bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pitch canker ratings of longleaf pine clones correlate with Fusarium circinatum infestation of seeds and seedling mortality in containers
Authors: Carey W. A. , Oak S. W. , Enebak S. A. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryThe incidence and severity of pitch canker was rated among 16 clones of mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in a seed orchard and cones were collected from five of those clones across the range of pitch canker disease ratings. Seed were extracted and commercially processed by clone and the percentages contaminated with Fusarium circinatum determined. Seed from each clone were sown either without treatment or with one of three fungicide treatments in a soil‐less mix at a commercial container nursery to evaluate the effects of F. circinatum (syn. F. subglutinans) on seed and seedling survival. The percent of seed with F. circinatum correlated with the pitch canker ratings in the orchard for the year of collection (r = 0.88, p = 0.05) and, when sown without fungicide treatment, with the number of seedlings produced (r = −0.94, p = 0.01) and with seedling mortality after germination (r = 0.92, p = 0.02). The same orchard clones were more symptomatic of pitch canker through three annual surveys. Fusarium circinatum was isolated from a higher percent of seed from more symptomatic clones and a lower percent of their seed produced plantable seedlings. We propose that removing such clones from seed collections should reduce seedling mortality at the nursery.
17β‐oestradiol up‐regulates longevity‐related, antioxidant enzyme expression via the ERK1 and ERK2[MAPK]/NFκB cascade
Authors: Borrás Consuelo , Gambini Juan , Gómez‐Cabrera Ma Carmen , Sastre Juan , Pallardó Federico V. , Mann Giovanni E. , Viña José 
Published: May 2005

SummaryFemales live longer than males. Oestrogens protect females against aging by up‐regulating the expression of antioxidant, longevity‐related genes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Mn‐superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD). The mechanism through which oestrogens up‐regulate those enzymes remains unidentified, but may have implications for gender differences in lifespan. We show that physiological concentrations of oestradiol act through oestrogen receptors to reduce peroxide levels in MCF‐7 cells (a mammary gland tumour cell line). Oestradiol increases MAP kinase (MAPK) activation as indicated by ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylation in MCF‐7 cells, which in turn activates the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signalling pathways as indicated by an increase in the p50 subunit of NFκB in nuclear extracts. Blockade of MAPK and NFκB signalling reduces the antioxidant effect of oestradiol. Finally, we show that activation of MAPK and NFκB by oestrogens drives the expression of the antioxidant enzymes Mn‐SOD and GPx. We conclude that oestradiol sequentially activates MAPK and NFκB following receptor activation to up‐regulate the expression of antioxidant enzymes, providing a cogent explanation for the antioxidant properties of oestrogen and its effects on longevity‐related genes.
In vivospectrofluorimetry reveals endogenous biomarkers that report healthspan and dietary restriction inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Gerstbrein Beate , Stamatas Georgios , Kollias Nikiforos , Driscoll Monica 
Published: May 2005

SummaryAutofluorescent lipofuscin and advanced glycation end‐products (age pigments) accumulate with age across phyla, yet little is understood about their formation under physiological conditions and their specific contributions to the aging process. We usedin vivospectrofluorimetry to quantitate autofluorescence in wild‐typeCaenorhabditis elegansand longevity mutants disrupted for distinct aspects of the aging process. In wild‐type animals, age pigments increase into adulthood, accumulating slowly during the reproductive phase and more rapidly during the post‐reproductive period. As in humans, insulin signaling influences age pigment accumulation – mutations that lower efficacy of insulin signaling and extend lifespan [daf‐2(e1370) insulin receptor andage‐1(hx546) PI3‐kinase] dramatically lower age pigment accumulation; conversely, elimination of the insulin‐inhibited DAF‐16/FOXO transcription factor causes a huge increase in age pigment accumulation, supporting that the short‐liveddaf‐16null mutant is truly progeric. By contrast, mutations that increase mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production do not affect age pigment accumulation, challenging assumptions about the role of oxidative stress in generating these speciesin vivo. Dietary restriction reduces age pigment levels significantly and is associated with a unique spectral shift that might serve as a rapidly scored reporter of the dietary restricted state. Unexpectedly, genetically identical siblings that age poorly (as judged by decrepit locomotory capacity) have dramatically higher levels of age pigments than their same‐aged siblings that appear to have aged more gracefully and move youthfully. Thus, high age pigment levels indicate a physiologically aged state rather than simply marking chronological time, and age pigments are valid reporters of nematode healthspan.
