bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploiting immune-dependent effects of microtubule-targeting agents to improve efficacy and tolerability of cancer treatment
Authors: Serpico Angela Flavia , Visconti Roberta , Grieco Domenico 
Published: May 2020

AbstractMicrotubule-targeting agents (MTAs), like taxanes and vinca alkaloids, are tubulin-binding drugs that are very effective in the treatment of various types of cancers. In cell cultures, these drugs appear to affect assembly of the mitotic spindle and to delay progression through mitosis and this correlates with their ability to induce cell death. Their clinical efficacy is, however, limited by resistance and toxicity. For these reasons, other spindle-targeting drugs, affecting proteins such as certain kinesins like Eg5 and CENP-E, or kinases like Plk1, Aurora A and B, have been developed as an alternative to MTAs. However, these attempts have disappointed in the clinic since these drugs show poor anticancer activity and toxicity ahead of positive effects. In addition, whether efficacy of MTAs in cancer treatment is solely due to their ability to delay mitosis progression remains controversial. Here we discuss recent findings indicating that the taxane paclitaxel can promote a proinflammatory response by activation of innate immunity. We further describe how this can help adaptive antitumor immune response and suggest, on this basis and on the recent success of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment, that a combination therapy based on low doses of taxanes and immune checkpoint inhibitors may be of high clinical advantage in terms of wide applicability, reduced toxicity, and increased antitumor response.
Intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone implant injections as primary treatment of diabetic macular edema: simultaneously double protocol
Authors: Kaya Mahmut , Kocak Nilufer , Ozturk Taylan , Bolluk Volkan , Ayhan Ziya , Kaynak Suleyman 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Purpose
To assess the 12-month efficacy and safety of simultaneously administered intravitreal dexamethasone implant (DEX implant) and ranibizumab (simultaneous double protocol) injections in comparison with ranibizumab monotherapy as the first-line treatment of diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

Methods
Prospective, consecutive, clinical interventional study. Patients were randomized into two groups: 24 naive DMO patients (34 eyes) who received simultaneous double-protocol therapy and 22 DMO patients (34 eyes) who received ranibizumab monotherapy were included. Monthly ranibizumab (0.5 mg) was administered for the first 6 months and later on, an as-needed treatment basis. DEX implant injection was performed at any time during the loading dose of the three consecutive monthly injections of ranibizumab, and with as-needed reinjections of ranibizumab from 6th month onwards. Change in visual acuity was the primary efficacy endpoint. Secondary efficacy endpoints were a gain of ≥15 letters and a change in the central foveal thickness.

Results
Mean BCVA increased from baseline to month 12 in the simultaneously double-protocol therapy group compared with the ranibizumab monotherapy group (21.6 versus 9.6 letters [P < 0.001]). The corresponding proportions of eyes gaining ≥15 letters were 60% versus 29.4% (P < 0.0001). Moreover, the mean reductions in the central foveal thickness were 413 versus 282 µm (P = 0.001). At 12 month, the simultaneous double-protocol therapy decreased a significant number of foveal cysts and subfoveal neuroretinal detachment compared with those by ranibizumab monotherapy.

