julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Constant scalar curvature hypersurfaces in extended Schwarzschild space-time
2006-08-21

In this paper we study the spherically symmetric constant scalar curvature hypersurfaces of the extended Schwarzschild space-time. Especially, we analyse the embedding equation and we find the family of solutions or slices that results varying a parameter "c" for fixed constant scalar curvature parameter and fixed time-translation parameter. The parameter "c" represents the amount of variation of volume of the 3-geometry during the 'time'-evolution.
Bartonella quintana Variably Expressed Outer Membrane Proteins Mediate Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Secretion but Not Host Cell Adherence
2006-08-22

ABSTRACT Bartonella quintana causes trench fever, endocarditis, and the vasculoproliferative disorders bacillary angiomatosis and peliosis hepatis in humans. Little is known about the interaction of this pathogen with host cells. We attempted to elucidate the interaction of B. quintana with human macrophages (THP-1) and epithelial cells (HeLa 229). Remarkably, only B. quintana strain JK-31 induced secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from THP-1 and HeLa 229 cells upon infection similar to the secretion induced by B. henselae Marseille, whereas other strains ( B. quintana 2-D70, B. quintana Toulouse, and B. quintana Munich) did not induce such secretion. Immunofluorescence testing and electron microscopy revealed that the B. quintana strains unable to induce VEGF secretion did not express the variable outer membrane proteins (Vomps) on their surfaces. Surprisingly, the increase in VEGF secretion mediated by B. quintana JK-31 was not paralleled by elevated host cell adherence rates compared with the rates for Vomp-negative B. quintana strains. Our results suggest that the Vomps play a leading role in the angiogenic reprogramming of host cells by B. quintana but not in the adherence to host cells.
Efficacy and tolerability of the perindopril/indapamide combination therapy for hypertension: the PRIMUS study
2006-08-22

The open-label, observational study PRIMUS, extends the existing evidence that the first line combination treatment of hypertension with perindopril/indapamide is effective, safe, and well tolerated in a representative cross-section of patients with newly diagnosed or pretreated but uncontrolled hypertension in daily practice.
Attenuation of penicillin resistance in a peptidoglycan O‐acetyl transferase mutant of Streptococcus pneumoniae
2006-08-23

Summary The level of penicillin resistance in clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae depends not only on the reduced affinity of p enicillin b inding p roteins (PBPs) but also on the functioning of enzymes that modify the stem peptide structure of cell wall precursors. We used mariner mutagenesis in search of additional genetic determinants that may further attenuate the level of penicillin resistance in the bacteria. A mariner mutant of the highly penicillin‐resistant S. pneumoniae strain Pen6 showed reduction of the penicillin m inimum i nhibitory c oncentration (MIC) from 6 to 0.75 μg ml −1 . Decrease in penicillin MIC was also observed upon introduction of the mutation (named provisionally adr , for a ttenuator of d rug r esistance) into representatives of major epidemic clones of penicillin‐resistant pneumococci. Attenuation of resistance levels was specific for β‐lactams. The adr mutant has retained unchanged (low affinity) PBPs, unaltered murM gene and unchanged cell wall stem peptide composition, but the mutant became hypersensitive to exogenous lysozyme and complementation experiments showed that both phenotypes – reduced resistance and lysozyme sensitivity – were linked to the defective adr gene. DNA sequence comparison and chemical analysis of the cell wall identified adr as the structural gene of the pneumococcal peptidoglycan O ‐acetylase.
Self‐ambivalence and reactions to success versus failure
2006-08-23

Abstract People differ in the extent to which their self‐evaluations fluctuate in response to positive and negative events. This research tests whether self‐ambivalence predicts this self‐evaluative reactivity. Participants first completed measures of self‐ambivalence and baseline self‐esteem. Next, they were induced a success or failure experience in a cognitive task and finally rated their cognitive self‐evaluations (task‐specific ability, state self‐esteem) and affective reactions (self‐feelings, mood). Self‐ambivalence was associated with stronger effects of the success/failure manipulation on cognitive self‐evaluations but not on affective reactions, with baseline self‐esteem controlled. Possible underlying mechanisms are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.
Polyphenols are of special relevance for the multiple mechanisms of action of the willow bark extract STW 33-I (Proaktiv®)
2006-08-24

