bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do Calcium Channel Blockers Adversely Affect Hormonal Treatment of Prostate Cancer Through an Inhibition of Apoptosis?
Authors: Buchholz Thomas A. , Eng Tony Y. , Martin Douglas D. , Powell Curt R. , Johnstone Peter A. S. , Allen Pamela 
Published: March 2003

Background: Hormonal therapy of prostate cancer is mediated, in part, through apoptosis. This process is dependent on intracellular calcium influx. This study investigates whether the use of calcium channel blockers inhibits this process and thereby negatively impacts hormonal therapy. Methods: Records from patients dying from metastatic prostate cancer in three medical centers were reviewed. The date of diagnosis, date of metastatic disease, date of death, Gleason sum, type of hormone therapy, and calcium channel blocker used were recorded. Results: Of the 180 patients, 26 were on a calcium channel blocker at the time of their hormonal therapy. The length of survival from the time of hormone therapy to death in these patients did not differ from the 154 patients not on a calcium channel blocker (respective median survival time of 819 days versus 730 days, p = 0.913—log rank test of the survival curves). Similarly, there were no differences in length of survival from the date of diagnosis between the two groups. Other analyzed factors (type of hormone therapy, Gleason score, and interval between diagnosis and metastatic disease) also did not affect length of survival from the time of hormonal treatment or time of diagnosis. Conclusion: We found no evidence that calcium channel blockers inhibit the therapeutic efficacy of hormonal treatment for metastatic prostate cancer.
Prostate Apoptosis in Response to Castration in Wild‐Type and Nerve Growth Factor‐Induced Gene A‐Deficient Mice
Authors: Naughton Cathy K. , Tourtellotte Warren G. , Smith Deborah S. , Milbrandt Jeffrey 
Published: March 2003

Objective: Nerve growth factor‐induced gene A (NGFIA) is a transcription factor implicated in androgen deprivation‐induced apoptosis in an androgen‐sensitive prostate cell line (
1,
2). The objective of our study was to investigate the role of NGFIA in prostate apoptosis in response to androgen ablation in a mouse animal model lacking the gene. Materials and Methods: Wild‐type mice (n = 56) and NGFIA‐deficient mice (“knock‐out”) (n = 16) were surgically castrated. The animals were killed at 0 (noncastrated controls), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days after castration, and the prostates were harvested. Tissue sections were stained for morphologic analysis and quantification of apoptosis using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotinylated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) strategy. Apoptosis was quantitatively measured by counting the number of TUNEL‐positive cells/100 epithelial cells by light microscopy. The percentage of apoptosis was compared for wild‐type mice versus NGFIA‐deficient mice after castration at the defined time points. Results: We found a statistically significant increase in the mean percentage of prostate cell apoptosis within 7–21 days after castration in both wild‐type and NGFIA‐deficient mice (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean percentage of apoptotic prostate cells between wild‐type and NGFIA‐deficient mice 1–5 or 7–21 days after castration (p > 0.05). Conclusion: NGFIA does not seem to play a critical role in prostate apoptosis induced by androgen ablation in this mouse model.
Testicular Metastasis from Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: Review of Literature and Report of Two Cases
Authors: Berkmen Ferhat , Ayyıldız Ali , Ardıçoğlu Arslan 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTumor metastases to the testes, excluding lymphomas and leukemias, are extremely uncommon. In the literature there have been reports of 236 different cancer metastases to the testis. The most common origin is the prostate in 76 (32%) cases. We report two additional cases of testicular metastases from adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Immunohistochemical analysis of prostate specific antigen indicated that the metastatic cancer was of prostatic origin.
