bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microfluidic Sample Preparation for Medical Diagnostics
Authors: Cui Francis , Rhee Minsoung , Singh Anup , Tripathi Anubhav
Published: August 2015

Fast and reliable diagnoses are invaluable in clinical care. Samples (e.g., blood, urine, and saliva) are collected and analyzed for various biomarkers to quickly and sensitively assess disease progression, monitor response to treatment, and determine a patient's prognosis. Processing conventional samples entails many manual time-consuming steps. Consequently, clinical specimens must be processed by skilled technicians before antigens or nucleic acids are detected, and these are often present at dilute concentrations. Recently, several automated microchip technologies have been developed that potentially offer many advantages over traditional bench-top extraction methods. The smaller length scales and more refined transport mechanisms that characterize these microfluidic devices enable faster and more efficient biomarker enrichment and extraction. Additionally, they can be designed to perform multiple tests or experimental steps on one integrated, automated platform. This review explores the current research on microfluidic methods of sample preparation that are designed to aid diagnosis, and covers a broad spectrum of extraction techniques and designs for various types of samples and analytes.
Ocean Research Enabled by Underwater Gliders
Authors: Rudnick Daniel L.
Published: August 2015

Underwater gliders are autonomous underwater vehicles that profile vertically by changing their buoyancy and use wings to move horizontally. Gliders are useful for sustained observation at relatively fine horizontal scales, especially to connect the coastal and open ocean. In this review, research topics are grouped by time and length scales. Large-scale topics addressed include the eastern and western boundary currents and the regional effects of climate variability. The accessibility of horizontal length scales of order 1 km allows investigation of mesoscale and submesoscale features such as fronts and eddies. Because the submesoscales dominate vertical fluxes in the ocean, gliders have found application in studies of biogeochemical processes. At the finest scales, gliders have been used to measure internal waves and turbulent dissipation. The review summarizes gliders' achievements to date and assesses their future in ocean observation.
The connexin 43/ZO-1 complex regulates cerebral endothelial F-actin architecture and migration
Authors: Chen Cheng-Hung , Mayo Jamie N. , Gourdie Robert G. , Johnstone Scott R. , Isakson Brant E. , Bearden Shawn E.
Published: August 2015

Endothelial cell migration is a fundamental process during angiogenesis and, therefore, a point of intervention for therapeutic strategies aimed at controlling pathologies involving blood vessel growth. We sought to determine the role of the gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) in key features of angiogenesis in the central nervous system. We used an in vitro model to test the hypothesis that a complex of interacting proteins, including Cx43 and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), regulates the migratory behavior of cerebral endothelium. With knockdown and overexpression experiments, we demonstrate that the rate of healing following scrape-wounding of endothelium is regulated by the level of Cx43 protein expression. The effects on cell motility and proliferation were independent of gap junction communication as cells were sensitive to altered Cx43 expression in single plated cells. Coupling of Cx43/ZO-1 critically regulates this process as demonstrated with the use of a Cx43 α-carboxy terminus 1 peptide mimetic (αCT1) and overexpression of a mutant ZO-1 with the Cx43-binding PDZ2 domain deleted. Disrupting the Cx43/ZO-1 complex with these treatments resulted in collapse of the organized F-actin cytoskeleton and the appearance of actin nodes. Preincubation with the myosin 2 inhibitors blebbistatin or Y-27632 disrupted the Cx43/ZO-1 complex and inhibited cell spreading at the leading edge of migration. Cells studied individually in time-lapse open field locomotion assays wandered less when Cx43/ZO-1 interaction was disrupted without significant change in speed, suggesting that faster wound healing is a product of linearized migration. In contrast to the breakdown of F-actin architecture, microtubule architecture was not obviously affected by treatments. This study provides new insight into the fundamental regulatory mechanisms of cerebral endothelial cell locomotion. Cx43 tethers the F-actin cytoskeleton through a ZO-1 linker and supports cell spreading and exploration during locomotion. Here, we demonstrate that releasing this actin-coupled tether shifts the balance of directional migration control to a more linear movement that enhances the rate of wound healing.
A new experimental model for force enhancement: steady-state and transient observations of the Drosophila jump muscle
Authors: Koppes Ryan A. , Swank Douglas M. , Corr David T.
Published: August 2015

