bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post‐operative monitoring of free muscle transfers by Laser Doppler Imaging: A prospective study
Authors: Tschumi Christian , Seyed Jafari S. Morteza , Rothenberger Jens , Van de Ville Dimitri , Keel Marius , Krause Fabian , Shafighi Maziar
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Despite different existing methods, monitoring of free muscle transfer is still challenging. In the current study we evaluated our clinical setting regarding monitoring of such tissues, using a recent microcirculation‐imaging camera (EasyLDI) as an additional tool for detection of perfusion incompetency.

Patients and methods

This study was performed on seven patients with soft tissue defect, who underwent reconstruction with free gracilis muscle. Beside standard monitoring protocol (clinical assessment, temperature strips, and surface Doppler), hourly EasyLDI monitoring was performed for 48 hours. Thereby a baseline value (raised flap but connected to its vascular bundle) and an ischaemia perfusion value (completely resected flap) were measured at the same point.

Results

The mean age of the patients, mean baseline value, ischaemia value perfusion were 48.00 ± 13.42 years, 49.31 ± 17.33 arbitrary perfusion units (APU), 9.87 ± 4.22 APU, respectively. The LDI measured values in six free muscle transfers were compatible with hourly standard monitoring protocol, and normalized LDI values significantly increased during time (P < 0.001, r = 0.412). One of the flaps required a return to theatre 17 hours after the operation, where an unsalvageable flap loss was detected. All normalized LDI values of this flap were under the ischaemia perfusion level and the trend was significantly descending during time (P < 0.001, r = −0.870).

Conclusion

Due to the capability of early detection of perfusion incompetency, LDI may be recommended as an additional post‐operative monitoring device for free muscle flaps, for early detection of suspected failing flaps and for validation of other methods. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 35:528–535, 2015.
Local mesh refinement for the discretization of Neumann boundary control problems on polyhedra
Authors: Apel Thomas , Pfefferer Johannes , Winkler Max
Published: August 2015

This paper deals with optimal control problems constrained by linear elliptic partial differential equations. The case where the right‐hand side of the Neumann boundary is controlled, is studied. The variational discretization concept for these problems is applied, and discretization error estimates are derived. On polyhedral domains, one has to deal with edge and corner singularities, which reduce the convergence rate of the discrete solutions, that is, one cannot expect convergence order two for linear finite elements on quasi‐uniform meshes in general. As a remedy, a local mesh refinement strategy is presented, and a priori bounds for the refinement parameters are derived such that convergence with optimal rate is guaranteed. As a by‐product, finite element error estimates in the H1(Ω)‐norm, L2(Ω)‐norm and L2(Γ)‐norm for the boundary value problem are obtained, where the latter one turned out to be the main challenge. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A singularly perturbed nonlinear Poisson–Boltzmann equation: uniform and super‐asymptotic expansions
Authors: Fellner Klemens , Kovtunenko Victor A.
Published: August 2015

A steady‐state Poisson–Nernst–Planck system is investigated, which is conformed into a nonlinear Poisson equation by means of the Boltzmann statistics. It describes the electrostatic potential generated by multiple concentrations of ions in a heterogeneous (porous) medium with diluted (solid) particles. The nonlinear elliptic problem is singularly perturbed with the Debye length as a small parameter related to the electric double layer near the solid particle boundary. For star‐shaped solid particles, we prove rigorously that the solution of the problem in spatial dimensions 1d, 2d and 3d is uniformly and super‐asymptotically approximated by a constant reference state. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dietary exposure to benzoxazinoids enhances bacteria‐induced monokine responses by peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Authors: Damgaard Dres , Jensen Bettina Margrethe , Palarasah Yaseelan , Nielsen Michael Friberg Bruun , Adhikari Khem Bahadur , Schnoor Heidi Julius , Juel‐Berg Nanna , Poulsen Lars K. , Fomsgaard Inge S. , Nielsen Claus Henrik
Published: August 2015

Scope

To examine potentially immunomodulating effects of dietary benzoxazinoids (BXs), present in cereal grains.

Methods and results

Nineteen healthy volunteers were randomly distributed into two groups, who received diets with high or low content of BXs for 3 wk. After a week's wash‐out, the groups switched diets. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or tetanus toxoid (TT). PBMCs from a healthy donor received the same stimuli in presence of serum from each participant receiving BXs. The production of monokines, T‐cell cytokines and T‐helper cell proliferation were assessed. A 3‐wk diet with high BX content enhanced IL‐1β responses against LPS and P. gingivalis, as well as TNF‐α response against P. gingivalis, after 24 h of stimulation. Moreover, IL‐6 was found to be increased after 7 days of stimulation with LPS. No effect was observed on T‐cell cytokines or proliferation. BX levels in serum after a single meal did not modify cytokine responses.

Conclusion

High dietary intake of BXs enhances bacteria‐induced production of pro‐inflammatory monokines by PBMCs, but not T‐cell responses; presumably due to intrinsic changes within PBMCs, built up over 3 wk of BX‐rich diet, rather than to an immediate effects of BXs contained in serum.
Vitamin D in polycystic ovary syndrome: Relationship to obesity and insulin resistance
Authors: Joham Anju E. , Teede Helena J. , Cassar Samantha , Stepto Nigel K. , Strauss Boyd J. , Harrison Cheryce L. , Boyle Jacqueline , de Courten Barbora
Published: August 2015

Scope

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is underpinned by insulin resistance (IR). In PCOS, the relationships between vitamin D, adiposity, and IR are unclear. We aim to explore these relationships in lean and overweight women with PCOS.

