bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Behavior of collagen films in presence of structure modifiers at solid–liquid interface
Authors: Usha R. , Dhathathreyan Aruna , Mandal A. B. , Ramasami T. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractFilms of soluble collagen extracted from rat‐tail tendon were studied at the solid–solution interface, and the surface energy of the films was evaluated. The films transferred onto solid substrates using the Langmuir–Blodgett film (LB film) technique were characterized using Fourier transform IR attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The properties of the protein in contact with different structure modifiers like basic chromium sulfate (BCS) and formaldehyde (HCHO) were analyzed for the effect of various tanning agents on the protein structure. The thermal properties of the films were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the film of collagen treated with BCS exhibits an increase in the peak temperature and enthalpy changes compared to the pure collagen as well as the protein with HCHO. These differences are attributed to the changes in the crosslinks arising from both coordinate–covalent and covalent interactions, respectively. The atomic force micrographs showed an increase in order for the collagen film with BCS compared to the HCHO treated analogue. A similar trend is seen in the surface energy parameters of the protein films on solid surfaces on reacting with BCS and HCHO, suggesting a molecular level ordering process in collagen assemblies. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3859–3865, 2004
Structural and transport characteristics of polyethylene oxide/phenolic resin blend solid polymer electrolytes
Authors: Chu Peter P. , Reddy M. Jaipal , Tsai Joyce 
Published: September 2004

AbstractDetails on the structure and transport characteristics of the solid polymer electrolyte polyethylene oxide (PEO)/lithium salt (LiClO4) modified by novolac phenolic resin are presented here. From IR spectra it could be concluded that complex formation occurred through multiple interactions between the ether oxygen of PEO–lithium, phenolic lithium, and the phenolic ether oxygen of PEO. The free hydroxyl band in phenolic reflected that phenolic closely interacted with both the PEO polymer and ionic salt. With increasing salt content in PEO, the vibration band corresponding to the ClO anion (∼623 cm−1) displayed growth of a shoulder at ∼635 cm−1, suggesting the formation of Li+…ClO4− ion pairing. However, in the presence of phenolic, ion‐pairing formation was effectively suppressed, which suggested that the phenolic moiety facilitated a greater degree of LiClO4 salt dissociation. Activation energy analysis revealed two conducting pathways: one through the amorphous PEO and the other through the PEO/phenolic amorphous matrix. The high ion conductivity originated from effective salt dissociation and the establishment of a new conduction network formed by PEO and phenolic. Furthermore, the structural modification also extended the thermal stability and mechanical strength of the solid polymer electrolyte composite. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3866–3875, 2004
Deuteron tunneling and phase transition in M3D(AO4)2 antiferroelectrics
Authors: Dolin S. P. , Levin A. A. , Mikhailova T. Y. , Solin M. V. , Polyakov E. V. , Strokach N. S. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractAn effect of the AO4 tetrahedron reorganization vibrational modes on the deuteron tunneling splitting ΔD is treated for fully deuterated M3D(AO4)2 materials (M alkali metal; A = S, Se) of the TKHS family using various quantum chemical models and computational techniques. It is found that the reorganization of the nonhydrogen framework of the D(AO4) dimers in a crystal results in the reduction of ΔD and favors the transition of a material in the ordered (antiferroelectric) phase. Numerical estimation of this effect with the use of the available diffraction data leads to only minor reduction of ΔD. At the same time, substantial pronounced contributions to ΔD reduction is due to the corrections of potential energy profiles, calculated by different quantum chemical techniques. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Dynamics of nematic liquid crystals with conformational degrees of freedom
Authors: Ivashin A. P. , Kovalevsky M. Y. , Logvinova L. V. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractOn the bases of the Hamilton approach the dynamics of the biaxial nematic are considered. The hydrodynamic parameters that are bound up with broken symmetry are introduced in terms of the distortion tensor. The density and flux density of additive integrals of motion are given in terms of energy density. The equations for ideal hydrodynamics are obtained and the spectra of collective excitations of biaxial nematics are considered taking into account the factor of the form of molecules. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Wannier functions and chemical bonding in crystals with the perovskite‐like structure: SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTi3, and LaMnO3
