bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leucine aminopeptidase during meiotic development
Authors: Ishizaki Takashi , Tosaka Aki , Nara Takayuki , Aoshima Narumichi , Namekawa Satoshi , Watanabe Kei , Hamada Fumika , Omori Akira , Sakaguchi Kengo 
Published: March 2003

We found a leucine aminopeptidase (LAP; EC 3.4.11.1) to be abundant in meiotic prophase tissue of a basidiomycete, Coprinus cinereus. After direct purification of the aminopeptidase component from meiocytes, we cloned the gene by degenerate PCR using partial amino‐acid sequences	of the purified enzyme and 5′ and 3′ RACE. It was homologous to the eukaryotic leucine aminopeptidase gene. The recombinant protein possesses the characteristic activities of a Coprinus leucine aminopeptidase (CoLAP) with a molecular mass of 52.4 kDa, and forms a homohexamer. Northern blot and spatial distribution analysis by immunohistochemical staining indicated CoLAP to be abundant in meiotic prophase cells and the supporting cells around meiocytes, but scarce in mycelium cells. Interestingly, from zygotene to pachytene, CoLAP was mostly present in supporting cells around meiocytes, but from diplotene onwards, it was plentiful in meiocytes themselves, suggesting that its expression is required to control some of the biochemical events at meiotic prophase. Moreover, the strong expression of CoLAP mRNA immediately after treatment with methyl methanesulfonate in mycelium implies that CoLAP has a role in somatic DNA repair.
Surgical approaches to the repair of cartilage defects
Authors: Shimmin A. 
Published: March 2003

Traumatic defects in articular cartilage are common in the young athletic population. They may occur in association with other injuries to the knee, particularly anterior cruciate ligament disruption. We understand that both theoretically and clinically, these defects may lead to an increased incidence of ongoing painful symptoms in the short term and degenerative joint disease in the long term. The orthopedic surgeon has several options to deal with theses injuries. The choice is dependent on the size and position of the lesion in the knee and any associated pathology.The most commonly practised methods aim to evoke a ‘repair’ response of fibrocartilage formation. This often helps in the short term, but the fibrocartilage degenerates over time, resulting in the return of symptoms.These ‘repair’ methods can be classified as: 1. Marrow stimulation techniques– these include abrasion chondroplasty, subchondral drilling and microfracture techniques. 2. Scaffold induced repair techniques.More recently, attempts to ‘re‐generate’ normal articular cartilage have been introduced to clinical practice. These are: 1. Mosaicplasty– autogenous osteochondral plug transplantation. 2. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI)– this involves the harvest and culturing of autologous chondrocytes and then re‐implantation via injection under a periosteal or porcine collagen patch. The newest technology allow implantation of the collagen patch which has had chondrocytes cultured within its structure. The results of these autologous chondrocyte implantation show encouraging short to medium term results clinically. 3. Some orthopaedic centres have recently been advocating ‘articular cartilage paste grafting’– this is a simple technique based upon the theory that a paste of autogenous articular cartilage and subchondral bone should contain chondrocytes, stem cells and growth factors in its own scaffold.Orthopedic surgeons await with interest the outcome of pre‐clinical work in examining the use of growth factors, scaffold technology and gene therapy in helping with the clinical problem of articular cartilage defects.
Salt spray limits the inland penetration of a coastally restricted invertebrate: a field experiment using landhoppers (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Talitridae)
Authors: Richardson A. M. M. , Swain R. , McCoull C. J. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