The pharmacological profile of the willow bark extract STW 33-I (water extract, 16–23:1) and the contribution of its fractions to it were studied in a number of pharmacological models in vitro and in vivo for elucidating its clinical effects.
Effects of STW 5 (Iberogast®) on prostaglandinF2α –induced contractions of ileum of mice in vitro
2006-08-24

STW 5 (Iberogast®) is a phytotherapeutic combination of nine herbal extracts and used in the treatment of functional gastrointestinal diseases i.e. motility disturbances. ProstaglandinF2α (PGF2α), a pro-inflammatory mediator, has been shown to play an important role in modulating intestinal motility under physiological as well as under pathophysiological conditions [1]. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of STW 5 and its herbal components on the PGF2α-induced contractile activity in mouse ileum.
Plasmid DNA and Messenger RNA for Therapy
2006-08-24

This chapter contains sections titled: Nonviral Coding Nucleic Acids: Definition and Characteristics in Relation to Potential Therapeutic Use Plasmid DNA and Messenger RNA for Therapy Conclusions and Perspectives References
Delivery Systems for Peptides/Oligonucleotides and Lipophilic Nucleoside Analogs
2006-08-24

This chapter contains sections titled: State of the Art of Nanosized Delivery Systems Comparison of Viral vs. NonViral Gene Delivery Systems Viral Systems NonViral Systems Liposomes and Cationic Liposome–DNA Complexes (Lipoplexes) Peptide and Oligonucleotide Liposome Vaccine Formulations Liposomes as Carriers of Lipophilic and Amphiphilic Nucleoside Analogs Outlook and Future Directions References
p16INK4a Expression and Clinicopathologic Parameters in Renal Cell Carcinoma
2006-08-25

The absence of p16INK4a expression in most tumour cells indicates that p16INK4a could be involved in the tumourigenesis of RCC. Immunohistochemically detected positivity for p16INK4a is a positive prognosticator for specific survival in both uni- and multivariate analyses.
A new luminous supersoft X-ray source in NGC 300
2006-08-25

Context. We report the discovery of a new luminous supersoft source, XMMU J005455.0−374117, in the nearby spiral galaxy GC 300, in XMM-Newton observations performed on 2005 May 22 and on 2005 November 25. The source is not present in ROSAT data nor in the previous XMM-Newton observations of 2000 December/2001 January. The unique luminous supersoft source,XMMU J005510.7−373855, detected in the 1992 May/June ROSAT data and in the 2000/2001 XMM-Newton data, fell below detectability. This source already appeared highly variable in ROSAT observations.&#13;\\nAims. We report on the temporal and spectral analysis of this new supersoft source (SSS) and compare its properties with the previous known SSS.&#13;\\nMethods. We present the light curves of the SSS, model its spectrum and estimate the corresponding flux and luminosities.&#13;\\nResults. The light curve of XMMU J005455.0−374117 does not show large fluctuations in any of the observations and its spectrum can be modelled with an absorbed blackbody with kT ∼ 60 eV. The corresponding bolometric luminosity is 8.1+1.4&#13;\\n−4.5 × 1038 erg s−1 in the first observation and drops to 2.2+0.5 −1.4 × 1038 erg s−1 six months later. No optical source brighter than mV ∼ 21.7 mag is found coincident with its position.&#13;\\nConclusions. The luminosity of these two SSSs is higher than what has been found for “classical” SSSs. Their nature could be explained by beamed emission from steady nuclear burning of hydrogen onto white dwarfs, or accretion onto stellar-mass black hole with matter outflow or observed at high inclination angle. The presence of an intermediate-mass black hole seems unlikely in our case.
Information Exchange With Shared Databases as a Social Dilemma
2006-08-26

