julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and Anticoagulant Activities of Substituted 2,4‐Diketochromans, Biscoumarins, and Chromanocoumarins.
2006-08-29

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Isomeric Derivatives of Naturally Occurring Spatozoate.
2006-08-29

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.
KATPchannel openers of the benzopyran type reach their binding site via the cytosol
2006-08-29

Background and purpose: ATP‐sensitive K + (K ATP ) channels are composed of pore‐forming subunits (Kir6.x) and of sulphonylurea receptors (SUR). Both sulphonylureas and K ATP channel openers act by binding to SUR. Sulphonylureas reach their binding site from the cytosol but it remains unknown whether this holds for openers too. Experimental approach: A poorly membrane‐permeant sulphonic acid derivative of the benzopyran‐type opener, bimakalim, was synthesized, descyano‐bimakalim‐6‐sulphonic acid (BMSA). Binding of BMSA and bimakalim was compared in membranes and intact cells expressing the Kir6.2/SUR2B channel and channel opening was compared in inside‐out patches and whole cells. Key results: In membranes, bimakalim and BMSA bound to Kir6.2/SUR2B with K i values of 61 n M and 4.3 μ M , showing that the negative charge decreased affinity 69‐fold. In intact cells, however, binding of BMSA was much weaker than in membranes (75‐fold) whereas that of bimakalim was unchanged. The K i value of BMSA decreased with increasing incubation time. In inside‐out patches, bimakalim (1 μ M ) and BMSA (100 μ M ) opened the Kir6.2/SUR2B channel closed by MgATP to a similar degree whereas in whole‐cell experiments, only bimakalim was effective. Conclusions and implications: Despite its negative charge, BMSA is an effective channel opener. The fact that BMSA binds and acts more effectively when applied to the inner side of the cell membrane shows that benzopyran openers reach their binding site at SUR from the cytosol. This suggests that the binding pocket of SUR is only open on the cytoplasmic side. British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 149 , 199–205. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706858
P15 THE EFFECT OF MDMA AND MDE ON L-DOPA-INDUCED DYSKINESIA IN PARKINSONIAN RATS
2006-08-29

Zoologisches Institut, Abt. Neuropharmakologie, Universität Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 28E, 72076 Tübingen, Germany EBPS Workshop Abstracts: Neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms of motor and cognitive dysfunctions Cracow, 2–4 September 2006
P8 THE ANTIPARKINSONIAN ACTIONS OF MDMA IN RATS: ROLE OF SEROTONIN TRANSPORTERS AND 5-HT(1A)-RECEPTORS.
2006-08-29

Neuropharmakologie, Zoologisches Institut, Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Tübingen, Germany EBPS Workshop Abstracts: Neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms of motor and cognitive dysfunctions Cracow, 2–4 September 2006
S18 INTENSIFICATION OF PARKINSONIAN SYMPTOMS UPON REPEATED TESTING
2006-08-29

Neuropharmacology, Zoological Institute, Faculty of Biology, University of Tuebingen Auf der Morgenstelle 28E, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany EBPS Workshop Abstracts: Neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms of motor and cognitive dysfunctions Cracow, 2–4 September 2006
P42 MK-801 DISRUPTS THE CONSOLIDATION OF CATALEPSY SENSITIZATION
2006-08-29

Neuropharmakologie, Zoologisches Institut, University of Tuebingen, Germany E-mail: [email protected] EBPS Workshop Abstracts: Neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms of motor and cognitive dysfunctions Cracow, 2–4 September 2006
Informed consent in neurosurgery—translating ethical theory into action
2006-08-30

