bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasma levels of transforming growth factor‐1β and α2‐macroglobulin before and after radical prostatectomy: association to clinicopathological parameters
Authors: Sinnreich O. , Kratzsch J. , Reichenbach A. , Gläser C. , Huse K. , Birkenmeier G. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractBACKGROUNDTo study the levels of transforming growth factor‐1β (TGF‐β1) and of α2‐macroglobulin (α2‐M), a high affinity binding protein of TGF‐β1, in comparison to prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients before and up to 12 months after prostatectomy, and to correlate the results with clinicopathological parameters.METHODSEighty‐one patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for PCa were included in this study. Pre‐ and postoperatively, plasma levels of TGF‐β1, α2‐M and PSA were measured in the same samples by ELISA, and were correlated with pathological parameters and clinical outcomes.RESULTSThe preoperative TGF‐β1 levels were significantly elevated as compared to the controls; they showed a positive correlation with the Gleason score. Patients with initial androgen‐deprivation therapy had lower TGF‐β1 levels than untreated patients. Elevated concentrations of TGF‐β1 levelled off 12 months after prostatectomy approaching values of healthy individuals. Decreased plasma levels of total and transformed α2‐M (proteinase‐complexed form) were observed in PCa. Preoperative levels of TGF‐β1 but not of α2‐M seem to be influenced by the body mass index (BMI).CONCLUSIONSElevated TGF‐β1 and decreased α2‐M were consistently found in patients with PCa, and may be considered as risk factors for tumor development and progression. In comparison to PSA, the TGF‐β1 levels displayed a slow decline after radical prostatectomy; this indicates that TGF‐β1 is mainly produced outside the prostatic tissue. Since TGF‐β1 levels are influenced by the BMI, this indicates that PCa might be sensitive to diet. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The pathogenicity of Vairimorpha necatrix (Microspora: Microsporidia) against the tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its potential use for the control of lepidopteran glasshouse pests
Authors: Down Rachel E , Bell Howard A , Kirkbride‐Smith Anne E , Edwards John P 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA droplet feeding technique was used to feed known amounts of Vairimorpha necatrix (Kramer) spores to larvae of the tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea (L) in order to assess the susceptibility of this lepidopteran pest to the pathogen. All first‐ to fourth‐instar larvae died as a result of ingesting 1000 or more V necatrix spores. Two forms of death were observed, which were dependent on the dose and the age of the insect when treated. For first‐instar larvae, rapid death (within 6 days of dosing) occurred after ingestion of 2000 spores, whereas lower doses resulted in a proportion of larvae dying from chronic infection (microsporidiosis). For more advanced stages, increasing spore doses were required to give rapid death, such that a dose of 200 000 spores was needed to give 80% mortality within 6 days for third‐instar larvae. Rapid death was not observed in fourth‐ to sixth‐instar larvae. In all cases successful pupation and adult emergence were much reduced compared with non‐infected larvae.Suspensions of V necatrix were sprayed on to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) plants maintained in small glasshouses prior to infestation of the plants with L oleracea larvae. The numbers and biomass of pest larvae retrieved from the plants sprayed with V necatrix were significantly reduced by up to 40% and 70%, respectively, compared with plants sprayed with water (control). Similarly, plants sprayed with V necatrix showed a reduction in damage of up to 45% compared with the control plants. British Crown copyright 2004. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CoMFA and CoMSIA Studies of nAChRs Ligands: Epibatidine Analogues
Authors: Zhang Huabei , Liu Chunping , Li Hua 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA 3D‐QSAR about nAChRs agonists−52 epibatidine analogues (including 3 cytisine analogoues) was performed using the CoMFA and CoMSIA. The coefficients were Rcv2=0.546, Rncv2=0.907, no. of components=4 in CoMFA and Rcv2=0.655, Rncv2=0.962, no. of components=6 in CoMSIA of the final model in the unprotonated state. The results obtained were graphically interpreted in terms of field contribution maps. Since, physicochemical determinants of binding, such as the properties of eletrostatic, steric, hydrophobic, and H bond acceptor and donor were interpreted with the epibatidine structure in the training set. The prediction using the final models to the test set was r2=0.675 in CoMFA and r2=0.462 in CoMSIA. And with the results, we had presumes other assistant element as supplement to the traditional elements. These results were used to guide the rational design of new nAChRs ligands.
