bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Study of the role of leukotriene B4 in abnormal function of human subchondral osteoarthritis osteoblasts: Effects of cyclooxygenase and/or 5‐lipoxygenase inhibition
Authors: Paredes Yosabeth , Massicotte Frédéric , Pelletier Jean‐Pierre , Martel‐Pelletier Johanne , Laufer Stefan , Lajeunesse Daniel 
Published: September 2002

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the effect of licofelone, NS‐398 (an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 2 [COX‐2]), and BayX‐1005 (an inhibitor of 5‐lipoxygenase activating protein) on the production of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and on cell biomarkers by human osteoarthritis (OA) subchondral osteoblasts.MethodsPrimary in vitro osteoblasts were prepared from subchondral bone specimens obtained from OA patients and autopsy subjects. LTB4 and PGE2 levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in conditioned media of osteoblasts incubated in the presence or absence of licofelone, NS‐398, or BayX‐1005. The effect of these drugs or of the addition of LTB4 on alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and osteocalcin release by OA and normal osteoblasts was determined. The presence of LTB4 receptors in normal and OA osteoblasts was evaluated by Western blot analysis.ResultsOA osteoblasts produced variable levels of PGE2 and LTB4 compared with normal osteoblasts. Licofelone, at the maximal dose used, inhibited production of PGE2 and LTB4 by OA osteoblasts by a mean ± SEM of 61.2 ± 6.4% and 67.0 ± 7.6%, respectively. NS‐398 reduced PGE2 production by 75.8 ± 5.3%. BayX‐1005 inhibited LTB4 production in OA osteoblasts by 38.7 ± 14.5% and marginally affected PGE2 levels (reduction of 14.8 ± 5.3%). Licofelone dose‐dependently stimulated 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D‐induced AP activity while inhibiting osteocalcin release. BayX‐1005 partly reproduced these effects, but NS‐398 failed to affect them. LTB4 dose‐dependently inhibited AP activity in OA osteoblasts, while its effect on osteocalcin depended on endogenous LTB4 levels in these cells. In normal osteoblasts, LTB4 dose‐dependently stimulated osteocalcin, whereas it failed to influence AP. LTB4 receptors BLT1 and BLT2 were present in normal and OA osteoblasts.ConclusionLicofelone inhibits the production of PGE2 and LTB4. Selective effects of licofelone on AP and osteocalcin occur via its role on LTB4 production. Because LTB4 can modify cell biomarkers in OA and normal osteoblasts, our results suggest licofelone could modify abnormal bone remodeling in OA.
Modelling recruitment training in mathematical human resource planning
Authors: Georgiou A. C. , Tsantas N. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThis paper deals with mathematical human resource planning; more specifically, it suggests a new model for a manpower‐planning system. In general, we study a k‐classed hierarchical system where the workforce demand at each time period is satisfied through internal mobility and recruitment. The motivation for this work is based on various European Union incentives, which promote regional or local government assistance programs that could be exploited by firms not only for hiring and training newcomers, but also to improve the skills and knowledge of their existing personnel. In this respect, in our augmented mobility model we establish a new ‘training/standby’ class, which serves as a manpower inventory position for potential recruits. This class, which may very well be internal or external to the system, is incorporated into the framework of a non‐homogeneous Markov chain model. Furthermore, cost objectives are employed using the goal‐programming approach, under different operating assumptions, in order to minimize the operational cost in the presence of system's constraints and regulations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of flow regime on the architecture of a Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilm
Authors: Pereira Maria Olivia , Kuehn Martin , Wuertz Stefan , Neu Thomas , Melo Luis F. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractA comparison of the effects of laminar versus turbulent flow regime on the characteristics of a single‐species biofilm is presented. The study was carried out by growing Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms in a flow cell and studying the different layers of the biological matrix with a confocal laser‐scanning microscope. The following conclusions were obtained: i) a higher concentration of cells was found in the upper layers of the microbial films than in their inner layers, regardless of the flow regime; ii) the fraction of cells in the overall biofilm mass decreased with time as the film grew; and iii) under laminar flow the total number of cells was higher than in biofilms formed under turbulent flow, but the latter had a higher number of cells per unit volume. Such conclusions, together with the fact that the biofilms were more dense and stable when formed in contact with turbulent flows, favor the design of more compact and efficient biofilm reactors operating in turbulent conditions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 78: 164–171, 2002; DOI 10.1002/bit.10189