Methods and results

This is a cross‐sectional study conducted in a tertiary medical center. Participants included 42 women with PCOS and 34 controls without PCOS. Vitamin D and metabolic markers were measured. Detailed body composition and gold standard hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps were performed. The main outcome measures were plasma levels of vitamin D, adiposity measures, and glucose infusion rate. Vitamin D levels were lower in overweight women with PCOS compared with overweight controls (31.6 and 46.1 nmol/L, respectively, p = 0.01). Vitamin D was not associated with IR after adjustment for confounders; however, there was a significant interaction between PCOS and percentage body fat. Further analysis by PCOS status revealed that vitamin D was associated with IR in the PCOS group (β coefficient 2.1, 95% CI 0.2–4.0, p = 0.03), but not in the non‐PCOS group.

Conclusion

Vitamin D is associated with IR in women with PCOS, but not in controls. Large intervention studies are needed to determine if vitamin D supplementation can improve IR in PCOS.
Antihypertensive effects of probiotics Lactobacillus strains in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Gómez‐Guzmán Manuel , Toral Marta , Romero Miguel , Jiménez Rosario , Galindo Pilar , Sánchez Manuel , Zarzuelo María José , Olivares Mónica , Gálvez Julio , Duarte Juan
Published: August 2015

Scope

The cardiovascular effects of probiotics Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 (LC40), or L. coryniformis CECT5711 (K8) plus L. gasseri CECT5714 (LC9) (1:1) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were evaluated.

Methods and results

Ten Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and 30 SHR were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10): a control WKY group, a control SHR groups, an SHR group treated with LC40, and an SHR treated with K8/LC9 group for 5 weeks (at a dose of 3.3 × 1010 colony‐forming units/day in drinking water). Long‐term administration of probiotics reduced systolic blood pressure. The consumption of K8/LC9 mixture significantly reduced the cardiac and renal hypertrophy. Both groups of probiotics reversed the impaired aortic endothelium‐dependent relaxation to acetylcholine observed in SHR. They also abolished the increased aortic superoxide levels by reducing the increased toll‐like receptor‐4 mRNA levels and NADPH oxidase activity found in SHR. K8/LC9 consumption also increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation. Probiotic treatments induced a change in the cecum microbiota of SHR, with higher counts of the Lactobacillus spp. cluster, and lower counts of Bacteriodes spp. and Clostridium spp.

Conclusion

Probiotics exert cardiovascular protective effects in genetic hypertension related to the improvement of vascular pro‐oxidative and pro‐inflammatory status.
Simulation of changes in diffusion related to different pathologies at cellular level after traumatic brain injury
Authors: Lin Mu , He Hongjian , Schifitto Giovanni , Zhong Jianhui
Published: August 2015

Purpose

The goal of the current study was to investigate tissue pathology at the cellular level in traumatic brain injury (TBI) as revealed by Monte Carlo simulation of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)‐derived parameters and elucidate the possible sources of conflicting findings of DTI abnormalities as reported in the TBI literature.

Methods

A model with three compartments separated by permeable membranes was employed to represent the diffusion environment of water molecules in brain white matter. The dynamic diffusion process was simulated with a Monte Carlo method using adjustable parameters of intra‐axonal diffusivity, axon separation, glial cell volume fraction, and myelin sheath permeability. The effects of tissue pathology on DTI parameters were investigated by adjusting the parameters of the model corresponding to different stages of brain injury.

Results

The results suggest that the model is appropriate and the DTI‐derived parameters simulate the predominant cellular pathology after TBI. Our results further indicate that when edema is not prevalent, axial and radial diffusivity have better sensitivity to axonal injury and demyelination than other DTI parameters.

Conclusion

DTI is a promising biomarker to detect and stage tissue injury after TBI. The observed inconsistencies among previous studies are likely due to scanning at different stages of tissue injury after TBI. Magn Reson Med 76:290–300, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Three‐dimensional textural features of conventional MRI improve diagnostic classification of childhood brain tumours
Authors: Fetit Ahmed E. , Novak Jan , Peet Andrew C. , Arvanitis Theodoros N.
Published: August 2015