The increase in steady-state force after active lengthening in skeletal muscle, termed force enhancement (FE), has been observed for nearly one century. Although demonstrated experimentally at various structural levels, the underlying mechanism(s) remain unknown. We recently showed that the Drosophila jump muscle is an ideal model for investigating mechanisms behind muscle physiological properties, because its mechanical characteristics, tested thus far, duplicate those of fast mammalian skeletal muscles, and Drosophila has the advantage that it can be more easily genetically modified. To determine if Drosophila would be appropriate to investigate FE, we performed classic FE experiments on this muscle. Steady-state FE (FESS), following active lengthening, increased by 3, 7, and 12% of maximum isometric force, with increasing stretch amplitudes of 5, 10, and 20% of optimal fiber length (FLOPT), yet was similar for stretches across increasing stretch velocities of 4, 20, and 200% FLOPT/s. These FESS characteristics of the Drosophila jump muscle closely mimic those observed previously. Jump muscles also displayed typical transient FE characteristics. The transient force relaxation following active stretch was fit with a double exponential, yielding two phases of force relaxation: a fast initial relaxation of force, followed by a slower recovery toward steady state. Our analyses identified a negative correlation between the slow relaxation rate and FESS, indicating that there is likely an active component contributing to FE, in addition to a passive component. Herein, we have established the Drosophila jump muscle as a new and genetically powerful experimental model to investigate the underlying mechanism(s) of FE.
PAR-2 activation enhances weak acid-induced ATP release through TRPV1 and ASIC sensitization in human esophageal epithelial cells
Authors: Wu Liping , Oshima Tadayuki , Shan Jing , Sei Hiroo , Tomita Toshihiko , Ohda Yoshio , Fukui Hirokazu , Watari Jiro , Miwa Hiroto
Published: August 2015

Esophageal visceral hypersensitivity has been proposed to be the pathogenesis of heartburn sensation in nonerosive reflux disease. Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is expressed in human esophageal epithelial cells and is believed to play a role in inflammation and sensation. PAR-2 activation may modulate these responses through adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, which is involved in transduction of sensation and pain. The transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) and acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are both acid-sensitive nociceptors. However, the interaction among these molecules and the mechanisms of heartburn sensation are still not clear. We therefore examined whether ATP release in human esophageal epithelial cells in response to acid is modulated by TRPV1 and ASICs and whether PAR-2 activation influences the sensitivity of TRPV1 and ASICs. Weak acid (pH 5) stimulated the release of ATP from primary human esophageal epithelial cells (HEECs). This effect was significantly reduced after pretreatment with 5-iodoresiniferatoxin (IRTX), a TRPV1-specific antagonist, or with amiloride, a nonselective ASIC blocker. TRPV1 and ASIC3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection also decreased weak acid-induced ATP release. Pretreatment of HEECs with trypsin, tryptase, or a PAR-2 agonist enhanced weak acid-induced ATP release. Trypsin treatment led to the phosphorylation of TRPV1. Acid-induced ATP release enhancement by trypsin was partially blocked by IRTX, amiloride, or a PAR-2 antagonist. Conversely, acid-induced ATP release was augmented by PAR-2 activation through TRPV1 and ASICs. These findings suggested that the pathophysiology of heartburn sensation or esophageal hypersensitivity may be associated with the activation of PAR-2, TRPV1, and ASICs.
The roles of sensitization and neuroplasticity in the long-term regulation of blood pressure and hypertension
Authors: Johnson Alan Kim , Zhang Zhongming , Clayton Sarah C. , Beltz Terry G. , Hurley Seth W. , Thunhorst Robert L. , Xue Baojian
Published: August 2015

After decades of investigation, the causes of essential hypertension remain obscure. The contribution of the nervous system has been excluded by some on the basis that baroreceptor mechanisms maintain blood pressure only over the short term. However, this point of view ignores one of the most powerful contributions of the brain in maintaining biological fitness—specifically, the ability to promote adaptation of behavioral and physiological responses to cope with new challenges and maintain this new capacity through processes involving neuroplasticity. We present a body of recent findings demonstrating that prior, short-term challenges can induce persistent changes in the central nervous system to result in an enhanced blood pressure response to hypertension-eliciting stimuli. This sensitized hypertensinogenic state is maintained in the absence of the inducing stimuli, and it is accompanied by sustained upregulation of components of the brain renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and other molecular changes recognized to be associated with central nervous system neuroplasticity. Although the heritability of hypertension is high, it is becoming increasingly clear that factors beyond just genes contribute to the etiology of this disease. Life experiences and attendant changes in cellular and molecular components in the neural network controlling sympathetic tone can enhance the hypertensive response to recurrent, sustained, or new stressors. Although the epigenetic mechanisms that allow the brain to be reprogrammed in the face of challenges to cardiovascular homeostasis can be adaptive, this capacity can also be maladaptive under conditions present in different evolutionary eras or ontogenetic periods.
Intradermal administration of ATP augments methacholine-induced cutaneous vasodilation but not sweating in young males and females
Authors: Fujii Naoto , Halili Lyra , Singh Maya Sarah , Meade Robert D. , Kenny Glen P.
Published: August 2015

Acetylcholine released from cholinergic nerves is a key neurotransmitter contributing to heat stress-induced cutaneous vasodilation and sweating. Given that sympathetic cholinergic nerves also release ATP, ATP may play an important role in modulating cholinergic cutaneous vasodilation and sweating. However, the pattern of response may differ between males and females given reports of sex-related differences in the peripheral mechanisms governing these heat loss responses. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC, laser-Doppler perfusion units/mean arterial pressure) and sweat rate (ventilated capsule) were evaluated in 17 young adults (8 males, 9 females) at four intradermal microdialysis skin sites continuously perfused with: 1) lactated Ringer (Control), 2) 0.3 mM ATP, 3) 3 mM ATP, or 4) 30 mM ATP. At all skin sites, methacholine was coadministered in a concentration-dependent manner (0.0125, 0.25, 5, 100, 2,000 mM, each for 25 min). In both males and females, CVC was elevated with the lone infusion of 30 mM ATP (both P < 0.05), but not with 0.3 and 3 mM ATP compared with control (all P >0.27). However, 0.3 mM ATP induced a greater increase in CVC compared with control in response to 100 mM methacholine infusion in males ( P < 0.05). In females, 0.3 mM ATP infusion resulted in a lower concentration of methacholine required to elicit a half-maximal response (EC50) ( P < 0.05). In both males and females, methacholine-induced sweating was unaffected by any concentration of ATP (all P > 0.44). We demonstrate that ATP enhances cholinergic cutaneous vasodilation albeit the pattern of response differs between males and females. Furthermore, we show that ATP does not modulate cholinergic sweating.
Hedgehog signaling indirectly affects tubular cell survival after obstructive kidney injury
Authors: Rauhauser Alysha A. , Ren Chongyu , Lu Dongmei , Li Binghua , Zhu Jili , McEnery Kayla , Vadnagara Komal , Zepeda-Orozco Diana , Zhou Xin J. , Lin Fangming , Jetten Anton M. , Attanasio Massimo
Published: August 2015

Hedgehog (Hh) is an evolutionary conserved signaling pathway that has important functions in kidney morphogenesis and adult organ maintenance. Recent work has shown that Hh signaling is reactivated in the kidney after injury and is an important mediator of progressive fibrosis. Pericytes and fibroblasts have been proposed to be the principal cells that respond to Hh ligands, and pharmacological attenuation of Hh signaling has been considered as a possible treatment for fibrosis, but the effect of Hh inhibition on tubular epithelial cells after kidney injury has not been reported. Using genetically modified mice in which tubule-derived hedgehog signaling is increased and mice in which this pathway is conditionally suppressed in pericytes that express the proteoglycan neuron glial protein 2 (NG2), we found that suppression of Hh signaling is associated with decreased macrophage infiltration and tubular proliferation but also increased tubular apoptosis, an effect that correlated with the reduction of tubular β-catenin activity. Collectively, our data suggest a complex function of hedgehog signaling after kidney injury in initiating both reparative and proproliferative, prosurvival processes.
Dopamine D2receptors' effects on renal inflammation are mediated by regulation of PP2A function
Authors: Zhang Yanrong , Jiang Xiaoliang , Qin Chuan , Cuevas Santiago , Jose Pedro A. , Armando Ines
Published: August 2015

Lack or downregulation of the dopamine D2receptor (D2R) results in increased renal expression of injury markers and proinflammatory factors that is independent of a blood pressure increase. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms involved in the regulation of renal inflammation by D2Rs. Silencing D2Rs in mouse renal proximal tubule cells increased the expression of the proinflammatory TNF-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and IL-6. D2R downregulation also increased Akt phosphorylation and activity, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) phosphorylation and cyclin D1 expression, downstream targets of Akt; however. phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity was not affected. Conversely, D2R stimulation decreased Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation and cyclin D1 expression. Increased phospho-Akt, in the absence of increased PI3K activity, may result from decreased Akt dephosphorylation. Inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) with okadaic acid reproduced the effects of D2R downregulation on Akt, GSK3β, and cyclin D1. The PP2A catalytic subunit and regulatory subunit PPP2R2C coimmunoprecipitated with the D2R. Basal phosphatase activity and the expression of PPP2R2C were decreased by D2R silencing that also blunted the increase in phosphatase activity induced by D2R stimulation. Similarly, silencing PPP2R2C also increased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β. Moreover, downregulation of PPP2R2C resulted in increased expression of TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-6, indicating that decreased phosphatase activity may be responsible for the D2R effect on inflammatory factors. Indeed, the increase in NF-κB reporter activity induced by D2R silencing was blunted by increasing PP2A activity with protamine. Our results show that D2R controls renal inflammation, at least in part, by modulation of the Akt pathway through effects on PP2A activity/expression.
Archaic inheritance: supporting high-altitude life in Tibet
Authors: Huerta-Sánchez Emilia , Casey Fergal P.
Published: August 2015

The Tibetan Plateau, often called the roof of the world, sits at an average altitude exceeding 4,500 m. Because of its extreme altitude, the Plateau is one of the harshest human-inhabited environments in the world. This, however, did not impede human colonization, and the Tibetan people have made the Tibetan Plateau their home for many generations. Many studies have quantified their markedly different physiological response to altitude and proposed that Tibetans were genetically adapted. Recently, advances in sequencing technologies led to the discovery of a set of candidate genes which harbor mutations that are likely beneficial at high altitudes in Tibetans. Since then, other studies have further characterized this impressive adaptation. Here, in this minireview, we discuss the progress made since the discovery of the genes involved in Tibetans' adaptation to high altitude with a particular emphasis on describing the series of studies that led us to conclude that archaic human DNA likely contributed to this impressive adaptation.
Pharmacology of acute mountain sickness: old drugs and newer thinking
Authors: Swenson Erik R.
Published: August 2015

