bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Suppresses the Incorporation of New Neurons at the Caudal Pole of the Chicken Hippocampal Formation
Authors: Gualtieri F. , Armstrong E. A. , Longmoor G. K. , D’Eath R. B. , Sandilands V. , Boswell T. , Smulders T. V.
Published: May 2019

In the mammalian brain, adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is suppressed by chronic stress, primarily at the ventral pole of the hippocampus. Based upon anatomy, we hypothesise that the caudal pole of the avian Hippocampal Formation (HF) presents a homologous subregion. We thus investigated whether AHN is preferentially suppressed in the caudal chicken HF by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). Adult hens were kept in control conditions or exposed to UCMS for 8 weeks. Hens experiencing UCMS had significantly fewer doublecortin-positive multipolar neurons (p < 0.001) and beaded axons (p = 0.021) at the caudal pole of the HF than controls. UCMS birds also had smaller spleens and lower baseline plasma corticosterone levels compared to controls. There were no differences in AHN at the rostral pole, nor were there differences in expression of genetic mediators of the HPA stress response in the pituitary or adrenal glands. Duration of tonic immobility and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios were also not responsive to our UCMS treatment. These results support the hypothesised homology of the caudal pole of the avian HF to the ventral pole of the rodent hippocampus. Furthermore, quantifying neurogenesis in the caudal HF post-mortem may provide an objective, integrative measure of welfare in poultry, which may be more sensitive than current welfare measures.
The impact of rare but severe vaccine adverse events on behaviour-disease dynamics: a network model
Authors: Bhattacharyya Samit , Vutha Amit , Bauch Chris T.
Published: May 2019

The propagation of rumours about rare but severe adverse vaccination or infection events through social networks can strongly impact vaccination uptake. Here we model a coupled behaviour-disease system where individual risk perception regarding vaccines and infection are shaped by their personal experiences and the experiences of others. Information about vaccines and infection either propagates through the network or becomes available through globally available sources. Dynamics are studied on a range of network types. Individuals choose to vaccinate according to their personal perception of risk and information about infection prevalence. We study events ranging from common and mild, to severe and rare. We find that vaccine and infection adverse events have asymmetric impacts. Vaccine (but not infection) adverse events may significantly prolong the tail of an outbreak. Similarly, introducing a small risk of a vaccine adverse event may cause a steep decline in vaccine coverage, especially on scale-free networks. Global dissemination of information about infection prevalence boosts vaccine coverage more than local dissemination. Taken together, these findings highlight the dangers associated with vaccine rumour propagation through scale-free networks such as those exhibited by online social media, as well as the benefits of disseminating public health information through mass media.
Karst dolines provide diverse microhabitats for different functional groups in multiple phyla
Authors: Bátori Zoltán , Vojtkó András , Maák István Elek , Lőrinczi Gábor , Farkas Tünde , Kántor Noémi , Tanács Eszter , Kiss Péter János , Juhász Orsolya , Módra Gábor , Tölgyesi Csaba , Erdős László , Aguilon Dianne Joy , Keppel Gunnar
Published: May 2019

Fine-scale topographic complexity creates important microclimates that can facilitate species to grow outside their main distributional range and increase biodiversity locally. Enclosed depressions in karst landscapes (‘dolines’) are topographically complex environments which produce microclimates that are drier and warmer (equator-facing slopes) and cooler and moister (pole-facing slopes and depression bottoms) than the surrounding climate. We show that the distribution patterns of functional groups for organisms in two different phyla, Arthropoda (ants) and Tracheophyta (vascular plants), mirror this variation of microclimate. We found that north-facing slopes and bottoms of solution dolines in northern Hungary provided key habitats for ant and plant species associated with cooler and/or moister conditions. Contrarily, south-facing slopes of dolines provided key habitats for species associated with warmer and/or drier conditions. Species occurring on the surrounding plateau were associated with intermediate conditions. We conclude that karst dolines provide a diversity of microclimatic habitats that may facilitate the persistence of taxa with diverse environmental preferences, indicating these dolines to be potential safe havens for multiple phyla under local and global climate oscillations.
Microvesicles from cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s disease display reduced concentrations of tau and APP protein
Authors: Spitzer Philipp , Mulzer Linda-Marie , Oberstein Timo Jan , Munoz Luis Enrique , Lewczuk Piotr , Kornhuber Johannes , Herrmann Martin , Maler Juan Manuel
Published: May 2019

Microvesicles are small membranous particles generated during cellular activation or stress. The analysis of the content and the surface of microvesicles allow conclusions about the cells they are originating from and the underlying pathology. Therefore, CSF microvesicles have been suggested to be promising targets to monitor the (etio)pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. Microvesicles in the CSF of 15 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 15 controls were analyzed by flow cytometry regarding the levels of CD3, CD4, CD45, CD64, BACE1, Aβ, APP and tau. The results were replicated in a second cohort comprising 14 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 9 controls. The levels of tau and APP were reduced in microvesicles of Alzheimer’s disease patients. A significant change was neither observed in the number of microvesicles nor in the expression of the other antigens. Tau and APP in microvesicles separated patients with Alzheimer’s disease from controls with an AUC of 0.84 and 0.89 respectively. We conclude that tau and APP in CSF microvesicles are promising biomarkers which could directly provide information about the Alzheimer pathology on a cellular level.
Classification and characterization of hemocytes from two Asian horseshoe crab species Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda
Authors: Wu Fangli , Xie Zhe , Yan Mingyan , Li Qiongzhen , Song Jie , Hu Menghong , Wang Youji
Published: May 2019