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of three‐dimensional texture analysis (3D TA) of conventional MR images for the classification of childhood brain tumours in a quantitative manner. The dataset comprised pre‐contrast T1‐ and T2‐weighted MRI series obtained from 48 children diagnosed with brain tumours (medulloblastoma, pilocytic astrocytoma and ependymoma). 3D and 2D TA were carried out on the images using first‐, second‐ and higher order statistical methods. Six supervised classification algorithms were trained with the most influential 3D and 2D textural features, and their performances in the classification of tumour types, using the two feature sets, were compared. Model validation was carried out using the leave‐one‐out cross‐validation (LOOCV) approach, as well as stratified 10‐fold cross‐validation, in order to provide additional reassurance. McNemar's test was used to test the statistical significance of any improvements demonstrated by 3D‐trained classifiers. Supervised learning models trained with 3D textural features showed improved classification performances to those trained with conventional 2D features. For instance, a neural network classifier showed 12% improvement in area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUC) and 19% in overall classification accuracy. These improvements were statistically significant for four of the tested classifiers, as per McNemar's tests. This study shows that 3D textural features extracted from conventional T1‐ and T2‐weighted images can improve the diagnostic classification of childhood brain tumours. Long‐term benefits of accurate, yet non‐invasive, diagnostic aids include a reduction in surgical procedures, improvement in surgical and therapy planning, and support of discussions with patients' families. It remains necessary, however, to extend the analysis to a multicentre cohort in order to assess the scalability of the techniques used. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of physical and mental health on relationship satisfaction: a dyadic, longitudinal examination of couples facing prostate cancer
Authors: Ross Kaile M. , Ranby Krista W. , Wooldridge Jennalee S. , Robertson Cary , Lipkus Isaac M.
Published: August 2015

Objectives

Prostate cancer may affect quality of life in men diagnosed as well as their spouses. Changes in health may disrupt the couple's relationship functioning which disrupts recovery. This study examined how mental and physical health relates to relationship satisfaction for couples at diagnosis through the year following treatment.

Methods

Patients with stage I–II prostate cancer and their spouses (N = 159 couples) were recruited from a urology clinic and completed questionnaires at diagnosis, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months post prostatectomy on demographics, mental and physical health quality of life, and relationship satisfaction. The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model was employed to examine effects of each partners' mental and physical health on their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction.

Results

Patients and spouses had declined mental and physical health at 1 month post‐surgery. Health improved at 6 and 12 months but did not fully return to pre‐surgery levels. Actor effects showed that patient's physical health consistently predicted own relationship satisfaction. Both patient's and spouse's mental health consistently related to their own relationship satisfaction. Partner effects showed that patient's and spouse's physical health had an effect on each other's relationship satisfaction at 1 month. Spouse's mental health predicted patient's relationship satisfaction throughout the year following treatment.

Conclusion

The effects of patient and spouse mental and physical health quality of life on their own as well as their partner's relationship satisfaction differed across time which will inform psychosocial interventions for couples with prostate cancer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tailoring the Hardening Behavior of 18CrNiMo7‐6 via Cu Alloying
Authors: Bambach Margarita D. , Bleck Wolfgang , Kramer Hendrik S. , Klein Marcus , Eifler Dietmar , Beck Tilmann , Surm Holger , Zoch Hans‐Werner , Hoffmann Franz , Radulescu Aurel
Published: August 2015

In order to improve the rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior of gear steels, a concept to increase their damage tolerance is developed alternatively to the conventional approach of improving the degree of steel cleanliness. For that purpose, Cu is used as a main alloying element in order to trigger the precipitation of nano‐sized Cu precipitates which shall improve the strain‐hardening rate of the martensitic matrix of Cu‐alloyed 18CrNiMo7‐6 steel surrounding a non‐metallic inclusion during plastic deformation. In this way, early component failure may be avoided and the maintenance costs of, e.g., wind energy converters may be kept low. The experimental analysis shows that nano‐sized Cu precipitates influence the material's strength, ductility, and strain‐hardening behavior under tension, depending on their coherence. Among others, the latter is related to strain‐induced martensitic transformation of coherent Cu. The structure of the Cu precipitates is studied by TEM and SANS analysis. The Cu‐alloyed steel also shows an increased hardening‐exponentCHT studied by cyclic hardness test (CHT) PHYBALCHT. Fatigue tests of specimens with coherent precipitates show cyclic hardening until a critical stress amplitude. Above that, stress amplitude cyclic softening is detected. An increased damage tolerance could be obtained for a 1 mass‐% Cu‐alloyed 18CrNiMo7‐6 steel.
Redox‐coupled structural changes of the catalytica′ domain of protein disulfide isomerase
Authors: Inagaki Koya , Satoh Tadashi , Yagi-Utsumi Maho , Le Gulluche Anne-Charlotte , Anzai Takahiro , Uekusa Yoshinori , Kamiya Yukiko , Kato Koichi
Published: August 2015

Protein disulfide isomerase functions as a folding catalyst in the endoplasmic reticulum. Itsb′ anda′ domains provide substrate‐binding sites and undergo a redox‐dependent domain rearrangement coupled to an open–closed structural change. Here we determined the first solution structure of thea′ domain in its oxidized form and thereby demonstrate that oxidation of thea′ domain induces significant conformational changes not only in the vicinity of the active site but also in the distalb′‐interfacial segment. Based on these findings, we propose that this conformational transition triggers the domain segregation coupled with the exposure of the hydrophobic surface.
E. coli MG1655 modulates its phospholipid composition through the cell cycle
Authors: Furse Samuel , Wienk Hans , Boelens Rolf , de Kroon Anton I.P.M. , Killian J. Antoinette
Published: August 2015

This paper describes a study of the phospholipid profile ofEscherichia coli MG1655 cultures at the B and D periods of the cell cycle. The results indicate that the phosphatidyl glycerol fraction grows relatively rapidly and that the size of the cardiolipin (CL) fraction does not grow at all during cell elongation. This is consistent with observations that CL is located preferentially at the poles ofE. coli. It also suggests that lipid production is controlled as a function of the cell cycle.
Introduction: Surface Histories
Authors: Grote Mathias , Stadler Max
Published: August 2015