Pharmacotherapy in acute mountain sickness (AMS) for the past half century has largely rested on the use of carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors, such as acetazolamide, and corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone. The benefits of CA inhibitors are thought to arise from their known ventilatory stimulation and resultant greater arterial oxygenation from inhibition of renal CA and generation of a mild metabolic acidosis. The benefits of corticosteroids include their broad-based anti-inflammatory and anti-edemagenic effects. What has emerged from more recent work is the strong likelihood that drugs in both classes act on other pathways and signaling beyond their classical actions to prevent and treat AMS. For the CA inhibitors, these include reduction in aquaporin-mediated transmembrane water transport, anti-oxidant actions, vasodilation, and anti-inflammatory effects. In the case of corticosteroids, these include protection against increases in vascular endothelial and blood-brain barrier permeability, suppression of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species production, and sympatholysis. The loci of action of both classes of drug include the brain, but may also involve the lung as revealed by benefits that arise with selective administration to the lungs by inhalation. Greater understanding of their pluripotent actions and sites of action in AMS may help guide development of better drugs with more selective action and fewer side effects.
Cadence-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability of the biceps brachii during arm cycling
Authors: Forman Davis A. , Philpott Devin T. G. , Button Duane C. , Power Kevin E.
Published: August 2015

This is the first study to report the influence of different cadences on the modulation of supraspinal and spinal excitability during arm cycling. Supraspinal and spinal excitability were assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex and transmastoid electrical stimulation of the corticospinal tract, respectively. Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor evoked potentials and transmastoid electrical stimulation-induced cervicomedullary evoked potentials (CMEPs) were recorded from the biceps brachii at two separate positions corresponding to elbow flexion and extension (6 and 12 o'clock relative to a clock face, respectively) while arm cycling at 30, 60 and 90 rpm. Motor evoked potential amplitudes increased significantly as cadence increased during both elbow flexion ( P < 0.001) and extension ( P = 0.027). CMEP amplitudes also increased with cadence during elbow flexion ( P < 0.01); however, the opposite occurred during elbow extension (i.e., decreased CMEP amplitude; P = 0.01). The data indicate an overall increase in the excitability of corticospinal neurons which ultimately project to biceps brachii throughout arm cycling as cadence increased. Conversely, changes in spinal excitability as cadence increased were phase dependent (i.e., increased during elbow flexion and decreased during elbow extension). Phase- and cadence-dependent changes in spinal excitability are suggested to be mediated via changes in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input to the motor pool, as opposed to changes in the intrinsic properties of spinal motoneurons.
Achieving Secure and Efficient Data Access Control for Cloud-Integrated Body Sensor Networks
Authors: Guan Zhitao , Yang Tingting , Du Xiaojiang
Published: August 2015

Body sensor network has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for e-healthcare, which makes remote health monitoring and treatment to patients possible. With the support of mobile cloud computing, large number of health-related data collected from various body sensor networks can be managed efficiently. However, how to keep data security and data privacy in cloud-integrated body sensor network (C-BSN) is an important and challenging issue since the patients’ health-related data are quite sensitive. In this paper, we present a novel secure access control mechanism MC-ABE (Mask-Certificate Attribute-Based Encryption) for cloud-integrated body sensor networks. A specific signature is designed to mask the plaintext, and then the masked data can be securely outsourced to cloud severs. An authorization certificate composed of the signature and related privilege items is constructed which is used to grant privileges to data receivers. To ensure security, a unique value is chosen to mask the certificate for each data receiver. Thus, the certificate is unique for each user and user revocation can be easily completed by removing the mask value. The analysis shows that proposed scheme can meet the security requirement of C-BSN, and it also has less computation cost and storage cost compared with other popular models.
Efficient Noninferiority Testing Procedures for Simultaneously Assessing Sensitivity and Specificity of Two Diagnostic Tests
Authors: Shan Guogen , Amei Amei , Young Daniel
Published: August 2015

Sensitivity and specificity are often used to assess the performance of a diagnostic test with binary outcomes. Wald-type test statistics have been proposed for testing sensitivity and specificity individually. In the presence of a gold standard, simultaneous comparison between two diagnostic tests for noninferiority of sensitivity and specificity based on an asymptotic approach has been studied by Chen et al. (2003). However, the asymptotic approach may suffer from unsatisfactory type I error control as observed from many studies, especially in small to medium sample settings. In this paper, we compare three unconditional approaches for simultaneously testing sensitivity and specificity. They are approaches based on estimation, maximization, and a combination of estimation and maximization. Although the estimation approach does not guarantee type I error, it has satisfactory performance with regard to type I error control. The other two unconditional approaches are exact. The approach based on estimation and maximization is generally more powerful than the approach based on maximization.
Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction from Rice Bran Demonstrates Potent Radiation Protection Activity
Authors: Krager Kimberly J. , Pineda E. Nathalie , Kharade Sujay V. , Kordsmeier Mary , Howard Luke , Breen Philip J. , Compadre Cesar M. , Hauer-Jensen Martin , Aykin-Burns Nukhet
Published: August 2015