When group members exchange information via shared databases people are often reluctant to contribute information they possess. This is explained by the fact that this kind of information exchange represents a social dilemma. This article applies critical concepts of dilemma theory to the interpretation of database information exchange as a social dilemma and tests their effects experimentally. A prestudy with the experimental task ensures that people perceive database information exchange as a social dilemma, and two experiments investigate three factors influencing this dilemma: (a) a person’s meta-knowledge about the importance of his information for the other group members, (b) a use-related bonus system that rewards contribution of important information, and (c) costs incurred by the contribution of important or less important information. As dependent variables people’s contribution behavior as well as their subjective perception of the dilemma structure are considered. The results show that metaknowledge enhances the quality of contributions, especially in combination with a use-related bonus system, whereas increased contribution costs influence the contribution behavior negatively.
Cretaceous and Triassic subduction-accretion, high-pressure-low-temperature metamorphism, and continental growth in the Central Pontides, Turkey
2006-08-28

Biostratigraphic, isotopic, and petrologic data from the Central Pontides document major southward growth of the Eurasian continental crust by subduction-accretion during the Cretaceous and Triassic Periods. A major part of the accreted material is represented by a crustal slice, 75 km long and up to 11 km thick, consisting of metabasite, metaophiolite, and mica schist that represent underplated Tethyan oceanic crustal and mantle rocks. They were metamorphosed at 490 degrees C and 17 kbar in mid-Cretaceous time (ca. 105 Ma). The syn-subduction exhumation occurred in a thrust sheet bounded by a greenschist facies shear zone with a normal sense of movement at the top and a thrust fault at the base. A flexural Foreland basin developed in front of the south-vergent high-pressure-low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphic thrust sheet; the biostratigraphy of the foreland basin constrains the exhumation of the HP-LT rocks to the lbronian-Coniacian, similar to 20 m.y. after the HP-LT metamorphism, and similar to 25 m.y. before the terminal Paleocene continental collision. The Cretaceous subduction-accretion complex is tectonically overlain in the north by oceanic crustal rocks accreted to the southern margin of Eurasia during the latest Triassic-earliest Jurassic. The Triassic subduction-accretion complex is made up of metavolcanic rocks of ensimatic arc origin and has undergone a high pressure, greenschist facies metamorphism with growth of sodic amphibole. Most of the Central Pontides consists of accreted Phanerozoic oceanic crustal material, and hence is comparable to regions such as the Klamath Mountains in the northwestern United States or to the Altaids in Central Asia.
Opposite Dependencies on Visual Motion Coherence in Human Area MT+ and Early Visual Cortex
2006-08-28

In order to understand the relationship between brain activity and visual motion perception, knowledge of the cortical areas participating in signal processing alone is insufficient. Rather knowledge on how responses vary with the characteristics of visual motion is necessary. In this study, we measured whole brain activity using magnetoencephalography in humans discriminating the global motion direction of a random dot kinematogram whose strength was systematically varied by the percentage of coherently moving dot elements. Spectral analysis revealed 2 components correlating with motion coherence. A first component in the low-frequency domain ( approximately 3 Hz), linearly increasing with motion coherence, could be attributed to visual cortex including human area middle temporal (MT) +. A second component oscillating in the alpha frequency range and emerging after stimulus offset showed the inverse dependence on motion coherence and arose from early visual cortex. Based on these results, we first of all conclude that motion coherence is reflected in the population response of human extrastriate cortex. Second, we suggest that the occipital alpha activity represents a gating mechanism protecting visual motion integration in later cortical areas from disturbing upcoming signals.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, 2, and 3 and restless legs syndrome: Striatal dopamine D2 receptor status investigated by [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography
2006-08-28