Conclusions
The simultaneous addition of DEX implant at any time during the three monthly loading doses of ranibizumab in patients with DMO significantly improved the visual outcomes and revealed superior anatomic outcomes than those with the ranibizumab monotherapy.
Mutations in CERKL and RP1 cause retinitis pigmentosa in Pakistani families
Authors: Nadeem Raheela , Kabir Firoz , Li Jiali , Gradstein Libe , Jiao Xiaodong , Rauf Bushra , Naeem Muhammad Asif , Assir Muhammad Zaman , Riazuddin Sheikh , Ayyagari Radha , Hejtmancik J. Fielding , Riazuddin S. Amer 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThis study was conducted to identify the genetic basis of retinal dystrophies in consanguineous Pakistani families. We recruited two families with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) displaying visual difficulties, including nyctalopia and constricted visual fields. Linkage analysis and Sanger sequencing resulted in the identification of a previously reported nonsense mutation, c.847C > T, in exon 5 of CERKL in one family and a novel four-base pair deletion in exon 4 of RP1, c.delAGAA4218_4221, leading to premature protein termination in the second family. Here, we report two RP-causing mutations extending the genetic heterogeneity of the disease.
GaitRec, a large-scale ground reaction force dataset of healthy and impaired gait
Authors: Horsak Brian , Slijepcevic Djordje , Raberger Anna-Maria , Schwab Caterine , Worisch Marianne , Zeppelzauer Matthias 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe quantification of ground reaction forces (GRF) is a standard tool for clinicians to quantify and analyze human locomotion. Such recordings produce a vast amount of complex data and variables which are difficult to comprehend. This makes data interpretation challenging. Machine learning approaches seem to be promising tools to support clinicians in identifying and categorizing specific gait patterns. However, the quality of such approaches strongly depends on the amount of available annotated data to train the underlying models. Therefore, we present GaitRec, a comprehensive and completely annotated large-scale dataset containing bi-lateral GRF walking trials of 2,084 patients with various musculoskeletal impairments and data from 211 healthy controls. The dataset comprises data of patients after joint replacement, fractures, ligament ruptures, and related disorders at the hip, knee, ankle or calcaneus during their entire stay(s) at a rehabilitation center. The data sum up to a total of 75,732 bi-lateral walking trials and enable researchers to classify gait patterns at a large-scale as well as to analyze the entire recovery process of patients.
NMR insights into the pre-amyloid ensemble and secretion targeting of the curli subunit CsgA
Authors: Sewell Lee , Stylianou Fisentzos , Xu Yingqi , Taylor Jonathan , Sefer Lea , Matthews Steve 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe biofilms of Enterobacteriaceae are fortified by assembly of curli amyloid fibres on the cell surface. Curli not only provides structural reinforcement, but also facilitates surface adhesion. To prevent toxic intracellular accumulation of amyloid precipitate, secretion of the major curli subunit, CsgA, is tightly regulated. In this work, we have employed solution state NMR spectroscopy to characterise the structural ensemble of the pre-fibrillar state of CsgA within the bacterial periplasm, and upon recruitment to the curli pore, CsgG, and the secretion chaperone, CsgE. We show that the N-terminal targeting sequence (N) of CsgA binds specifically to CsgG and that its subsequent sequestration induces a marked transition in the conformational ensemble, which is coupled to a preference for CsgE binding. These observations lead us to suggest a sequential model for binding and structural rearrangement of CsgA at the periplasmic face of the secretion machinery.
Spatial Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Dissolved Trace Elements in Groundwater in southern China
Authors: Gu Congke , Zhang Yan , Peng Yu , Leng Peifang , Zhu Nong , Qiao Yunfeng , Li Zhao , Li Fadong 
Published: May 2020

