technical and managerial specialisms and occupational restructuring within organisations has been commensurate with the availability of an increased supply of highly qualified people.
Cam-clay and hydraulic conductivity diagram relations in consolidated and sheared clay-matrices
Authors: Dudoignon P. , Gélard D. , Sammartino S. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractImage analyses, carried out on thin sections made in consolidated and sheared kaolinite test pieces, allow the identification of three ‘microstructural domains’: (1) the initial isotropic matrix; (2) a partly anisotropic matrix resulting from simple particle arrangement; and (3) an anisotropic matrix resulting from rearrangement plus flattening and delamination of particles.In order to explain the micromechanisms of the clay matrix behaviour, this paper proposes to link the ‘microstructural domains’ represented in the e vs. log p Cam-clay diagram and domains of hydraulic conductivity in the k vs. e diagram.The hydraulic conductivities are calculated following the Kozeny-Carman relations, which take into account the micro-arrangement of particles via a tortuosity calculation. The generation of 2D images shows that the preservation of the isotropic arrangement of particles is limited by a minimum porosity value. A decrease of the porosity value below this limit can be explained only by a progressive anisotropic rearrangement of the particles.The microtexture behaviour, induced by the superimposition of the compaction, orientation and particle flattening and delamination stages, causes an anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivity which affects (1) the interstitial water flow direction, (2) the rotation of particles itself, and (3) the damage mechanism of the clay.
Hydrothermal transformations of kaolinite at 200 and 250°C in the systems Li2O–Na2O–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–HCl and Li2O–K2O–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–HCl
Authors: Bentabol M. , Ruiz Cruz M.D. , Huertas F.J. , Linares J. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractThe hydrothermal reaction of kaolinite in the systems Li2O–K2O–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–HCl and Li2O–Na2O–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–HCl, at pH between 9 and 11, has been investigated at 200–250°C from 1 to 180 days.The X-ray diffraction study of the K-bearing system indicates that the solid products formed were Li-A(BW) zeolite, crystalline silica, and randomly ordered chlorite-smectite mixed layers, dioctahedral on average, with a chlorite:smectite ratio of ~1:4.Study by electron microscopy reveals, however, the presence of mixtures of very thin particles of smectite, di,trioctahedral chlorite and mixed-layer phases.The X-ray study of the solid products formed in the Na-bearing system reveals that the neo-formed phases were Li-A(BW) zeolite, analcime and partially ordered chlorite-vermiculite mixed-layers with high chlorite:vermiculite ratio. The transmission microscopic study of these phases shows the presence of dioctahedral ‘vermiculitic’ curved particles and di,trioctahedral chlorite-like particles.In both cases, long reaction times cause formation of a 7 Å phase with composition intermediate between kaolinite and serpentine.The composition of the solutions suggests that the stable phases would be chlorite/smectite mixed-layers, with compositions near tosudite in the case of the K-bearing reaction and both a dioctahedral phase (tosudite?) and a trioctahedral one (clinochlore) in the case of the Na-bearing reaction.
Transforming property of TEL-FGFR3 mediated through PI3-K in a T-cell lymphoma that subsequently progressed to AML
Authors: Maeda Tomoya , Yagasaki Fumiharu , Ishikawa Maho , Takahashi Naoki , Bessho Masami 
Published: October 2004

AbstractWe previously reported a novel fusion between TEL and FGFR3 in a patient with peripheral T-cell lymphoma with t(4; 12)(p16;p13). Disease in this patient subsequently progressed to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with the same translocation. Sequence analysis of TEL-FGFR3 fusion transcripts suggested that these diseases originated from the same multipotent stem cell. To determine the transforming property of TEL-FGFR3, we established transfectants of this chimeric fusion gene and investigated the major signal pathways of TEL-FGFR3–induced transformation using various signal transduction inhibitors including SU5402 (fibroblast growth factor tyrosine kinase [FGFR TK] inhibitor). Our results indicated that (1) the expression of TEL-FGFR3 but not ΔHLH-TEL-FGFR3 resulted in efficient focus formation in NIH/3T3 cells and conferred interleukin 3 independence to Ba/F3 cells by a constitutive tyrosine kinase activity probably through oligomerization by the HLH domain of TEL; (2) although effector proteins including classical mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38 MAPK, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), mammalian target or rapamycin (mTOR), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) and STAT-5 were activated in TEL-FGFR3 transformants, the growth of the transformants was inhibited by SU5402 (concentration that inhibits 50% [IC50] = 5 μM) and the PI3-K inhibitor, LY294002 (IC50 = 10 μM) and wortmannin (IC50 = 5 μM), but not by U0126, SB203580, or rapamycin; and (3) injection of TEL-FGFR3 transformants induced lethal leukemia into syngeneic mice. Taken together, the leukemogenic potential of TEL-FGFR3 may be mediated in part through PI3-K.