bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Acromegaly Despite Long-Term Cure of Growth Hormone Excess
Authors: Biermasz Nienke R. , van Thiel Sjoerd W. , Pereira Alberto M. , Hoftijzer Hendrieke C. , van Hemert Albert M. , Smit Jan W. A. , Romijn Johannes A. , Roelfsema Ferdinand 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
The long-term impact of acromegaly on subjective well-being after treatment of GH excess is unclear. Therefore, we evaluated quality of life by validated questionnaires in a cross-sectional study of 118 successfully treated acromegalic patients. The initial treatment was transsphenoidal surgery in most patients (92%), if necessary followed by radiotherapy or octreotide. All patients were in remission at the time of assessment (GH, &lt;1.9 μg/liter; normal IGF-I for age). General perceived well-being was reduced compared with controls for all subscales (P &lt; 0.001) as measured by the Nottingham Health Profile and the Short Form-36. Acromegalic patients also had lower scores on fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Index) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Radiotherapy was associated with decreased quality of life in all subscales except for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and worsened quality of life significantly, according to the fatigue scores. Somatostatin analog treatment was not associated with improved quality of life. Independent predictors of quality of life were age (physical subscales and Nottingham Health Profile), disease duration (social isolation and personal relations), and radiotherapy (physical and fatigue subscales). In conclusion, patients cured after treatment for acromegaly have a persistently decreased quality of life despite long-term biochemical cure of GH excess. Radiotherapy especially is associated with a reduced quality of life.
Choroidal and Skin Metastases from Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Case and a Review of the Literature
Authors: Avram Anca M. , Gielczyk Robert , Su Lyndon , Vine Andrew K. , Sisson James C. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
A patient with widely metastatic papillary thyroid cancer who had been previously treated with 131I and external beam radiation presented with purple nodular lesions on his face and scalp. On biopsy, the nodules were papillary carcinoma with cells that stained for thyroglobulin. Subsequently he developed decreased left eye visual acuity, and fundoscopy revealed lesions typical of choroidal metastases. Dermal and choroidal metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma are both rare. However, the significance of these clinical manifestations may be overlooked and ignored unless the diagnosis is considered. New skin nodules or visual acuity decline in a patient with papillary thyroid cancer may represent manifestations of distant metastatic disease and should prompt thorough evaluation with dermatological examination and fundoscopy. Choroidal and skin metastases have almost always occurred in patients with advanced disease, but initial presentation with these lesions is possible, and in such instances a thorough search for additional sites of metastatic disease is recommended. Occasionally such metastases may respond to 131I therapy or external beam radiation.
Intrafamilial Variability of the Deafness and Goiter Phenotype in Pendred Syndrome Caused by a T416P Mutation in the SLC26A4 Gene
Authors: Napiontek Ulrike , Borck Guntram , Müller-Forell Wiebke , Pfarr Nicole , Bohnert Andrea , Keilmann Annerose , Pohlenz Joachim 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPendred syndrome (PS) is the most common cause of syndromic deafness, accounting for more than 5% of all autosomal-recessive hearing loss cases. It is characterized by bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and by goiter with or without hypothyroidism. Mutations in the SLC26A4 gene cause both classical PS and deafness associated with an enlarged vestibular aqueduct without goiter.To investigate a possible genotype-phenotype correlation in PS, we performed a detailed clinical and genetic study in three adult German sibs with typical PS caused by a common homozygous SLC26A4 mutation, T416P. An audiological long-term follow-up of 23 yr showed that the mutation T416P is associated with a distinct type of hearing loss in each of the three sibs: moderate-to-profound progressive deafness, profound nonprogressive deafness, and a milder but more rapidly progressing form. We show that these phenotypic differences are not caused by either different degrees of inner ear malformations or sequence variations in the GJB2/connexin 26 gene.Because the thyroid phenotype was also highly variable within the family, with thyroid sizes ranging from normal to large goiters requiring thyroidectomy, this study leads to the conclusion that other environmental and/or genetic factors have an impact on the PS phenotype.
