bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
3D-printed biological cell phantom for testing 3D quantitative phase imaging systems
Authors: Ziemczonok Michał , Kuś Arkadiusz , Wasylczyk Piotr , Kujawińska Małgorzata 
Published: December 2019

AbstractAs the 3D quantitative phase imaging (QPI) methods mature, their further development calls for reliable tools and methods to characterize and compare their metrological parameters. We use refractive index engineering during two-photon laser photolithography to fabricate a life-scale phantom of a biological cell with internal structures that mimic optical and structural properties of mammalian cells. After verification with a number of reference techniques, the phantom is used to characterize the performance of a limited-angle holographic tomography microscope.
Transcriptional and Translational Inhibitors Block SOS Response and Shiga Toxin Expression in Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
Authors: Berger Michael , Aijaz Iqbal , Berger Petya , Dobrindt Ulrich , Koudelka Gerald 
Published: December 2019

AbstractShiga toxins (Stx) induce the symptoms of the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and are the main virulence factors of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). The bacterial SOS response is the essential signal for high level production and release of Stx1/2. To assess the potential effectiveness of different antibiotics in blocking SOS response and Stx1/2 production, we constructed a reporter gene based test system that allows for the time-resolved, simultaneous read-out of the SOS response (recAP-cfp) and Stx1 production (stx1::yfp) in EHEC O157:H7 EDL933. We find that cells exposed to inhibitory or subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin did induce the SOS response, but not when the cells were exposed to rifaximine, azithromycin, tetracycline, gentamicin or ampicillin. Cell lysis and the peak in Stx1 production were substantially delayed with respect to the peak of the SOS response. We used this feature to show that adding transcriptional or translational inhibitors can block Stx1 production even after the SOS response is fully induced. RT-qPCR based tests with other clinically relevant EHEC isolates showed similar results for both Stx1 and Stx2. These observations suggest that transcriptional and translational inhibitors may be of value in treating EHEC infections.
One-step radiosynthesis of the MCTs imaging agent [18F]FACH by aliphatic 18F-labelling of a methylsulfonate precursor containing an unprotected carboxylic acid group
Authors: Sadeghzadeh Masoud , Moldovan Rareş-Petru , Teodoro Rodrigo , Brust Peter , Wenzel Barbara 
Published: December 2019

AbstractMonocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4) are involved in tumour development and progression. Their level of expression is particularly upregulated in glycolytic cancer cells and accordingly MCTs are considered as promising drug targets for treatment of a variety of human cancers. The non-invasive imaging of these transporters in cancer patients via positron emission tomography (PET) is regarded to be valuable for the monitoring of therapeutic effects of MCT inhibitors. Recently, we developed the first 18F-radiolabelled MCT1/MCT4 inhibitor [18F]FACH and reported on a two-step one-pot radiosynthesis procedure. We herein describe now a unique one-step radiosynthesis of this radiotracer which is based on the approach of using a methylsulfonate (mesylate) precursor bearing an unprotected carboxylic acid function. With the new procedure unexpected high radiochemical yields of 43 ± 8% at the end of the radiosynthesis could be obtained in a strongly reduced total synthesis time. Moreover, the radiosynthesis was successfully transferred to a TRACERlab FX2 N synthesis module ready for future preclinical applications of [18F]FACH.
Mechanisms of suppression of cell growth by dual inhibition of ALK and MEK in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Shrestha N. , Nimick M. , Dass P. , Rosengren R. J. , Ashton J. C. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractAnaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement, a key oncogenic driver in a small subset of non-small cell lung cancers, confers sensitivity to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Crizotinib, a first generation ALK-TKI, has superiority to standard chemotherapy with longer progression-free survival and higher objective response rate. However, clinical benefit is limited by development of resistance, typically within a year of therapy. In this study the combined effect of crizotinib and the MEK inhibitor selumetinib was investigated in both crizotinib naïve (H3122) and crizotinib resistant (CR-H3122) ALK-positive lung cancer cells. Results showed that combination treatment potently inhibited the growth of both H3122 and CR-H3122 cells, resulting from increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation as a consequence of suppressed downstream RAS/MAPK signalling. The drug combination also elicited a greater than 3-fold increase in Bim, a mediator of apoptosis, and p27, a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor compared to crizotinib alone. The results support the hypothesis that combining MEK inhibitors with ALK inhibitor can overcome ALK inhibitor resistance, and identifies Bim, PARP and CDK1 as druggable targets for possible triple drug therapy.
