bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow Cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Create a Proinflammatory Microenvironment Influencing Normal Hematopoietic Differentiation Fates
Authors: Vilchis-Ordoñez Armando , Contreras-Quiroz Adriana , Vadillo Eduardo , Dorantes-Acosta Elisa , Reyes-López Alfonso , Quintela-Nuñez del Prado Henry Martin , Venegas-Vázquez Jorge , Mayani Hector , Ortiz-Navarrete Vianney , López-Martínez Briceida , Pelayo Rosana
Published: May 2015

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a serious public health problem in the pediatric population worldwide, contributing to 85% of deaths from childhood cancers. Understanding the biology of the disease is crucial for its clinical management and the development of therapeutic strategies. In line with that observed in other malignancies, chronic inflammation may contribute to a tumor microenvironment resulting in the damage of normal processes, concomitant to development and maintenance of neoplastic cells. We report here that hematopoietic cells from bone marrow B-ALL have the ability to produce proinflammatory and growth factors, including TNFα, IL-1β, IL-12, and GM-CSF that stimulate proliferation and differentiation of normal stem and progenitor cells. Our findings suggest an apparently distinct CD13+CD33+population of leukemic cells contributing to a proinflammatory microenvironment that may be detrimental to long-term normal hematopoiesis within B-ALL bone marrow.
Evidence for the Role of Blue Light in the Development of Uveal Melanoma
Authors: Logan Patrick , Bernabeu Miguel , Ferreira Alberto , Burnier Miguel N.
Published: May 2015

Uveal melanoma is the most common malignancy of the adult eye. Although it is a relatively infrequent tumor, clinical prognosis is often poor owing to a high incidence of aggressive metastatic disease, for which there are limited treatment options. Little is known about the etiology of this condition, although several risk factors have been identified. Unlike cutaneous melanoma, however, ultraviolet radiation does not figure prominently among these risk factors. In this review, we focus on an associated form of visible electromagnetic radiation, high-energy short-wave (blue) light, a causative agent in various forms of age-related retina damage, as a previously overlooked risk factor in uveal melanoma development and progression. Finally, we discuss the impact of these data on contemporary ocular therapy, particularly the debate surrounding the filtering capabilities of intraocular lenses used to replace dysfunctional crystalline lenses during cataract surgery.
Some Generalized Difference Sequence Spaces Defined by a Sequence of Moduli inn-Normed Spaces
Authors: Alotaibi Abdullah , Raj Kuldip , Mohiuddine S. A.
Published: May 2015

We introduce some new generalized difference sequence spaces by means of ideal convergence, infinite matrix, and a sequence of modulus functions overn-normed spaces. We also make an effort to study several properties relevant to topological, algebraic, and inclusion relations between these spaces.
Developmental Programming of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The Effect of Early Life Nutrition on Susceptibility and Disease Severity in Later Life
Authors: Li Minglan , Reynolds Clare M. , Segovia Stephanie A. , Gray Clint , Vickers Mark H.
Published: May 2015

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is fast becoming the most common liver disease globally and parallels rising obesity rates. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis have linked alterations in the early life environment to an increased risk of metabolic disorders in later life. Altered early life nutrition, in addition to increasing risk for the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in offspring, is now associated with an increased risk for the development of NAFLD. This review summarizes emerging research on the developmental programming of NAFLD by both maternal obesity and undernutrition with a particular focus on the possible mechanisms underlying the development of hepatic dysfunction and potential strategies for intervention.
Shapley Value for Parallel Machine Sequencing Situation without Initial Order
Authors: Liu Shanshan , Liu Zhaohui
Published: May 2015

We consider the parallel identical machine sequencing situation without initial schedule. For the situation with identical job processing time, we design a cost allocation rule which gives the Shapley value of the related sequencing game in polynomial time. For the game with identical job weight, we also present a polynomial time procedure to compute the Shapley value.
Decentralized Identification and Control in Real-Time of a Robot Manipulator via Recurrent Wavelet First-Order Neural Network
Authors: Vázquez Luis A. , Jurado Francisco , Alanís Alma Y.
Published: May 2015

A decentralized recurrent wavelet first-order neural network (RWFONN) structure is presented. The use of a wavelet Morlet activation function allows proposing a neural structure in continuous time of a single layer and a single neuron in order to identify online in a series-parallel configuration, using the filtered error (FE) training algorithm, the dynamics behavior of each joint for a two-degree-of-freedom (DOF) vertical robot manipulator, whose parameters such as friction and inertia are unknown. Based on the RWFONN subsystem, a decentralized neural controller is designed via backstepping approach. The performance of the decentralized wavelet neural controller is validated via real-time results.
Fast Prediction with Sparse Multikernel LS-SVR Using Multiple Relevant Time Series and Its Application in Avionics System
Authors: Guo Yang M. , He Pei , Wang Xiang T. , Zheng Ya F. , Liu Chong , Cai Xiao B.
Published: May 2015

