bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Promising Cytomegalovirus-Based Vaccine Vector Induces Robust CD8+ T-Cell Response
Authors: Liu Jian , Jaijyan Dabbu Kumar , Tang Qiyi , Zhu Hua
Published: September 2019

Vaccination has had great success in combating diseases, especially infectious diseases. However, traditional vaccination strategies are ineffective for several life-threatening diseases, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis, malaria, and cancer. Viral vaccine vectors represent a promising strategy because they can efficiently deliver foreign genes and enhance antigen presentation in vivo. However, several limitations, including pre-existing immunity and packaging capacity, block the application of viral vectors. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been demonstrated as a new type of viral vector with additional advantages. CMV could systematically elicit and maintain high frequencies of effector memory T cells through the “memory inflation” mechanism. Studies have shown that CMV can be genetically modified to induce distinct patterns of CD8+ T-cell responses, while some unconventional CD8+ T-cell responses are rarely induced through conventional vaccine strategies. CMV has been used as a vaccine vector to deliver many disease-specific antigens, and the efficacy of these vaccines was tested in different animal models. Promising results demonstrated that the robust and unconventional T-cell responses elicited by the CMV-based vaccine vector are essential to control these diseases. These accumulated data and evidence strongly suggest that a CMV-based vaccine vector represents a promising approach to develop novel prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against some epidemic pathogens and tumors.
LDAPred: A Method Based on Information Flow Propagation and a Convolutional Neural Network for the Prediction of Disease-Associated lncRNAs
Authors: Xuan Ping , Jia Lan , Zhang Tiangang , Sheng Nan , Li Xiaokun , Li Jinbao
Published: September 2019

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and development of complex diseases. Predicting potential lncRNA–disease associations can improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of human diseases and help identify biomarkers for disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Previous research methods have mostly integrated the similarity and association information of lncRNAs and diseases, without considering the topological structure information among these nodes, which is important for predicting lncRNA–disease associations. We propose a method based on information flow propagation and convolutional neural networks, called LDAPred, to predict disease-related lncRNAs. LDAPred not only integrates the similarities, associations, and interactions among lncRNAs, diseases, and miRNAs, but also exploits the topological structures formed by them. In this study, we construct a dual convolutional neural network-based framework that comprises the left and right sides. The embedding layer on the left side is established by utilizing lncRNA, miRNA, and disease-related biological premises. On the right side of the frame, multiple types of similarity, association, and interaction relationships among lncRNAs, diseases, and miRNAs are calculated based on information flow propagation on the bi-layer networks, such as the lncRNA–disease network. They contain the network topological structure and they are learned by the right side of the framework. The experimental results based on five-fold cross-validation indicate that LDAPred performs better than several state-of-the-art methods. Case studies on breast cancer, colon cancer, and osteosarcoma further demonstrate LDAPred’s ability to discover potential lncRNA–disease associations.
MicroRNA Biogenesis Pathway Genes Are Deregulated in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Vychytilova-Faltejskova Petra , Svobodova Kovarikova Alena , Grolich Tomas , Prochazka Vladimir , Slaba Katerina , Machackova Tana , Halamkova Jana , Svoboda Marek , Kala Zdenek , Kiss Igor , Slaby Ondrej
Published: September 2019

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Each step of their production and maturation has to be strictly regulated, as any disruption of control mechanisms may lead to cancer. Thus, we have measured the expression of 19 genes involved in miRNAs biogenesis pathway in tumor tissues of 239 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, 17 CRC patients with liver metastases and 239 adjacent tissues using real-time PCR. Subsequently, the expression of analyzed genes was correlated with the clinical-pathological features as well as with the survival of patients. In total, significant over-expression of all analyzed genes was observed in tumor tissues as well as in liver metastases except for LIN28A/B. Furthermore, it was shown that the deregulated levels of some of the analyzed genes significantly correlate with tumor stage, grade, location, size and lymph node positivity. Finally, high levels of DROSHA and TARBP2 were associated with shorter disease-free survival, while the over-expression of XPO5, TNRC6A and DDX17 was detected in tissues of patients with shorter overall survival and poor prognosis. Our data indicate that changed levels of miRNA biogenesis genes may contribute to origin as well as progression of CRC; thus, these molecules could serve as potential therapeutic targets.
Somatostatin as an Active Substance in the Mammalian Enteric Nervous System
Authors: Gonkowski Slawomir , Rytel Liliana
Published: September 2019

Somatostatin (SOM) is an active substance which most commonly occurs in endocrine cells, as well as in the central and peripheral nervous system. One of the parts of the nervous system where the presence of SOM has been confirmed is the enteric nervous system (ENS), located in the wall of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It regulates most of the functions of the stomach and intestine and it is characterized by complex organization and a high degree of independence from the central nervous system. SOM has been described in the ENS of numerous mammal species and its main functions in the GI tract are connected with the inhibition of the intestinal motility and secretory activity. Moreover, SOM participates in sensory and pain stimuli conduction, modulation of the release of other neuronal factors, and regulation of blood flow in the intestinal vessels. This peptide is also involved in the pathological processes in the GI tract and is known as an anti-inflammatory agent. This paper, which focuses primarily on the distribution of SOM in the ENS and extrinsic intestinal innervation in various mammalian species, is a review of studies concerning this issue published from 1973 to the present.
Noninvasive Urinary Monitoring of Progression in IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Yang Joshua Y. C. , Sarwal Reuben D. , Fervenza Fernando C. , Sarwal Minnie M. , Lafayette Richard A.
Published: September 2019

