CiteULike: Author Rossner

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Mike Rossner — 2007-12-18T08:22:14-00:00

J. Cell Biol., Vol. 179, No. 6. (17 December 2007), pp. 1091-1092.

10.1083/jcb.200711140

Chromosomal Aberration Frequency in Lymphocytes Predicts the Risk of Cancer: Results from a Pooled Cohort Study of 22,358 Subjects in 11 Countries.

Stefano Bonassi — 2008-05-05T13:16:02-00:00

Carcinogenesis (19 March 2008)

Mechanistic evidence linking chromosomal aberration (CA) to early stages of cancer has been recently supported by the results of epidemiological studies which associated CA frequency in peripheral lymphocytes of healthy individuals to future cancer incidence. To overcome the limitations of single studies and to evaluate the strength of this association a pooled analysis was carried out. The pooled database included 11 national cohorts and a total of 22,358 cancer free individuals who underwent genetic screening with CA for biomonitoring purposes during 1965-2002 and were followed up for cancer incidence and/or mortality for an average of 10.1 years; 368 cancer deaths and 675 incident cancer cases were observed. Subjects were classified within each laboratory according to tertiles of CA frequency. The relative risk (RR) of cancer was increased for subjects in the medium (RR = 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.60) and in the high (RR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.16-1.72) tertiles, when compared with the low tertile. This increase was mostly driven by chromosome-type aberrations. The presence of ring chromosomes increased the RR to 2.22 (95% CI= 1.34-3.68). The strongest association was found for stomach cancer (RR(medium)=1.17 (95% CI= 0.37-3.70); RR(high)=3.13 (95% CI= 1.17-8.39)). Exposure to carcinogens did not modify the effect of CA levels on overall cancer risk. These results reinforce the evidence of a link between CA frequency and cancer risk and provide novel information on the role of aberration subclass and cancer type.

You wrote it; you own it!

Emma Hill — 2008-05-05T10:09:50-00:00

J. Cell Biol. (30 April 2008), jcb.200804037.

Authors of papers published in Rockefeller University Press journals (The Journal of Cell Biology, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, or The Journal of General Physiology) now retain copyright to their published work. This permits authors to reuse their own work in any way, as long as they attribute it to the original publication. Third parties may use our published materials under a Creative Commons license, six months after publication. 10.1083/jcb.200804037

Effect of Orlistat on Weight Regain and Cardiovascular Risk Factors Following a Very-Low-Energy Diet in Abdominally Obese Patients: A 3-year randomized, placebo-controlled study

Bjorn Richelsen — 2008-04-19T08:41:28-00:00

Diabetes Care, Vol. 30, No. 1. (1 January 2007), pp. 27-32.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the efficacy of orlistat on the maintenance of weight loss over 3 years following a major weight loss induced by very-low-energy diet (VLED) in obese patients with metabolic risk factors such as dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose, and diet-treated type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Initially, weight loss was induced by an 8-week VLED (600-800 kcal/day) in 383 patients with a mean BMI of 37.5 kg/m2 (range 30.0-45.2). Those who lost [≥]5% of their body weight (309 of 383 patients) were then randomized to receive lifestyle counseling for 3 years together with either orlistat 120 mg t.i.d. or matching placebo capsules. Primary end points were the maintenance of [≥]5% weight loss after 3 years. Additionally, differences in the development of type 2 diabetes between orlistat and placebo were analyzed. RESULTS--The VLED induced a mean weight loss of 14.4 +/- 2..0 kg among the subsequently randomized patients. The mean weight gain after 3 years was lower with orlistat than with placebo (4.6 +/- 8.6 vs. 7.0 +/- 7.1 kg; P < 0.02). The number of participants who achieved [≥]5% weight loss also favored orlistat (67 vs. 56%; P = 0.037). Waist circumference was significantly more reduced in the orlistat group (P < 0.05), but no other differences in the risk factors were observed between the two groups. The incidences of new cases of type 2 diabetes were significantly reduced in the orlistat group (8 cases out of 153 subjects) versus placebo (17 cases out of 156 subjects) (P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS--The addition of orlistat to lifestyle intervention was associated with maintenance of an extra 2.4 kg weight loss after VLED for up to 3 years in obese subjects. The combination of orlistat and lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduced occurrence of type 2 diabetes. 10.2337/dc06-0210

QUALITY OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE--COMPLICATIONS AND AVOIDABLE DEATHS

Harry Bostrom — 2008-04-08T19:23:50-00:00

Int J Qual Health Care, Vol. 2, No. 2. (1 January 1990), pp. 111-117.

