bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cannabinoid‐mediated neuroprotection following interferon‐gamma treatment in a three‐dimensional mouse brain aggregate cell culture
Authors: Jackson Samuel J. , Baker David , Cuzner M. Louise , Diemel Lara T. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractMultiple sclerosis is increasingly recognized as a neurodegenerative disease which is triggered by inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). Demyelination‐associated axonal or neuronal damage is a primary cause of disability and has thus far not been successfully targeted by available drug therapies. The neuroprotective properties of both endogenous and administered cannabinoids have been shown in in vivo and in vitro models of CNS damage following excitotoxic, oxidative, traumatic and ischaemic insults, with a predominantly apoptotic effector mechanism. In this study a foetal mouse telencephalon aggregate cell culture system was developed to compare tissue from cannabinoid receptor 1 knockout mice with wildtype counterparts. Aggregate formation and neurofilament/myelin basic protein accumulation were dependent on the age of foetal dissection and species used. Following treatment with interferon‐γ, levels of myelin basic protein, neurofilament, neuronal dephosphorylation and caspase 3 activation were assessed in telencephalon tissue in vitro. Cytokine treatment resulted in significant loss of the neuronal marker neurofilament‐H in cannabinoid receptor 1 knockout cultures but not in wildtypes, indicating that presence of the cannabinoid receptor 1 gene can be neuroprotective. Caspase 3 activation was higher in cultures from knockout animals, indicating an apoptotic mechanism of cell death. Dephosphorylated neurofilament levels were significantly elevated in knockout mice, lending support to the premise that neurofilament dephosphorylation is a marker for neuronal damage. Taken together, these results indicate that neuroprotection could be elicited through the cannabinoid receptor 1, and point towards a potential therapeutic role for cannabinoid compounds in demyelinating conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
Self‐harm in young people: a perspective for mental health nursing care
Authors: Anderson M. , Woodward L. , Armstrong M. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractAims:  This paper addresses the assessment and management of self‐harm in young people by a nurse consultant‐led self‐harm service in the UK. The purpose of the paper is to present some of the theoretical perspectives of the service and how these have influenced current practice with this group of young people.Background:  Self‐harm in young people continues to be a serious concern for health services globally. Rates of self‐harm in teenagers in the UK are among the highest in Europe. The current literature offers information on the nature of self‐harm and some evidence of specific interventions mainly from a ‘psychiatric perspective’. This paper examines the development of a locally based nurse‐led self‐harm team involved in the care of this group of young people. A sociological view of children and young people is applied in examining the way society construes self‐harm and the formation of the behaviour as a deviant act. Self‐harm is considered in the context of transition through adolescence and the growth of self‐identity.Conclusion:  The locally based child and adolescent mental health service has drawn together the evolving nurse consultant role, mental health nursing and medical sociology. This integration of people and theory will enhance the services understanding of self‐harm in young people. At an international level, there is a need to consider the sociological dimensions of self‐harm in young people as a way forward for mental health nurses who are involved in working with this group of people.
Intracellullar peptides as putative natural regulators of protein interactions
Authors: Ferro Emer S. , Hyslop Stephen , Camargo Antonio C. M. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractExtralysosomal proteolysis by multicatalytic complexes such as the 26S proteasome produces large amounts of peptides in the cytosol, mitochondria and nuclei of eukaryotic cells, and there is increasing evidence that the resulting free intracellular peptides can modulate specific protein interactions. The demonstration that free peptides added to the intracellular milieu can regulate cellular functions mediated by protein interactions suggests new putative roles for these molecules in gene regulation, metabolism, cell signaling and protein targeting. Such interactions frequently involve specific consensus amino acid sequences that can be predicted based on similarities in domain composition. We have recently developed a new strategy for identifying novel natural peptides, the sequences of which correspond to fragments of intracellular proteins and contain putative post‐translational modification sites. In this review, we examine the evidence that intracellular peptides released by proteasomes may be involved in regulating protein interactions. In particular, the role of endopeptidase 24.15 (thimet oligopeptidase; EC 3.4.24.15) is discussed in detail as this enzyme has been implicated in intracellular peptide metabolism in vivo in concert with the 26S proteasome.