A Re‐evaluation of the Use of Rink, BAL, and PAL Resins and Linkers
Authors: Yraola Francesc , Ventura Rubén , Vendrell Marc , Colombo Aina , Fernàndez Joan‐Carles , de la Figuera Natalia , Fernández‐Forner Dolors , Royo Miriam , Forns Pilar , Albericio Fernando 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThe preparation of amine and guanidine derivatives of phenylalaninamide and tryptophanamide as well as benzylamines from BAL, Rink‐MBHA, and Rink resins has been performed. Cleavage of the target compound gave significant amounts of byproducts compounds in which the linker moiety was attached to the target unit. This side reaction can be avoided when the solid supports are prepared by anchoring the corresponding linker to an aminomethyl resin.
Formation of new types of inhomogeneous spatial structures in the chemical reaction in imperfect systems
Authors: Krasilnikov Vladimir V. , Savotchenko Serge E. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractTaking the system imperfection and the inhomogeneity of the diffusion processes into account derives the extension of a simple chemical reaction model proposed by Schlogl. The Fick equation modification makes the breakdown of the ideality of diffusion. It leads to high‐order spatial derivatives of a concentration in an evolution equation. The system imperfection is also taken into account by the excess Gibbs function of a regular solution. It leads to modification of the chemical potential as well as to the dependence of a diffusion coefficient on a reagent concentration. The formation of the spatial inhomogeneous structures being stable during the chemical reaction under definite conditions is due to the breakdown of an ideal system. Certain spatial inhomogeneous structures can exist only in the imperfection system and do not appear in an ideal system. Three new types of spatial inhomogeneous structures appear: periodic, quasi‐periodic, and nonperiodic structures. The functions characterizing concentration contain two terms. Note that in the ideal systems, the quasi‐periodic and nonperiodic structures cannot exist. This means that such a new spatial structure formation is due to the system imperfection. The parameters characterizing the system imperfection represent the coefficients at nonlinear terms and a high‐order spatial derivative in the evolution equation. This permits consideration of a system deviation from the ideal as a significantly nonlinear phenomenon. The conditions of spatial structure stability are determined mainly by parameters that describe the system imperfection. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Detection of phenolic oxidation products in cider apple juice by high‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry
Authors: Bernillon S. , Guyot S. , Renard C. M. G. C. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractJuice was prepared from cider apples of the cultivar “Kermerrien” under oxidative conditions. After isolation by solid‐phase extraction, the phenolic fraction was subjected to high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. SIM scans were performed at m/z values obtained in model solutions. The oxidation products, resulting from coupling between a molecule of caffeoylquinic acid and caffeoylquinic acid, catechin or dimeric flavan‐3‐ol, were detected. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Environmental risk assessment of medicinal products for human use according to European Commission recommendations
Authors: Huschek Gerd , Hansen Peter D. , Maurer Hans H. , Krengel Dietmar , Kayser Anja 
Published: April 2004

AbstractPresented here, based on new recommendations of the European Commission, is an environmental risk assessment (ERA) of a selected group of pharmaceuticals for Phase I, environmental exposure assessment, and Phase II Tier A, initial environmental fate and effect analysis. This pharmaceutical group is composed of the 111 highest‐selling human drug substances that have annual sales in Germany of more than 5,000 kg. The data required for this ERA came from analyzing: (1) sales annually (in kg or IU) of the 2671 active pharmaceutical drug substances (2001) on the German market in all medicinal products sold by pharmacies (with and without prescriptions) and used in hospitals in 1996–2001; (2) the use pattern of drug substances as categorized according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification indexes ATC3 and ATC7; (3) data for excretion, toxicity, and metabolites of the 111 selected human drug substances; (4) the physicochemical properties of these substances; and (5) the degradability of selected drug substances in sewage treatment plants (STPs) by using a validated and accredited liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method. A correction factor for the pharmaceutical therapeutic (PT) activity of metabolites, the PTIndex (excretion rate/100) for drug substances and PT active metabolites was established to refine the predicted environmental concentration (PECSURFACEWATER). A refinement of the PECSURFACEWATER was carried out with the market penetration factor of the human drug substances in Germany. In addition, for effect analysis the predicted no‐effects concentration (PNEC) was calculated using assessment factors. The estimated PEC results were validated with the exposure results of effluents of the STPs. All results on ERA of drug substances have been documented in a Microsoft Access 2000 database. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 226–240, 2004.