Patients with diseases, known to respond well to treatment within the conventional medical system, may be adversely affected if treatment with alternative medicine is given instead. In order to analyse to what extent this may occur in Sweden, a mail survey was carried out. Two hundred and forty-two heads of departments of pediatrics, internal medicine, rheumatology, neurology and oncology were asked to supply case reports where such alternative treatment had resulted in either a delay of diagnosis of a disease, where effective therapy was available, or in substitution of effective conventional therapy with alternative medicine. Eighty-four out of 233 clinics reported 123 cases from the period 1984-1988, most of them from internal medicine. Six patients died following alternative treatment and 27 had to be treated in intensive care units after severe complications of alternative treatment. In most cases health resort managers had withdrawn effective medication or instituted vegetarian diets for patients with severe catabolic conditions, such as collagen diseases, renal insufficiency or inflammatory bowel disease. Twenty-three children had been treated by alternative medicine in violation of the Swedish law against quackery, but legal action had not been taken in any case. The study, which, by design, may only reveal the tip of an iceberg, suggests that apart from the well-known direct complications, associated with alternative treatment, such treatment may further prevent patients from obtaining

Irreproducible results--a response to Thomson Scientific.

M Rossner — 2008-04-03T17:42:49-00:00

The Journal of general physiology, Vol. 131, No. 2. (February 2008), pp. 183-184.

Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain

K Elfhag — 2005-01-09T17:05:32-00:00

Obesity Reviews, Vol. 6, No. 1., 67.

Discrepancies between classification systems of childhood obesity

M Neovius — 2008-02-13T11:42:33-00:00

Obesity Reviews, Vol. 5, No. 2. (2004), pp. 105-114.

Summary Despite growing concern about weight-related problems among children, no universally accepted classification system for childhood obesity exists. There is a number of proposed international body mass index (BMI)-based systems in use and national variants also exist in many countries. The absence of a universally accepted standard and confusion concerning which classification system to use on national levels complicate monitoring of the development of the obesity epidemic, stratification for selective interventions in public health, screening in clinical practice and comparisons between studies. Some proposed international classification systems have not only been recommended for global monitoring and comparisons between studies, but also for clinical and national epidemiological use in some countries. Possible discrepancies may thereby lead to inefficiencies in health care delivery and prevention programmes. The problems associated with misclassification of individuals at risk may lead to overconsumption of health care resources by lower-risk individuals and underconsumption by higher-risk individuals, which is costly both in terms of foregone health improvements and in terms of wasteful monetary usage. The aim of this paper was to review the specific problems associated with BMI as a measure of adiposity in childhood, the most commonly used classification systems for childhood obesity based on BMI, and how their performance can be evaluated.

Spatial indicators for nature conservation from European to local scale

Michael Bock — 2008-01-06T14:33:16-00:00

Ecological Indicators, Vol. 5, No. 4. (November 2005), pp. 322-338.

The paper presents an overview of the objectives and exemplary results of the FP 5 project "Spatial Indicators for European Nature Conservation" (SPIN). The SPIN project is focused on the development and testing of advanced classification methods and spatial indicators based on multisensor satellite data and GIS to accomplish monitoring and management tasks in the context of Natura 2000 and nature conservation. A representative selection of eight regional test areas covers a pan-European network and allows comparative investigations to provide accepted recommendations for regional and European nature conservation. The selected results of four case studies are presented and discussed. The range of work covers the production of regional and local habitat maps by object-oriented classification, a case-based reasoning method for change detection as a management support tool for planning and regulating local land use, the selection and application of structural indicators for the monitoring of Natura 2000 habitats and the downscaling and disaggregation of soil information. Results and the further implementation of presented methods are discussed in the conclusions.

Show me the data

Mike Rossner — 2007-12-19T14:18:55-00:00

Journal of Experimental Medicine (17 December 2007), jem.20072544.

10.1084/jem.20072544

Monitoring regulated protein-protein interactions using split TEV.

Michael C Wehr — 2006-11-19T17:50:51-00:00

Nat Methods (29 October 2006)

Signaling cascades integrate extracellular stimuli primarily through regulated protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Intracellular signal transduction strictly depends on PPIs occurring at the membrane and in the cytosol. To monitor constitutive and regulated protein interactions within living mammalian cells, we have developed a biological assay termed split TEV. We engineered inactive fragments of the NIa protease from the tobacco etch virus (TEV protease) that regain activity only when coexpressed as fusion constructs with interacting proteins. Functional reconstitution of TEV protease fragments can be monitored with 'proteolysis-only' reporters, which can be previously silent fluorescent and luminescent reporter proteins. Additionally, proteolytically cleavable inactive transcription factors can be combined with any downstream reporter gene of choice to yield 'transcription-coupled' reporter systems. Thus, split TEV combines the advantages of split enzyme- and reporter gene-mediated assays, and provides full flexibility with regard to the final readout. In a first biological application, we monitored neuregulin-induced ErbB2/ErbB4 receptor tyrosine kinase heterodimerization.