Invertebrates from at least three major groups (crustaceans, gastropods and insects) have distributions that are restricted to within a few hundred metres of the coast, but unlike coastal plants there has been little discussion and no tests of the mechanisms that might control such distributions.
Coastally restricted landhoppers, Austrotroides maritimus Friend, were transported inland of their natural distribution and established in enclosures at a site in far southern Tasmania. Salt (dry and in solution) was added to these enclosures to test the hypothesis that this species is confined to the coast by a requirement for salt.
Over 5 months, A. maritimus persisted and reproduced in the dry salt treatment, but numbers remained low or declined in the other treatments.
The addition of salt in solution did not produce the increase in numbers seen in the dry salt treatment. There was no evidence that non‐coastal species declined under the salt treatments.
The restriction of A. maritimus to the coast is explained in terms of its dependence on a supply of ions from salt spray, rather than a resistance to conditions which other more competitive species cannot tolerate.
This conclusion is qualified by the possibility that there may be occasional salt‐concentrating events in the coastal zone which raise the salt concentration above the tolerance levels of non‐coastal species.
Coastal landhoppers, in Tasmania at least, are not plesiomorphic members of their genera, so their distributions appear to be secondary, rather than representing an early stage in land colonization.
Limited intersex mimicry of floral odour in Ficus carica
Authors: Grison‐Pigé L. , Bessière J.‐M. , Turlings T. C. J. , Kjellberg F. , Roy J. , Hossaert‐McKey M. M. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

The mutualism between figs and pollinators is strict and pollination of female flowers occurs by deceit. Hence the chemical signal responsible for the encounter of the partners is expected to have limited variability. However, since male and female trees bloom at different times, sexual mimicry may not be necessary. The variability of floral odour blends of Ficus carica was studied between sexes, among trees and over time, as were the quantity and identity of the released compounds.
Male and female figs emitted the same compounds, but the quantities and proportions among the compounds differed.
The composition of the fig blend and the temporal pattern of emission were similar among trees of the same sex, and emission was synchronized with pollinator presence.
Composition of the blend and quantity released changed considerably over time, but at the time of maximal emission, all three compounds known to be essential to attract pollinators were released by male and female figs.
In a seasonal environment in which male and female flowers have different phenologies, selection for a strict sexual mimicry of the volatile attractants is weak. The identity of the compounds is the same for male and female figs, but their relative abundance in the blend differ.
A simple formulation of interaction between individuals competing for light in a monospecific stand
Authors: Hikosaka K. , Nagashima H. , Harada Y. , Hirose T. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

A new method to evaluate the interaction between individuals competing for light in a monospecific stand is presented.
Light intercepted by a leaf of a target individual is influenced by its own leaves and those of neighbours higher in the canopy. We assume that light intercepted by the leaf is the sum of the light that penetrates the foliage of the target and the foliage of neighbours. We define the degree of the interaction as the fraction of the intercepted light that penetrated the foliage of neighbours.
To determine the degree of interaction, we established experimental stands of an annual, Xanthium canadense Mill., and measured light interception directly with light‐sensitive films attached to leaves. We calculated the interaction using light absorption of individuals within the stand and of those isolated from the stand. Light interception of an individual was influenced more by its neighbours’ leaves than by its own. The degree of interaction was greater in the stand of higher density.
The method presented here may be useful in studying the role of architectural characteristics in light competition in relation to evolutionarily stable strategies of individuals in monospecific stands.
On the convertibility of different microsite light availability indices, relative illuminance and relative photon flux density
Authors: MURAOKA H. , HIROTA H. , MATSUMOTO J. , NISHIMURA S. , TANG Y. , KOIZUMI H. , WASHITANI I. 
Published: March 2003

Summary

To reveal the convertibility between different indices of microsite light environment, relative photosynthetically active photon‐flux density (R‐PPFD) and relative illuminance (RI) were measured with the ratio of red light to far‐red light (R/FR) simultaneously below various types of vegetation: temperate riparian deciduous broadleaf forest, coniferous forest, mixed forest of evergreen broadleaf and coniferous trees and cool‐temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, and in rice paddy in summer.
Within and throughout the vegetation, R‐PPFD and RI were strongly correlated, but the slopes of the regression equations significantly exceeded 1, and differed among the vegetation types and varied seasonally.
R/FR decreased with decreasing R‐PPFD. The difference between RI and R‐PPFD increased with decreasing R/FR: the darker the microsite, the larger the ‘error’ of the evaluated light availability if RI was used.
RI data can be converted to R‐PPFD. Conversion from RI to R‐PPFD would allow more reliable data comparisons among the different vegetation types and among studies that use different methods to measure the light environment.
The use of recombinant human TSH in the follow‐up of differentiated thyroid cancer: experience from a large patient cohort in a single centre
Authors: Giovanni Vitale , Arianna Lupoli Gelsy , Antonio Ciccarelli , Francesco Fonderico , Michele Klain , Giovanni Squame , Marco Salvatore , Giovanni Lupoli 
Published: March 2003

