bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating adhesion molecules in sera of asthmatic children
Authors: Tang Ren‐Bin , Chen Shu‐Jen , Soong Wen‐Jue , Chung Ruey‐Lung 
Published: August 2002

AbstractInfiltration of cells into the lung in asthma is regulated by several expressions of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) on cells present in the airways, and may play a role in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. We sought to evaluate the role of serum concentrations of the soluble forms of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1), vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (sVCAM‐1), and E‐selectin (sE‐selectin) in the control of disease activity in acute asthma. Circulating levels of sICAM‐1, sVCAM‐1, and sE‐selectin in sera from 15 normal control subjects and from 20 allergic asthmatic children with acute exacerbations who had returned to stable condition were determined by using commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits.The mean concentration of serum sICAM‐1 levels was significantly higher during an acute exacerbation of asthmatic children than in those with stable asthma (19.41 ± 10.65 ng/mL vs. 13.46 ± 5.44 ng/mL; P < 0.001) or in control subjects (9.83 ± 2.02 ng/mL; P < 0.001). For sVCAM‐1 and sE‐selectin, the mean serum concentration of sVCAM‐1 was slightly higher in children during an acute exacerbation asthma than when stable. However, the differences did not reach statistical significance. The mean serum concentrations of sVCAM‐1 and sE‐selectin in acute asthma or stable asthma were significiantly higher than in control subjects.This study provides further evidence that serum concentrations of sICAM‐1, sVCAM‐1, and sE‐selectin are increased in acute asthma. These findings further confirm that leukocyte endothelial adhesion plays a role in inflammmatory airway disease. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 33:249–254. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cystic fibrosis and infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: Is there an association?
Authors: Kakish Khalid S. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractCystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal genetic disease among Caucasian populations. The generally accepted incidence of CF in the United States is 1 in 3,200 in the Caucasian population. Intestinal obstructions and atresias have been described among patients with CF. An association of CF with infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) has not been previously documented.A review in our clinic of 72 patients with CF revealed IHPS in two. The incidence of 2.7% is greater than the 0.3% incidence expected in the general population. This ninefold increase in IHPS in patients with CF suggests an association between the two and warrants further investigation. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 33:404–405. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Persistent adenoviral infection and chronic obstructive bronchitis in children: Is there a link?
Authors: Pichler M. , Herrmann G. , Schmidt H. , Ahrens P. , Zielen S. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractChronic obstructive bronchitis with inadequate response to inhaled steroid and bronchodilator therapy is a rather rare disorder in children. Persistence of an adenoviral infection has been described as a possible cause of unremitting airway obstruction. We studied a group of 11 children with the clinical feature of chronic bronchial obstruction. A high‐resolution computed tomography (HR‐CT) scan was performed and typically showed hyperinflation and ground‐glass‐like opacities. All children underwent either bronchoscopic transbronchial or open lung biopsy. Biopsy specimens were stained with monoclonal antibodies detecting adenoviral antigen and analyzed by light‐microscopy. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was cultured for adenovirus, and antigen detection tests were performed. While some children had a history of proven adenoviral infection at the onset of their disease, in none of the cases could a persistence of adenovirus be shown. We conclude that adenoviral infection might act as a starter of chronic obstructive bronchitis in children, but that pathogenetic mechanisms other than persistent infection must be responsible for the chronicity of the disease. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; 32:367–371. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of tobacco smoke exposure and respiratory syncitial virus infection with airways reactivity in early childhood