Complicating the role of p53 in aging
Authors: Gentry Amanda , Venkatachalam Sundaresan 
Published: May 2005

Recently, we described a p53 mutant mouse model (p53+/m mouse model) that presented a paradox, in which tumor free survival was coupled to reduced lifespan instead of extended lifespan (Tyner et al., 2002). The p53+/m mice expressed a truncated p53 transcript attached to a leader sequence and showed a moderate increase in p53 activity. Based on this data we hypothesized that enhanced levels of p53 caused the early aging and cancer resistance phenotypes. This hypothesis was attractive as it indirectly implied a ‘fine tuning’ mechanism of tumor suppressor gene expression to maintain homeostasis at the organismal level (Campisi, 2002; Kirkwood, 2002). Our results also lent support to the evolutionary theory of antagonistic pleiotropy that predicts the deleterious effects of tumor‐suppressor genes later in life (Williams, 1957). These observations notwithstanding, the p53+/m mouse model presented a caveat, in which tumor free survival was coupled to reduced lifespan instead of extended lifespan. Studies in model organisms have shown that enhanced resistance to oxidative stress correlates with increased longevity (Johnson et al., 2002; Murakami et al., 2003). The tumor suppressor functions of p53 overwhelmingly categorize it as a longevity assurance gene and suggest a synergistic effect on lifespan via tumor free survival of the organism. We show that there are 24 genes deleted in the p53+/m mouse model, complicating the role of p53 in aging and raising the possibility that the phenotypes while resembling ‘premature aging‐like’ symptoms, may not be related to the physiological changes seen during normal aging processes.
A proposed set of descriptors for functional senescence data
Authors: Martin Ian , Gargano Julia Warner , Grotewiel Michael S. 
Published: May 2005

Declines in function1 are common manifestations of aging in many phyla (Arking, 1998). As functional senescence is thought to drive the increasing risk of death with age, understanding functional senescence is important for understanding aging. Experimental investigation of functional senescence requires one to quantitate and compare age‐dependent declines in function between cohorts. Such quantitation and comparison is often difficult owing to complexities in functional senescence data sets. Here, we discuss issues related to describing and contrasting age‐related declines in function.We parameterized functional senescence data in simple ways to generate descriptors for (1) the rate of functional decline, (2) the time to onset of functional decline and (3) total function. To illustrate how these descriptors can be used, we analyzed a hypothetical data set and one of our previously published data sets (Goddeeris et al., 2003). We conclude that no one descriptor sufficiently characterizes functional senescence. Useful distinctions between functional senescence in different cohorts can be made, however, when multiple descriptors are used in an integrated fashion.
Age‐related changes in regional brain mitochondria from Fischer 344 rats
Authors: LaFrance R. , Brustovetsky N. , Sherburne C. , DeLong D. , Dubinsky J. M. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryBrain mitochondrial function has been posited to decline with aging. In order to test this hypothesis, cortical and striatal mitochondria were isolated from Fischer 344 rats at 2, 5, 11, 24 and 33 months of age. Mitochondrial membrane potential remained stable through 24 months, declining slightly in mitochondria from both brain regions at 33 months. The ability of calcium to induce mitochondrial swelling and depolarization, characteristics of the permeability transition, was remarkably stable through 24 months of age and increased at advanced ages only for cortical, but not striatal, mitochondria. Striatal mitochondria were more sensitive to calcium than were cortical mitochondria throughout the first 2 years of life. A two‐fold increased resistance to calcium was observed in striatal mitochondria between 5 and 11 months. Although these measurements do demonstrate changes in mitochondrial function with aging, the changes in polarization are relatively small and the increased cortical susceptibility to the permeability transition only occurred at very advanced ages. Thus mitochondrial decline with advanced age depends upon brain region.