Solar energy conversion by green microalgae: A photosystem for hydrogen peroxide production
Authors: de la Rosa F. F. , Montes O. , Galván F. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractA photosystem for solar energy conversion, comprised of a culture of green microalgae supplemented with methyl viologen, is proposed. The capture of solar energy is based on the Mehler reaction. The reduction of methyl viologen by the photosynthetic apparatus and its subsequent reoxidation by oxygen produces hydrogen peroxide. This is a rich‐energy compound that can be used as a nonpollutant and efficient fuel. Four different species of green microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (21gr) C. reinhardtii (CW15), Chlorella fusca, and Monoraphidium braunii, were tested as a possible biocatalyst. Each species presented a different efficiency level in the transformation of energy. Azide was an efficient inhibitor of the hydrogen peroxide scavenging system while maintaining photosynthetic activity of the microalgae, and thus significantly increasing the production of the photosystem. The strain C. reinhardtii (21gr), among the species studied, was the most efficient with an initial production rate of 185 μmol H2O2/h · mg Chl and reaching a maximum of 42.5 μmol H2O2/mg Chl when assayed in the presence of azide inhibitor. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 539–543, 2001.
Is ε4 allele of apolipoprotein associated with more severe end‐organ damage in essential hypertension?
Authors: Yilmaz Hülya , Isbir Turgay , Ağaçhan Bedia , Aydin Makbule 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThe aim of the present study comparing patients with mild to moderate hypertension with controls, was to explore a possible association between hypertension‐related target organ damage and evaluation found in the gene encoding apolipoprotein E (apo E) genotype. Detailed medical history was recorded and physical examination was performed for all patients in the study (88 hypertensives, 63 normotensive controls). PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), and agarose gel electrophoresis techniques were used to determine the apo E genotypes. The frequencies of apo ε2, apo ε3, and apo ε4 alleles were 3.97, 88.06, and 9.95%, respectively in the hypertensive group. The frequencies of apo ε2, apo ε3, and apo ε4 alleles were 5.5, 92.0, and 2.38%, respectively in the control group. There were about twice as many individuals in the heterozygote hypertensive group who had apo E3/4 as compared to the control group (7.30 vs. 2.38%) (p = 0.07). The hypertensive patients who were carriers of the apo ε4 had significantly higher organ damage (left ventricular hypertrophy (p < 0.001). dilated left atrium (p < 0.05), retinopathy (p < 0.05)) as compared to those who were not carriers of apo ε4. These results showed a trend for the ε4 allele to be associated with a higher prevalence of target organ damage in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conserved and divergent patterns of Reelin expression in the zebrafish central nervous system
Authors: Costagli Arianna , Kapsimali Marika , Wilson Stephen W. , Mione Marina 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThe protein Reelin is suggested to function in cell–cell interactions and in mediating neuronal migrations in layered central nervous system structures. With the aim of shedding light on the development of the teleost telencephalon, which forms through the process of eversion and results in the formation of a nonlaminar pallium, we isolated a zebrafish ortholog of the reelin gene and studied its expression in developing and adult brain. The pattern of expression is highly dynamic during the first 24–72 hours of development. By 5 days postfertilization, high amounts of reelin mRNA are found in the dorsal telencephalon, thalamic and hypothalamic regions, pretectal nuclei, optic tectum, cerebellum, hindbrain, reticular formation, and spinal cord, primarily confined to postmitotic neurons. This pattern persists in 1‐ to 3‐month‐old zebrafish. This study, together with reports on reelin expression in other vertebrates, shows that reelin mRNA distribution is conserved in many regions of the vertebrate brain. A major exception is that reelin is expressed in the majority of the cells of the dorsal regions of the everted telencephalon in zebrafish embryos, whereas it is restricted to specific neuronal populations in the developing telencephalon of amniotes. To better understand the origin of these differences, we analyzed reelin expression in the telencephalon of an amphibian. Telencephalic reelin expression in Xenopus laevis shows more similarities with the sauropsidian than with the teleostean pattern. Thus, the differences in the telencephalic expression of reelin between teleosts and tetrapods are likely to be due to different roles for Reelin during eversion, a process that is specific for the teleost telencephalon. J. Comp. Neurol. 450:73–93, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development and performance analysis of real‐world applications for distributed and parallel architectures