In present study, transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry were utilized to investigate the classification, characterization and immune functions of hemocytes from horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. Three types of hemocytes were distinguished respectively: the granular cell, the semi-granular cell and the hyaline cell by transmission electron microscopy, while three hemocyte subpopulations (Gate 1 cell, Gate 2 cell, Gate 3 cell) were classified by flow cytometry. Hyaline cell was the major cell type with the highest nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio and granular cell and semi-granular cell showed lower ratios. Immune parameters of hemocytes in horseshoe crabs were investigated by flow cytometry. Different hemocyte subpopulations respond for diverse functions. Lysosomal contents and hemocyte mortality in Gate 3 cell subpopulation were higher than that in other subpopulations, while reactive oxygen species, phagocytosis and non-specific esterase, in Gate 1 cell subpopulation, were higher than those in other subpopulations. The hemocyte types between the two species had no significant differences in staining or morphology.
BitterSweet: Building machine learning models for predicting the bitter and sweet taste of small molecules
Authors: Tuwani Rudraksh , Wadhwa Somin , Bagler Ganesh
Published: May 2019

The dichotomy of sweet and bitter tastes is a salient evolutionary feature of human gustatory system with an innate attraction to sweet taste and aversion to bitterness. A better understanding of molecular correlates of bitter-sweet taste gradient is crucial for identification of natural as well as synthetic compounds of desirable taste on this axis. While previous studies have advanced our understanding of the molecular basis of bitter-sweet taste and contributed models for their identification, there is ample scope to enhance these models by meticulous compilation of bitter-sweet molecules and utilization of a wide spectrum of molecular descriptors. Towards these goals, our study provides a structured compilation of bitter, sweet and tasteless molecules and state-of-the-art machine learning models for bitter-sweet taste prediction (BitterSweet). We compare different sets of molecular descriptors for their predictive performance and further identify important features as well as feature blocks. The utility of BitterSweet models is demonstrated by taste prediction on large specialized chemical sets such as FlavorDB, FooDB, SuperSweet, Super Natural II, DSSTox, and DrugBank. To facilitate future research in this direction, we make all datasets and BitterSweet models publicly available, and present an end-to-end software for bitter-sweet taste prediction based on freely available chemical descriptors.
In vitro bioanalytical evaluation of removal efficiency for bioactive chemicals in Swedish wastewater treatment plants
Authors: Lundqvist Johan , Mandava Geeta , Lungu-Mitea Sebastian , Lai Foon Yin , Ahrens Lutz
Published: May 2019

Chemical contamination of wastewater is a problem of great environmental concern, as it poses a hazard to both the ecosystem and to human health. In this study, we have performed a bioanalytical evaluation of the presence and removal efficiency for bioactive chemicals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using in vitro assays for toxicity endpoints of high relevance for human health. Water samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of five Swedish WWTPs, all adopting a treatment technology including pretreatment, primary treatment (sedimenation), seconday treatment (biological processes), post-sedimentation, and sludge handling. The water samples were analyzed for cytotoxicity, estrogenicity, androgenicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity, oxidative stress response (Nrf2) and the ability to activate NFĸB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) signaling. We observed clear androgenic and estrogenic activities in all inlet samples. Androgenic and estrogenic activities were also observed in all outlet samples, but the activities were lower than the respective inlet sample. AhR activity was observed in all samples, with higher activities in the inlet samples compared to the outlet samples. The removal efficiency was found to be high for androgenic (>99% for two plants and 50–60% for two plants) and estrogenic (>90% for most plants) compounds, while the removal efficiency for AhR-inducing compounds was 50–60% for most plants and 16% for one plant.
Nonlinear response from optical bound states in the continuum
Authors: Bulgakov Evgeny N. , Maksimov Dmitrii N.
Published: May 2019

We consider nonlinear effects in scattering of light by a periodic structure supporting optical bound states in the continuum. In the spectral vicinity of the bound states the scattered electromagnetic field is resonantly enhanced triggering optical bistability. Using coupled mode approach we derive a nonlinear equation for the amplitude of the resonant mode associated with the bound state. We show that such an equation for the isolated resonance can be easily solved yielding bistable solutions which are in quantitative agreement with the full-wave solutions of Maxwell’s equations. The coupled mode approach allowed us to cast the the problem into the form of a driven nonlinear oscillator and analyze the onset of bistability under variation of the incident wave. The results presented drastically simplify the analysis nonlinear Maxwell’s equations and, thus, can be instrumental in engineering optical response via bound states in the continuum.
Histopathological effects of modern topical sealants on the liver surface after hepatectomy: an experimental swine study
Authors: Fonouni Hamidreza , Khajeh Elias , Ghamarnejad Omid , Kashfi Arash , Aydogdu Emre , Majlesara Ali , Mohammadi Sara , Gharabaghi Negin , Konstantinidis Lukas , Longerich Thomas , Mehrabi Arianeb , Kulu Yakup
Published: May 2019