Endothelial Progenitor Cells inhibit jaw osteonecrosis in a rat model: A major adverse effect of bisphosphonate therapy
Authors: Tamari Tal , Elimelech Rina , Cohen Gal , Cohen Talia , Doppelt Ofri , Eskander-Hashoul Lana , Zigdon-Giladi Hadar 
Published: December 2019

AbstractMedication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious adverse effect of antiresorptive and antiangiogenic therapies. MRONJ is identified by chronic wounds in the oral mucosa associated with exposed necrotic bone. We hypothesized that zoledronic acid (ZOL) impairs keratinocyte and fibroblast function and reduces soft tissue vascularization; therefore, treating MRONJ with proangiogenic cells may benefit MRONJ patients. The effect of ZOL and dexamethasone (DEX) on gingival fibroblasts and keratinocytes was investigated.In-vitro, ZOL inhibited fibroblast and keratinocyte proliferation, delaying scratch healing.In-vivo, exposed bone was detected at tooth extraction sites, mainly in ZOL(+)/DEX(+) rats; and was associated with significantly decreased soft tissue vascularization, serum-VEGF, and tissue-VEGF. Local injection of early and late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) healed 13 of 14 MRONJ lesions compared with 2/7 lesions in the mesenchymal stem cells, and 2/6, in culture-medium group. The EPCs reduced necrotic bone area, increased serum and tissue VEGF levels. EPCs engraftment was minimal, suggesting their paracrine role in MRONJ healing. The EPC-conditioned medium improved scratch healing of keratinocytes and fibroblasts via VEGF pathway and elevated mRNA of VEGFA and collagen1A1. In conclusion, a novel MRONJ treatment with EPCs, increased vascularization and improved epithelial and fibroblast functions as well as cured the lesion.
Microcapsulated biocides for the targeted control of invasive bivalves
Authors: Tang Feng , Aldridge David C. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractInvasive alien species (IAS) are one of the greatest drivers of ecological change. Typically, control uses chemical agents that often are ineffective, harmful to non-target organisms, and environmentally persistent. Bivalves are frequently high impact IAS, but have proven particularly hard to control due to their valve-closing response when exposed to conventional control agents. Microencapsulation of biocides with edible coatings represents a highly targeted delivery route, bypassing avoidance responses and accumulating in bivalves through their prodigious filter feeding. Uneaten microcapsules degrade and become biologically inactive within hours thus reducing potential impacts on non-target biota. We manufactured two new formulations of microcapsules (BioBullets). Particles were designed to mimic natural food particles (algae) in terms of size (9.5 ± 0.5 to 19.4 ± 1.3 SE µm diameter), buoyancy (near neutral) and shape (spherical). Laboratory exposures demonstrated that two formulations effectively controlled the Gulf wedge clam Rangia cuneata, an IAS currently spreading rapidly through Europe. A single dose of 2–6 mg L−1 of the active ingredient in a static system achieved 90% mortality after 30 days of exposure. Microencapsulation offers an effective and targeted management tool for rapid responses following the early detection of both Gulf wedge clams and many other filter-feeding IAS, and may be especially effective in closed systems or where populations remain very localised.