Preoperative Detection of Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer by Using Transrectal Ultrasound‐Guided Staging Prostate Biopsy
Authors: Zisman Amnon , Herbert Merdad , Strauss Simon , Manor Hana , Liebovici Dan , Lindner Arie 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTTreatment for cure is reserved for patients with organ‐confined prostate cancer. The clinical staging of prostate cancer lacks accuracy regarding local extension. The results of a transrectal ultrasound‐guided staging biopsy (TGSB), performed in addition to routine sextant biopsies (RSBs) of the prostate, is defined as being positive when tumor cells are shown to invade extraprostatic loci and, thus, would certainly differentiate between organ‐confined and locally advanced disease. Seventy‐seven RSB + TGSB procedures were compared to 223 routine sextant prostate TRGBs. Prostate cancer (CaP) was detected in 24 patients (31%) and 60 patients (27%), respectively. In four RSB + TGSB procedures, local extension of CaP was depicted, and as a result radical prostatectomy was withheld. In six of seven patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (86%), the specimen analysis result was in agreement with the results of the preoperative TGSB. There were no extra complications associated with the performance of staging biopsies. We conclude that TGSB is safe and efficacious and that it should be performed in candidates for radical prostatectomy.
An Innovative Tool for Predicting the Pathologic Stage of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Martorana Giuseppe , Bertaccini Allesandro , Viaggi Stefano , Belleli Rossella 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTObjective: To develop a practical tool for predicting the pathologic stage in prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: Two hundred fifty patients who had had radical prostatectomy were selected from an Italian longitudinal observational study on prostate cancer. Inclusion criteria for selection were the following: a preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) value <50 ng/ml; a clinical stage less than or equal to stage T3c (TNM 1992); the availability of the bioptic Gleason score; and the availability of a pathologic specimen obtained during the radical prostatectomy. Pathologic stages were categorized into five levels according to the increasing severity of the illness. Multivariate logistic regression on polythomous ordinal response was performed to obtain a predictive model of disease progression. A set of parallel scale nomographs then was constructed to transfer the predictive model into a new tool, called the “Uro‐gramma,” that is able to simplify the practical use of the traditional nomograms.Results: The Gleason score was the factor that influenced the probability of pathologic stage progression the most; PSA and clinical stage were the second and third most significant factors, respectively. Two‐way and three‐way interactions were tested and were not found to be significant. The confounding effects of age and neoadjuvant hormonal therapy also were tested, and they had no significant influence on the response variable. A logistic regression algorithm then was used to produce a set of nomographs (the Uro‐gramma) for the prediction of different pathologic stages using the Gleason score, PSA level, and clinical stage of disease.Conclusion: The predictive model obtained from this Italian study will help physicians and patients in therapeutic decision making. The Uro‐gramma provides a new and easier instrument with respect to previous nomograms and multidimensional tables for pathologic stage prediction.
County Drought Relief: A Public Health Nurse's Problem
Authors: Wharton Anne L. 
Published: March 2003

Editor's Note— Last winter was more than usually full of traumas, natural and unnatural. Regardless of where one lives, natural events can devastate whole geographic regions. Hurricanes, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, tornadoes, and droughts, leave in their wake ruined homes, power outages, and crop failures. All too frequently, these natural disasters cause people to die, as well. Communities are forced under such circumstances to regroup and rebuild. It is in these activities that we may sometimes learn from disaster, as individuals reach out to one another to meet temporary needs. The power of collective action is demonstrated in stories told by public health nurses who witnessed and participated in disaster recovery.For the second in the series of three reprints highlighting nursing following natural disasters earlier in this century, I have selected the account of a public health nurse who worked in rural Virginia in the winter of 1931 following a drought that left many residents of the region destitute. It was orginally published in Public Health Nursing in August 1931. From a late twentieth century perspective, her particularism and her choice of family to portray to her readers may grate on us a bit. Yet the enduring themes of effective public health work—case‐finding, grassroots involvement, and collaboration—resound from one end of the century to the other.