Oxidation of bisphenol A, 17β‐estradiol, and 17α‐ethynyl estradiol and byproduct estrogenicity
Authors: Alum Absar , Yoon Yeomin , Westerhoff Paul , Abbaszadegan Morteza 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA human breast cancer cell line (MCF‐7) was used to investigate the cumulative estrogenicity profiles elicited during the oxidation of three estrogenic compounds [bisphenol A (BPA), 17β‐estradiol (E2), and 17α‐ethynyl estradiol (EE2)]. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a method detection limit (MDL) of ∼1 nM was used to measure the initial and final concentrations of test compounds during oxidation. Both chlorination and ozonation removed from 75% to >99% of the test compounds in distilled water. Increasing contact time and chlorination dose improved compound removal. Chlorination byproducts of BPA, E2, and EE2 elicited low levels of estrogenicity over an extended period of time. For equivalent molar oxidant dosages, ozone and chlorine had comparable residual proliferative effect values and >99% loss of the parent compounds. For oxidation studies of estrogenic chemicals, ammonium chloride was found to adequately quench residual chlorine without interfering with cell culture assay. Oxidation of test compounds with chlorine and ozone resulted in a similar estrogenicity trend, with a relative higher level of estrogenicity elicited during the early phases of oxidation, which gradually dissipated over the extended exposure time to a stable point. Oxidation with ozone resulted in the rapid transformation of test compounds, reaching a stabilized estrogenic level in 10 min, whereas for chlorination it took more than 120 min for elicited estrogenicity to stabilize. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 257–264, 2004.
Stepwise fatigue crack propagation in poly(vinyl chloride)
Authors: Berna‐Lara T. E. , Hu Y. , Summers J. , Hiltner A. , Baer E. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThe kinetics and mechanism of fatigue crack growth in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) compounds of different molecular weight were studied. The fatigue crack propagation rate of all the PVC compounds followed the Paris law: da/dt = Af ΔK. Fatigue crack propagation rate, as reflected by the pre‐factor Af in the Paris law, was highly dependent on molecular weight of the resin, strain rate, and temperature. A stepwise mechanism of fatigue crack propagation was observed in all the PVC compounds. Steps were formed by discontinuous growth of the crack through a single craze in the shape of a narrow strip. Step length and lifetime were used to characterize fatigue crack propagation. J. Vinyl Addit. Technol. 10:5–10, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Evaluation of antioxidant performance of a natural product in polyolefins
Authors: Suffield R. M. , Dillman S. H. , Haworth J. E. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractMixed tocopherols were evaluated for antioxidant performance in polypropylene and polyethylene in combination with a phosphite secondary antioxidant by utilizing a two‐factor central composite experimental design with oxidation induction time as the response. A commonly used phenolic antioxidant and synthetic vitamin E (α‐tocopherol) were evaluated in comparison. Mixed tocopherols were found to have a greater antioxidant effect than the phenolic control and a similar to slightly greater effect than vitamin E in both polypropylene and polyethylene. No significant effects of the phosphite on oxidation induction times were observed for either of the tocopherol‐based antioxidants. J. Vinyl Addit. Technol. 10:52–56, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
The KlSRB10 gene from Kluyveromyces lactis
Authors: Núñez Laura , Fernández‐Otero Cristina , Rodríguez‐Belmonte Esther , Cerdán M. Esperanza 
Published: April 2004

AbstractWe report the cloning and sequencing of a gene from Kluyveromyces lactis with high homology to the SRB10 gene (alias UME5, SSN3, GIG2, NUT7, RYE5) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms. The KlSRB10 gene is located in a similar configuration to that found in S. cerevisiae, flanked by NOT4 and a gene with high similarity to YPL041c. The translated protein contains 593 amino acids and the characteristic domains of kinases from the CMGC subgroup. The functional relationship to yeast SRB10 is demonstrated by complementation of mutant phenotypes in a haploid S. cerevisiae strain containing a null allele. Submitted to EMBL data library under Accession No. AJ532841. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential regulation by glucose and fructose of a gene encoding a specific fructose/H+ symporter in Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts
Authors: de Sousa Helena Rodrigues , Spencer‐Martins Isabel , Gonçalves Paula 
Published: April 2004

AbstractSaccharomyces cerevisiae transports fructose through a facilitated diffusion system common to other hexoses and mediated by the Hxt proteins. The related species S. pastorianus (carlsbergensis) and S. bayanus produce, in addition, a specific fructose/H+ symporter. We have previously cloned a gene (FSY1) encoding the active fructose symporter from S. pastorianus PYCC 4457. Expression of Fsy1p in a S. cerevisiae mutant (hxt‐null) devoid of the facilitated diffusion system allows growth on fructose but not on glucose. Here we present results concerning the regulation of Fsy1p expression, both in S. pastorianus and S. bayanus, where it occurs naturally, and in suitably engineered S. cerevisiae transformants. To that purpose, we made use of both Northern blot analysis and a Fsy1p–GFP fusion protein. The expression of Fsy1p is strongly regulated by both the carbon source and its concentration in the growth medium. In S. pastorianus, as well as in S. bayanus, very low concentrations of either fructose or glucose induced expression but higher sugar concentrations prevented transcription of the gene. Glucose was considerably more effective than fructose in repressing FSY1 expression. Proper regulation of the gene in S. cerevisiae seems to be exquisitely dependent on sugar transport. Analysis of Fsy1 expression in S. cerevisiae mutants shows that repression is mainly dependent on Mig1p, the final effector of the main glucose repression pathway. Interestingly, Mig1p also seems to mediate repression of FSY1 expression by high maltose concentrations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pellet morphometry as a tool to distinguish age and sex in the mule deer