Authors: Usvyat D. E. , Evarestov R. A. , Smirnov V. P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe electronic structure of the cubic perovskites SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3, and LaMnO3 is calculated by Hartree–Fock and density functional theory methods in the approximation of linear combinations of atomic orbitals. The local properties of the electronic structure of these crystals (atomic charges, bond orders, atomic covalences, and total valences) are obtained using the minimal valence basis of Wannier‐type atomic orbitals (WTAOs). WTAOs are defined as the mostly localized atomic‐like Wannier functions generated from the Bloch states, corresponding to some occupied and vacant bands. WTAOs are constructed by means of a variational procedure suggested earlier. The atomic charges obtained via WTAO technique are compared to the traditional Mulliken atomic charges. The results of the population analysis demonstrate the closeness of the local properties of cubic SrTiO3, BaTiO3, and PbTiO3. The covalence appears to be essential for the nearest‐neighbor oxygentransition metal bond. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
The effect of the presence of foreign salts on the formation of gaseous ions for electrospray and laser spray
Authors: Hiraoka Kenzo , Asakawa Yoshiki , Kawashima Yoko , Okazaki Shigemitsu , Nakamura Masana , Yamamoto Yasuteru , Takamizawa Atsushi 
Published: September 2004

AbstractThe effect of the presence of foreign salts (NaCl, aerosol OT, tetra‐n‐hexylammonium bromide, and CH3COONH4) on the formation of gaseous ions for electrospray (ES) and laser spray (LS) was studied in the positive and negative modes of operations. The ion signals for amino acids show sudden decrease with the concentration of foreign salts greater than 10−5 M for both ES and LS. When the surface‐active counter ions were added, the signal intensities showed a marked decrease for both ES and LS. This may be due to the enrichment of the surface‐active counter ions on the surface of the charged droplets. When CH3COONH4 was added to an aqueous solution of 10−6 M lysozyme chloride, an increase of the signal intensities for (lysozyme+nH)n+ and a decrease in the values of n were observed. The decrease in n may be due to the salt formation of (lysozyme+nH)n+ with the negative acetate ion leading to the reduction of positive charges. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A multi‐residue screening method for the determination of 73 pesticides and metabolites in fruit and vegetables using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Hetherton Christel L. , Sykes Mark D. , Fussell Richard J. , Goodall David M. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractA multi‐residue screening method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 73 pesticides and their metabolites using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. These pesticides were determined under a single set of experimental conditions involving a simple acetonitrile extraction without the requirement for a clean‐up step. Validation was achieved at 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg−1 levels in apple, lettuce and orange. Recoveries were in the range 77–124% for the majority of pesticides. © Crown Copyright 2004. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The dynamic interplay between Western medicine and the complementary and alternative medicine movement: how activists perceive a range of responses from physicians and hospitals
Authors: Goldner Melinda 
Published: September 2004

AbstractScholars must examine the dynamic relationship between activists and organisational actors, because all social movements interact in some way with the institutions they seek to change, and because activists engage in ongoing attempts to shape these interactions. Using data from the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) movement in California and hospitals in New York and Massachusetts, I identify how physicians and hospitals respond to the CAM movement, and how activists perceive each response. Using social movement and institutional theories, this study illustrates that social movements can penetrate and reshape formal organisations, because established organisations have permeable boundaries. Organisational responses to activism can take the form of avoidance, compromise, acquiescence, manipulation or defiance. Activists vary in their response to these outcomes, because activists are not unanimous in their goals. These outcomes result from continual negotiation between CAM activists and organisational actors, and within each group. Thus, the outcomes are constantly evolving.