The first section of this issue brings together four essays on “surfaces” – a subject matter which might seem conspicuous or, indeed, palpable enough. Just think of the sheets of paper, window panes, and haptic interfaces surrounding you: the world, evidently, is diffused with surfaces, membranes, and boundaries of all sorts. Some of these things have been salient, for obvious reasons in fields such as media studies, or implicit in notions such as “boundary object”: the retina, photographic plates, basilar membranes, the skin, or various forms of “displays” immediately come to mind. Not even mentioning their immense metaphoricity, surfaces are the entities that make things visible, inscribable, or knowable. But not all of them have been so salient. In fact, most surface-phenomena arguably – and, typically, for similarly obvious reasons – haven't received much scholarly notice at all: plastic wraps, lacquers, lubricants, coatings, silicon wavers, cell membranes, glass, plant leaves, the ozone layer.
Reading Communities and Hippocratism in Hellenistic Medicine
Authors: Berrey Marquis
Published: August 2015

Argument

The sect of ancient Greek physicians who believed that medical knowledge came from personal experience also read the Hippocratic Corpus intensively. While previous scholarship has concentrated on the contributions of individual physicians to ancient scholarship on Hippocrates, this article seeks to identify those characteristics of Empiricist reading methodology that drove an entire medical community to credit Hippocrates with medical authority. To explain why these physicians appealed to Hippocrates’ authority, I deploy surviving testimonia and fragments to describe the skills, practices, and ideologies of the reading community of ancient Empiricist physicians over the one-hundred year period 175 to 75 BCE. The Empiricist conception of testimony taken on trust operative within that reading community elided the modern distinction between personal and institutional targets of trust by treating Hippocratic writings as revelatory of the moral character of Hippocrates as an author. Hippocrates’ moral character as an honest witness who accurately observed empirical phenomena aligned with the epistemic virtues of an empirical medical community who believed that medical knowledge came from personal experience. So I argue that Empiricist reading culture constructed a moral authority of honesty and accuracy from Hippocratic writings, enlarged the personal authority of Hippocrates among medical readers, and contributed to the development of Hippocratism.
The Emergence of Genetic Counseling in Sweden: Examples from Eugenics and Medical Genetics
Authors: Björkman Maria
Published: August 2015

Argument

This paper examines the intertwined relations between eugenics and medical genetics from a Swedish perspective in the 1940s and 1950s. The Swedish case shows that a rudimentary form of genetic counseling emerged within eugenic practices in the applications of the Swedish Sterilization Act of 1941, here analyzed from the phenomenon of “heredophobia” (ärftlighetsskräck). At the same time genetic counseling also existed outside eugenic practices, within the discipline of medical genetics. The paper argues that a demand for genetic counseling increased in the 1940s and 1950s in response to a sense of reproductive responsibility engendered by earlier eugenic discourse. The paper also questions the claim made by theoreticians of biopolitics that biological citizens have emerged only during the last decades, especially in neoliberal societies. From the Swedish case it is possible to argue that this had already happened earlier in relation to the proliferation of various aspects of eugenics to the public.
On contact-line dynamics with mass transfer
Authors: OLIVER J. M. , WHITELEY J. P. , SAXTON M. A. , VELLA D. , ZUBKOV V. S. , KING J. R.
Published: August 2015

We investigate the effect of mass transfer on the evolution of a thin, two-dimensional, partially wetting drop. While the effects of viscous dissipation, capillarity, slip and uniform mass transfer are taken into account, other effects, such as gravity, surface tension gradients, vapour transport and heat transport, are neglected in favour of mathematical tractability. Our focus is on a matched-asymptotic analysis in the small-slip limit, which reveals that the leading-order outer formulation and contact-line law depend delicately on both the sign and the size of the mass transfer flux. This leads, in particular, to novel generalisations of Tanner's law. We analyse the resulting evolution of the drop on the timescale of mass transfer and validate the leading-order predictions by comparison with preliminary numerical simulations. Finally, we outline the generalisation of the leading-order formulations to prescribed non-uniform rates of mass transfer and to three dimensions.
Educational intervention to improve adherence to the Mediterranean diet among parents and their children aged 1–2 years. EniM clinical trial
Authors: Roset-Salla Margarita , Ramon-Cabot Joana , Salabarnada-Torras Jordi , Pera Guillem , Dalmau Albert
Published: August 2015

Objective

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational programme on healthy alimentation, carried out in day-care centres and aimed at the parents of children from 1 to 2 years of age, regarding the acquisition of healthy eating habits among themselves and their children.

Design

We performed a multicentre, multidisciplinary, randomized controlled study in a community setting.

Setting

The EniM study (nutritional intervention study among children from Mataró) was performed in twelve day-care centres in Mataró (Spain). Centres were randomized into a control group (CG) and an intervention group (IG). IG received four or five educational workshops on diet, CG did not have workshops.

Subjects

Children, not exclusively breast-fed, from 1 to 2 years of age, in the participating day-care centres and the persons responsible for their alimentation (mother or father).

