bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
GnRH agonist decreases endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in leiomyoma
Authors: Gokdeniz R. , Ozen S. , Mizrak B. , Bazoglu N. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractObjective: To define the effect of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) treatment on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in leiomyoma. As eNOS expression is more pronounced in leiomyoma compared to parental myometrium, we hypothesized that the mechanism(s) of tumor shrinkage by GnRHa may be due to decreased nitric oxide (NO) production in leiomyoma. Methods: Eleven patients with leiomyoma were operated for myoma enucleation by laparatomy. Six of them were treated with GnRHa every 28 days, three times before the operation. The remaining five patients who had no treatment prior to operation formed the control group. Blood was drawn from the patients before treatment and on the day of operation for the assay of serum estradiol (E2). Immunohistochemical localization of eNOS expression in leiomyoma and myometrium in treated patients, and in leiomyoma in the control group, was performed using monoclonal antibodies specific to eNOS. Results: All treated subjects showed a significant reduction of fibroid volume at the end of therapy. eNOS‐positive cells were localized primarily within the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells, but had weak expression in fibroid and myometrial muscle cells in the treated group. The immunoreactivity was similar for both the leiomyoma and myometrium (P>0.05). In contrast to this, the control group had shown strong expression in leiomyoma muscle cells (P<0.005) in addition to the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells. Conclusion: GnRHa‐induced tumor shrinkage should be due to diminished eNOS expression, most probably by lowering estrogen secretion.
Cytokine regulation of cartilage‐derived retinoic acid‐sensitive protein (CD‐RAP) in primary articular chondrocytes: suppression by IL‐1, bfGF, TGFβ and stimulation by IGF‐1
Authors: Kondo Seiji , Cha Steven H. , Xie Wei‐Fen , Sandell Linda J. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractCartilage‐derived retinoic acid‐sensitive protein (CD‐RAP) is a secreted protein identified in our laboratory by RT‐PCR and differential display [U.H. Dietz, L.J. Sandell. Cloning of a retinoic acid‐sensitive mDNA expressed in cartilage and during chondrogenesis. J. Biol. Chem. 271 (1996) 3311–3316]. It is synthesized by chondrocytes throughout development and down‐regulated by retinoic acid in coordination with type II collagen gene expression. To further explore the regulation CD‐RAP in primary articular chondrocytes, we examined effects of selected cytokines on CD‐RAP gene expression compared to their effects on type II collagen expression. Northern blot analysis showed that expression of CD‐RAP mRNA was suppressed by bFGF, IL‐1β and retinoic acid in coordination with type II collagen mRNA. TGF‐β decreased CD‐RAP expression while increasing type II collagen mRNA whereas both mRNAs were up‐regulated by IGF‐1. In chondrocytes dedifferentiated with retinoic acid, IGF‐1 induced re‐expression of both CD‐RAP and type II collagen mRNAs. The mechanism of stimulation of CD‐RAP by IGF‐1 was further investigated. An mRNA stability assay revealed that IGF‐1 had no effect on CD‐RAP or type II collagen mRNA half life, suggesting that the enhancement by IGF‐1 is due to increased gene transcription. To study the transcriptional mechanism, we used the 5′‐flanking region of the CD‐RAP gene fused to a promoter‐less reporter plasmid encoding luciferase. Deletion analysis of the CD‐RAP promoter indicated that an IGF‐1‐responsive element is present between nucleotides –475 and –458. These data indicate that CD‐RAP expression can be regulated by cytokines known to influence chondrocyte metabolism and that IGF‐1 up‐regulates CD‐RAP gene expression through a transcriptional mechanism. © 2001 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Simple and reliable method to simultaneously determine urinary 1- and 2-naphthol using in situ derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for biological monitoring of naphthalene exposure in occupational health practice
Authors: Takeuchi Akito , Nakamura Sadao , Namera Akira , Kondo Tomoaki , Onuki Hiroyuki , Yamamoto Shinobu , Okamura Shingo , Nishinoiri Osamu , Endo Yoko , Miyauchi Hiroyuki , Endo Ginji 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simple and reliable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method to simultaneously determine urinary 1-naphthol (1-NAP) and 2-naphthol (2-NAP) for biological monitoring of occupational exposure to naphthalene.