The vitamin E analogsδ-tocotrienol (DT3) andγ-tocotrienol (GT3) have significant protective and mitigative capacity against the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation (IR). However, the expense of purification limits their potential use. This study examined the tocotrienol-rich fraction of rice bran (TRFRB) isolated from rice bran deodorizer distillate, a rice oil refinement waste product, to determine its protective effects against IR induced oxidative damage and H2O2. Several cell lines were treated with tocotrienols or TRFRB prior to or following exposure to H2O2or IR. To determine the radioprotective capacity cells were analyzed for morphology, mitochondrial bioenergetics, clonogenic survival, glutathione oxidation, cell cycle, and migration rate. TRFRB displayed similar antioxidant activity compared to pure tocotrienols. Cells pretreated with TRFRB or DT3 exhibited preserved cell morphology and mitochondrial respiration when exposed to H2O2. Oxidized glutathione was decreased in TRFRB treated cells exposed to IR. TRFRB reversed mitochondrial uncoupling and protected cells migration rates following IR exposure. The protective antioxidant capacity of TRFRB treated cells against oxidative injury was similar to that of purified DT3. TRFRB effectively protects normal cells against IR induced injury suggesting that rice bran distillate may be an inexpensive and abundant alternate source.
A Yoga Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress: A Preliminary Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Jindani Farah , Turner Nigel , Khalsa Sat Bir S.
Published: August 2015

Yoga may be effective in the reduction of PTSD symptomology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Kundalini Yoga (KY) treatment on PTSD symptoms and overall wellbeing. To supplement the current field of inquiry, a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted comparing an 8-session KY intervention with a waitlist control group. 80 individuals with current PTSD symptoms participated. Both groups demonstrated changes in PTSD symptomology but yoga participants showed greater changes in measures of sleep, positive affect, perceived stress, anxiety, stress, and resilience. Between-groups effect sizes were small to moderate (0.09–0.25). KY may be an adjunctive or alternative intervention for PTSD. Findings indicate the need for further yoga research to better understand the mechanism of yoga in relation to mental and physical health, gender and ethnic comparisons, and short- and long-term yoga practice for psychiatric conditions.
Change in Motor and Nonmotor Symptoms Severity in a “Real-Life” Cohort of Subjects with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Jorge de Saráchaga Adib , Cervantes-Arriaga Amin , Llorens-Arenas Rodrigo , Calderón-Fajardo Humberto , Rodríguez-Violante Mayela
Published: August 2015

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive disorder. Rates of change in motor symptoms have been more studied compared to nonmotor symptoms. The objective was to describe these changes in a real-life cohort of subjects with PD. Methods. A cohort study was carried out from 2011 to 2013. Consecutive patients with PD were recruited from a movement disorders clinic. MDS-UPDRS, PDQ-8, and NMSS were applied to all subjects at an initial evaluation and a subsequent visit (21±3 months). Disease severity was categorized using a recent classification of MDS-UPDRS severity. Results. The MDS-UPDRS Part III showed a significant decrease of 7.2±2.31 points (p=0.001) between evaluations. A mean increase of 0.9±0.6 points (p=0.015) in the MDS-UPDRS Part IV was observed. An increase of 14.3±11.4 points (p=0.043) in the NMSS total score was found; when assessed individually, the difference was statistically significant only for the perceptual problems/hallucinations item. Quality of life remained unchanged. Conclusion. Motor improvement was observed accompanied by an increase in motor complications possibly as a result of treatment optimization. Nonmotor symptoms worsened as a whole. The overall effect in the quality of life was negligible.
The Absence of N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine Causes Attenuation of Virulence ofCandida albicansupon Interaction with Vaginal Epithelial CellsIn Vitro
Authors: Manczinger Máté , Bocsik Alexandra , Kocsis Gabriella F. , Vörös Andrea , Hegedűs Zoltán , Ördögh Lilla , Kondorosi Éva , Marton Annamária , Vízler Csaba , Tubak Vilmos , Deli Mária , Kemény Lajos , Nagy István , Lakatos Lóránt
Published: August 2015

To better understand the molecular events underlying vulvovaginal candidiasis, we established anin vitrosystem. Immortalized vaginal epithelial cells were infected with live, yeast formC. albicansandC. albicanscultured in the same medium without vaginal epithelial cells were used as control. In both cases a yeast to hyphae transition was robustly induced. Whole transcriptome sequencing was used to identify specific gene expression changes inC. albicans. Numerous genes leading to a yeast to hyphae transition and hyphae specific genes were upregulated in the control hyphae and the hyphae in response to vaginal epithelial cells. Strikingly, the GlcNAc pathway was exclusively triggered by vaginal epithelial cells. Functional analysis in ourin vitrosystem revealed that the GlcNAc biosynthesis is involved in the adherence to, and the ability to kill, vaginal epithelial cellsin vitro, thus indicating the key role for this pathway in the virulence ofC. albicansupon vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Antihyperglycemic Activity ofEucalyptus tereticornisin Insulin-Resistant Cells and a Nutritional Model of Diabetic Mice
Authors: Guillén Alis , Granados Sergio , Rivas Kevin Eduardo , Estrada Omar , Echeverri Luis Fernando , Balcázar Norman
Published: August 2015

