bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aging with Toxoplasma gondii results in pathogen clearance, resolution of inflammation, and minimal consequences to learning and memory
Authors: McGovern Kathryn E. , Cabral Carla M. , Morrison Helena W. , Koshy Anita A. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPersistent inflammation has been identified as a contributor to aging-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Normal aging, in the absence of dementia, also results in gradual cognitive decline and is thought to arise, in part, because of a chronic pro-inflammatory state in the brain.Toxoplasma gondiiis an obligate intracellular parasite that establishes a persistent, asymptomatic infection of the central nervous system (CNS) accompanied by a pro-inflammatory immune response in many of its hosts, including humans and rodents. Several studies have suggested that the inflammation generated by certain strains ofT. gondiiinfection can be neuroprotective in the context of a secondary insult like beta-amyloid accumulation or stroke. Given these neuroprotective studies, we hypothesized that a prolonged infection withT. gondiimay protect against age-associated decline in cognition. To test this hypothesis, we infected young adult mice with either of two genetically distinct, persistentT. gondiistrains (Prugniaud/type II/haplogroup 2 and CEP/type III/haplogroup 3) and monitored mouse weight, survival, and learning and memory over the ensuing 20 months. At the end of the study, we evaluated CNS inflammation and parasite burden in the surviving mice. We found that parasite infection had no impact on age-associated decline in learning and memory and that by 20 months post infection, in the surviving mice, we found no evidence of parasite DNA, cysts, or inflammation in the CNS. In addition, we found that mice infected with type III parasites, which are supposed to be less virulent than the type II parasites, had a lower rate of long-term survival. Collectively, these data indicate thatT. gondiimay not cause a life-long CNS infection. Rather, parasites are likely slowly cleared from the CNS and infection and parasite clearance neither positively nor negatively impacts learning and memory in aging.
3D-MCN: A 3D Multi-scale Capsule Network for Lung Nodule Malignancy Prediction
Authors: Afshar Parnian , Oikonomou Anastasia , Naderkhani Farnoosh , Tyrrell Pascal N. , Plataniotis Konstantinos N. , Farahani Keyvan , Mohammadi Arash 
Published: May 2020

AbstractDespite the advances in automatic lung cancer malignancy prediction, achieving high accuracy remains challenging. Existing solutions are mostly based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), which require a large amount of training data. Most of the developed CNN models are based only on the main nodule region, without considering the surrounding tissues. Obtaining high sensitivity is challenging with lung nodule malignancy prediction. Moreover, the interpretability of the proposed techniques should be a consideration when the end goal is to utilize the model in a clinical setting. Capsule networks (CapsNets) are new and revolutionary machine learning architectures proposed to overcome shortcomings of CNNs. Capitalizing on the success of CapsNet in biomedical domains, we propose a novel model for lung tumor malignancy prediction. The proposed framework, referred to as the 3D Multi-scale Capsule Network (3D-MCN), is uniquely designed to benefit from: (i) 3D inputs, providing information about the nodule in 3D; (ii) Multi-scale input, capturing the nodule’s local features, as well as the characteristics of the surrounding tissues, and; (iii) CapsNet-based design, being capable of dealing with a small number of training samples. The proposed 3D—MCN architecture predicted lung nodule malignancy with a high accuracy of 93.12%, sensitivity of 94.94%, area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9641, and specificity of 90% when tested on the LIDC-IDRI dataset. When classifying patients as having a malignant condition (i.e., at least one malignant nodule is detected) or not, the proposed model achieved an accuracy of 83%, and a sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 81% respectively.