Authors: Adler Alan , Ngo Long , Tager Ira B. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractExposure to infectious agents and environmental tobacco smoke are thought to induce bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). This study was undertaken to determine the effects of passive exposure to tobacco smoke and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) lower respiratory infection (LRI) during infancy on the occurrence of BHR in the first 2 years of life. Eighty‐six cases of documented RSV (mean age, 188 days) and 78 controls (mean age, 162 days) were enrolled from the clinic and in‐patient service of a single hospital. None had a history of prior LRI. Subjects were studied at 6‐month intervals up to 19 months of age with a standardized respiratory illness and parental smoking questionnaire, partial expiratory flow‐volume curves by the “hug” (rapid thoracic compression) technique, and methacholine challenge.Exposure to maternal and paternal cigarette smoking, maternal history of asthma, and mold exposure were associated with decreased levels of length‐corrected maximal flow at functional residual capacity (V′maxFRC). RSV‐LRI was not related to V′maxFRC. After adjustment of V′maxFRC for these factors, V′maxFRC was a significantly and positively correlated with a methacholine concentration provoking a 40% fall in V′maxFRC (PC40) and negatively correlated with dose‐response slope. After adjustment for V′maxFRC, there were no independent effects of tobacco smoke exposure or RSV‐LRI on methacholine responses.These data do not support a role for RSV as a risk factor for airways reactivity in childhood and indicate that exposure to tobacco smoke affects airways reactivity through its effects on airways. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; 32:418–427. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Racial differences in cellular composition of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Aoki Yoshitaka , Arai Yoichi , Maeda Hiroshi , Okubo Kazutoshi , Shinohara Katsuto 
Published: August 2002

AbstractBackgroundThe present study was designed to compare the cellular composition of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Caucasian‐American (CA), African‐American (AA), and Japanese (JP) men.MethodsBiopsy specimens of the prostate were obtained from 15 men of each racial group with a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) of 4.1–10.0 ng/mL. The stained cores were quantitatively analyzed for the percentage of the area with different cellular composition (stroma (S), epithelium (E), epithelial lumen (L), and glandular component (E + L = G)), using computer‐assisted color imaging.ResultsThe mean percent area density of S, E, and L in the prostate of CA men was 84.2, 12.1, and 3.8%, respectively; for AA, 84.4, 12.4, and 3.2%; for JP, 77.4, 15.2, and 7.5%. The S/E ratio is significantly lower in JP than in CA men. The S/G ratio is significantly lower in JP than in CA and AA men. Overall, JP contained more glandular lumen and less stromal component than that of CA and AA. CA and AA showed no significant difference in cellular composition.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated the differences in cellular composition of BPH among the three races. This cellular composition divergence may account for previously observed racial differences in PSA, PSA density, and the incidence of clinical BPH. Prostate 49:243–250, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thiophilic interaction chromatography facilitates detection of various molecular complexes of prostate‐specific antigen in biological fluids
Authors: Kawinski Elzbieta , Levine Ellis , Chadha Kailash 
Published: August 2002

AbstractBACKGROUNDIt is known that total PSA values are often greater than the sum total of free‐PSA (f‐PSA) and PSA–ACT complex. It is primarily because other PSA complexes are present in the patient serum and currently cannot be quantified. Our studies were aimed in developing methodology that will permit recovery of all molecular forms of PSA from various biological fluids.METHODSThiophilic interaction (3S,T‐gel) chromatography procedure was used to isolate various PSA molecular forms present in biological fluids. f‐PSA and PSA complexes were shown to have strong affinity for T‐gel. PSA forms eluted from the column were analyzed by SDS–PAGE/Western blot and were identified by immunostaining with antibody‐specific to PSA and to various protease inhibitors. The identity of PSA complexes was also confirmed by Enzyme‐linked Immunosorbent‐assay (ELISA).RESULTSOne step affinity chromatography procedure (3S,T‐gel) was used to isolate different molecular forms of PSA in seminal plasma, patient sera, and in prostate cancer cell culture