Authors: Fahringer T. , Blaha P. , Hössinger A. , Luitz J. , Mehofer E. , Moritsch H. , Scholz B. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractSeveral large real‐world applications have been developed for distributed and parallel architectures. We examine two different program development approaches. First, the usage of a high‐level programming paradigm which reduces the time to create a parallel program dramatically but sometimes at the cost of a reduced performance; a source‐to‐source compiler, has been employed to automatically compile programs—written in a high‐level programming paradigm—into message passing codes. Second, a manual program development by using a low‐level programming paradigm—such as message passing—enables the programmer to fully exploit a given architecture at the cost of a time‐consuming and error‐prone effort. Performance tools play a central role in supporting the performance‐oriented development of applications for distributed and parallel architectures. SCALA—a portable instrumentation, measurement, and post‐execution performance analysis system for distributed and parallel programs—has been used to analyze and to guide the application development, by selectively instrumenting and measuring the code versions, by comparing performance information of several program executions, by computing a variety of important performance metrics, by detecting performance bottlenecks, and by relating performance information back to the input program. We show several experiments of SCALA when applied to real‐world applications. These experiments are conducted for a NEC Cenju‐4 distributed‐memory machine and a cluster of heterogeneous workstations and networks. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Involvement of histone deacetylase at two distinct steps in gene regulation during intestinal development in Xenopus laevis
Authors: Sachs Laurent M. , Amano Tosikazu , Rouse Nicole , Shi Yun‐Bo 
Published: September 2002

AbstractAmphibian metamorphosis is marked by dramatic thyroid hormone (T3)‐induced changes including de novo morphogenesis, tissue remodeling and organ resorption through programmed cell death. These changes involve cascades of gene regulation initiated by thyroid hormone and its receptors. Previous studies suggest that chromatin remodeling involving changes in core histone acetylation plays a fundamental role in transcriptional regulation. A basic model has been suggested where targeted histone deacetylation is involved in transcriptional repression and histone acetylation is involved in transcriptional activation. On the other hand, the developmental roles of histone acetylation remain to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that tadpole treatment with trichostatin A, a specific potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, blocks metamorphosis. Gene expression analyses show that trichostatin A induces the release of T3‐response gene repression without affecting T3‐induction of direct T3‐response genes. However, the drug blocks the regulation of late T3‐response genes, which may be responsible for its inhibitory effects on metamorphosis. These data support a role of deacetylases in transcriptional repression by unliganded T3 receptor during premetamorphosis and another role at a downstream step of the gene regulation cascade induced by T3 during metamorphosis. Published 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Can you ever be too old to be too thin? Anorexia nervosa in a 92‐year‐old woman
Authors: Mermelstein Hindi T. , Basu Ranita 
Published: September 2002

AbstractAnorexia nervosa is a common psychiatric condition that most often affects young adults. If left untreated, it can have significant morbidity and mortality.Methods and DiscussionIn this report, we describe a woman first diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age 92 and we discuss the relevant diagnostic and treatment‐related issues.ConclusionThis case underscores the need to heighten diagnostic sensitivity for this and other eating disorders at any age. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 123–2001.