Prevention of quality decline and delivery of siRNA using exogenous TCTP translocation across the zona pellucida in mouse oocytes
Authors: Jeon Hyuk-Joon , Bai Guang-Yu , Park Yuram , Kim Jae-Sung , Oh Jeong Su 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe delivery of exogenous molecules into mammalian oocytes or embryos has been a challenge because of the existence of the protective zona pellucida (ZP) surrounding the oocyte membrane. Here we show that exogenous translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is able to translocate into oocytes across the ZP and prevents quality deterioration during in vitro culture. Recombinant TCTP-mCherry added to culture media were incorporated into oocytes after passing through the ZP. After internalization, recombinant TCTP-mCherry were enriched at the cortex with wide distribution within the cytoplasm. This translocation capacity of TCTP is dependent on its N-terminal protein transduction domain (PTD). Moreover, translocated recombinant TCTP-mCherry reduced quality deterioration of oocytes during prolonged in vitro culture, which in turn improved fertilization and early embryo development. Furthermore, conjugates between PTD of TCTP and cyclin B1 siRNAs internalized into the cytoplasm of oocytes and downregulated cyclin B1 level. Therefore, our results are the first to show that TCTP has the ability to translocate into oocyte cytoplasm penetrating through the ZP, providing the possibility for preserving oocyte quality during extended in vitro culture and for delivering siRNAs into mouse oocytes.
Gender differences in the influence of obstructive sleep apnea on optic nerve head circulation
Authors: Shiba Tomoaki , Takahashi Mao , Matsumoto Tadashi , Hori Yuichi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWe investigated gender differences in the optic nerve head (ONH) microcirculation status in association with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG). We evaluated 150 men (60.5 ± 11.0 yrs) and 45 women (63.0 ± 10.6 yrs) who underwent overnight polysomnography. The mean blur rate (MBR), maximum (Max) MBR, and minimum (Min) MBR were evaluated. The parameters were analyzed separately for the tissues, vessels, and throughout the ONH (All). The apnea hypopnea index (AHI: times/hr), the lowest SpO2%, and the mean SpO2% were calculated as indicators of OSA. We investigated which MBR sections are correlated with OSA parameters separately in the men and women. All MBR sections in the women were significantly positively correlated with the lowest SpO2. In the men, no MBR section was correlated with any OSA parameters. The factors contributing independently to MBR-Tissue were height (β = 0.31) and lowest SpO2 (β = 0.30). The lowest SpO2 in the women was significantly positively correlated with Max MBR-Tissue, Max MBR-All, and Min MBR-All. Our results confirmed a gender difference in characteristics of ONH microcirculation in association with OSA.
Comprehensive Multi-Analytical Investigations on the Vietnamese lacquered Wall-Panel “The Return of the Hunters” by Jean Dunand
Authors: Pintus Valentina , Baragona Anthony J. , Wieland Karin , Schilling Michael , Miklin-Kniefacz Silvia , Haisch Christoph , Schreiner Manfred 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis work presents a comprehensive, multi-analytical scientific approach for determining the type of lacquer and artistic materials used by Jean Dunand on his work “The Return of the Hunters” (1935). For this purpose, thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation – gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (THM-GC/MS), optical microscopy (OM) in visible (Vis) and ultraviolet light (UV), and scanning electron microscopy - energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) were selected. Furthermore, a novel application of micro attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (µATR-FTIR) spectroscopic mapping by univariate and multivariate analysis was applied for studying the complex lacquer paint stratigraphy. The results show that Vietnamese lacquer was used as a binder, mixed together with linseed oil and pine resins as additives in combination with inorganic pigments, and that shellac was included on the top of the paint; they document an important step in the story of the transfer of Vietnamese lacquer painting techniques to Europe.
Digital assessment of falls risk, frailty, and mobility impairment using wearable sensors
Authors: Greene Barry R. , McManus Killian , Redmond Stephen J. , Caulfield Brian , Quinn Charlene C. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractFalls are among the most frequent and costly population health issues, costing $50bn each year in the US. In current clinical practice, falls (and associated fall risk) are often self-reported after the “first fall”, delaying primary prevention of falls and development of targeted fall prevention interventions. Current methods for assessing falls risk can be subjective, inaccurate, have low inter-rater reliability, and do not address factors contributing to falls (poor balance, gait speed, transfers, turning). 8521 participants (72.7 ± 12.0 years, 5392 female) from six countries were assessed using a digital falls risk assessment protocol. Data consisted of wearable sensor data captured during the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test along with self-reported questionnaire data on falls risk factors, applied to previously trained and validated classifier models. We found that 25.8% of patients reported a fall in the previous 12 months, of the 74.6% of participants that had not reported a fall, 21.5% were found to have a high predicted risk of falls. Overall 26.2% of patients were predicted to be at high risk of falls. 29.8% of participants were found to have slow walking speed, while 19.8% had high gait variability and 17.5% had problems with transfers. We report an observational study of results obtained from a novel digital fall risk assessment protocol. This protocol is intended to support the early identification of older adults at risk of falls and inform the creation of appropriate personalized interventions to prevent falls. A population-based approach to management of falls using objective measures of falls risk and mobility impairment, may help reduce unnecessary outpatient and emergency department utilization by improving risk prediction and stratification, driving more patients towards clinical and community-based falls prevention activities.