AbstractTo understand the groundwater environmental quality and the impact of trace elements in the construction of urban agglomeration in China, this study collected 58 groundwater samples from the core area of the Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration (Changsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan) and quantitatively analyzed the content of 13 dissolved trace element and their spatial distribution characteristics. The health risk assessment model was further used to evaluate the human health risk caused by trace element pollution in groundwater. It was observed that Ba had the highest average concentration (0.28 mg·L−1), whereas Cd had the lowest (2.1 × 10−5 mg·L−1). Compared with China’s groundwater environmental quality standard, the exceeding rates of Se, Mn, Zn, and Ni concentrations were 37.93%, 17.24%, 1.72% and 1.72%, respectively. Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, and Pb did not exceed the corresponding standards. The 13 trace elements were distributed in a scattered pattern in space and the trace elements in both banks of the Xiang River, Zhuzhou, Weishui River and surrounding areas were relatively high. Health risk assessments showed that the carcinogenic risk values of Cd, Cr, and Pb and the health risk values of 10 non-carcinogenic elements were less than the corresponding maximum acceptable risk level. The health risks associated with non-carcinogenic substances through ingestion were higher than those associated with dermal absorption. Among the non-carcinogenic substances, Ba and Mn posed the greatest health risks. With respect to drinking water exposure, Cr had the highest carcinogenic risk, followed by Pb. Furthermore, Cd had the lowest carcinogenic risk. This study recommended that continuous monitoring of Ba, Mn, and Cr in groundwater should be practiced by assessing the risk of these elements in the Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration.
Interhemispheric symmetry of µ-rhythm phase-dependency of corticospinal excitability
Authors: Stefanou Maria-Ioanna , Galevska Dragana , Zrenner Christoph , Ziemann Ulf , Nieminen Jaakko O. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOscillatory activity in the µ-frequency band (8–13 Hz) determines excitability in sensorimotor cortex. In humans, the primary motor cortex (M1) in the two hemispheres shows significant anatomical, connectional, and electrophysiological differences associated with motor dominance. It is currently unclear whether the µ-oscillation phase effects on corticospinal excitability demonstrated previously for the motor-dominant M1 are also different between motor-dominant and motor-non-dominant M1 or, alternatively, are similar to reflect a ubiquitous physiological trait of the motor system at rest. Here, we applied single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to the hand representations of the motor-dominant and the motor-non-dominant M1 of 51 healthy right-handed volunteers when electroencephalography indicated a certain µ-oscillation phase (positive peak, negative peak, or random). We determined resting motor threshold (RMT) as a marker of corticospinal excitability in the three µ-phase conditions. RMT differed significantly depending on the pre-stimulus phase of the µ-oscillation in both M1, with highest RMT in the positive-peak condition, and lowest RMT in the negative-peak condition. µ-phase-dependency of RMT correlated directly between the two M1, and interhemispheric differences in µ-phase-dependency were absent. In conclusion, µ-phase-dependency of corticospinal excitability appears to be a ubiquitous physiological trait of the motor system at rest, without hemispheric dominance.
Experimental taphonomy of fish - role of elevated pressure, salinity and pH
Authors: Gäb Fabian , Ballhaus Chris , Stinnesbeck Eva , Kral Anna Gabriele , Janssen Kathrin , Bierbaum Gabriele 
Published: May 2020

AbstractExperiments are reported to reconstruct the taphonomic pathways of fish toward fossilisation. Acrylic glass autoclaves were designed that allow experiments to be carried out at elevated pressure up to 11 bar, corresponding to water depths of 110 m. Parameters controlled or monitored during decay reactions are pressure, salinity, proton activities (pH), electrochemical potentials (Eh), and bacterial populations. The most effective environmental parameters to delay or prevent putrefaction before a fish carcass is embedded in sediment are (1) a hydrostatic pressure in the water column high enough that a fish carcass may sink to the bottom sediment, (2) hypersaline conditions well above seawater salinity, and (3) a high pH to suppress the reproduction rate of bacteria. Anoxia, commonly assumed to be the key parameter for excellent preservation, is important in keeping the bottom sediment clear of scavengers but it does not seem to slow down or prevent putrefaction. We apply our results to the world-famous Konservat-Lagerstätten Eichstätt-Solnhofen, Green River, and Messel where fish are prominent fossils, and reconstruct from the sedimentary records the environmental conditions that may have promoted preservation. For Eichstätt-Solnhofen an essential factor may have been hypersaline conditions. Waters of the Green River lakes were at times highly alkaline and hypersaline because the lake stratigraphy includes horizons rich in sodium carbonate and halite. In the Messel lake sediments some fossiliferous horizons are rich in FeCO3 siderite, a mineral indicating highly reduced conditions and a high pH.
A comprehensive study to the assessment of Arrhenius activation energy and binary chemical reaction in swirling flow
Authors: Khan Noor Saeed , Shah Zahir , Shutaywi Meshal , Kumam Poom , Thounthong Phatiphat 
Published: May 2020

