bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of octreotide in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) of rats: An experimental study
Authors: Xiao Yu , Shengdao Zhang , Ruoqing Lei , Zongqin Xia , Tianquan Han , Yaoqing Tang , Sheng Chen , Jiancheng Wang , Zurong Yuan 
Published: July 2002

OBJECTIVE: To study the action of octreotide in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) in rats. METHODS: The effect of octreotide on pancreatic acinar cells with respect to amino acid uptake, protein synthesis and secretion of enzymes was observed by using radioactive tracing and autoradiography on both healthy rats and rats with ANP. RESULTS: It was shown that octreotide has no effect on pancreatic acinar cells with respect to amino acid uptake and protein synthesis in both ANP and in control rats. However, octreotide was able to inhibit the secretion of enzyme‐proteins. There were secretions from the basolateral membrane of the acinar cells in ANP rats, which could be reduced by treatment with octreotide. CONCLUSIONS: Octreotide has no effect on pancreatic acinar cells with respect to amino acid uptake and enzyme‐protein synthesis, but it can inhibit the secretion of enzyme‐proteins, in particular, from the basolateral membrane of ANP rats and prevent the accumulation of zymogen granules in the interstitium.
Inhibitory effect of a liposome‐mediated antisense oligodeoxynucleotide on telomerase activity in a human gastric cancer cell line
Authors: Zhihui Lin , Houyu Liu , Xiuzhen Pan 
Published: July 2002

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of a specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ASODN) on the telomerase activity of the human gastric cancer cell line FGC85. METHODS: FGC85 cells were treated in vitro with ASODN complementary to the template region of the RNA component of human telomerase. A cationic liposomal transfection reagent was used as a delivery vector. Telomerase activity was detected by using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol/polymerase chain reaction/enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (TRAP‐PCR‐ELISA) method. RESULTS: The telomerase activity of FGC85 cells was suppressed significantly by the liposome/ASODN treatment and the effect was related to the con‐centration of liposome/ASODN and treatment time. CONCLUSIONS: Specific ASODN have an inhibitory effect on telomerase activity in human gastric cancer cell line FGC85. Specific ASODN could be used in research into gene therapy for cancer treatments and the exploration of carcinogenesis.
Clinical application of computed tomography virtual colography
Authors: Xu Sun , Wei Lu , Dianhui Zhao , Daoying Gen , Tianzhen Shen , Xingrong Chen 
Published: July 2002

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the computed tomography (CT) virtual colographic features of colonic polyps, colorectal cancer, diverticula, ulcerative colitis and other benign colonic lesions. Also, to assess the value of this method in the diagnosis of colorectal lesions. METHODS: Computed tomography colography was performed in 37 patients (26 male, 11 female) suffering from the following conditions: 20 colonic adenomas, six colon cancers, four diverticula, five ulcerative colitis and one each of melanosis coli and amyloidosis. The data from CT scanning were processed by computer with specific software and the colonic lesions were evaluated with 2‐ or 3‐D images, depending on the individual software. RESULTS: Seventeen cases of colonic adenoma, six colon cancers, four diverticula and two cases of ulcerative colitis were detected by using CT colography. However, melanosis coli and amyloidosis of the colon were not detected. CONCLUSION: Computed tomography colography can detect all colonic polyps of 0.5 cm in diameter or larger, colon cancer, diverticula and some ulcerative colitis successfully. It is quick, minimally invasive and able to be tolerated well. It has the potential to become an effective radiological tool in diagnosing colonic lesions.
Mechanism of metronidazole resistance in Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Kui Jiang , Jianzhong Zhang , Guozong Pan 
Published: July 2002