A new framework for growth curve fitting based on the von Bertalanffy Growth Function
Authors: Lee Laura , Atkinson David , Hirst Andrew G. , Cornell Stephen J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAll organisms grow. Numerous growth functions have been applied to a wide taxonomic range of organisms, yet some of these models have poor fits to empirical data and lack of flexibility in capturing variation in growth rate. We propose a new VBGF framework that broadens the applicability and increases flexibility of fitting growth curves. This framework offers a curve-fitting procedure for five parameterisations of the VBGF: these allow for different body-size scaling exponents for anabolism (biosynthesis potential), besides the commonly assumed 2/3 power scaling, and allow for supra-exponential growth, which is at times observed. This procedure is applied to twelve species of diverse aquatic invertebrates, including both pelagic and benthic organisms. We reveal widespread variation in the body-size scaling of biosynthesis potential and consequently growth rate, ranging from isomorphic to supra-exponential growth. This curve-fitting methodology offers improved growth predictions and applies the VBGF to a wider range of taxa that exhibit variation in the scaling of biosynthesis potential. Applying this framework results in reliable growth predictions that are important for assessing individual growth, population production and ecosystem functioning, including in the assessment of sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture.
Simulation and Experimental Study on Doubled-Input Capacitively Coupled Contactless Conductivity Detection of Capillary Electrophoresis
Authors: Wang Chunling , Xing Haoyang , Zheng Baozhan , Yuan Hongyan , Xiao Dan 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this contribution, we optimize the structure of double-input capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (DIC4D) that proposed before by our group and successfully applied it in the capillary electrophoresis of inorganic ion analysis. Furthermore, we present the detail theoretical analysis and simulation to exploring the working mechanism of DIC4D. Compared with C4D, under identical experimental conditions and by using the same current-to-voltage converter, both the theoretical and experimental results suggest that the effectiveness and feasibility of DIC4D. The improved DIC4D diminished the baseline drift effects in C4D, provides lower noise, higher sensitivity and notably stable baseline. The LODs of DIC4D are 1.0 μM for K+and 1.5 μM for Li+(S/N = 3). DIC4D provides a better linear relationship (R = 0.997 and 0.998 for K+and Li+, respectively) with the range of 2.0 μM ~ 2.5 mM.
Chronic Sympathetic Hyperactivity Triggers Electrophysiological Remodeling and Disrupts Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Heart
Authors: Joca Humberto C. , Santos‐Miranda Artur , Joviano-Santos Julliane V. , Maia-Joca Rebeca P. M. , Brum Patricia C. , Williams George S. B. , Cruz Jader S. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe sympathetic nervous system is essential for maintenance of cardiac function via activation of post-junctional adrenergic receptors. Prolonged adrenergic receptor activation, however, has deleterious long-term effects leading to hypertrophy and the development of heart failure. Here we investigate the effect of chronic adrenergic receptors activation on excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) in ventricular cardiomyocytes from a previously characterized mouse model of chronic sympathetic hyperactivity, which are genetically deficient in the adrenoceptor α2A and α2C genes (ARDKO). When compared to wild-type (WT) cardiomyocytes, ARDKO displayed reduced fractional shortening (~33%) and slower relaxation (~20%). Furthermore, ARDKO cells exhibited several electrophysiological changes such as action potential (AP) prolongation (~50%), reduced L-type calcium channel (LCC) current (~33%), reduced outward potassium (K+) currents (~30%), and increased sodium/calcium exchanger (NCX) activity (~52%). Consistent with reduced contractility and calcium (Ca2+) currents, the cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) transient from ARDKO animals was smaller and decayed slower. Importantly, no changes were observed in membrane resting potential, AP amplitude, or the inward K+ current. Finally, we modified our existing cardiac ECC computational model to account for changes in the ARDKO heart. Simulations suggest that cellular changes in the ARDKO heart resulted in variable and dyssynchronous Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release therefore altering [Ca2+]i transient dynamics and reducing force generation. In conclusion, chronic sympathetic hyperactivity impairs ECC by changing the density of several ionic currents (and thus AP repolarization) causing altered Ca2+ dynamics and contractile activity. This demonstrates the important role of ECC remodeling in the cardiac dysfunction secondary to chronic sympathetic activity.