Identification of Target Genes Involved in the Antiproliferative Effect of Glucocorticoids Reveals a Role for Nuclear Factor-κB Repression
Authors: Bladh Lars-Göran , Lidén Johan , Pazirandeh Ahmad , Rafter Ingalill , Dahlman-Wright Karin , Nilsson Stefan , Okret Sam 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) exert an antiproliferative effect on most cells. However, the molecular mechanism is still largely unclear. We investigated the antiproliferative mechanism by GCs in human embryonic kidney 293 cells with stably introduced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mutants that discriminate between cross-talk with nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 signaling, transactivation and transrepression, and antiproliferative vs. non-antiproliferative responses. Using the GR mutants, we here demonstrate a correlation between repression of NF-κB signaling and antiproliferative response. Gene expression profiling of endogenous genes in cells containing mutant GRs identified a limited number of genes that correlated with the antiproliferative response. This included a GC-mediated up-regulation of the NF-κB-inhibitory protein IκBα, in line with repression of NF-κB signaling being important in the GC-mediated antiproliferative response. Interestingly, the GC-stimulated expression of IκBα was a direct effect despite the inability of the GR mutant to transactivate through a GC-responsive element. Selective expression of IκBα in human embryonic kidney 293 cells resulted in a decreased percentage of cells in the S/G2/M phase and impaired cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that GC-mediated inhibition of NF-κB is an important mechanism in the antiproliferative response to GCs.
Rumen metabolites serve ticks to exploit large mammals
Authors: Donzé Gérard , McMahon Conor , Guerin Patrick M. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYHard ticks spend most of their life isolated from passing vertebrates but require a blood meal to proceed to the next life stage (larva, nymph or adult). These opportunist ectoparasites must be capable of anticipating signals that render suitable hosts apparent. Large ungulates that tolerate a high ectoparasite burden are the favoured hosts of adult hard ticks. Ruminants, comprising the majority of ungulate species, must regularly eruct gases from the foregut to relieve excess pressure and maintain a chemical equilibrium. Through eructations from individuals, and particularly herds,ruminants inadvertently signal their presence to hard ticks. Here, we report that all adult hard tick species we tested are attracted to cud and demonstrate that these acarines possess olfactory receptor cells for the carboxylic acid, phenol and indole end-products of the rumen bioreactor. Compounds from each of these classes of volatiles attract ticks on their own,and mixtures of these volatiles based on rumen composition also attract. Appetence for rumen metabolites represents a fundamental resource-tracking adaptation by hard ticks for large roaming mammals.
Dragonfly flight: free-flight and tethered flow visualizations reveal a diverse array of unsteady lift-generating mechanisms, controlled primarilyviaangle of attack
Authors: Thomas Adrian L. R. , Taylor Graham K. , Srygley Robert B. , Nudds Robert L. , Bomphrey Richard J. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYHere we show, by qualitative free- and tethered-flight flow visualization,that dragonflies fly by using unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms to generate high-lift, leading-edge vortices. In normal free flight, dragonflies use counterstroking kinematics, with a leading-edge vortex (LEV) on the forewing downstroke, attached flow on the forewing upstroke, and attached flow on the hindwing throughout. Accelerating dragonflies switch to in-phase wing-beats with highly separated downstroke flows, with a single LEV attached across both the fore- and hindwings. We use smoke visualizations to distinguish between the three simplest local analytical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations yielding flow separation resulting in a LEV. The LEV is an open U-shaped separation, continuous across the thorax, running parallel to the wing leading edge and inflecting at the tips to form wingtip vortices. Air spirals in to a free-slip critical point over the centreline as the LEV grows. Spanwise flow is not a dominant feature of the flow field – spanwise flows sometimes run from wingtip to centreline, or vice versa –depending on the degree of sideslip. LEV formation always coincides with rapid increases in angle of attack, and the smoke visualizations clearly show the formation of LEVs whenever a rapid increase in angle of attack occurs. There is no discrete starting vortex. Instead, a shear layer forms behind the trailing edge whenever the wing is at a non-zero angle of attack, and rolls up, under Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, into a series of transverse vortices with circulation of opposite sign to the circulation around the wing and LEV. The flow fields produced by dragonflies differ qualitatively from those published for mechanical models of dragonflies, fruitflies and hawkmoths, which preclude natural wing interactions. However, controlled parametric experiments show that, provided the Strouhal number is appropriate and the natural interaction between left and right wings can occur, even a simple plunging plate can reproduce the detailed features of the flow seen in dragonflies. In our models, and in dragonflies, it appears that stability of the LEV is achieved by a general mechanism whereby flapping kinematics are configured so that a LEV would be expected to form naturally over the wing and remain attached for the duration of the stroke. However, the actual formation and shedding of the LEV is controlled by wing angle of attack, which dragonflies can vary through both extremes, from zero up to a range that leads to immediate flow separation at any time during a wing stroke.