medium. Seminal plasma was shown to contain f‐PSA, PSA–ACT, PSA–A2M, and PSA–PCI. Sera from prostate cancer patients at different stages of the disease contained f‐PSA, PSA–ACT, and PSA–A2M. Besides these PSA forms, some patients at late stage of the disease (T3 and T4) also contained two additional PSA‐complexes that have not been identified as of yet. Conditioned medium from LNCaP cells was shown to contain f‐PSA, PSA–ACT, and PSA–A2M complexes.CONCLUSIONSThiophilic gel has strong affinity for all known molecular forms of PSA present in any biological material. Visualization of PSA molecular forms in Western‐blot analysis was feasible only after patient serum was processed through T‐gel. Our procedure can be used to screen hybridoma and antibodies specific to the individual PSA complex. The PSA molecular forms isolated from patient serum after T‐gel procedure may provide useful internal calibrators, and thus may significantly enhance the reliability of PSA measurements. Prostate 50: 145–153, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative microbubble enhanced transrectal ultrasound as a tool for monitoring hormonal treatment of prostate carcinoma
Authors: Eckersley Robert J. , Sedelaar J.P. Michiel , Blomley Martin J.K. , Wijkstra Hessel , deSouza Nandita M. , Cosgrove David O. , de la Rosette Jean J.M.C.H. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractBACKGROUNDWe quantified changes in prostate carcinoma vascularity treated with anti‐androgens using color Doppler and power transrectal ultrasound in combination with microbubble contrast agent Levovist®.METHODSThirty‐six men with prostate carcinoma were studied at baseline and at intervals during treatment. At each attendance, Levovist® (10 ml, 300 mg/ml) was given as an iv bolus. Using quantitative analysis, we calculated the pre‐enhancement scores, arrival time, time to peak, peak value, and area under the time‐enhancement curve (AUC). These were compared to pre‐treatment values and serial PSA measurements.RESULTSThe pre‐enhancement, peak value, and AUC each showed a marked response with reductions within one week. The average AUC declined to 68% ± 9% (mean ± standard error) by week 1, 56% ± 9% by week 3, and 20% ± 4% by week 6. A strong correlation with changes in the mean PSA (r = 0.95, P < 0.001) was also measured. In four patients, Doppler indices did not fall with PSA: two patients with the most marked discrepancy relapsed at 6 months.CONCLUSIONThe vascular enhancement declined with therapy, similar to PSA. Microbubble enhanced ultrasound can show early response to treatment. Prostate 51: 256–267, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relative promoter strengths in four human prostate cancer cell lines evaluated by particle bombardment‐mediated gene transfer*
Authors: Zhang Shaobo , Gu Jian , Yang Ning‐Sun , Kao Chinghai , Gardner Thomas A. , Eble John N. , Cheng Liang 
Published: August 2002

AbstractBackgroundThe particle bombardment (gene gun) method for gene transfer provides a new and efficient means for transfection of various cell types in culture. In this study we evaluate its application to human prostate tumor cells.MethodsTransient expression of the firefly luciferase gene driven by five viral and five cellular promoters was assessed after in vitro gene transfer using the gene gun method. The relative strengths of these promoters were quantitatively determined in four different human prostate tumor cell lines: DU145, PC‐3, LNCaP, and CWR22Rv1 cells. In situ histochemical staining of cells, transfected with bacterial β‐galactosidase cDNA as a reporter gene, was also performed to evaluate the transfection efficiency. Time course of gene expression was determined using the luciferase reporter gene.ResultsThe peak levels of transient expression of firefly luciferase are observed within 24 hr after gene transfer. Sustained but reduced luciferase levels were also detected as long as 5 days post transfection. Up to 35% of bombarded cells in vitro were found to express transgenic β‐galactosidase activity. Among tested viral promoters, cytomegalovirus early enhancer/promoter activity was observed to confer consistently the highest activity in each test cell line, whereas phosphoglycerate kinase gene promoter possessed the highest activity among the cellular promoters tested.ConclusionsThe particle bombardment gene‐transfer technology can be effectively employed as an efficient method for in vitro gene‐transfer into prostate tumor cells. The characterization of relative promoter strength and preference may be useful for future studies of cancer gene therapy approaches. Prostate 51: 286–292, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) gene expression and release in LNCaP prostate cancer by antagonists of growth hormone‐releasing hormone and vasoactive intestinal peptide