Summarybackground Periodic evaluation of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and whole body 131I imaging (131I‐WBS) are essential in the follow‐up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC); both diagnostic modalities require stimulation by high levels of TSH. Administration of recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) is an alternative to the withdrawal of thyroid hormone therapy.objective The aim of this study was to report our experience in the use of rhTSH for the management of patients with DTC.patients One hundred and four patients were enrolled in the study. A dose of 10 U of rhTSH therapy was injected intramuscularly for 2 consecutive days; 24 h after the second dose of rhTSH the patients were administered 4–5 mCi of 131I and, 48 h later, WBS was performed.results In all patients, baseline mean serum Tg and TSH levels were 2·4 ± 1·9 ng/ml and 0·0153 ± 0·0232 mIU/l, respectively. Basal Tg levels were detectable in 58 out of 104 patients. After rhTSH injection, mean serum TSH levels rose to 122·67 ± 47·36 mIU/l. Stimulated serum Tg levels increased to ≥ 5 ng/ml and the 131I‐WBS showed an uptake in 18 patients (17·4%). Among them there were three with bone metastases and one with brain metastases, who reported violent skeletal pain and a severe headache, respectively. These were caused by the growth of tumour mass of metastases induced by rhTSH administration.conclusions The use of rhTSH avoids the debilitating effects of hypothyroidism and its use successfully promotes iodine uptake and increases the sensitivity of serum Tg testing. The risk of causing serious side‐effects recommends performing skull magnetic resonance and radionuclide bone scan in cases of suspected brain or skeletal metastases.
Allelic loss in clinically and screening‐detected primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Correa Pamela , Juhlin Christofer , Rastad Jonas , Åkerström Göran , Westin Gunnar , Carling Tobias 
Published: March 2003

Summaryobjective Parathyroid adenomas frequently harbour deletions of genomic DNA at chromosome regions 1p, 6q and 11q. In this study we related clinical characteristics in 56 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) to loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in these chromosome regions.design LOH analysis was performed on 56 sporadic parathyroid tumours using a total of 18 microsatellite markers for chromosome regions 1p, 6q and 11q. LOH was identified, for either radioactive or fluorescent labelled markers, as total absence or reduction of ≥ 50% of the signal intensity of an allele in the tumour DNA vs. constitutional DNA.patients Twenty‐one of the patients were recruited by a population‐based screening for pHPT and the remaining pHPT patients were gathered from routine clinical practice.results In total, 27%, 23% and 23% of the tumours showed LOH at 1p, 6q and 11q, respectively. LOH at both 1p and 11q was more common in the screening‐detected pHPT patients compared to those recruited from clinical practice (38%vs. 20%; P= 0·02 and 43%vs. 11%; P= 0·001, respectively), while allelic loss at 6q was more prevalent in the latter group (11%vs. 31%; P= 0·001). No apparent relationships between LOH at 1p, 6q, and 11q and clinical characteristics, such as glandular weight, serum levels of PTH or calcium, were demonstrated. Moreover, additional LOH analysis of chromosome 1p suggested a putative parathyroid tumour suppressor gene(s) in the region between markers DS214 and D1S503, spanning approximately 6 cM.conclusion A high frequency of LOH at 1p and 11q in tumours of screening‐detected pHPT patients is intriguing, and may suggest that inactivation of known (the MEN1 gene) and putative tumour suppressor genes at these chromosomal regions is associated with a more benign disease.
Physical activity or food intake prior to testing did not affect the reproducibility of GH secretion elicited by GH releasing hormone plus GH‐releasing hexapeptide in normal adult subjects
Authors: Popovic Vera , Pekic Sandra , Simic Mirjana , Damjanovic Svetozar , Micic Dragan , Dieguez Carlos , Casanueva Felipe F. 
Published: March 2003