Uneasy allies: pro‐choice physicians, feminist health activists and the struggle for abortion rights
Authors: Joffe C.E. , Weitz T.A. , Stacey C.L. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractAbortion represents a particularly interesting subject for a social movements analysis of healthcare issues because of the involvement of both feminist pro‐choice activists and a segment of the medical profession. Although both groups have long shared the same general goal of legal abortion, the alliance has over time been an uneasy one, and in many ways a contradictory one. This paper traces points of convergence as well as points of contention between the two groups, specifically: highlighting the tensions between the feminist view of abortion as a women‐centred service, with a limited, ‘technical’ role for the physicians, and the abortion‐providing physicians’ logic of further medicalization/professional upgrading of abortion services as a response to the longstanding marginality and stigmatisation of abortion providers. Only by noting the evolving relationships between these two crucial sets of actors can one fully understand the contemporary abortion rights movement. We conclude by speculating about similar patterns in medical/lay relationships in other health social movements where ‘dissident doctors’ and lay activists are similarly seeking recognition for medical services that are controversial.
Framing as a cultural resource in health social movements: funding activism and the breast cancer movement in the US 1990–1993
Authors: Kolker Emily S. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractDisease‐specific funding activism in the US has required health social movements (HSMs) to draw on both structural and cultural resources in order to persuade audiences and to redefine dominant conceptions of disease. Using a social constructionist analysis of Congressional testimony and media accounts of breast cancer funding activism between 1990–1993, this paper demonstrates that the use of culturally resonant frames served as an important cultural resource for breast cancer activists in the early 1990s. The breast cancer movement's use of three interconnected and culturally resonant frames aided the movement in redefining breast cancer as a problem of individual women to a major public health problem in need of governmental attention. This research contributes to both social movement and HSM scholarship by demonstrating that cultural resources, in the form of movement frames, are as central to social movement analysis as structural resources.
The Effect of Iron on the Expression of Cytokines in Macrophages Infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Serafín‐López J. , Chacón‐Salinas R. , Muñoz‐Cruz S. , Enciso‐Moreno J. A. , Estrada‐Parra S. A. , Estrada‐García I. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractIron is known to play an important role in different bacterial infections and, in particular, in their development. One example is infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis where iron contributes to growth and survival of the bacteria within the host cell. The majority of studies performed on tuberculosis have focused on the direct effect of iron on bacterial growth; however, little is known about how iron modifies the mycobacterial–host interaction. In order to address this, we have investigated the effect of iron on intracellular growth of M. tuberculosis in J774 macrophages and the molecular mechanisms that are affected during this interaction. We observed that iron modifies intracellular growth of the mycobacteria and that their growth kinetics was modified from that observed for the extracellular situation in the presence of iron. Similarly, when iron was present during the infection, there was a reduced release of tumour necrosis factor‐α and it was related to a higher number of bacilli inside the host cell and low expression of interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) and IL‐6 mRNA. Hence, this work demonstrates that iron, besides promoting mycobacterial growth, also regulates the relationship between macrophage and bacteria.
Bystander Help within a Polyepitope DNA Vaccine Improves Immune Responses to Influenza Antigens
Authors: Baird M. , Wilson R. , Young L. , Williman J. , Young S. , Wilson M. , Slobbe L. , Lockhart E. , Buchan G. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractA polyepitope DNA vaccine has the potential to generate protective immune responses to a range of antigens in a single construct. We investigated whether it was possible to obtain responses to individual epitopes from different antigens, directly linked in a string, and whether the response to a given epitope was enhanced by adjacent epitopes within the construct. A polyepitope plasmid was created, which included three Th epitopes (influenza haemagglutinin, moth cytochrome c and ovalbumin), a Tc epitope (ovalbumin) and two B cell epitopes (haemagglutinin and ovalbumin). Mice were immunized with DNA by using a gene gun. Responses to the polyepitope DNA vaccine were compared with those to DNA vaccine comprising only the haemagglutinin Th and B epitopes (HAThB) or with responses to the recombinant protein. These experiments showed that the polyepitope DNA vaccine induced greater antigen‐specific responses to HAThB peptide than the HAThB DNA vaccine. Antigen‐specific in vivo cytotoxic responses following polyepitope DNA vaccination were also clearly demonstrable. We conclude that a ‘naked DNA’ polyepitope vaccine generates specific responses to constituent epitopes and that adjacent irrelevant epitopes may enhance these responses.