On the accuracy of simplified methods for the analysis of isolated bridges
Authors: Franchin P. , Monti G. , Pinto P. E. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractTo foster the use of seismic isolation in structures, existing guidelines strive to formulate design methods which are simple and accessible to non‐specialized engineers. On the other hand, not all of the simplifying provisions adopted by the norms can be said to have been adequately tested to provide a consistent level of accuracy. The study attempts, in particular, to elucidate three aspects related to the methods of analysis for linear or linearized isolated bridges on which little or no advice can be found in the norms. The first one is about the way one has to account for the fact that damping matrices of isolated bridges are never of proportional type. The present study demonstrates, through a number of typical applications, that classical modal analysis, using real modes and the diagonal terms of the modal damping matrices, still provide a fully acceptable approximation. The second and third aspects are related to the use of linearization expressions extended to the analysis of hyperstatic bridges. Parametric analyses conducted in the study show that none of the formulas in current use gives satisfactory results for both the displacement and the force responses, a requirement for a reliable design of an isolated bridge. How to use the equivalent linear parameters, and in particular the isolators equivalent damping ratios, in the context of a modal analysis, is treated next. This problem is seldom if ever mentioned in the norms where at most a formula is given for constructing modal damping ratios based on the damping ratios of the isolators. A rational, approximate procedure is discussed in this paper, applicable to all types of structures with non‐proportional damping, which in the case of bridges can be shown to reduce to the expression provided in the Japanese bridge design guidelines. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Essential oil constituents of Melia dubia, a wild relative of Azadirachta indica growing in the Eastern Ghats of Peninsular India
Authors: Nagalakshmi M. A. H. , Thangadurai D. , Anuradha T. , Pullaiah T. 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThe leaf essential oil of Melia dubia Cav. (Meliaceae) has been studied by GC–MS. The leaf essential oil consists chiefly of monoterpenes (35.71%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (27.98%), accompanied by a relatively much smaller amount of alkanes (11.17%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (9.26%) and phenylpropanoids (3.90%). The monoterpene camphene occurs as a major constituent (21.68%) of this leaf essential oil. It is accompanied by a noticeable amount of α‐ and β‐pinene (3.12% and 5.13%, respectively) and a much smaller amount of sabinene (2.75%). The oxygenated monoterpenes are distinctly dominated by the presence of the bicyclic ketone camphor (17.85%), while iso‐borneol and borneol are detected in much smaller amounts (4.15% and 1.12%, respectively). Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human LPP gene is fused to MLL in a secondary acute leukemia with a t(3;11) (q28;q23)
Authors: Dahéron Laurence , Veinstein Anne , Brizard Françoise , Drabkin Harry , Lacotte Laurence , Guilhot François , Larsen Christian Jacques , Brizard André , Roche Joelle 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThe mixed lineage leukemia, MLL, gene is frequently rearranged in patients with secondary leukemia following treatment with DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors. By FISH and Southern blot analyses we identified a rearrangement in the MLL gene due to a novel t(3;11)(q28;q23) chromosomal translocation in a patient who developed AML‐M5 3 years after treatment for a follicular lymphoma. Through inverse PCR, the LPP (lipoma preferred partner) gene on 3q28 was identified as the MLL fusion partner. LPP contains substantial identity to the focal adhesion protein, zyxin, and is frequently fused to HMGIC in lipomas. The breakpoint occurred in intron 8 of MLL and LPP. Two in‐frame MLL‐LPP transcripts, which fuse MLL exon 8 to LPP exon 9, were detected by RT‐PCR, although the smaller of these contained a deletion of 120 bp from the MLL sequence. The predicted MLL‐LPP fusion protein includes the A/T hook motifs and methyltransferase domain of MLL joined to the two last LIM domains of LPP. A reciprocal LPP‐MLL transcript, predicted to include the proline‐rich and leucine zipper motifs, and the first LIM domain of LPP were also detected by RT‐PCR. In summary, LPP is a newly identified MLL fusion partner in secondary leukemia resulting from topoisomerase inhibitors. The MLL‐LPP and LPP‐MLL predicted proteins contain many of the features present in other MLL rearrangements. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CDKN2A germline splicing mutation affecting both p16ink4 and p14arf RNA processing in a melanoma/neurofibroma kindred