Summaryobjective Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adults is a defined syndrome of which the adverse effects on different areas of body function are reversed under replacement therapy with GH. The diagnosis of GHD is controversial in adults, relying on the GH secretion elicited by the so‐called provocative tests of GH reserve. Most of the tests in use, including the widely employed insulin tolerance test, have been shown to be blunted after daily activities, such as mild exercise, heat or food intake, which makes stringent testing conditions mandatory in order to assure reproducibility. The combined administration of GH releasing hormone (GHRH) and GH‐releasing hexapeptide (GHRP‐6) is a very effective test for the diagnosis of GH deficiency in adults. In the present study, the perturbatory action of mild physical activity and food intake on the reproducibility of this combined test was assessed.methods Seventeen healthy volunteers of both sexes were tested twice on separate occasions with the sequential administration of GHRH (90 µg i.v.) plus GHRP‐6 (90 µg i.v.) as bolus. Eleven subjects underwent the first combined test in the morning under basal conditions and the second test was performed in the afternoon of the same day after a morning of habitual working activity and after a standard lunch. Another group of six subjects underwent similar double testing in the morning and in the afternoon after morning activity followed by lunch; however, both tests were separated by a period of 6 months.measurements GH levels were analysed by time‐resolved fluoroimmunoassay, with sampling every 15 minutes.results The reproducibility of the GHRH + GHRP‐6 test performed on the same day was high, with the mean GH peak being 65·4 ± 8·0 µg/l in the basal state and 51·2 ± 9·6 µg/l after lunch, while the area under the curve (AUC) was 2287 ± 288 µg/l per 45 minutes in the morning and 1759 ± 350 after lunch. When a period of 6 months had elapsed between the first and the second test, the reproducibility was well maintained with a mean GH peak of 42·7 ± 6·2 µg/l in the basal state and 34·3 ± 3·6 µg/l in the after lunch test, with the AUC 1463 ± 209 and 1164 ± 106 µg/l per 45 minutes in the morning and after lunch, respectively. When analysed individually, physical activity, lunch or time elapsed between the two tests did not significantly change the GH peak in the subjects tested.conclusions The GHRH + GHRP‐6 test of GH reserve is a highly reproducible test in adult subjects over time, and is not perturbed by common daily activities, such as mild physical exercise or food intake. Considering that stringent testing conditions are not required and the whole test may be performed in 30 minutes, it may be useful in the clinical setting for the diagnosis of GH deficiency in adults.
Dimeric inhibins in girls from birth to adulthood: relationship with age, pubertal stage, FSH and oestradiol
Authors: Crofton P. M. , Evans A. E. M. , Groome N. P. , Taylor M. R. H. , Holland C. V. , Kelnar C. J. H. 
Published: March 2003

Summaryobjective Inhibin B is produced by granulosa cells in small antral follicles under the influence of FSH, whilst inhibin A is produced by larger follicles and the corpus luteum. The aims of our study were to investigate how these inhibins change from birth to late adolescence in girls, to derive reference data and to explore their relation with pubertal stage, FSH, oestradiol and each other.study design and subjects Blood samples were collected from: (a) 345 girls aged 0–18 years to obtain age‐related reference data, and (b) 80 pre‐menarcheal girls with full pubertal staging, of whom 40 were on GH treatment at the time of sampling.measurements Dimeric inhibins A and B were measured by double antibody enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), FSH by immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) and oestradiol by radioimmunoassay.resultsMedian inhibin B was low until age 6 years, slightly higher from 6 to 10 years, then increased from 10 to 12 years to reach a plateau from 12 to 18 years. Inhibin A was usually detectable in girls younger than 3 months but thereafter became undetectable in most samples until after age 10 years, when median levels rose progressively to 14 years, then stabilized from 14 to 18 years. Both inhibins displayed considerable scatter about the median throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. Girls aged 0–10 years showed a positive correlation between inhibins A and B (P < 0·0001), whereas those aged 14–18 years showed an inverse relationship (P < 0·001), indicating the onset of ovulatory cycles. Age‐related reference ranges and data for calculation of SD scores are presented. GH‐treated girls at pubertal stage B2 (but not at B1 or B3–5) had higher inhibin B and FSH levels than untreated girls and were excluded from further analysis. Both inhibins A and B increased during puberty (P < 0·0001) and were positively correlated with each other (P < 0·01). Both inhibins were also positively correlated with FSH in pre‐pubertal girls (P < 0·05) but not at pubertal stages B3–5.conclusions Although median levels of inhibins A and B remained low until after age 10 years in girls, the increased levels of both inhibins in individual samples, together with their positive relationship with FSH, provide further evidence of sporadic follicular development throughout infancy and childhood under the influence of FSH. The increase in both inhibins during puberty and their changing relationship with FSH are in keeping with the concept of follicular growth being dependent on the duration of FSH elevation above a critical threshold rather than the degree of elevation per se.
Electrophysiological abnormalities of the atrial muscle in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation associated with hyperthyroidism
Authors: Komiya Norihiro , Isomoto Shojiro , Nakao Kojiro , Hayano Motonobu , Yano Katsusuke 
Published: March 2003