The present study aimed to determine the impact of different sealant materials on histopathological changes to the liver surface after liver resection. Thirty-six landrace pigs underwent left anatomical hemihepatectomy and were assigned to a histopathological control group (HPC, n = 9) with no bleeding control, a clinically simulated control group (CSC, n = 9) with no sealant but bipolar cauterization and oversewing of the liver surface, and two treatment groups (n = 9 each) with a collagen-based sealant (CBS) or a fibrinogen-based sealant (FBS) on resection surface. After postoperative day 6, tissue samples were histologically examined. There were no significant differences in preoperative parameters between the groups. Fibrin production was higher in sealant groups compared with the HPC and CSC groups (both p < 0.001). Hepatocellular regeneration in sealant groups was higher than in both control groups. A significantly higher regeneration was seen in the FBS group. Use of sealants increased the degree of fibrin exudation at the resection plane. Increased hepatocellular necrosis was seen in the CBS group compared with the FBS group. The posthepatectomy hepatocellular regeneration rate was higher in the FBS group compared with the CBS group. Randomized studies are needed to assess the impact of sealants on posthepatectomy liver regeneration in the clinical setting.
Lightsheet localization microscopy enables fast, large-scale, and three-dimensional super-resolution imaging
Authors: Lu Chieh-Han , Tang Wei-Chun , Liu Yen-Ting , Chang Shu-Wei , Wu Frances Camille M. , Chen Chin-Yi , Tsai Yun-Chi , Yang Shun-Min , Kuo Chiung-Wen , Okada Yasushi , Hwu Yeu-Kuang , Chen Peilin , Chen Bi-Chang
Published: May 2019

Recent advances in super-resolution microscopy allow the localization of single molecules within individual cells but not within multiple whole cells due to weak signals from single molecules and slow acquisition process for point accumulation to reconstruct super-resolution images. Here, we report a fast, large-scale, and three-dimensional super-resolution fluorescence microscope based on single-wavelength Bessel lightsheet to selectively illuminate spontaneous blinking fluorophores tagged to the proteins of interest in space. Critical parameters such as labeling density, excitation power, and exposure time were systematically optimized resulting in a maximum imaging speed of 2.7 × 104 µm3 s−1. Fourier ring correlation analysis revealed a reconstructed image with a lateral resolution of ~75 nm through the accumulation of 250 image volumes on immobilized samples within 15 min. Hence, the designed system could open new insights into the discovery of complex biological structures and live 3D localization imaging.
Sumoylation regulates the stability and nuclease activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dna2
Authors: Ranjha Lepakshi , Levikova Maryna , Altmannova Veronika , Krejci Lumir , Cejka Petr
Published: May 2019

Dna2 is an essential nuclease-helicase that acts in several distinct DNA metabolic pathways including DNA replication and recombination. To balance these functions and prevent unscheduled DNA degradation, Dna2 activities must be regulated. Here we show that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dna2 function is controlled by sumoylation. We map the sumoylation sites to the N-terminal regulatory domain of Dna2 and show that in vitro sumoylation of recombinant Dna2 impairs its nuclease but not helicase activity. In cells, the total levels of the non-sumoylatable Dna2 variant are elevated. However, non-sumoylatable Dna2 shows impaired nuclear localization and reduced recruitment to foci upon DNA damage. Non-sumoylatable Dna2 reduces the rate of DNA end resection, as well as impedes cell growth and cell cycle progression through S phase. Taken together, these findings show that in addition to Dna2 phosphorylation described previously, Dna2 sumoylation is required for the homeostasis of the Dna2 protein function to promote genome stability.
Extreme risk induced by communities in interdependent networks
Authors: Sun Jiachen , Zhang Rui , Feng Ling , Monterola Christopher , Ma Xiao , Rozenblat Céline , Stanley H. Eugene , Podobnik Boris , Hu Yanqing
Published: May 2019

Networks in nature not only depend on each other but also have internal community structures, such as infrastructure networks with links within and across geographic regions. The communities play an important role when the networks undergo localized failures in specific regions, for instance when natural disasters or economic sanctions disrupt a local community region and consequently influence the whole system. How a disruption in one community propagates through the entire system is a crucial, but still open, question. Here we find that the community structure embeds extreme risk: weakening the community strength could abruptly drive the system to a precarious state. Examining the business-flight network among cities as a proxy for the world economy, we find this real coupled system evolving towards the extreme vulnerable phase due to ongoing globalization. This shows the community risk indeed exists in real world networks and deserves more attention from the scientific community.
Single plasmon hot carrier generation in metallic nanoparticles
Authors: Román Castellanos Lara , Hess Ortwin , Lischner Johannes
Published: May 2019

Hot carriers produced from the decay of localized surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles are intensely studied because of their optoelectronic, photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications. From a classical perspective, plasmons are coherent oscillations of the electrons in the nanoparticle, but their quantized nature comes to the fore in the novel field of quantum plasmonics. In this work, we introduce a quantum-mechanical material-specific approach for describing the decay of single quantized plasmons into hot electrons and holes. We find that hot carrier generation rates differ significantly from semiclassical predictions. We also investigate the decay of excitations without plasmonic character and show that their hot carrier rates are comparable to those from the decay of plasmonic excitations for small nanoparticles. Our study provides a rigorous and general foundation for further development of plasmonic hot carrier studies in the plasmonic regime required for the design of ultrasmall devices.
Positive effects of a Clostridium butyricum-based compound probiotic on growth performance, immune responses, intestinal morphology, hypothalamic neurotransmitters, and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets
Authors: Cao Guangtian , Tao Fei , Hu Yuhua , Li Zhanming , Zhang Yan , Deng Bo , Zhan Xiu'an
Published: May 2019