Objective: Although a main principle of medical ethics and law since the 1970s, standards of informed consent are regarded with great scepticism by many clinicans. Methods: By reviewing the reactions to and adoption of this principle of medical ethics in neurosurgery, the characteristic conflicts that emerge between theory and everyday clinical experience are emphasised and a modified conception of informed consent is proposed. Results: The adoption and debate of informed consent in neurosurgery took place in two steps. Firstly, respect for patient autonomy was included into the ethical codes of the professional organisations. Secondly, the legal demands of the principle were questioned by clinicians. Informed consent is mainly interpreted in terms of freedom from interference and absolute autonomy. It lacks a constructive notion of physician–patient interaction in its effort to promote the best interest of the patient, which, however, potentially emerges from a reconsideration of the principle of beneficence. Conclusion: To avoid insufficient legal interpretations, informed consent should be understood in terms of autonomy and beneficence. A continuous interaction between the patient and the given physician is considered as an essential prerequisite for the realisation of the standards of informed consent.
Ethical Implications of Pharmacogenetics: Shaping the Future of the Field
2006-08-30

Pharmacogenetics is a rapidly expanding area of research focussed on the relationship between drug response and genetic variation. Due to the broad range of potential applications its influence on the process of drug development and on the practice of medicine, but also on society could be enormous. Therefore, the ethical, social and legal issues connected to the field are the subject of a number of recent publications. This review summarizes the key ethical implications of pharmacogenetics concerning both research and potential clinical applications, such as the stratification of patients and research participants, the establishment and use of biobanks, the use of racial identifiers in research, the problem of secondary information, informed consent issues, the potential for discrimination and stigmatisation, possible changes to the doctor-patient relationship and issues of access to and allocation of pharmacogenetic services. The study of the literature shows that there is no fundamental opposition to the field, even though a large number of potential problems have been identified. Most discussions are aimed to partake in the shaping of the field and its implementation into clinical practice, pointing at potential pitfalls. Ethical evaluations of putative future developments and their consequences are based on the anticipation of different future scenarios and thus tied to actual developments in the field. Thus, specifications and possibly revisions will be necessary as the field progresses. Keywords: pharmacogenetic tests, Biobanking, Bioethics, genetic exceptionalism, Informed Consent
Yersinia enterocolitica YopP inhibits MAP kinase-mediated antigen uptake in dendritic cells
2006-08-31

Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye) targets mouse dendritic cells (DCs) and inhibits their ability to trigger T cell activation. Here we have investigated whether Ye might interfere with antigen presentation in DCs. Infection of DCs with the Ye wild-type strain reduced OVA uptake by DCs as demonstrated by flow cytometry and confocal laser scan microscopy. In contrast, DCs infected with Yersinia outer protein P (YopP)-deficient mutant strain rapidly internalized OVA. Furthermore, transfection of DCs with YopP, but not with a cysteine protease deficient YopP-C172A mutant, reduced uptake of OVA. This finding suggests that YopP, a virulence factor of Ye, inhibits OVA uptake by DCs. By the use of MAPK inhibitors we provide evidence that YopP mediates reduction of OVA uptake by its ability to block MAPK signalling pathways in host cells. Using transferrin (Tf) as specific marker for clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and lucifer yellow (LY) as specific marker for macropinocytosis (MP) we could show that YopP inhibits CME, whereas other Yops inhibit MP. In keeping with these data, activation and proliferation of OVA-specific T cells was reduced when DCs were treated with MAPK inhibitors. Together, our data demonstrate that (i) MAPK play an important role in antigen uptake by CME in DCs, and (ii) that YopP inhibits this pathway of antigen uptake in DCs, which might contribute to evasion of adaptive immunity.
Not Lipoteichoic Acid but Lipoproteins Appear to Be the Dominant Immunobiologically Active Compounds in Staphylococcus aureus
2006-09-01