AbstractNanotechnology research has a huge impact upon biomedicine and at the forefront of this area are micro and nano devices that use active/controlled motion. In this connection, it is focus to investigate steady three dimensional rotating flow with heat and mass transfer incorporating gyrotactic microorganisms. Buongiorno’s nanofluid formulation is followed for thermophoresis and Brownian motion, porous space, Arrhenius activation energy and binary chemical reaction with some other effects. An enhanced analytical method is applied to solve the nondimensional equations. The non-dimensional parameters effects on the fields of velocity, temperature, nanoparticles concentration and gyrotactic microorganisms concentration are shown graphically. Velocity decreases while temperature and nanoparticles concentration increase with magnetic field strength. Gyrotatic microorganisms motion becomes slow with rotation parameter. Due to rotation, the present problem can be applied in microbial fuel cells, food processing, microbiology, biotechnology and environmental sciences, electric power generating and turbine systems, computer disk drives, mass spectromentries and jet motors.
The usefulness of the Deep Learning method of variational autoencoder to reduce measurement noise in glaucomatous visual fields
Authors: Asaoka Ryo , Murata Hiroshi , Asano Shotaro , Matsuura Masato , Fujino Yuri , Miki Atsuya , Tanito Masaki , Mizoue Shiro , Mori Kazuhiko , Suzuki Katsuyoshi , Yamashita Takehiro , Kashiwagi Kenji , Shoji Nobuyuki 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate the usefulness of processing visual field (VF) using a variational autoencoder (VAE). The training data consisted of 82,433 VFs from 16,836 eyes. Testing dataset 1 consisted of test-retest VFs from 104 eyes with open angle glaucoma. Testing dataset 2 was series of 10 VFs from 638 eyes with open angle glaucoma. A VAE model to reconstruct VF was developed using the training dataset. VFs in the testing dataset 1 were then reconstructed using the trained VAE and the mean total deviation (mTD) was calculated (mTDVAE). In testing dataset 2, the mTD value of the tenth VF was predicted using shorter series of VFs. A similar calculation was carried out using a weighted linear regression where the weights were equal to the absolute difference between mTD and mTDVAE. In testing dataset 1, there was a significant relationship between the difference between mTD and mTDVAE from the first VF and the difference between mTD in the first and second VFs. In testing dataset 2, mean squared prediction errors with the weighted mTD trend analysis were significantly smaller than those form the unweighted mTD trend analysis.
Influence of local industrial changes on reef coral calcification
Authors: Ito Saori , Watanabe Tsuyoshi , Yano Megumi , Watanabe Takaaki K. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractCoral reefs are currently facing multiple disturbances caused by natural/anthropogenic factors. Recent industrial development might influence reef environments and ecosystems; however, few direct comparisons of coral calcification with the histories of local industries exist. We show the coral Ba/Ca record and growth histories for 46 years collected from Sumiyo Bay, Amami-Oshima Island, Japan. Coral Ba/Ca was mainly controlled by the sediment loads in seawater, which are introduced through the two local rivers. Coral Ba/Ca records have been characterized by two distinct historical periods: the decadal fluctuation corresponding to the traditional silk fabric industry (1960s ~ 1995) and the increasing trend corresponding to the development of quarries and the construction industry (1996 ~). Coral Ba/Ca records and local industrial histories were also linked to coral calcification. A long-term quantitative assessment of reef environments and local industrial changes could provide an evaluation of the survival strategies of reef-building corals in the future.
Dynamic activity of human brain task-specific networks
Authors: Huang Jie 
Published: May 2020