Weaning stress in piglets can lead to poor health outcomes and reduced production.
Insulin sensor cells for the analysis of insulin secretion responses in single living pancreatic β cells
Authors: Shigeto Hajime , Ono Takuto , Ikeda Takeshi , Hirota Ryuichi , Ishida Takenori , Kuroda Akio , Funabashi Hisakage
Published: May 2019

Insulin sensor cells for the direct measurement of insulin secreted from single living pancreatic β cells were developed.
Enzyme-mediated dual-targeted-assembly realizes a synergistic anticancer effect
Authors: Mang Dingze , Zhang Shijin , Wu Xia , Hu Xunwu , Mochizuki Toshiaki , Li Guanying , Zhang Ye
Published: May 2019

Co-administration of two stereoisomers led to molecular assembly targeting both the plasma membrane and the lysosomes reaching synergistic anticancer efficacy.
Enhanced methane activation on diluted metal–metal ensembles under an electric field: breakthrough in alloy catalysis
Authors: Torimoto Maki , Ogo Shuhei , Harjowinoto Danny , Higo Takuma , Seo Jeong Gil , Furukawa Shinya , Sekine Yasushi
Published: May 2019

Synergy between an electric field and Pd–Zn alloy allows improved catalytic activities in the steam reforming of methane.
High-pressure polymorphism inl-threonine between ambient pressure and 22 GPa
Authors: Giordano Nico , Beavers Christine M. , Kamenev Konstantin V. , Marshall William G. , Moggach Stephen A. , Patterson Simon D. , Teat Simon J. , Warren John E. , Wood Peter A. , Parsons Simon
Published: May 2019

The amino acidl-threonine undergoes three phase transitions between ambient pressure and 22.3 GPa which modify both hydrogen bonding and the molecular conformation.
Controlling intramolecular hydrogen migration by asymmetric laser fields: the water case
Authors: Kechaoglou Emmanouil , Kaziannis Spyridon , Kosmidis Constantine
Published: May 2019

Hydrogen and deuterium migration in water isotopomers has been investigated by single colour and asymmetric ω/2ω fs laser fields.
Evidence of pre-micellar aggregates in aqueous solution of amphiphilic PDMS–PEO block copolymer
Authors: Lombardo Domenico , Munaò Gianmarco , Calandra Pietro , Pasqua Luigi , Caccamo Maria Teresa
Published: May 2019

The decrease in the PEO chain hydration favours the increase in the PDMS–PEO micelle aggregation number with the increase in temperature.
Solvent-assisted ligand exchange (SALE) for the enhancement of epoxide ring-opening reaction catalysis based on three amide-functionalized metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Gharib Maniya , Esrafili Leili , Morsali Ali , Retailleau Pascal
Published: May 2019

In recent years, functionalized pillar ligands have gained significant interests due to their important role in MOF structure and performance.
Classifying donor strengths of dipyrrinato/aza-dipyrrinato ligands
Authors: Diaz-Rodriguez Roberto M. , Robertson Katherine N. , Thompson Alison
Published: May 2019

A Pd-NHC probe and 13C NMR spectroscopy provide insight regarding ligand donor strength of dipyrrinato and aza-dipyrrinato ligands.
Spin-filter transport and magnetic properties in a binuclear Cu(ii) expanded porphyrin based molecular junction
Authors: Montenegro-Pohlhammer Nicolás , Urzúa-Leiva Rodrigo , Páez-Hernández Dayán , Cárdenas-Jirón Gloria
Published: May 2019

The Spin-filter transport properties of a magnetically coupled, binuclear Cu(ii) expanded porphyrin based molecular junction, were studied at different bias and gate voltage values, through the DFT-NEGF methodology.
Pyrazole-thermal synthesis: a new approach towards N-rich titanium-oxo clusters with photochromic behaviors
Authors: Fan Xi , Fu Hao , Zhang Lei , Zhang Jian
Published: May 2019

Pyrazole-thermal synthesis has been developed for preparing N-rich titanium-oxo clusters with diverse photochromic behaviors.
Boric acid-based ternary deep eutectic solvent for extraction and oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel
Authors: Jiang Wei , Jia Hao , Li Hongping , Zhu Linhua , Tao Runming , Zhu Wenshuai , Li Huaming , Dai Sheng
Published: May 2019

Ternary deep eutectic solvents were used for ODS of fuels (DESs) for the first time although most research continues to be focused on binary DESs.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the humanATP7Bgene modify the properties of the ATP7B protein
Authors: McCann Courtney J , Jayakanthan Samuel , Siotto Mariacristina , Yang Nan , Osipova Maria , Squitti Rosanna , Lutsenko Svetlana
Published: May 2019