Abstract Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) derived from Staphylococcus aureus is reported to be a ligand of TLR2. However, we previously demonstrated that LTA fraction prepared from bacterial cells contains lipoproteins, which activate cells via TLR2. In this study, we investigated the immunobiological activity of LTA fraction obtained from S. aureus wild-type strain, lipoprotein diacylglycerol transferase deletion (Δlgt) mutant, which lacks palmitate-labeled lipoproteins, and its complemented strain and evaluated the activity of LTA molecule. LTA fraction was prepared by butanol extraction of the bacteria followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Although all LTA fractions activated cells through TLR2, the LTA from Δlgt mutant was 100-fold less potent than those of wild-type and complemented strains. However, no significant structural difference in LTA was observed in NMR spectra. Further, alanylation of LTA molecule showed no effect in immunobiological activity. These results showed that not LTA molecule but lipoproteins are dominant immunobiologically active TLR2 ligand in S. aureus.
Volition and Imagery in Neurorehabilitation
2006-09-01

New interventional approaches have been proposed in the last few years to treat the motor deficits resulting from brain lesions. Training protocols represent the gold-standard of these approaches. However, the degree of motor recovery experienced by most patients remains incomplete. It would be important to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying functional recovery. This chapter examines the role of two possible mechanisms that could operate to improve motor function in this setting: volition and motor imagery. It is argued that both represent possible strategies to enhance training effects.
Bayesian Point Cloud Reconstruction
2006-09-01

Abstract In this paper, we propose a novel surface reconstruction technique based on Bayesian statistics: The measurement process as well as prior assumptions on the measured objects are modeled as probability distributions and Bayes’ rule is used to infer a reconstruction of maximum probability. The key idea of this paper is to define both measurements and reconstructions as point clouds and describe all statistical assumptions in terms of this finite dimensional representation. This yields a discretization of the problem that can be solved using numerical optimization techniques. The resulting algorithm reconstructs both topology and geometry in form of a well‐sampled point cloud with noise removed. In a final step, this representation is then converted into a triangle mesh. The proposed approach is conceptually simple and easy to extend. We apply the approach to reconstruct piecewise‐smooth surfaces with sharp features and examine the performance of the algorithm on different synthetic and real‐world data sets. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.5.1 [Models]: Statistical; I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Curve, surface, solid and object representations
Computer-Assisted Surgical Treatment of Orbitozygomatic Fractures
2006-09-01

Orbitozygomatic fractures pertain to the most common injuries in craniofacial trauma patients. Accurate fracture reduction is of high importance for a successful outcome. This pilot study was performed to assess the potential benefit of surgical navigation to aid in orbitozygomatic fracture reduction. A non-comparative series of five consecutive patients with severely displaced orbitozygomatic fractures was treated using the guidance of computed tomography (CT)-based surgical navigation. Using a previously developed software platform, the fracture was reduced virtually by a three-dimensional shifting of the orbitozygomatic complex within the patient's preoperative multimodal CT data set. This treatment plan was transferred to a navigation system. Fracture reduction was performed according to the treatment plan using surgical navigation. Intraoperative control of fracture reduction by comparing the real with the virtual bone position using surgical navigation showed up as a helpful tool. Accurate treatment planning and immediate evaluation of craniofacial surgery outcome are the benefits of the new approach demonstrated. A major drawback of the presented approach is a high consumption of human and financial resources. A larger clinical series with long-term follow-up will be needed to determine reproducibility and cost-effectiveness. In addition to bone repositioning, a future application may include simulation of craniofacial osteotomies.
On the number of segregating sites for populations with large family sizes
2006-09-01

We present recursions for the total number, S n , of mutations in a sample of n individuals, when the underlying genealogical tree of the sample is modelled by a coalescent process with mutation rate r &gt;0. The coalescent is allowed to have simultaneous multiple collisions of ancestral lineages, which corresponds to the existence of large families in the underlying population model. For the subclass of Λ-coalescent processes allowing for multiple collisions, such that the measure Λ(d x )/ x is finite, we prove that S n /( nr ) converges in distribution to a limiting variable, S , characterized via an exponential integral of a certain subordinator. When the measure Λ(d x )/ x 2 is finite, the distribution of S coincides with the stationary distribution of an autoregressive process of order 1 and is uniquely determined via a stochastic fixed-point equation of the form with specific independent random coefficients A and B . Examples are presented in which explicit representations for (the density of) S are available. We conjecture that S n /E( S n )→1 in probability if the measure Λ(d x )/ x is infinite.
A Lateglacial palaeosol cover in the Altdarss area, southern Baltic Sea coast (northeast Germany): investigations on pedology, geochronology and botany
2006-09-01