Methods
NAPs were derivatized in situ with acetic anhydride after enzymatic hydrolysis, extracted with n-hexane, and analyzed using GC-MS. Validation of the proposed method was conducted in accordance with US Food and Drug Administration guidance. A final validation was performed by analyzing a ClinChek®-Control for phenolic compounds.

Results
The linearity of calibration curves was indicated by a high correlation coefficient (&gt;0.999) in the concentration range 1-100 μg/L for each NAP. The limits of detection and quantification for each NAP were 0.30 and 1.00 μg/L, respectively. The recovery was 90.8%-98.1%. The intraday and interday accuracies, expressed as the deviation from the nominal value, were 92.2%-99.9% and 93.4%-99.9%, respectively. The intraday and interday precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation, was 0.3%-3.9% and 0.4%-4.1%, respectively. The ClinChek® values obtained using our method were sufficiently accurate.

Conclusions
The proposed method is simple, reliable, and appropriate for routine analyses, and is useful for biological monitoring of naphthalene exposure in occupational health practice.
Surgical management of adenocarcinoma of the transverse colon: What should be the extent of resection?
Authors: Roy Manas K. , Pipara Amrit , Kumar Ashok 
Published: July 2020

AbstractTransverse colon, owing its origin to midgut and hindgut and harbouring a flexure at both ends, continues to pose a surgical challenge. When compared to the rest of the colon, transverse colon adenocarcinoma is relatively uncommon. These cancers usually present late and lie in close proximity to the stomach, omentum, and pancreas. Adequate lymphadenectomy entails dissection around and ligation of the middle colic vessels. Hence, resectional surgery for transverse colon carcinoma is considered difficult. This is more so because of the variation of arterial and venous anatomy. From this perspective, the surgeon is tempted to perform a more radical operation like extended right or left hemicolectomy to secure an adequate lymphadenectomy. Such a cancer has also been dealt with a more limited transverse colectomy with colo‐colic anastomosis. For all these reasons, patients with transverse colon adenocarcinoma were excluded from randomised trials which compared laparoscopic resection with traditional open operation. Surgical literature is yet to establish a definite operation for transverse colon cancer and the exact procedure is often dictated by surgeon's preference. This is primarily because this is an uncommon cancer. The rapid adoption of laparoscopic operation favoured extended colectomy as transverse colectomy can be difficult by minimally invasive technique. However, in the recent past, cohort studies and meta‐analyses have shown equivalent oncological outcome between transverse colectomy and extended colectomy. It is time to resurrect transverse colectomy and consider it equivalent to its radical counterpart for cancers around the mid‐transverse colon.
Low‐dose and long‐term azithromycin significantly decreases Staphylococcus aureus in the microbiome of refractory CRS patients
Authors: Renteria Axel E. , Maniakas Anastasios , Mfuna Leandra Endam , Asmar Marc‐Henri , Gonzalez Emmanuel , Desrosiers Martin 
Published: July 2020

BackgroundThe sinonasal microbiome is believed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of refractory chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We evaluated changes in the microbiome following a 4‐month course of low‐dose azithromycin. Assessing microbiome alterations following such a treatment may help identify underlying mechanisms of this drug.MethodsA total of 48 adults with refractory CRS were enrolled in a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial. Patients were randomized to 250 mg of azithromycin or placebo 3 times weekly for 4 months. During this time, daily budesonide saline irrigations were continued. Sinonasal swabs were collected by endoscopically‐assisted method prior to treatment initiation and at the end of it, and sent for 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. High‐resolution ANCHOR pipeline was used to infer and annotate putative species. The 2 patient groups were compared using DESeq2 differential abundance analysis.ResultsFrom initiation to the end of azithromycin treatment, patients showed a significant difference in beta diversity analysis (p = 0.0004) along with a significant decrease in 71 different operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of Staphylococcus aureus (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05) obtained from the differential abundance analysis. This was not observed in placebo‐treated patients. By the end of treatments, azithromycin‐treated patients had a significant decrease in 29 different OTUs of S. aureus (FDR < 0.05) when compared to placebo.ConclusionA 4‐month course of 250 mg of azithromycin 3 times weekly in patients with refractory CRS significantly decreases S. aureus abundance in the sinonasal microbiome. Considering the pathogenic role of S. aureus in the refractory CRS population, azithromycin may constitute an additional therapeutic option to help control this disease.
