bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Teratogen update: Antithyroid medications
Authors: Romeo Alfred N. , Običan Sarah G. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObjectiveThyroid disorders including hyperthyroidism are common during pregnancy. Untreated hyperthyroidism can result in adverse outcomes for pregnancy.MethodsIodine, propylthiouracil (PTU), carbimazole (CMZ), and methimazole (MMI) are common medications for hyperthyroidism treatment. The literature regarding antithyroid medication use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is reviewed.ResultsAnimal studies for PTU have suggested congenital anomalies while animal studies for MMI have only indicated adverse outcomes at higher doses than used in humans. Epidemiological studies have noted an increased risk of congenital anomalies for PTU less often than CMZ or MMI but the epidemiological evidence remains mixed. A pattern of anomalies has been described for CMZ and MMI, from both case and epidemiological studies, including choanal atresia, aplasia cutis congenita, and other facial, heart, gastrointestinal, and skin anomalies. Closer examination of cases indicates that a few cases of the anomalies have occurred without exposure to CMZ or MMI and outside of the proposed critical period. PTU has a small risk of hepatotoxicity which rarely results in liver transplantation and death. Some authors have suggested that PTU be prescribed in early pregnancy and switched to MMI in late pregnancy. Untreated hyperthyroidism, from either a lack of medications or switching medications during the first trimester, may also increase the chance of congenital anomalies. Multiple case studies and larger epidemiological studies have failed to provide clear, consistent outcomes for the use of PTU, CMZ, and MMI in pregnancy. MMI and PTU both enter the breastmilk in small amounts.ConclusionAdditional research is needed to assist in the medical management and exposure counseling of pregnant and breastfeeding women with hyperthyroidism.
Microbial Electrosynthesis—An Inventory on Technology Readiness Level and Performance of Different Process Variants
Authors: Fruehauf Hanna M. , Enzmann Franziska , Harnisch Falk , Ulber Roland , Holtmann Dirk 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe objective of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is to combine the advantages of electrochemistry and biotechnology in order to produce chemicals and fuels. This combination enables resource‐efficient processes by using renewable raw materials and regenerative energies. In the last decade, different MES processes have been described, for example, MES based on biofilms or mediators, electro‐fermentation, and secondary MES. This review compares the MES technologies with regard to the reached process performances in terms of key process indicators (i.e., coulombic efficiency (CE), product titre, productivity) and technology readiness level (TRL). Often the underlying mechanism of electron transfer in biofilm‐based processes has not been elucidated and can therefore not be optimized. Similarly, technical aspects of electro‐fermentation processes and processes with soluble mediators are under investigation and techno–economic assessments are missing. In contrast, the electrochemical production of microbial substrates in secondary MES or hybrid systems show high key process indicators and TRLs up to 7. In summary, the different types of MES processes offer options for today's industrial use, as well as an exciting and future‐oriented technology that can be applied in a medium‐term perspective.
Anaerobic digestion as a laboratory experiment for undergraduate biochemistry courses
Authors: Shen Jian , Chen Chang 
Published: August 2020

AbstractCompared to aerobic catabolism, the theories and experiments of anaerobic catabolism are not covered in depth in biochemistry education curricula. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a feasible method for converting common organic compounds to renewable energy‐methane that has drawn a great deal of attention in practical applications. In this study, we designed an AD laboratory experiment for use in undergraduate biochemistry courses to supplement the knowledge of metabolic networks in biochemistry and extend the information presented in biochemistry textbooks. In this laboratory experiment, students explored the methane production performance of wheat straw (WS; a representative and commonly available agricultural waste) and mastered a reasonable method for utilizing this new biochemical reaction to convert organic wastes from renewable resources to methane. Basic experimental procedures, such as a biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay, data analysis, and graphic presentations were organized to provide students with abundant hands‐on experience. Furthermore, calculations of significant parameters, such as total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), experimental methane yield (EMY), maximum theoretical methane production (MMP), and biodegradability (BD), were also performed. From this AD experiment, students learned not only a new series of biochemical reactions but also a novel strategy to achieve cleaner methane production from organic wastes, exhibiting a positive impact for students' learning in biochemistry course.