Immusorba TR and Immusorba PH: Basics of Design and Features of Functions
Authors: Yoshida Makoto , Tamura Yuichi , Yamada Yukihiro , Yamawaki Naokuni , Yamashita Yasuhiko 
Published: March 2003

Abstract: Guest Editor's Introduction: Selective adsorption of target substances can be achieved based upon the application of physical and chemical interactions as well. Asahi Medical Co. developed 2 types of selective adsorbent columns, Immusorba PH‐350, and Immusorba TR‐350. These adsorbents consist of crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol gel beds with microporous structures for the base material, which immobilized a specific amino acid with hydrophobic property. Immusorba PH‐350 has phenylalanines as the ligand, which adsorbs the pathogenic substances such as immune complexes and anti‐DNA antibody. Tryptophan is immobilized in the Immusorba TR‐350, which adsorbs antiacetylcholine receptor antibodies. This paper describes the basic designs, adsorption characteristics, and summary of clinical applications of these adsorbents. This paper was printed in Therapeutic Apheresis, vol 2, page 185–192 (1998), and reprinted here with permission.Immusorba was reported by Yamazaki et al. to be the world's first practical immunoadsorbent in 1982. Since then, this immunoadsorbent has accumulated an abundance of clinical achievements. Immusorba has such unique functions that it is used in treating various diseases and holds possibilities for application to more diseases. Immusorba was designed as an artificial receptor for rheumatoid factor (RF) based on structural analysis of heat‐denaturated globulin. Subsequently, new substances that it can adsorb have been found as seen in reports on the adsorption performance of Immusorba to anti‐acetylcholine receptor antibodies (anti‐AChR Abs) and antiganglioside antibodies. Along with this, Immusorba has been used in treating a wide range of diseases. The greatest characteristic of Immusorba is that its adsorption capability is selective rather than specific, making it effective against a great number of diseases.
Establishment of Transplants on Machine‐Graded Ski Runs Above Timberline in the Swiss Alps
Authors: Fattorini Marzio 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe suitability of 24 native species for restoration above the timberline in Switzerland was assessed with demographic monitoring of their populations after transplanting. The plots were laid out in 1985–1986 and 1995–1996 on machine‐graded ski runs using a total of 8,603 transplants of native grasses, legumes and forbs. Establishment conditions were improved with biodegradable wood‐fiber mats and a small addition of garden soil. Transplant survival rates were generally good after 12 years. The regeneration of mixed stands was clearly recognizable because some transplants successfully reproduced by seed, and colonizers immigrated from the adjacent natural vegetation and neighboring restoration plots. Comparative studies of reproductive parameters in transplants and their donor population revealed that differences in seed production may become nonsignificant within a short time span. These fitness features have important diagnostic value for assessing restoration success and provide information on the performance of the same or closely related genotypes in their natural populations and in the restoration site. The plants studied showed species‐specific traits in establishment after transplanting. Most species can be recommended for restoration in the alpine vegetation belt. The risk of restoration failure can be considerably reduced by using species with different life‐history characteristics. From an ecological point of view, this method is a valid alternative to commercial revegetation using seed mixtures of non‐native species and large amounts of fertilizers.
Linking Habitat Restoration to Meaningful Units of Animal Demography
Authors: Smallwood K. Shawn 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTo restore habitat is to restore the functional aspects of a place where one or more species are intended to live. However, habitat restored with the right structural elements can still fail to support the species due to insufficient space and spatial contiguity (e.g., movement corridors) with nearby habitat. The spatial extent of habitat determines its capacity to support various demographic units, such as a breeding pair of individuals, a true population, or a metapopulation. In scatter‐plots of published density estimates and their corresponding study area sizes, I found consistent patterns that appeared to represent spatial scale domains, in which subpopulations, populations, and multiple populations exist for each species. These spatial scale domains can help guide habitat restoration by indicating the minimum area needed to support apopulation.The effectiveness of restored habitat, considered alone or in combination with existing habitat, should be judged by the habitat's capacity to sustain a functioning population, which includes the population's membership in a metapopulation. Additionally, the evidence increasingly demonstrates that habitat must include sufficient space for the population(s) to periodically relocate as resources are depleted locally. The spatial extent of proposed habitat restoration can now be linked to the likely demographic unit of the species that can be supported there. I provide two examples of proposed habitat conservation and their likely effectiveness based on their spatial areas.