Effects of the cannabinoid-1 receptor blocker rimonabant on weight reduction and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight patients: 1-year experience from the RIO-Europe study

Luc Van Gaal — 2007-08-06T17:08:31-00:00

The Lancet, Vol. 365, No. 9468., pp. 1389-1397.

SummaryBackground In animal models, cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1) blockade produces a lean phenotype, with resistance to diet-induced obesity and associated dyslipidaemia. We assessed the effect of rimonabant, a selective CB1 blocker, on bodyweight and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese patients.Methods patients with body-mass index 30 kg/m2 or greater, or body-mass index greater than 27 kg/m2 with treated or untreated dyslipidaemia, hypertension, or both, were randomised to receive double-blind treatment with placebo, 5 mg rimonabant, or 20 mg rimonabant once daily in addition to a mild hypocaloric diet (600 kcal/day deficit). The primary efficacy endpoint was weight change from baseline after 1 year of treatment in the intention-to-treat population.Findings Weight loss at 1 year was significantly greater in patients treated with rimonabant 5 mg (mean -3[middle dot]4 kg [SD 5[middle dot]7]; p=0[middle dot]002 vs placebo) and 20 mg (-6[middle dot]6 kg [7[middle dot]2]; p<0[middle dot]001 vs placebo) compared with placebo (-1[middle dot]8 kg [6[middle dot]4]). Significantly more patients treated with rimonabant 20 mg than placebo achieved weight loss of 5% or greater (p<0[middle dot]001) and 10% or greater (p<0[middle dot]001). Rimonabant 20 mg produced significantly greater improvements than placebo in waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin resistance, and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. The effects of rimonabant 5 mg were of less clinical significance. Rimonabant was generally well tolerated with mild and transient side effects.Interpretation CB1 blockade with rimonabant 20 mg, combined with a hypocaloric diet over 1 year, promoted significant decrease of bodyweight and waist circumference, and improvement in cardiovascular risk factors.

Chromosomal aberrations and SCEs as biomarkers of cancer risk

H Norppa — 2007-04-10T15:46:20-00:00

Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, Vol. 600, No. 1-2. (30 August 2006), pp. 37-45.

Previous studies have suggested that the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CAs), but not of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), predicts cancer risk. We have further examined this relationship in European cohorts comprising altogether almost 22,000 subjects, in the framework of a European collaborative project (CancerRiskBiomarkers). The present paper gives an overview of some of the results of the project, especially as regards CAs and SCEs. The results confirm that a high level of CAs is associated with an increased risk of cancer and indicate that this association does not depend on the time between CA analysis and cancer detection, i.e., is obviously not explained by undetected cancer. The present evidence indicates that both chromatid-type and chromosome-type CAs predict cancer, even though some data suggest that chromosome-type CAs may have a more pronounced predictive value than chromatid-type CAs. CA frequency appears to predict cancers at various sites, although there seems to be a particular association with gastrointestinal cancers. SCE frequency does not appear to have cancer predictive value, at least partly due to uncontrollable technical variation. A number of genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolism, DNA repair, and folate metabolism affect the level of CAs and might collectively contribute to the cancer predictivity of CAs. Other factors that may influence the association between CAs and cancer include, e.g., exposure to genotoxic carcinogens and internal generation of genotoxic species. Although the association between CA level and cancer is seen at the group level, an association probably also exists for the individual, although it is not known if an individual approach could be feasible. However, group level evidence should be enough to support the use of CA analysis as a tool in screening programs and prevention policies in occupational and environmental health.

What's in a Picture? The Temptation of Image Manipulation

Mike Rossner — 2007-03-11T15:23:06-00:00

The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 166, No. 1. (2004), pp. 11-15.

Obesity in the elderly - a future matter of concern?

S Rossner — 2006-11-22T04:38:26-00:00

Obesity Reviews, Vol. 2, No. 3. (2001), pp. 183-188.

Summary In most studies mean body weight increases with age up to about age 60 and then levels off, but information about the association between body weight and mortality at higher ages is sparse, since most studies published are cross-sectional, thus introducing a bias in selectivity. Some studies actually suggest a protective effect of overweight in the oldest age groups. Indices of visceral obesity may be better indicators of risk than body mass index (BMI) in these age groups. Not only actual weight, but also weight development over the last decades may predict outcome. Most clinical trials exclude older patients and little is known about benefits of diets or drugs inducing weight loss in these age groups. More information is available suggesting multiple benefits of physical activity. Mechanical complications of obesity, such as osteoarthritis and static respiratory complications seem to improve with weight loss even at higher ages. For health economic reasons it will become important to address treatment strategies in the elderly in the future, since they will constitute a large segment of the population. Recent studies suggest that bariatric surgery, previously considered contraindicated in obese patients above age 60 can be safely performed even in patients above age 70 and with the same benefits as for younger subjects.