Standard methods for detecting and monitoring of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) have conventionally required kidney biopsies or suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity. The Kidney Injury Test (KIT) Assay of urinary biomarkers has previously been shown to distinguish between various kidney pathologies, including chronic kidney disease, nephrolithiasis, and transplant rejection. This validation study uses the KIT Assay to investigate the clinical utility of the non-invasive detection of IgAN and predicting the progression of renal damage over time. The study design benefits from longitudinally collected urine samples from an investigator-initiated, multicenter, prospective study, evaluating the efficacy of corticosteroids versus Rituximab for preventing progressive IgAN. A total of 131 urine samples were processed for this study; 64 urine samples were collected from 34 IgAN patients, and urine samples from 64 demographically matched healthy controls were also collected; multiple urinary biomarkers consisting of cell-free DNA, methylated cell-free DNA, DMAIMO, MAMIMO, total protein, clusterin, creatinine, and CXCL10 were measured by the microwell-based KIT Assay. An IgA risk score (KIT-IgA) was significantly higher in IgAN patients as compared to healthy control (87.76 vs. 14.03, p < 0.0001) and performed better than proteinuria in discriminating between the two groups. The KIT Assay biomarkers, measured on a spot random urine sample at study entry could distinguish patients likely to have progressive renal dysfunction a year later. These data support the pursuit of larger prospective studies to evaluate the predictive performance of the KIT-IgA score in both screening for non-invasive diagnosis of IgAN, and for predicting risk of progressive renal disease from IgA and utilizing the KIT score for potentially evaluating the efficacy of IgAN-targeted therapies.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation Framework to Probe the Binding Hypothesis of CYP3A4 Inhibitors
Authors: Kiani Yusra Sajid , Ranaghan Kara E. , Jabeen Ishrat , Mulholland Adrian J.
Published: September 2019

The Cytochrome P450 family of heme-containing proteins plays a major role in catalyzing phase I metabolic reactions, and the CYP3A4 subtype is responsible for the metabolism of many currently marketed drugs. Additionally, CYP3A4 has an inherent affinity for a broad spectrum of structurally diverse chemical entities, often leading to drug–drug interactions mediated by the inhibition or induction of the metabolic enzyme. The current study explores the binding of selected highly efficient CYP3A4 inhibitors by docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation protocols and their binding free energy calculated using the WaterSwap method. The results indicate the importance of binding pocket residues including Phe57, Arg105, Arg106, Ser119, Arg212, Phe213, Thr309, Ser312, Ala370, Arg372, Glu374, Gly481 and Leu483 for interaction with CYP3A4 inhibitors. The residue-wise decomposition of the binding free energy from the WaterSwap method revealed the importance of binding site residues Arg106 and Arg372 in the stabilization of all the selected CYP3A4-inhibitor complexes. The WaterSwap binding energies were further complemented with the MM(GB/PB)SA results and it was observed that the binding energies calculated by both methods do not differ significantly. Overall, our results could guide towards the use of multiple computational approaches to achieve a better understanding of CYP3A4 inhibition, subsequently leading to the design of highly specific and efficient new chemical entities with suitable ADMETox properties and reduced side effects.
Distal Electroacupuncture at the LI4 Acupoint Reduces CFA-Induced Inflammatory Pain via the Brain TRPV1 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yen Chia-Ming , Wu Tong-Chien , Hsieh Ching-Liang , Huang Yu-Wei , Lin Yi-Wen
Published: September 2019

There is accumulating evidence supporting electroacupuncture’s (EA) therapeutic effects. In mice, local EA reliably attenuates inflammatory pain and increases the transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV1). However, the effect of distal acupoint EA on pain control has rarely been studied. We used a mouse model to investigate the analgesic effect of distal EA by measuring TRPV1 expression in the brain. Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) was injected into mice’s hind paws to induce inflammatory pain. The EA-treated group received EA at the LI4 acupoint on the bilateral forefeet on the second and the third days, whereas the control group underwent sham manipulation. Mechanical and thermal pain behavior tests showed that the EA-treated group experienced inflammatory pain alleviation immediately after EA, which did not occur in the sham group. Additionally, following CFA injection, the expression of TRPV1-associated molecules such as phosphorylated protein kinase A (pPKA), extracelluar signal-regulated kinase (pERK), and cAMP-response-element-binding protein (pCREB) increased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hypothalamus but decreased in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) area. These changes were significantly attenuated by EA but not sham EA. Our results show an analgesic effect of distal EA, which is based on the traditional Chinese medicine theory. The mechanism underlying this analgesic effect involves TRPV1 in the PFC, the hypothalamus, and the PAG. These novel findings are relevant for the evaluation and the treatment of clinical inflammatory pain syndrome.
Medical Nutrition Therapy in Critically Ill Patients Treated on Intensive and Intermediate Care Units: A Literature Review
Authors: Kopp Lugli Andrea , de Watteville Aude , Hollinger Alexa , Goetz Nicole , Heidegger Claudia
Published: September 2019

Medical nutrition therapy in critically ill patients remains challenging, not only because of the pronounced stress response with a higher risk for complications, but also due to their heterogeneity evolving from different phases of illness. The present review aims to address current knowledge and guidelines in order to summarize how they can be best implemented into daily clinical practice. Further studies are urgently needed to answer such important questions as best timing, route, dose, and composition of medical nutrition therapy for critically ill patients and to determine how to assess and to adapt to patients’ individual needs.
The Effect of In Vitro Electrolytic Cleaning on Biofilm-Contaminated Implant Surfaces
Authors: Ratka Christoph , Weigl Paul , Henrich Dirk , Koch Felix , Schlee Markus , Zipprich Holger
Published: September 2019

Purpose: Bacterial biofilms are a major problem in the treatment of infected dental and orthopedic implants. The purpose of this study is to investigate the cleaning effect of an electrolytic approach (EC) compared to a powder-spray system (PSS) on titanium surfaces. Materials and Methods: The tested implants (different surfaces and alloys) were collated into six groups and treated ether with EC or PSS. After a mature biofilm was established, the implants were treated, immersed in a nutritional solution, and streaked on Columbia agar. Colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted after breeding and testing (EC), and control (PSS) groups were compared using a paired sample t-test. Results: No bacterial growth was observed in the EC groups. After thinning to 1:1,000,000, 258.1 ± 19.9 (group 2), 264.4 ± 36.5 (group 4), and 245.3 ± 40.7 (group 6) CFUs could be counted in the PSS groups. The difference between the electrolytic approach (test groups 1, 3, and 5) and PSS (control groups 2, 4, and 6) was statistically extremely significant (p-value < 2.2 × 10−16). Conclusion: Only EC inactivated the bacterial biofilm, and PSS left reproducible bacteria behind. Within the limits of this in vitro test, clinical relevance could be demonstrated.
Transfoveal Micropulse Laser Treatment of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy within Six Months of Disease Onset
Authors: Gawęcki Maciej , Jaszczuk-Maciejewska Agnieszka , Jurska-Jaśko Anna , Kneba Małgorzata , Grzybowski Andrzej
Published: September 2019

Background: It has been recommended that any invasive treatment performed in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) not be initiated earlier than four months after disease onset due to the potential for spontaneous remission of symptoms. The goal of this study was to examine the outcome of transfoveal subthreshold micropulse laser treatment (SMPLT) of CSCR performed at six months or less after disease onset. Materials and methods: The study included 32 cases of CSCR lasting between three weeks and six months (mean: 3.4 ± 2.3 months). All patients had transfoveal SMPLT applied and were followed for at least three months after each session of SMPLT. Two sessions of SMPLT in total were planned in case of an insufficient response to the first instance of treatment. Evaluation parameters included any change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and retinal morphology. Results: Total resolution of subretinal fluid (SRF) was noted in 26 cases (81.25%). Final BCVA improved significantly from 0.37 ± 0.22 logMAR to 0.22 ± 0.20 logMAR after treatment. Overall, early SMPLT correlated with better final BCVA (p = 0.0005, Spearman rank correlation). For eyes achieving a total resolution of SRF, BCVA improved from 0.33 ± 0.21 logMAR to 0.17 ± 0.14 logMAR (p = 0.004, Spearman rank correlation). The analysis of SMPLT nonresponders revealed a tendency for poorer baseline visual acuity. Conclusions: Patients with CSCR lasting six months or less treated with transfoveal SMPLT achieve better functional results with early application of this procedure. As baseline BCVA predicts final visual acuity, earlier treatment, permitted by the safety of SMPLT, may improve final visual outcomes.
Lung Metastases in Patients with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Survival Impact
Authors: Liu Keng-Hao , Hung Chia-Yen , Hsueh Shu-Wen , Chang Pei-Hung , Chen Yen-Yang , Lu Chang-Hsien , Chen Ping-Tsung , Yeh Kun-Yun , Huang Pei-Wei , Tsang Ngan-Ming , Hung Yu-Shin , Chou Wen-Chi
Published: September 2019