Skin Sympathetic Response In Subclinical Diabetic Neuropathy
Authors: Kucera P , Krahulec B , Strbová  , L.  
Published: March 2003

Skin sympathetic response (SSR)—a method of assessing sudomotor sympathetic fibres dysfunction—is absent in 9–83% of diabetic patients with distal symmetrical sensorimotor neuropathy (1,2). There are only few reports in the literature about SSR in subclinical stages of diabetic neuropathy. We therefore measured SSR in 73 diabetic patients (49 patients with clinically evident diabetic neuropathy/assessed with pin prick test, light touch, 128 Hz tuning fork, ankle reflexes and 10 g monofilament/ and 24 patients without clinical signs of diabetic neuropathy, but with abnormal conduction studies of nervus suralis and peroneus) and 32 normal subjects at both feet and hands. We considered the SSR abnormal only when it was absent in two or more extremities. SSR was present in all normal subjects in all extremities (100%). SSR was absent in 47% of the whole group of diabetic patients. It was absent in 34.7% of the subgroup of patients with clinically evident diabetic neuropathy, and 20.8% in the subgroup without clinical signs of neuropathy. These differences were not statistically significant. Our results support the observations of higher vulnerability and early involvement of small unmyelinated peripheral sympathetic fibres in diabetes mellitus. We conclude, that measuring of SSR can be helpful in diagnosis of subclinical diabetic neuropathy and can extend spectrum of electrophysiological diagnostic methods.1. Soliven B, Maselli R, Jaspan J, Green A, Graziano H, Petersen M, Spire J‐P: Sympathetic skin response in diabetic neuropathy. Muscle Nerve 10, 1987: 711–716.2. Niakan E, Harati Y: Sympathetic skin response in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Muscle Nerve 2, 1988: 261–264.
Recirculating Culture for Chondracanthus Exasperatus
Authors: Waaland J. R. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe red alga Chondracanthus exasperatus is a source of the phycocolloid carrageenan as well as an ingredient referred to as ‘intralamellar gel’ in a recently developed cosmetic formula (US Patent 6136 329). The high value of the cosmetic product has sparked renewed interest in cultivation of this species. Previous cultivation methods for this species include open water culture on nets and immersed cultivation in tanks supplied with flow‐through pumped seawater. The installation of a high capacity seawater supply, pumping and drain system is a major cost for flow through systems. Recirculating or re‐use seawater systems that minimize seawater turnover may offer significant cost savings over single‐pass, flow through seawater systems. In this research several options for minimizing seawater use have been tested: recirculating batch culture in which nutrient replenished (carbon dioxide and mineral nutrients) natural or artificial seawater is used with minimal turnover and spray culture in which plants are suspended in air saturated with nutrient replenished natural or artificial seawater medium. Small volume (<2 L), single‐plant bioreactors and larger multiplant, 20, 80 and 320 L (sea water volume) immersion and spray systems have been developed and tested. Results from these systems will be presented. Research supported by Washington Sea Grant, Washington Biotechnology Center and Soliv International Corporation.