Health trend prediction is critical to ensure the safe operation of highly reliable systems. However, complex systems often present complex dynamic behaviors and uncertainty, which makes it difficult to develop a precise physical prediction model. Therefore, time series is often used for prediction in this case. In this paper, in order to obtain better prediction accuracy in shorter computation time, we propose a new scheme which utilizes multiple relevant time series to enhance the completeness of the information and adopts a prediction model based on least squares support vector regression (LS-SVR) to perform prediction. In the scheme, we apply two innovative ways to overcome the drawbacks of the reported approaches. One is to remove certain support vectors by measuring the linear correlation to increase sparseness of LS-SVR; the other one is to determine the linear combination weights of multiple kernels by calculating the root mean squared error of each basis kernel. The results of prediction experiments indicate preliminarily that the proposed method is an effective approach for its good prediction accuracy and low computation time, and it is a valuable method in applications.
Oral Health in a Sample of Pregnant Women from Northern Appalachia (2011–2015)
Authors: Neiswanger Katherine , McNeil Daniel W. , Foxman Betsy , Govil Manika , Cooper Margaret E. , Weyant Robert J. , Shaffer John R. , Crout Richard J. , Simhan Hyagriv N. , Beach Scott R. , Chapman Stella , Zovko Jayme G. , Brown Linda J. , Strotmeyer Stephen J. , Maurer Jennifer L. , Marazita Mary L.
Published: May 2015

Background. Chronic poor oral health has a high prevalence in Appalachia, a large region in the eastern USA. The Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) has been enrolling pregnant women and their babies since 2011 in the COHRA2 study of genetic, microbial, and environmental factors involved in oral health in Northern Appalachia.Methods. The COHRA2 protocol is presented in detail, including inclusion criteria (healthy, adult, pregnant, US Caucasian, English speaking, and nonimmunocompromised women), recruiting (two sites: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, USA), assessments (demographic, medical, dental, psychosocial/behavioral, and oral microbial samples and DNA), timelines (longitudinal from pregnancy to young childhood), quality control, and retention rates.Results. Preliminary oral health and demographic data are presented in 727 pregnant women, half from the greater Pittsburgh region and half from West Virginia. Despite similar tooth brushing and flossing habits, COHRA2 women in West Virginia have significantly worse oral health than the Pittsburgh sample. Women from Pittsburgh are older and more educated and have less unemployment than the West Virginia sample.Conclusions. We observed different prevalence of oral health and demographic variables between pregnant women from West Virginia (primarily rural) and Pittsburgh (primarily urban). These observations suggest site-specific differences within Northern Appalachia that warrant future studies.
Endangered Uyghur Medicinal PlantFerulaIdentification through the Second Internal Transcribed Spacer
Authors: Fan Congzhao , Li Xiaojin , Zhu Jun , Song Jingyuan , Yao Hui
Published: May 2015

The medicinal plantFerulahas been widely used in Asian medicine, especially in Uyghur medicine in Xinjiang, China. Given that various substitutes and closely related species have similar morphological characteristics,Ferulais difficult to distinguish based on morphology alone, thereby causing confusion and threatening the safe use ofFerula. In this study, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences were analyzed and assessed for the accurate identification of two salableFerulaspecies (Ferula sinkiangensisandFerula fukangensis) and eight substitutes or closely related species. Results showed that the sequence length of ITS2 ranged from 451 bp to 45 bp, whereas guanine and cytosine contents (GC) were from 53.6% to 56.2%. A total of 77 variation sites were detected, including 63 base mutations and 14 insertion/deletion mutations. The ITS2 sequence correctly identified 100% of the samples at the species level using the basic local alignment search tool 1 and nearest-distance method. Furthermore, neighbor-joining tree successfully identified the genuine plantsF. sinkiangensisandF. fukangensisfrom their succedaneum and closely related species. These results indicated that ITS2 sequence could be used as a valuable barcode to distinguish Uyghur medicineFerulafrom counterfeits and closely related species. This study may broaden DNA barcoding application in the Uyghur medicinal plant field.
Rapid Identification and Verification of Indirubin-Containing Medicinal Plants
Authors: Hu Zhigang , Tu Yuan , Xia Ye , Cheng Peipei , Sun Wei , Shi Yuhua , Guo Licheng , He Haibo , Xiong Chao , Chen Shilin , Zhang Xiuqiao
Published: May 2015

Indirubin, one of the key components of medicinal plants includingIsatis tinctoria, Polygonum tinctorium, andStrobilanthes cusia, possesses great medicinal efficacy in the treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). Due to misidentification and similar name, materials containing indirubin and their close relatives frequently fall prey to adulteration. In this study, we selected an internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) for distinguishing these indirubin-containing species from five of their usual adulterants, after assessing identification efficiency ofmatK, rbcL, psbA-trnH, and ITS2 among these species. The results of genetic distances and neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree indicated that ITS2 region is a powerful DNA barcode to accurately identify these indirubin-containing species and discriminate them from their adulterants. Additionally, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to verify indirubin in different organs of the above species. The results showed that indirubin had been detected in the leaves ofIs. tinctoria, P. tinctorium, S. cusia, and Indigo Naturalis (made from their mixture), but not in their roots, or in the leaves of their adulterants. Therefore, this study provides a novel and rapid method to identify and verify indirubin-containing medicinal plants for effective natural treatment of CML.
Toxic Effects of Nickel Oxide Bulk and Nanoparticles on the Aquatic PlantLemna gibbaL.
Authors: Oukarroum Abdallah , Barhoumi Lotfi , Samadani Mahshid , Dewez David
Published: May 2015

