bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prescribing Physical Activity for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Older Adults
Authors: McMillan Lachlan , Zengin Ayse , Ebeling Peter , Scott David
Published: November 2017

Osteoporosis is an age-related disease, characterised by low bone mineral density (BMD) and compromised bone geometry and microarchitecture, leading to reduced bone strength. Physical activity (PA) has potential as a therapy for osteoporosis, yet different modalities of PA have varying influences on bone health. This review explores current evidence for the benefits of PA, and targeted exercise regimes for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in older adults. In particular, the outcomes of interventions involving resistance training, low- and high-impact weight bearing activities, and whole-body vibration therapy are discussed. Finally, we present recommendations for future research that may maximise the potential of exercise in primary and secondary prevention of osteoporosis in the ageing population.
Multimodal Counseling Interventions: Effect on Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination Acceptance
Authors: Nwanodi Oroma , Salisbury Helen , Bay Curtis
Published: November 2017

Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was developed to reduce HPV-attributable cancers, external genital warts (EGW), and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Adolescent HPV vaccination series completion rates are less than 40% in the United States of America, but up to 80% in Australia and the United Kingdom. Population-based herd immunity requires 80% or greater vaccination series completion rates. Pro-vaccination counseling facilitates increased vaccination rates. Multimodal counseling interventions may increase HPV vaccination series non-completers’ HPV-attributable disease knowledge and HPV-attributable disease prophylaxis (vaccination) acceptance over a brief 14-sentence counseling intervention. An online, 4-group, randomized controlled trial, with 260 or more participants per group, found that parents were more likely to accept HPV vaccination offers for their children than were childless young adults for themselves (68.2% and 52.9%). A combined audiovisual and patient health education handout (PHEH) intervention raised knowledge of HPV vaccination purpose, p = 0.02, and HPV vaccination acceptance for seven items, p < 0.001 to p = 0.023. The audiovisual intervention increased HPV vaccination acceptance for five items, p < 0.001 to p = 0.006. That HPV causes EGW, and that HPV vaccination prevents HPV-attributable diseases were better conveyed by the combined audiovisual and PHEH than the control 14-sentence counseling intervention alone.
Association between Global Life Satisfaction and Self-Rated Oral Health Conditions among Adolescents in Lithuania
Authors: Kavaliauskienė Aistė , Šidlauskas Antanas , Zaborskis Apolinaras
Published: November 2017

Background: This study aims to explore the extent to which the perceived oral conditions predict adolescent global life satisfaction (GLS); Methods: The sample in a cross-sectional survey consisted of 1510 Lithuanian adolescents (41.7% boys) aged 11–18. The survey was conducted by means of self-report questionnaires that were administrated in school classrooms ensuring confidentiality and anonymity of the participants. The schoolchildren rated their GLS and answered the questions about perceptions of their oral health. The relationship between GLS and oral health variables was estimated using unadjusted and adjusted binary logistic regression and nonparametric correlation analyses; Results: The research showed that the majority of adolescents rated their GLS highly; however, girls, older adolescents and adolescents from less affluent families were less likely to report high scores. GLS was significantly associated with subjective overall oral health assessment. The odds of reporting low GLS were 50% higher for adolescents with good oral health (OR = 1.51; p < 0.001; 95% CI = 1.18–1.93), and two and half time as higher for adolescents with perceived fair/poor oral health (OR = 2.78; p < 0.001; 95% CI = 1.72–4.50) compared to adolescents with subjectively excellent/very good oral health. Nonparametric correlations indicated lower GLS to be significantly associated with higher scores of Child Perceptions Questionnaire (
Genotypic and Epidemiological Trends of Acute Gastroenteritis Associated with Noroviruses in China from 2006 to 2016
Authors: Qin Shu-Wen , Chan Ta-Chien , Cai Jian , Zhao Na , Miao Zi-Ping , Chen Yi-Juan , Liu She-Lan
Published: November 2017

There are periodical norovirus-associated acute gastroenteritis outbreaks around the world. This study aimed to analyze the molecular and epidemiological features of norovirus infections in China during 2006–2016. We extracted epidemiological data from 132 norovirus outbreaks and the norovirus genotyping for 1291 sequences in China over the past ten years. A total of 132 norovirus outbreaks (8133 cases) were reported in China, where the east and south regions were most affected [47.7% (63/132)]. The highest number of outbreaks occurred in 2015. A seasonal pattern has been observed, with a peak from November to the following March. Most of the outbreaks occurred in middle and primary schools, accounting for 28.8% (38/132), and 28.0% (37/132) of outbreaks, respectively. The dominant age group was 10 to 19 years old, responsible for 75.7% (933/1232) of cases. Generally, the dominant genotypes was GII, for 81.9% (1058/1291) of sequences. G II.4 was the predominant genotype in China from 2004 to 2014. However, the GII.17 became more prevalent starting in 2014. Norovirus-associated acute gastroenteritis increased sharply in recent years caused by the emergence of GII.17, but epidemiological features have not changed during 2006–2016. Vigilant surveillance should be strengthened to promptly detect any variation.
Electronic Cigarette Use in Students and Its Relation with Tobacco-Smoking: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the i-Share Study
Authors: Kinouani Shérazade , Pereira Edwige , Tzourio Christophe
Published: November 2017