Serotonin–GABA interactions modulate MDMA‐induced mesolimbic dopamine release
Authors: Bankson Michael G. , Yamamoto Bryan K. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract3,4,‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) acts at monoamine nerve terminals to alter the release and re‐uptake of dopamine and 5‐HT. The present study used microdialysis in awake rats to measure MDMA‐induced changes in extracellular GABA in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), simultaneous with measures of extracellular dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) shell. (+)‐MDMA (0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) increased GABA efflux in the VTA with a bell‐shaped dose–response. This increase was blocked by application of TTX through the VTA probe. MDMA (5 mg/kg) increased 5‐HT efflux in VTA by 1037% (p < 0.05). The local perfusion of the 5‐HT2B/2C antagonist SB 206553 into the VTA reduced VTA GABA efflux after MDMA from a maximum of 229% to a maximum of 126% of basal values (p < 0.05), while having no effect on basal extracellular GABA concentrations. DA concentrations measured simultaneously in the NAC shell were increased from a maximum of 486% to 1320% (p < 0.05). The selective DA releaser d‐amphetamine (AMPH) (4 mg/kg) also increased VTA GABA efflux (180%), did not alter 5‐HT and increased NAC DA (875%) (p < 0.05), but the perfusion of SB 206553 into the VTA failed to alter these effects. These results suggest that MDMA‐mediated increases in DA within the NAC shell are dampened by increases in VTA GABA subsequent to activation of 5‐HT2B/2C receptors in the VTA.
Cloning of a novel neuronally expressed orphan G‐protein‐coupled receptor which is up‐regulated by erythropoietin, interacts with microtubule‐associated protein 1b and colocalizes with the 5‐hydroxytryptamine 2a receptor
Authors: Maurer Martin H. , Grünewald Sylvia , Gassler Nikolaus , Rossner Moritz , Propst Friedrich , Würz Rebecca , Weber Daniela , Kuner Thomas , Kuschinsky Wolfgang , Schneider Armin 
Published: November 2004

AbstractG‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest group of cell surface molecules involved in signal transduction and are receptors for a wide variety of stimuli ranging from light, calcium and odourants to biogenic amines and peptides. It is assumed that systematic genomic data‐mining has identified the overwhelming majority of all remaining GPCRs in the genome. Here we report the cloning of a novel orphan GPCR which was identified in a search for erythropoietin‐induced genes in the brain as a strongly up‐regulated gene. This unknown gene coded for a protein which had a seven‐transmembrane topology and key features typical of GPCRs of the A family but a low overall identity to all known GPCRs. The protein, coded ee3, has an unusually high evolutionary conservation and is expressed in neurons in diverse areas of the CNS with relation to integrative functions or motor tasks. A yeast two‐hybrid screen for interacting proteins revealed binding to the microtubule‐associated protein (MAP) 1b. Coupling to MAP1a has been described for another cognate GPCR, the 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5HT) 2a receptor. Surprisingly, we found complete colocalization of ee3 and the 5HT2a receptor. The interaction with MAP1b proved to be critical for the stability or folding of ee3 as in mice lacking MAP1b the ee3 protein was undetectable by immunohistochemistry, although messenger RNA levels remained unchanged. We propose that ee3 is a highly interesting new orphan GPCR with potential connections to erythropoietin and 5HT2a receptor signalling.