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the largest source of sequence variation in the human genome. However, their functional significance is not well understood. We show that SNPs in the Wilson disease gene, ATP7B, that produce amino-acid substitutions K832R and R952K, modulate ATP7B properties in vitro and influence serum copper (Cu) status in vivo. The presence of R832 is associated with a lower ATP7B abundance and a diminished trafficking in response to elevated Cu. The K832R substitution alters surface exposure of amino acid residues in the actuator domain and increases its conformational flexibility. All SNP-related ATP7B variants (R832/R952, R832/K952, K832/K952, and K832/R952) have Cu-transport activity. However, the activity of ATP7B-K832/K952 is lower compared to other variants. In humans, the presence of K952 is associated with a higher fraction of exchangeable Cu in serum. Thus, SNPs may modulate the properties of ATP7B and the organism Cu status.
H2O2-responsive polymeric micelles with a benzil moiety for efficient DOX delivery and AIE imaging
Authors: Dai Yan-Dong , Sun Xue-Yi , Sun Wan , Yang Jing-Bo , Liu Rui , Luo Yi , Zhang Tao , Tian Yu , Lu Zhong-Lin , He Lan
Published: May 2019

Nano drug delivery is a promising domain in biomedical theranostics and has aroused more and more attention in recent years.
Correction: Photonic contacting of gas–liquid phases in a falling film microreactor for continuous-flow photochemical catalysis with visible light
Authors: Rehm Thomas H. , Gros Sylvain , Löb Patrick , Renken Albert
Published: May 2019

Correction for ‘Photonic contacting of gas–liquid phases in a falling film microreactor for continuous-flow photochemical catalysis with visible light’ by Thomas H. Rehm et al., React. Chem. Eng., 2016, 1, 636–648.
Fast microwave-induced synthesis of solid cobalt hydroxide nanorods and their thermal conversion into porous cobalt oxide nanorods for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Dhawale Dattatray S. , Bodhankar Pradnya , Sonawane Neharani , Sarawade Pradip B.
Published: May 2019

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting is one of the most critical and more demanding half-reactions in electrochemical devices; therefore, the design of highly efficient and nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts is required.
Correction: Bifunctional scaffolds for the photothermal therapy of breast tumor cells and adipose tissue regeneration
Authors: Wang Xiuhui , Zhang Jing , Li Jingchao , Chen Ying , Chen Yazhou , Kawazoe Naoki , Chen Guoping
Published: May 2019

Correction for ‘Bifunctional scaffolds for the photothermal therapy of breast tumor cells and adipose tissue regeneration’ by Guoping Chen et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2018, 6, 7728–7736.
Association of the TNF-α-308, TNF-α-238 gene polymorphisms with risk of bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis: a meta-analysis
Authors: Huang Wei , Zhou Ruiyun , Li Jianfeng , Wang Jianjun , Xiao Hongwei
Published: May 2019

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of TNF-α-308 and TNF-α-238 gene polymorphisms with the risk of bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis (TB) by meta-analysis. By searching PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang databases, CNKI, Medline, and Cochrane Library, the published articles about studies of the association of the TNF-α-308, TNF-α-238 gene polymorphisms with risk of bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis were collected by two reviewers. Begg’s and Egger’s tests were performed to assess publication bias. Stata 12.0 software was used for data analysis. The symmetry of the funnel plot indicated no significant publication bias in the Begg’s test (A: P=1.00, B: P=0.764), and the results of the Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (A: P=0.954, B: P=0.626). Seven studies assessed the relationship between TNF-α-308 gene polymorphisms and risk of bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis risk. The heterogeneity (I2) of GG vs. AA or AG was 0% and there was no heterogeneity (χ2 = 0.06 and P=0.944) in a fixed-effects model. There was also a lack of association between TNF-α-308 polymorphism and bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis risk under the recessive model. The remaining models of the TNF-α-308 genotype and further studies of TNF-α-238 did not show a noteworthy association. Overall, there was no significant association between TNF-α-308, TNF-α-238 gene polymorphisms and bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis risk. Our study suggests that tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gene polymorphisms may not contribute to bone-joint and spinal tuberculosis based on the current evidence.
Silencing microRNA-27a inhibits proliferation and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells through the SFRP1-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Mu Yu , Zhang Lina , Chen Xue , Chen Si , Shi Yuanyuan , Li Junfeng
Published: May 2019

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant tumor of bone with a high potential for metastasis. Importantly, microRNA-27a (miR-27a) is involved in the progression of osteosarcoma. The present study aims to discuss the effects of miR-27a and its target gene secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP1) on proliferation and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The expression of miR-27a and SFRP1 in osteosarcoma tissues and cells was detected, followed by identification of their relations. Subsequently, miR-27a mimic, miR-27a inhibitor, or siRNA against SFRP1 were introduced into cells (HOS and U2OS) to investigate their role in cell proliferation and invasion. The expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related gene was analyzed to further uncover the regulatory mechanism of miR-27a. The osteosarcoma tissues and cells exhibited elevated miR-27 expression and reduced SFRP1 expression. SFRP1 was verified to be a target gene of miR-27a. Meanwhile, silenced miR-27a inhibited proliferation and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells. Finally, silencing miR-27a inhibited the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, evidenced by reduced β-catenin expression. Our study draws a conclusion that silencing miR-27a dampens osteosarcoma progression, which might be achieved through the inactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by up-regulating SFRP1.
‘Double-muscling’ and pelvic tilt phenomena in rabbits with the cystine-knot motif deficiency of myostatin on exon 3
Authors: Zhang Ting , Lu Yaoyao , Song Shaozheng , Lu Rui , Zhou Minya , He Zhengyi , Yuan Tingting , Yan Kunning , Cheng Yong
Published: May 2019

