bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is premature adrenarche a risk factor for atherogenesis?
Authors: Güven Ayla , Cinaz Peyami , Bideci Aysun 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
Background
: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum lipids and atherosclerosis risk in children with premature adrenarche (PA) in comparison with age‐matched controls.
Methods
: Lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐1 (IGFBP‐1) levels were studied in 24 girls with premature adrenarche and 13 healthy age‐matched controls after overnight fasting.
Results
: The bone age, weight and body mass index were higher in the premature adrenarche group than the control group. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure of patients were higher than controls. The mean total cholesterol (TC), low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL‐C), very low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (VLDL‐C), TC/high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (HDL‐C) and LDL‐C/HDL‐C ratio, and atherogenic index were significantly higher in the premature adrenarche group compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in the levels of apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein (a) in both groups. In the premature adrenarche group there were inverse correlations between the levels of IGFBP‐1 and TC/HDL‐C (rho, –0.54; P, 0.011), and LDL‐C/HDL‐C (rho, –0.50; P < 0.05) and atherogenic index (AI; rho, –0.54; P < 0.05). dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels of the patients was negatively correlated with AI and TC/HDL‐C (rho, –0.0503, P < 0.05).
Conclusions
: Girls with premature adrenarche should be investigated for serum lipids, and atherogenic risk criteria should be assessed periodically in the follow up of patients with PA, as PA seems to be a risk factor for future atherosclerosis.
Identification of three novel mutations in Japanese patients with Menkes disease and mutation screening by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Watanabe Atsuko , Shimizu Norikazu 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
Background
: Menkes disease is an X‐linked recessive disorder resulting in a connective‐tissue disturbance and profound neurodegeneration in early childhood. The gene for Menkes disease has been isolated and predicted to code for copper transporting ATPase. In this study, a mutation analysis in Japanese patients with Menkes disease was performed, as was a mutation screening by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC).
Methods
: A mutation analysis on five Japanese patients with Menkes disease was performed using a direct sequencing method and DHPLC.
Results
: Two nonsense mutations, two missense mutations and one splice donor site mutation were found. The DHPLC analysis showed differences in the peaks between the DNA fragments of wild type and heteroduplex (wild type and mutant).
Conclusions
: Three novel mutations (Asp1044Gly, Pro1279Leu and IVS21+1 g to a) were detected. The Asp1044Gly mutation destroys the highly conserved phosphorylation domain in exon 16. The splice site abnormality leads to a skipping of exon 21 coding for part of the seventh transmembrane domain. These two mutations could cause a severe protein dysfunction. Another missense mutation, Pro1279Leu, in exon 20 was found in a patient with a mild type of Menkes disease. It is speculated that this mutation partially maintains the ATP7A function is. A DHPLC analysis could detect these mutations. It is concluded that the best way to make a molecular diagnosis for Menkes disease is to first screen DNA samples for all exons using DHPLC, and thereafter perform direct sequencing for exons which have an abnormal elution profile in order to rapidly detect such mutations.
Ultraviolet radiation and skin aging: roles of reactive oxygen species, inflammation and protease activation, and strategies for prevention of inflammation‐induced matrix degradation – a review
Authors: Pillai S. , Oresajo C. , Hayward J. 
Published: February 2005

SynopsisInflammation and the resulting accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the intrinsic and photoaging of human skin in vivo. Environmental insults such as ultraviolet (UV) rays from sun, cigarette smoke exposure and pollutants, and the natural process of aging contribute to the generation of free radicals and ROS that stimulate the inflammatory process in the skin. UV irradiation initiates and activates a complex cascade of biochemical reactions in human skin. In short, UV causes depletion of cellular antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase), initiates DNA damage leading to the formation of thymidine dimmers, activates the neuroendocrine system leading to immunosuppression and release of neuroendocrine mediators, and causes increased synthesis and release of pro‐inflammatory mediators from a variety of skin cells. The pro‐inflammatory mediators increase the permeability of capillaries leading to infiltration and activation of neutrophils and other phagocytic cells into the skin. The net result of all these effects is inflammation and free radical generation (both reactive oxygen and nitrogen species). Furthermore, elastsases and other proteases (cathepsin G) released from neutrophils cause further inflammation, and activation of matrix metalloproteases. The inflammation further activates the transcription of various matrixes degrading metalloproteases, leading to abnormal matrix degradation and accumulation of non‐functional matrix components. In addition, the inflammation and ROS cause oxidative damage to cellular proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, which accumulates in the dermal and epidermal compartments, contributing to the aetiology of photoaging. Strategies to prevent photodamage caused by this cascade of reactions initiated by UV include: prevention of UV penetration into skin by physical and chemical sunscreens, prevention/reduction of inflammation using anti‐inflammatory compounds (e.g. cyclooxygenase inhibitors, inhibitors of cytokine generation); scavenging and quenching of ROS by antioxidants; inhibition of neutrophil elastase activity to prevent extracellular matrix damage and activation of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), and inhibition of MMP expression (e.g. by retinoids) and activity (e.g. by natural and synthetic inhibitors).
THE EFFECTS OF DECIMALIZATION ON RETURN VOLATILITY COMPONENTS, SERIAL CORRELATION, AND TRADING COSTS
Authors: He Yan , Wu Chunchi 
Published: February 2005

