bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new safety index based on intrapulse monitoring of ultra-harmonic cavitation during ultrasound-induced blood-brain barrier opening procedures
Authors: Novell A. , Kamimura H. A. S. , Cafarelli A. , Gerstenmayer M. , Flament J. , Valette J. , Agou P. , Conti A. , Selingue E. , Aron Badin R. , Hantraye P. , Larrat B. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractUltrasound-induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening using microbubbles is a promising technique for local delivery of therapeutic molecules into the brain. The real-time control of the ultrasound dose delivered through the skull is necessary as the range of pressure for efficient and safe BBB opening is very narrow. Passive cavitation detection (PCD) is a method proposed to monitor the microbubble activity during ultrasound exposure. However, there is still no consensus on a reliable safety indicator able to predict potential damage in the brain. Current approaches for the control of the beam intensity based on PCD employ a full-pulse analysis and may suffer from a lack of sensitivity and poor reaction time. To overcome these limitations, we propose an intra-pulse analysis to monitor the evolution of the frequency content during ultrasound bursts. We hypothesized that the destabilization of microbubbles exposed to a critical level of ultrasound would result in the instantaneous generation of subharmonic and ultra-harmonic components. This specific signature was exploited to define a new sensitive indicator of the safety of the ultrasound protocol. The approach was validated in vivo in rats and non-human primates using a retrospective analysis. Our results demonstrate that intra-pulse monitoring was able to exhibit a sudden appearance of ultra-harmonics during the ultrasound excitation pulse. The repeated detection of such a signature within the excitation pulse was highly correlated with the occurrence of side effects such as hemorrhage and edema. Keeping the acoustic pressure at levels where no such sign of microbubble destabilization occurred resulted in safe BBB openings, as shown by MR images and gross pathology. This new indicator should be more sensitive than conventional full-pulse analysis and can be used to distinguish between potentially harmful and safe ultrasound conditions in the brain with very short reaction time.
Matriptase processing of APLP1 ectodomain alters its homodimerization
Authors: Lanchec Erwan , Désilets Antoine , Béliveau François , Fontaine-Carbonneau Cloé , Laniel Andréanne , Leduc Richard , Lavoie Christine 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is derived from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by secretase processing. APP is also cleaved by numerous other proteases, such as the type II transmembrane serine protease matriptase, with consequences on the production of Aβ. Because the APP homolog protein amyloid-like protein 1 (APLP1) shares similarities with APP, we sought to determine if matriptase also plays a role in its processing. Here, we demonstrate that matriptase directly interacts with APLP1 and that APLP1 is cleaved in cellulo by matriptase in its E1 ectodomains at arginine 124. Replacing Arg124 with Ala abolished APLP1 processing by matriptase. Using a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assay we found that matriptase reduces APLP1 homodimeric interactions. This study identifies matriptase as the first protease cleaving APLP1 in its dimerization domain, potentially altering the multiple functions associated with dimer formation.
Four Loci Are Associated with Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Endurance Performance in Young Chinese Females
Authors: Zhao Ying , Huang Guoyuan , Chen Zuosong , Fan Xiang , Huang Tao , Liu Jinsheng , Zhang Qing , Shen Jingyi , Li Zhiqiang , Shi Yongyong 
Published: June 2020

AbstractCardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and endurance performance are characterized by a complex genetic trait with high heritability. Although research has identified many physiological and environmental correlates with CRF, the genetic architecture contributing to CRF remains unclear, especially in non-athlete population. A total of 762 Chinese young female participants were recruited and an endurance run test was used to determine CRF. We used a fixed model of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for CRF. Genotyping was performed using the Affymetrix Axiom and illumina 1 M arrays. After quality control and imputation, a linear regression-based association analysis was conducted using a total of 5,149,327 variants. Four loci associated with CRF were identified to reach genome-wide significance (P < 5.0 × 10-8), which located in 15q21.3 (rs17240160, P = 1.73 × 10-9, GCOM1), 3q25.31 (rs819865, P = 8.56 × 10-9, GMPS), 21q22.3 (rs117828698, P = 9.59 × 10-9, COL18A1), and 17q24.2 (rs79806428, P = 3.85 × 10-8, PRKCA). These loci (GCOM1, GMPS, COL18A1 and PRKCA) associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance performance in Chinese non-athlete young females. Our results suggest that these gene polymorphisms provide further genetic evidence for the polygenetic nature of cardiorespiratory endurance and be used as genetic biomarkers for future research.
Factors associated with immunosenescence during early adulthood in HIV-infected patients after durable efficient combination antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Quiros-Roldan Eugenia , Properzi Martina , Paghera Simone , Raffetti Elena , Castelli Francesco , Imberti Luisa 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPerinatally HIV-infected patients face the consequences of both chronic infection effects per se and long-term combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on immunosenescence. Aims of our study were to evaluate which factors independently contribute to immunosenescence in HIV-infected young adults with a very different HIV infection duration (perinatally HIV-infected young individuals -pHIVy- and age-matched non perinatally HIV-infected youths –npHIVy), after durable efficient cART. We considered low thymic and bone marrow output, respectively evaluated by quantifying T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs), and shorter telomeres lenght (TL) as surrogate biomarkers of immunosenescence. Twenty-one pHIVy and 19 npHIVy (with a mean HIV duration of 3–8 years) were included; mean age was 27 years for both groups. Immunosenescence biomarkers were comparable between pHIVy and npHIVy (despite longer HIV-infection, higher frequency of AIDS events, past cART-free periods and concomitant chronic viral infections in pHIVy). At the multivariate analysis, CD4+ was the only variable independently associated with TRECs and TL. Our data suggest that a good level of thymic activity can compensate the deleterious effects of past periods without cART, if HIV replication is suppressed for a sufficient time.
Projection of meteorological droughts in Nigeria during growing seasons under climate change scenarios
Authors: Shiru Mohammed Sanusi , Shahid Shamsuddin , Dewan Ashraf , Chung Eun-Sung , Alias Noraliani , Ahmed Kamal , Hassan Quazi K. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractLike many other African countries, incidence of drought is increasing in Nigeria. In this work, spatiotemporal changes in droughts under different representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios were assessed; considering their greatest impacts on life and livelihoods in Nigeria, especially when droughts coincide with the growing seasons. Three entropy-based methods, namely symmetrical uncertainty, gain ratio, and entropy gain were used in a multi-criteria decision-making framework to select the best performing General Circulation Models (GCMs) for the projection of rainfall and temperature. Performance of four widely used bias correction methods was compared to identify a suitable method for correcting bias in GCM projections for the period 2010–2099. A machine learning technique was then used to generate a multi-model ensemble (MME) of the bias-corrected GCM projection for different RCP scenarios. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was subsequently computed to estimate droughts from the MME mean of GCM projected rainfall and temperature to predict possible spatiotemporal changes in meteorological droughts. Finally, trends in the SPEI, temperature and rainfall, and return period of droughts for different growing seasons were estimated using a 50-year moving window, with a 10-year interval, to understand driving factors accountable for future changes in droughts. The analysis revealed that MRI-CGCM3, HadGEM2-ES, CSIRO-Mk3-6-0, and CESM1-CAM5 are the most appropriate GCMs for projecting rainfall and temperature, and the linear scaling (SCL) is the best method for correcting bias. The MME mean of bias-corrected GCM projections revealed an increase in rainfall in the south-south, southwest, and parts of the northwest whilst a decrease in the southeast, northeast, and parts of central Nigeria. In contrast, rise in temperature for entire country during most of the cropping seasons was projected. The results further indicated that increase in temperature would decrease the SPEI across Nigeria, which will make droughts more frequent in most of the country under all the RCPs. However, increase in drought frequency would be less for higher RCPs due to increase in rainfall.
Raman Spectroscopy vs Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction In Early Stage Huanglongbing Diagnostics
Authors: Sanchez Lee , Pant Shankar , Mandadi Kranthi , Kurouski Dmitry 
Published: June 2020