Results

Thirty-five per cent of the IG did not attend the minimum of three workshops and were excluded. The CG included seventy-four children and seventy-two parents and the IG seventy-five children and sixty-seven parents. Both groups were comparable at baseline. Basal adherence to the Mediterranean diet was 56·4 % in parents (Gerber index) and 7·7 points in children (Kidmed test). At 8 months, Mediterranean diet adherence had improved in the IG by 5·8 points in the Gerber index (P=0·01) and 0·6 points in the Kidmed test (P=0·02) compared with the CG.

Conclusions

This educational intervention performed in parents at the key period of incorporation of a 1–2-year-old child to the family table showed significant increases in adherence of the parents to the Mediterranean diet, suggesting future improvement in different indicators of health and an expected influence on the diet of their children.
Perceived Parenting and Basic Need Satisfaction among Portuguese Adolescents
Authors: Cordeiro Pedro , Paixão Maria Paula , Lens Willy
Published: August 2015

We examined the psychometric properties of the Parenting Questionnaire in a sample of Portuguese high school students. Two measurement models were specified. Model 1m,f specifies a bi-dimensional structure of parental need-support and behavioral control. Model 2m,f proposes a tripartite structure of parental need-support, psychological control and behavioral control. Model 2m,f. best-fitted the data, being also supported in terms of convergent, discriminant validity. Regression results found the unique effect of autonomy-support (M2mr,b = .25 p < .001; M2fr,b = .14 p < .01), responsiveness-warmth (Model 2mr,b = .19, p < .001; Model 2fr, b = .13 p < .05) and behavior control on basic need-satisfaction (Model 2mr:b = .14 p < .05), but a non-significant effect of psychological control on need-frustration (p > .05). Notably, psychological control predicted low need-satisfaction (M2mr: b = –.10) and moderated of the positive effect of parental need-support on need-satisfaction, M2mr: F(3, 367) = 11.62, p < .001. Psychological control and need-support also moderated the positive effect of behavior control on competence satisfaction, with parental need-support amplifying this effect and psychological control buffering it. Overall the findings support the substantive distinction between the parenting dimensions, suggesting that need-satisfaction is enhanced by need-supportive and behavioural control and undermined by psychological control.
Disentangling the Effect of Valence and Arousal on Judgments Concerning Moral Transgressions
Authors: de la Viña Luis , Garcia-Burgos David , Okan Yasmina , Cándido Antonio , González Felisa
Published: August 2015

An increasing body of research has investigated the effect of emotions on judgments concerning moral transgressions. Yet, few studies have controlled for arousal levels associated with the emotions. High arousal may affect moral processing by triggering attention to salient features of transgressions, independently of valence. Therefore previously documented differences in effects of negative and positive emotions may have been confounded by differences in arousal. We conducted two studies to shed light on this issue. In Study 1 we developed a questionnaire including vignettes selected on the basis of psychometrical properties (i.e., mean ratings of the actions and variability). This questionnaire was administered to participants in Study 2, after presenting them with selected pictures inducing different valence but equivalent levels of arousal. Negative pictures led to more severe moral judgments than neutral (p= .054,d= 0.60) and positive pictures (p= .002,d= 1.02), for vignettes that were not associated with extreme judgments. In contrast, positive pictures did not reliably affect judgments concerning such vignettes. These findings suggest that the observed effects of emotions cannot be accounted for by an increase in attention linked to the arousal which accompanies these emotions.
Decoding genome-wide GadEWX-transcriptional regulatory networks reveals multifaceted cellular responses to acid stress in Escherichia coli
Authors: Seo Sang Woo , Kim Donghyuk , O’Brien Edward J. , Szubin Richard , Palsson Bernhard O.
Published: August 2015

The regulators GadE, GadW and GadX (which we refer to as GadEWX) play a critical role in the transcriptional regulation of the glutamate-dependent acid resistance (GDAR) system inEscherichia coliK-12 MG1655. However, the genome-wide regulatory role of GadEWX is still unknown. Here we comprehensively reconstruct the genome-wide GadEWX transcriptional regulatory network and RpoS involvement inE. coliK-12 MG1655 under acidic stress. Integrative data analysis reveals that GadEWX regulons consist of 45 genes in 31 transcription units and 28 of these genes were associated with RpoS-binding sites. We demonstrate that GadEWX directly and coherently regulate several proton-generating/consuming enzymes with pairs of negative-feedback loops for pH homeostasis. In addition, GadEWX regulate genes with assorted functions, including molecular chaperones, acid resistance, stress response and other regulatory activities. These results show how GadEWX simultaneously coordinate many cellular processes to produce the overall response ofE. colito acid stress.
Genome-wide analysis of the genetic regulation of gene expression in human neutrophils
Authors: Andiappan Anand Kumar , Melchiotti Rossella , Poh Tuang Yeow , Nah Michelle , Puan Kia Joo , Vigano Elena , Haase Doreen , Yusof Nurhashikin , San Luis Boris , Lum Josephine , Kumar Dilip , Foo Shihui , Zhuang Li , Vasudev Anusha , Irwanto Astrid , Lee Bernett , Nardin Alessandra , Liu Hong , Zhang Furen , Connolly John , Liu Jianjun , Mortellaro Alessandra , Wang De Yun , Poidinger Michael , Larbi Anis , Zolezzi Francesca , Rotzschke Olaf
Published: August 2015

