bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Viscoelasticity of Rabbit Vocal Folds After Injection Augmentation
Authors: Dahlqvist Åke , Gärskog Ola , Laurent Claude , Hertegård Stellan , Ambrosio Luigi , Borzacchiello Assunta 
Published: December 2003

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis Vocal fold function is related to the viscoelasticity of the vocal fold tissue. Augmentation substances used for injection treatment of voice insufficiency may alter the viscoelastic properties of vocal folds and their vibratory capacity. The objective was to compare the mechanical properties (viscoelasticity) of various injectable substances and the viscoelasticity of rabbit vocal folds, 6 months after injection with one of these substances.Study Design Animal model.Methods Cross‐linked collagen (Zyplast), double cross‐linked hyaluronan (hylan B gel), dextranomers in hyaluronan (DHIA), and polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) were injected into rabbit vocal folds. Six months after the injection, the animals were killed and the right‐ and left‐side vocal folds were removed. Dynamic viscosity of the injected substances and the vocal folds was measured with a Bohlin parallel‐plate rheometer during small‐amplitude oscillation.Results All injected vocal folds showed a decreasing dynamic viscosity with increasing frequency. Hylan B gel and DiHA showed the lowest dynamic viscosity values, and vocal folds injected with these substances also showed the lowest dynamic viscosity (similar to noninjected control samples). Teflon (and vocal folds injected with Teflon) showed the highest dynamic viscosity values, followed by the collagen samples.Conclusion Substances with low viscoelasticity alter the mechanical properties of the vocal fold to a lesser degree than substances with a high viscoelasticity. The data indicated that hylan B gel and DiHA render the most natural viscoelastic properties to the vocal folds. These substances seem to be appropriate for preserving or restoring the vibratory capacity of the vocal folds when glottal insufficiency is treated with augmentative injections.
Clinical and Histological Healing of Surgical Wounds Treated With Mitomycin C
Authors: Ribeiro Fernando de Andrade Quintanilha , Guaraldo Lusiele , Borges Janaina de Pádua , Zacchi Flávia Fernanades Silva , Eckley Claudia A. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis The proven ability of mitomycin C to inhibit fibroblasts in vitro has stimulated its use in research animals and in humans to control healing. The objective of the study was to follow the healing process of surgical wounds in the dorsum of rats treated topically with mitomycin C.Study Design Prospective experimental study.Methods Two distinct surgical wounds were made to the dorsum of 10 adult rats. One of the wounds received topical mitomycin C diluted at 0.5 mg/mL during a 5‐minute period, and the other wound was used as a control. The healing process was followed clinically and histologically after the rats were killed at different post‐treatment periods. The degree of fibrosis was evaluated histologically by two different pathologists.Results Surgical wounds treated with mitomycin C presented delayed healing when compared with the untreated wounds, with remission of scabs 7 days after the control wounds. Histological analysis at 1 month after treatment revealed a significant reduction in fibrosis of the wounds treated with mitomycin C when compared with the untreated wounds. After the third month the degree of fibrosis was comparable in both wounds.Conclusion Topical mitomycin C delays the healing of surgical wounds in rats up to the fourth week following treatment, but the degree of fibrosis is comparable in both treated and untreated wounds after 12 weeks. In otolaryngology this characteristic of the drug may be useful in the treatment of external ear canal stenosis, choanal atresias, nasal cicatricial stenosis, laryngeal stenosis, and keloids.
Technique of En Block Laser Endoscopic Frontolateral Laryngectomy for Glottic Cancer
Authors: Zeitels Steven M. , Dailey Seth H. , Burns James A. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractDuring the last 30 years, there has been expansion of the role of endoscopic partial laryngectomy procedures since Jako, Strong, and Vaughan explored the possibilities of CO2 laser microlaryngeal procedures. Despite the fact that a number of investigators have verified the validity of endolaryngeal laser resection of mid‐sized glottic cancer, there are many who are unfamiliar with the technique and others who are uncomfortable with sectioning the tumor to facilitate its resection. In the past 3 years, 15 patients underwent successful en block resection of mid‐sized glottic cancer (T1b 2, T2b 11, T3 2). Because en block resection is more consistent with open oncologic approaches, this method should widen the acceptance of this approach in selected lesions. The nuances of en block endoscopic frontolateral laryngectomy are presented with the hope that more surgeons will adopt this philosophy as an aspect of their armamentarium.
Translational Coupling to an Upstream Gene Promotes Folding of the Mycobacterial Plasmid pAL5000 Replication Protein RepB and Thereby Its Origin Binding Activity
Authors: Basu Abhijit , Chatterjee Sujoy , Das Gupta Sujoy K. 
Published: December 2003