Summaryobjective Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients with hyperthyroidism. Although the choice of an antiarrhythmic agent should be based on its electrophysiological effects and the electrophysiological properties of the arrhythmia in question, the atrial electrophysiological features of AF associated with hyperthyroidism are unknown. The purposes of this study are to clarify the atrial electrophysiological abnormalities of AF with hyperthyroidism, and to propose effective therapies for AF in patients with hyperthyroidism.subjects and design This study included 117 patients who underwent electrophysiological study and were evaluated for thyroid function: 29 patients without AF or hyperthyroidism (Group I), 78 patients with lone paroxysmal AF (Group II), and 10 patients with paroxysmal AF and hyperthyroidism (Group III). The following electrophysiological parameters were assessed and measured quantitatively: (1) the incidence of abnormal right atrial electrograms during sinus rhythm, indicating areas of altered anatomy and conduction where AF is likely to develop; (2) the atrial effective refractory period (ERP); and (3) the atrial conduction delay (CD), which is induced by early atrial premature beats close to the atrial ERP and is thought to facilitate the occurrence of AF.results The incidence of abnormal right atrial electrograms during sinus rhythm was significantly higher in Group II (67·1%) than in Group I (20·0%, P < 0·001) and Group III (22·2%, P = 0·009). The atrial ERP was significantly shorter in Group III (187 ± 7 ms) than in Group I (215 ± 36 ms, P = 0·019) and Group II (208 ± 28 ms, P = 0·022). The atrial CD was observed in Group III as well as in Group II.conclusions Our data indicate that the electrophysiological features of paroxysmal AF associated with hyperthyroidism are essentially different from those of lone paroxysmal AF. In patients with paroxysmal AF and hyperthyroidism, a shortening of the refractory period in association with a facilitation of the atrial CD could be expected to increase the propensity for AF, and a pre‐existent arrhythmogenic substrate might not be essential to the genesis of AF. These findings suggest that the agents that prolong the atrial ERP are effective against AF in patients with hyperthyroidism.
Influence of the CYP2D6*10 allele on the metabolism of mexiletine by human liver microsomes
Authors: Senda C. , Yamaura Y. , Kobayashi K. , Fujii H. , Minami H. , Sasaki Y. , Igarashi T. , Chiba K. 
Published: March 2003

Aims  To study the influence of CYP2D6*10 on the formation of p‐hydroxymexiletine (PHM) and hydroxymethylmexiletine (HMM) using microsomes from human liver of known genotypes.
Methods
Microsomes from human livers of genotype CYP2D6*1/*1 (n = 5), *1/*10 (n = 6) and *10/*10 (n = 6) were used in this study. The formation of PHM and HMM was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography.Results  The formation rates of PHM and HMM were decreased by more than 50% and 85% in CYP2D6*1/*10 and *10/*10 microsomes, respectively, compared with *1/*1 microsomes.Conclusions  The metabolism of mexiletine to form PHM and HMM appears to be impaired to a significant extent in human liver microsomes from hetero‐ and homozygotes of CYP2D6*10.