The aquatic plantLemna gibbaL. was used to investigate and compare the toxicity induced by 30 nm nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) and nickel(II) oxide as bulk (NiO-Bulk). Plants were exposed during 24 h to 0–1000 mg/L of NiO-NPs or NiO-Bulk. Analysis of physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles in solution indicated agglomerations of NiO-NPs in culture medium and a wide size distribution was observed. Both NiO-NPs and NiO-Bulk caused a strong increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, especially at high concentration (1000 mg/L). These results showed a strong evidence of a cellular oxidative stress induction caused by the exposure to NiO. Under this condition, NiO-NPs and NiO-Bulk induced a strong inhibitory effect on the PSII quantum yield, indicating an alteration of the photosynthetic electron transport performance. Under the experimental conditions used, it is clear that the observed toxicity impact was mainly due to NiO particles effect. Therefore, results of this study permitted determining the use of ROS production as an early biomarker of NiO exposure on the aquatic plant modelL. gibbaused in toxicity testing.
Adaptive Ridge Point Refinement for Seeds Detection in X-Ray Coronary Angiogram
Authors: Xiao Ruoxiu , Yang Jian , Ai Danni , Fan Jingfan , Liu Yue , Wang Guangzhi , Wang Yongtian
Published: May 2015

Seed point is prerequired condition for tracking based method for extracting centerline or vascular structures from the angiogram. In this paper, a novel seed point detection method for coronary artery segmentation is proposed. Vessels on the image are first enhanced according to the distribution of Hessian eigenvalue in multiscale space; consequently, centerlines of tubular vessels are also enhanced. Ridge point is extracted as candidate seed point, which is then refined according to its mathematical definition. The theoretical feasibility of this method is also proven. Finally, all the detected ridge points are checked using a self-adaptive threshold to improve the robustness of results. Clinical angiograms are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, and the results show that the proposed algorithm can detect a large set of true seed points located on most branches of vessels. Compared with traditional seed point detection algorithms, the proposed method can detect a larger number of seed points with higher precision. Considering that the proposed method can achieve accurate seed detection without any human interaction, it can be utilized for several clinical applications, such as vessel segmentation, centerline extraction, and topological identification.
Spatial Distribution of Voids in Insulating Concrete Analyzed by Micro-CT Images and Probability Functions
Authors: Chung Sang-Yeop , Han Tong-Seok , Kim Yong-Woo
Published: May 2015

Insulating concrete is a multiphase material designed for reduced thermal conductivity, and the void distribution in concrete strongly affects its physical properties such as mechanical response and heat conduction. Therefore, it is essential to develop a method for identifying the spatial distribution of voids. To examine the voids of insulating concrete specimens, micro-CT (computed tomography) images can be effectively used. The micro-CT images are binarized to visualize the void distribution and stacked to generate 3D specimen images. From the obtained images, the spatial distribution of the voids and the microscopic constituents inside the insulating concrete specimens can be identified. The void distribution in the material can be characterized using low-order probability functions such as two-point correlation, lineal-path, and two-point cluster functions. It is confirmed that micro-CT images and low-order probability functions are effective in describing the relative degree of void clustering and void connectivity in insulating concrete.
Developing a New Computer-Aided Clinical Decision Support System for Prediction of Successful Postcardioversion Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Sterling Mark , Huang David T. , Ghoraani Behnaz
Published: May 2015

We propose a new algorithm to predict the outcome of direct-current electric (DCE) cardioversion for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and DCE cardioversion is a noninvasive treatment to end AF and return the patient to sinus rhythm (SR). Unfortunately, there is a high risk of AF recurrence in persistent AF patients; hence clinically it is important to predict the DCE outcome in order to avoid the procedure’s side effects. This study develops a feature extraction and classification framework to predict AF recurrence patients from the underlying structure of atrial activity (AA). A multiresolution signal decomposition technique, based on matching pursuit (MP), was used to project the AA over a dictionary of wavelets. Seven novel features were derived from the decompositions and were employed in a quadratic discrimination analysis classification to predict the success of post-DCE cardioversion in 40 patients with persistent AF. The proposed algorithm achieved 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity, indicating that the proposed computational approach captures detailed structural information about the underlying AA and could provide reliable information for effective management of AF.
Bucky Tubes Induce Oxidative Stress Mediated Cell Death in Human Lung Cells
Authors: Singhal Jaya , Singh Surinder P. , Karuppiah Stalin , Pandey Alok K.
Published: May 2015