AbstractWe examine the composition of return volatility, serial correlation, and trading costs before and after decimalization on the New York Stock Exchange. We decompose the variance of price changes into components associated with public news, rounding errors, and market‐making frictions. We find that when stocks move from a fractional to a decimal trading system, the variance components due to market‐making frictions and rounding errors decline significantly, whereas the component due to public news remains unchanged. The serial correlation of price changes weakens substantially after decimalization. The uninformed component of bid‐ask spreads decreases significantly whereas the informed component has no significant change.
MARKET STRUCTURE AND TRADING VOLUME
Authors: Anderson Anne‐Marie , Dyl Edward A. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractHistorically, trading volume reported for NASDAQ stocks has been overstated vis‐à‐vis New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) stocks, both because of the dealer's participation in trades as a market maker and because of interdealer trading. Beginning in 1997, the Securities and Exchange Commission changed order‐handling rules and trade‐reporting rules, which may have reduced or eliminated the overstatement of NASDAQ trading. We examine trading volumes of firms changing from NASDAQ to the NYSE since 1997 and document that reported trading volume for NASDAQ stocks continues to be overstated. Moreover, the degree of overstatement is much larger for firms with high trading volume.
Two‐phase appearance of oral epithelial dysplasia resulting from focal proliferation of parabasal cells and apoptosis of prickle cells
Authors: Syafriadi Mei , Cheng Jun , Jen Kai Yu , Ida‐Yonemochi Hiroko , Suzuki Makoto , Saku Takashi 
Published: February 2005

Background:  One of the histologic characteristics of epithelial dysplasias of the oral mucosa is droplet‐shaped rete processes resulting from a solid proliferation of basaloid cells. These basaloid cells are suddenly changed into an overlay of parakeratotic cells. However, it is unknown how this characteristic two‐phase appearance is generated.Methods:  Formalin‐fixed paraffin sections of the oral mucosal specimens with normal, hyperplastic, dysplastic epithelia and squamous cell carcinomas were examined for apoptosis by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) method and for lymphoid cells by immunohistochemistry.Results:  Apoptotic cells were only located in the keratinized layer of normal/hyperplastic epithelia. However, in epithelial dysplasias, apoptotic cells were scattered in the middle or even in the lower parts of the epithelial layer with frequent vacuolation changes of epithelial cells. Within the epithelial layer of dysplasias, there were increased number of lymphocytes, which were immunopositive for CD45RO, CD8, and CD57‐ and CD68‐immunopositive (+), S‐100 protein‐positive and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II‐positive monocytic lineages. They increased in number with the severity of dysplastic degrees, and they were often located in the vicinity of apoptotic epithelial cells, but decreased in carcinomas in situ and invasive carcinomas, which contained fewer numbers of apoptotic figures.Conclusion:  The findings indicate that intraepithelial infiltrations of both cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells are closely related to the apoptotic phenomena of prickle cells, which may result in the characteristic ‘two‐phase appearance’ of epithelial dysplasia.
The differential expression pattern of BMP‐4 between the dentigerous cyst and the odontogenic keratocyst
Authors: Kim Seong‐Gon , Yang Byoung‐Eun , Oh So‐Hee , Min Soo‐Kee , Hong Sam‐Pyo , Choi Je‐Yong 
Published: February 2005