Neutrophils are an abundant immune cell type involved in both antimicrobial defence and autoimmunity. The regulation of their gene expression, however, is still largely unknown. Here we report an eQTL study on isolated neutrophils from 114 healthy individuals of Chinese ethnicity, identifying 21,210 eQTLs on 832 unique genes. Unsupervised clustering analysis of these eQTLs confirms their role in inflammatory responses and immunological diseases but also indicates strong involvement in dermatological pathologies. One of the strongest eQTL identified (rs2058660) is also the tagSNP of a linkage block reported to affect leprosy and Crohn’s disease in opposite directions. In a functional study, we can link the C allele with low expression of the β-chain of IL18-receptor (IL18RAP). In neutrophils, this results in a reduced responsiveness to IL-18, detected both on the RNA and protein level. Thus, the polymorphic regulation of human neutrophils can impact beneficial as well as pathological inflammatory responses.
STIM1 accelerates cell senescence in a remodeled microenvironment but enhances the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer
Authors: Xu Yingxi , Zhang Shu , Niu Haiying , Ye Yujie , Hu Fen , Chen Si , Li Xuefei , Luo Xiaohe , Jiang Shan , Liu Yanhua , Chen Yanan , Li Junying , Xiang Rong , Li Na
Published: August 2015

The importance of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and the role of its key molecular regulators, STIM1 and ORAI1, in the development of cancer are emerging. Here, we report an unexpected dual function of SOCE in prostate cancer progression by revealing a decrease in the expression of STIM1 in human hyperplasia and tumor tissues of high histological grade and by demonstrating that STIM1 and ORAI1 inhibit cell growth by arresting the G0/G1 phase and enhancing cell senescence in human prostate cancer cells. In addition, STIM1 and ORAI1 inhibited NF-κB signaling and remodeled the tumor microenvironment by reducing the formation of M2 phenotype macrophages, possibly creating an unfavorable tumor microenvironment and inhibiting cancer development. However, STIM1 also promoted cell migration and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by activating TGF-β, Snail and Wnt/β-Catenin pathways. Thus, our study revealed novel regulatory effects and the mechanisms by which STIM1 affects cell senescence, tumor migration and the tumor microenvironment, revealing that STIM1 has multiple functions in prostate cancer cells.
Multiple conversion between the genes encoding bacterial class-I release factors
Authors: Ishikawa Sohta A. , Kamikawa Ryoma , Inagaki Yuji
Published: August 2015

Bacteria require two class-I release factors, RF1 and RF2, that recognize stop codons and promote peptide release from the ribosome. RF1 and RF2 were most likely established through gene duplication followed by altering their stop codon specificities in the common ancestor of extant bacteria. This scenario expects that the two RF gene families have taken independent evolutionary trajectories after the ancestral gene duplication event. However, we here report two independent cases of conversion between RF1 and RF2 genes (RF1-RF2 gene conversion), which were severely examined by procedures incorporating the maximum-likelihood phylogenetic method. In both cases, RF1-RF2 gene conversion was predicted to occur in the region encoding nearly entire domain 3, of which functions are common between RF paralogues. Nevertheless, the ‘direction’ of gene conversion appeared to be opposite from one another—from RF2 gene to RF1 gene in one case, while from RF1 gene to RF2 gene in the other. The two cases of RF1-RF2 gene conversion prompt us to propose two novel aspects in the evolution of bacterial class-I release factors: (i) domain 3 is interchangeable between RF paralogues and (ii) RF1-RF2 gene conversion have occurred frequently in bacterial genome evolution.
Population Landscape of Familial Cancer
Authors: Frank C. , Fallah M. , Sundquist J. , Hemminki A. , Hemminki K.
Published: August 2015

Public perception and anxiety of familial cancer have increased demands for clinical counseling, which may be well equipped for gene testing but less prepared for counseling of the large domain of familial cancer with unknown genetic background. The aim of the present study was to highlight the full scope of familial cancer and the variable levels of risk that need to be considered. Data on the 25 most common cancers were obtained from the Swedish Family Cancer Database and a Poisson regression model was applied to estimate relative risks (RR) distinguishing between family histories of single or multiple affected first-degree relatives and their diagnostic ages. For all cancers, individual risks were significantly increased if a parent or a sibling had a concordant cancer. While the RRs were around 2.00 for most cancers, risks were up to 10-fold increased for some cancers. Familial risks were even higher when multiple relatives were affected. Although familial risks were highest at ages below 60 years, most familial cases were diagnosed at older ages. The results emphasized the value of a detailed family history as a readily available tool for individualized counseling and its preventive potential for a large domain of non-syndromatic familial cancers.
Denitrifying capability and community dynamics of glycogen accumulating organisms during sludge granulation in an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor
Authors: Bin Zhang , Bin Xue , Zhigang Qiu , Zhiqiang Chen , Junwen Li , Taishi Gong , Wenci Zou , Jingfeng Wang
Published: August 2015