Immunolesion by 192IgG-saporin of rat basal forebrain cholinergic system: a useful tool to produce cortical cholinergic dysfunction.

R Schliebs — 2006-08-29T01:05:19-00:00

Prog Brain Res, Vol. 109 (1996), pp. 253-264.

Cholinergic lesion paradigms have been used to study the role of the cholinergic system in cortical arousal and cognitive function, and its implication in cognitive deficits that occur in Alzheimer's disease. In the last few years an increasing number of studies have applied neurotoxins including excitotoxins or cholinotoxins (e.g. AF64A) by stereotaxic injection into the Nbm to produce reductions in cortical cholinergic activity. One of the most serious limitations of these lesion paradigms is the fact that basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are always intermingled with populations of noncholinergic cells and that the cytotoxins used are far from being selective to cholinergic cells. Excitoxins when infused directly into the Nbm destroy non-specifically cell bodies but spare axons passing the injection site, whereas the specificity of AF64A to destroy cholinergic neurons depends on both the dosage applied and the site of injection. Recently, a monoclonal antibody to the low-affinity nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor, 192IgG, coupled to a cytotoxin, saporin, has been described as an efficient and selective immunotoxin for the NGF-receptor bearing cholinergic neurons in rat basal forebrain. Intraventricular administration of the 192IgG-saporin conjugate appears to induce a nearly complete and specific lesion of neocortical and hippocampal cholinergic afferents. Other neuronal systems in the basal forebrain are spared by the immunotoxin. Electrolytic, ibotenic acid, and cholinergic immunotoxic lesions of cholinergic basal forebrain nuclei resulted in slightly different effects on cortical cholinergic markers: Electrolytic lesion of the Nbm did not change M1-mAChR but resulted in reduced M2-mAChR in frontal and parietal cortices 1 week after lesion. Ibotenic acid lesion of the nucleus basalis did not alter M1-mAChR in any cortical region but led to enhanced M2-mAChR binding in the parietal cortex only. When applying the cholinergic immunotoxin 192IgG-saporin, both M1- and M2-mAChR binding sites were increased in a number of cortical areas 1 week after lesion. This comparison suggests that possibly the destruction of non-cholinergic basal forebrain cells by ibotenic acid and electrolytic lesion, might partly contribute to these different cortical effects. NMDA receptor binding was markedly reduced and AMPA, kainate, and GABAA receptor binding has been significantly increased in cortical regions displaying a reduced activity of AChE and decreased levels of high-affinity choline uptake sites due to immunolesion of the basal forebrain cholinergic system. Equivalent changes in cortical glutamate and GABA receptor subtype levels have been observed 7 days after electrolytic or ibotenic acid lesion of the Nbm. The data suggest that cholinergic immunolesion by 192IgG-saporin exhibits a valuable tool to produce specific cholinergic deficits in rats, which can be used as a model to study the effect of treatment with various drugs for compensating the impaired cortical cholinergic input.

Object-oriented methods for habitat mapping at multiple scales - Case studies from Northern Germany and Wye Downs, UK

Michael Bock — 2005-12-14T21:24:09-00:00

Journal for Nature Conservation, Vol. 13, No. 2-3. (15 July 2005), pp. 75-89.

SummaryThis paper presents an application of object-oriented techniques for habitat classification based on remotely sensed images and ancillary data. The study reports the results of habitat mapping at multiple scales using Earth Observation (EO) data at various spatial resolutions and multi temporal acquisition dates. We investigate the role of object texture and context in classification as well as the value of integrating knowledge from ancillary data sources. Habitat maps were produced at regional and local scales in two case studies; Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and Wye Downs, United Kingdom. At the regional scale, the main task was the development of a consistent object-oriented classification scheme that is transferable to satellite images for other years. This is demonstrated for a time series of Landsat TM/ETM+ scenes. At the local scale, investigations focus on the development of appropriate object-oriented rule networks for the detailed mapping of habitats, e.g. dry grasslands and wetlands using very high resolution satellite and airborne scanner images. The results are evaluated using statistical accuracy assessment and visual comparison with traditional field-based habitat maps. Whereas the application of traditional pixel-based classification result in a pixelised (salt and pepper) representation of land cover, the object-based classification technique result in solid habitat objects allowing easy integration into a vector-GIS for further analysis. The level of detail obtained at the local scale is comparable to that achieved by visual interpretation of aerial photographs or field-based mapping and also retains spatially explicit, fine scale information such as scrub encroachment or ecotone patterns within habitats.

What's in a picture? The temptation of image manipulation.

M Rossner — 2005-04-29T20:29:18-00:00

J Cell Biol, Vol. 166, No. 1. (5 July 2004), pp. 11-15.