Authors: Rekasi Zoltan , Schally Andrew V. , Plonowski Artur , Czompoly Tamas , Csernus Balazs , Varga Jozsef L. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractBackgroundProstate‐specific antigen (PSA) is the best tumor marker for diagnosis and prognosis of prostatic carcinoma. The secretion of PSA from LNCaP human prostate cancer cells is influenced by acute stimuli such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), growth hormone‐releasing hormone (GHRH), and chronic stimuli like androgens.MethodsTo study the regulation of basal and VIP/GHRH or androgen‐stimulated secretion from LNCaP cells, we used a superfusion system, which allowed us to simultaneously measure PSA gene expression, PSA secretion, and cAMP release from the same cancer cells. LNCaP cancer cells were also implanted orthotopically into nude mice.ResultsVIP (30 pM–3 nM), GHRH (3 nM–300 nM), and dihydrotestosterone (100 nM) induced a significant increase in PSA gene expression, PSA secretion, and cAMP release. The dose and time‐dependent effects of peptides were manifested only in the presence of androgens. At the end of continuous stimulation of cells with 1 nM VIP for 2 hr, large amounts of stored immunoreactive PSA still remained in the cells. Adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin (FSK), significantly increased PSA secretion and gene expression, and potassium, which causes nonspecific depolarization of membranes, augmented gene expression, and secretion of PSA, but did not influence cAMP release. This suggests that PSA secretion is regulated by cAMP‐dependent as well as cAMP‐independent pathways. In superfusion system, stimulatory effects of VIP and GHRH on PSA secretion were inhibited by VIP antagonist JV‐1‐53, and less by GHRH antagonist JV‐1‐38. In cell cultures, JV‐1‐38 had a stronger inhibitory effect on proliferation, indicating an involvement of the recently discovered tumoral GHRH receptors in this process. In nude mice, with orthotopically implanted LNCaP cancer cells, GHRH antagonist JV‐1‐38 alone or androgen ablation by castration had no effect on tumor growth and PSA levels. However, castration combined with treatment with GHRH antagonist, significantly decreased tumor growth and PSA secretion.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the secretion of PSA is regulated rather than constitutive, contrary to previous reports. In addition, the effect of GHRH and VIP antagonists on PSA secretion from prostate cancer cells is not correlated with their antiproliferative action. Prostate 48:188–199, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Structural genomics analysis: Characteristics of atypical, common, and horizontally transferred folds
Authors: Hegyi Hedi , Lin Jimmy , Greenbaum Dov , Gerstein Mark 
Published: August 2002

AbstractWe conducted a structural genomics analysis of the folds and structural superfamilies in the first 20 completely sequenced genomes by focusing on the patterns of fold usage and trying to identify structural characteristics of typical and atypical folds. We assigned folds to sequences using PSI‐blast, run with a systematic protocol to reduce the amount of computational overhead. On average, folds could be assigned to about a fourth of the ORFs in the genomes and about a fifth of the amino acids in the proteomes. More than 80% of all the folds in the SCOP structural classification were identified in one of the 20 organisms, with worm and E. coli having the largest number of distinct folds. Folds are particularly effective at comprehensively measuring levels of gene duplication, because they group together even very remote homologues. Using folds, we find the average level of duplication varies depending on the complexity of the organism, ranging from 2.4 in M. genitalium to 32 for the worm, values significantly higher than those observed based purely on sequence similarity. We rank the common folds in the 20 organisms, finding that the top three are the P‐loop NTP hydrolase, the ferrodoxin fold, and the TIM‐barrel, and discuss in detail the many factors that affect and bias these rankings. We also identify atypical folds that are “unique” to one of the organisms in our study and compare the characteristics of these folds with the most common ones. We find that common folds tend be more multifunctional and associated with more regular, “symmetrical” structures than the unique ones. In addition, many of the unique folds are associated with proteins involved in cell defense (e.g., toxins). We analyze specific patterns of fold occurrence in the genomes by associating some of them with instances of horizontal transfer and others with gene loss. In particular, we find three possible examples of transfer between archaea and bacteria and six between eukarya and bacteria. We make available our detailed results at http://genecensus.org/20. Proteins 2002;47:126–141. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