AbstractRaman spectroscopy (RS) is an emerging analytical technique that can be used to develop and deploy precision agriculture. RS allows for confirmatory diagnostic of biotic and abiotic stresses on plants. Specifically, RS can be used for Huanglongbing (HLB) diagnostics on both orange and grapefruit trees, as well as detection and identification of various fungal and viral diseases. The questions that remain to be answered is how early can RS detect and identify the disease and whether RS is more sensitive than qPCR, the “golden standard” in pathogen diagnostics? Using RS and HLB as case study, we monitored healthy (qPCR-negative) in-field grown citrus trees and compared their spectra to the spectra collected from healthy orange and grapefruit trees grown in a greenhouse with restricted insect access and confirmed as HLB free by qPCR. Our result indicated that RS was capable of early prediction of HLB and that nearly all in-field qPCR-negative plants were infected by the disease. Using advanced multivariate statistical analysis, we also showed that qPCR-negative plants exhibited HLB-specific spectral characteristics that can be distinguished from unrelated nutrition deficit characteristics. These results demonstrate that RS is capable of much more sensitive diagnostics of HLB compared to qPCR.
T-cell responses following Natural Influenza Infection or Vaccination in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Authors: L’Huillier Arnaud G. , Ferreira Victor H. , Hirzel Cedric , Nellimarla Srinivas , Ku Terrance , Natori Yoichiro , Humar Atul , Kumar Deepali 
Published: June 2020

AbstractLittle is known about cell-mediated immune responses to natural influenza infection in solid organ transplant (SOT) patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the CD4+ and CD8+ responses to influenza A and B infection in a cohort of SOT patients. We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells at influenza diagnosis and four weeks later from 31 SOT patients during the 2017–2018 influenza season. Infection-elicited influenza-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses were measured using flow cytometry and intracellular cytokine staining and compared to responses following influenza vaccine in SOT patients. Natural infection was associated with a significant increase in CD4+ T-cell responses. For example, polyfunctional cells increased from 21 to 782 and from 193 to 1436 cells per 106 CD4+ T-cells among influenza A/H3N2 and B-infected patients (p = 0.006 and 0.004 respectively). Moreover, infection-elicited CD4+ responses were superior than vaccine-elicited responses for influenza A/H1N1 (931 vs 1; p = 0.026), A/H3N2 (647 vs 1; p = 0.041) and B (619 vs 1; p = 0.004). Natural influenza infection triggers a significant increase in CD4+ T-cell responses in SOT patients. Infection elicits significantly stronger CD4+ responses compared to the influenza vaccine and thereby likely elicits better protection against reinfection.
Emergent cholecystectomy in patients on antithrombotic therapy
Authors: Yoshimoto Masashi , Hioki Masayoshi , Sadamori Hiroshi , Monden Kazuteru , Ohno Satoshi , Takakura Norihisa 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18) recommend emergent cholecystectomy (EC) for acute cholecystitis. However, the number of patients on antithrombotic therapy (AT) has increased significantly, and no evidence has yet suggested that EC should be performed for acute cholecystitis in such patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether EC is as safe for patients on AT as for patients not on AT. We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent EC from 2007 to 2018 at a single center. First, patients were divided into two groups according to the use of antithrombotic agents: AT; and no-AT. Second, the AT group was divided into three sub-groups according to the use of single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT), double antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), or anticoagulant with or without antiplatelet therapy (AC ± APT). We then evaluated outcomes of EC among all four groups. The primary outcome was 30- and 90- day mortality rate, and secondary outcomes were morbidity rate and surgical outcomes. A total of 478 patients were enrolled (AT, n = 123, no-AT, n = 355) patients. No differences in morbidity rate (6.5% vs. 3.7%, respectively; P = 0.203), 30-day mortality rate (1.6% vs. 1.4%, respectively; P = 1.0) or 90-day mortality rate (1.6% vs. 1.4%, respectively; P = 1.0) were evident between AT and no-AT groups. Between the no-AT and AC ± APT groups, a significant difference was seen in blood loss (10 mL vs. 114 mL, respectively; P = 0.017). Among the three AT sub-groups and the no-AT group, no differences were evident in morbidity rate (3.7% vs. 8.9% vs. 0% vs. 6.5%, respectively; P = 0.201) or 30-day mortality (1.4% vs. 0% vs. 0% vs. 4.3%, respectively; P = 0.351). No hemorrhagic or thrombotic morbidities were identified after EC in any group. In conclusion, EC for acute cholecystitis is as safe for patients on AT as for patients not on AT.
Catechol-O-methyltransferase rs4680 and rs4818 haplotype association with treatment response to olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Nikolac Perkovic Matea , Sagud Marina , Zivkovic Maja , Uzun Suzana , Nedic Erjavec Gordana , Kozumplik Oliver , Svob Strac Dubravka , Mimica Ninoslav , Mihaljevic Peles Alma , Pivac Nela 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAntipsychotic drugs target primarily dopaminergic system which makes catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) an interesting target in studies searching for treatment response predictors in schizophrenia. The study assessed the association of the COMT rs4680 and rs4818 polymorphisms with therapeutic response to olanzapine, risperidone, clozapine or other antipsychotic medication after 8 weeks of monotherapy in patients with schizophrenia. 521 Caucasian patients with schizophrenia received a monotherapy with olanzapine (10–20 mg/day; N = 190), risperidone (3–6 mg/day; N = 99), or clozapine (100–500 mg/day; N = 102). The fourth group (N = 130) consisted of patients receiving haloperidol (3–15 mg/day), fluphenazine (4–25 mg/day) or quetiapine (50–800 mg/day). Treatment response was defined as a 50% reduction from the baseline positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) total and subscale scores, but also as an observed percentage reduction from the initial PANSS0–6 total and subscale scores. Carriers of the COMT rs4680 A allele and carriers of the COMT rs4680–rs4818 C-A haplotype block had greater reduction in the PANSS total scores following olanzapine treatment, compared to carriers of the COMT rs4680 GG genotype and other COMT rs4680–rs4818 haplotypes. The COMT rs4680 A allele, and COMT rs4680–rs4818 C-A haplotype, were significantly associated with therapeutic response in patients treated with olanzapine, but not in patients treated with other antipsychotics.
Transcriptome analysis of Cryptococcus humicola under aluminum stress revealed the potential role of the cell wall in aluminum tolerance
Authors: Dai Mengyao , Liu Jia , Zhang Lei , Tan Yong , Yan Jinping , Wang Juyuan , Nian Hongjuan 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Aluminum (Al) toxicity is one of the most important limiting factors for crop yield in acidic soils. Bound Al gets converted into a toxic ionic state (Al3+) in acidic soil. Recent studies have shown that Al can act on the cell walls, cell membranes, organelles, and nuclei of microorganisms and affect substance and energy metabolism. To explore the gene expression at the transcriptional level under Al stress, we sequenced the transcriptome of Cryptococcus humicola, which is a highly Al-resistant yeast strain isolated from acidic soil and tolerates up to 200 mM Al3+. The screening conditions for genes from the control and experimental group were a false discovery rate (FDR) &lt;0.05 and log 2|FC| &gt; 1. A total of 4760 genes were differentially expressed, among which 3066 were upregulated and 1694 were downregulated. These genes control glycometabolism, protein synthesis, lipid metabolism and signalling pathways. Eleven selected differentially expressed genes were further validated using qRT-PCR. The results suggested that Al stress leads to complex responses in C. humicola. The effects of Al on the β-d-glucan and mannose contents and Al accumulation in the cell wall were determined. With an increase in the Al treatment time and concentration, the contents of β-d-glucan and mannose showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Under Al treatment, the Al content of the cell wall also showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. These results suggested that Al accumulates in the cell wall and the cell wall plays a vital role in the Al resistance of C. humicola. The differentially expressed genes provide a foundation for the further study of Al tolerance in C. humicola.
miR-122/SIRT1 axis regulates chondrocyte extracellular matrix degradation in osteoarthritis
Authors: Bai Yinwei , Chen Kun , Zhan Jianfeng , Wu Mingxin 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background/Aims: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). The present study aimed to investigate the potential function of miR-122 in the development of OA and its potential molecular mechanisms. Methods: The expression of miR-122, silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), collagen II, aggrecan, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 13 (MMP13) and ADAMTS4 in OA cartilage was detected by RT-qPCR. Target gene prediction and screening, luciferase reporter assay were used to verify downstream target genes of miR-122. Results: Compared with osteonecrosis, the expression of miR-122 was significantly increased in OA cartilage, while the expression of SIRT1 was significantly decreased. Overexpression of miR-122 increased the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) catabolic factors, for example disintegrins, MMPs and metalloproteinases with platelet reaction protein motifs, and inhibited the expression of synthetic metabolic genes such as collagen II and aggregating proteoglycan. Inhibition of miR-122 expression had the opposite effect. Furthermore, SIRT1 was identified as a direct target of miR-122. SIRT1 was significantly inhibited by miR-122 overexpression. Knockdown of SIRT1 reversed the degradation of chondrocyte ECM by miR-122 inhibitors. Conclusion: The miR-122/SIRT1 axis can regulate the degradation of ECM in OA, thus providing new insights into the treatment of OA.
“What's Going on With My Ears?”: Some Reflections on Managing Uncertainty in the Audiology Consultation
Authors: Watermeyer Jennifer , Kanji Amisha , Brom Liora 
Published: June 2020