Sex Differences in Feeding Behaviour at Feeding Station Scale in Soay Sheep (Ovis Aries)
Authors: Walker  , Gordon  , Pérez-Barbería  
Published: November 2004

AbstractHerbivorous ungulates live in a spatially heterogeneous environment making foraging decisions at a range of hierarchical scales, from bite size to landscape. We investigated the factors that control intake rate in Soay sheep (Ovis aries) when discrete items of food were sparsely distributed at the feeding station scale. Within the feeding station we varied the difficulty of accessing food, distance between items of food, difficulty of finding the food and complexity of the feeding station and recorded how intake rate responded in relation to body size, mouth size and the sex of the animal. Our findings demonstrated how increasing difficulty of accessing food, and increasing complexity of the feeding station negatively affected intake rate. The expected mechanistic response that smaller animals or animals with smaller mouth size were better at handling discrete small items of food, was overridden by individual and sexual differences in behaviour. We also considered that intake rate within a feeding station could be maximised by optimising the spatial pattern of offtake, and the results clearly indicated that both sexes tended to show clustered patterns of offtake. Animals of the same sex responded in a similar way to the difficulty in handling food items; males persevered more than females and consequently were less handicaped by having larger mouths. We discussed these results in relation to behavioural and body mass differences between the sexes and animals.
Degradation of Great Tit (Parus Major) Song Before And After Foliation: Implications for Vocal Communication in a Deciduous Forest
Authors: Blumenrath Sandra , Dabelsteen Torben 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSongbirds living in temperate forests experience great seasonal changes in habitat acoustics during the part of the breeding season when singing activity is high. These changes, which are brought about by accelerated vegetation growth and leaf burst in spring, affect sound propagation and potentially render vocal communication more difficult as the total number of scattering and absorbing obstacles increases. We investigated this in a sound transmission experiment in which representative great tit (Parus major) songs were broadcast in a typical forest habitat before and after foliation. Speaker and microphone were placed at natural separation distances and in typical sender and receiver positions. For each song note we quantified several aspects of sound degradation and found that they all increased considerably when leaves were present. Before foliation the same amount of degradation would only be obtained by doubling the transmission distance, i.e. foliage shortens the active space of great tit song. This inevitably alters distance information, provided that distance-dependent, structural changes of received songs are used as ranging cues. Moreover, sender and receiver positions within the canopy become unfavourable compared to heights just below the canopy when the aim is to maximise song propagation distances. Altogether, the presence of foliage greatly affects the potential for vocal information transfer in great tits and requires behavioural and/or perceptual adjustment of the communicating individuals to counteract or reduce the impact of foliage on signal degradation.
Behavioral Evidence for the Cutaneous Expression Of Emotion in a Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes)
Authors: Leavens David , Hopkins William , Aureli Filippo 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSelf-directed behaviors (SDBs) are behavioral indicators of stress, but have received relatively little experimental scrutiny. The present study reports the distribution of SDBs in a 14-year-old male chimpanzee in relation to performance on a matching-to-sample task of varying difficulty. The rate of rubbing behaviors (self-touching with the hand without any raking motion of the fingernails) was positively correlated with performance, whereas scratching rates were negatively correlated with performance. SDBs were displayed predominantly with the left hand during sessions of high performance (low task difficulty), with a shift toward the right hand during sessions of low performance (high task difficulty). SDBs were exhibited relatively more with the right hand after incorrect responses (and secondary negative reinforcer) than after correct responses (and secondary positive reinforcer). Rubs directed to the face were displayed relatively more often to the right side after incorrect responses, compared to rubs displayed after correct responses, whereas scratching was directed relatively more often to the left side of the body after incorrect responses, compared to scratching displayed after correct responses. Rough scratching was displayed more quickly after auditory feedback on performance than were rubs or gentle scratches. Rubs were directed more to the face (trigeminal) and scratches more to the body (spinothalamic). Taken together, these results suggest that there may be asymmetrical central nervous system processing of negative emotion by chimpanzees during cognitive tasks.
The effect of mycorrhization of potato roots on the hatching chemicals active towards the potato cyst nematodes, Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis
Authors: Ryan Aileen , Jones Peter 
Published: November 2004

AbstractComparison of potato root leachates (PRL) collected from the roots of mycorrhizal (using the mixed-isolate inoculum, Vaminoc) and non-mycorrhizal potato cv. Golden Wonder confirmed that mycorrhization caused a significant increase in hatching activity towards Globodera pallida but not G. rostochiensis. After fractionating the leachates by low pressure molecular exclusion/anion exchange liquid chromatography, several potato cyst nematode (PCN) species-specific hatching factors (HF) were found only in PRL from mycorrhizal plants. Leachate from mycorrhizal plants also contained more of several of those HF common to PRL from both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Significantly more hatching factor stimulants (HS) active towards both PCN species were found in the PRL from mycorrhizal than from non-mycorrhizal plants; several HS were specific to mycorrhizal plants. No differences (quantitative or qualitative) were observed in hatching inhibitor (HI) levels between PRL from mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhization of potato plants resulted in a 20% increase in carbon but a 48% decrease in nitrogen concentrations of the PRL compared to that from the non-mycorrhizal plants.
Competition between two phenotypes of the nematophagous fungus ARF in infecting eggs of Heterodera glycines and effect of soil depth on parasitism by ARF
Authors: Wang Kening , Riggs Robert , Crippen Devany 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe sterile nematophagous fungus ARF (Arkansas fungus) had been separated into two phenotypes based on morphological differences: those with compact sclerotium-like-structures (SLS) (ARF-C), and those with loose SLS (ARF-L). The ARF-L isolate TN14 had been more effective than the ARF-C isolate BG2 in suppressing nematode numbers in glasshouse studies, and the BG2 isolate had been more virulent in in vitro tests. No tests had been conducted on the effect of depth in the soil on the level of parasitism by ARF. The objectives of this study were to determine: i) which isolate is more competitive in field microplots by comparing isolation frequency of the two fungal strains from parasitised eggs of Heterodera glycines; and ii) whether parasitism by ARF varies with soil depth (0-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm deep). TN14 was isolated more frequently than BG2, irrespective of whether the original mixture of BG2 and TN14 was 50% TN14 + 50% BG2, 75% TN14 + 25% BG2, or 25% TN14 + 75% BG2. The percentage of parasitised eggs of H. glycines by ARF was different for the 0-10 cm soil layer vs the 10-20 cm soil layer, or the 0-10 cm soil layer vs the 20-30 cm soil layer. Parasitism by ARF was greatest at a soil depth of 10-20 cm. This would correspond with the level where the root concentration and numbers of cysts should be greatest.
Morphological and molecular characterisation of Steinernema hermaphroditum n. sp. (Nematoda: Steinernematidae), an entomopathogenic nematode from Indonesia, and its phylogenetic relationships with other members of the genus
Authors: Stock S. Patricia , Griffin Christine T. , Chaerani Rani 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Steinernema hermaphroditum n. sp., a new entomopathogenic nematode isolated
from soil samples in the Moluccan islands, Indonesia, is described.
Morphological observations as well as biological evidence
(cross-hybridisation studies) indicate the distinctness of S. hermaphroditum
n. sp. from other Steinernema spp. This new species is characterised by the
presence of hermaphrodites in the first adult generation. Key morphological
diagnostic characters include: a digitate tail with a mucro and a glandular
spermatheca filled with sperm in the first generation hermaphrodite; the
value of D%; the morphology of the male spicules and gubernaculum and the
number and arrangement of the genital papillae; the values of D%, E% and the
pattern of the lateral field of the third-stage infective juvenile.
Additionally, molecular evidence obtained from ITS rDNA RFLP profiles, 28S
rDNA sequence analyses, and phylogenetic reconstruction provide further
evidence to establish this nematode as a new species.
High-pressure freezing and freeze substitution of gravid Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda: Rhabditida) for transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Claeys Myriam , Vanhecke Dimitri , Couvreur Marjolein , Tytgat Tom , Coomans August , Borgonie Gaëtan 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Because chemical fixatives have a profound negative influence on tissue
morphology and antigenicity, alternative fixation methods must be applied
for some purposes. In this work we used high-pressure freezing (HPF)
followed by freeze substitution to maximally preserve antigenicity and
morphology. We developed a pipette method for bringing living Caenorhabditis
elegans nematodes into the HPF recipient. Using cellulose tubes, it is
possible to select individual nematodes for fixation. We were able to HPF
complete adults and preserve the morphology in an enhanced fashion compared
to chemically fixed tissue. Cellular organelles, especially mitochondria,
were much better preserved. Uterine embryos protected by the intact eggshell
were excellently preserved without the need for elaborate techniques.
Antigenicity with MH27 and ICB4 antisera was tested. With the MH27 serum, an
adequate, reproducible, specific binding pattern with chemically fixed
tissue could only be achieved using purified antibodies, whereas with
highpressure freezing, unpurified MH27 antisera was effective. For ICB4
antisera, a reproducible specific binding pattern was achieved at a
concentration of primary antiserum 1000 × lower than that for chemically
fixed tissue.
Neurophenomenology of the Supernatural Sense in Religion
Authors: Peters Frederic 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe great majority of scholarly definitions of "religion" center around some notion involving experience or awareness of a supernatural dimension (forces, entities). This sense of the supernatural has been found in virtually all human societies extending back into paleolithic times. Advances in neuroscientific research technology have made it possible to assert that phenomenal experience is in fact a form of brain activity; the two are identical. This naturally leads us to inquire as to why and how a brain evolving to serve the needs of survival and replication in a harsh natural environment should have developed the capacity and evident propensity to generate a sense of the supernatural. Psychology has recently identified a set of three primitive interpretive modules dedicated to generating a sense of causative essence. These modules are located in areas of the brain whose representational output can be experienced as non-material, like the stream of thought, rather than as external physical landscape. These non-physical neurophenomenal essences are identical to the three forms of otherworldly spirit essence found throughout human religious history, and they form the basis of the multi-layered neurophenomenal complex comprising the sense of the supernatural.
HOXB6 overexpression in murine bone marrow immortalizes a myelomonocytic precursor in vitro and causes hematopoietic stem cell expansion and acute myeloid leukemia in vivo
Authors: Fischbach Neal A. , Rozenfeld Sofia , Shen Weifang , Fong Stephen , Chrobak Daniel , Ginzinger David , Kogan Scott C. , Radhakrishnan Archana , Le Beau Michelle M. , Largman Corey , Lawrence H. Jeffrey 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe HOX family of homeobox genes plays an important role in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Dysregulated HOX gene expression profoundly effects the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and committed progenitors, and aberrant activation of HOX genes is a common event in human myeloid leukemia. HOXB6 is frequently overexpressed in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To gain further insight into the role of HOXB6 in hematopoiesis, we overexpressed HOXB6 in murine bone marrow using retrovirus-mediated gene transfer. We also explored structure-function relationships using mutant HOXB6 proteins unable to bind to DNA or a key HOX-binding partner, pre–B-cell leukemia transcription factor-1 (PBX1). Additionally, we investigated the potential cooperative interaction with myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1 homolog (MEIS1). In vivo, HOXB6 expanded HSCs and myeloid precursors while inhibiting erythropoiesis and lymphopoiesis. Overexpression of HOXB6 resulted in AML with a median latency of 223 days. Coexpression of MEIS1 dramatically shortened the onset of AML. Cytogenetic analysis of a subset of HOXB6-induced AMLs revealed recurrent deletions of chromosome bands 2D-E4, a region frequently deleted in HOXA9-induced AMLs. In vitro, HOXB6 immortalized a factor-dependent myelomonocytic precursor capable of granulocytic and monocytic differentiation. These biologic effects of HOXB6 were largely dependent on DNA binding but independent of direct interaction with PBX1.