UCP1 deficiency increases susceptibility to diet‐induced obesity with age
Authors: Kontani Y. , Wang Y. , Kimura K. , Inokuma K.‐I. , Saito M. , Suzuki‐Miura T. , Wang Z. , Sato Y. , Mori N. , Yamashita H. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryLoss of nonshivering thermogenesis in mice by inactivation of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein gene (Ucp1−/– mice) causes increased sensitivity to cold and unexpected resistance to diet‐induced obesity at a young age. To clarify the role of UCP1 in body weight regulation throughout life and influence of UCP1 deficiency on longevity, we longitudinally analyzed the phenotypes of Ucp1−/– mice maintained in a room at 23 °C. There was no difference in body weight and lifespan between genotypes under the standard chow diet condition, whereas the mutant mice developed obesity with age under the high‐fat (HF) diet condition. Compared with Ucp1+/+ mice, Ucp1−/– mice showed increased expression of genes related to thermogenesis and fatty acid metabolism, such as β3‐adrenergic receptor, in adipose tissues of the 3‐month‐old mutants; however, the augmented expression was reduced in Ucp1+/+ mice in 11‐month‐old Ucp1−/– mice fed the HF diet. Likewise, the increased levels of UCP3 and cAMP‐dependent protein kinase in the brown adipose tissue of Ucp1−/– mice given the standard diet were decreased significantly in that of Ucp1−/– mice fed the HF diet, which animals showed impaired norepinephrine‐induced lipolysis in their adipose tissues. These results suggest profound attenuation of β‐adrenergic responsiveness and fatty acid utilization in Ucp1−/– mice fed the HF diet, bringing them to late‐onset obesity. Our findings provide evidence that UCP1 is neither essential for body weight regulation nor for longevity under conditions of standard diet and normal housing temperature, but deficiency increases susceptibility to obesity with age in combination with HF diet.
Ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.
Authors: Zapata Rodrigo , Sandoval Lorena , Palma Joaquìn , Hernández Ismael , Ribalta José , Reyes Humberto , Sedano Manuel , Tohá Dolores , Silva Juan Jorge 
Published: May 2005

Abstract: Objective: To assess the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and in the outcome of pregnancy.Methods: Retrospective analysis of our 12‐year experience treating ICP patients with UDCA. Thirty‐two patients with pruritus starting before week 34 of pregnancy and with increased serum bile salts (BS) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) received UDCA (15 mg/kg/day) for at least 3 weeks before delivery. They were compared with 16 historical controls who did not receive UDCA. All patients were followed up until delivery and in puerperium. Newborns were followed up during 3 months.Results: UDCA treatment attenuated pruritus (P<0.05), serum bilirubin and ALT decreased (P<0.05) and BS declined. Delivery at term (≥37 weeks) occurred in 65.7% of UDCA‐treated patients compared with only 12.5% in controls (P<0.01). Infants born to mothers treated with UDCA weighed a mean of 500 g more than the controls (2882±582 vs 2385±582; P<0.01). At 3 months, all infants developed normally. Twenty‐six children whose mothers received UDCA were re‐examined after 1–12 years and they and their mothers were healthy.Conclusions: UDCA improved pruritus and biochemical cholestasis, and facilitated deliveries at term in ICP patients, with a higher birthweight compared with historical controls. The drug was well tolerated and no adverse effects were detected in their infants.
A multi‐step, incremental expansion method for radio frequency ablation: optimization of the procedure to prevent increases in intra‐tumor pressure and to reduce the ablation time
Authors: Kotoh Kazuhiro , Nakamuta Makoto , Morizono Shusuke , Kohjima Motoyuki , Arimura Eiichirou , Fukushima Marie , Enjoji Munechika , Sakai Hironori , Nawata Hajime 
Published: May 2005

Abstract: Background/Aims: Radio frequency ablation (RFA) has been accepted clinically as a useful local treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, intra‐hepatic recurrence after RFA has been reported. We initially hypothesized that recurrence was attributable to increases in intra‐tumor pressure during RFA, and we subsequently measured the pressure and optimized the procedure.Methods: A block of pig liver sealed in a rigid plastic case was used as a model of an HCC tumor with a capsule. We compared the pressure between a single‐step full expansion of the needle (single‐step method) and incremental, stepwise expansion (multi‐step method), and evaluated the effect of varying the electrical power. Finally, we performed a preliminary comparison of the ablation times for these methods in HCC cases.Results: The multi‐step method resulted in a significantly lower pressure and shorter total ablation time than the single‐step method. Furthermore, incremental expansion in 10 steps resulted in a lower pressure and shorter ablation time than four steps. Seventy W‐ablation resulted in a lower pressure and shorter time than 30‐ or 50 W‐ablation. In HCC cases, the multiple‐step method had a significantly shorter ablation time than the single‐step method.Conclusion: The multi‐step method can be recommended to reduce the ablation time, and suppress the increase in pressure.
Vascular, hemodynamic and renal effects of low‐dose losartan in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis
Authors: Heller Jörg , Trebicka Jonel , Shiozawa Thomas , Schepke Michael , Neef Markus , Hennenberg Martin , Sauerbruch Tilman 
Published: May 2005

Abstract:Background: In cirrhosis, splanchnic and systemic vasodilatation induce a hyperdynamic circulatory dysfunction, portal hypertension and renal sodium retention. This vasodilatation is in part because of an impaired vascular response to α1‐adrenoceptor agonists. Recently, the angiotensin II type 1‐receptor antagonist losartan has been shown to attenuate portal hypertension. We hypothesized that losartan decreases portal pressure by counteracting the impaired vascular responsive to α1‐adrenoceptor agonists.Methods: We studied, in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis and sham‐operated rats, the effect of 0.5 and 10 mg losartan/kg × day on aortic responsiveness to α1‐adrenoceptor stimulation with methoxamine and angiotensin II (myograph), splanchnic and systemic hemodynamics (colored microspheres), plasma noradrenaline levels and kidney function.Results: In cirrhotic rats, 10 mg losartan/kg × day completely inhibited aortic contractility to angiotensin II, decreased vascular resistance and arterial pressure and induced renal failure. In contrast, 0.5 mg losartan/kg × day only partially inhibited aortic contractility to angiotensin II, but improved aortic contractility to methoxamine, increased splanchnic and systemic vascular resistance, decreased portal pressure, decreased plasma norepinephrine levels and induced natriuresis.Conclusions: In cirrhotic rats, losartan at a very low dose increases splanchnic vascular resistance, decreases portal pressure and improves kidney function, possibly by an increased vascular responsiveness to α1‐adrenoceptor agonists.
Burnout as a developmental process among Japanese nurses: Investigation of Leiter's model
Authors: KITAOKA‐HIGASHIGUCHI Kazuyo 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAim:  The first object of the present study was to compare Leiter and Maslach's original model (1988) and the revised model (proposed by Leiter in 1991). The second object was to ascertain whether the process model of burnout proposed by Leiter in 1993 is applicable to Japanese nurses. Workload demand, role conflict, and interpersonal conflict were selected as organizational demands, and supervisor support, coworker support, and occupational decision authority as resources.Methods:  The subjects were Japanese clinical nurses (n = 238) working at a municipal general hospital. One hundred and eighty‐three effective data was obtained. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation analysis.Results:  The results supported the revised model which maintained the sequential link from exhaustion to cynicism, but recast the relationship of professional efficacy with another two components of burnout. The hypothesized model was revised based on findings and re‐analysed. The organizational demands exhibited a significant positive correlation to exhaustion. Cynicism exhibited a negative correlation to supervisor support. The job decision authority exhibited a positive correlation to professional efficacy. However, the hypothesis that supervisor support exhibits a positive correlation to professional efficacy was not supported.Conclusions:  Leiter's process model of burnout is conceptualized based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory. The results of the present study were reasonably in line with the COR theory. It was suggested that Leiter's model should be applicable to Japanese nurses.