ABSTRACT

In the mycobacterial plasmid pAL5000 replication region, the replication genes
repA
and
repB
are organized in an operon. Earlier, a RepB-dependent origin binding activity was detected in
Escherichia coli
cells expressing the
repA
-
repB
operon. This activity was maximal when expression of the two genes was coupled (A. Basu, M. Chawla-Sarkar, S. Chakrabarti, and S. K. Das Gupta, J. Bacteriol. 184:2204-2214, 2002). In this study we have shown that translational coupling makes a significant difference in the structure and function of RepB. When
repB
expression was coupled to
repA
, the polypeptide folded into an active structure (referred to as RepB*), which possessed higher helical content than RepB expressed independently. RepB* could also be distinguished from the less active RepB on the basis of sensitivity to OmpT, an outer membrane protease of
E. coli
: RepB* was sensitive to the protease, whereas RepB was resistant. Similar conformational differences between RepB* and RepB could be observed when
repA
was replaced with an unrelated gene,
malE
(encoding maltose binding protein). These results show that translational coupling of
repB
to an upstream gene is necessary for better folding and origin binding activity. It is speculated that in coupled systems where translation machinery is passed on from the upstream to the downstream open reading frame, cotranslational folding of the polypeptide expressed from the downstream open reading frame is enhanced due to increased folding competence of translationally primed ribosomes.
A Multicomponent System Is Required for Tetracycline-Induced Excision of Tn
4555
Authors: Parker Anita C. , Smith C. Jeffrey 
Published: December 2003

ABSTRACT

Bacteroides
spp. are the predominant organisms in the intestinal tract, and they also are important opportunistic pathogens. Antibiotic therapy of
Bacteroides
infections often is complicated by the prevalence of drug-resistant organisms which acquire resistance genes from a variety of mobile genetic elements including conjugative transposons (CTns) and mobilizable transposons (MTns). Tn
4555
is an MTn that encodes β-lactam resistance, and it is efficiently mobilized by the
Bacteroides
CTns via a tetracycline (TET)-inducible mechanism. In this study a model system with CTn341 and a Tn
4555
minielement was used to examine Tn
4555
excision from the chromosome. Using PCR and mobilization assays it was established that excision was stimulated by TET in the presence of CTn341. In order to determine which Tn
4555
genes were required for excision,
int
,
tnpA
,
tnpC
,
xis
, and
mobA
mutants were examined. The results indicated that
int
plus two additional genes,
tnpC
and
xis
, were required for optimal excision. In addition, there was no requirement for the
mobA
gene, as had been shown for another MTn, NBU1. The Xis protein sequence is related to a family of plasmid excisionases, but the TnpC gene product did not match anything in the sequence databases. Evidence also was obtained that suggested that Xis is involved in the control of TET-induced excision and in control of mobilization by CTn341. Overall, these results indicate that excision of MTns is a complex process that requires multiple gene products.
A Phosphoprotein from the Archaeon
Sulfolobus solfataricus
with Protein-Serine/Threonine Kinase Activity
Authors: Lower Brian H. , Potters M. Ben , Kennelly Peter J. 
Published: December 2003