Denitrifying capability of glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) has received great attention in environmental science and microbial ecology. Combining this ability with granule processes would be an interesting attempt. Here, a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated to enrich GAOs and enable sludge granulation. The results showed that the GAO granules were cultivated successfully and the granules had denitrifying capability. The batch experiments demonstrated that all NO3−-N could be removed or reduced, some amount of NO2−-N were accumulated in the reactor and N2 was the main gaseous product. SEM analysis suggested that the granules were tightly packed with a large amount of tetrad-forming organisms (TFOs); filamentous bacteria served as the supporting structures for the granules. The microbial community structure of GAO granules was differed substantially from the inoculant conventional activated sludge. Most of the bacteria in the seed sludge grouped with members of Proteobacterium. FISH analysis confirmed that GAOs were the predominant members in the granules and were distributed evenly throughout the granular space. In contrast, PAOs were severely inhibited. Overall, cultivation of the GAO granules and utilizing their denitrifying capability can provide us with a new approach of nitrogen removal and saving more energy.
Multiple paternity and hybridization in two smooth-hound sharks
Authors: Marino Ilaria A. M. , Riginella Emilio , Gristina Michele , Rasotto Maria B. , Zane Lorenzo , Mazzoldi Carlotta
Published: August 2015

Multiple paternity appears to be a common trait of elasmobranch mating systems, with its occurrence likely driven by convenience, due to females seeking to minimize the stress of male harassment. Here we use molecular markers to analyse the frequency of multiple paternity in two related viviparous sharks, Mustelus mustelus and Mustelus punctulatus. We first applied molecular methods to assign pregnant females, embryos and additional reference adults (N = 792) to one of the two species. Paternity analysis was performed using a total of 9 polymorphic microsatellites on 19 females and 204 embryos of M. mustelus and on 13 females and 303 embryos of M. punctulatus. Multiple paternity occurs in both species, with 47% of M. mustelus and 54% of M. punctulatus litters sired by at least two fathers. Female fecundity is not influenced by multiple mating and in 56% of polyandrous litters paternity is skewed, with one male siring most of the pups. Genetic analyses also revealed hybridization between the two species, with a M. punctulatus female bearing pups sired by a M. mustelus male. The frequency of polyandrous litters in these species is consistent with aspects of their reproductive biology, such as synchronous ovulation and possible occurrence of breeding aggregations.
An antenna model for the Purcell effect
Authors: Krasnok Alexander E. , Slobozhanyuk Alexey P. , Simovski Constantin R. , Tretyakov Sergei A. , Poddubny Alexander N. , Miroshnichenko Andrey E. , Kivshar Yuri S. , Belov Pavel A.
Published: August 2015

The Purcell effect is defined as a modification of the spontaneous emission rate of a quantum emitter at the presence of a resonant cavity. However, a change of the emission rate of an emitter caused by an environment has a classical counterpart. Any small antenna tuned to a resonance can be described as an oscillator with radiative losses and the effect of the environment on its radiation can be modeled and measured in terms of the antenna radiation resistance, similar to a quantum emitter. We exploit this analogue behavior to develop a general approach for calculating the Purcell factors of different systems and various frequency ranges including both electric and magnetic Purcell factors. Our approach is illustrated by a general equivalent scheme and it allows resenting the Purcell factor through the continuous radiation of a small antenna at the presence of an electromagnetic environment.
Polymorphisms in MicroRNA Genes And Genes Involving in NMDAR Signaling and Schizophrenia: A Case-Control Study in Chinese Han Population
Authors: Zhang Yanxia , Fan Mei , Wang Qingzhong , He Guang , Fu Yingmei , Li Huafang , Yu Shunying
Published: August 2015

Disturbances in glutamate signaling caused by disruption of N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) have been implicated in schizophrenia. Findings suggested that miR-219, miR-132 and miR-107 could involve in NMDAR signaling by influencing the expression of pathway genes or the signaling transmission and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within miRNA genes or miRNA target sites could result in their functional changes. Therefore, we hypothesized that SNPs in miRNAs and/or their target sites were associated with schizophrenia. 3 SNPs inhsa-pri-miR-219/132/107and 6 SNPs in 3′UTRs ofGRIN2A/2B/3AandCAMK2Gwere selected and genotyped in a case-control study of 1041 schizophrenia cases and 953 healthy controls in Chinese Han population. In the present study,GRIN2Brs890 showed significant associations with schizophrenia. Further functional analyses showed that the rs890 variant C allele led to significantly lower luciferase activity, compared with the A allele. MDR analysis showed that a 4-locus model including rs107822, rs2306327, rs890 and rs12342026 was the best model. These findings suggest thatGRIN2Bmay be associated with schizophrenia and interaction effects of the polymorphisms inhsa-miR-219,CAKM2G,GRIN2BandGRIN3Amay confer susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population.
High-pressure synthesis and characterization of diamond from an Mg–Si–C system
Authors: Palyanov Y. N. , Kupriyanov I. N. , Borzdov Y. M. , Bataleva Y. V.
Published: August 2015

High-pressure synthesis of silicon-doped diamond from the Mg–Si–C system is demonstrated. The effects of Si on the crystallization and spectroscopic characteristics of diamond are established.
Folic acid modified copper oxide nanoparticles for targeted delivery in in vitro and in vivo systems
Authors: Laha Dipranjan , Pramanik Arindam , Chattopadhyay Sourav , Dash Sandip kumar , Roy Somenath , Pramanik Panchanan , Karmakar Parimal
Published: August 2015