Digital Algae: A Boon to Research and Teaching
Authors: Waters D. A. , Ciugulea I. I. , Chapman R. L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAs part of a larger coastal ecology project, we have initiated a web‐accessible, digitized phytoplankton image and taxonomy database of algae collected in a coastal wetland south of New Orleans, Louisiana. Examining phytoplankton dynamics is a large component of the project, titled ‘Pulses—The Importance of Pulsed Physical Events for Watershed Sustainability in Coastal Louisiana’ (a joint NSF/EPA/USDA Water and Watershed program). A total of 168 species of algae from 76 genera in 8 phyla have been identified from the phytoplankton samples, and 130 high‐resolution (300 dpi) digital images taken. These taxonomic identification data are included in a database with collection information (i.e. location, date). Ecological data (i.e. turbidity, salinity, and nutrients such as nitrate and nitrite, ammonium, phosphorous, and silica) will be added to the database. Having this information available on the web is an important resource for continued research in coastal Louisiana and perhaps other regions with similar ecosystems and hydrology. The database can also be a useful tool for teaching high school and college students. Microscopic phytoplankton are notoriously difficult to identify, and the images can be used in conjunction with keys to help students confirm their algal determinations. Students would also be able to see the main features of different groups of algae and learn some ecological aspects of the wetland habitat where they were collected. Please visit the web site at chapmanlab.lsu.edu/digitalalgae. This project was supported in part by a grant from the Office of Sea Grant Development at LSU.
Phylogenetic Analyses of Nuclear 18S rRNA Gene Sequences Indicate That the Mastophoroideae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) is a Polyphyletic Taxon
Authors: Gabel J. , Bailey J. C. , Freshwater D. W. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene sequences were determined for six species representing three genera classified within the Mastophoroideae and also for two species of Amphiroa (Lithophylloideae). These data were combined with previously published 18S rRNA sequences for 37 other coralline species and analyzed to: (1) determine the phylogenetic position of the Mastophoroideae within the Corallinales; and (2) examine relationships among Hydrolithon, Metamastophora, Neogoniolithon, and Spongites. Trees derived from parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of these data indicate that the Mastophoroideae is not monophyletic. Instead, our data suggest that group is polyphyletic and includes species belonging to three (or more) distinct evolutionary lineages. The nongeniculate genus Neogoniolithon is resolved as sister to the geniculate subfamily Corallinoideae. Hydrolithon is resolved as sister to the geniculate genus Metagoniolithon, an Australian endemic. In turn, Spongites is positioned at the base of a clade including Hydrolithon/Metagoniolithon as well as species classified in the Lithophylloideae. Finally, Metamastophora is placed in a well supported, but isolated, position as sister to all other taxa bearing uniporate tetrasporangial conceptacles. Our results imply that some reproductive and vegetative characters among the suite of features used to delimit the Mastophoroideae were acquired independently and are not homologous. Significantly, our results suggest that genicula are nonhomologous structures that evolved independently in four separate coralline taxa and from four nongeniculate ancestors belonging to distinct evolutionary lineages. On the basis of our findings Porolithon pachydermum is transferred to Hydrolithon as H. pachydermum (Foslie).
Cell Signaling in the Chemoaccumulation Response of the Colonial Green Alga Astrephomene Gubernaculifera
Authors: Hoops H. J. , Gifford S. M. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract A. gubernaculifera can grow on acetate even in the dark. Interestingly, it displays a well‐developed chemoaccumulation response to added acetate. We suggest that this chemoaccumulation results from a receptor‐based signaling pathway because the alga responds to the structurally similar molecule propionate even though the latter compound cannot support growth. Based on suggestions about chemotactic signaling pathways in other eukaryotes and postulated phototactic response of some algae, we hypothesized that the signaling pathway involves heterotrimeric G‐proteins. The effectiveness of the chemoresponse was determined by measuring the diameter of the chemoaccumulation cloud after addition of 10 mL aliquots of media containing acetate to colonies swimming in media without acetate. Neomycin, which inhibits the G‐protein dependent activity of phospholipase C, completely inhibited chemoaccumulation at 100 mM, and markedly reduced the density of the accumulation response at 10 mM with no obvious changes in general colonial motility. EGTA, a calcium chelator, abolished the chemoresponse. Mastoporan, a G‐protein activator, caused accumulation even in the absence of acetate. These results support the hypothesis that chemoaccumulation in A. gubernaculifera uses a G‐protein mediated, calcium‐dependent, cell‐signaling pathway.