Variation of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (cHH) level in the eyestalk and haemolymph of the shrimpPalaemon elegansfollowing stress
Authors: Lorenzon Simonetta , Edomi Paolo , Giulianini Piero G. , Mettulio Romina , Ferrero Enrico A. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYThis study investigates (by means of bioassays and ELISA using an antibody against recombinant cHH) the variation of cHH levels in the eyestalks and haemolymph of Palaemon elegans (Decapoda, Caridea) following exposure to various stresses (heavy metals and lipopolysaccharide), and correlates them with the variation in amount and time course of blood glucose. The dose-relationship between exposure to copper and quick release of cHH from the eyestalk into haemolymph was confirmed by variation of blood glucose with a dose-related hyperglycaemia, that peaked 2 h after immersion in contaminated seawater. Animals exposed to a sublethal concentration of mercury showed the same dose relation between toxicant, release of cHH from the eyestalk,increment of circulating hormone level and subsequent hyperglycaemia as observed for copper contamination. It is of note that although the highest lethal mercury concentration induced the release of cHH from the eyestalk into the haemolymph, it was not followed by a significant variation of blood glucose. Step doses of a bacterial contaminant [such as lipopolysaccharide(LPS) from E. coli injected into shrimps] confirmed the dose-relationship and convergent chain of events that bring about hyperglycaemia. These are the first data that relate the release of cHH from the eyestalk, the circulating hormone level and the consequent glycaemic response to stress. Moreover, they confirm the dose-related pathway that leads to variation of blood glucose as a quantitative biomarker of environmental quality, even at sublethal toxicant concentrations.
The effect of advance ratio on the aerodynamics of revolving wings
Authors: Dickson William B. , Dickinson Michael H. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYRecent studies have demonstrated that a quasi-steady model closely matches the instantaneous force produced by an insect wing during hovering flight. It is not clear, however, if such methods extend to forward flight. In this study we use a dynamically scaled robotic model of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the forces produced by a wing revolving at constant angular velocity while simultaneously translating at velocities appropriate for forward flight. Because the forward and angular velocities were constant wing inertia was negligible, and the measured forces can be attributed to fluid dynamic phenomena. The combined forward and revolving motions of the wing produce a time-dependent free-stream velocity profile,which suggests that added mass forces make a contribution to the measured forces. We find that the forces due added mass make a small, but measurable,component of the total force and are in excellent agreement with theoretical values. Lift and drag coefficients are calculated from the force traces after subtracting the contributions due to added mass. The lift and drag coefficients, for fixed angle of attack, are not constant for non-zero advance ratios, but rather vary in magnitude throughout the stroke. This observation implies that modifications of the quasi-steady model are required in order to predict accurately the instantaneous forces produced during forward flight. We show that the dependence of the lift and drag coefficients upon advance ratio and stroke position can be characterized effectively in terms of the tip velocity ratio – the ratio of the chordwise components of flow velocity at the wing tip due to translation and revolution. On this basis we develop a modified quasi-steady model that can account for the varying magnitudes of the lift and drag coefficients. Our model may also resolve discrepancies in past measurements of wing performance based on translational and revolving motion.