OBJECTIVE: Drug resistance to Helicobacter pylori is one of the most important reasons for the failure of anti‐H. pylori treatment. Metronidazole is a preferred drug for the elimination of H. pylori. However, using this drug alone can easily lead to resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of metronidazole resistance in H. pylori. METHODS: International standard strain NCTC11639 was used. For the nitrate reduction test, four strains were used as positive controls, two strains of Bacillus coli and two strains of Vibrio cholerae. Metronidazole was used as tablets (0.2 g per tablet). The following techniques were used: (i) metronidazole used to apply selective pressure; (ii) sodium dodecylsulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE); (iii) nitrate reduction test; and (iv) test to detect the enzyme activities associated with 95 different substrates for Gram‐negative bacteria. RESULTS: As a result of the selective pressure of metronidazole, 20 H. pylori colonies survived; the bacteriostatic zones of these colonies were 0 mm in diameter, whereas the original NCTC11639 bacteriostatic zones were 25 mm in diameter. There was no significant difference seen among the 18 strains of drug‐resistant H. pylori and the original NCTC11639 strain protein electrophoresis strips. In the nitrate reduction test, both sensitive and resistant H. pylori all tested negative and the control strains of Bacillus coli and Vibrio cholerae tested positive. After the mutation of H. pylori from sensitive to resistant, the activities of enzymes associated with mono‐methyl succinate, succinic acid and D‐alanine metabolism were decreased, and those associated with L‐fucose and 6‐phosphate glucose metabolism were increased. CONCLUSIONS: The resistance of H. pylori to metronidazole is not related to nitroreductase. There may be no obvious changes in membrane protein in the drug‐resistant strain. The metronidazole resistance of H. pylori is associated with its metabolism and a change in enzyme activities.
Troglitazone reduces plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor‐α in obese patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Katsuki A. , Sumida Y. , Murata K. , Furuta M. , Araki‐Sasaki R. , Tsuchihashi K. , Hori Y. , Yano Y. , Gabazza E. C. , Adachi Y. 
Published: July 2002

SummaryWe evaluated the effect of troglitazone (given orally 400 mg/day) on glucose intolerance and on the plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in 12 obese patients with type 2 diabetes for 12 weeks. Troglitazone significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose, serum C‐peptide, serum insulin and HbA1c levels. Plasma levels of TNF‐α were significantly reduced by troglitazone administered for 8 and 12 weeks. Troglitazone administration significantly improved insulin resistance, but did not affect pancreatic β‐cell function as evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). In the present study, we reported for the first time that troglitazone administration significantly reduces plasma levels of TNF‐α in obese patients with type 2 diabetes.
Local dioptric power matrix in a progressive addition lens
Authors: Alonso José , Gómez‐Pedrero José A. , Bernabeu Eusebio 
Published: July 2002

SummaryIn this paper we use the formalism of the Dioptric Power Matrix to visualise and characterise the properties of a Progressive Addition Lens. For progressive addition lenses, the dioptric power matrix is point‐dependent, and we have measured its elements over the lens surface by means of an automatic focimeter. We show the obtained contour plots corresponding to the matrix elements, and we compare them with the traditional sphere and cylinder graphs. Although the two representations give the same information, the advantages and disadvantages between them are analysed. The dioptric power matrix method turns out to be specially useful for the computation of prismatic effects along the lens surface.
Picosecond photofragment spectroscopy. II. The overtone initiated unimolecular reaction H2O2(vOH=5)→2OH
Authors: Scherer Norbert F. , Zewail Ahmed H. 
Published: July 2002