Eucalyptus tereticornisis a plant used in traditional medicine to control diabetes, but this effect has not been proved scientifically. Here, we demonstrated throughin vitroassays thatE. tereticornisextracts increase glucose uptake and inhibit their production in insulin-resistant C2C12 and HepG2 cells, respectively. Furthermore, in a nutritional model using diabetic mice, the administration of ethyl acetate extract ofE. tereticornisreduced fasting glycaemia, improved tolerance to glucose, and reduced resistance to insulin. Likewise, this extract had anti-inflammatory effects in adipose tissue when compared to control diabetic mice. Via bioguided assays and sequential purification of the crude extract, a triterpenoid-rich fraction from ethyl acetate extracts was shown to be responsible for the biological activity. Similarly, we identified the main compound responsible for the antihyperglycemic activity in this extract. This study shows that triterpenes found inE. tereticornisextracts act as hypoglycemic/antidiabetic compounds and contribute to the understanding of their use in traditional medicine.
Retromolar Canal Associated with Age, Side, Sex, Bifid Mandibular Canal, and Accessory Mental Foramen in Panoramic Radiographs of Brazilians
Authors: Capote Ticiana Sidorenko de O. , Gonçalves Marcela de Almeida , Campos Juliana Álvares Duarte Bonini
Published: August 2015

Background. The retromolar canal (RMC) is an anatomical variation that can cause complications in dental procedures. Method. The RMC was evaluated according to age, sex, and presence of accessory mandibular canal and accessory mental foramen, on both sides in 500 panoramic radiographs, belonging to individuals at the age of 7 to 20 years. The associations of interest were studied through Fisher’s Exact Test and Pearson’s Chi-Square Test, and the correlation was studied through Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (r). The significance level used was 5%. Results. The RMC was observed in 44 radiographs (8.8%), and out of those 24 were females. There was no statistically significant association between the RMC and age (p>0.05; Fisher’s Exact Test), sex (p=0.787; Pearson’s Chi-Square Test), amount of mandibular canals and mental foramina, on both sides (p>0.05; Pearson’s Chi-Square Test). There was a significant association between RMC and side, the higher frequency of the canal being on the right side (p<0.05; Fisher’s Exact Test). Conclusions. Despite the low occurrence of the RMC, its identification and the verification of its dimensions and path are relevant, mainly in cases when anesthetic and surgical procedures can present failures or difficulties.
Multimode Process Monitoring Based on Sparse Principal Component Selection and Bayesian Inference-Based Probability
Authors: Jiang Xiaodong , Zhao Haitao , Jin Bo
Published: August 2015

According to the demand for diversified products, modern industrial processes typically have multiple operating modes. At the same time, variables within the same mode often follow a mixture of Gaussian distributions. In this paper, a novel algorithm based on sparse principal component selection (SPCS) and Bayesian inference-based probability (BIP) is proposed for multimode process monitoring. SPCS can be formulated as a just-in-time regression between all PCs and each sample. SPCS selects PCs according to the nonzero regression coefficients which indicate the compact expression of the sample. This expression is necessarilydiscriminative: amongst all subset of PCs, SPCS selects the PCs which most compactly express the sample and rejects all other possible but less compact expressions. BIP is utilized to compute the posterior probabilities of each monitored sample belonging to the multiple components and derive an integrated global probabilistic index for fault detection of multimode processes. Finally, to verify its superiority, the SPCS-BIP algorithm is applied to the Tennessee Eastman (TE) benchmark process and a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) process.
Certain Properties ofq-Hypergeometric Functions
Authors: Ezeafulukwe Uzoamaka A. , Darus Maslina
Published: August 2015

The quotients of certainq-hypergeometric functions are presented asg-fractions which converge uniformly in the unit disc. These results lead to the existence of certainq-hypergeometric functions in the class of eitherq-convex functions,PCq, orq-starlike functionsPSq*.
Optimization of Fermentation Medium for Extracellular Lipase Production fromAspergillus nigerUsing Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Jia Jia , Yang Xiaofeng , Wu Zhiliang , Zhang Qian , Lin Zhi , Guo Hongtao , Lin Carol Sze Ki , Wang Jianying , Wang Yunshan
Published: August 2015