Gene mutations at different gene sites will produce totally different phenotypes or biological functions in gene-edited animals. An allelic series of mutations in the myostatin (MSTN) gene can cause the ‘double-muscling’ phenotype. Although there have been many studies performed on MSTN-mutant animals, there have been few studies that have investigated the cystine-knot motif in exon 3 of MSTN in rabbits. In the current study, CRISPR/Cas9 sgRNA anchored exon 3 of a rabbit’s MSTN was used to disrupt the cystine-knot motif to change the MSTN construction and cause a loss of its function. Eleven MSTN-KO founder rabbits were generated, and all of them contained biallelic modifications. Various mutational MSTN amino acid sequences of the 11 founder rabbits were modeled to the tertiary structure using the SWISS-MODEL, and the results showed that the structure of the cystine-knot motif of each protein in the founder rabbits differed from the wild-type (WT). The MSTN-KO rabbits displayed an obvious ‘double-muscling’ phenomena, with a 20−30% increase in body weight compared with WT rabbits. In the MSTN-KO rabbits, all of the MSTN−/− rabbits showed teeth dislocation and tongue enlargement, and the percentage of rabbits having pelvic tilt was 0% in MSTN+/+, 0% in MSTN+/−, 77.78% in female MSTN−/− rabbits, and 37.50% in male MSTN−/− rabbits. The biomechanical mechanism of pelvic tilt and teeth dislocation in the MSTN-KO rabbits requires further investigation.

These newly generated MSTN-KO rabbits will serve as an important animal model, not only for studying skeletal muscle development, but also for biomedical studies in pelvic tilt correction and craniofacial research.
Letter to the Editor: Comments on “Association between the ICAM-1 gene polymorphism and coronary heart disease risk: a meta-analysis”
Authors: Gholami Morteza , M. Amoli Mahsa , Sharifi Farshad
Published: May 2019

Yin et al. (Bioscience Reports (2019) 39, BSR20180923) recently published a meta-analysis about the association between the K469E (rs5498) polymorphism and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Authors included 14 studies based on their inclusion criteria. They indicated that only studies which their genotyping data were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were included in their meta-analysis. They also tested HWE for these studies and found all the control groups in HWE. As their main finding, they concluded that ‘K469E polymorphism is associated with CHD risk and the K allele is a more significant risk factor for developing CHD amongst Chinese and Caucasians populations’. However, there seems to be presenting some mistakes in HWE test which strongly affects included studies and the final conclusion. Here we aim to comment on the issue.
Near‐field communication passive medical detection system employing ponded energy strategy
Authors: Wang JiBin , Wang WenLian
Published: May 2019

A low‐cost and passive medical examination solution based on near‐field communication (NFC) technology is presented in this Letter. NFC antenna is responsible for inducing energy from the smartphone and transmitting data. The signal of medical sensor is acquired and calculated by microcontroller; the result is sent to the smartphone by NFC and displayed on Android application. In order to adapt to the low energy induction of NFC, maximum output of 5 mA at 3 V, a ponded energy method based on time control is designed to achieve that higher power consumption at time of signal acquisition. A body temperature detection prototype was fabricated to verify such medical detection system. Experimental results show that the system can work stably.
Lateral control system for vehicle platoon considering vehicle dynamic characteristics
Authors: Liu Yang , Zong Changfu , Zhang Dong
Published: May 2019

Longitudinal vehicle platoon control has attracted much attention due to its potential for significantly mitigating traffic congestion, reducing the incidence of traffic accidents and improving fuel economy. To include platoon motion control in the two‐dimensional situations, this study proposes a lateral control system for vehicle platoon considering vehicle dynamic characteristics for enhancing the traditional longitudinal platoon control (one‐dimensional). The lateral control strategies are applied into two specific driving conditions: moving in parallel and moving in order which are representative in platoon lateral control applications and can be extended into a broader driving scenario. An integrated controller with motion control layer and actuator control layer is introduced to achieve the proposed lateral spacing control strategies. Three corresponding simulations are used to validate the proposed control system, and the results demonstrate that: during the two specific driving scenario, moving in order and moving in parallel, show different motion characteristics; platoon with proposed control system of platoon can realise a general curved driving task with a changing speed; the lateral following errors are influenced by the difference of dynamics characteristics between the four‐wheel independent driving vehicle and the front steering vehicle which should be taken into consideration in determination of expected lateral space.
Aggregate reliability analysis of wind turbine generators
Authors: Rezamand Milad , Carriveau Rupp , Ting David S.‐K. , Davison Matt , Davis Justin Jeffrey
Published: May 2019