C‐terminal domain of gyrase A is predicted to have a β‐propeller structure
Authors: Qi Yuan , Pei Jimin , Grishin Nick V. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractTwo different type II topoisomerases are known in bacteria. DNA gyrase (Gyr) introduces negative supercoils into DNA. Topoisomerase IV (Par) relaxes DNA supercoils. GyrA and ParC subunits of bacterial type II topoisomerases are involved in breakage and reunion of DNA. The spatial structure of the C‐terminal fragment in GyrA/ParC is not available. We infer homology between the C‐terminal domain of GyrA/ParC and a regulator of chromosome condensation (RCC1), a eukaryotic protein that functions as a guanine‐nucleotide‐exchange factor for the nuclear G protein Ran. This homology, complemented by detection of 6 sequence repeats with 4 predicted β‐strands each in GyrA/ParC sequences, allows us to predict that the GyrA/ParC C‐terminal domain folds into a 6‐bladed β‐propeller. The prediction rationalizes available experimental data and sheds light on the spatial properties of the largest topoisomerase domain that lacks structural information. Proteins 2002;47:258–264. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Docking unbound proteins using shape complementarity, desolvation, and electrostatics
Authors: Chen Rong , Weng Zhiping 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA comprehensive docking study was performed on 27 distinct protein‐protein complexes. For 13 test systems, docking was performed with the unbound X‐ray structures of both the receptor and the ligand. For the remaining systems, the unbound X‐ray structure of only molecule was available; therefore the bound structure for the other molecule was used. Our method optimizes desolvation, shape complementarity, and electrostatics using a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm. A global search in the rotational and translational space without any knowledge of the binding sites was performed for all proteins except nine antibodies recognizing antigens. For these antibodies, we docked their well‐characterized binding site—the complementarity‐determining region defined without information of the antigen—to the entire surface of the antigen. For 24 systems, we were able to find near‐native ligand orientations (interface Cα root mean square deviation less than 2.5 Å from the crystal complex) among the top 2,000 choices. For three systems, our algorithm could identify the correct complex structure unambiguously. For 13 other complexes, we either ranked a near‐native structure in the top 20 or obtained 20 or more near‐native structures in the top 2,000 or both. The key feature of our algorithm is the use of target functions that are highly tolerant to conformational changes upon binding. If combined with a post‐processing method, our algorithm may provide a general solution to the unbound docking problem. Our program, called ZDOCK, is freely available to academic users (http://zlab.bu.edu/∼rong/dock/). Proteins 2002;47:281–294. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protein folding: Looping from hydrophobic nuclei
Authors: Berezovsky Igor N. , Kirzhner Valery M. , Kirzhner Alla , Trifonov Edward N. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractProtein structure can be viewed as a compact linear array of nearly standard size closed loops of 25–30 amino acid residues (Berezovsky et al., FEBS Letters 2000; 466: 283–286) irrespective of details of secondary structure. The end‐to‐end contacts in the loops are likely to be hydrophobic, which is a testable hypothesis. This notion could be verified by direct comparison of the loop maps with Kyte and Doolittle hydropathicity plots. This analysis reveals that most of the ends of the loops are hydrophobic, indeed. The same conclusion is reached on the basis of positional autocorrelation analysis of protein sequences of 23 fully sequenced bacterial genomes. Hydrophobic residues valine, alanine, glycine, leucine, and isoleucine appear preferentially at the 25–30 residues distance one from another. These observations open a new perspective in the understanding of protein structure and folding: a consecutive looping of the polypeptide chain with the loops ending primarily at hydrophobic nuclei. Proteins 2001;45:346–350. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.