bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Post‐translational regulation of phosphatidylglycerolphosphate synthase in response to inositol
Authors: He Quan , Greenberg Miriam L. 
Published: August 2004

SummaryPhosphatidylglycerolphosphate synthase (Pgs1p) catalyses the committed step in the synthesis of cardiolipin (CL). This is the only step of CL synthesis that is regulated by inositol. We have shown previously that Pgs1p enzyme activity is decreased within minutes after supplementation with inositol, but PGS1 expression is unaltered. We utilized an epitope‐tagged Pgs1p to determine if the rapid decrease in activity following inositol was because of degradation or inactivation of the protein. In this report, we show that, in response to inositol, the decrease in CL content and Pgs1p enzyme activity are associated with increased phosphorylation of Pgs1p, but not with degradation or mislocalization of the protein. This is the first evidence of phosphorylation of a phospholipid biosynthetic enzyme in response to inositol and identifies a new mechanism of inositol‐mediated regulation.
Optimal Tariffs and Subsidies and Changes in Market Structure
Authors: Egli Dominik , Westermann Frank 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe paper presents a unified treatment of optimal trade policy for a small country. The well‐known results for duopoly and competitive markets emerge as benchmark cases of the authors’ model. In addition, it is shown that changes in market structure have nonmonotonic effects on optimal tariffs. The results suggest that the recent reduction of tariffs in eastern Europe is consistent with welfare‐maximizing trade policy in response to the substantial changes in the market structure of these countries.
Income Distribution, Learning‐by‐Doing, and Comparative Advantage
Authors: Mani Anandi , Hwang Jinyoung 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe paper examines the impact of the income distribution in a less‐developed country (LDC) on its patterns of trade, through its influence on home market demand patterns. In a learning‐by‐doing model with nonhomothetic preferences, the authors show that import substitution under low inequality generates more focused learning and enhances trade potential more effectively. In addition, relative wages under trade are higher in a low‐inequality LDC. The model predicts that high‐inequality LDCs are more likely to remain exporters of unskilled/low‐skilled goods, whereas low‐inequality LDCs are more likely to mature into simple manufactures and beyond—a prediction that is consistent with world trade patterns of LDCs. The authors present descriptive and empirical evidence in support of this link between income inequality, domestic demand patterns, and dynamic comparative advantage.
In vivo mechanisms of vascular endothelial growth factor‐mediated increased hydraulic conductivity of Rana capillaries
Authors: Pocock T. M. , Bates D. O. 
Published: August 2004

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increases hydraulic conductivity (Lp) in vivo. To determine the signal transduction cascade through which this is mediated, we measured the effect of inhibition of various signalling pathways on VEGF‐mediated acute increases in Lp in individually perfused frog mesenteric microvessels.
VEGF receptors have previously been shown to activate phospholipase C‐γ (PLCγ), protein kinase C (PKC) and MEK, the mitogen‐activated and extracellular signal‐related kinase (ERK) kinase. To determine the role of these signalling pathways we measured the effects of inhibitors of each on the VEGF‐mediated increase in Lp.
VEGF‐mediated increases in Lp were attenuated by pre‐treatment with the PLC inhibitor U73122, but not affected by treatment with the inactive enantiomer U73343. The PLC inhibitor was also able to attenuate the increase in Lp mediated by the inflammatory mediator ATP.
Inhibition of either PKC or MEK activation using the selective inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide (BIM, 1 μm) and PD98059 (30 μm), respectively, did not change the VEGF‐mediated increase in Lp. However, PD98059, BIM and U73122 all reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 determined by Western blot analysis with anti‐phospho‐ERK1/2 antibodies.
Furthermore, inhibition of the conversion of diacyl glycerol (DAG) to arachidonic acid, by perfusion with the DAG lipase inhibitor RHC80267 (50 μm), did not attenuate the increase in Lp brought about by VEGF.
These data suggest that VEGF acutely increases microvascular permeability in vivo through a mechanism that is dependent on PLC stimulation, but is independent of PKC or MEK activation or production of arachidonic acid from DAG. We therefore propose that VEGF acutely acts to increase Lp through the direct actions of DAG, independently of PKC or arachidonic acid.
Creativity, Pathology, and Family Structure: A Cybernetic Metaphor
Authors: SCHWARTZMAN JOHN 
Published: August 2004