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, the clinicopathological variables associated with probability of lung metastases, and the impact of lung metastases on survival outcome in patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer (PC) treated with palliative chemotherapy. A total of 654 patients with stage IV PC who underwent palliative chemotherapy from 2010–2016 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Possible clinical variables associated with lung metastases and survival outcome were examined by univariate and multivariate analysis. Lung metastases were detected in 15.0% (3.4% with isolated lung metastases and 11.6% with synchronic metastases to lung and other organs). Female gender, poorly differentiated tumor grade, and large primary tumor size were independent risk factor in multivariate analysis. The median overall survival (OS) time was 6.5 months in the entire cohort, while the median OS was 11.8, 6.9, 7.7, 10.1, and 5.0 months for patients with isolated lung, isolated liver, isolated peritoneum, isolated distant lymph nodes, and multiple sites metastases, respectively. Isolated lung metastases were a better prognosticator for OS in univariate and multivariate analysis. This study utilized real-world clinical practice data to assess the prevalence, risk factors, and survival impact of lung metastases in patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Restless Leg Syndrome in Peripheral Artery Disease: Prevalence among Patients with Claudication and Benefits from Low-Intensity Exercise
Authors: Lamberti Nicola , López-Soto Pablo Jesús , Rodríguez-Borrego María Aurora , Straudi Sofia , Basaglia Nino , Zamboni Paolo , Manfredini Roberto , Manfredini Fabio
Published: September 2019

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) disrupts sleep, affecting the quality of life of patients with various chronic diseases. We assessed the prevalence of RLS in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients and the effects of a pain-free exercise program. A total of 286 patients with claudication were enrolled in a home-based low-intensity exercise program prescribed at the hospital. RLS was determined through standardized questions. Hemodynamics, degree of calf deoxygenation, and mobility were assessed using the ankle-brachial-index, a treadmill test assisted by near-infrared spectroscopy and the 6-min walk test, respectively. During hospital visits, persistence of RLS, adherence to exercise, hemodynamics, and mobility were assessed. At the enrollment, 101 patients (35%) presented RLS, with higher prevalence among females (p = 0.032). Compared to RLS-free patients, they showed similar hemodynamics but more severe calf deoxygenation (p < 0.001) and lower mobility (p = 0.040). Eighty-seven RLS patients (83%) reported the disappearance of symptoms after 39 (36−70) days of exercise. This subgroup, compared to nonresponders, showed higher adherence (p < 0.001), hemodynamic (p = 0.041), and mobility improvements (p = 0.003). RLS symptoms were frequent in PAD but were reduced by a pain-free walking exercise aimed at inducing peripheral aerobic adaptations. The concomitant recovery of sleep and mobility may represent a synergistic action against the cardiovascular risk in PAD.
Multimodal Imaging Assessment of Vascular and Neurodegenerative Retinal Alterations in Type 1 Diabetic Patients without Fundoscopic Signs of Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Sacconi Riccardo , Casaluci Marco , Borrelli Enrico , Mulinacci Giacomo , Lamanna Francesca , Gelormini Francesco , Carnevali Adriano , Querques Lea , Zerbini Gianpaolo , Bandello Francesco , Querques Giuseppe
Published: September 2019

The aim of this cross-sectional case-control study is to investigate the possible presence of vascular/neurodegenerative alterations in the retina of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR). Thirty-four eyes of 34 consecutive T1DM without DR (mean age 21 ± 2 years) were included. Another cohort of 27 eyes (27 healthy control subjects matched with age and sex) was also recruited. All patients underwent multimodal imaging evaluation using structural optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT-angiography (OCT-A), dynamic vessel analyzer (DVA) and microperimetry. No significant differences were disclosed comparing diabetics and controls for visual acuity, central macular thickness, and subfoveal choroidal thickness. On retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell complex thickness, no significant differences were disclosed comparing each 3-mm-diameter macular and peripapillary subfield between two groups. Using OCT-A, deep capillary plexus perfusion density (PD) of diabetics was significantly lower compared to control group, whereas PD of other retinal/choriocapillaris plexuses and foveal avascular zone area did not show any significant difference. Using DVA, diabetic eyes revealed a significantly decreased vessel response to flicker light in comparison to controls. No differences were disclosed using microperimetry analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that vascular alterations could be the first detectable retinal change in the development of DR.
Assessment of Inner Retinal Layers and Choroidal Thickness in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Carbonell Marc , Alonso Núria , Castelblanco Esmeralda , Real Jordi , Ramírez-Morros Anna , Simó Rafael , Hernández Cristina , Jurjo Carme , Traveset Alícia , Valldeperas Xavier , Mauricio Dídac
Published: September 2019

Recent studies have shown that retinal neurodegeneration may precede visible vascular changes in diabetic retinopathy (DR). In addition, the relationship of choroidal thickness (CT) with DR stage is not well defined. To assess the inner retinal and choroidal structural changes in type 1 diabetic subjects (T1D), a cross-sectional study was conducted in 242 T1D patients and in 69 age-matched, non-diabetic individuals. The nasal retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness was lower in T1D patients without DR (p < 0.001), with mild DR (p < 0.001), and with advanced DR (p < 0.001) compared to control subjects. The ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness was lower in T1D patients with advanced DR compared to those with mild DR (p = 0.003) and without DR (p < 0.001) and compared to the control subjects (p < 0.001). T1D subjects with no DR and mild DR had higher CT than the control subjects, but the CT in T1D patients with advanced DR was lower (p = 0.038) than that in T1D subjects with mild DR and was not significantly different from that of the control subjects. In conclusion, T1D subjects showed a significant thinning of the nasal RNFL in the early stages of the disease, even before any vascular changes in the retina. A decrease in the GCL thickness during advanced DR stages was observed. Choroidal thickness was higher in T1D subjects without DR and in early DR stages but decreased in advanced stages.
The QT Interval Dynamic in a Human Experimental Model of Controlled Heart Rate and QRS Widening
Authors: Colunga Santiago , Padrón Remigio , García-Iglesias Daniel , Rubín José Manuel , Pérez Diego , del Valle Raquel , Avanzas Pablo , Morís César , Calvo David
Published: September 2019