Targeted delivery of copper oxide nanoparticles for breast cancer therapy.
Microwave-assisted synthesis and deposition of a thin ZnO layer on microwave-exfoliated graphene: optical and electrochemical evaluations
Authors: Kumar Rajesh , Singh Rajesh Kumar , Vaz Alfredo R. , Moshkalev Stanislav A.
Published: August 2015

A rapid and facile microwave-assisted method has been developed for the deposition of a zinc oxide layer on partially microwave exfoliated graphene. The as-prepared hybrids demonstrate enhanced electrochemical properties and show quenching phenomena.
Characterization of the unidirectional corrosion of oilwell cement exposed to H2S under high-sulfur gas reservoir conditions
Authors: Li Zaoyuan , Gu Tao , Guo Xiaoyang , Cheng Xiaowei
Published: August 2015

A dense gypsum layer was formed on the surface of the gas-exposed sample.
Direct in situ observation and explanation of lithium dendrite of commercial graphite electrodes
Authors: Guo Zhansheng , Zhu Jianyu , Feng Jiemin , Du Shiyu
Published: August 2015

In situ observed electrodeposition and dissolution of lithium dendrite of commercial graphite electrode.
Induced transformation of amorphous silica to cristobalite on bacterial surfaces
Authors: Xue Shuang-Hong , Xie Hao , Ping Hang , Li Qi-Chang , Su Bao-Lian , Fu Zheng-Yi
Published: August 2015

Phase transformation of amorphous silica to cristobalite at a relatively low temperature of 800 °C has been achieved on bacterial surfaces.
A theoretical approach to understand the inhibition mechanism of steel corrosion with two aminobenzonitrile inhibitors
Authors: Saha Sourav Kr. , Banerjee Priyabrata
Published: August 2015

The adsorption behavior and corresponding inhibition mechanism of two aminobenzonitrile derivatives in aqueous acidic medium on steel surfaces have been investigated using quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
A facile strategy for the fabrication of a bioinspired hydrophilic–superhydrophobic patterned surface for highly efficient fog-harvesting
Authors: Wang Yuchao , Zhang Lianbin , Wu Jinbo , Hedhili Mohamed Nejib , Wang Peng
Published: August 2015

The simple lab oven-based thermal pressing of a hydrophilic polystyrene (PS) flat sheet together with a (super)hydrophobically modified metal-based gauze produces a hydrophilic–superhydrophobic patterned surface which exhibits a high fog water collection performance.
Degradation of λ-carrageenan by Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora λ-carrageenase: a new family of glycoside hydrolases unrelated to κ- and ι-carrageenases
Authors: Guibet Marion , Colin Sébastien , Barbeyron Tristan , Genicot Sabine , Kloareg Bernard , Michel Gurvan , Helbert William
Published: August 2015

Carrageenans are sulfated galactans found in the cell walls of red seaweeds. They are classified according to the number and the position of sulfate ester groups. λ-Carrageenan is the most sulfated carrageenan and carries at least three sulfates per disaccharide unit. The sole known depolymerizing enzyme of λ-carrageenan, the λ-carrageenase from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora, has been purified, cloned and sequenced. Sequence analyses have revealed that the λ-carrageenase, referred to as CglA, is the first member of a new family of GHs (glycoside hydrolases), which is unrelated to families GH16, that contains κ-carrageenases, and GH82, that contains ι-carrageenases. This large enzyme (105 kDa) features a low-complexity region, suggesting the presence of a linker connecting at least two independent modules. The N-terminal region is predicted to fold as a β-propeller. The main degradation products have been purified and characterized as neo-λ-carratetraose [DP (degree of polymerization) 4] and neo-λ-carrahexaose (DP6), indicating that CglA hydrolyses the β-(1→4) linkage of λ-carrageenan. LC-MALLS (liquid chromatography-multi-angle laser light scattering) and 1H-NMR monitoring of the enzymatic degradation of λ-carrageenan indicate that CglA proceeds according to an endolytic mode of action and a mechanism of inversion of the anomeric configuration. Using 2-aminoacridone-labelled neo-λ-carrabiose oligosaccharides, in the present study we demonstrate that the active site of CglA comprises at least 8 subsites (−4 to +4) and that a DP6 oligosaccharide binds in the subsites −4 to +2 and can be hydrolysed into DP4 and DP2.
Specificity and multiple forms of β-galactosidase in the rat
Authors: Furth AJ , Robinson D
Published: August 2015

1. Ten rat tissues and organs have been assayed for beta-galactosidase with phenyl beta-d-galactoside, p-nitrophenyl beta-d-galactoside, p-aminophenyl beta-d-galactoside and 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-d-galactoside as substrates. 2. The relative activities of these tissues are independent of the mode of assay, and maximum rates of hydrolysis are not greatly affected by the nature of the substrate. 3. Inhibition studies suggest the liver enzyme has no associated beta-glucosidase activity. 4. There is no cellular localization of preferential activity towards any of the four substrates in liver, kidney or spleen. 5. Evidence suggesting the non-destructive penetration of liver lysosomal membranes by p-nitrophenyl beta-d-galactoside is presented. 6. Liver lysosomal beta-galactosidase exists in multiple forms that can be separated on DEAE-cellulose, and the enzyme components that are bound to the membrane appear to be similar to those of the lysosome sap. 7. The chromatographic pattern of enzyme excreted in the urine is compared with those from the kidney, intestine, spleen and liver.