Unique physicochemical properties of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have opened a new era for therapeutics and diagnosis (known as theranostics) of various diseases. This exponential increase in application makes them important for toxicology studies. The present study was aimed at exploring the toxic potential of one of the CNMs, that is, bucky tubes (BTs), in human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell line. BTs were characterised by electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Flow cytometric study showed a concentration and time dependent increase in intracellular internalization as well as reduction in cell viability upon exposure to BTs. However, a significant increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was observed as evident by increased fluorescence intensity of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DCF). BTs induced oxidative stress in cells as evident by depletion in glutathione with concomitant increase in lipid peroxidation with increasing concentrations. A significant increase in micronucleus formation and apoptotic cell population and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) as compared to control were observed. Moreover, in the present study, BTs were found to be mild toxic and it is encouraging to conclude that BTs having outer diameter in the range of 7–12 nm and length 0.5–10 μm can be used for theranostics.
Antioxidant and Proapoptotic Activities ofSclerocarya birrea[(A. Rich.) Hochst.] Methanolic Root Extract on the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HepG2
Authors: Armentano Maria Francesca , Bisaccia Faustino , Miglionico Rocchina , Russo Daniela , Nolfi Nicoletta , Carmosino Monica , Andrade Paula B. , Valentão Patrícia , Diop Moussoukhoye Sissokho , Milella Luigi
Published: May 2015

The main goal of this study was to characterize thein vitroantioxidant activity and the apoptotic potential ofS. birreamethanolic root extract (MRE). Among four tested extracts, obtained with different solvents, MRE showed the highest content of polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins together with antioxidant activities tested with superoxide, nitric oxide, ABTS, and beta-carotene bleaching assays. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect of MRE was evaluated on the hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2. In these cells, MRE treatment induced apoptosis and generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) in dose-dependent manner. The cytotoxic effect promoted by MRE was prevented by pretreatment of HepG2 cells with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), suggesting that oxidative stress was pivotal in MRE-mediated cell death. Moreover, we showed that the MRE treatment induced the mitochondrial membrane depolarization and the cytochromecrelease from mitochondria into the cytosol. It suggests that the apoptosis occurred in a mitochondrial-dependent pathway. Interestingly, MRE showed a sensibly lower cytotoxicity, associated with a low increase of ROS, in normal human dermal fibroblasts compared to HepG2 cells. It is suggested that the methanolic root extract ofS. Birreais able to selectively increase intracellular ROS levels in cancer cells, promoting cell death.
Diabetes and Stem Cell Function
Authors: Fujimaki Shin , Wakabayashi Tamami , Takemasa Tohru , Asashima Makoto , Kuwabara Tomoko
Published: May 2015

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common serious metabolic diseases that results in hyperglycemia due to defects of insulin secretion or insulin action or both. The present review focuses on the alterations to the diabetic neuronal tissues and skeletal muscle, including stem cells in both tissues, and the preventive effects of physical activity on diabetes. Diabetes is associated with various nervous disorders, such as cognitive deficits, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease, and that may be caused by neural stem cell dysfunction. Additionally, diabetes induces skeletal muscle atrophy, the impairment of energy metabolism, and muscle weakness. Similar to neural stem cells, the proliferation and differentiation are attenuated in skeletal muscle stem cells, termed satellite cells. However, physical activity is very useful for preventing the diabetic alteration to the neuronal tissues and skeletal muscle. Physical activity improves neurogenic capacity of neural stem cells and the proliferative and differentiative abilities of satellite cells. The present review proposes physical activity as a useful measure for the patients in diabetes to improve the physiological functions and to maintain their quality of life. It further discusses the use of stem cell-based approaches in the context of diabetes treatment.
Modern Evaluation of Liquisolid Systems with Varying Amounts of Liquid Phase Prepared Using Two Different Methods
Authors: Vraníková Barbora , Gajdziok Jan , Vetchý David
Published: May 2015

Liquisolid systems are an innovative dosage form used for enhancing dissolution rate and improvingin vivobioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. These formulations require specific evaluation methods for their quality assurance (e.g., evaluation of angle of slide, contact angle, or water absorption ratio). The presented study is focused on the preparation, modernin vitrotesting, and evaluation of differences of liquisolid systems containing varying amounts of a drug in liquid state (polyethylene glycol 400 solution of rosuvastatin) in relation to an aluminometasilicate carrier (Neusilin US2). Liquisolid powders used for the formulation of final tablets were prepared using two different methods: simple blending and spraying of drug solution onto a carrier in fluid bed equipment. The obtained results imply that the amount of liquid phase in relation to carrier material had an effect on the hardness, friability, and disintegration of tablets, as well as their height. The use of spraying technique enhanced flow properties of the prepared mixtures, increased hardness values, decreased friability, and improved homogeneity of the final dosage form.
Th1, Th2, and Th17 Cytokine Involvement in Thyroid Associated Ophthalmopathy
Authors: Shen Jie , Li Zhangfang , Li Wenting , Ge Ying , Xie Min , Lv Meng , Fan Yanfei , Chen Zhi , Zhao Defu , Han Yajuan
Published: May 2015

To determine serum cytokine profiles in Graves’ disease (GD) patients with or without active and inactive thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), we recruited 65 subjects: 10 GD only (without TAO), 25 GD + active TAO, 20 GD + TAO, and 10 healthy controls. Liquid chip assay was used to measure serum Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines including IFN-γ(interferon-gamma), TNF-α(tumor necrosis factor-alpha), IL-1α(interleukin-1 alpha), IL-1Ra (IL-1 receptor antagonist), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 and two chemokines: RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted) and IP-10 (IFN-γ-induced protein 10). Serum levels of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) receptor autoantibodies (TRAb) were measured using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Compared with healthy controls, TAO patients showed significantly elevated serum levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17, and IP-10. Comparing active and inactive TAO, serum Th1 cytokines IFN-γand TNF-αwere elevated in active TAO, while serum Th2 cytokine IL-4 was elevated in inactive TAO. Serum Th17 cytokine IL-17 was elevated in GD but reduced in both active and inactive TAO. A positive correlation was found between TRAb and IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6. Taken together, serum Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and chemokines reflect TAO disease activity and may be implicated in TAO pathogenesis.
Organotypic Culture of Breast Tumor Explants as a Multicellular System for the Screening of Natural Compounds with Antineoplastic Potential
Authors: Carranza-Torres Irma Edith , Guzmán-Delgado Nancy Elena , Coronado-Martínez Consuelo , Bañuelos-García José Inocente , Viveros-Valdez Ezequiel , Morán-Martínez Javier , Carranza-Rosales Pilar
Published: May 2015

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. The search for novel compounds with antitumor activity, with less adverse effects and higher efficacy, and the development of methods to evaluate their toxicity is an area of ​​intense research. In this study we implemented the preparation and culture of breast tumor explants, which were obtained from precision-cut breast tumor slices. In order to validate the model we are proposing to screen antineoplastic effect of natural compounds, we selected caffeic acid, ursolic acid, and rosmarinic acid. Using the Krumdieck tissue slicer, precision-cut tissue slices were prepared from breast cancer samples; from these slices, 4 mm explants were obtained and incubated with the selected compounds. Viability was assessed by Alamar Blue assay, LDH release, and histopathological criteria. Results showed that the viability of the explants cultured in the presence of paclitaxel (positive control) decreased significantly (P<0.05); however, tumor samples responded differently to each compound. When the explants were coincubated with paclitaxel and compounds, a synergic effect was observed. This study shows thatex vivoculture of breast cancer explants offers a suitable alternative model for evaluating natural or synthetic compounds with antitumor properties within the complex microenvironment of the tumor.
Functions of Kinesin Superfamily Proteins in Neuroreceptor Trafficking
Authors: Wang Na , Xu Junyu
Published: May 2015

Synaptic plasticity is widely regarded as the cellular basis of learning and memory. Understanding the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity has been one of center pieces of neuroscience research for more than three decades. It has been well known that the trafficking ofα-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazoloe-4-propionic acid- (AMPA-) type, N-methyl-D-aspartate- (NMDA-) type glutamate receptors to and from synapses is a key molecular event underlying many forms of synaptic plasticity. Kainate receptors are another type of glutamate receptors playing important roles in synaptic transmission. In addition, GABA receptors also play important roles in modulating the synaptic plasticity. Kinesin superfamily proteins (also known as KIFs) transport various cargos in both anterograde and retrograde directions through the interaction with different adaptor proteins. Recent studies indicate that KIFs regulate the trafficking of NMDA receptors, AMPA receptors, kainate receptors, and GABA receptors and thus play important roles in neuronal activity. Here we review the essential functions of KIFs in the trafficking of neuroreceptor and synaptic plasticity.
Decreased Frequency of Circulating Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein B Lymphocytes in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Elong Ngono Annie , Lepetit Maud , Reindl Markus , Garcia Alexandra , Guillot Flora , Genty Athénaïs , Chesneau Mélanie , Salou Marion , Michel Laure , Lefrere Fabienne , Schanda Kathrin , Imbert-Marcille Berthe-Marie , Degauque Nicolas , Nicot Arnaud , Brouard Sophie , Laplaud David-Axel , Soulillou Jean-Paul
Published: May 2015

Although there is no evidence for a role of anti-MOG antibodies in adult MS, no information on B lymphocytes with MOG-committed BCR is available. We report here on the frequency of anti-MOG B cells forming rosettes with polystyrene beads (BBR) covalently bound to the extracellular domain of rhMOG in 38 relapsing-remitting patients (RRMS) and 50 healthy individuals (HI). We show a substantial proportion of circulating anti-MOG-BBR in both RRMS and HI. Strikingly, MOG-specific B cells frequencies were lower in MS than in HI. Anti-MOG antibodies measured by a cell-based assay were not different between MS patients and controls, suggesting a specific alteration of anti-MOG B cells in MS. Although anti-MOG-BBR were higher in CNS fluid than in blood, no difference was observed between MS and controls. Lower frequency of MOG-BBR in MS was not explained by an increased apoptosis, but a trend for lower proliferative capacity was noted. Despite an efficient B cell transmigration across brain derived endothelial cells, total and anti-MOG B cells transmigration was similar between MS and HI. The striking alteration in MOG-specific B cells, independent of anti-MOG antibody titers, challenges our view on the role of MOG-specific B cells in MS.
Phenotypic and Functional Properties of Porcine Dedifferentiated Fat Cells during the Long-Term CultureIn Vitro
Authors: Peng Xuewu , Song Tongxing , Hu Xiaoming , Zhou Yuanfei , Wei Hongkui , Peng Jian , Jiang Siwen
Published: May 2015

It has been proved that terminally differentiated mature adipocytes possess abilities to dedifferentiate into fibroblast-like progeny cells with self-renewal and multiple differentiation, termed dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. However, the biological properties of DFAT cells during long-term culturein vitrohave not been elucidated. Here, we obtained fibroblast-like morphology of porcine DFAT cells by ceiling culture. During the dedifferentiation process, round mature adipocytes with single large lipid droplets changed into spindle-shaped cells accompanied by the adipogenic markersPPARγ,aP2,LPL, andAdiponectinsignificant downregulation. Flow cytometric analysis showed that porcine DFAT cells displayed similar cell-surface antigen profile to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Furthermore, different passages of porcine DFAT cells during long-term culturein vitroretained high levels of cell viabilities (>97%), efficient proliferative capacity including population doubling time ranged from 20 h to 22 h and population doubling reached47.40±1.64by 58 days of culture. In addition, porcine DFAT cells maintained the multiple differentiation capabilities into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and skeletal myocytes and displayed normal chromosomal karyotypes for prolonged passaging. Therefore, porcine DFAT cells may be a novel model of stem cells for studying the functions of gene in the different biological events.
Weibull Failure Probability Estimation Based on Zero-Failure Data
Authors: Jiang Ping , Xing Yunyan , Jia Xiang , Guo Bo
Published: May 2015

Reliability testing is often carried out with small sample sizes and short duration because of increasing costs and the restriction of development time. Therefore, for highly reliable products, zero-failure data are often collected in such tests, which could not be used to evaluate reliability by traditional methods. To cope with this problem, the match distribution curve method was proposed by some researchers. The key step needed to exercise this method is to estimate the failure probability, which has yet to be solved in the case of the Weibull distribution. This paper presents a method to estimate the intervals of failure probability for the Weibull distribution by using the concavity or convexity and property of the distribution function. Furthermore, to use the method in practice, this paper proposes using the approximate value of the shape parameter determined by either engineering experience or by hypothesis testing through apvalue. The estimation of the failure probability is thus calculated using a Bayesian approach. A numerical example is presented to validate the effectiveness and robustness of the method.
NUFFT-Based Iterative Image Reconstruction via Alternating Direction Total Variation Minimization for Sparse-View CT
Authors: Yan Bin , Jin Zhao , Zhang Hanming , Li Lei , Cai Ailong
Published: May 2015

Sparse-view imaging is a promising scanning method which can reduce the radiation dose in X-ray computed tomography (CT). Reconstruction algorithm for sparse-view imaging system is of significant importance. The adoption of the spatial iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction has a low operation efficiency and high computation requirement. A novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique that utilizes nonuniform fast Fourier transform is presented in this study along with the advanced total variation (TV) regularization for sparse-view CT. Combined with the alternating direction method, the proposed approach shows excellent efficiency and rapid convergence property. Numerical simulations and real data experiments are performed on a parallel beam CT. Experimental results validate that the proposed method has higher computational efficiency and better reconstruction quality than the conventional algorithms, such as simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique using TV method and the alternating direction total variation minimization approach, with the same time duration. The proposed method appears to have extensive applications in X-ray CT imaging.
Segmentation of Regions of Interest Using Active Contours with SPF Function
Authors: Akram Farhan , Kim Jeong Heon , Lee Chan-Gun , Choi Kwang Nam
Published: May 2015

Segmentation of regions of interest is a well-known problem in image segmentation. This paper presents a region-based image segmentation technique using active contours with signed pressure force (SPF) function. The proposed algorithm contemporaneously traces high intensity or dense regions in an image by evolving the contour inwards. In medical image modalities these high intensity or dense regions refer to tumor, masses, or dense tissues. The proposed method partitions an image into an arbitrary number of subregions and tracks down salient regions step by step. It is implemented by enforcing a new region-based SPF function in a traditional edge-based level set model. It partitions an image into subregions and then discards outer subregion and partitions inner region into two more subregions; this continues iteratively until a stopping condition is fulfilled. A Gaussian kernel is used to regularize the level set function, which not only regularizes it but also removes the need of computationally expensive reinitialization. The proposed segmentation algorithm has been applied to different images in order to demonstrate the accuracy, effectiveness, and robustness of the algorithm.
Sustainable Nanopozzolan Modified Cement: Characterizations and Morphology of Calcium Silicate Hydrate during Hydration
Authors: Mohamed Sutan N. , Yakub I. , Jaafar M. S. , Matori K. A. , Sahari S. K.
Published: May 2015

There are environmental and sustainable benefits of partially replacing cement with industrial by‐products or synthetic materials in cement based products. Since microstructural behaviours of cement based products are the crucial parameters that govern their sustainability and durability, this study investigates the microstructural comparison between two different types of cement replacements as nanopozzolan modified cement (NPMC) in cement based product by focusing on the evidence of pozzolanic reactivity in corroboration with physical and mechanical properties. Characterization and morphology techniques using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out to assess the pozzolanic reactivity of cement paste modified with the combination of nano‐ and micro silica as NPMC in comparison to unmodified cement paste (UCP) of 0.5 water to cement ratio (w/c). Results were then substantiated with compressive strength (CS) results as mechanical property. Results of this study showed clear evidence of pozzolanicity for all samples with varying reactivity with NPMC being the most reactive.
Clinical Characteristics of Concomitant Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: A Literature Review
Authors: Shizuma Toru
Published: May 2015

Although autoimmune diseases often coexist, concomitant cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are uncommon. In this review paper, 34 cases of SLE with concomitant PBC found in English and Japanese scientific literature and Japanese proceedings were reviewed and summarized, including cases with liver dysfunction complicated by SLE. Of the 34 reported concomitant cases of SLE and PBC, 97.1% (33/34) were females, and PBC was diagnosed initially in 69.0% (20/29), except for five cases in which both SLE and PBC were simultaneously diagnosed. Sjögren’s syndrome was the most common autoimmune disease complicating concomitant SLE and PBC (23.5%, 8/34). Five deaths have been reported: two elderly patients died of liver failure because of the worsening of PBC, and another two patients died from pulmonary infection associated with SLE pharmacotherapy. It is uncertain whether concomitant cases occur by chance or share a common immunological or genetic basis.
Multiblock Discriminant Analysis for Integrative Genomic Study
Authors: Kang Mingon , Kim Dong-Chul , Liu Chunyu , Gao Jean
Published: May 2015

Human diseases are abnormal medical conditions in which multiple biological components are complicatedly involved. Nevertheless, most contributions of research have been made with a single type of genetic data such as Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) or Copy Number Variation (CNV). Furthermore, epigenetic modifications and transcriptional regulations have to be considered to fully exploit the knowledge of the complex human diseases as well as the genomic variants. We call the collection of the multiple heterogeneous data “multiblock data.” In this paper, we propose a novel Multiblock Discriminant Analysis (MultiDA) method that provides a new integrative genomic model for the multiblock analysis and an efficient algorithm for discriminant analysis. The integrative genomic model is built by exploiting the representative genomic data including SNP, CNV, DNA methylation, and gene expression. The efficient algorithm for the discriminant analysis identifies discriminative factors of the multiblock data. The discriminant analysis is essential to discover biomarkers in computational biology. The performance of the proposed MultiDA was assessed by intensive simulation experiments, where the outstanding performance comparing the related methods was reported. As a target application, we applied MultiDA to human brain data of psychiatric disorders. The findings and gene regulatory network derived from the experiment are discussed.
Contribution of Greening and High-Albedo Coatings to Improvements in the Thermal Environment in Complex Urban Areas
Authors: Song Bonggeun , Park Kyunghun
Published: May 2015

The aim was to identify microclimate characteristics in relation to ground cover in green areas and the reflectivity of building coating materials. Furthermore, microclimate modeling of temperatures was conducted using ENVI-met, to analyze the effects of improved thermal environments based on increased green areas and increased reflectivity of exterior coatings. The accuracy of ENVI-met was validated through comparisons with field temperature measurements. The RMSE deviation of the predicted and actual field temperature values was 3–6°C; however, the explanatory power was as high as 60%. ENVI-met was performed for commercial and single residential areas that have high densities of artificial cover materials, before and after changes related to development of green areas and to increase in the reflectivity of coating materials. The results indicated that both areas exhibited distinct temperature reductions due to the creation of green spaces. When the reflectivity of the coating material was increased, a temperature increase was observed in all land-use types. Therefore, in order to improve the thermal environment of complex urban areas, it is necessary to improve green-area development and to use high-reflectivity ground and building cover materials, while taking into account the spatial characteristics of land-use types and their surrounding areas.
Cloning and Characterization of Spliced Variants of the Porcine G Protein Coupled Receptor 120
Authors: Song Tongxing , Peng Jie , Ren Jiao , Wei Hong-kui , Peng Jian
Published: May 2015

The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) receptor GPR120 exerts a significant impact on systemic nutrient homeostasis in human and rodents. However, the porcine GPR120 (pGPR120) has not been well characterized. In the current study, we found thatpGPR120had 3 spliced variants. Transcript 1 encoded 362-amino acids (aa) wild type pGPR120-WT, which shared 88% homology with human short form GPR120. Transcript 1 was the mainly expressed transcript ofpGPR120. It was expressed predominantly in ileum, jejunum, duodenum, spleen, and adipose. Transcript 3 (coding 320-aa isoform) was detected in spleen, while the transcript 2 (coding 310-aa isoform) was only slightly expressed in spleen. A selective agonist for human GPR120 (TUG-891) and PUFAs activated SRE-luc and NFAT-luc reporter in HEK293T cells transfected with construct for pGPR120-WT but not pGPR120-V2. However, 320-aa isoform was not a dominant negative isoform. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation levels in cells transfected with construct for pGPR120-WT were well activated by PUFAs, especially n-3 PUFA. These results showed that although pGPR120 had 3 transcripts, transcript 1 which encoded pGPR120-WT was the mainly expressed transcript. TUG-891 and PUFAs, especially n-3 PUFA, well activated pGPR120-WT. The current study contributed to dissecting the molecular regulation mechanisms of n-3 PUFA in pigs.
Feature Selection Based on Machine Learning in MRIs for Hippocampal Segmentation
Authors: Tangaro Sabina , Amoroso Nicola , Brescia Massimo , Cavuoti Stefano , Chincarini Andrea , Errico Rosangela , Inglese Paolo , Longo Giuseppe , Maglietta Rosalia , Tateo Andrea , Riccio Giuseppe , Bellotti Roberto
Published: May 2015

Neurodegenerative diseases are frequently associated with structural changes in the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can show these variations and therefore can be used as a supportive feature for a number of neurodegenerative diseases. The hippocampus has been known to be a biomarker for Alzheimer disease and other neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, it requires accurate, robust, and reproducible delineation of hippocampal structures. Fully automatic methods are usually the voxel based approach; for each voxel a number of local features were calculated. In this paper, we compared four different techniques for feature selection from a set of 315 features extracted for each voxel: (i) filter method based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test; two wrapper methods, respectively, (ii) sequential forward selection and (iii) sequential backward elimination; and (iv) embedded method based on the Random Forest Classifier on a set of 10 T1-weighted brain MRIs and tested on an independent set of 25 subjects. The resulting segmentations were compared with manual reference labelling. By using only 23 feature for each voxel (sequential backward elimination) we obtained comparable state-of-the-art performances with respect to the standard tool FreeSurfer.
Understanding the Mysterious M2 Macrophage through Activation Markers and Effector Mechanisms
Authors: Rőszer Tamás
Published: May 2015

The alternatively activated or M2 macrophages are immune cells with high phenotypic heterogeneity and are governing functions at the interface of immunity, tissue homeostasis, metabolism, and endocrine signaling. Today the M2 macrophages are identified based on the expression pattern of a set of M2 markers. These markers are transmembrane glycoproteins, scavenger receptors, enzymes, growth factors, hormones, cytokines, and cytokine receptors with diverse and often yet unexplored functions. This review discusses whether these M2 markers can be reliably used to identify M2 macrophages and define their functional subdivisions. Also, it provides an update on the novel signals of the tissue environment and the neuroendocrine system which shape the M2 activation. The possible evolutionary roots of the M2 macrophage functions are also discussed.
Finger Vein Segmentation from Infrared Images Based on a Modified Separable Mumford Shah Model and Local Entropy Thresholding
Authors: Vlachos Marios , Dermatas Evangelos
Published: May 2015

A novel method for finger vein pattern extraction from infrared images is presented. This method involves four steps: preprocessing which performs local normalization of the image intensity, image enhancement, image segmentation, and finally postprocessing for image cleaning. In the image enhancement step, an image which will be both smooth and similar to the original is sought. The enhanced image is obtained by minimizing the objective function of a modified separable Mumford Shah Model. Since, this minimization procedure is computationally intensive for large images, a local application of the Mumford Shah Model in small window neighborhoods is proposed. The finger veins are located in concave nonsmooth regions and, so, in order to distinct them from the other tissue parts, all the differences between the smooth neighborhoods, obtained by the local application of the model, and the corresponding windows of the original image are added. After that, veins in the enhanced image have been sufficiently emphasized. Thus, after image enhancement, an accurate segmentation can be obtained readily by a local entropy thresholding method. Finally, the resulted binary image may suffer from some misclassifications and, so, a postprocessing step is performed in order to extract a robust finger vein pattern.
Natural Products for Antithrombosis
Authors: Chen Cen , Yang Feng-Qing , Zhang Qian , Wang Feng-Qin , Hu Yuan-Jia , Xia Zhi-Ning
Published: May 2015

Thrombosis is considered to be closely related to several diseases such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease and stroke, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, hyperuricemia, and various inflammatory conditions. More and more studies have been focused on understanding the mechanism of molecular and cellular basis of thrombus formation as well as preventing thrombosis for the treatment of thrombotic diseases. In reality, there is considerable interest in the role of natural products and their bioactive components in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis related disorders. This paper briefly describes the mechanisms of thrombus formation on three aspects, including coagulation system, platelet activation, and aggregation, and change of blood flow conditions. Furthermore, the natural products for antithrombosis by anticoagulation, antiplatelet aggregation, and fibrinolysis were summarized, respectively.