In North America, many utility‐scale turbines are approaching, or are beyond the half‐way point of their originally anticipated lifespan. Accurate estimation of the times to failure of major turbine components can provide wind farm owners insight into how to optimise the life and value of their farm assets. In this study, data records from a wind farm have been used to estimate the reliability of wind turbine (WT) generators. For this study, non‐parametric life data analysis, Weibull Standard Folio life data analysis, and ALTA Standard Folio life data analysis have been used to predict the reliability of the generators. The naive prediction interval procedure also has been used here to provide an approximate range for the remaining life of each generator. This study provides some insight into how reliable a subset of WT generators is and the lifetime distribution of individual generators. These outcomes may be leveraged further by the research community for companion applications like prognostic maintenance and investment decision support systems. This study also begins to investigate how electrical loads may influence turbine generator reliability. The work also illustrates a valuable example of how to estimate component remaining useful life based on truncated/limited data records.
Direct voltage regulation of a stand‐alone DFIG system with non‐linear loads based on an improved‐extended state observer and SSM control
Authors: Guo Lei , Wang Dan , Peng Zhouhua , Diao Liang
Published: May 2019

This study presents a direct voltage control strategy for a stand‐alone doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) subject to non‐linear loads. The voltage regulator employs a super‐twisting sliding mode (SSM) control to directly calculate the rotor voltage reference with the advantage of mitigating the voltage chattering and omitting the current control loops. On the basis of the harmonic‐eliminating principle under non‐linear loads, an improved extended state observer is proposed and applied to estimate the model‐related part in the SSM control law. The advantages are that no extra sequence decomposition operations and machine parameters are required; therefore, enhancing the robustness and simplifying the structure of the controller. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a 6 kW DFIG‐based hardware system under varying speed conditions. Both simulation and experiment results are given to validate the harmonic‐eliminating performance of the proposed method for the stand‐alone DFIG system.
Coprime L‐shaped array connected by a triangular spatially‐spread electromagnetic‐vector‐sensor for two‐dimensional direction of arrival estimation
Authors: Yang Minglei , Ding Jin , Chen Baixiao , Yuan Xin
Published: May 2019

The authors propose a hybrid L‐shaped array composed of two sparse scalar arrays and a single triangular spatially‐spread electromagnetic‐vector‐sensor (SS‐EMVS) for two‐dimensional (2D) direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) estimation. These two sparse but uniform scalar arrays are placed along the x‐axis and y‐axis, respectively, which constitute two arms of the L‐shaped array. These two arms are connected by an SS‐EMVS, which consists of a spatially‐spread dipole‐triad plus a spatially‐spread loop‐triad. Further, the inter‐dipole/loop spacings of SS‐EMVS follow a coprime relationship with the inter‐sensor spacings of the L‐shaped scalar array. In proposed DOA estimation algorithm, they first perform the vector‐cross‐product algorithm to SS‐EMVS to obtain a high‐accuracy but ambiguous direction cosine estimation; they then apply the ESPRIT algorithm to the scalar array on each arm to get another high‐accuracy but cyclically ambiguous direction cosine estimation; finally, they adopt the Chinese Remainder Theorem to disambiguate the ambiguous estimations. Because the authors’ proposed array has 2D array aperture extension, it can achieve a high angular estimation performance. Moreover, one component of triangular SS‐EMVS rather than an SS‐EMVS is used as the array unit of two scalar arrays; thus, the whole array cost decreases dramatically. Simulation results validate the array configuration and the developed algorithm.
Effect of Calcium‑Vitamin D Co‑Supplementation on Insulin, Insulin Sensitivity, and Glycemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Asbaghi Omid , Khosroshahi Mohammad , Kashkooli Sara , Abbasnezhad Amir
Published: May 2019

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of calcium-vitamin D co‑supplementation on insulin, insulin sensitivity, and glycemia. A systematic search was carried out in Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane library without any language and time restriction up to 12 August 2018, to retrieve the RCTs, which examined the effect of calcium and vitamin D co-supplementation on fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, HOMA-B, HOMA-IR, and QUICKI. Meta-analyses were carried out using a random effects model, and I2 indexes were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. Search yielded 2225 publications. Twelve RCTs with 4395 patients were eligible. Results demonstrated that calcium and vitamin D co‑supplementation had significantly reducing effects on FBG, HOMA-IR and circulating levels of insulin. As the subgroup analysis demonstrated, short-term (≤12 weeks) calcium and vitamin D co‑supplementation had a significant reducing effect on FBG. However, beneficial effects of calcium and vitamin D co‑supplementation on circulating level of insulin and HOMA-IR were seen in both short-term and long-term (>12 weeks) supplementations. Furthermore, we found that high doses of vitamin D and calcium co-supplementation (vitamin D≥2000 mg/day and calcium≥1000 mg/day) had significantly reducing effects on FBG, HOMA-IR and insulin. Present meta-analysis indicated the beneficial effects of high-dose and short-term combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation on insulin, insulin resistance and glycemia; however, further large-scale RCTs with adequate and multiple dosing schedules are needed.
Overhead-Extension für die Therapie der isolierten Femurfraktur des Kleinkindes – Was lernt man von den Eltern
Authors: Wagner Ferdinand , Schütz Viktoria , Hubertus Jochen
Published: May 2019

Hintergrund Die konservative Therapie ist der Standard bei Unter-4-jährigen mit Femurfraktur. Um die Zufriedenheit der Eltern mit dieser aufwändigen Behandlung zu verbessern haben wir wichtige Einflussfaktoren auf diesen wichtigen Behandlungsaspekt untersucht. Patienten: 42 Fälle von Kindern unter 4 Jahren, mit Femurfraktur und Overheadextension-Therapie (OHE) wurden analysiert.