Background:  Bone morphogenic protein‐4 (BMP‐4) is widely expressed in oral cavity and involved in tooth morphogenesis, cellular differentiation and proliferation. The purpose of this study was to compare the difference in expression pattern of BMP‐4 in odontogenic keratocysts (OKC) and dentigerous cysts (DC).Methods:  We evaluated 77 cysts, OKC (n = 34) or DC (n = 43). The average age of patients with OKC was 29.5 ± 14.4 and that of patients with DC was 36.1 ± 19.4. The male to female ratio was 20:14 for OKC and 27:16 for DC. Ten cases of OKC were recurrences. Expression of BMP‐4 was determined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.Results:  The intensity scales were (−) for invisible or trace staining, (+) for visible staining, and (++) for dense, strong staining. OKCs exhibited the following staining patterns: the epithelium in 15/34 specimens and the mesenchymal cells in 17/34 specimens showed (++) stain. In contrast, the staining pattern of DC was (−) for epithelium in 37/43 specimens. The mesenchymal cells showed (−) degree staining in 30/43 specimens. The difference between the groups studied was significant (P < 0.001 in epithelium and mesenchymal cells). When recurrent and non‐recurrent OKC were compared BMP‐4 was expressed more intensely in the recurrent cases (P = 0.036 in epithelium). The difference in BMP‐4 expression in mesenchymal cells was not significant. In situ hybridization demonstrated positive mRNA probes to BMP‐4 were localized in epithelium and mesenchymal cells of OKCs and DCs.Conclusions:  BMP‐4 was expressed more intensely in OKC when compared with DC, and was more intensely expressed in recurrent cases.
Clinico‐pathological features of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity in patients <40 years of age
Authors: Sasaki T. , Moles D. R. , Imai Y. , Speight P. M. 
Published: February 2005

Background: Considerable controversy exists in the literature regarding the clinical course of young patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinico‐pathological features of oral SCC among young people.Methods: From a cohort of 529 patients diagnosed with SCC, 35 (6.6%) were under the age of 40 years. This group was compared to a control group of 110 cases aged over 40 to determine if there were any differences in clinicopathological features between the two groups.Results: In the young group there were 20 males and 15 females. The site was most frequently the tongue (51.3%), followed by the floor of the mouth, the buccal mucosa, and the upper and lower alveolus and gingiva. The local and regional control rate was 64.8% which was similar to that of older patients in this series.Conclusions: The prognosis of oral SCC in the young patients does not appear to be different from that of the older population. Univariate analysis showed that clinical stage and the mode of invasion were the most significant prognostic factors in both younger and older patients.
Predictive power of irregular border shapes for malignant melanomas
Authors: Lee Tim K. , Claridge Ela 
Published: February 2005

Background/purpose: The Irregularity Index is a measure of border irregularity from pigmented skin lesion images. The measure attempts to quantify the degree of irregularity of the structural indentations and protrusions along a lesion border. A carefully designed study has shown that the parameters derived from the Irregularity Index were highly correlated with expert dermatologists' notion of border shape. This paper investigates the predictive power of these parameters on a set of data with known histological diagnosis.Methods: A set of 188 pigmented skin lesions (30 malignant melanomas and 158 benign lesions) was selected for the study. Their images were segmented and their border shapes were analysed by the Irregularity Index, producing four border irregularity parameters. The predictive power of these four parameters was estimated by a series of statistical tests.Results: The mean values of the four border irregularity parameters were significantly different between the melanoma group and the benign lesion group. When using the four parameters to predict its disease status, the leave‐one‐out classification rate was 82.4%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.77. A malignant melanoma was 8.9 times more likely to have an irregular border than a benign lesion.Conclusion: This study confirmed that border irregularity is an important clinical feature for the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. It also indicates that the computer‐derived measures based on the Irregularity Index capture to certain extent the kind of irregularity which is exhibited by melanomas.
Cutaneous colorimetric evaluation of serum concentrations of bilirubin in healthy term neonates: a new methodological approach
Authors: Rubegni Pietro , Cevenini Gabriele , Sbano Paolo , Perrone Serafina , Buonocore Giuseppe , Lazzeri Laura , Grazia Vanni Maria , Fimiani Michele 
Published: February 2005

Background: In recent years, many non‐invasive instruments have been used to examine the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements and serum concentrations of bilirubin (SB) in newborns with a view to reducing the need for blood samples. However, their exact role has not been univocal. The aim of the present study was to determine whether non‐invasive measurement of skin colour combined with appropriate clinico‐statistical methodology can be used to better quantify SB in the first days of life.Methods: The study group consisted of 49 healthy term breast‐fed newborns. Skin colour was measured with a Minolta CR‐300 colorimeter and measurements were made in the first 12 h of life, at 48 h and in 13 babies at 96 h. To determine changes in SB from variations in skin colour between birth and 48 h (and also 96 h in 13 cases), a multivariate linear regression model was designed. To test the generalisation power of the regression model, we examined its predictive power for SB a third time (96 h; 13/49 cases) with respect to the previous two times.Results: The model made it possible to recognise increases in SB accurately with a mean absolute error 0.99 mg/dL with a good generalisation power.Conclusions: The methodological model proposed here made it possible to accurately recognise increases in SB with respect to an initial value. Provided the methodological protocol is observed, TcB can therefore be used in the screening and follow‐up of neonatal jaundice.
A Regioselective Synthesis of Alkyl 2-(Guanin-9-yl)acetates as PNA Building Blocks from 7-(4-Nitrobenzyl)guanine Derivatives
Authors: Ferenc Györgyi , Forgó Péter , Kele Zoltán , Kovács Lajos 
Published: February 2005