Online conferencing platform provides opportunity for reciprocal teaching
Authors: Lee Zheng‐Wei , Yeong Foong May 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe use of online platform to conduct teaching and learning activities has becoming a new norm for teachers and students during this COVID‐19 outbreak. In this commentary, we share our experiences of using online conferencing platform to promote active and interactive learning among students. We also suggest approaches that teachers can use to design their teaching and learning activities by employing reciprocal teaching as a way to engage students online instead of using the platform for didactic teaching by the teacher. The proposed strategy is applicable and transferable to other domains.
LC–DAD/ESI–MS/MS characterization of phenolic constituents in Rosa canina L. and its protective effect in cells
Authors: Fetni Samira , Bertella Nabil , Ouahab Ammar 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn an aim to prove the efficiency of polyphenols of Rosa canina fruits in promoting human health. A methanolic extract of R. canina fruits was prepared by successive maceration with solvents of increasing polarity. The polyphenol composition was analyzed by HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS. The biological activity of this extract on SH‐SY5Y cells and HepG2 cells was then studied. The antioxidant activity was tested by various in vitro tests such as DPPH‐radical‐scavenging activity, FRAP assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and total antioxidant capacity. The subacute toxicity of R. canina was tested on female rats by repeated intraperitoneal administration of various doses. The phenolic profiles showed 25 antioxidants distributed into three classes of phenolic compounds: glycosylated and agglomerated flavonoids/isoflavonoids, tannins and phenanthrenes. Qualitative phytochemical analyses showed that this extract lacks alkaloids. The methanolic extract of R. canina fruits has a total antioxidant capacity of 82.69 ± 1.18 μg EAA/mg of methanol extract and the IC50 of the methods used is in the following increasing order: FRAP assay (61.88 μg/ml), then hydroxyl radical scavenging assay (67.45 μg/ml) and then DPPH radical‐scavenging activity (129.81 μg/ml). The extract of R. canina did not cause any phenotypic signs of toxicity or mortality during and after treatment. The LD50 was >5,000 mg/kg, hence, R. canina was considered nontoxic. An in vivo study proved the protective effect of R. canina against cardiac and hepato‐renal toxicities. These results drew the importance of a healthy diet, where diets rich in R. canina fruits can be used as a rich natural source of antioxidants and anticarcinogenic phenolic compounds.
Nanoparticle‐microglial interaction in the ischemic brain is modulated by injury duration and treatment
Authors: Joseph Andrea , Liao Rick , Zhang Mengying , Helmbrecht Hawley , McKenna Michael , Filteau Jeremy R. , Nance Elizabeth 
Published: August 2020

AbstractCerebral ischemia is a major cause of death in both neonates and adults, and currently has no cure. Nanotechnology represents one promising area of therapeutic development for cerebral ischemia due to the ability of nanoparticles to overcome biological barriers in the brain. ex vivo injury models have emerged as a high‐throughput alternative that can recapitulate disease processes and enable nanoscale probing of the brain microenvironment. In this study, we used oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) to model ischemic injury and studied nanoparticle interaction with microglia, resident immune cells in the brain that are of increasing interest for therapeutic delivery. By measuring cell death and glutathione production, we evaluated the effect of OGD exposure time and treatment with azithromycin (AZ) on slice health. We found a robust injury response with 0.5 hr of OGD exposure and effective treatment after immediate application of AZ. We observed an OGD‐induced shift in microglial morphology toward increased heterogeneity and circularity, and a decrease in microglial number, which was reversed after treatment. OGD enhanced diffusion of polystyrene‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PS‐PEG) nanoparticles, improving transport and ability to reach target cells. While microglial uptake of dendrimers or quantum dots (QDs) was not enhanced after injury, internalization of PS‐PEG was significantly increased. For PS‐PEG, AZ treatment restored microglial uptake to normal control levels. Our results suggest that different nanoparticle platforms should be carefully screened before application and upon doing so; disease‐mediated changes in the brain microenvironment can be leveraged by nanoscale drug delivery devices for enhanced cell interaction.