While young adults often try e-cigarettes, little is known about its use and the reasons for experimentation, particularly in relation with tobacco-smoking. In 2016, data were collected from 2720 French-speaking students participating in a web-based study on students’ health: the internet-based Students Health Research Enterprise (i-Share) project. Univariate analyses and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to study the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking status. Two out of five students declared having tried e-cigarettes and 3.6% were current users. Former smokers were more likely than current smokers to use e-cigarettes currently. Among those who had never smoked, 13.5% had tried e-cigarettes. Very few (0.3%) were current users, alternating e-liquids with and without nicotine. The three main reasons for trying e-cigarettes were curiosity, offer to try by someone, and attractiveness of e-liquid flavors. Among current smokers, previous attempts to quit smoking and a strong desire to stop tobacco were reported more in e-cigarette current users than in former users. In this large sample of French students, findings were consistent with the possibility that e-cigarettes might be used as smoking cessation or reduction aids by some young adults whereas other young never-smokers could be exposed to nicotine.
Classification of Hyperspectral Images Using Kernel Fully Constrained Least Squares
Authors: Liu Jianjun , Wu Zebin , Xiao Zhiyong , Yang Jinlong
Published: November 2017

As a widely used classifier, sparse representation classification (SRC) has shown its good performance for hyperspectral image classification. Recent works have highlighted that it is the collaborative representation mechanism under SRC that makes SRC a highly effective technique for classification purposes. If the dimensionality and the discrimination capacity of a test pixel is high, other norms (e.g., ℓ 2 -norm) can be used to regularize the coding coefficients, except for the sparsity ℓ 1 -norm. In this paper, we show that in the kernel space the nonnegative constraint can also play the same role, and thus suggest the investigation of kernel fully constrained least squares (KFCLS) for hyperspectral image classification. Furthermore, in order to improve the classification performance of KFCLS by incorporating spatial-spectral information, we investigate two kinds of spatial-spectral methods using two regularization strategies: (1) the coefficient-level regularization strategy, and (2) the class-level regularization strategy. Experimental results conducted on four real hyperspectral images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed KFCLS, and show which way to incorporate spatial-spectral information efficiently in the regularization framework.
Simultaneous Determination and Investigation of Nine Fungicides in Fruits Using Diethylenetriamine-Functional Magnetic Core-Shell Polymer Modified Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Adsorbent Coupled to UPLC-HRMS
Authors: Ye Ming-Li , Zhu Yan
Published: November 2017

In this study, diethylenetriamine-functional magnetic core-shell polymer modified graphene oxide (DETA-MPs-GO) was prepared via precipitation polymerization and amidation reaction, and it was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Subsequently, a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) procedure was applied to the as-synthesized DETA-MPs-GO for the detection of nine fungicides in fruit samples, prior to ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). The homogenized fruit samples, spiked with D-labelled internal standards, were firstly extracted by 5 mL of acetonitrile twice and then purified by DETA-MPs-GO adsorbents. The optimization of the adsorption and elution conditions of DETA-MPs-GO toward fungicides was carried out to attain a satisfactory adsorption performance and desorption efficiency. The adsorption mechanism was carefully investigated, and the results revealed that a synergistic adsorption mechanism, including hydrogen bond and a π–π stacking interaction, was confirmed. Moreover, the limits of quantitation (LOQs) of the proposed approach were in the range of 0.01 to 0.30 μg/kg under the optimum conditions. The average recoveries at three spiking levels were 84.9% to 105.2%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) varying from 0.8% to 8.2% (n = 6). The developed method was successfully utilized for the screening and detection of fungicides in 81 fruit samples purchased from markets. A detailed survey was carried out about the concentration distribution, types of fungicides, and combined use of fungicides in different fruits.
Recipient HLA-G +3142 CC Genotype and Concentrations of Soluble HLA-G Impact on Occurrence of CMV Infection after Living-Donor Kidney Transplantation
Authors: Guberina Hana , Tomoya Michita Rafael , Dolff Sebastian , Bienholz Anja , Trilling Mirko , Heinemann Falko , Horn Peter , Kribben Andreas , Witzke Oliver , Rebmann Vera
Published: November 2017

The expression modulation of the immunosuppressive non-classical Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) molecule and its soluble isoforms is an immune evasion strategy being deployed by cytomegalovirus (CMV). The +3142 C>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located within the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) is of crucial importance for the regulation of HLA-G expression. Therefore, we analyzed the influence of the +3142 C>G HLA-G SNP on the occurrence of CMV infection in a cohort of 178 living-donor kidney recipients and their 178 corresponding donors. In addition, soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels were quantified before and after transplantation. The presence of the HLA-G +3142 CC genotype in recipients, but not donors of our cohort as along with elevated sHLA-G levels (≥ 6.1 ng/mL) were associated with higher susceptibility to CMV infection after transplantation. Our results provided evidence that i) HLA-G is implicated in the establishment of CMV after living-donor kidney transplantation and ii) recipient HLA-G +3142 CC genotype and sHLA-G concentration levels could represent important predictive risk markers for CMV infection.
Two Paralogous Genes Encoding Auxin Efflux Carrier Differentially Expressed in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)
Authors: Li Yi-Li , Lin Yun-Shan , Huang Pung-Ling , Do Yi-Yin
Published: November 2017

The phytohormone auxin regulates various developmental programs in plants, including cell growth, cell division and cell differentiation. The auxin efflux carriers are essential for the auxin transport. To show an involvement of auxin transporters in the coordination of fruit development in bitter gourd, a juicy fruit, we isolated novel cDNAs (referred as McPIN) encoding putative auxin efflux carriers, including McPIN1, McPIN2 (allele of McPIN1) and McPIN3, from developing fruits of bitter gourd. Both McPIN1 and McPIN3 genes possess six exons and five introns. Hydropathy analysis revealed that both polypeptides have two hydrophobic regions with five transmembrane segments and a predominantly hydrophilic core. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that McPIN1 shared the highest homology to the group of Arabidopsis, cucumber and tomato PIN1, while McPIN3 belonged to another group, including Arabidopsis and tomato PIN3 as well as PIN4. This suggests different roles for McPIN1 and McPIN3 in auxin transport involved in the fruit development of bitter gourd. Maximum mRNA levels for both genes were detected in staminate and pistillate flowers. McPIN1 is expressed in a particular period of early fruit development but McPIN3 continues to be expressed until the last stage of fruit ripening. Moreover, these two genes are auxin-inducible and qualified as early auxin-response genes. Their expression patterns suggest that these two auxin transporter genes play a pivotal role in fruit setting and development.
Ecoepidemiology of Cryptococcus gattii in Developing Countries
Authors: Herkert Patricia , Hagen Ferry , Pinheiro Rosangela , Muro Marisol , Meis Jacques , Queiroz-Telles Flávio
Published: November 2017

Cryptococcosis is a systemic infection caused by species of the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus. The disease may occur in immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts and is acquired by the inhalation of infectious propagules present in the environment. Cryptococcus is distributed in a plethora of ecological niches, such as soil, pigeon droppings, and tree hollows, and each year new reservoirs are discovered, which helps researchers to better understand the epidemiology of the disease. In this review, we describe the ecoepidemiology of the C. gattii species complex focusing on clinical cases and ecological reservoirs in developing countries from different continents. We also discuss some important aspects related to the antifungal susceptibility of different species within the C. gattii species complex and bring new insights on the revised Cryptococcus taxonomy.
Preparation of Palladium/Silver-Coated Polyimide Nanotubes: Flexible, Electrically Conductive Fibers
Authors: Kong Lushi , Rui Guanchun , Wang Guangyu , Huang Rundong , Li Ran , Yu Jiajie , Qi Shengli , Wu Dezhen
Published: November 2017

A simple and practical method for coating palladium/silver nanoparticles on polyimide (PI) nanotubes is developed. The key steps involved in the process are silver ion exchange/reduction and displacement reactions between silver and palladium ions. With the addition of silver, the conductivity of the PI nanotubes is greatly enhanced. Further, the polyimide nanotubes with a dense, homogeneous coating of palladium nanoparticles remain flexible after heat treatment and show the possibility for use as highly efficient catalysts. The approach developed here is applicable for coating various noble metals on a wide range of polymer matrices, and can be used for obtaining polyimide nanotubes with metal loaded on both the inner and outer surface.
Amidoxime Polymers for Uranium Adsorption: Influence of Comonomers and Temperature
Authors: Ladshaw Austin P. , Wiechert Alexander I. , Das Sadananda , Yiacoumi Sotira , Tsouris Costas
Published: November 2017

Recovering uranium from seawater has been the subject of many studies for decades, and has recently seen significant progress in materials development since the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has become involved. With DOE direction, the uranium uptake for amidoxime-based polymer adsorbents has more than tripled in capacity. In an effort to better understand how these new adsorbent materials behave under different environmental stimuli, several experimental and modeling based studies have been employed to investigate impacts of competing ions, salinity, pH, and other factors on uranium uptake. For this study, the effect of temperature and type of comonomer on uranium adsorption by three different amidoxime adsorbents (AF1, 38H, AI8) was examined. Experimental measurements of uranium uptake were taken in 1−L batch reactors from 10 to 40 °C. A chemisorption model was developed and applied in order to estimate unknown system parameters through optimization. Experimental results demonstrated that the overall uranium chemisorption process for all three materials is endothermic, which was also mirrored in the model results. Model simulations show very good agreement with the data and were able to predict the temperature effect on uranium adsorption as experimental conditions changed. This model may be used for predicting uranium uptake by other amidoxime materials.
Linking Compositional and Functional Predictions to Decipher the Biogeochemical Significance in DFAA Turnover of Abundant Bacterioplankton Lineages in the North Sea
Authors: Wemheuer Bernd , Wemheuer Franziska , Meier Dimitri , Billerbeck Sara , Giebel Helge-Ansgar , Simon Meinhard , Scherber Christoph , Daniel Rolf
Published: November 2017

Deciphering the ecological traits of abundant marine bacteria is a major challenge in marine microbial ecology. In the current study, we linked compositional and functional predictions to elucidate such traits for abundant bacterioplankton lineages in the North Sea. For this purpose, we investigated entire and active bacterioplankton composition along a transect ranging from the German Bight to the northern North Sea by pyrotag sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and transcripts. Functional profiles were inferred from 16S rRNA data using Tax4Fun. Bacterioplankton communities were dominated by well-known marine lineages including clusters/genera that are affiliated with the Roseobacter group and the Flavobacteria. Variations in community composition and function were significantly explained by measured environmental and microbial properties. Turnover of dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) showed the strongest correlation to community composition and function. We applied multinomial models, which enabled us to identify bacterial lineages involved in DFAA turnover. For instance, the genus Planktomarina was more abundant at higher DFAA turnover rates, suggesting its vital role in amino acid degradation. Functional predictions further indicated that Planktomarina is involved in leucine and isoleucine degradation. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the biogeochemical significance of abundant bacterioplankton lineages in the North Sea.
The Use of Univariate and Multivariate Analyses in the Geochemical Exploration, Ravanj Lead Mine, Delijan, Iran
Authors: Nejadhadad Mostafa , Taghipour Batoul , Karimzadeh Somarin Alireza
Published: November 2017

A geochemical exploration program was applied to recognize the anomalous geochemical haloes at the Ravanj lead mine, Delijan, Iran. Sampling of unweathered rocks were undertaken across rock exposures on a 10 × 10 meter grid (n = 302) as well as the accessible parts of underground mine A (n = 42). First, the threshold values of all elements were determined using the cut-off values used in the exploratory data analysis (EDA) method. Then, for further studies, elements with lognormal distributions (Pb, Zn, Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Sb, S, Sr, Th, Ba, Bi, Fe, Ni and Mn) were selected. Robustness against outliers is achieved by application of central log ratio transformation to address the closure problems with compositional data prior to principle components analysis (PCA). Results of these analyses show that, in the Ravanj deposit, Pb mineralization is characterized by a Pb-Ba-Ag-Sb ± Zn ± Cd association. The supra-mineralization haloes are characterized by barite and tetrahedrite in a Ba- Th- Ag- Cu- Sb- As- Sr association and sub-mineralization haloes are comprised of pyrite and tetrahedrite, probably reflecting a Fe-Cu-As-Bi-Ni-Co-Mo-Mn association. Using univariate and multivariate geostatistical analyses (e.g., EDA and robust PCA), four anomalies were detected and mapped in Block A of the Ravanj deposit. Anomalies 1 and 2 are around the ancient orebodies. Anomaly 3 is located in a thin bedded limestone-shale intercalation unit that does not show significant mineralization. Drilling of the fourth anomaly suggested a low grade, non-economic Pb mineralization.
New Adducts of Iriflophene and Flavonoids Isolated from Sedum aizoon L. with Potential Antitumor Activity
Authors: Li Mingxiao , Qi Zheyuan , Hao Yimeng , Lv Chongning , Jia Lingyun , Wang Jing , Lu Jincai
Published: November 2017

Four new special compounds with character of an iriflophene unit and a flavonoid unit connecting via a furan ring were isolated from the roots of Sedum aizoon L. Their corresponding structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The in vitro anti-proliferative activities against BXPC-3, A549, and MCF-7 tumor cell lines were evaluated. Compounds 3 and 4 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities with IC50 ranging from 24.84 to 37.22 μmol L−1, which was capable for further drug exploration.
Glypre: In Silico Prediction of Protein Glycation Sites by Fusing Multiple Features and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Zhao Xiaowei , Zhao Xiaosa , Bao Lingling , Zhang Yonggang , Dai Jiangyan , Yin Minghao
Published: November 2017

Glycation is a non-enzymatic process occurring inside or outside the host body by attaching a sugar molecule to a protein or lipid molecule. It is an important form of post-translational modification (PTM), which impairs the function and changes the characteristics of the proteins so that the identification of the glycation sites may provide some useful guidelines to understand various biological functions of proteins. In this study, we proposed an accurate prediction tool, named Glypre, for lysine glycation. Firstly, we used multiple informative features to encode the peptides. These features included the position scoring function, secondary structure, AAindex, and the composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs. Secondly, the distribution of distinctive features of the residues surrounding the glycation and non-glycation sites was statistically analysed. Thirdly, based on the distribution of these features, we developed a new predictor by using different optimal window sizes for different properties and a two-step feature selection method, which utilized the maximum relevance minimum redundancy method followed by a greedy feature selection procedure. The performance of Glypre was measured with a sensitivity of 57.47%, a specificity of 90.78%, an accuracy of 79.68%, area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.86, and a Matthews’s correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.52 by 10-fold cross-validation. The detailed analysis results showed that our predictor may play a complementary role to other existing methods for identifying protein lysine glycation. The source code and datasets of the Glypre are available in the Supplementary File.
Synthesis, Single Crystal X-ray Analysis, and Antifungal Profiling of Certain New Oximino Ethers Bearing Imidazole Nuclei
Authors: Al-Wabli Reem , Al-Ghamdi Alwah , Ghabbour Hazem , Al-Agamy Mohamed , Attia Mohamed
Published: November 2017

Fungal infections threaten human health, particularly in immune-compromised patients worldwide. Although there are a large number of antifungal agents available, the desired clinical attributes for the treatment of fungal infections have not yet been achieved. Azoles are the mainstay class of the clinically used antifungal agents. In the current study, the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and antifungal activity of certain new oximino ethers Va–n bearing imidazole nuclei are reported. The (E)-configuration of the imine double bond of the synthesized compounds Va–n has been confirmed via single crystal X-ray analysis of compound Vi as a representative example of this class of compounds. The molecular structure of compound Vi was crystallized in the monoclinic, P21/c, a = 18.7879(14) Å, b = 5.8944(4) Å, c = 16.7621(12) Å, β = 93.063(3)°, V = 1855.5(2) Å3, Z = 4. The in vitro antifungal activity of the synthesized compounds Va–n were evaluated using diameter of the inhibition zone (DIZ) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays against different fungal strains. Compound Ve manifested anti-Candida albicans activity with an MIC value of 0.050 µmol/mL, being almost equipotent with the reference antifungal drug fluconazole (FLC),while compounds Vi and Vn are the most active congeners against Candida parapsilosis, being equipotent and about twenty-three times more potent than FLC with an MIC value of 0.002 µmol/mL. The results of the current report might support the development of new potent and safer antifungal azoles.
Effects of Chitooligosaccharide Coating Combined with Selected Ionic Polymers on the Stimulation of Ornithogalum saundersiae Growth
Authors: Salachna Piotr , Grzeszczuk Monika , Soból Marcin
Published: November 2017

Recently, agricultural and horticultural sectors have shown an increased interest in the use of biopolymers and their derivatives as growth biostimulators. So far, coating is a little known method of applying the biostimulators. Our three-year study investigated coating the bulbs of Ornithogalum saundersiae with chitooligosaccharide (COS), sodium alginate, carrageenan, gellan gum and xanthan gum. The coating method was based on the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes. The COS with 48,000 g mol−1 molecular weight was contained by means of controlled free-radical degradation. Biopolymer coatings stimulated plant growth and flowering, total chlorophyll content, total polyphenol content and the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and boron. The plants grown from the bulbs coated with COS + gellan gum exhibited the most vigorous growth, were first to flower, showed the highest antioxidant activity (DPPH), and the greatest content of pigments, polyphenols, l-ascorbic acid, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and manganese. These results suggest COS formulated with gellan gum shows promise as a potential biostimulator of plant growth.
Ferulaldehyde Improves the Effect of Methotrexate in Experimental Arthritis
Authors: Slovák Lukáš , Švík Karol , Mihalová Danica , Tóth Jaroslav , Czigle Szilvia , Pašková Ľudmila , Bilka František , Bauerová Katarína
Published: November 2017

Methotrexate (MTX) is still the gold standard for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The therapeutic efficacy of low-dose of MTX can be increased by its combination with a natural substance, ferulaldehyde (FRA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect FRA and MTX administered alone or in combination in adjuvant arthritis. The disease was induced to Lewis male rats by intradermal injection, which contains a suspension of heat-inactivated Mycobacterium butyricum in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant. The experiment of 28 days included: healthy animals, arthritic animals, arthritic animals with administration of FRA at the oral daily dose of 15 mg/kg, arthritic animals with administration of MTX at the oral dose of 0.3 mg/kg twice a week, and arthritic animals administered with FRA and MTX. FRA in monotherapy decreased significantly only the level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in plasma. Combination of FRA and low-dose MTX was more effective than MTX alone when comparing body weight, hind paw volume, arthritic score, plasmatic levels of IL-1β, activity of γ-glutamyl transferase, and relative mRNA expression of IL-1β in the spleen. Therefore, the combination treatment was the most effective. The obtained results are interesting for future possible innovative therapy of patients with RA.
Mechanistic Study of Copper-Catalyzed C-H Hydroxylation/C-S Coupling by ESI-HR MS and DFT Calculations
Authors: Xu Runsheng , Cai Rongrong , Zhou Sixian , Zhou Zhuoda , Li Beibei , Xu Dihui
Published: November 2017

The reaction mechanism of Cu-catalyzed C-H hydroxylation/C-S coupling was studied using electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HR MS) and density functional theory calculations (DFT). Notably, a series of CuI and CuIII complexes were observed as key intermediates and identified using ESI-HR MS. Furthermore, a catalyst cycle involving proton abstraction/oxidative addition/reductive elimination was proposed. This study is important and valuable with respect to C-H functionalization.
Antibacterial Activity of Polyphenols: Structure-Activity Relationship and Influence of Hyperglycemic Condition
Authors: Xie Yixi , Chen Jing , Xiao Aiping , Liu Liangliang
Published: November 2017

Polyphenols are plant-derived natural products with well-documented health benefits to human beings, such as antibacterial activities. However, the antibacterial activities of polyphenols under hyperglycemic conditions have been rarely studied, which could be relevant to their antibacterial efficacy in disease conditions, such as in diabetic patients. Herein, the antibacterial activities of 38 polyphenols under mimicked hyperglycemic conditions were evaluated. The structure-antibacterial activity relationships of polyphenols were also tested and analyzed. The presence of glucose apparently promoted the growth of the bacterial strains tested in this study. The OD600 values of tested bacteria strains increased from 1.09-fold to 1.49-fold by adding 800 mg/dL glucose. The polyphenols showed structurally dependent antibacterial activities, which were significantly impaired under the hyperglycemic conditions. The results from this study indicated that high blood glucose might promote bacterial infection, and the hyperglycemic conditions resulting from diabetes were likely to suppress the antibacterial benefits of polyphenols.
Template-Assisted Formation of Nanostructured Dopamine-Modified Polymers
Authors: Zhu Liping , Isoshima Takashi , Nair Baiju , Ito Yoshihiro
Published: November 2017

Dopamine-modified alginate and gelatin were prepared. The polymers were characterized and the properties of their aqueous solutions were investigated. Aqueous solutions of dopamine-modified alginate and gelatin with a concentration exceeding 20 mg/mL naturally formed gels after 16 h. Although polydopamine itself was not used for template-assisted nanostructure formation, the modified polymers could be used with dopamine. Mixing with dopamine allowed the precise shape of the template to be maintained in the resulting material, allowing nanopatterned surfaces and nanotubes to be prepared.
Multifaceted Biomedical Applications of Functional Graphene Nanomaterials to Coated Substrates, Patterned Arrays and Hybrid Scaffolds
Authors: Shin Yong , Song Su-Jin , Hong Suck , Jeong Seung , Chrzanowski Wojciech , Lee Jae-Chang , Han Dong-Wook
Published: November 2017

Because of recent research advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, there has been a growing interest in functional nanomaterials for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering scaffolds, biosensors, bioimaging agents and drug delivery carriers. Among a great number of promising candidates, graphene and its derivatives—including graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide—have particularly attracted plenty of attention from researchers as novel nanobiomaterials. Graphene and its derivatives, two-dimensional nanomaterials, have been found to have outstanding biocompatibility and biofunctionality as well as exceptional mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and thermal stability. Therefore, tremendous studies have been devoted to employ functional graphene nanomaterials in biomedical applications. Herein, we focus on the biological potentials of functional graphene nanomaterials and summarize some of major literature concerning the multifaceted biomedical applications of functional graphene nanomaterials to coated substrates, patterned arrays and hybrid scaffolds that have been reported in recent years.
The Advent of Indium Selenide: Synthesis, Electronic Properties, Ambient Stability and Applications
Authors: Boukhvalov Danil , Gürbulak Bekir , Duman Songül , Wang Lin , Politano Antonio , Caputi Lorenzo , Chiarello Gennaro , Cupolillo Anna
Published: November 2017

Among the various two-dimensional semiconductors, indium selenide has recently triggered the interest of scientific community, due to its band gap matching the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with subsequent potential applications in optoelectronics and especially in photodetection. In this feature article, we discuss the main issues in the synthesis, the ambient stability and the application capabilities of this novel class of two-dimensional semiconductors, by evidencing open challenges and pitfalls. In particular, we evidence how the growth of single crystals with reduced amount of Se vacancies is crucial in the road map for the exploitation of indium selenide in technology through ambient-stable nanodevices with outstanding values of both mobility of charge carriers and ON/OFF ratio. The surface chemical reactivity of the InSe surface, as well as applications in the fields of broadband photodetection, flexible electronics and solar energy conversion are also discussed.
Synthesis of Ferrofluids Made of Iron Oxide Nanoflowers: Interplay between Carrier Fluid and Magnetic Properties
Authors: Spizzo Federico , Sgarbossa Paolo , Sieni Elisabetta , Semenzato Alessandra , Dughiero Fabrizio , Forzan Michele , Bertani Roberta , Del Bianco Lucia
Published: November 2017

Ferrofluids are nanomaterials consisting of magnetic nanoparticles that are dispersed in a carrier fluid. Their physical properties, and hence their field of application are determined by intertwined compositional, structural, and magnetic characteristics, including interparticle magnetic interactions. Magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of iron(III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3·6H2O) in 2-pyrrolidone, and were then dispersed in two different fluids, water and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG). A number of experimental techniques (especially, transmission electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry) were employed to study both the as-prepared nanoparticles and the ferrofluids. We show that, with the adopted synthesis parameters of temperature and FeCl3 relative concentration, nanoparticles are obtained that mainly consist of maghemite and present a high degree of structural disorder and strong spin canting, resulting in a low saturation magnetization (~45 emu/g). A remarkable feature is that the nanoparticles, ultimately due to the presence of 2-pyrrolidone at their surface, are arranged in nanoflower-shape structures, which are substantially stable in water and tend to disaggregate in PEG. The different arrangement of the nanoparticles in the two fluids implies a different strength of dipolar magnetic interactions, as revealed by the analysis of their magnetothermal behavior. The comparison between the magnetic heating capacities of the two ferrofluids demonstrates the possibility of tailoring the performances of the produced nanoparticles by exploiting the interplay with the carrier fluid.
ZnO Interactions with Biomatrices: Effect of Particle Size on ZnO-Protein Corona
Authors: Yu Jin , Kim Hyeon-Jin , Go Mi-Ran , Bae Song-Hwa , Choi Soo-Jin
Published: November 2017

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used for food fortification, because zinc is essential for many enzyme and hormone activities and cellular functions, but public concern about their potential toxicity is increasing. Interactions between ZnO and biomatrices might affect the oral absorption, distribution, and toxicity of ZnO, which may be influenced by particle size. In this study, ZnO interactions with biomatrices were investigated by examining the physicochemical properties, solubility, protein fluorescence quenching, particle–protein corona, and intestinal transport with respect to the particle size (bulk vs. nano) in simulated gastrointestinal (GI) and plasma fluids and in rat-extracted fluids. The results demonstrate that the hydrodynamic radii and zeta potentials of bulk ZnO and nano ZnO in biofluids changed in different ways, and that nano ZnO induced higher protein fluorescence quenching than bulk ZnO. However, ZnO solubility and its intestinal transport mechanism were unaffected by particle size. Proteomic analysis revealed that albumin, fibrinogen, and fibronectin play roles in particle–plasma protein corona, regardless of particle size. Furthermore, nano ZnO was found to interact more strongly with plasma proteins. These observations show that bulk ZnO and nano ZnO interact with biomatrices in different ways and highlight the need for further study of their long-term toxicity.
Detection of Salivary Insulin Following Low versus High Carbohydrate Meals in Humans
Authors: Myette-Côté Étienne , Baba Katie , Brar Raj , Little Jonathan
Published: November 2017

Developing non-invasive alternatives to monitor insulin levels in humans holds potential practical value for identifying individuals with, or at risk of developing, insulin resistance. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine if saliva insulin can be used to delineate between low and high postprandial insulin levels following the ingestion of mixed breakfast meals; and (2) to determine if expected differences in postprandial hyperinsulinemia between young lean and young overweight/obese participants could be detected in saliva. Sixteen individuals (n = 8 classified as normal weight (NW); BMI 20.0–24.9 kg/m2, and n = 8 classified as overweight/obese (OO); BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m2) completed two isocaloric mixed-meal tolerance tests following an overnight fast, consisting of a low-carbohydrate (LC) breakfast or a high-carbohydrate (HC) breakfast. Blood and saliva samples were collected at regular intervals for two hours postprandially. In both groups, plasma and saliva insulin total area under the curve (AUC) and incremental AUC (iAUC) were significantly higher after the HC as compared to the LC meal (all p ≤ 0.005). Insulin AUC and iAUC in both plasma and saliva were higher in OO than in NW after the HC meal (all p ≤ 0.02) but only plasma and saliva total AUC were higher in OO after the LC meal (both p ≤ 0.01). Plasma insulin AUC was significantly correlated with salivary insulin AUC in LC (r = 0.821; p < 0.001) and HC (r = 0.882; p < 0.001). These findings indicate that saliva could potentially be used to delineate between low and high insulin levels following mixed breakfast meals.
Pediatric Chronic Intestinal Failure in Italy: Report from the 2016 Survey on Behalf of Italian Society for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP)
Authors: Diamanti Antonella , Capriati Teresa , Gandullia Paolo , Di Leo Grazia , Lezo Antonella , Lacitignola Laura , Spagnuolo Maria , Gatti Simona , D’Antiga Lorenzo , Verlato Giovanna , Roggero Paola , Amarri Sergio , Baldassarre Maria , Cirillo Francesco , Elia Domenica , Boldrini Renata , Campanozzi Angelo , Catassi Carlo , Aloi Marina , Romano Claudio , Candusso Manila , Cecchi Nicola , Bellini Tommaso , Tyndall Elaine , Fusaro Fabio , Caldaro Tamara , Alberti Daniele , Gamba Piergiorgio , Lima Mario , Bagolan Pietro , De Ville de Goyet Jean , Dall’Oglio Luigi , Spada Marco , Grandi Francesca
Published: November 2017

Background: Intestinal failure (IF) is the reduction in functioning gut mass below the minimal level necessary for adequate digestion and absorption of nutrients and fluids for weight maintenance in adults or for growth in children. There is a paucity of epidemiologic data on pediatric IF. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, incidence, regional distribution and underlying diagnosis of pediatric chronic IF (CIF) requiring home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in Italy. Methods: Local investigators were selected in 19 Italian centers either of reference for pediatric HPN or having pediatric gastroenterologists or surgeons on staff and already collaborating with the Italian Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition with regard to IF. Data requested in this survey for children at home on Parenteral Nutrition (PN) on 1 December 2016 included patient initials, year of birth, gender, family’s place of residence and underlying diagnosis determining IF. Results: We recorded 145 CIF patients on HPN aged ≤19 years. The overall prevalence was 14.12/million inhabitants (95% CI: 9.20–18.93); the overall incidence was 1.41/million inhabitant years (95% CI: 0.53–2.20). Conclusion: Our survey provides new epidemiological data on pediatric CIF in Italy; these data may be quantitatively useful in developing IF care strategy plans in all developed countries.
Associations between Nut Consumption and Health Vary between Omnivores, Vegetarians, and Vegans
Authors: Brown Rachel , Gray Andrew , Tey Siew , Chisholm Alexandra , Burley Victoria , Greenwood Darren , Cade Janet
Published: November 2017

Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced risk factors for chronic disease; however, most population-based studies lack consideration of effect modification by dietary pattern. The UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS) provides an ideal opportunity to examine relationships between nut consumption and chronic disease risk factors in a large sample with diverse dietary patterns. Nut and nutrient intake from 34,831 women was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire among self-identified omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In this cross-sectional analysis, higher nut consumption was associated with lower body weight (difference between highest and lowest consumption categories from adjusted model: 6.1 kg; 95% CI: 4.7, 7.6) body mass index (BMI, 2.4 units difference; 95% CI: 1.9, 2.9), and waist circumference (2.6 cm difference; 95% CI: 1.4, 3.8) (all p for linear trend < 0.001). Higher nut consumption was also associated with reduced prevalence of high cholesterol and high blood pressure; having a history of heart attack, diabetes and gallstones; and markers of diet quality (all adjusted p for linear trend ≤ 0.011). Higher nut consumption appeared overall to be associated with greater benefits amongst omnivores compared to vegetarians and vegans. Findings support existing literature around beneficial effects of nut consumption and suggest that benefits may be larger among omnivores. Nut promotion strategies may have the highest population impact by specifically targeting this group.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Exacerbated in High-Fat Diet-Fed Gnotobiotic Mice by Colonization with the Gut Microbiota from Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Chiu Chien-Chao , Ching Yung-Hao , Li Yen-Peng , Liu Ju-Yun , Huang Yen-Te , Huang Yi-Wen , Yang Sien-Sing , Huang Wen-Ching , Chuang Hsiao-Li
Published: November 2017

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a serious liver disorder associated with the accumulation of fat and inflammation. The objective of this study was to determine the gut microbiota composition that might influence the progression of NAFLD. Germ-free mice were inoculated with feces from patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or from healthy persons (HL) and then fed a standard diet (STD) or high-fat diet (HFD). We found that the epididymal fat weight, hepatic steatosis, multifocal necrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration significantly increased in the NASH-HFD group. These findings were consistent with markedly elevated serum levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, endotoxin, interleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (Mcp1), and hepatic triglycerides. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of Toll-like receptor 2 (Tlr2), Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4), tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf-α), Mcp1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Ppar-γ) significantly increased. Only abundant lipid accumulation and a few inflammatory reactions were observed in group HL-HFD. Relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes shifted in the HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Streptococcaceae was the highest in group NASH-HFD. Nevertheless, obesity-related Lactobacillaceae were significantly upregulated in HL-HFD mice. Our results revealed that the gut microbiota from NASH Patients aggravated hepatic steatosis and inflammation. These findings might partially explain the NAFLD progress distinctly was related to different compositions of gut microbiota.
Selective Adsorption of Ag+ on a New Cyanuric-Thiosemicarbazide Chelating Resin with High Capacity from Acid Solutions
Authors: Lin Guo , Wang Shixing , Zhang Libo , Hu Tu , Peng Jinhui , Cheng Song , Fu Likang
Published: November 2017

A new cyanuric-thiosemicarbazid (TSC-CC) chelating resin was synthesized and employed to selectively adsorb Ag+ from acid solutions. The effects of acid concentration, initial concentration of Ag+, contact time and coexisting ions were investigated. The optimal acid concentration was 0.5 mol/L. The adsorption capacity of Ag+ reached 872.63 mg/g at acid concentration of 0.5 mol/L. The adsorption isotherm was fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the kinetic data preferably followed the pseudo-second order model. The chelating resin showed a good selectivity for the Ag+ adsorption from acid solutions. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study the adsorption mechanism. The chelating and ionic interaction was mainly adsorption mechanism. The adsorbent presents a great potential in selective recovery Ag+ from acid solutions due to the advantage of high adsorption capacity and adapting strongly acidic condition. The recyclability indicated that the (TSC-CC) resin had a good stability and can be recycled as a promising agent for removal of Ag+.
Effect of Laccase-Mediated Biopolymer Grafting on Kraft Pulp Fibers for Enhancing Paper’s Mechanical Properties
Authors: Ballinas-Casarrubias Lourdes , Villanueva-Solís Luis , Espinoza-Hicks Carlos , Camacho-Dávila Alejandro , Castillo Hilda Amelia Piñón , Pérez Samuel B. , Villa Eduardo Duarte , Hernández Miguel De Dios , González-Sánchez Guillermo
Published: November 2017

High-resistance paper was manufactured by laccase-grafting of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and chitosan (CPX) on Kraft pulp fiber. The reaction was mediated in the presence of laccase by one of the following polyphenols in the presence of air: gallic acid (GA), vanillic acid (VA) and catechol (1,2–DHB). Enzyme was added at constant loading (24 kg ton−1), 1% pulp consistency, 0.005% CMC, pH = 6.3 ± 0.5 and 2 mM of mediator. CPX content was assessed at two levels (0% and 0.005%). Treated pulps were analyzed by different mechanical tests (ring crush, mullen, corrugating medium test (CMT) flat crush of corrugating medium test and tension). An improvement in these parameters was obtained by biopolymer coupling and selected mediator. When using GA, three parameters increased more than 40%, while ring crush increased 120%. For the case of VA, properties were enhanced from 74% to 88% when CPX was added. For 1,2–DHB, there was not found a statistically significant difference between the results in the presence of CPX. Scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, FTIR and 13C NMR were used in all papers in order to evaluate grafting. Hence, it was possible to correlate polymerization with an improvement of paper’s mechanical properties.