Methode Unser Standardverfahren beinhaltet die 10-tägige OHE mit anschließender Becken-Bein-Gips-Behandlung (BBG). Röntgenbilder wurden bezgl. des Heilverlaufs analysiert. Die Eltern wurden mittels eines pseudonymisierten Fragebogens über ihre Erfahrungen befragt.

Ergebnisse Die Art der Fraktur wurde 73.3% der Eltern „verständlich und detailliert“ erklärt. 23.3% gaben an, dass „viele Fragen unbeantwortet” blieben. 70% der Eltern bemerkten Verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei Ihrem Kind, 63.3% berichteten von therapie-spezifischen Problemen. 86.7% der Eltern waren mit dem Behandlungserfolg zufrieden, 80% mit der Art der Therapie und 73.3% würden die OHE erneut wählen. Spearman-Korrelations-Analysen fanden eine signifikante Korrelation zwischen der generellen Elternzufriedenheit und einem hohen Grad an Aufklärung bzgl. der Art der Fraktur. Eltern, welche Probleme während der Visite ansprechen konnten zeigten eine signifikant höhere Zufriedenheit.

Diskussion Die meisten Gründe für eine Unzufriedenheit der Eltern waren in Verbindung mit Kommunikationsproblemen zu sehen.

Schlussfolgerung Eine gute Evaluierung während der Visite, gute Kommunikation mit den Ärzten sowie gute pflegerische Hilfestellung beeinflussen die Zufriedenheit der Familien erheblich.
The Cycle Characteristics and Outcomes of Infertile Nonclassic 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Patients Undergoing Ovarian Stimulation for In Vitro Fertilization
Authors: Jiang Shutian , Kuang Yanping
Published: May 2019

Background The objective of the work was to investigate the cycle characteristics and outcomes of infertile women with nonclassic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Methods Twenty-five infertile nonclassic 21-OHD patients were retrospectively observed. From cycle day 3, patients were given human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) 150 IU/d or 225 IU/d daily. Dexamethasone was administered orally at 0.75 mg/d. Ovulation was co-triggered by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and triptorelin. Binary logistic regression was performed to quantify the effect of IVF parameters on embryo transfer cycle outcomes. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine cutoff points of the selected confounders for predicting pregnant probabilities.

Results In controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycles, there was a trend that the viable embryos group consisted of more polycystic ovary (PCO) patients. In embryo transfer (ET) cycles, differences were detected in the usage rate of dexamethasone and the minimum progesterone (P4) and total testosterone (TT) values between the non-pregnant group and the biochemical pregnant group. Binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that decreasing minimum P4 and body mass index (BMI) value was respectively correlated with increasing pregnancy probability. ROC analysis proved that the cutoff values for minimum P4 and BMI were 0.45 ng/ml and 23.36 kg/m2.

Conclusion In COH cycles, the ultrasonographic appearance of ovary helps to predict the number of viable embryos. In ET cycles, dexamethasone obviously improves the pregnancy rate. If the minimum P4 value before endometrial transformation cannot be kept below 0.45 ng/ml, we may consider cycle cancellation. Moreover, it is suggested that BMI of nonclassic 21-OHD women is regulated below 23.36 kg/m2.
Virtual reality simulation training in endoscopy: a Cochrane review and meta-analysis
Authors: Khan Rishad , Plahouras Joanne , Johnston Bradley C. , Scaffidi Michael A. , Grover Samir C. , Walsh Catharine M.
Published: May 2019

Background Endoscopy programs are increasingly integrating simulation training. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether virtual reality (VR) simulation training can supplement and/or replace conventional patient-based endoscopy training for health professional trainees with limited or no prior endoscopic experience.

Methods We searched medical, educational, and computer literature databases in July 2017 for trials that compared VR simulation training with no training, conventional training, another form of simulation training, or an alternative method of VR training. We screened, abstracted data, and performed quantitative analysis and quality assessment through Cochrane methodology.

Results We included 18 trials with 3817 endoscopic procedures. VR training provided no advantage over no training or conventional training based on the primary outcome of composite score of competency. VR training was advantageous over no training based on independent procedure completion (relative risk [RR] = 1.62, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.15 – 2.26, moderate-quality evidence), overall rating of performance (mean difference [MD] 0.45, 95 %CI 0.15 – 0.75, very low-quality evidence), and mucosal visualization (MD 0.60, 95 %CI 0.20 – 1.00, very low-quality evidence). Compared with conventional training, VR training resulted in fewer independent procedure completions (RR = 0.45, 95 %CI 0.27 – 0.74, low-quality evidence). We found no differences between VR training and no training or conventional training for other outcomes. Based on qualitative analysis, we found no significant differences between VR training and other forms of simulation training. VR curricula based in educational theory provided benefit with respect to composite score of competency, compared with unstructured curricula.

Conclusions VR simulation training is advantageous over no training and can supplement conventional endoscopy training. There is insufficient evidence that simulation training provides benefit over conventional training.