Effect of a novel synbiotic on Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Bijle Mohammed Nadeem , Neelakantan Prasanna , Ekambaram Manikandan , Lo Edward C. M. , Yiu Cynthia Kar Yung 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe examined the effect of L-arginine - (i) on the growth of L. rhamnosus GG (LrG) and (ii) combined LrG synbiotic on the growth of cariogenic S. mutans. Viability of LrG was assessed using MTT/XTT assays, confocal imaging with ADS activity measurement. The effect of L-arginine (0.5%/1%/2%) (2×/24 h) with LrG on S. mutans was evaluated by measuring the colony forming units, biofilm biomass, real-time qPCR and confocal imaging. The pH of the spent media was measured immediately and 24 h post-treatment with assessment of lactic acid. The LrG viability was highest with 2% L-arginine (p < 0.001). Confocal imaging showed that 2% L-arginine increased biofilm thickness of LrG. The 2% L-arginine and LrG synbiotic significantly inhibited the growth of S. mutans (p < 0.001) reducing the viable counts (p = 0.002) and biofilm biomass (p < 0.001). The pH of spent media was the highest when treated with 2% L-arginine and LrG synbiotic (p < 0.001) with no difference between post-treatment and 24 h post-treatment (p > 0.05). Conversely, the 2% L-arginine and LrG synbiotic showed the lowest lactic acid production (p < 0.001). This study demonstrated that L-arginine enhanced the growth of LrG. The 2% L-arginine and LrG synbiotic synergistically inhibits the growth of S. mutans with significant potential to develop as an anti-caries regimen.
Effects of Structural Factors of Hydrated TiO2 on Rutile TiO2 Pigment Preparation via Short Sulfate Process
Authors: Tian Congxue 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe structural factors such as crystal structure, particle size distribution and impurity content of hydrated TiO2 had great effects on the structures and pigment properties of the rutile TiO2. The rutile TiO2 white pigment was prepared via the Short Sulfate Process from low concentration industrial TiOSO4 solution. In order to produce rutile TiO2 pigment with good structures and excellent pigment properties, the crystal size of the hydrated TiO2 should be controlled less than 8.9 nm and as close as possible to 7.9 nm, which could effectively promote the phase transformation and crystal growth of the rutile TiO2. The appropriate particle size distribution of hydrated TiO2 had obvious effects on obtaining rutile TiO2 with narrower particle size distribution and near 0.20 µm. It was best to adjust the hydrolysis conditions to reduce the specific surface area of the hydrated TiO2 so as to reduce the iron ion impurity adsorption.
Automated abnormality classification of chest radiographs using deep convolutional neural networks
Authors: Tang Yu-Xing , Tang You-Bao , Peng Yifan , Yan Ke , Bagheri Mohammadhadi , Redd Bernadette A. , Brandon Catherine J. , Lu Zhiyong , Han Mei , Xiao Jing , Summers Ronald M. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAs one of the most ubiquitous diagnostic imaging tests in medical practice, chest radiography requires timely reporting of potential findings and diagnosis of diseases in the images. Automated, fast, and reliable detection of diseases based on chest radiography is a critical step in radiology workflow. In this work, we developed and evaluated various deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) for differentiating between normal and abnormal frontal chest radiographs, in order to help alert radiologists and clinicians of potential abnormal findings as a means of work list triaging and reporting prioritization. A CNN-based model achieved an AUC of 0.9824 ± 0.0043 (with an accuracy of 94.64 ± 0.45%, a sensitivity of 96.50 ± 0.36% and a specificity of 92.86 ± 0.48%) for normal versus abnormal chest radiograph classification. The CNN model obtained an AUC of 0.9804 ± 0.0032 (with an accuracy of 94.71 ± 0.32%, a sensitivity of 92.20 ± 0.34% and a specificity of 96.34 ± 0.31%) for normal versus lung opacity classification. Classification performance on the external dataset showed that the CNN model is likely to be highly generalizable, with an AUC of 0.9444 ± 0.0029. The CNN model pre-trained on cohorts of adult patients and fine-tuned on pediatric patients achieved an AUC of 0.9851 ± 0.0046 for normal versus pneumonia classification. Pretraining with natural images demonstrates benefit for a moderate-sized training image set of about 8500 images. The remarkable performance in diagnostic accuracy observed in this study shows that deep CNNs can accurately and effectively differentiate normal and abnormal chest radiographs, thereby providing potential benefits to radiology workflow and patient care.