Background: there is increasing interest for computing corrected QT intervals in patients with prolonged depolarization. We aimed to analyze the effect of prolonged QRS in the QT and in the diagnostic accuracy of frequency-correction. Methods and Results: in 28 patients admitted for self-expanding aortic valve implantation, sequential pacing was performed in the AAI mode in two different phases: before and immediately after the release of the prosthesis. We evaluated the accuracy of the Bazett, Fridericia, Framingham and Hodges formulas with the reference of the QT at 60 bpm (QTc/deviation). The widening of the QRS was the main contributor to the QT prolongation (Pearson 0.79; CI95%: 0.75–0.84). Prolongation in other intervals (ST segment and T-wave) significantly contribute in the higher frequency range (p < 0.05). The Bazett’s formula displayed the highest QTc/deviation, while Framingham and Hodges retrieved the lowest QTc/deviation and the best fit (p < 0.001). In addition, the Bazett’s formula displayed the highest correlation between variations in the QTc/deviation and the widening of the QRS (Pearson coefficient −0.54; p < 0.001) in comparison with the Fridericia, Framingham and Hodges formulas (−0.51, −0.37 and −0.38 respectively; p < 0.001). There was also a linear effect of the heart rate in the QTc/deviation obtained with the Bazett’s formula (p = 0.015), not observed for other formulas. Conclusions: The prolonged depolarization of the ventricles introduces direct and linear prolongation in the QT interval, but also a non-linear distortion in cardiac repolarization that contributes for QT prolongation at the higher frequency range. The Bazett’s formula displays significantly higher sensitivity to prolongation of ECG intervals.
The Effect of Preservation Temperature on Liver, Kidney, and Pancreas Tissue ATP in Animal and Preclinical Human Models
Authors: Bellini Maria Irene , Yiu Janice , Nozdrin Mikhail , Papalois Vassilios
Published: September 2019

The recent advances in machine perfusion (MP) technology involve settings ranging between hypothermic, subnormothermic, and normothermic temperatures. Tissue level adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a long-established marker of viability and functionality and is universal for all organs. In the midst of a growing number of complex clinical parameters for the quality assessment of graft prior to transplantation, a revisit of ATP may shed light on the underlying reconditioning mechanisms of different perfusion temperatures in the form of restoration of metabolic and energy status. This article aims to review and critically analyse animal and preclinical human studies (discarded grafts) during MP of three abdominal organs (liver, kidney, and pancreas) in which ATP was a primary endpoint. A selective review of recent novel reconditioning approaches relevant to mitigation of graft ischaemia-reperfusion injury via MP and for different perfusion temperatures was also conducted. With a current reiterated interest for oxygenation during MP, a re-introduction of tissue ATP levels may be valuable for graft viability assessment prior to transplantation. Further studies may help delineate the benefits of selective perfusion temperatures on organs viability.
Assessment of Global Longitudinal and Circumferential Strain Using Computed Tomography Feature Tracking: Intra-Individual Comparison with CMR Feature Tracking and Myocardial Tagging in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Miskinyte Emilija , Bucius Paulius , Erley Jennifer , Zamani Seyedeh Mahsa , Tanacli Radu , Stehning Christian , Schneeweis Christopher , Lapinskas Tomas , Pieske Burkert , Falk Volkmar , Gebker Rolf , Pedrizzetti Gianni , Solowjowa Natalia , Kelle Sebastian
Published: September 2019

In this study, we used a single commercially available software solution to assess global longitudinal (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) using cardiac computed tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT). We compared agreement and reproducibility between these two methods and the reference standard, CMR tagging (TAG). Twenty-seven patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent CMR and cardiac CT examinations. FT analysis was performed using Medis suite version 3.0 (Leiden, The Netherlands) software. Segment (Medviso) software was used for GCS assessment from tagged images. There was a trend towards the underestimation of GLS by CT-FT when compared to CMR-FT (19.4 ± 5.04 vs. 22.40 ± 5.69, respectively; p = 0.065). GCS values between TAG, CT-FT, and CMR-FT were similar (p = 0.233). CMR-FT and CT-FT correlated closely for GLS (r = 0.686, p < 0.001) and GCS (r = 0.707, p < 0.001), while both of these methods correlated moderately with TAG for GCS (r = 0.479, p < 0.001 for CMR-FT vs. TAG; r = 0.548 for CT-FT vs. TAG). Intraobserver and interobserver agreement was excellent in all techniques. Our findings show that, in elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), the FT algorithm performs equally well in CMR and cardiac CT datasets for the assessment of GLS and GCS, both in terms of reproducibility and agreement with the gold standard, TAG.
Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) Change Detection in Wami River Basin, Tanzania
Authors: Twisa Sekela , Buchroithner Manfred F.
Published: September 2019