Authors: Petronzelli Fiorella , Sollima Danila , Coppola Giuseppe , Martini‐Neri Maria Enrica , Neri Giovanni , Genuardi Maurizio 
Published: September 2002

AbstractThe CDKN2A locus encodes two tumor suppressor proteins, p16ink4 and p14arf, through use of alternative first exons. CDKN2A mutations detected in melanoma families are usually missense or nonsense changes which mainly impair p16ink4 function. Large genomic deletions spanning the entire locus have been observed in two pedigrees with melanomas and nervous tumors. We have detected a novel splice site mutation in a family with melanomas, neurofibromas, and multiple dysplastic nevi. Both alternative mRNAs produced by the mutant allele lacked shared sequences from exon 2, which encodes a substantial portion (>50%) of both p16ink4 and p14arf proteins. The development of neurofibromas can be explained by cooperative effects of combined inactivation of p16ink4 and p14arf or, alternatively, of p14arf alone. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tamoxifen and toremifene treatment of breast cancer and risk of subsequent endometrial cancer: A population‐based case‐control study
Authors: Pukkala Eero , Kyyrönen Pentti , Sankila Risto , Holli Kaija 
Published: September 2002

AbstractA population‐based case‐control study was performed to evaluate the risk of endometrial cancer related to tamoxifen or toremifene treatment. All patients with breast cancer diagnosis since 1980 in Finland who subsequently developed an endometrial cancer by the end of 1995 and 3 matched controls were identified among the 38,000 breast cancer patients of the Finnish Cancer Registry database. Detailed information on treatment of breast cancer and potential confounders was collected from hospital records. The OR for tamoxifen treatment (59 cases), adjusted for significant cofactors (increased risk associated with obesity, low parity and PR positivity) was 2.9 (95% CI 1.8–4.7). The OR for toremifene (3 cases) was 0.9 (95% CI 0.3–3.9). The OR related to adjuvant tamoxifen treatment reached its maximum 2–5 years after the beginning of treatment (OR 5.1, 95% CI 2.1–13), while the OR for tamoxifen used for palliative treatment of advanced breast cancer was especially high after a lag of over 5 years (OR 9.5, 95% CI 2.5–36). The risk increase due to tamoxifen was slightly higher if the age at initiation was below 55, and risk was more pronounced among patients with well‐differentiated endometrial cancer than patients with cancers of clinical grades 2 or 3. According to our results, treatment with tamoxifen increases the risk of endometrial cancer. Due to the rare use of toremifene up to the mid‐1990s, the risk assessment concerning it was inconclusive. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6 gene deletion and CYP2E1 genotypes on gastric adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tsukino Hiromasa , Kuroda Yoshiki , Qiu Delai , Nakao Hiroyuki , Imai Hirohisa , Katoh Takahiko 
Published: September 2002

AbstractCytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6 and CYP2E1 are enzymes with a high ability to activate a nitrosamine, 4‐(methylnitrosamino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanone (NNK), to its potent and ultimate carcinogens. The polymorphic CYP2A6 and CYP2E1 have been implicated in increased susceptibility to certain malignancies. In our study, 120 Japanese patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and 158 healthy controls were compared for frequencies of CYP2A6 and CYP2E1 genotypes. The frequency with which the subjects carried homozygotes of the CYP2A6 gene deletion allele, which causes lack of the enzyme activity, was significantly higher in the gastric cancer patients than in the healthy control subjects (OR = 3.14, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.05–9.41). Subdividing gastric adenocarcinoma according to tumor differentiation, patients with the well‐differentiated type were 4.9‐fold more likely to have the CYP2A6 homozygote deletion genotype (OR = 4.91, 95% CI 1.17–20.52). Stratifying by smoking status, we did not find the risk of CYP2A6 gene deletion allele in gastric adenocarcinoma. The CYP2E1 polymorphism detected by RsaI was not significantly different between gastric adenocarcinoma patients (40.8%) and the control population (44.3%). No statistically significant changes were observed when the CYP2E1 genotype was examined relative to tumor differentiation and smoking status. These results suggest that the CTY2A6 deletion is associated with gastric adenocarcinoma among Japanese populations. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.