Chemical Approaches To Analyzing RNA Structure Transcriptome‐Wide
Authors: England Whitney E. , Garfio Chely M. , Spitale Robert C. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractRNA molecules can fold into complex two‐ and three‐dimensional shapes that are critical for their function. Chemical probes have long been utilized to interrogate RNA structure and are now considered invaluable resources in the goal of relating structure to function. Recently, the power of deep sequencing and careful chemical probe design have merged, permitting researchers to obtain a holistic understanding of how RNA structure can be utilized to control RNA biology transcriptome‐wide. Within this review, we outline the recent advancements in chemical probe design for interrogating RNA structures inside cells and discuss the recent advances in our understanding of RNA biology through the lens of chemical probing.
Severe coronary spasm in a COVID‐19 patient
Authors: Rivero Fernando , Antuña Paula , Cuesta Javier , Alfonso Fernando 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMyocardial injury is frequently detected in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. However, up to one‐third of COVID‐19 patients showing ST‐segment elevation on the electrocardiogram have angiographically normal coronary arteries. We present a case of an acute coronary syndrome due to a coronary spasm in a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) patient. This pathophysiological mechanism was clearly demonstrated by intracoronary imaging techniques (optical coherence tomography) and invasive vasospasm test.
The evolving role of interventional cardiology in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Gurevich Sergery , Prins Kurt W. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous group of diseases defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure greater than 20 mmHg. Clinically, PH is classified into five groups and the group of PH generally defines the cause of PH and the therapeutic options. Currently, medical therapies that target the prostacyclin, endothelin, and nitric oxide pathways are used in pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) patients. Moreover, surgery can improve outcomes in PH as pulmonary thromboendarterectomy can be curative for CTEPH and lung transplantation is used for end‐stage PH. Despite these diverse treatment options, PH patients continue to have high symptom burden and poor long‐term outcomes. However, advances in percutaneous technology are opening new avenues for the management of PH. In this review, we discuss the available data supporting the use of four interventional procedures: balloon atrial septostomy, transcatheter Potts shunt, balloon pulmonary angioplasty, and pulmonary artery denervation for the treatment of PH. These procedures provide hemodynamic and functional improvements in PH patients, but they come with their own unique risk profiles. Hopefully, these procedures will continue to be refined and thereby provide a venue for interventional cardiology to safely and effectively improve outcomes for PH moving forward.
Natural Polyphenol–Vanadium Oxide Nanozymes for Synergistic Chemodynamic/Photothermal Therapy
Authors: Chen Ting , Huang Rongtao , Liang Jiawei , Zhou Bo , Guo Xiao‐Lu , Shen Xing‐Can , Jiang Bang‐Ping 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe selection of suitable nanozymes with easy synthesis, tumor specificity, multifunction, and high therapeutics is meaningful for tumor therapy. Herein, a facile one‐step assembly approach was employed to successfully prepare a novel kind of natural polyphenol tannic acid (TA) hybrid with mixed valence vanadium oxide nanosheets (TA@VOx NSs). In this system, VOx is assembled with TA through metal–phenolic coordination interaction to both introduce superior peroxidase‐like activity and high near infrared (NIR) absorption owing to partial reduction of vanadium from V5+ to V4+. The presence of mixed valence vanadium oxide in TA@VOx NSs is proved to be the key for the catalytic reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to .OH, and the corresponding catalytic mechanism of H2O2 by TA@VOx NSs is proposed. Benefitting from such peroxidase‐like activity of TA@VOx NSs, the overproduced H2O2 of the tumor microenvironment allows the realization of tumor‐specific chemodynamic therapy (CDT). As a valid supplement to CDT, the NIR absorption enables TA@VOx NSs to have NIR light‐mediated conversion ability for photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancers. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that TA@VOx NSs can effectively inhibit the growth of tumors by synergistic CDT/PTT. These results offer a promising way to develop novel vanadium oxide‐based nanozymes for enhanced synergistic tumor‐specific treatment.
Electrochemical Synthesis of Carbazoles by Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction
Authors: Kehl Anton , Schupp Niclas , Breising Valentina M. , Schollmeyer Dieter , Waldvogel Siegfried R. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractA constant current protocol, employing undivided cells, a remarkably low supporting electrolyte concentration, inexpensive electrode materials, and a straightforward precursor synthesis enabling a novel access to N‐protected carbazoles by anodic N,C bond formation using directly generated amidyl radicals is reported. Scalability of the reaction is demonstrated and an easy deblocking of the benzoyl protecting group is presented.
Ocular dominance plasticity: Molecular mechanisms revisited
Authors: Kasamatsu Takuji , Imamura Kazuyuki 
Published: August 2020

AbstractOcular dominance plasticity (ODP) is a type of cortical plasticity operating in visual cortex of mammals that are endowed with binocular vision based on the competition‐driven disparity. Earlier, a molecular mechanism was proposed that catecholamines play an important role in the maintenance of ODP in kittens. Having survived the initial test, the hypothesis was further advanced to identify noradrenaline (NA) as a key factor that regulates ODP in the immature cortex. Later, the ODP‐promoting effect of NA is extended to the adult with age‐related limitations. Following the enhanced NA availability, the chain events downstream lead to the β‐adrenoreceptor‐induced cAMP accumulation, which in turn activates the protein kinase A. Eventually, the protein kinase translocates to the cell nucleus to activate cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB). CREB is a cellular transcription factor that controls the transcription of various genes, underpinning neuronal plasticity and long‐term memory. In the advent of molecular genetics in that various types of new tools have become available with relative ease, ODP research has lightly adopted in the rodent model the original concepts and methodologies. Here, after briefly tracing the strategic maturation of our quest, the review moves to the later development of the field, with the emphasis placed around the following issues: (a) Are we testing ODP per se? (b) What does monocular deprivation deprive of the immature cortex? (c) The critical importance of binocular competition, (d) What is the adult plasticity? (e) Excitation–Inhibition balance in local circuits, and (f) Species differences in the animal models.
The effect of turbulence on transitional flow in theFDA's benchmark nozzle model using large‐eddy simulation
Authors: Manchester Emily L. , Xu Xiao Yun 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) benchmark nozzle model has been studied extensively both experimentally and computationally. Although considerable efforts have been made on validations of a variety of numerical models against available experimental data, the transitional flow cases are still not fully resolved, especially with regards to detailed comparison of predicted turbulence quantities with experimental measurements. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting large‐eddy simulations (LES) of flow through the FDA's benchmark model, at a transitional Reynolds number of 2000. Numerical results are compared to previous interlaboratory experimental results, with an emphasis on turbulence characteristics. Our results show that the LES methodology can accurately capture laminar quantities throughout the model. In the pre‐jet breakdown region, predicted turbulence quantities are generally larger than high resolution experimental data acquired with laser Doppler velocimetry. In the jet breakdown regions, where maximum Reynolds stresses occur, Reynolds shear stresses show excellent agreement. Differences of up to 4% and 20% are observed near the jet core in the axial and radial normal Reynolds stresses, respectively. Comparisons between viscous and Reynolds shear stresses show that peak viscous shear stresses occur in the nozzle throat reaching a value of 18 Pa in the boundary layer, whilst peak Reynolds shear stresses occur in the jet breakdown region reaching a maximum value of 87 Pa. Our results highlight the importance in considering both laminar and turbulent contributions towards shear stresses and that neglecting the turbulence effect can significantly underestimate the total shear force exerted on the fluid.