Analysis of nutritive sucking function in very low and extremely low birthweight infants in Japan: A pilot study
Authors: MATSUBARA Manami , TAMURA Yasuo , RUCHALA Patsy 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the differences in nutritive sucking patterns between very low, extremely low birth‐weight infants (LBWI) and full‐term infants (FTI) and to examine the change in those sucking patterns within 5 months after birth.Methods: Sucking patterns of eight LBWI and seven FTI were compared. In addition, sucking patterns were measured in four of the LBWI and seven of the FTI until 5 months of age to determine change in sucking wave patterns over time.Results: During the first month after birth, there was a significant difference in the sucking wave between the LBWI and FTI. The sucking cycle time was significantly shorter and the intensity of the sucking pressure was significantly smaller in the LBWI than that in the FTI. By 5 months, significant correlations were noted between the actual age or the modified age and the sucking pressure in both LBWI and FTI.Conclusions: The findings suggest that the weakness of oral muscular function and less sucking skill can bring about the weakness of intensity of sucking pressure, decreased time of the sucking stage in a sucking cycle, and unstable intensity of sucking pressure and time of the sucking stage in LBWI infants, causing low efficiency of milk intake and smaller amounts of milk swallowing during each sucking period as they obstructs the development of oral muscular function itself. These problems last for a longer period of time in LBWI than in FTI, leading to a deficit in the development of masticatory function in LBWI. The results of the current pilot study will serve as a foundation to investigate the development of masticatory function in LBWI as they grow into early childhood.
Learning model and curriculum designs for international health in nursing
Authors: HENRY Beverly , UEDA Reiko 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAim:  Nursing's domain of inquiry for international health is unclear. A learning model to frame this specialty is unavailable. The goal of this analysis was to open debate worldwide on the nature of concepts, relationships, and analytic constructs that can serve as a foundational blueprint for international nursing curriculums. The aim was to define and operationalize international health in nursing by constructing a learning model.Methods:  The exercise was exploratory using content analysis to distinguish key concepts in disciplinary and multidisciplinary documents through relevancy sampling. Sources of certainty were expert knowledge and experience and the embodied practices in international health. Procedures to ensure interrater reliability were used to strengthen confidence in formulating the bases for robust curriculum designs.Results:  The five main concepts discerned were environment, demography, culture, technology, and research. Nursing goals framed as analytic constructs with amplification serve as the basis for statements of student outcome competencies. The resulting concepts, constructs, and competencies taken together provide a beginning operationalization of international health in nursing for a variety of progressive curriculum designs.Conclusions:  In Japan, higher education is increasingly international and, for this, clear, agreed‐on academic goals are warranted. Nursing's higher education is obligated to prepare students for a future in environments highly globalised and technological with a culture of tolerance. The model facilitates scholarly debate for a progressive view of international health characterized by emphasis on theory and practical application.
Factors associated with the feeling of stability in the daily life among colostomy patients
Authors: ITO Naomi , KAZUMA Keiko 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAim:  Colostomy patients must lead a stable life after discharge. However, little is known about the feeling of stability in the daily life of these patients. The purpose of the present study was to identify the associated factors.Methods:  The subjects were outpatients who met all of the following criteria: (i) a permanent colostomy for the treatment of colonic, rectal, or anal cancer; (ii) under 80 years of age; (iii) a colostomy history of less than 10 years; and (iv) no significant prior physical or psychiatric disorders. Data were collected by conducting interviews using a questionnaire, examining medical records, and asking the nurses responsible for patients’ care. The following measures were evaluated: patients’ feeling of stability in the daily life, patients’ characteristics, physical condition, support resources, self‐evaluation of their current life, and hospital characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using t‐tests, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, and structural equation model.Results:  Data from 133 patients were available for analysis. The final model fitted the data well. All estimated parameters were significant. The opportunity to attend periodic stoma clinics and support from nurses contributed to the feeling of stability in the daily life and had a positive effect on patients’ self‐evaluation of their current life.Conclusions:  The results of this study corroborated the necessity for an outpatient support system to enhance the feeling of stability in the daily life after hospital discharge. This finding supports the need to improve stoma care systems and to make such systems more available.