The Improved Survival of Experimental Animals Fed with Fish Oil is Suppressed by a Leukotriene Inhibitor
Authors: Thors V. S. , Erlendsdóttir H. , Ólafsson Ö. , Gunnarsson E. , Haraldsson Á. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractFish oil is believed to alter the immune response and improve survival after infections in experimental animals. This effect may be due to altered production of the leukotrienes (LT). We, therefore, performed a study in order to evaluate whether the effect of fish oil on the immune response of experimental animals is mediated through altered production of the LT. Female NMRI mice in four groups were fed with fish oil, fish oil with 5‐lipoxygenase (5‐LO) inhibitor (Zileuton®, Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL, USA), corn oil or corn oil with 5‐LO inhibitor. After 6 weeks, the mice were infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae and the survival was monitored. The experiment was performed twice. Analysis was performed mainly on data pooled from both experiments. The survival of the groups fed with fish oil was increased, compared to that of all the other groups and when compared to the groups fed with fish oil with 5‐LO inhibitor (log‐rank test) the difference was significant (P = 0.007). It has been postulated that the effect of fish oil on the immune system is mediated through altered production of LT. In our study, blocking of the production of the LT eliminated the beneficial effects of fish oil. Our results are in concord with the hypothesis that the effect of fish oil is, at least partly, mediated through altered production of LT.
Exposure to Low Doses of Solar‐Simulated Radiation Induces an Increase in the Myeloid Subtype of Blood Dendritic Cells
Authors: Narbutt J. , Skibinska M. , Lesiak A. , Wozniacka A. , Sysa‐Jedrzejowska A. , Cebula B. , Robak T. , Smolewski P. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractExposure to ultraviolet radiation causes alterations of cutaneous and systemic immunity. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of low doses of solar‐simulated radiation (SSR) on the phenotypes of blood dendritic cells (BDC). Healthy volunteers (94) were irradiated with a dose of 1.2 SED (standard erythema dose) of SSR for 2, 10 or 30 consecutive days. Blood samples were taken before the first exposure and 24 h after final exposure. The three main subsets of BDC were distinguished by flow cytometry: BDCA‐2+/CD123+/HLA‐DR+ (plasmacytoid, PDC) and two myeloid subtypes BDCA‐1+/CD11c+/HLA‐DR+ (MDC1) and BDCA‐3+/CD32–/HLA‐DR+ (MDC2). The percentage of total DC was elevated in all groups by the UV exposure and was significantly increased after 2 and 30 days of irradiation (P = 0.006 and P = 0.018, respectively). A particularly distinct increase was observed in the percentage of the MDC1 after 2 and 30 days (P = 0.022 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The MDC2 showed an increase after 10 days and a subsequent significant decrease after 30 days of irradiation (P = 0.031). A significant increase in PDC was found after 2 days of irradiation (P = 0.0006). Exposure to SSR induced an increase in the percentage of BDC in healthy human individuals, especially apparent in the MDC1 subtype.
Treatment of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis with a Neurotropic Alphavirus Vector Expressing Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase‐2
Authors: Nygårdas P. T. , Grönberg S. A.‐M. , Heikkilä J. , Joronen K. , Sorsa T. , Hinkkanen A. E. 