Authors: Sánchez‐Rojas Gerardo , Gallina Sonia , Equihua Miguel 
Published: April 2004

AbstractBy examining the morphometry (i.e., length, width, length‐to‐width ratio, and volume) of pellets in three different categories (adult males, adult females, and yearlings) mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), we were able to distinguish via discriminant function and fuzzy clustering analyses the age and sex of these animals. To determine a priori the identity of the pellet samples and evaluate the accuracy of our methods, we obtained samples from individuals in captivity. The discriminant function allowed us to correctly assign 100% of adult males, 91.66% of adult females, and 75% of yearlings to an age class, using previous information. The fuzzy clustering method enabled us to correctly distinguish 100% of adult males, 83.3% of adult females, and 75% of yearlings. The methods are based upon different assumptions. An important assumption with the discriminant function method is that the membership of each pellet group must be established a priori. This may be a disadvantage in certain cases, such as when pellet samples are gathered for an indirect population assessment procedure. Despite this drawback, however, both methods appear to be highly accurate. Zoo Biol 23:139–146, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Introducing a fourth primate species to an established mixed‐species exhibit of African monkeys
Authors: Wojciechowski Sheila 
Published: April 2004

AbstractFive red‐capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) were gradually introduced to an established mixed‐species exhibit containing six black and white colobus, seven mandrills, and six sooty mangabeys. Interspecific interactions were documented throughout the 3‐month introduction period and for an additional 3 months immediately thereafter. In addition, each species' behavior and exhibit use were documented before and after the addition of the fourth species. Minimal interactions were observed between the red‐capped mangabeys and the colobus or mandrills, and neither species was significantly affected by this addition. Many affiliative and aggressive interactions and changes in behavior were documented in the sooty mangabeys. However, this study shows that even closely related allopatric species can coexist in a captive environment, and the animals can benefit from this association. Zoo Biol 23:95–108, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of two introduction methods for African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Authors: Burks Kyle D. , Mellen Jill D. , Miller Gary W. , Lehnhardt John , Weiss Alexander , Figueredo Aurelio J. , Maple Terry L. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractManagers must consider an animal's potential for aggression when they decide to change or form a captive social group formation. In this study we compared two introduction methods (termed “sequential” and “nonsequential” introductions) in African elephants to assess their effectiveness in managing aggression and minimizing stress. Both introduction methods included four phases: baseline, visual contact, limited tactile contact, and physical introduction. In the sequential introduction, these steps were followed sequentially, and empirical data were considered during decision‐making. In the nonsequential introduction, these steps were not followed sequentially, and decision‐making was based primarily on intuitive assessments by animal managers. Behavioral data and fecal corticoid concentrations were measured throughout both types of introduction. The behavior categories measured included active aggression, passive aggression, submissive behavior, undesirable/stress‐related behavior, and affiliative behavior. While the role of affiliative behavior was surprising, general behavior patterns were characterized by increases in behavior as animals progressed to the next phase of introduction regardless of introduction type. These increases then attenuated over time during each phase. Overall, less behavior was observed during the sequential introduction, as predicted. The data suggest that the sequential introduction managed aggression more effectively. Similar patterns were predicted for undesirable/stress‐related behavior and fecal corticoid concentration. Undesirable/stress‐related behavior was a poor predictor of observed behavior patterns. Although the patterns differed from those predicted, higher concentrations of fecal corticoids were measured during the nonsequential introduction and correlated significantly only with submissive behavior. While more investigation is warranted, the data indicate that the nonsequential introduction brought about an increased physiological response. Overall, the sequential introduction method appeared to manage aggression and stress better than the nonsequential technique. Every introduction is subject to factors that can influence success, such as staff experience, the design of the facility, and the animals' social histories. It is hoped that the rigorous sequential protocol will be a useful tool in the animal manager's “toolbox” for planning and implementing introductions. Applications of this introduction method are also discussed. Zoo Biol 23:109–126, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.