ABSTRACT

Sulfolobus solfataricus
contains a membrane-associated protein kinase activity that displays a strong preference for threonine as the phospho-acceptor amino acid residue. When a partially purified detergent extract of the membrane fraction from the archaeon
S. solfataricus
that had been enriched for this activity was incubated with [γ-
32
P]ATP, radiolabeled phosphate was incorporated into roughly a dozen polypeptides, several of which contained phosphothreonine. One of the phosphothreonine-containing proteins was identified by mass peptide profiling as the product of open reading frame [ORF]
sso0469.
Inspection of the DNA-derived amino acid sequence of the predicted protein product of ORF
sso0469
revealed the presence of sequence characteristics faintly reminiscent of the “eukaryotic” protein kinase superfamily. ORF
sso0469
therefore was cloned, and its polypeptide product was expressed in
Escherichia coli
. The recombinant protein formed insoluble aggregates that could be dispersed using urea or detergents. The solubilized polypeptide phosphorylated several exogenous proteins in vitro, including casein, myelin basic protein, and bovine serum albumin. Mutagenic alteration of amino acids predicted to be essential for catalytic activity abolished or severely reduced catalytic activity. Phosphorylation of exogenous substrates took place on serine and, occasionally, threonine. This new archaeal protein kinase displayed no catalytic activity when GTP was substituted for ATP as the phospho-donor substrate, while Mn
2+
was the preferred cofactor.
The
Caulobacter crescentus
CgtA
C
Protein Cosediments with the Free 50S Ribosomal Subunit
Authors: Lin Bin , Thayer Desiree A. , Maddock Janine R. 
Published: December 2003

ABSTRACT

The Obg family of GTPases is widely conserved and predicted to play an as-yet-unknown role in translation. Recent reports provide circumstantial evidence that both eukaryotic and prokaryotic Obg proteins are associated with the large ribosomal subunit. Here we provide direct evidence that the
Caulobacter crescentus
CgtA
C
protein is associated with the free large (50S) ribosomal subunit but not with 70S monosomes or with translating ribosomes. In contrast to the
Bacillus subtilis
and
Escherichia coli
proteins, CgtA
C
does not fractionate in a large complex by gel filtration, indicating a moderately weak association with the 50S subunit. Moreover, binding of CgtA
C
to the 50S particle is sensitive to salt concentration and buffer composition but not guanine nucleotide occupancy of CgtA
C
. Assays of epitope-tagged wild-type and mutant variants of CgtA
C
indicate that the C terminus of CgtA
C
is critical for 50S association. Interestingly, the addition of a C-terminal epitope tag also affected the ability of various

cgtA
C

alleles to function in vivo. Depletion of CgtA
C
led to perturbations in the polysome profile, raising the possibility that CgtA
C
is involved in ribosome assembly or stability.
A NEW SPINAL INSTRUMENTATION WITHOUT FUSION FOR THE TREATMENT OF PROGRESSIVE IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS IN GROWING CHILDREN
Authors: Ye Q. B. , Wang Y. P. , Zhang J. , Wu Z. H. , Weng X. S. 
Published: December 2003

Objective: To study on the therapeutic mechanism of an innovated instrumentation — Plate-Rod System for scoliosis (PRSS) and its effectiveness for the surgical management of idiopathic scoliosis in growing children. Method: To avoid the necessity of repeated operative instrument lengthening, a new device — Plate-rod Spinal System (PRSS) was developed in our department. It can provide and maintain desirable correction of scoliosis in growing children in an one-stage operation. The instrumentation will extend itself to keep up with the growth of the spinal column, which is helpful in preventing truncal shortening and "crankshaft phenomenon". From October 1998 to March 2001, thirty-four young children with progressive idiopathic scoliosis of average 62.8° were treated using PRSS without fusion. Results: The mean percentage of correction was 62.78%, the best being 87.2%. The average loss of correction of 8° was found in 15 cases at the time of average 28 months follow-up. The remaining cases have no loss of correction. An average of 13.5 mm spinal lengthening of the instrumental segments was achieved. When PRSS is in place, compressive stress found to exert on the convex side, while tensile stress on the concave side of the curvature, and more type X collagen mRNA to be expressed on convex side than concave side; this suggests that compressive stress leads to increase earlier cartilage degeneration of the end plate on convex side, so as to retard the growth of the end plate of this side, resulting in maximum spinal realignment. No severe complication was found in our series. Conclusion: The PRSS, which dispenses with spinal fusion and allows extension along with the children's growth, is a new effective instrumentation for correcting scoliosis, especially in case of growing children.
Genetic analysis of maximum cigarette-use phenotypes
Authors: Saccone Nancy L , Neuman Rosalind J , Saccone Scott F , Rice John P 
Published: December 2003

Abstract
Background
Using the Framingham Heart Study data set provided for Genetic Analysis Workshop 13, we defined the cigarette-use phenotype M for smokers to be the maximum number of cigarettes-per-day (MAXCIG) reported over the longitudinal course of the study. Adjustments were made for the significant covariates of gender and year of birth, and sib-pair based linkage analysis was performed.

Results
The primary analyses, in which individuals with MAXCIG = 0 were considered to have missing phenotype, resulted in modest linkage evidence, with LOD scores over 1 on chromosomes 5, 9, 13, 14, and 22.

Conclusions
While the results reported here do not indicate definitive evidence for linkage to specific chromosomal regions, future studies may find it useful to include direct assessments of maximum and quantitative cigarette use. In defining and analyzing quantitative or "maximum use" phenotypes, the choice of how to handle individuals with MAXCIG = 0, or alternatively, individuals who are substance-naive, is a crucial one for genetic studies of nicotine and other substance use. In this study, the linkage results vary greatly depending on whether or not these "unexposed" individuals are included in the analyses.
Genome-wide screen for heavy alcohol consumption
Authors: Wyszynski Diego F , Panhuysen Carolien I , Ma Qianli , Yip Agustin G , Wilcox Marsha , Erlich Porat , Farrer Lindsay A 
Published: December 2003

Abstract
Background
To find specific genes predisposing to heavy alcohol consumption (self-reported consumption of 24 grams or more of alcohol per day among men and 12 grams or more among women), we studied 330 families collected by the Framingham Heart Study made available to participants in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 (GAW13).

Results
Parametric and nonparametric methods of linkage analysis were used. No significant evidence of linkage was found; however, weak signals were identified in several chromosomal regions, including 1p22, 4q12, 4q25, and 11q24, which are in the vicinity of those reported in other similar studies.

Conclusion
Our study did not reveal significant evidence of linkage to heavy alcohol use; however, we found weak confirmation of studies carried out in other populations.
Analysis of gene × environment interactions in sibships using mixed models
Authors: Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S , Poisson Laila M , Coon Steven W , Chase Gary A , Rybicki Benjamin A 
Published: December 2003

Abstract
Background
Gene × environment models are widely used to assess genetic and environmental risks and their association with a phenotype of interest for many complex diseases. Mixed generalized linear models were used to assess gene × environment interactions with respect to systolic blood pressure on sibships adjusting for repeated measures and hierarchical nesting structures. A data set containing 410 sibships from the Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort (part of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 data) was used for all analyses. Three mixed gene × environment models, all adjusting for repeated measurement and varying levels of nesting, were compared for precision of estimates: 1) all sibships with adjustment for two levels of nesting (sibs within sibships and sibs within pedigrees), 2) all sibships with adjustment for one level of nesting (sibs within sibships), and 3) 100 data sets containing random draws of one sibship per extended pedigree adjusting for one level of nesting.

Results
The main effects were: gender, baseline age, body mass index (BMI), hypertensive treatment, cigarettes per day, grams of alcohol per day, and marker GATA48G07A. The interaction fixed effects were: baseline age by gender, baseline age by cigarettes per day, baseline age by hypertensive treatment, baseline age by BMI, hypertensive treatment by BMI, and baseline age by marker GATA48G07A. The estimates for all three nesting techniques were not widely discrepant, but precision of estimates and determination of significant effects did change with the change in adjustment for nesting.

Conclusion
Our results show the importance of the adjustment for all levels of hierarchical nesting of sibs in the presence of repeated measures.
Comparison of Haseman-Elston regression analyses using single, summary, and longitudinal measures of systolic blood pressure
Authors: Mirea Lucia , Bull Shelley B , Stafford James 
Published: December 2003

AbstractTo compare different strategies for linkage analyses of longitudinal quantitative trait measures, we applied the "revisited" Haseman-Elston (RHE) regression model (the cross product of centered sib-pair trait values is regressed on expected identical-by-descent allele sharing) to cross-sectional, summary, and repeated measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP) values in replicate 34, randomly selected from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 simulated data. RHE linkage scans were performed without knowledge of the generating model using the following phenotypes derived from untreated SBP measurements: the first, the last, the mean, the ratio of the change between the first and last over time, and the estimated linear regression slope coefficient. Estimates of allele sharing in sibling pairs were obtained from the complete genotype data of Cohorts 1 and 2, but linkage analyses were restricted to the five visits of Cohort 2 siblings. Evidence for linkage was suggestive (p < 0.001) at markers neighboring SBP genes Gb35, Gs10, and Gs12, but weaker signals (p < 0.01) were obtained at markers mapping close to Gb34 and Gs11. Linkage to baseline genes Gb34 and Gb35 was best detected using the first SBP measurement, whereas linkage to slope genes Gs10-12 was best detected using the last or mean SBP value. At markers on chromosomes 13 and 21 displaying strongest linkage signals, marginal RHE-type models including repeated SBP measures were fit to test for overall and time-dependent genetic effects. These analyses assumed independent sib pairs and employed generalized estimating equations (GEE) with a first-order autoregressive working correlation structure to adjust for serial correlation present among repeated observations from the same sibling pair.
Linkage analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinally derived phenotypic measures to identify loci influencing blood pressure
Authors: Shephard Neil , Falcaro Milena , Zeggini Eleftheria , Chapman Philip , Hinks Anne , Barton Anne , Worthington Jane , Pickles Andrew , John Sally 
Published: December 2003

Abstract
Background
The design of appropriate strategies to analyze and interpret linkage results for complex human diseases constitutes a challenge. Parameters such as power, definition of phenotype, and replicability have to be taken into account in order to reach meaningful conclusions. Incorporating data on repeated phenotypic measures may increase the power to detect linkage but requires sophisticated analysis methods. Using the simulated Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 data set, we have estimated a variety of systolic blood pressure (SBP) phenotypic measures and examined their performance with respect to consistency among replicates and to true and false positive linkage signals.

Results
The whole-genome scan conducted on a dichotomous hypertension phenotype indicated the involvement of few true loci with nominal significance and gave rise to a high rate of false positives. Analysis of a cross-sectional quantitative SBP measure performed better, although genome-wide significance was again not reached. Additional phenotypic measures were derived from the longitudinal data using random effects modelling for censored data with varying levels of covariate adjustment. These models provided evidence for significant linkage to most genes influencing SBP and produced few false positive results. Overall, replicability of results was poor for loci, representing weak effects.

Conclusion
Longitudinally derived phenotypes performed better than cross-sectional measures in linkage analyses. Bearing in mind the sample design and size of these data, linkage results that fail to replicate should not be dismissed; instead, different lines of evidence derived from complementary analysis methods should be combined to prioritize follow up.
Genome-wide linkage analysis using cross-sectional and longitudinal traits for body mass index in a subsample of the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Li Xiaohui , Wang Dai , Yang Kai , Guo Xiuqing , Lin Ying-chao , Samayoa Carlos G , Yang Huiying 
Published: December 2003

AbstractTo evaluate linkage evidence for body mass index (BMI) using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, we performed genome-wide multipoint linkage analyses on subjects who had complete data at four selected time points (initial, 8th, 12th, and 16th year following the initial visit) from the Framingham Heart Study. The cross-sectional measures included BMI at each of the four selected time points and the longitudinal measure was the within-subject mean of BMI at the above four time points.Using the variance components method, we consistently observed the maximum LOD score out of the genome scan using BMI at each time point and the mean of BMI between 049xd2 and GATA71H05 on chromosome 16. The highest LOD score (3.0) was at time point 1, while the lowest (1.9) was at time point 4. We also observed other suggestive linkages on chromosome 6, 10, and 18 at time point 1 only.The longitudinal measure we studied (mean of BMI) did not provide greater power to identify a positive linkage than some of the cross-sectional measures (e.g., time point 1). The changing of linkage evidence over time provided some insights on the variation of genetic effect on BMI with aging. There may be a QTL on chromosome 16 that contributes to BMI and this locus, and maybe others, is more likely to affect BMI during early adulthood.