This paper, second in the series, reports on the picosecond time-resolved photofragmentation of the overtone (vOH=5) initiated reaction: HOOH+hν→2OH. The hydrogen peroxide is initially excited by way of a picosecond laser pulse to the fourth overtone level of the OH-stretch local mode. The subsequent unimolecular reaction behavior is obtained by monitoring the laser-induced fluorescence, caused by the picosecond probe–pulse electronic excitation of the OH radical photoproduct (in a given rotational state). The two pulses are scanned relative to one another in time thereby mapping out the product yield for the given delay-time interval. The resultant product formation behavior is found to be nonexponential, and may be modeled as a biexponential rise. Furthermore, the quasibiexponential behavior is sensitive to the exact excitation wavelength—slight variations of which result in large changes in the two time constants and the relative amplitudes of the fast and slow components. These experiments give direct evidence for the inhomogeneous nature of the overtone transition on the picosecond time scale, and provide the dissociation rate contribution to the homogeneous width (0.05–0.15 cm−1).
The apparent width for the main band feature is about 200 cm−1. The rate of product formation (magnitude and form) is interpreted in terms of statistical and nonstatistical theories. The limitations of the applicability of each model is discussed. The fluctuations of the fitting parameters as a function of excitation wavelength may be simulated by a statistical model which considers all possible discrete optical transitions within the simulated laser bandwidth and the details of product formation from each state. For a nonstatistical interpretation, the biexponential form reflects a division of the vibrational phase space, and this is discussed in the spirit of a kinetic model. Finally, experimental results are reported for direct UV initiated photofragmentation. The observed dynamics indicate that a very different type of potential surface (repulsive) is involved, in contrast to the overtone initiated dissociation, which takes place on the ground state surface.
Integral equation theory of the structure and thermodynamics of polymer blends
Authors: Schweizer Kenneth S. , Curro John G. 
Published: July 2002

Our recently developed RISM integral equation theory of the structure and thermodynamics of homopolymer melts is generalized to polymer mixtures. The mean spherical approximation (MSA) closure to the generalized Ornstein–Zernike equations is employed, in conjunction with the neglect of explicit chain end effects and the assumption of ideality of intramolecular structure. The theory is developed in detail for binary blends, and the random phase approximation (RPA) form for concentration fluctuation scattering is rigorously obtained by enforcing incompressibility. A microscopic, wave vector-dependent expression for the effective chi parameter measured in small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments is derived in terms of the species-dependent direct correlation functions of the blend. The effective chi parameter is found to depend, in
general, on thermodynamic state, intermolecular forces, intramolecular structure, degree of polymerization, and global architecture. The relationship between the mean field Flory–Huggins expression for the free energy of mixing and our RISM-MSA theory is determined, along with general analytical connections between the chi parameter and intermolecular pair correlations in the liquid. Detailed numerical applications to athermal and isotopic chain polymer blend models are presented for both the chi parameter and the structure. For athermal blends a negative, concentration-dependent chi parameter is found which decreases with density, structural asymmetry, and increases with molecular weight. For isotopic blends, the effective (positive) chi parameter is found to be strongly renormalized downward from its mean field enthalpic value by long range fluctuations in monomer concentration induced by polymeric connectivity and excluded volume. Both the renormalization and composition dependence of the chi parameter increase with chain length and proximity to the spinodal instability. The critical temperature is found to be proportional to the square root of the degree of polymerization in stark contrast to the classical mean field prediction of a linear dependence. Comparison of the theoretical predictions with SANS measurements and computer simulations is presented, along
with brief discussions of nonideal effects and lower critical solution temperature phenomena.
The erosion of citizenship
Authors: Turner Bryan S. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTThe Marshallian paradigm of social citizenship has been eroded because the social and economic conditions that supported postwar British welfare consensus have been transformed by economic and technological change. This article argues that effective entitlement was based on participation in work, war and reproduction, resulting in three types of social identity: worker‐citizens, warrior‐citizens and parent‐citizens. The casualization of labour and the technological development of war have eroded work and war as routes to active citizenship. Social participation through reproduction remains important, despite massive changes to marriage and family as institutions. In fact the growth of new reproductive technologies have reinforced the normative dominance of marriage as a social relation. These rights of reproduction are described as ‘reproductive citizenship’. The article also considers the role of voluntary associations in Third‐Way strategies as sources of social cohesion in societies where social capital is in decline, and argues that the voluntary sector is increasingly driven by an economic logic of accumulation. With the erosion of national citizenship, Marshall's three forms of rights (legal, political and social) have been augmented by rights that are global, namely environmental, aboriginal and cultural rights. These are driven by global concerns about the relationship between environment, community and body such that the quest for social security has been replaced by concerns for ontological security.
Evaluating the effects of a peer support programme on adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and use of alcohol and tobacco
Authors: WEBSTER ROSEMARY A. , HUNTER MICHAEL , KEATS JOHN A. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThis study was designed to evaluate the effects of a peer support programme on adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and use of alcohol and tobacco. Year 7 students (average age 12 years) from three schools who offered the programme (n = 169) and from three schools without the programme (n = 157) completed a self‐report assessment. Perceptions of their parents' and friends' use of alcohol and tobacco and attitudes towards the participants' use of these substances as well as the participants' own attitudes (preferences and norms) and use of the substances were assessed on three occasions; pre‐intervention, post‐intervention and at 6 months follow‐up. There were no significant effects of the programme on participants' knowledge, attitudes and use of alcohol and tobacco. Over time, participants in both groups reported increased enjoyment of alcohol, increased use of alcohol and tobacco and more lenient attitudes towards these substances. In conclusion, the peer support programme failed to show any positive influence on adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and use of alcohol and tobacco.
Low Dose‐Rate Interstitial Brachytherapy in Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Authors: Rosenblatt Edward , Meushar Netanel , Eidelman Mark , Kuten Abraham 
Published: July 2002