Anillin: The First Proofreading‐like Scaffold?
Authors: Morris Richard G. , Husain Kabir B. , Budnar Srikanth , Yap Alpha S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractScaffolds are fundamental to many cellular signaling pathways. In this essay, a novel class of scaffolds are proposed, whose action bears striking resemblance to kinetic proofreading. Commonly, scaffold proteins are thought to work as tethers, bringing different components of a pathway together to improve the likelihood of their interaction. However, recent studies show that the cytoskeletal scaffold, anillin, supports contractile signaling by a novel, non‐tethering mechanism that controls the membrane dissociation kinetics of RhoA. More generally, such proof‐reading‐like scaffolds are distinguished from tethers by a rare type of cooperativity, manifest as a super‐linear relationship between scaffold concentration and signaling efficiency. The evidence for this hypothesis is reviewed, its conceptual ramifications are considered, and research questions for the future are discussed.
The history of the term pudendum: Opening the discussion on anatomical sex inequality
Authors: Draper Allison 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe anatomical terminology for the female external genitalia, “pudendum,” was removed from the second edition of the Terminologia Anatomica (2019) in response to opposition of the Latin root of the word (pudēre meaning “to be ashamed”). This recent revision provides an opportunity to discuss sex inequality within the history of anatomy. This viewpoint article compares the evolution of modern anatomical terminology toward clarity and precision to the stagnant non‐descriptive naming of the “pudendum” to illuminate a long timeline of the societal misperception of women. Claudius Galen (129–216 BC) used the Greek αιδοίον/aidoion (from αἰδώς/aidos meaning shame, respect, or modesty) to describe both the male and female external genitalia, as he believed that men and women were isomorphic, the difference lying only in the positioning of the reproductive organs. Galen, however, was not always impartial in his comparisons, repeatedly describing the female as inferior to the male. Andreas Vesalius (1543), whose illustrations greatly influenced the study of anatomy, later drew the female genitalia as Galen described them, as internal equivalents of male genitalia, codifying female shame within anatomical terminology. While renaming “pudendum” is a noble step in support of women, changing one word will not undo generations of implicit bias and institutional oppression. We can, however, work to create culturally and psychosocially competent future physicians through the integrative study of sex and gender issues and anatomy. Through an understanding of historical context, physicians can refocus their actions on providing care in a way that leaves the patient feeling proud, not ashamed.
Wide distribution of central myelin segment along the facial nerve might explain hemifacial spasm with distal nerve compression
Authors: Nomura Kei , Ryu Hiroshi , Ohno Koji , Sato Kohji 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIntroductionMany researchers have assumed that neurovascular compression of the facial nerve at the site covered by central myelin sheath causes hemifacial spasm. However, some cases do not correspond to this hypothesis. The aim of this study was to clarify the myelin histology in the facial nerve.Materials and MethodsHistological analyses were conducted on 134 facial nerves from 67 cadavers. Three dimensions were measured in these sections: the length from the upper border of the medullopontine sulcus to the boundary between the central and peripheral myelin sheath along the anterior side; the length from the detachment point of the brain stem to the boundary along the posterior side; and the length of the transitional zone (TZ), known as the Obersteiner–Redlich zone.ResultsOf the 134 facial nerves, 41 were available for study. The length of the central myelin segment ranged from 4.62 to 12.6 mm (mean 8.06 mm; median 7.98 mm) along the anterior side and from 0.00 to 4.58 mm (mean 1.68 mm; median 1.42 mm) along the posterior side of the facial nerve, and the length of the TZ ranged from 0.00 to 2.76 mm (mean 1.51 mm; median 1.42 mm).ConclusionsIn this study, the length of the central myelin segment in the facial nerve was found to be longer than that previously reported.