Published: September 2004

AbstractPrompted by our recent observations of increased MMP‐8 and MMP‐9 with simultaneous downregulation of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐2 (TIMP‐2) and TIMP‐3 mRNA levels in the central nervous system (CNS) of mice with severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we used Semliki Forest virus (SFV) to transfer and express recombinant murine TIMP‐1–3 genes in the CNS. TIMP‐1, TIMP‐2 and TIMP‐3 expression was confirmed in cultured cells and in the CNS of infected mice. Following intraperitoneal infection with 106 plaque‐forming units (PFU) of SFV‐TIMP, focal TIMP protein expression was achieved throughout the brain. Although already treatment with empty vector inhibited development of EAE to some extent, the expression of TIMP‐2 by the virus significantly enhanced the inhibition. TIMP‐3‐administered mice also had lower disease grade, but the inhibition was not statistically significant. In contrast, SFV‐TIMP‐1 had no effect, similar to co‐infection with TIMP‐2 and TIMP‐3. We found TIMP‐2 expression also by non‐infected CNS‐resident cells surrounding the virus‐positive areas, suggesting a bystander TIMP‐2 induction. These data strengthen the view that matrix metalloproteinases are involved in the pathogenesis of EAE and provide clear evidence that virus‐mediated delivery of their protein inhibitors can be effective in preventing the clinical disease. TIMPs might be candidates for novel treatment regimens in CNS autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
The intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) gene K469E polymorphism is not associated with ischaemic heart disease: an investigation using family‐based tests of association
Authors: McGlinchey P. G. , Spence M. S. , Patterson C. C. , Allen A. R. , Murphy G. , Belton C. , McKeown P. P. 
Published: September 2004

SummaryThe possible role of the K469E polymorphism in the intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) gene in the susceptibility to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was investigated in a well‐defined Irish population using two recently described family‐based tests of association. One thousand and twelve individuals from 386 families with at least one member prematurely affected with IHD were genotyped for the ICAM‐1 K469E polymorphism. Using the combined transmission disequilibrium test (TDT)/sib‐TDT and the pedigree disequilibrium test (PDT), no association between the ICAM‐1 K469E polymorphism and IHD was found. Our data demonstrate that, in an Irish population, the ICAM‐1 K469E polymorphism is not associated with IHD.
C‐reactive protein levels and common polymorphisms of the interleukin‐1 gene cluster and interleukin‐6 gene in patients with coronary heart disease
Authors: Latkovskis G. , Licis N. , Kalnins U. 
Published: September 2004

SummaryC‐reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Production of CRP is regulated by interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐1 receptor antagonist and IL‐6. In 160 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) confirmed by angiography, we examined the relationship between CRP level and five polymorphisms in genes coding for these cytokines: IL‐1B(−511), IL‐1B(+3954), a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in intron 2 of IL‐1RN [IL‐1RN(VNTR)], IL‐6(−174) and IL‐6(−572). CRP values were logarithmically normalized (log‐CRP) for statistical calculations. In univariate analysis, carrier status for the IL‐1B(+3954)T allele and IL‐1RN(VNTR) allele 2 [IL‐1RN(VNTR)*2] correlated with higher (P < 0.01) and lower (P < 0.05) log‐CRP values, respectively. Among the potential confounding factors analysed, smoking, body mass index, total cholesterol (P < 0.05 for all) and diabetes (P = 0.056) were positively correlated with CRP level. After adjustment for non‐genetic covariates, CRP levels remained significantly (P < 0.01) higher in carriers of IL‐1B(+3954)T than in non‐carriers: mean log‐CRP (with 95% confidence interval) was 0.443 (0.311–0.574) for CT or TT genotypes compared with 0.240 (0.107–0.373) for the CC genotype, which corresponded to back‐transformed CRP levels of 2.77 and 1.74 mg l−1, respectively. Adjusted association was also significant for IL‐1RN(VNTR)*2 (P < 0.01), with lower CRP levels in the presence of allele 2: the mean log‐CRP value was 0.252 (0.115–0.388) for carriers and 0.421 (0.290–0.552) for non‐carriers (CRP 1.79 and 2.64 mg l−1, respectively). When alleles of both polymorphisms were entered into the model simultaneously, the association remained significant for IL‐1B(+3954)T (P < 0.05), but not for IL‐1RN(VNTR)*2. We conclude that IL‐1B(+3954)T is associated with higher CRP levels in patients with CHD, and we found that this association was significant after adjustment for major risk factors. Our data also suggest a possible relationship of IL‐1RN(VNTR)*2 with lower CRP levels in the same patients.