New bobtail squid (Sepiolidae: Sepiolinae) from the Ryukyu islands revealed by molecular and morphological analysis
Authors: Sanchez Gustavo , Jolly Jeffrey , Reid Amanda , Sugimoto Chikatoshi , Azama Chika , Marlétaz Ferdinand , Simakov Oleg , Rokhsar Daniel S. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBobtail squid are emerging models for host–microbe interactions, behavior, and development, yet their species diversity and distribution remain poorly characterized. Here, we combine mitochondrial and transcriptome sequences with morphological analysis to describe three species of bobtail squid (Sepiolidae: Sepiolinae) from the Ryukyu archipelago, and compare them with related taxa. One Ryukyuan type was previously unknown, and is described here as Euprymna brenneri sp. nov. Another Ryukyuan type is morphologically indistinguishable from Sepiola parva Sasaki, 1913. Molecular analyses, however, place this taxon within the genus Euprymna Steenstrup, 1887, and additional morphological investigation led to formal rediagnosis of Euprymna and reassignment of this species as Euprymna parva comb. nov. While no adults from the third Ryukyuan type were found, sequences from hatchlings suggest a close relationship with E. pardalota Reid, 2011, known from Australia and East Timor. The broadly sampled transcriptomes reported here provide a foundation for future phylogenetic and comparative studies.
Masked English Speech Recognition Performance in Younger and Older Spanish–English Bilingual and English Monolingual Children
Authors: Miller Margaret K. , Calandruccio Lauren , Buss Emily , McCreery Ryan W. , Oleson Jacob , Rodriguez Barbara , Leibold Lori J. 
Published: December 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare masked English speech recognition thresholds between Spanish–English bilingual and English monolingual children and to evaluate effects of age, maternal education, and English receptive language abilities on individual differences in masked speech recognition.MethodForty-three Spanish–English bilingual children and 42 English monolingual children completed an English sentence recognition task in 2 masker conditions: (a) speech-shaped noise and (b) 2-talker English speech. Two age groups of children, younger (5–6 years) and older (9–10 years), were tested. The predictors of masked speech recognition performance were evaluated using 2 mixed-effects regression models. In the 1st model, fixed effects were age group (younger children vs. older children), language group (bilingual vs. monolingual), and masker type (speech-shaped noise vs. 2-talker speech). In the 2nd model, the fixed effects of receptive English vocabulary scores and maternal education level were also included.ResultsYounger children performed more poorly than older children, but no significant difference in masked speech recognition was observed between bilingual and monolingual children for either age group when English proficiency and maternal education were also included in the model. English language abilities fell within age-appropriate norms for both groups, but individual children with larger receptive vocabularies in English tended to show better recognition; this effect was stronger for younger children than for older children. Speech reception thresholds for all children were lower in the speech-shaped noise masker than in the 2-talker speech masker.ConclusionsRegardless of age, similar masked speech recognition was observed for Spanish–English bilingual and English monolingual children tested in this study when receptive English language abilities were accounted for. Receptive English vocabulary scores were associated with better masked speech recognition performance for both bilinguals and monolinguals, with a stronger relationship observed for younger children than older children. Further investigation involving a Spanish-dominant bilingual sample is warranted given the high English language proficiency of children included in this study.
Toward the low-scatter selection of X-ray clusters
Authors: Käfer Florian , Finoguenov Alexis , Eckert Dominique , Clerc Nicolas , Ramos-Ceja Miriam E. , Sanders Jeremy S. , Ghirardini Vittorio 
Published: December 2019

Context. One key ingredient in using galaxy clusters as a precision cosmological probe in large X-ray surveys is understanding selection effects. The dependence of the X-ray emission on the square of the gas density leads to a predominant role of cool cores in the detection of galaxy clusters. The contribution of cool cores to the X-ray luminosity does not scale with cluster mass and cosmology and therefore affects the use of X-ray clusters in producing cosmological constraints.
Aims. One of the main science goals of the extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) mission is to constrain cosmology with a wide X-ray survey. We propose an eROSITA galaxy cluster detection scheme that avoids the use of X-ray cluster centers in detection. We calculate theoretical expectations and characterize the performance of this scheme by simulations.
Methods. We performed Monte Carlo simulations of the upcoming eROSITA mission, including known foreground and background components. By performing realistic simulations of point sources in survey mode, we searched for spatial scales where the extended signal is not contaminated by the point-source flux. We derive a combination of scales and thresholds, which result in a clean extended source catalog. We designed the output of the cluster detection, which enables calibrating the core-excised luminosity using external mass measurements. We provide a way to incorporate the results of this calibration in producing the final core-excised luminosity.
Results. Similarly to other galaxy cluster detection pipelines, we sample the detection space of the flux – cluster core radius of our method and find many similarities with the pipeline used in the 400d survey. Both detection methods require large statistics on compact clusters in order to reduce the contamination from point sources. The benefit of our pipeline consists of the sensitivity to the outer cluster shapes, which are characterized by large core sizes with little cluster to cluster variation at a fixed total mass of the cluster.
Conclusions. Galaxy cluster detection through cluster outskirts improves the cluster characterization using eROSITA survey data and is expected to yield well-characterized cluster catalogs with simple selection functions.
Videoanalyse praktischer Fertigkeiten – ein geeignetes Tool zur Weiterentwicklung der chirurgischen Lehre?
Authors: Schindler Claudia , Felgendreff Philipp , Settmacher Utz , Dahmen Uta 
Published: December 2019

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Die Verwendung videobasierter Analysekonzepte gewinnt in der medizinischen Ausbildung zunehmend an Bedeutung. In erster Linie dienen diese Tools dazu, Informationen über die individuelle Performance eines Kandidaten zu bekommen und Feedback zu geben. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, ob die Videoanalyse praktischer Fertigkeiten auch für die Weiterentwicklung des chirurgischen Unterrichts genutzt werden kann.
Material und Methoden Zunächst wurde die Durchführung einer chirurgischen Nahtübung (Dauer: 3 min) bei Studierenden des 10. Semesters (n = 38) videobasiert dokumentiert. Im Anschluss folgte die Analyse des Videomaterials anhand von 10 spezifischen Kriterien. Die Analyse diente dann als Grundlage für die Entwicklung fehlerpräventiver Übungen. Nachfolgend wurden die Effekte der fehlerpräventiven Übungen auf die Ergebnisqualität der Nahtübung im Rahmen eines Pilotversuchs in einem 2-Gruppen-Vergleich untersucht.
Ergebnisse Die Videosequenzen wurden von 2 Experten unabhängig voneinander begutachtet. Es konnten typische Fehler bei der Handhabung des chirurgischen Instrumentariums, der Handhabung des Nahtmaterials sowie im Bewegungsablauf beobachtet werden. Die daraufhin entwickelten zusätzlichen Übungseinheiten fokussierten sich auf die identifizierten Fehlerbereiche (z. B. Handhabung des Nadelhalters und des Nahtmaterials). Die Ergebnisse des 2-Gruppen-Vergleichs (vor und nach Integration der fehlerpräventiven Übungen in das Kurskonzept) zeigten, dass das Absolvieren der zusätzlichen Übungseinheiten einen mittelstarken Effekt auf die Ergebnisqualität einer Nahtübung hatte (Cohens d = 0,73).
Schlussfolgerung Die Videoanalyse praktischer Fertigkeiten scheint eine geeignete Basis für die Weiterentwicklung des chirurgischen Unterrichts darzustellen. Typische Fehler können in Bezug auf Art und Häufigkeit identifiziert werden und es lassen sich fehlerpräventive Übungen entwickeln, die einen positiven Effekt auf die Ergebnisqualität einer praktischen Aufgabe haben.