Infrasound initiates directional fast-start escape responses in juvenile roachRutilus rutilus
Authors: Karlsen Hans E. , Piddington Robert W. , Enger Per S. , Sand Olav 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYAcoustic stimuli within the sonic range are effective triggers of C-type escape behaviours in fish. We have previously shown that fish have an acute sensitivity to infrasound also, with acceleration thresholds in the range of 10–5 m s–2. In addition, infrasound at high intensities around 10–2 m s–2 elicits strong and sustained avoidance responses in several fish species. In the present study, the possible triggering of C-escapes by infrasonic single-cycle vibrations was examined in juvenile roach Rutilus rutilus. The fish were accelerated in a controlled and quantifiable manner using a swing system. The applied stimuli simulated essential components of the accelerations that a small fish would encounter in the hydrodynamic flow field produced by a predatory fish. Typical C- and S-type escape responses were induced by accelerations within the infrasonic range with a threshold of 0.023 m s–2 for an initial acceleration at 6.7 Hz. Response trajectories were on average in the same direction as the initial acceleration. Unexpectedly, startle behaviours mainly occurred in the trailing half of the test chamber, in which the fish were subjected to linear acceleration in combination with compression, i.e. the expected stimuli produced by an approaching predator. Very few responses were observed in the leading half of the test chamber, where the fish were subjected to acceleration and rarefaction, i.e. the stimuli expected from a suction type of predator. We conclude that particle acceleration is essential for the directionality of the startle response to infrasound, and that the response is triggered by the synergistic effects of acceleration and compression.
Effect of acute heat stress on rat adrenal glands: a morphological and stereological study
Authors: Koko Vesna , Djordjeviæ Jelena , Cvijiæ Gordana , Davidoviæ Vukosava 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYThe morphological and stereological structure of rat adrenal gland was analysed by light microscopy after an acute (60 min) exposure to high ambient temperature (38°C). A significant increase in plasma corticotrophin (ACTH)and serum corticosterone (CORT) concentrations was observed, confirming that acute heat exposure has a strong stressful effect. Under these conditions the adrenal gland mass and volume were decreased, probably as the consequence of adrenal cortex reduction, especially that of the zona fasciculata (ZF). Histological examination revealed that many ZF cells were deprived of lipid droplets. Fibrosis was observed in all parts of the adrenal gland, both cortex and medulla, of heat stressed animals. Mitotic figures were absent in cortical cells after heat exposure, but there were no differences in ZF and zona reticularis (ZR) small blood vessels compared to nonstressed controls.
Metabolic power of European starlingsSturnus vulgarisduring flight in a wind tunnel, estimated from heat transfer modelling, doubly labelled water and mask respirometry
Authors: Ward S. , Möller U. , Rayner J. M. V. , Jackson D. M. , Nachtigall W. , Speakman J. R. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYIt is technically demanding to measure the energetic cost of animal flight. Each of the previously available techniques has some disadvantage as well advantages. We compared measurements of the energetic cost of flight in a wind tunnel by four European starlings Sturnus vulgaris made using three independent techniques: heat transfer modelling, doubly labelled water (DLW)and mask respirometry. We based our heat transfer model on thermal images of the surface temperature of the birds and air flow past the body and wings calculated from wing beat kinematics. Metabolic power was not sensitive to uncertainty in the value of efficiency when estimated from heat transfer modelling. A change in the assumed value of whole animal efficiency from 0.19 to 0.07 (the range of estimates in previous studies) only altered metabolic power predicted from heat transfer modelling by 13%. The same change in the assumed value of efficiency would cause a 2.7-fold change in metabolic power if it were predicted from mechanical power. Metabolic power did not differ significantly between measurements made using the three techniques when we assumed an efficiency in the range 0.11–0.19, although the DLW results appeared to form a U-shaped power-speed curve while the heat transfer model and respirometry results increased linearly with speed. This is the first time that techniques for determining metabolic power have been compared using data from the same birds flying under the same conditions. Our data provide reassurance that all the techniques produce similar results and suggest that heat transfer modelling may be a useful method for estimating metabolic rate.