This paper describes a cybernetic metaphor as a novel paradigm for family theory, linking aspects of cybernetic epistemology as described by Bateson (1) with the tropes, major figures of speech, as defined by the linguist Jakobson (25). Jakobson describes two operations characteristic of all human discourse at many levels of organization and abstraction: the metaphoric, linking by similarity; and the metonymic, linking by contiguity.A cybernetic metaphor suggests a view of individuals as adaptive systems able to transform novelty into expectations (49) in one of two ways and thereby maintain a relationship with their context. Those who encounter contexts characterized by “dissonances” in structure and basic premises would adopt the metaphoric mode by finding similarities in apparent differences and thus learn to link separate domains. Those learning to orient themselves in a context of consistent basic premises and structure would adopt the metonymic mode, linking by temporal or spacial contiguity within an implicit assumed whole. Clinical examples and the literature on the families of symptomatic and creative individuals will be used as illustrations of this process of learning communicative modes.
Is depression related to subsequent diabetes mellitus?
Authors: van den Akker M. , Schuurman A. , Metsemakers J. , Buntinx F. 
Published: July 2004

Objective:  To compare the risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM) in the general population between subjects who had a depression and subjects who never had a depression.Method: Retrospective cohort design. People with depression were diagnosed with a depression between 1975 and 1990; controls never had a depression. Both groups were followed for a diagnosis of type II diabetes until 2000. Data on 1334 depressed and 66 670 non‐depressed subjects were available from a large general practice‐based database.Results:  No overall relation was found, but among males below age 50 there was a 78% increase in the rate of development of DM compared with non‐depressed patients (hazard ratio 1.78, 95% CI: 1.21–2.62).Conclusion:  Depression in males between the age of 20 and 50 years is related to an increased risk of developing DM.
Functional disability and depression in the general population. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS)
Authors: Spijker J. , de Graaf R. , Bijl R. V. , Beekman A. T. F. , Ormel J. , Nolen W. A. 
Published: July 2004

Objective:  Data on the temporal relationships between duration of depression and recovery and functional disability are sparse. These relationships were examined in subjects from the general population (n = 250) with newly originated episodes of DSM‐III‐R major depression.Method:  The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study is a prospective epidemiological survey in the adult population (n = 7076), using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Duration of depression and duration of recovery over 2 years were assessed with a life chart interview. Functional disabilities were assessed with the MOS‐SF‐36 and with absence days from work.Results:  Functional disabilities and absence days in depressed individuals were not found to be associated with duration of depression. Functioning in daily activities improved with longer duration of recovery but social functioning not.Conclusion:  Functioning deteriorates by actual depressive symptomatology and comorbid anxiety but not by longer duration of depression. After symptomatic recovery, functioning improves to premorbid level, irrespective of the length of the depression. Improvements in daily activities and work can be expected with longer duration of recovery.
Changes in brain metabolism associated with remission in unipolar major depression
Authors: Holthoff V. A. , Beuthien‐Baumann B. , Zündorf G. , Triemer A. , Lüdecke S. , Winiecki P. , Koch R. , Füchtner F. , Herholz K. 
Published: July 2004

Objective:  Functional brain correlates of remission in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) are measured with positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose.Method:  Glucose metabolism was measured in patients (n = 41) with moderate to severe MDD during acute depression and in the remitted state defined as a period of asymptomatic condition over 12 weeks. Data analyses used a region‐of‐interest (ROI) approach and statistical parametric mapping (SPM).Results:  There were significant decreases in metabolism upon remission with respect to the baseline scan in left prefrontal, anterior temporal and anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral thalamus (SPM analysis) and bilateral putamen and cerebellum (SPM and ROI analyses). There was a significant asymmetry in prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex metabolism with lower metabolism in the left hemisphere that persisted despite clinical remission.Conclusion:  These findings support the hypothesis that selective monoamine reuptake inhibition leads to an attenuation of a brain circuit that mediates depressive symptomatology.
The SCL‐90 and SCL‐90R versions validated by item response models in a Danish community sample
Authors: Olsen L. R. , Mortensen E. L. , Bech P. 
Published: July 2004