Abstract A new site with Lateglacial palaeosols covered by 0.8 - 2.4 m thick aeolian sands is presented. The buried soils were subjected to multidisciplinary analyses (pedology, micromorphology, geochronology, dendrology, palynology, macrofossils). The buried soil cover comprises a catena from relatively dry (’Nano’-Podzol, Arenosol) via moist (Histic Gleysol, Gleysol) to wet conditions (Histosol). Dry soils are similar to the so-called Usselo soil, as described from sites in NW Europe and central Poland. The buried soil surface covers ca. 3.4 km 2 . Pollen analyses date this surface into the late Allerød. Due to a possible contamination by younger carbon, radiocarbon dates are too young. OSL dates indicate that the covering by aeolian sands most probably occurred during the Younger Dryas. Botanical analyses enables the reconstruction of a vegetation pattern typical for the late Allerød. Large wooden remains of pine and birch were recorded.
Pyrite metamorphism in the devonian hunsruck slate of Germany: Insights from laser microprobe sulfur isotope analysis and thermodynamic modeling
2006-09-01

The Devonian Hunsrück Slate of Altlay, Rhenish Massif, Germany, contains an exceptional spectrum of pyrite textures, recording progressive recrystallization and remobilization of sedimentary/diagenetic pyrite during very low grade metamorphism. Sedimentary/diagenetic pyrite is very fine-grained and forms distinct enrichments, including thin layers, elongate concretions, and pyritized fish coprolites. These pyrites show abundant idioblastic overgrowths, which are very coarse-grained and are always located at the interface between the sedimentary/diagenetic pyrite and the slate matrix. Progressive recrystallization resulted in the formation of porphyroblasts and an almost complete obliteration of the original internal structures. A detailed, texturally-resolved sulfur isotope study of the different pyrite types has been carried out, using an in situ laser microprobe technique. The δ34S values of sedimentary/diagenetic pyrite, idioblastic overgrowths, and porphyroblasts are very homogeneous and lie in the range of +7.9 to +12.8 permil (mean: +10.6 ‰), +8.6 to +12.4 permil (mean: +10.8 ‰), and +8.3 to +12.1 permil (mean: +10.3 ‰), respectively. The sulfur isotope data for each population and the isotopic relationships on the sample scale indicate that metamorphic recrystallization has not resulted in a significant modification of the original isotopic composition. Calculation of phase relations and modeling of fluid-rock equilibria place important constraints on the conditions and mechanisms of pyrite remobilization during metamorphism. The calculations show that pressure variations have no detectable influence on pyrite solubility, indicating that pressure solution was not important in the metamorphic mass transfer of pyrite. The effects of temperature and oxidation state are more pronounced, and infiltration of fluids originating from deeper crustal levels could have caused the remobilization of pyrite. Modeling of the isotopic fractionation shows that remobilization driven by interaction with such fluids having a higher temperature and oxidation state would have resulted in a significant negative shift of the δ34S values, which is not consistent with the observed isotopic pattern. We envisage an alternative model that involves fluid-assisted reduction of the grain surface area (and surface energy) per unit volume of pyrite as the dominant mechanism driving recrystallization and porphyroblast growth. The difference in surface energy between the fine-grained sedimentary/diagenetic and the idioblastic pyrite resulted in establishment of a small-scale chemical potential gradient, which evolved along a self-enhancing path during progressive idioblastic growth. The results of our modeling have implications for the preservation of primary sulfur isotopic signatures and emphasize the importance of constraining the history of fluid-rock interaction for a meaningful interpretation of sedimentary/diagenetic processes in pyrite-rich metasediments.
Simple, Inexpensive, and Precise Paraffin Tissue Microarrays Constructed With a Conventional Microcompound Table and a Drill Grinder
2006-09-01

In 1998, paraffin tissue microarrays (PTMAs) as paraffin blocks containing up to 1,000 cylindrical paraffin tissue core biopsy specimens (PTCBs) for high-throughput molecular profiling of tumor specimens were introduced. PTCBs can be constructed using a manual tissue puncher/arrayer (Beecher Instruments, Sun Prairie, WI; cost, at least 900). In our search for a less expensive alternative, we constructed PTMAs with up to 558 PTCBs by using a drill grinder, a drill stand, and a microcompound table (Proxxon, Niersdorf, Germany; cost, <$300).
Motor Limitation in Dual-Task Processing Under Ballistic Movement Conditions
2006-09-01

The standard bottleneck model of the psychological refractory period (PRP) assumes that the selection of the second response is postponed until the first response has been selected. Accordingly, dual-task interference is attributed to a single central-processing bottleneck involving decision and response selection, but not the execution of the response itself. In order to critically examine the assumption that response execution is not part of this bottleneck, we systematically manipulated the temporal demand for executing the first response in a classical PRP paradigm. Contrary to the assumption of the standard bottleneck model, this manipulation affected the reaction time for Task 2. Specifically, reaction time for Task 2 increased with execution time for Task 1. This carryover effect from Task 1 to Task 2 provides evidence for the notion that response execution can be part of the processing bottleneck.
Human Cytomegalovirus-Encoded UL16 Discriminates MIC Molecules by Their α2 Domains
2006-09-01

Abstract Human CMV infection results in MHC class I down-regulation and induction of NKG2D ligand expression favoring NK recognition of infected cells. However, human CMV-encoded UL16 counteracts surface expression of several NKG2D ligands by intracellular retention. Interestingly, UL16 interacts with MICB, but not with the closely related MICA, and with UL16-binding proteins (ULBP) ULBP1 and ULBP2, which are only distantly related to MICB, but not with ULPB3 or ULBP4, although all constitute ligands for NKG2D. Here, we dissected the molecular basis of MICA-MICB discrimination by UL16 to elucidate its puzzling binding behavior. We report that the UL16-MICB interaction is independent of glycosylation and demonstrate that selective MICB recognition by UL16 is governed by helical structures of the MICB α2 domain. Transplantation of the MICB α2 domain confers UL16 binding capacity to MICA, and thus, diversification of the MICA α2 domain may have been driven by the selective pressure exerted by UL16.
Analysis of the nonlinear transmission properties of some naphthalocyanines
2006-09-01

In our search for the definition of new molecular compounds combining low linear absorption with high nonlinear optical absorption in the same wavelength range, we have prepared a series of vanadyl, chloroindium and lead naphthalocyaninato complexes with a relatively low linear optical absorption within the visible range when compared to phthalocyanines, but with similar chemical stability. The transmission properties of these complexes for nanosecond pulses at 532 nm have been evaluated and confronted in both linear and nonlinear regimes. Halogenated naphthalocyanines displayed the best optical-limiting performances. It was also found that an increase in concentration generally results in a reduction of the limiting efficiency of the systems, due to the phenomena of intermolecular aggregation and consequent excited-state quenching.
Facilitating Effect of 15-Hz Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Tactile Perceptual Learning
2006-09-01

Abstract Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed that tactile perceptual learning can lead to substantial reorganizational changes of the brain. We report here for the first time that combining high-frequency (15 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) with tactile discrimination training is capable of facilitating operant perceptual learning. Most notably, increasing the excitability of SI by 15-Hz rTMS improved perceptual learning in spatial, but not in temporal, discrimination tasks. These findings give causal support to recent correlative data obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging studies indicating a differential role of SI in spatial and temporal discrimination learning. The introduced combination of rTMS and tactile discrimination training may provide new therapeutical potentials in facilitating neuropsychological rehabilitation of functional deficits after lesions of the somatosensory cortex.