Guanine derivatives substituted at N7 with 4-R-benzyl groups (R = H, MeO, NO2) have been evaluated in the regioselective N9-alkylation of guanine. Given the capricious removal of (substituted) benzyl groups from guanine derivatives and pent-4-enoylation of guaninium hydrochloride, an improved alternative approach has been elaborated consisting in the pent-4-enoylation and per-O-acetylation of guanosine (8), 4-nitrobenzylation at N7 followed by N-glycoside hydrolysis (10), N9-alkylation (13) and deprotection with sodium dithionite to afford the peptide nucleic acid building block tert-butyl [N2-(pent-4-enoyl)guanin-9-yl]- acetate (15) in 36% overall yield. This avoids N7 regioisomer formation, solubility problems and any chromatographic purification. A remarkable influence of the O- and/or N2-acyl groups on the stability of N-glycosidic bond and reactivity of 2-amino group was observed. The structure of a pyrimidine by-product 12 arising from the imidazole ring-opening of guaninium salt 4d in alkaline medium has been elucidated by 2D NMR.
Comparative outcome of nonmyeloablative and myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for patients older than 50 years of age
Authors: Alyea Edwin P. , Kim Haesook T. , Ho Vincent , Cutler Corey , Gribben John , DeAngelo Daniel J. , Lee Stephanie J. , Windawi Sarah , Ritz Jerome , Stone Richard M. , Antin Joseph H. , Soiffer Robert J. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractNonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST) is increasingly used in older patients. The impact of the shift from myeloablative transplantation to NST on relapse, transplant complications, and outcome has yet to be fully examined. We performed a retrospective analysis of 152 patients older than 50 years undergoing NST or myeloablative transplantation. Seventy-one patients received nonmyeloablative conditioning, fludarabine (30 mg/m2/d × 4) and intravenous busulfan (0.8 mg/kg/d × 4); 81 patients received myeloablative conditioning, primarily cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation. NST patients were more likely to have unrelated donors (58% versus 36%; P = .009), a prior transplant (25% versus 4%; P = &lt; .0001), and active disease at transplantation (85% versus 59%; P = &lt; .001). Despite the adverse characteristics, overall survival was improved in the NST group at 1 year (51% versus 39%) and 2 years (39% versus 29%; P = .056). There was no difference in progression-free survival (2 years, 27% versus 25%; P = .24). The incidence of grade 2 to 4 graft-versus-host disease was similar (28% versus 27%). The nonrelapse mortality rate was lower for NST patients (32% versus 50%; P = .01), but the relapse rate was higher (46% versus 30%; P = .052). Our experience suggests that, in patients over age 50, NST with fludarabine and low-dose busulfan leads to an overall outcome at least as good as that following myeloablative therapy. (Blood. 2005;105:1810-1814)
NK-cell reconstitution after haploidentical hematopoietic stem-cell transplantations: immaturity of NK cells and inhibitory effect of NKG2A override GvL effect
Authors: Nguyen Stephanie , Dhedin Nathalie , Vernant Jean-Paul , Kuentz Mathieu , Jijakli Ahmad Al , Rouas-Freiss Nathalie , Carosella Edgardo D. , Boudifa Ali , Debré Patrice , Vieillard Vincent 
Published: February 2005

AbstractNatural killer (NK) cell alloreactivity is reported to mediate strong GvL (graft versus leukemia) effect in patients after haploidentical stem-cell transplantation (SCT) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Because subsequent immune reconstitution remains a major concern, we studied NK-cell recovery in 10 patients with AML who received haplomismatched SC transplants, among whom no GvL effect was observed, despite the mismatched immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) ligand in the GvH direction for 8 of 10 patients. NK cells generated after SCT exhibited an immature phenotype: the cytotoxic CD3-CD56dim subset was small, expression of KIRs and NKp30 was reduced, while CD94/NKG2A expression was increased. This phenotype was associated to in vitro lower levels of cytotoxicity against a K562 cell line and against primary mismatched AML blasts than donor samples. This impaired lysis was correlated with CD94/NKG2A expression in NK cells. Blockading CD94/NKG2A restored lysis against the AML blasts, which all expressed HLA-E, the ligand for CD94/NKG2A. Our present study allows a better understanding of the NK-cell differentiation after SCT. These results revealed that the NK cells generated after haplomismatched SCT are blocked at an immature state characterized by specific phenotypic features and impaired functioning, having potential impact for immune responsiveness and transplantation outcome.