Abstract In spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), up to 30% of patients complain of restless legs syndrome (RLS). In primary RLS, a putative role of the dopaminergic system has been postulated. To assess dopaminergic function in SCA1, 2, and 3, dopamine D 2 receptor binding potential (BP) was assessed by [ 11 C]raclopride positron emission tomography in 10 SCA patients, 4 of whom suffered from RLS as demonstrated by polysomnography. BP was compared to 9 age‐matched control subjects. In 2 SCA patients, striatal BP was clearly reduced (&lt;2 SD below the mean of controls). However, there were no significant group differences between SCA and controls, largely owing to a significantly higher variance of striatal BP in SCA. BP was negatively correlated with disease duration. The fit suggests an increased BP in early stages, followed by a moderate decline in all quantified regions (caudate, dorsal putamen, ventral striatum) presumably reflecting a progressive loss of D 2 receptors. RLS in SCA was not accompanied by a significant reduction of D 2 receptor availability in the striatum. This missing correlation may point to an extrastriatal origin of RLS. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
Complete remission of relapsing high-grade angiosarcoma with single-agent metronomic trofosfamide
2006-08-28

A limited repertoire of chemotherapeutics is available for the therapy of metastasizing angiosarcoma. Moreover, response rates are typically low and outcomes are unfavorable. Metronomically, dosed oral chemotherapy provides a convenient treatment option and surprisingly high response rates have been published for small patient groups. We report on a case from our clinic, in which a complete response with oral trofosfamide was achieved in a patient suffering from relapsed high-grade angiosarcoma metastasizing to the liver and lung. The patient experienced minimal side-effects from her trofosfamide treatment. Responses like this are encouraging and should make us rethink treatment approaches for metastasizing soft-tissue sarcoma. The mechanism of action of metronomic chemotherapy, although thought to be antiangiogenic in nature, is still unclear, as is the additive effect of angiogenic inhibitors like cyclooxygenase II inhibitors or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists. Prospective studies that include the examination of patient samples during treatment are ongoing in order to optimize further development of this novel therapeutic approach.
An obstruction for the mean curvature of a conformal immersion 𝑆ⁿ→ℝⁿ⁺¹
2006-08-28

We prove a Pohozaev type identity for non-linear eigenvalue equations of the Dirac operator on Riemannian spin manifolds with boundary. As an application, we obtain that the mean curvature <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper H"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">H</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> of a conformal immersion <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper S Superscript n Baseline right-arrow double-struck upper R Superscript n plus 1"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:msup> <mml:mo stretchy="false">→</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">R</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">S^n\\to \\mathbb {R}^{n+1}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> satisfies <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="integral partial-differential Subscript upper X Baseline upper H equals 0"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>∫</mml:mo> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">∂</mml:mi> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\\int \\partial _X H=0</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> where <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is a conformal vector field on <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper S Superscript n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:msup> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">S^n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and where the integration is carried out with respect to the Euclidean volume measure of the image. This identity is analogous to the Kazdan-Warner obstruction that appears in the problem of prescribing the scalar curvature on <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper S Superscript n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:msup> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">S^n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> inside the standard conformal class.
Disseminated mucormycosis in haematological patients: CT and MRI findings with pathological correlation
2006-08-29

Disseminated mucormycosis is a rare, mostly fatal infectious complication in immunocompromised haematological patients. The purpose of our study was to describe the multiorgan manifestations of disseminated mucormycosis documented at CT and MRI in four patients and correlate these with the pathological findings and patient outcome. Irrespective of the site of infection, infarction or haemorrhage are the constant features of invasive mycosis. Identification of one or both of these two major imaging findings in immunocompromised patients should be regarded as an indicator of possible infection by angiotropic fungi, including the genre Mucorales.
Asymmetric sphincter innervation is associated with fecal incontinence after anal sphincter trauma during childbirth
2006-08-29