Conjugated Microporous Polymers Doped with Rare Earth Ions: Synthesis, Characterization and Energy Transfer
Authors: Cui Di , Yao Chan , Xu Yanhong , Che Guangbo 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn order to study the energy transfer between the conjugated polymer and rare‐earth ions, a series of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) CMP‐COOH@M (M=Eu3+, Tb3+, La3+, and Sm3+) with different kinds of rare‐earth ions was synthesized, in which the conjugated networks can effectively improve the luminescence of rare‐earth ions due to the effective energy transfer from the CMP network to the rare‐earth ions centers. The absolute quantum yield of CMP‐COOH (ΦFL) is 29.1 %, while the ΦFL value of CMP‐COOH@Eu, CMP‐COOH@Tb, CMP‐COOH@La, and CMP‐COOH@Sm is 9.4, 8.6, 14.3, and 9.1 %, respectively. This result indicates that the quantum efficiency of CMPs network is 1/2‐1/3 of the original one due to the coordination of rare earth ions, that is, rare‐earth ions can be recognized as fine modulators to adjust the emission color of CMPs in a controlled manner through controlling the species of rare‐earth ions.
Propagation properties of dust‐electron‐acoustic waves in weakly magnetized dusty nonthermal plasmas
Authors: Bhowmick Shubhra , Sahu Biswajit 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe linear and nonlinear properties of dust‐electron acoustic waves (DEAWs) propagating in magnetized, collisionless, dusty plasma system containing inertial cold electrons, Maxwellian hot electrons, nonthermal ions, and arbitrarily (positively or negatively) charged stationary dust are investigated. The reductive perturbation technique is employed to reduce the basic set of fluid equations to the modified Korteweg‐de Vries equation or Ostrovsky's equation, which governs the dynamics of small amplitude DEAWs in a weakly magnetized dusty nonthermal plasma. The approximate analytical as well as numerical solutions reveal that the basic characteristics of DEA nonlinear structures are found to be significantly modified by the key plasma configuration parameters. It is found that the leading compressive or rarefactive solitary wave structure separates from a trailing wave packet during a considerable time under the influence of magnetic field‐induced Lorentz force.
SCM: Secure and accountable TLS certificate management
Authors: Khan Salabat , Zhang Zijian , Zhu Liehuang , Rahim Mussadiq Abdul , Ahmad Sadique , Chen Ruoyu 
Published: August 2020

SummaryIn classical public‐key infrastructure (PKI), the certificate authorities (CAs) are fully trusted, and the security of the PKI relies on the trustworthiness of the CAs. However, recent failures and compromises of CAs showed that if a CA is corrupted, fake certificates may be issued, and the security of clients will be at risk. As emerging solutions, blockchain‐ and log‐based PKI proposals potentially solved the shortcomings of the PKI, in particular, eliminating the weakest link security and providing a rapid remedy to CAs' problems. Nevertheless, log‐based PKIs are still exposed to split‐world attacks if the attacker is capable of presenting two distinct signed versions of the log to the targeted victim(s), while the blockchain‐based PKIs have scaling and high‐cost issues to be overcome. To address these problems, this paper presents a secure and accountable transport layer security (TLS) certificate management (SCM), which is a next‐generation PKI framework. It combines the two emerging architectures, introducing novel mechanisms, and makes CAs and log servers accountable to domain owners. In SCM, CA‐signed domain certificates are stored in log servers, while the management of CAs and log servers is handed over to a group of domain owners, which is conducted on the blockchain platform. Different from existing blockchain‐based PKI proposals, SCM decreases the storage cost of blockchain from several hundreds of GB to only hundreds of megabytes. Finally, we analyze the security and performance of SCM and compare SCM with previous blockchain‐ and log‐based PKI schemes.