Unconventional Biocatalytic Approaches to the Synthesis of Chiral Sulfoxides
Authors: Anselmi Silvia , Aggarwal Nandini , Moody Thomas S. , Castagnolo Daniele 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSulfoxides are a class of organic compounds that find wide application in medicinal and organic chemistry. Several biocatalytic approaches have been developed to synthesise enantioenriched sulfoxides, mainly by exploiting oxidative enzymes. Recently, the use of reductive enzymes such as Msr and Dms has emerged as a new, alternative method to obtain enantiopure sulfoxides from racemic mixtures. In parallel, novel oxidative approaches, employing nonclassical solvents such as ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), have been developed as greener and more sustainable biocatalytic synthetic pathways. This minireview aims highlights the recent advances made in the biocatalytic synthesis of enantioenriched sulfoxides by employing such unconventional approaches.
Codeployment of a percutaneous edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair device and a ventriculoseptal defect occluder device to address complex mitral regurgitation with leaflet perforation
Authors: Addis Dylan R. , Law Mark , von Mering Gregory , Ahmed Mustafa 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAn 80‐year‐old male with severe, complex mitral regurgitation (MR) after recent transcatheter aortic valve replacement presented in heart failure for percutaneous mitral valve repair and possible tricuspid valve repair. Transesopheageal echocardiography (TEE) demonstrated mixed Carpentier Types 1 and 2 components with annular dilation, two leaflet perforations, and excessive leaflet motion (P2 flail). There were three distinct MR jets appreciated reflecting a central coaptation defect and two posterior mitral valve leaflet perforations emanating from a cystic dilatation. Under TEE guidance transseptal puncture and percutaneous edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair was performed with a MitraClip XTR device (Abbott, IL). A 10 mm Amplatzer Muscular VSD Occluder (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL) was deployed to close one of the perforations on the posterior leaflet with a significant reduction in MR severity. Attempts at crossing the remaining defect were unsuccessful and the procedure was concluded. The patient recovered uneventfully and transthoracic echocardiography on postoperative day (POD) 1 and again on POD 34 demonstrated normal systolic dominance on pulmonary venous Doppler interrogation, mild to moderate MR, and a mean transvalvular gradient of 5 mmHg. Both devices appeared firmly attached and stable. This is the first documented use of a VSD occluder device in this clinical scenario. Management of complex MR with an approach combining edge‐to‐edge repair for a central coaptation defect and leaflet flail with codeployment of a VSD occluder device to address a perforated leaflet is feasible and can achieve durable results.
Conformational Analysis of Acyclic α‐Fluoro Sulfur Motifs
Authors: Erdeljac Nathalie , Mück‐Lichtenfeld Christian , Daniliuc Constantin G. , Gilmour Ryan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBioactive small molecules containing α‐fluoro sulfur motifs [RS(O)nCH2F] are appearing with increasing frequency in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors. Prominent examples include the anti‐asthma drug Flovent® and the phenylpyrazole insecticide pyrafluprole. Given the popularity of these structural units in bioactive small molecule design, together with the varying oxidation states of sulfur, a conformational analysis of α‐fluoro sulfides, sulfoxides, and sulfones, would be instructive in order to delineate the non‐covalent interactions that manifest themselves in structure. A combined crystallographic and computational analysis demonstrates the importance of hyperconjugative donor‐acceptor interactions in achieving acyclic conformational control. The conformational disparity in the syn‐ and anti‐diastereoisomers of α‐fluorosulfoxides is particularly noteworthy.