Purpose. To assess the effectiveness of Ir‐192 interstitial brachytherapy
as an adjunct to wide local excision as a functionsaving strategy for soft tissue sarcomas.Subjects and methods. From September 1993 to April 1998, 20
consecutive patients diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas were treated with a combination
of wide local excision and interstitial brachytherapy. In 16 patients brachytherapy was done
as an intraoperative procedure, while in four, the implant was performed post‐operatively
under local anesthesia. Eleven of the 20 patients also received external beam radiotherapy
following the implant.Results. After a mean follow‐up of 27 months (4–54) the local control rate
for all 20 patients was 85% (17/20). In the 16 patients who had an intra‐operative implant,
local control was 94% (15/16). In the four patients who underwent a post‐operative implant,
local control was 50% (2/4). Actuarial 5‐year survival was 90%. There were three cases (15%)
of severe local complications.Conclusions. Wide local excision followed by low dose rate intersitital
brachytherapy have yielded a 85% local control rate in 20 patients with soft tissue sarcomas.
Local control rates were higher when the implants were done as an intra‐operative procedure
than as a post‐operative one.
Therapy Outcome Measures In Speech And Language Therapy: Comparing Performance Between Different Providers
Authors: Enderby Pamela M , John Alexandra 
Published: July 2002

AbstractBackground: The use of outcome measures to monitor improved quality of care has been advocated for 20 years but has only achieved prominence with the increasing resource pressures and related changed in health service provision in the past 6 years.Objective: This paper describes the development of an approach to outcome measurement suitable for all patients receiving speech and language therapy. The measure, which is based on rating the dimensions of impairment, disability, handicap and well‐being, is tested to assess whether it can usefully be used to compare the services of different providers.Method: Five trusts volunteered for the study. Service descriptions suggest that these services are typical for the purposes of providing speech and language therapy. Twenty‐five therapists were trained to use the Therapy Outcome Measure (TOM); their reliability was assessed and they provided prospective data on clients with speech and language impairments related to dysphasia, stammering and dysphonia.Results: The study provides evidence indicating the differences in the types of patients being referred to different providers of speech and language therapy. Different services have different impacts on the number and type of domains and that services discharge patients at different points in their recovery.Discussion: Different outcomes by different providers may be associated with different referral policies, base populations, skills and work policies of therapists. Differences in outcomes associated with certain therapy services can initiate the task of analysing attributions and progress endeavours to provide equitable quality of care which is the philosophy underpinning the move towards benchmarking in health service delivery.
Carbon Nanotubes: A Future Material of Life
Authors: Chen P. , Lin J. , Tan K. L. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThe synthesis and applications of carbon nanotubes, a new form of crystalline carbon, are reviewed. In particular, the results obtained in the authors' laboratory are summarized, including the preparation of highly crystalline multiwalled carbon nanotubes; also discussed are the valence band and core level structures, the nonlinear optical limiting behavior, the band gap measurement, and the hydrogen uptake by carbon nanotubes, which has been greatly enhanced by alkali‐doping.
Synaptopodin: An Actin-associated Protein in Telencephalic Dendrites and Renal Podocytes
Authors: Mundel Peter , Heid Hans W. , Mundel Thomas M. , Krüger Meike , Reiser Jochen , Kriz Wilhelm 
Published: July 2002

Synaptopodin is an actin-associated protein of differentiated podocytes that also occurs as part of the actin cytoskeleton of postsynaptic densities (PSD) and associated dendritic spines in a subpopulation of exclusively telencephalic synapses. Amino acid sequences determined in purified rat kidney and forebrain synaptopodin and derived from human and mouse brain cDNA clones show no significant homology to any known protein. In particular, synaptopodin does not contain functional domains found in receptor-clustering PSD proteins. The open reading frame of synaptopodin encodes a polypeptide with a calculated Mr of 73.7 kD (human)/74.0 kD (mouse) and an isoelectric point of 9.38 (human)/9.27 (mouse). Synaptopodin contains a high amount of proline (∼20%) equally distributed along the protein, thus virtually excluding the formation of any globular domain. Sequence comparison between human and mouse synaptopodin revealed 84% identity at the protein level.
In both brain and kidney, in vivo and in vitro, synaptopodin gene expression is differentiation dependent. During postnatal maturation of rat brain, synaptopodin is first detected by Western blot analysis at day 15 and reaches maximum expression in the adult animal. The exclusive synaptopodin synthesis in the telencephalon has been confirmed by in situ hybridization, where synaptopodin mRNA is only found in perikarya of the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, striatum, and hippocampus, i.e., the expression is restricted to areas of high synaptic plasticity. From these results and experiments with cultured cells we conclude that synaptopodin represents a novel kind of proline-rich, actin-associated protein that may play a role in modulating actin-based shape and motility of dendritic spines and podocyte foot processes.
Regulation of the Ribosome–Membrane Junction at Early Stages of Presecretory Protein Translocation in the Mammalian Endoplasmic Reticulum
Authors: Nicchitta Christopher V. , Zheng Tianli 
Published: July 2002

A series of fusion protein constructs were designed to investigate the contribution of secretory nascent chains to regulation of the ribosome–membrane junction in the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum. As a component of these studies, the membrane topology of the signal sequence was determined at stages of protein translocation immediately after targeting and before signal sequence cleavage. Truncated translation products were used to delimit the analysis to defined stages of translocation.
In a study of secretory protein precursors, formation of a protease-resistant ribosome–membrane junction, currently thought to define the pathway of the translocating nascent chain, was observed to be precursor- and stage-dependent. Analysis of the binding of early intermediates indicated that the nascent chain was bound to the membrane independent of the ribosome, and that the binding was predominately electrostatic. The membrane topology of the signal sequence was determined as a function of the stage of translocation, and was found to be identical for all assayed intermediates. Unexpectedly, the hydrophobic core of the signal sequence was observed to be accessible to the cytosolic face of the membrane at stages of translocation immediately after targeting as well as stages before signal sequence cleavage. Removal of the ribosome from bound intermediates did not disrupt subsequent translocation, suggesting that the active state of the protein-conducting channel is maintained in the absence of the bound ribosome. A model describing a potential mode of regulation of the ribosome–membrane junction by the nascent chain is presented.