Influenza infection rewires energy metabolism and induces browning features in adipose cells and tissues
Authors: Ayari Asma , Rosa-Calatrava Manuel , Lancel Steve , Barthelemy Johanna , Pizzorno Andrés , Mayeuf-Louchart Alicia , Baron Morgane , Hot David , Deruyter Lucie , Soulard Daphnée , Julien Thomas , Faveeuw Christelle , Molendi-Coste Olivier , Dombrowicz David , Sedano Laura , Sencio Valentin , Le Goffic Ronan , Trottein François , Wolowczuk Isabelle 
Published: May 2020

AbstractLike all obligate intracellular pathogens, influenza A virus (IAV) reprograms host cell’s glucose and lipid metabolism to promote its own replication. However, the impact of influenza infection on white adipose tissue (WAT), a key tissue in the control of systemic energy homeostasis, has not been yet characterized. Here, we show that influenza infection induces alterations in whole-body glucose metabolism that persist long after the virus has been cleared. We report depot-specific changes in the WAT of IAV-infected mice, notably characterized by the appearance of thermogenic brown-like adipocytes within the subcutaneous fat depot. Importantly, viral RNA- and viral antigen-harboring cells are detected in the WAT of infected mice. Using in vitro approaches, we find that IAV infection enhances the expression of brown-adipogenesis-related genes in preadipocytes. Overall, our findings shed light on the role that the white adipose tissue, which lies at the crossroads of nutrition, metabolism and immunity, may play in influenza infection.
Correcting the formalism governing Bloch Surface Waves excited by 3D Gaussian beams
Authors: Baida Fadi I. , Bernal Maria-Pilar 
Published: May 2020

AbstractDue to the growing number of publications and applications based on the exploitation of Bloch Surface Waves and the numerous errors and approximations that are used to evaluate their properties, we judge important for the successful interpretation and understanding of experiments to implement an adapted formalism allowing to extract the relevant information. Through comprehensive calculations supported by an analytical development, we establish generalized formula for the propagation length and the Goos-Hänchen shift, which are different from what is usually employed in the literature. The relative errors in the estimation of these two quantities are evaluated to vary between 50% and 200%. The effect due to a slight deviation of the angle of incidence or of the beam-waist position with respect to the structure are studied showing high effects on the Bloch Surface Waves properties. This formalism is adapted to any polarization-dependent Lorentzian-shape resonant structures illuminated by a polarized Gaussian beam.
Identification of copper-regulated proteins in an oceanic diatom, Thalassiosira oceanica 1005
Authors: Kong Liangliang , Price Neil M 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Copper (Cu) is an essential cofactor of photosynthetic and respiratory redox proteins in phytoplankton and a scarce resource in parts of the open sea. Although its importance for growth is well recognized, the molecular mechanisms by which phytoplankton respond and acclimate to Cu deficiency are not well known. In this study, we identified the dominant Cu-regulated proteins and measured key physiological traits of Thalassiosira oceanica (CCMP 1005) under Cu-limiting and sufficient conditions. Growth limitation of T. oceanica occurred at environmentally relevant Cu concentrations (1 nM) as a result of decreased photosynthetic efficiency (ΦPSII). In Cu-limited cells, levels of plastocyanin decreased by 3-fold compared to Cu-replete cells and rates of maximum photosynthetic electron transport were reduced. Proteins associated with light harvesting complexes also declined in response to Cu limitation, presumably to adjust to reduced photosynthetic electron flow and to avoid photodamage to the photosystems. Key enzymes involved in carbon and nitrogen assimilation were down-regulated in low-Cu cells, as were steady state rates of C and N uptake. Relatively fewer proteins were up-regulated by Cu limitation, but among them were two enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation (FAO). The increase in FAO may be a sign of increased turnover of cellular lipids caused by damage from oxidative stress. A putative transcription factor containing three, repetitive methionine motifs (MpgMgggM; MpgMggM) increased significantly in Cu-limited cells. The collective results provide a general description of how plastocyanin-dependent diatoms adjust metabolism to cope with chronic Cu deficiency.
Dysregulation of miR-192-5p in acute pancreatitis patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver and its functional role in acute pancreatitis progression
Authors: Hu Yang , Yu Yongming 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent metabolic disease and has been demonstrated to contribute to the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP). The present study aimed to investigate the aberrant expression of microRNA-192-5p (miR-192-5p) in AP patients with NAFLD, and further analyze the clinical significance and biological function of miR-192-5p in AP progression.