Purpose
Feedback sessions after audiology consultations predominantly involve information counseling or patient education, where the patient is informed about their hearing status and possible management options. Effective communication is vital to ensure that information about the hearing impairment, recommendations, and/or management options is appropriately provided and understood by patients and that patient needs and expectations from the session are met. This research note reports on an exploratory study that sought to describe communication in follow-up audiological consultations within a context where ototoxicity monitoring is routine practice.

Method
Six interactions between patients and audiologists were video-recorded at an in-patient treatment facility for drug-resistant tuberculosis in Johannesburg and analyzed using a sociolinguistic approach. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with participants and analyzed using content analysis.

Results
These interactions differed considerably to other audiology consultations we have analyzed in terms of aspects such as the length of the interaction and the type of information given to patients. We observed a substantial amount of mitigative, vague, and exaggerated language in these interactions.

Conclusions
In this research note, we offer some reflections on this data set using a lens of uncertainty management theory and explore factors within the broader context that may contribute to the interactional features observed in the current study. Overall findings suggest the need for clinicians to be trained to embrace and address uncertainty rather than avoid it within challenging clinical encounters.
Subjective Hearing Difficulty and Fall Risk
Authors: Criter Robin E. , Gustavson Megan 
Published: June 2020

Purpose
Hearing loss is a risk factor for falls. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between subjective hearing difficulty and risk of falls.

Method
Community-dwelling older adults, aged 60 years and older, completed a case history; three questionnaires, including the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC); and one functional balance measure, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Pearson and Spearman correlations were calculated, and average scores were plotted according to group and HHIE score category for DHI, ABC, TUG, the number of medications, and the number of recent falls.

Results
Seventy-four participants were included in this analysis: 28 nonaudiology patients, 18 audiology patients with hearing aids, and 28 audiology patients without hearing aids. Significant positive correlations were noted between HHIE and DHI scores for audiology patients without hearing aids and between HHIE score and number of recent falls for audiology patients with hearing aids. When average scores were plotted for DHI, ABC, TUG, the number of medications, and the number of recent falls according to group and category, there were clear trends toward increased fall risk as HHIE score categories increased (i.e., mild to moderate to severe) based on previously used criteria.

Conclusions
Overall, a trend was noticed such that, for increasing HHIE score categories, fall risk increased. Significant correlations existed between HHIE score and some of the measures used to indicate fall risk (i.e., DHI score, number of recent falls). Future fall risk research should investigate subjective hearing difficulty as a risk factor, as well as pure-tone audiometric thresholds.