AbstractA simple motor behaviour or a more complex behaviour is the result of the neural activity of those neural networks responsible for the behaviour. To understand how the network activity is transformed into human behaviours, it is necessary to identify task-specific networks and analyse the dynamic network activity that changes with time. Here we report a novel task-fMRI technique to identify task-specific networks and analyse their dynamic activity. Nine subjects participated in a task-fMRI study in which the subjects were cued to perform three different tasks of word-reading, pattern-viewing and finger-tapping. A functional area of unitary pooled activity (FAUPA) is defined as an area in which the temporal variation of the activity is the same across the entire area, and a task-associated FAUPA plays the role of a functional unit for the task. A novel method is presented to (1) identify FAUPAs that are associated with each task as well as their functional groupings; (2) identify the three task-specific networks; and (3) analyse the network activity from trial to trial. Task-associated FAUPAs were identified for each task and each subject. A task-specific large-scale neural network across the whole brain consisted of all FAUPAs that were activated each time the task was performed, and all three task-specific networks were identified for each individual subject. The temporal changes of activation and functional connectivity of the FAUPAs within each network from trial to trial characterized the dynamic activity of the network. The results demonstrated a one-to-one relation between the network activity and the task performance from trial to trial, offering a means of testing the causal relationship between network activity and human task performance by systematically manipulating task performance and measuring corresponding network activity change.
Aggressive Behaviour of Drosophila suzukii in Relation to Environmental and Social Factors
Authors: Belenioti Maria , Chaniotakis Nikolaos 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAggression plays a crucial role in survival all across the animal kingdom. In this study, we investigate the aggressive behaviour of Drosophila suzukii, a known agricultural pest. Bioassays were performed between same sex pairs and the effect of environmental (food deprivation, sex, age and photophase) and social factors (non-social and social). Initially the inter-male and inter-female aggression was determined ethologically consisting of several behaviour patterns. Two hours starvation period increase locomotor activity of flies, promoting increased aggressive behaviour. Most of the behavioural patterns were common between males and females with a few sex-selective. Number of male encounters was higher in flies held in isolation than in those that had been reared with siblings whereas in case of females, only those that were isolated exhibited increased aggression. Females and males D. suzukii that were 4-day-old were more aggressive. In addition it is found that on the 3rd hour after the beginning of photophase, regardless of age, both males and females rise to high intensity aggression patterns.
Rice 3D chromatin structure correlates with sequence variation and meiotic recombination rate
Authors: Golicz Agnieszka A. , Bhalla Prem L. , Edwards David , Singh Mohan B. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractGenomes of many eukaryotic species have a defined three-dimensional architecture critical for cellular processes. They are partitioned into topologically associated domains (TADs), defined as regions of high chromatin inter-connectivity. While TADs are not a prominent feature ofA. thalianagenome organization, they have been reported for other plants including rice, maize, tomato and cotton and for which TAD formation appears to be linked to transcription and chromatin epigenetic status. Here we show that in the rice genome, sequence variation and meiotic recombination rate correlate with the 3D genome structure. TADs display increased SNP and SV density and higher recombination rate compared to inter-TAD regions. We associate the observed differences with the TAD epigenetic landscape, TE composition and an increased incidence of meiotic crossovers.
Omics-wide quantitative B-cell infiltration analyses identify GPR18 for human cancer prognosis with superiority over CD20
Authors: Liu Yuchen , Wang Li , Lo Kwok-Wai , Lui Vivian Wai Yan 
Published: May 2020

AbstractTumor-infiltrating B lymphocyte (TIL-B), and TIL-B-related biomarkers have clinical prognostic values for human cancers. CD20 (encoded by MS4A1) is a widely used TIL-B biomarker. Using TCGA-quantitative multiomics datasets, we first cross-compare prognostic powers of intratumoral CD20 protein, mRNA and TIL-B levels in pan-cancers. Here, we show that MS4A1 and TIL-B are consistently prognostic in 5 cancers (head and neck, lung, cervical, kidney and low-grade glioma), while unexpectedly, CD20 protein levels lack quantitative correlations with MS4A1/TIL-B levels and demonstrate limited prognosticity. Subsequent bioinformatics discovery for TIL-B prognostic gene identifies a single gene, GPR18 with stand-alone prognosticity across 9 cancers (superior over CD20), with further validations in multiple non-TCGA cohorts. GPR18's immune signature denotes major B-cell-T-cell interactions, with its intratumoral expression strongly tied to a “T-cell active”, likely cytolytic, status across human cancers, suggesting its functional link to cytolytic T-cell activity in cancer. GPR18 merits biological and clinical utility assessments over CD20.