The relationship between wingbeat kinematics and vortex wake of a thrush nightingale
Authors: Rosén M. , Spedding G. R. , Hedenström A. 
Published: November 2004

SUMMARYThe wingbeat kinematics of a thrush nightingale Luscinia lusciniawere measured for steady flight in a wind tunnel over a range of flight speeds(5–10 m s–1), and the results are interpreted and discussed in the context of a detailed, previously published, wake analysis of the same bird. Neither the wingbeat frequency nor wingbeat amplitude change significantly over the investigated speed range and consequently dimensionless measures that compare timescales of flapping vs. timescales due to the mean flow vary in direct proportion to the mean flow itself, with no constant or slowly varying intervals. The only significant kinematic variations come from changes in the upstroke timing (downstroke fraction) and the upstroke wing folding (span ratio), consistent with the gradual variations, primarily in the upstroke wake, previously reported.The relationship between measured wake geometry and wingbeat kinematics can be qualitatively explained by presumed self-induced convection and deformation of the wake between its initial formation and later measurement, and varies in a predictable way with flight speed. Although coarse details of the wake geometry accord well with the kinematic measurements, there is no simple explanation based on these observed kinematics alone that accounts for the measured asymmetries of circulation magnitude in starting and stopping vortex structures. More complex interactions between the wake and wings and/or body are implied.
A New Photocatalyst of RuO2-loaded PbWO4 for Overall Splitting of Water
Authors: Saito Nobuo , Kadowaki Haruhiko , Kobayashi Hisayoshi , Ikarashi Kouki , Nishiyama Hiroshi , Inoue Yasunobu 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Lead tungstate, PbWO4, with a tetragonal structure was found to make a stable photocatalyst for the decomposition of water to produce H2 and O2 when combined with RuO2. This is the first example of tungsten oxide that is photocatalytically active for the reaction. The structural feature of PbWO4 is the presence of tetrahedral WO4. The DFT calculation showed that Pb2+ with d10s2 electronic configuration had significant influences on both valence and conduction band structures.
Characterization of the O-4 Phosphorylated and O-5 Substituted Kdo Reducing End Group and Sequencing of the Core Oligosaccharide of Aeromonas Salmonicida ssp Salmonicida Lipopolysaccharide Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Banoub Joseph , Aneed Anas El , Cohen Alejandro , Martin Patrick 
Published: November 2004

The molecular structure of the wild strain of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core of Aeromonas salmonicida, ssp salmonicida has been sequenced using tandem mass spectrometry. The core oligosaccharide was determined to contain an O-4 phosphorylated and O-5 substituted Kdo reducing group and its structure is proposed as follows: [Formula: see text] After the core oligosaccharide of LPS was released from the lipid A portion by conventional treatment with 1 % acetic acid, we demonstrated the existence of a homogeneous mixture composed mainly of the native core oligosaccharide containing the Kdo with its O-4 phosphate group intact and a degraded core oligosaccharide mixture which eliminated the O-4 phosphate group with extreme ease. The precise molecular structure and glycone sequence of the homogeneous mixture of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated core oligosaccharides was determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) analysis. Collision-induced dissociation MS/MS of the homogeneous mixture of permethylated core oligosaccharides afforded a series of diagnostic product ions which confirmed the established sequence of the glycones to be determined. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization MS/MS reconfirmed the molecular structure of the dephosphorylated homogeneous permethylated mixture of the core oligosaccharides containing the diastereomeric 4,8- and 4,7-anhydro-α-keto acids.