Methods: Expression of miR-192-5p was estimated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Diagnostic value of miR-192-5p was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The effects of miR-192-5p on cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammatory response of pancreatic acinar cells were further assessed by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Circulating miR-192-5p was decreased in AP patients with NAFLD compared with those patients without NAFLD and healthy controls (P&lt;0.05). The down-regulated expression of miR-192-5p had a relative high diagnostic accuracy to distinguish the AP patients with NAFLD from the cases without NAFLD. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-192-5p in pancreatic acinar cells led to the decreased cell proliferation, increased cell apoptosis and suppressed inflammatory reaction (all P&lt;0.05).
Conclusion: Collectively, all data indicated that serum expression of miR-192-5p in AP patients with NAFLD is significantly decreased and serves as a candidate diagnostic biomarker. The up-regulation of miR-192-5p in pancreatic acinar cell leads to increased cell apoptosis and decreased inflammatory response, suggesting the potential of miR-192-5p as a therapeutic target of AP.
TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and neuroblastoma susceptibility in eastern Chinese children: a three-center case–control study
Authors: Fang Yuan , Wu Xuemei , Li Lin , Zhu Jinhong , Wu Haiyan , Zhou Haixia , He Jing , Wang Yizhen 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
TP53 is a tumor suppressor gene that regulates cell growth, apoptosis and DNA repair. Previous studies have reported the contribution of TP53 Arg72Pro (rs1042522 C&gt;G) polymorphism to pathogenesis of multiple tumors. Hence, we evaluated the association between this polymorphism and neuroblastoma susceptibility in eastern Chinese children. The Taqman genotyping assay was performed in 373 patients and 762 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association. No significant association was found between the TP53 gene rs1042522 C&gt;G polymorphism and neuroblastoma susceptibility in the overall analysis (CG vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.70–1.22, P=0.567; GG vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.69–1.42, P=0.947; CG/GG vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.72–1.23, P=0.639; or GG vs. CC/CG: adjusted OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.75–1.43, P=0.814) and stratified analysis by age, gender, sites of origin, and clinical stages. The TP53 gene rs1042522 C&gt;G polymorphism may not be a risk factor for neuroblastoma in eastern Chinese children. Future studies are needed to confirm this negative result and to reveal additional functional TP53 variants predisposing to neuroblastoma.
A pilot study on investigating the role of Salvia miltiorrhiza in fetal growth restriction
Authors: Shen Fanghua , Lv Hongdao , Shi Yun , Lau Sandy , Guo Fang , Chen Qi 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
To date there is no effective treatment for pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR). Salvia miltiorrhiza, a traditional Chinese herb has been shown to promote blood flow and improve microcirculatory disturbance. In this pilot study, we evaluated whether S. miltiorrhiza can potentially become a possible therapy for FGR. Nineteen pregnant women with FGR were treated with S. miltiorrhiza and ATP supplementation for an average of 7 days, and 17 cases received ATP supplementation as controls. The estimated fetal weights (EFWs) were measured by ultrasound after treatment, and the birthweights were recorded after birth. After treatment with S. miltiorrhiza, 7 (37%) FGR cases showed an increase in EFW to above the 10th percentile, compared with 4 (23%) FGR cases in controls (odds ratio: 1.896, 95% confidence limits (CLs): 0.44–8.144). At delivery, 10 (53%) FGR cases in the treatment group delivered babies with a birthweight above the 10th percentile, compared with 6 (35%) FGR cases in the control group (odds ratio: 2.037, 95% CL: 0.532–7.793); 80 or 64% FGR cases in the treatment group showed an increase in fetal abdominal circumference (AC) or biparietal diameter (BPD) above the 10th percentile before delivery. While 44 or 30% FGR cases in the control group showed an increase in AC or BPD. No improvement of head circumference (HC) or femur length (FL) was seen. These pilot data suggest the need for multicenter randomized clinical trials on the potential of S. miltiorrhiza to improve perinatal outcome in pregnant women complicated by FGR.