Anthropogenic activities have substantially changed natural landscapes, especially in regions which are extremely affected by population growth and climate change such as East African countries. Understanding the patterns of land-use and land-cover (LULC) change is important for efficient environmental management, including effective water management practice. Using remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems (GIS), this study focused on changes in LULC patterns of the upstream and downstream Wami River Basin over 16 years. Multitemporal satellite imagery of the Landsat series was used to map LULC changes and was divided into three stages (2000–2006, 2006–2011, and 2011–2016). The results for the change-detection analysis and the change matrix table from 2000 to 2016 show the extent of LULC changes occurring in different LULC classes, while most of the grassland, bushland, and woodland were intensively changed to cultivated land both upstream and downstream. These changes indicate that the increase of cultivated land was the result of population growth, especially downstream, while the primary socioeconomic activity remains agriculture both upstream and downstream. In general, net gain and net loss were observed downstream, which indicate that it was more affected compared to upstream. Hence, proper management of the basin, including land use planning, is required to avoid resources-use conflict between upstream and downstream users.
Characterizing Interstellar Medium, Planetary Surface and Deep Environments by Spectroscopic Techniques Using Unique Simulation Chambers at Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB)
Authors: Mateo-Marti Eva , Prieto-Ballesteros Olga , Muñoz Caro Guillermo , González-Díaz Cristobal , Muñoz-Iglesias Victoria , Gálvez-Martínez Santos
Published: September 2019

At present, the study of diverse habitable environments of astrobiological interest has become a major challenge. Due to the obvious technical and economical limitations on in situ exploration, laboratory simulations are one of the most feasible research options to make advances both in several astrobiologically interesting environments and in developing a consistent description of the origin of life. With this objective in mind, we applied vacuum and high pressure technology to the design of versatile simulation chambers devoted to the simulation of the interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres conditions and high-pressure environments. These simulation facilities are especially appropriate for studying the physical, chemical and biological changes induced in a particular sample by in situ irradiation or physical parameters in a controlled environment. Furthermore, the implementation of several spectroscopies, such as infrared, Raman, ultraviolet, etc., to study solids, and mass spectrometry to monitor the gas phase, in our simulation chambers, provide specific tools for the in situ physico-chemical characterization of analogues of astrobiological interest. Simulation chamber facilities are a promising and potential tool for planetary exploration of habitable environments. A review of many wide-ranging applications in astrobiology are detailed herein to provide an understanding of the potential and flexibility of these unique experimental systems.
Sodium Alginate-Based Green Packaging Films Functionalized by Guava Leaf Extracts and Their Bioactivities
Authors: Luo You , Liu Haiqing , Yang Shanzhong , Zeng Jiarui , Wu Zhenqiang
Published: September 2019

The aim of this work was to develop green and bioactive films with sodium alginate incorporating guava leaf extracts. Seven formulations were performed with a different sodium alginate: Guava leaf water extract (WE)/ethanolic extract (EE) proportions (100:0, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20), and glycerol were used as a plasticizer. The HPLC-PDA analysis showed the main phenolic compounds in WE were gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, avicularin and quercetin. The main polyphenols in EE were rutin, isoquercitrin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, avicularin, quercitrin, quercetin and kaempferol. Guava leaf extracts could greatly enhance the antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, tensile strength and water solubility of the sodium alginate film as well as the water barrier property, while inducing a decrease in the moisture content and elongation at the break. The FTIR and SEM analyses indicated that intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the guava leaf extract and sodium alginate resulted in a more compact structure in the composite films. These results indicated that sodium alginate-guava leaf extract films might be developed into antiradical and antimicrobial food packaging materials.
Functional Ferroic Domain Walls for Nanoelectronics
Authors: Sharma Pankaj , Schoenherr Peggy , Seidel Jan
Published: September 2019

A prominent challenge towards novel nanoelectronic technologies is to understand and control materials functionalities down to the smallest scale. Topological defects in ordered solid-state (multi-)ferroic materials, e.g., domain walls, are a promising gateway towards alternative sustainable technologies. In this article, we review advances in the field of domain walls in ferroic materials with a focus on ferroelectric and multiferroic systems and recent developments in prototype nanoelectronic devices.
Dynamic Properties of Foreign Exchange Complex Network
Authors: Yang Xin , Wen Shigang , Liu Zhifeng , Li Cai , Huang Chuangxia
Published: September 2019

The foreign exchange (FX) market, one of the important components of the financial market, is a typical complex system. In this paper, by resorting to the complex network method, we use the daily closing prices of 41 FX markets to build the dynamical networks and their minimum spanning tree (MST) maps by virtue of a moving window correlation coefficient. The properties of FX networks are characterized by the normalized tree length, node degree distributions, centrality measures and edge survival ratios. Empirical results show that: (i) the normalized tree length plays a role in identifying crises and is negatively correlated with the market return and volatility; (ii) 83% of FX networks follow power-law node degree distribution, which means that the FX market is a typical heterogeneous market, and a few hub nodes play key roles in the market; (iii) the highest centrality measures reveal that the USD, EUR and CNY are the three most powerful currencies in FX markets; and (iv) the edge survival ratio analysis implies that the FX structure is relatively stable.
Global Properties of a Delay-Distributed HIV Dynamics Model Including Impairment of B-Cell Functions
Authors: Elaiw Ahmed M. , Alshehaiween Safiya F. , Hobiny Aatef D.
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we construct an Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dynamics model with impairment of B-cell functions and the general incidence rate. We incorporate three types of infected cells, (i) latently-infected cells, which contain the virus, but do not generate HIV particles, (ii) short-lived productively-infected cells, which live for a short time and generate large numbers of HIV particles, and (iii) long-lived productively-infected cells, which live for a long time and generate small numbers of HIV particles. The model considers five distributed time delays to characterize the time between the HIV contact of an uninfected CD4 + T-cell and the creation of mature HIV. The nonnegativity and boundedness of the solutions are proven. The model admits two equilibria, infection-free equilibrium E P 0 and endemic equilibrium E P 1 . We derive the basic reproduction number R 0 , which determines the existence and stability of the two equilibria. The global stability of each equilibrium is proven by utilizing the Lyapunov function and LaSalle’s invariance principle. We prove that if R 0 < 1 , then E P 0 is globally asymptotically stable, and if R 0 > 1 , then E P 1 is globally asymptotically stable. These theoretical results are illustrated by numerical simulations. The effect of impairment of B-cell functions, time delays, and antiviral treatment on the HIV dynamics are studied. We show that if the functions of B-cells are impaired, then the concentration of HIV is increased in the plasma. Moreover, we observe that the time delay has a similar effect to drug efficacy. This gives some impression for developing a new class of treatments to increase the delay period and then suppress the HIV replication.
Antimicrobial Lavandulylated Flavonoids from a Sponge-Derived Streptomyces sp. G248 in East Vietnam Sea
Authors: Cao Duc Danh , Trinh Thi Thanh Van , Doan Thi Mai Huong , Vu Van Nam , Le Hong Minh , Vu Thi Quyen , Nguyen Mai Anh , Duong Thu Trang , Tran Dang Thach , Chau Van Minh , Ma Rui , Shetye Gauri , Cho Sanghyun , Murphy Brian T. , Pham Van Cuong
Published: September 2019

Three new lavandulylated flavonoids, (2S,2″S)-6-lavandulyl-7,4′-dimethoxy-5,2′-dihydroxylflavanone (1), (2S,2″S)-6-lavandulyl-5,7,2′,4′-tetrahydroxylflavanone (2), and (2″S)-5′-lavandulyl-2′-methoxy-2,4,4′,6′-tetrahydroxylchalcone (3), along with seven known compounds 4–10 were isolated from culture broth of Streptomyces sp. G248. Their structures were established by spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). The absolute configurations of 1–3 were resolved by comparison of their experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. Compounds 1–3 exhibited remarkable antimicrobial activity. Whereas, two known compounds 4 and 5 exhibited inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 6.0 µg/mL and 11.1 µg/mL, respectively.
Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds: A Review of Its Possible Role on Weight Management and Obesity’s Metabolic Consequences
Authors: Konstantinidi Melina , Koutelidakis Antonios E.
Published: September 2019

Background: Weight management and obesity prevention is a basic aim of health organizations in order to decrease the prevalence of various metabolic disorders. The aim of the present review article was the evaluation of the possible role of functional foods and their bioactive compounds as alternative way to promote weight management and prevent obesity and its metabolic consequences. Methods: Approximately 100 articles were selected from Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, by using relative key words, and based mainly on recent animal, clinical or epidemiological studies. Results: The literature review highlighted the possible effect of specific functional foods such as coffee, green tea, berries, nuts, olive oil, pomegranate, avocado, and ginger. Specific bioactive compounds of those foods—such as caffeine, catechins, gallic acid, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, polyphenols, oleuropein, capsaicin, and quercetin—may contribute to weight management, obesity prevention, and obesity’s metabolic consequences. The possible mechanisms include effect on satiety, lipid absorption, fatty acids beta oxidation, stimulation of thermogenesis, etc. Conclusions: Functional foods, as part of a balanced diet, could be useful in the direction of weight management and decrease of obesity’s’ metabolic consequences. However, the scientific evidence is unclear and in most cases controversial and more clinical and epidemiological studies are needed in order to further investigate the mechanisms of their possible effect.
Nanoscale Hierarchical Structure of Twins in Nanograins Embedded with Twins and the Strengthening Effect
Authors: Tang Haochun , Chang Tso-Fu Mark , Chai Yaw-Wang , Chen Chun-Yi , Nagoshi Takashi , Yamane Daisuke , Ito Hiroyuki , Machida Katsuyuki , Masu Kazuya , Sone Masato
Published: September 2019

Hierarchical structures of 20 nm grains embedded with twins are realized in electrodeposited Au–Cu alloys. The electrodeposition method allows refinement of the average grain size to 20 nm order, and the alloying stabilizes the nanoscale grain structure. Au–Cu alloys are face-centered cubic (FCC) metals with low stacking fault energy that favors formation of growth twins. Due to the hierarchical structure, the Hall–Petch relationship is still observed when the crystalline size (average twin space) is refined to sub 10 nm region. The yield strength reaches 1.50 GPa in an electrodeposited Au–Cu alloy composed of 16.6 ± 1.1 nm grains and the average twin spacing at 4.7 nm.
Sustainable High-Speed Finishing Turning of Haynes 282 Using Carbide Tools in Dry Conditions
Authors: Díaz-Álvarez Antonio , Díaz-Álvarez José , Cantero José Luis , Miguélez Henar
Published: September 2019

Nickel-based superalloys exhibit an exceptional combination of corrosion resistance, enhanced mechanical properties at high temperatures, and thermal stability. The mechanical behavior of nickel-based superalloys depends on the grain size and the precipitation state after aging. Haynes 282 was developed in order to improve the creep behavior, formability, and strain-age cracking of the other commonly used nickel-based superalloys. Nevertheless, taking into account the interest of the industry in the machinability of Haynes 282 because of its great mechanical properties, which is not found in other superalloys like Inconel 718 or Waspaloy, more research on this alloy is necessary. Cutting tools suffer extreme thermomechanical loading because of the high pressure and temperature localized in the cutting zone. The consequence is material adhesion during machining and strong abrasion due to the hard carbides included in the material. The main recommendations for finishing turning in Haynes 282 include the use of carbide tools, low cutting speeds, low depth of pass, and the use of cutting fluids. However, because of the growing interest in sustainable processes and cost reduction, dry machining is considered to be one of the best techniques for material removal. During the machining of Haynes 282, at both the finishing and roughing turning, cemented carbide inserts are most commonly used and are recommended all over the industry. This paper deals with the machining of Haynes 282 by means of coated carbide tools cutting fluids (dry condition). Different cutting speeds and feeds were tested to quantify the cutting forces, quality of surface, wear progression, and end of tool life. Tool life values similar to those obtained with a lubricant under similar conditions in other studies have been obtained for the most favorable conditions in dry environments.
Nicotinamide and NAFLD: Is There Nothing New Under the Sun?
Authors: Guarino Maria , Dufour Jean-François
Published: September 2019

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) has a critical role in cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis. Its importance has been established early with the discovery of NAD’s therapeutic role for pellagra. This review addresses some of the recent findings on NAD physiopathology and their effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis, which need to be considered in the search for a better therapeutic approach. Reduced NAD concentrations contribute to the dysmetabolic imbalance and consequently to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. In this perspective, the dietary supplementation or the pharmacological modulation of NAD levels appear to be an attractive strategy. These reviewed studies open the doors to growing interest in NAD metabolism for NAFLD diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Future rigorous clinical studies in humans will be necessary to validate these preliminary but promising results.
Scalable Production of Monodisperse Functional Microspheres by Multilayer Parallelization of High Aspect Ratio Microfluidic Channels
Authors: Chung Casper , Cui Binbin , Song Ruyuan , Liu Xin , Xu Xiaonan , Yao Shuhuai
Published: September 2019

Droplet microfluidics enables the generation of highly uniform emulsions with excellent stability, precise control over droplet volume, and morphology, which offer superior platforms over conventional technologies for material synthesis and biological assays. However, it remains a challenge to scale up the production of the microfluidic devices due to their complicated geometry and long-term reliability. In this study, we present a high-throughput droplet generator by parallelization of high aspect ratio rectangular structures, which enables facile and scalable generation of uniform droplets without the need to precisely control external flow conditions. A multilayer device is formed by stacking layer-by-layer of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) replica patterned with parallelized generators. By feeding the sample fluid into the device immersed in the carrying fluid, we used the multilayer device with 1200 parallelized generators to generate monodisperse droplets (~45 μm in diameter with a coefficient of variation <3%) at a frequency of 25 kHz. We demonstrate this approach is versatile for a wide range of materials by synthesis of polyacrylamide hydrogel and Poly (l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) through water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion templates, respectively. The combined scalability and robustness of such droplet emulsion technology is promising for production of monodisperse functional materials for large-scale applications.
Blood Cells Separation and Sorting Techniques of Passive Microfluidic Devices: From Fabrication to Applications
Authors: Catarino Susana O. , Rodrigues Raquel O. , Pinho Diana , Miranda João M. , Minas Graça , Lima Rui
Published: September 2019

Since the first microfluidic device was developed more than three decades ago, microfluidics is seen as a technology that exhibits unique features to provide a significant change in the way that modern biology is performed. Blood and blood cells are recognized as important biomarkers of many diseases. Taken advantage of microfluidics assets, changes on blood cell physicochemical properties can be used for fast and accurate clinical diagnosis. In this review, an overview of the microfabrication techniques is given, especially for biomedical applications, as well as a synopsis of some design considerations regarding microfluidic devices. The blood cells separation and sorting techniques were also reviewed, highlighting the main achievements and breakthroughs in the last decades.