Abstract Aims Functional asymmetry of pelvic floor innervation has been shown to exist in healthy subjects, and has been proposed to be a predictor of increased risk for fecal incontinence in case of trauma. However, this remains to be shown for different clinical conditions such as traumatic childbirth. Methods A conventional surface EMG system was used to assess the innervation of the external anal sphincter. A symmetry index was used to define the relative EMG amplitude asymmetry of the external anal sphincter between 0 (symmetric) and 1 (asymmetric). Three cohorts were studied: 40 nulliparous women in the third trimester (Study 1), 15 primiparous women within 6 months following vaginal delivery without clinically apparent anal sphincter trauma (Study 2), and 50 women after childbirth‐related third or fourth degree perineal tear 6–12 months postpartum (Study 3). Furthermore, all women underwent conventional anorectal manometry. Results Sixteen or forty nulliparous women reported signs of fecal incontinence; however, relative asymmetry was not correlated to symptom severity ( P = 0.345), and not to manometric measures (Study 1). In Study 2, Women who had suffered clinically apparent anal sphincter trauma ( P = 0.07) tended to have a stronger association between incontinence and asymmetry. In Study 3, 19/50 women reported moderate to severe incontinence. Asymmetry and symptom severity were significantly correlated ( P &lt; 0.001). Patients with incontinence had a significantly higher asymmetry score than their continent counterparts. Conclusion Functional asymmetry of anal sphincter innervation is significantly associated with incontinence symptoms, but only after childbirth‐related sphincter injuries and therefore, should be regarded as an additional risk factor. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dipyrone (Metamizole) Metabolites Interfere with HPLC Analysis of Plasma Catecholamines but Not with the Determination of Urinary Catecholamines
2006-08-29

Catecholamines and their metabolites are measured for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma(1)(2) and neuroblastoma(3) and for various other reasons(4)(5)(6). The widely used HPLC assay, which uses electrochemical detection (ECD), combines high selectivity and sensitivity(7). The internal standard, 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (DHBA), is added before analysis. After pretreatment with a sample clean-up column, catecholamines are separated and quantified by HPLC-ECD. Commercial methods (Chromsystems) elute norepinephrine, epinephrine, DHBA, and dopamine at 8, 9, 12–13, and 17–19 min, respectively. The next sample is injected after 25 min. We sometimes observed an unknown peak in the plasma catecholamine chromatogram that interfered with the internal standard DHBA (Fig. 1A⇓ ). When we repeated the analysis, the spurious extra peak disappeared (Fig. 1B⇓ ). When we evaluated the medical histories of these patients, we found that for a preceding analysis they had received dipyrone orally or intravenously within 12 h before blood collection. Therefore, we hypothesized that administration of dipyrone and/or its metabolites may have led to the interference with DHBA in the subsequent analysis. Figure 1. HPLC chromatograms of plasma catecholamines. (A) Chromatographic separation of plasma catecholamines from patients yielded chromatograms with an additional peak ...
Journal-Club
2006-08-29

In order to correctly evaluate melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin tumors using a hand-held dermoscope, it is essential to have adequate magnification and illumination to allow the differential structures to be clearly seen. One example of a dysplastic compound melanocytic nevus and a thin malignant melanoma were examined with five different handheld dermoscopes (Heine Delta 10, Heine Delta 20, Dermogenius and Dermlite Foto 37 with and without glass plate) in order to assess the image quality. The magnification was identical in all dermoscopes. In the newer dermoscopes (Heine Delta 20, Dermogenius and Dermlite Foto 37 with and without glass plate) the light sources were clearly improved, as now 6 or 24 LEDs, respectively, are employed. This distinctly improved the image quality with regard to color and visible differential structures compared to the dermoscope (Heine Delta 10) with only one light source. Clear differences is assessing differential structures were seen in one dermoscope (Dermlite Foto 37 without glass plate). Using this dermoscope without any glass plate or liquid between the dermoscope and the skin, exophytic tumors were better visualized in a three-dimensional fashion but fewer differential structures were seen.