Objective:  To evaluate the internal validity of the subscales of the combined SCL‐90 and SCL‐90R, the SCL‐92, by item response analyses as compared with several previously reported factor analyses of this questionnaire in the literature.Method:  The SCL‐92 questionnaire was mailed to an age‐ and gender‐stratified random sample of Danish citizens. The sample comprised 2040 individuals. The internal structure of the nine factors of the SCL‐92 questionnaire was evaluated by Mokken‐Loevinger analysis and Rasch analysis.Results:  In total, 1153 persons or 58% returned the questionnaire fully completed. Mokken analysis found all scales apart from the psychoticism scale acceptable. The Rasch analysis found most of the subscales to be robust. Minor problems were seen for the scales of phobic anxiety, obsession‐compulsion and depression. Analysis of the Global Severity Index showed that the Rasch model was rejected for the full 92‐item scale, but not for a scale consisting of the 63 items from the non‐psychotic subscales. Spearman correlations among the subscales were all positive (range 0.34–0.79) and so were correlations between each of the subscales and the Global Severity Index (range 0.55–0.91).Conclusion:  In this sample from the Danish general population the non‐psychotic subscales, i.e. the subscales covering psychological distress were observed to function well. In a general population sample, the 63 non‐psychotic items primarily appear to reflect one broad dimension of distress.
Selected Pool of Peptides from ESAT-6 and CFP-10 Proteins for Detection of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Infection
Authors: Scarpellini Paolo , Tasca Silvana , Galli Laura , Beretta Alberto , Lazzarin Adriano , Fortis Claudio 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACT

We have validated a new test for detecting
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
infection. A pool of synthetic peptides derived from ESAT-6 and CFP-10 proteins was used to detect the number of specific gamma interferon-producing T cells by means of an enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Sixty-eight individuals positive for
M. tuberculosis
infection, either human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive or -seronegative, were studied. The test results were highly specific (87.5%) and sensitive (93.1%), more so than a classical lymphoproliferative assay (specificity and sensitivity of 77.27%), opening new possibilities for diagnosis and screening of tuberculosis. Moreover, the test allowed us to distinguish individuals infected with
M. tuberculosis
from those vaccinated with BCG.
Characterization of Multiple-Antimicrobial-Resistant
Escherichia coli
Isolates from Diseased Chickens and Swine in China
Authors: Yang Hanchun , Chen Sheng , White David G. , Zhao Shaohua , McDermott Patrick , Walker Robert , Meng Jianghong 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACT

Escherichia coli
isolates from diseased piglets (
n
= 89) and chickens (
n
= 71) in China were characterized for O serogroups, virulence genes, antimicrobial susceptibility, class 1 integrons, and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance. O78 was the most common serogroup identified (63%) among the chicken
E. coli
isolates. Most isolates were PCR positive for the increased serum survival gene (
iss
; 97%) and the temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin gene (
tsh
; 93%). The O serogroups of swine
E. coli
were not those typically associated with pathogenic strains, nor did they posses common characteristic virulence factors. Twenty-three serogroups were identified among the swine isolates; however, 38% were O nontypeable. Overall, isolates displayed resistance to nalidixic acid (100%), tetracycline (98%), sulfamethoxazole (84%), ampicillin (79%), streptomycin (77%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (76%). Among the fluoroquinolones, resistance ranged between 64% to levofloxacin, 79% to ciprofloxacin, and 95% to difloxacin. DNA sequencing of
gyrA
,
gyrB
,
parC
, and
parE
quinolone resistance-determining regions of 39 nalidixic acid-resistant
E. coli
isolates revealed that a single
gyrA
mutation was found in all of the isolates; mutations in
parC
together with double
gyrA
mutations conferred high-level resistance to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin MIC, ≥8 μg/ml). Class 1 integrons were identified in 17 (19%) isolates from swine and 42 (47%) from chickens. The majority of integrons possessed genes conferring resistance to streptomycin and trimethoprim. These findings suggest that multiple-antimicrobial-resistant
E. coli
isolates, including fluoroquinolone-resistant variants, are commonly present among diseased swine and chickens in China, and they also suggest the need for the introduction of surveillance programs in China to monitor antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic bacteria that can be potentially transmitted to humans from food animals.
Verification of an Assay for Quantification of Hepatitis C Virus RNA by Use of an Analyte-Specific Reagent and Two Different Extraction Methods
Authors: Forman Michael S. , Valsamakis Alexandra 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACT

Protocols were designed for quantification and detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA by the use of an analyte-specific reagent (ASR) (Roche COBAS TaqMan48 [CTM48] HCV) after manual and automated RNA extraction. The purposes were to determine (i) assay performance characteristics using manual and automated RNA extraction methods, (ii) whether measurable range and limit of detection (LOD) of the ASR assay were influenced by genotype, and (iii) correlation of quantification by CTM48 HCV ASR and COBAS Monitor HCV v. 2.0. For HCV genotype 1 (Gt1), the lower limits of quantification after manual extraction were slightly lower than those for automated extraction (1.0 versus 1.5 log
10
IU/ml). Results were linear up to the highest concentration tested after extraction by both methods (manual, 6.1 log
10
; automated, 6.4 log
10
). Similar results were obtained for Gt2 (1.8 to 6.8 log
10
IU/ml) and Gt3 (1.6 to 6.8 log
10
IU/ml) after automated extraction. The LOD of Gt1 virus was 10 IU/ml after manual extraction and between 25 and 37.5 IU/ml after automated extraction. Results with Gt2 and Gt3 viruses were similar after automated extraction (Gt2, between 25 and 50 IU/ml; Gt3, 25 IU/ml). Variability (intrarun and interrun, at concentrations throughout the range of quantification) was ≤13% for both extraction methods. Clinical specimens tested by Monitor were quantified using the CTM48 HCV ASR assay. Characteristics of the regression line included a slope of 0.98 and
y
intercept of −0.23. Quantification by the two methods was correlated (
r
= 0.97). CTM48 HCV ASR assay values were on average twofold lower than those for Monitor HCV v. 2.0. These data suggest that our assay combines the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative PCR platforms into a single test.
Use of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Hybridization Probes To Evaluate Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Diagnosis of Ocular Toxoplasmosis
Authors: Simon Audrey , Labalette Pierre , Ordinaire Isabelle , Fréalle Emilie , Dei-Cas Eduardo , Camus Daniel , Delhaes Laurence 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondiiinfection is an important cause of chorioretinitis in Europe and the United States. Ophthalmological examination and a good clinical response to adequate therapy mainly support ocular toxoplasmosis diagnosis. However, clinical diagnostic may be difficult in some atypical cases. In these cases, laboratory confirmation, based on detection of local specific antibodies and parasite DNA by conventional PCR, is therefore important to confirm the disease etiology. More recently, real-time PCR has been developed to improve prenatal congenital toxoplasmosis diagnosis. We therefore examined the diagnostic value of quantitative real-time PCR for the detection ofT. gondiiin aqueous humor samples, associated with quantification of human β-globin to control sample quantitative quality, by using a double fluorescence resonance energy transfer hybridization probes system with a double fluorescence reading. Of the 23 the clinically toxoplasmosis suspect patients, 22 showed serological evidence of exposure toToxoplasma; one had a serological profile indicative of active infection. The analysis of paired aqueous humor and serum samples revealed an intraocular antibody production in 9 of 23 cases (39.1%). The quantitative real-time PCR revealed positive and high parasite numbers and highToxoplasma/human genome ratios in three cases. Furthermore, PCR was the only positive confirmatory test in two cases (11.1%). None of the patients included in the control group (n= 7) had evidence of either local specific antibody production orT. gondiiDNA detection, suggesting a good relative assay specificity. On the whole, quantitative real-time PCR appears to be useful for diagnosing atypical ocular toxoplasmosis presentations.
Identification of
Escherichia coli
O114 O-Antigen Gene Cluster and Development of an O114 Serogroup-Specific PCR Assay
Authors: Feng Lu , Wang Wei , Tao Jiang , Guo Hongjie , Krause Gladys , Beutin Lothar , Wang Lei 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACT

Screening for the
Escherichia coli
O serotype is the traditional test for identification of
E. coli
clones. The O-antigen gene cluster of the
E. coli
O114 type strain was sequenced, and 12 open reading frames were assigned functions on the basis of homology. By screening against all 186
E. coli
and
Shigella
O serotypes, five genes specific to
E. coli
O114 were identified. A PCR assay based on the O-antigen-specific genes was developed and tested on 41 clinical isolates of
E. coli
O114. The PCR assay was shown to be highly specific and sensitive. When tested with pork and water samples, as few as 0.12 CFU of
E. coli
O114 g
−1
were detected. Thus, the PCR assays established in this study can be used to reliably identify
E. coli
O114 strains and may also be used to detect
E. coli
O114 strains in food, water, and other environmental samples.
Intrafamilial Spread of the Same Clarithromycin-Resistant
Helicobacter pylori
Infection Confirmed by Molecular Analysis
Authors: Taneike Ikue , Suzuki Keibun , Nakagawa Saori , Yamamoto Tatsuo 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACT

Clarithromycin-resistant
Helicobacter pylori
(CRHP) is increasing worldwide, especially in children. We report a family case in which both the mother and child were infected with CRHP. DNA analysis revealed that all of the mother's and daughter's isolates were indistinguishable, suggesting that the same CRHP strain spread between the family members. The spread of CRHP within families may be increasing.
TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS: A Model System for Plant Biology
Authors: Scholthof Karen-Beth G. 
Published: July 2004

▪ Abstract  Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has had an illustrious history for more than 100 years, dating to Beijerinck's description of the mosaic disease of tobacco as a contagium vivum fluidum and the modern usage of the word “virus.” Since then, TMV has been acknowledged as a preferred didactic model and a symbolic model to illuminate the essential features that define a virus. TMV additionally emerged as a prototypic model to investigate the biology of host plants, namely tobacco. TMV also exemplifies how a model system furthers novel, and often unexpected, developments in biology and virology. Today, TMV is used as a tool to study host-pathogen interactions and cellular trafficking, and as a technology to express valuable pharmaceutical proteins in tobacco. The history of TMV illustrates how pragmatic strategies to control an economically important disease of tobacco have had unexpected and transforming effects across platforms that impinge on plant health and public health.Tobacco mosaic virus: An RNA virus that causes mosaic disease in tobacco and similar effects in other plants, much used as an experimental subject; abbrev. TMV. ( 8 )
“You May Not Give It Away”: How Social Norms Shape Islamic Law in Contemporary Indonesian Jurisprudence
Authors: Bowen John 
Published: August 2004

AbstractA recent Indonesian Islamic law compilation presents an apparent anomaly in restricting the right to give away wealth as hiba to one-third of an estate — whereas the trend in Indonesian law reform has been to bring Islamic law closer to local inheritance practices. By means of a narrative analysis of a recent court decision, I identify a discourse of justifying the new restrictions in terms of general religious and social norms of fairness and agreement among heirs. Examination of local debates over law and property in two Sumatran societies, Gayo and Minangkabau, suggests that hiba is regarded as an impediment to Islamization of social life, and as introducing elements of unfairness and discord. Thus the new rule can be explained as having been motivated by local social processes and social norms.