Lipase produced byAspergillus nigeris widely used in various industries. In this study, extracellular lipase production from an industrial producing strain ofA. nigerwas improved by medium optimization. The secondary carbon source, nitrogen source, and lipid were found to be the three most influential factors for lipase production by single-factor experiments. According to the statistical approach, the optimum values of three most influential parameters were determined: 10.5 g/L corn starch, 35.4 g/L soybean meal, and 10.9 g/L soybean oil. Using this optimum medium, the best lipase activity was obtained at 2,171 U/mL, which was 16.4% higher than using the initial medium. All these results confirmed the validity of the model. Furthermore, results of the Box-Behnken Design and quadratic models analysis indicated that the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio significantly influenced the enzyme production, which also suggested that more attention should be paid to the C/N ratio for the optimization of enzyme production.
Effects of Exercise in Immersive Virtual Environments on Cortical Neural Oscillations and Mental State
Authors: Vogt Tobias , Herpers Rainer , Askew Christopher D. , Scherfgen David , Strüder Heiko K. , Schneider Stefan
Published: August 2015

Virtual reality environments are increasingly being used to encourage individuals to exercise more regularly, including as part of treatment those with mental health or neurological disorders. The success of virtual environments likely depends on whether a sense of presence can be established, where participants become fully immersed in the virtual environment. Exposure to virtual environments is associated with physiological responses, including cortical activation changes. Whether the addition of a real exercise within a virtual environment alters sense of presence perception, or the accompanying physiological changes, is not known. In a randomized and controlled study design, moderate-intensity Exercise (i.e., self-paced cycling) and No-Exercise (i.e., automatic propulsion) trials were performed within three levels of virtual environment exposure. Each trial was 5 minutes in duration and was followed by posttrial assessments of heart rate, perceived sense of presence, EEG, and mental state. Changes in psychological strain and physical state were generally mirrored by neural activation patterns. Furthermore, these changes indicated that exercise augments the demands of virtual environment exposures and this likely contributed to an enhanced sense of presence.
Effects of Between- and Within-Subject Variability on Autonomic Cardiorespiratory Activity during Sleep and Their Limitations on Sleep Staging: A Multilevel Analysis
Authors: Long Xi , Haakma Reinder , Leufkens Tim R. M. , Fonseca Pedro , Aarts Ronald M.
Published: August 2015

Autonomic cardiorespiratory activity changes across sleep stages. However, it is unknown to what extent it is affected by between- and within-subject variability during sleep. As it is hypothesized that the variability is caused by differences in subject demographics (age, gender, and body mass index), time, and physiology, we quantified these effects and investigated how they limit reliable cardiorespiratory-based sleep staging. Six representative parameters obtained from 165 overnight heartbeat and respiration recordings were analyzed. Multilevel models were used to evaluate the effects evoked by differences in sleep stages, demographics, time, and physiology between and within subjects. Results show that the between- and within-subject effects were found to be significant for each parameter. When adjusted by sleep stages, the effects in physiology between and within subjects explained more than 80% of total variance but the time and demographic effects explained less. If these effects are corrected, profound improvements in sleep staging can be observed. These results indicate that the differences in subject demographics, time, and physiology present significant effects on cardiorespiratory activity during sleep. The primary effects come from the physiological variability between and within subjects, markedly limiting the sleep staging performance. Efforts to diminish these effects will be the main challenge.
In Vitro and In Vivo Response to Low-Modulus PMMA-Based Bone Cement
Authors: Carlsson Elin , Mestres Gemma , Treerattrakoon Kiatnida , López Alejandro , Karlsson Ott Marjam , Larsson Sune , Persson Cecilia
Published: August 2015

The high stiffness of acrylic bone cements has been hypothesized to contribute to the increased number of fractures encountered after vertebroplasty, which has led to the development of low-modulus cements. However, there is no data available on the in vivo biocompatibility of any low-modulus cement. In this study, the in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility of two types of low-modulus acrylic cements, one modified with castor oil and one with linoleic acid, were evaluated using human osteoblast-like cells and a rodent model, respectively. While the in vitro cytotoxicity appeared somewhat affected by the castor oil and linoleic acid additions, no difference could be found in the in vivo response to these cements in comparison to the base, commercially available cement, in terms of histology and flow cytometry analysis of the presence of immune cells. Furthermore, the in vivo radiopacity of the cements appeared unaltered. While these results are promising, the mechanical behavior of these cements in vivo remains to be investigated.
Lysophosphatidic Acid Inhibits Apoptosis Induced by Cisplatin in Cervical Cancer Cells
Authors: Sui Yanxia , Yang Ya , Wang Ji , Li Yi , Ma Hongbing , Cai Hui , Liu Xiaoping , Zhang Yong , Wang Shufeng , Li Zongfang , Zhang Xiaozhi , Wang Jiansheng , Liu Rui , Yan Yanli , Xue Chaofan , Shi Xiaowei , Tan Li , Ren Juan
Published: August 2015

Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) level has been found significantly increased in the serum of patients with ovarian, cervical, and colon cancers. LPA level in cervical cancer patients is significantly higher than in healthy controls. LPA receptors were found highly expressed in cervical cancer cells, suggesting LPA may play a role in the development of cervical cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of LPA on the apoptosis induced by cisplatin (DDP) in cervical cancer cell line and the underlying changes in signaling pathways. Our study found that cisplatin induced apoptosis of Hela cell through inhibiting expression of Bcl-2, upregulating the expression of Bax, Fas-L, and the enzyme activity of caspase-3 (p<0.05); LPA significantly provided protection against the apoptosis induced by cisplatin by inhibiting the above alterations in apoptotic factor caused by cisplatin (p<0.05). Moreover, PI3K/AKT pathway was found to be important for the LPA antiapoptosis effect, and administration of PI3K/AKT partially reversed the LPA-mediated protection against cisplatin-induced apoptosis (p<0.05). These findings have shed new lights on the LPA bioactivity in cervical cancer cells and pointed to a possible sensitization scheme through combined administration of PI3K inhibitor and cisplatin for better treatment of cervical cancer patients, especially those with elevated LPA levels.
Observer-Based Adaptive Iterative Learning Control for a Class of Nonlinear Time Delay Systems with Input Saturation
Authors: Wei Jian-ming , Hu Yun-an , Sun Mei-mei
Published: August 2015

This paper presents an adaptive iterative learning control scheme for the output tracking of a class of nonlinear systems with unknown time-varying delays and input saturation nonlinearity. An observer is presented to estimate the states and linear matrix inequality (LMI) method is employed for observer design. The assumption of identical initial condition for ILC is relaxed by introducing boundary layer function. The possible singularity problem is avoided by introducing hyperbolic tangent function. The uncertainties with time-varying delays are compensated for by the combination of appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and Young’s inequality. Both time-varying and time-invariant radial basis function neural networks are employed to deal with system uncertainties. On the basis of a property of hyperbolic tangent function, the system output is proved to converge to a small neighborhood of the desired trajectory by constructing Lyapunov-like composite energy function in two cases, while keeping all the closed-loop signals bounded. Finally, a simulation example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A Survey of Therapeutic Effects ofArtemisia capillarisin Liver Diseases
Authors: Jang Eungyeong , Kim Bum-Joon , Lee Kyung-Tae , Inn Kyung-Soo , Lee Jang-Hoon
Published: August 2015

Artemisia capillarishas been recognized as an herb with therapeutic efficacy in liver diseases and widely used as an alternative therapy in Asia. Numerous studies have reported the antisteatotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antiviral, antifibrotic, and antitumor activities ofA. capillaris. These reports support its therapeutic potential in various liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, several properties of its various constituents, which provide clues to the underlying mechanisms of its therapeutic effects, have been studied. This review describes the scientific evidence supporting the therapeutic potential ofA. capillarisand its constituents in various liver diseases.
Uncertainty Reduced Novelty Detection Approach Applied to Rotating Machinery for Condition Monitoring
Authors: Ma S. , Li S. M. , Xiong Y. P.
Published: August 2015

Novelty detection has been developed into a state-of-the-art technique to detect abnormal behavior and trigger alarm for in-field machine maintenance. With built-up models of normality, it has been widely applied to several situations with normal supervising dataset such as shaft rotating speed and component temperature available meanwhile in the absence of fault information. However, the research about vibration transmission based novelty detection remains unnoticed until recently. In this paper, vibration transmission measurement on rotor is performed; based on extreme value distributions, thresholds for novelty detection are calculated. In order to further decrease the false alarm rate, both measurement and segmentation uncertainty are considered, as they may affect threshold value and detection correctness heavily. Feasible reduction strategies are proposed and discussed. It is found that the associated multifractal coefficient and Kullback-Leibler Divergence operate well in the uncertainty reduction process. As shown by in situ applications to abnormal rotor with pedestal looseness, it is demonstrated that the abnormal states are detected. The higher specificity value proves the effectiveness of proposed uncertainty reduction method. This paper shows novel achievements of uncertainty reduced novelty detection applied to vibration signal in dynamical system and also sheds lights on its utilization in the field of health monitoring of rotating machinery.
A Novel Method for the Discrimination of Semen Arecae and Its Processed Products by Using Computer Vision, Electronic Nose, and Electronic Tongue
Authors: Xu Min , Yang Shi-Long , Peng Wei , Liu Yu-Jie , Xie Da-Shuai , Li Xin-Yi , Wu Chun-Jie
Published: August 2015

Areca nut, commonly known locally as Semen Arecae (SA) in China, has been used as an important Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years. The raw SA (RAW) is commonly processed by stir-baking to yellow (SBY), stir-baking to dark brown (SBD), and stir-baking to carbon dark (SBC) for different clinical uses. In our present investigation, intelligent sensory technologies consisting of computer vision (CV), electronic nose (E-nose), and electronic tongue (E-tongue) were employed in order to develop a novel and accurate method for discrimination of SA and its processed products. Firstly, the color parameters and electronic sensory responses of E-nose and E-tongue of the samples were determined, respectively. Then, indicative components including 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and arecoline (ARE) were determined by HPLC. Finally, principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant factor analysis (DFA) were performed. The results demonstrated that these three instruments can effectively discriminate SA and its processed products. 5-HMF and ARE can reflect the stir-baking degree of SA. Interestingly, the two components showed close correlations to the color parameters and sensory responses of E-nose and E-tongue. In conclusion, this novel method based on CV, E-nose, and E-tongue can be successfully used to discriminate SA and its processed products.