Dictyostelium myosin 1F and myosin 1E inhibit actin waves in a lipid‐binding‐dependent and motor‐independent manner
Authors: Brzeska Hanna , Bagnoli Michael , Korn Edward D. , Titus Margaret A. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractActin waves are F‐actin‐rich entities traveling on the ventral plasma membrane by the treadmilling mechanism. Actin waves were first discovered and are best characterized in Dictyostelium. Class I myosins are unconventional monomeric myosins that bind lipids through their tails. Dictyostelium has seven class I myosins, six of these have tails (Myo1A‐F) while one has a very short tail (Myo1K), and three of them (Myo1D, Myo1E and Myo1F) bind PIP3 with high affinity. Localization of five Dictyostelium Class I myosins synchronizes with localization and propagation of actin waves. Myo1B and Myo1C colocalize with actin in actin waves, whereas Myo1D, E and F localize to the PIP3‐rich region surrounded by actin waves. Here, we studied the effect of overexpression of the three PIP3 specific Class I myosins on actin waves. We found that ectopic expression of the short‐tail Myo1F inhibits wave formation, short‐tail Myo1E has similar but weaker inhibitory effect, but long‐tail Myo1D does not affect waves. A study of Myo1F mutants shows that its membrane‐binding site is absolutely required for wave inhibition, but the head portion is not. The results suggest that PIP3 specificity and the presence of two membrane‐binding sites are required for inhibition of actin waves, and that inhibition may be caused by crosslinking of PIP3 heads groups.
Distance‐Dependent Electron Transfer Kinetics in Axially Connected Silicon Phthalocyanine‐Fullerene Conjugates
Authors: Martín‐Gomis Luis , Seetharaman Sairaman , Herrero David , Karr Paul A. , Fernández‐Lázaro Fernando , D'Souza Francis , Sastre‐Santos Ángela 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe effect of donor‐acceptor distance in controlling the rate of electron transfer in axially linked silicon phthalocyanine‐C60 dyads has been investigated. For this, two C60‐SiPc‐C60 dyads, 1 and 2, varying in their donor‐acceptor distance, have been newly synthesized and characterized. In the case of C60‐SiPc‐C60 1 where the SiPc and C60 are separated by a phenyl spacer, faster electron transfer was observed with kcs equal to 2.7×109 s−1 in benzonitrile. However, in the case of C60‐SiPc‐C60 2, where SiPc and C60 are separated by a biphenyl spacer, a slower electron transfer rate constant, kcs=9.1×108 s−1, was recorded. The addition of an extra phenyl spacer in 2 increased the donor‐acceptor distance by ∼4.3 Å, and consequently, slowed down the electron transfer rate constant by a factor of ∼3.7. The charge separated state lasted over 3 ns, monitoring time window of our femtosecond transient spectrometer. Complimentary nanosecond transient absorption studies revealed formation of 3SiPc* as the end product and suggested the final lifetime of the charge separated state to be in the 3–20 ns range. Energy level diagrams established to comprehend these mechanistic details indicated that the comparatively high‐energy SiPc.+‐C60.− charge separated states (1.57 eV) populated the low‐lying 3SiPc* (1.26 eV) prior returning to the ground state.
Status and Potential of Single‐Cell Transcriptomics for Understanding Plant Development and Functional Biology
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad Munir , Hurgobin Bhavna , Holme Andrea Lisa , Appels Rudi , Kaur Parwinder 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe advent of modern “omics” technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) are attributed to innovative breakthroughs in genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and analytic tools. An organism's biological structure and function is the result of the concerted action of single cells in different tissues. Single cell genomics has emerged as a ground‐breaking technology that has greatly enhanced our understanding of the complexity of gene expression at a microscopic resolution and holds the potential to revolutionize the way we characterize complex cell assemblies and study their spatial organization, dynamics, clonal distribution, pathways, function, and networking. Mammalian systems have benefitted immensely from these approaches to dissect complex systems such as cancer, immunological disorders, epigenetic controls of diseases, and understanding of developmental biology. However, the applications of single‐cell omics in plant research are just starting. The potential to decipher the fundamentals of developmental and functional biology of large and complex plant species at the single‐cell resolution are now becoming important drivers of research. In this review, we present the status, challenges and potential of one important and most commonly used single‐cell omics technique in plants, namely single cell transcriptomics. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry