bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lean regional muscle volume estimates using explanatory bioelectrical models in healthy subjects and patients with muscle wasting
Authors: Bachasson Damien , Ayaz Alper Carras , Mosso Jessie , Canal Aurélie , Boisserie Jean‐Marc , Araujo Ericky C.A. , Benveniste Olivier , Reyngoudt Harmen , Marty Benjamin , Carlier Pierre G. , Hogrel Jean‐Yves 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe availability of non‐invasive, accessible, and reliable methods for estimating regional skeletal muscle volume is paramount in conditions involving primary and/or secondary muscle wasting. This work aimed at (i) optimizing serial bioelectrical impedance analysis (SBIA) by computing a conductivity constant based on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and (ii) investigating the potential of SBIA for estimating lean regional thigh muscle volume in patients with severe muscle disorders.MethodsTwenty healthy participants with variable body mass index and 20 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies underwent quantitative MRI. Anatomical images and fat fraction maps were acquired in thighs. After manual muscle segmentation, lean thigh muscle volume (lVMRI) was computed. Subsequently, multifrequency (50 to 350 kHz) serial resistance profiles were acquired between current skin electrodes (i.e. ankle and hand) and voltage electrodes placed on the anterior thigh. In vivo values of the muscle electrical conductivity constant were computed using data from SBIA and MRI gathered in the right thigh of 10 healthy participants. Lean muscle volume (lVBIA) was derived from SBIA measurements using this newly computed constant. Between‐day reproducibility of lVBIA was studied in six healthy participants.ResultsElectrical conductivity constant values ranged from 0.82 S/m at 50 kHz to 1.16 S/m at 350 kHz. The absolute percentage difference between lVBIA and lVMRI was greater at frequencies >270 kHz (P < 0.0001). The standard error of measurement and the intra‐class correlation coefficient for lVBIA computed from measurements performed at 155 kHz (i.e. frequency with minimal difference) against lVMRI were 6.1% and 0.95 in healthy participants and 9.4% and 0.93 in patients, respectively. Between‐day reproducibility of lVBIA was as follows: standard error of measurement = 4.6% (95% confidence interval [3.2, 7.8] %), intra‐class correlation coefficient = 0.98 (95% confidence interval [0.95, 0.99]).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate a strong agreement of lean muscle volume estimated using SBIA against quantitative MRI in humans, including in patients with severe muscle wasting and fatty degeneration. SBIA shows promises for non‐invasive, fast, and accessible estimation and follow‐up of lean regional skeletal muscle volume for transversal and longitudinal studies.
Immune function changes of the IDPN‐induced Tourette syndrome rat model
Authors: Liu Xiumei , Wang Xueming , Cao Aihua , Zhang Xiaoling 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThere may be immunologic alternations during Tourette syndrome (TS) development. This study aimed to determine the immune function changes in different aspects (spleen or thymus index, plasma cytokines, and T cell) in an 3,3′‐iminodipropionitrile (IDPN)‐induced rat model of TS. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were assigned to control and TS groups. The control group received intraperitoneal infections of normal saline (5 ml kg−1 day−1), and the TS rats were injected with IDPN (150 mg kg−1 day−1). The spleen and thymus indices were calculated. The expression of anti‐inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, in peripheral blood were measured by ELISA and Western blotting. The proportion of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, Treg, Th1, and Th2 cells were determined by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis. After 1 week of IDPN treatment, TS rats had decreased spleen and thymus weights versus control. The plasma levels of IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐12, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α were significantly increased, while no significant difference in TGF‐β was found. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that TS rats had significantly reduced CD3+ and CD4+ cells in spleen, without any change in the proportion of CD8+ cells. Furthermore, the ratio of Treg cells (CD4+/CD25+/FoxP3+) was decreased in TS rats; simultaneously, Th1 cells (CD4+/IFN‐γ+) and Th2 cells (CD4+/IL4+) were dramatically increased. Together, IDPN can trigger immune dysfunction through impairment of matured Th cells, in particular for the Treg subset.
Synthesis of azide congeners of preQ1 as potential substrates for tRNA guanine transglycosylase
Authors: Brooks Allen F. , Garcia George A. , Showalter Hollis D. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPreQ1 (2) is a precursor of queuine (1) that in eubacteria is incorporated into transfer RNA (tRNA) by tRNA guanine transglycosylase (TGT) before being further elaborated into queuine. The queuine modification is unusual and occurs across all eukaryotes and eubacteria with few exceptions, but its function remains unclear. As the modified nucleotide occurs through incorporation of a specially synthesized nucleotide instead of via modification of a genetically encoded base, a study of the sites of modification by prepared probes is possible. We report the synthesis of two novel azide congeners (3,4) of preQ1 for this purpose. The evaluation of their interaction with TGT shows that both probes act as weak competitive inhibitors of guanine exchange of guanine(34) tRNATyr with a Ki of ~70 μM. However, we could not show that these are substrates for TGT‐catalyzed incorporation into tRNA. We believe the reason for this is a marked loss of binding due to the azide functionality of 3 and 4 abrogating the possibility of two hydrogen bonds to the carbonyl group of Leu231 and Met260 of TGT, previously observed for the terminal methylene amine of preQ1 by x‐ray crystallography.
Dominant modes of interannual variability in precipitation over the Hengduan Mountains during rainy seasons
Authors: Tao Weichen , Huang Gang , Dong Danhong , Wang Pengfei , Yu Ting , Gong Hainan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPresent study investigates the dominant modes of interannual variability in precipitation over the Hengduan Mountains (HM) during rainy seasons. The leading two empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes of HM precipitation explain 28.4 and 13.9% of the total variance, respectively. Positive EOF1 phase features enhanced precipitation anomalies over the southern HM, and a dipole structure with wet anomalies occupying large areas from the YunGui plateau to Tibetan Plateau is observed in positive EOF2 phase. Analysis of moisture budget and omega equation indicate the importance of leading EOF modes related circulation anomalies, which bring the horizontal warm advection to the HM, favouring the anomalous upward motions and precipitation increase there. For EOF1, the HM is controlled by an anomalous quasi‐barotropic cyclone. This cyclone is one part of a zonally oriented barotropic wave‐like pattern highly resembling the Silk Road pattern. Besides, the SST anomalies over the Indo‐Pacific sector are similar to the decaying phase of La Niña, which induces the wet anomalies and further triggers the anomalous lower‐level cyclone as a Rossby wave response. For EOF2, an anomalous cyclone appears over the Northeast Asia from lower to upper levels, and southerly wind anomalies prevail over the HM. The North Atlantic Oscillation and its coupled tripole SST pattern trigger a zonal wave‐like pattern at middle and high latitudes emanating from the Central Europe, across Mongolia to Northeast Asia. Moreover, the SST anomalies over the Indo‐Pacific sector resemble the developing phase of El Niño, which induces the meridional Pacific‐Japan/East Asia‐Pacific teleconnection from tropical NWP to Northeast Asia.
Two types of warm blobs in the Northeast Pacific and their potential effect on the El Niño
Authors: Chen Ziyan , Shi Jian , Li Chun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn recent years, the predominant marine heatwaves in Northeast Pacific, the so‐called warm blobs, have exerted substantial environmental and socioeconomic influences on North America and its coastal waters. We select the historical warm blob events from 1951 to 2018 and divide them into double‐peak and single‐peak categories by their seasonal evolutions. The heat budget analyses attribute the leading contributor of double‐peak warm blobs to the surface heat flux at the first wintertime maximum while the vertical entrainment and diffusion take responsibility for the second peak 5 months later. The positive net heat flux anomalies indicate less heat loss from ocean to the atmosphere due to an exceptionally anomalous high as the northern lobe of the North Pacific Oscillation and intensive easterly anomalies, which counteract with the climatological westerlies. For the single‐peak category, the vertical entrainment and diffusion primarily trigger the warm blob and also lead to its termination. Moreover, the single‐peak warm blob induces positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies near the Baja California and establishes the Pacific Meridional Mode as the oceanic bridge to convey its influence onto the tropics and trigger the following El Niño around 10 months after the peak. In addition, the subsurface processes, such as the trade wind charging mechanism, also play an essential part by bringing warmer water upwards to the surface and hence cause the positive SST anomalies in equatorial central‐eastern Pacific. However, the interim connection between the double‐peak warm blob and El Niño is not very clear although their intensities appear to be stronger.
Emerging electron microscopy and 3D methodologies to interrogate Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in murine models
Authors: de Mesy Bentley Karen L. , Galloway Chad A. , Muthukrishnan Gowrishankar , Echternacht Scott R. , Masters Elysia A. , Zeiter Stephan , Schwarz Edward M. , Leckenby Jonathan I. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractRecent breakthroughs in our understanding of orthopaedic infections have come from advances in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging of murine models of bone infection, most notably Staphylococcus aureus invasion and colonization of osteocyte‐lacuno canalicular networks of live cortical bone during the establishment of chronic osteomyelitis. To further elucidate this microbial pathogenesis and evaluate the mechanism of action of novel interventions, additional advances in TEM imaging are needed. Here we present detailed protocols for fixation, decalcification, and epoxy embedment of bone tissue for standard TEM imaging studies, as well as the application of immunoelectron microscopy to confirm S. aureus occupation within sub‐micron canaliculi. We also describe the first application of the novel Automated‐Tape‐UltraMicrotome system with three‐dimensional reconstruction and volumetric analyses to quantify S. aureus occupation within the osteocyte‐lacuno canalicular networks. Reconstruction of the three‐dimensional volume broadened our perspective of S. aureus colonization of the canalicular network and, surprisingly, revealed adjacent noninfected canaliculi. This observation has led us to hypothesize that viable osteocytes of the osteocyte‐lacuno canalicular networks respond and resist infection, opening future research directions to explain the paradox of adjacent uninfected canaliculi and life‐long deep bone infection in patients with chronic osteomyelitis.
A Pilot Study of a Moral Injury Group Intervention Co‐Facilitated by a Chaplain and Psychologist
Authors: Cenkner David P. , Yeomans Peter D. , Antal Chris J. , Scott J. Cobb 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMoral injury, an experience of betrayal or transgression of moral values, continues to receive attention because of its associations with psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder and suicidality. There is growing recognition that moral injury may require novel interventions that involve religious or spiritual paradigms. This pilot study presents feasibility data and exploratory outcomes for 40 veteran participants across seven cohorts who participated in a novel 12‐week moral injury group (MIG) over 35 months. The MIG was cofacilitated by a Veterans Affairs chaplain and psychologist and designed to reduce distress and improve functioning in individuals with histories of morally injurious experiences from military service. The intervention included a ceremony in which participants shared testimonies of their moral injury with the general public. Recruitment feasibility and retention were high, with participants completing an average of 9.45 (SD = 2.82) sessions of the 12‐week group, and 32 participants (80.0%) attending nine or more sessions and the community healing ceremony. Exploratory analyses revealed medium effect sizes, ω2 = 0.05–0.08, for reductions in depressive symptoms, improvements in psychological functioning, and self‐compassion after the intervention, with small effect sizes, ω2 = 0.03, in anticipated directions for personal growth and spiritual struggles. The results were not impacted by participant engagement in concurrent psychological treatments. Taken together, these findings support the feasibility of the MIG, the potential merit of an interdisciplinary approach to addressing moral injury, and justification for further research into the efficacy of this approach.
Sampling pore water at a centimeter resolution in sandy permeable sediments of lakes, streams, and coastal zones
Authors: Anschutz Pierre , Charbonnier Céline 
Published: December 2020

AbstractConcentration gradients in the solid fraction and pore water of modern sediments allow to identify benthic biogeochemical processes and the associated fluxes. Gradients are often obtained from layers sampled below the sediment–water interface from sediment cores. Numerous examples in the literature show results from cores collected in impermeable porous sediments, but very few from permeable sediment cores. Indeed, the acquisition of vertical profiles in sandy permeable sediments with a spatiotemporal resolution equivalent to that of muddy sediments is a challenge. We present here a simple protocol that allows sampling of sandy sediments and their interstitial waters with a vertical resolution of 1 cm. This method is suitable for shallow environments, such as intertidal zones, lakes, lagoons, and stream beds. The method is based on rapid conditioning of hand‐collected cores. The cores are pre‐cut lengthwise. Immediately after recovery, they are laid horizontally, opened, and sliced. Interstitial water is collected by centrifugation on site shortly after cutting the core with tubes equipped with a 0.2μm membrane. Optimally, 30 min is sufficient between core collection and conditioning of 12 sections of a 20‐cm long core. The examples shown indicate that the method is reproducible. Reduced dissolved compounds such as Fe(II), Mn(II), and NH4+show profiles without significant oxidation. At the time of core cutting, small volumes of pore water are seeping out of the core, but for sediments with a permeability of up to 10−10m2, this seepage does not disturb the shape of the pore‐water profiles.
Overexpression of chemokine receptor lymphotactin receptor 1 has prognostic value in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Chang Xian , Cao Ya , Fu Wan‐Lei , Tang Xue‐Feng , Wang Ya‐Li , Lv Yang‐Fan , Guo Qiao‐Nan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundClear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an aggressive subtype of renal cell carcinoma. X‐C motif chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1) exerts important roles in tumor progression; however, its role in ccRCC is unclear.MethodsWe utilized publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to assess the role of XCR1 in ccRCC and validated the results in 36 samples from patients with ccRCC who underwent curative resection in Xinqiao Hospital Chongqing. XCR1 overexpression was identified in ccRCC, which was confirmed by qRT‐PCR assay and immunohistochemical staining of ccRCC samples.ResultsFor the TCGA and clinical data, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that higher XCR1 expression in ccRCC was related to longer overall survival. Cox regression analysis suggested that XCR1 is an independent risk factor for ccRCC. GSEA analysis suggested that XCR1 is associated with the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. XCR1 knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly increased ccRCC cell proliferation and migration, and decreased cell apoptosis.ConclusionWe found higher XCR1 expression in ccRCC compared with that in normal tissues is related to longer overall survival in patients with ccRCC. XCR1 knockdown significantly increased RCC cells proliferation and migration, and decreased apoptosis. XCR1 might be used as a prognostic biomarker in ccRCC in the future.
Delivery of Acetate to the Peripheral Blood after Consumption of Foods High in Short‐Chain Fatty Acids
Authors: Gill Paul A. , Bogatyrev Alexander , van Zelm Menno C. , Gibson Peter R. , Muir Jane G. 
Published: December 2020

ScopeTo promote local and systemic benefits of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA), methods of increasing their delivery to the gastrointestinal tract are needed. SCFA in foods and beverages represents a poorly characterized source. Main aims of this study are: 1) quantify SCFA in commonly consumed foods and beverages, and 2) explore the pharmacokinetics of consuming oral SCFA from dietary sources.Methods and resultsGas‐chromatography coupled to flame ionization detection is used measure SCFA in 38 commonly consumed foods and beverages. Acetate is the most abundant SCFA detected, with kombucha and vinegar found to provide >1000 mg of acetate per serve. An acute pharmacokinetic study is conducted in 10 participants. Acetate is stable across the 2‐h sampling period after consumption of a control drink, with consumption of a vinegar drink containing 25 mmol acetate significantly increasing plasma acetate concentration after 60 min and increasing acetate delivery to the blood upon assessment of the area under the pharmacokinetic curve.ConclusionFermented foods and beverages are a natural source of dietary SCFA that acutely deliver SCFA to the blood. If systemic delivery is needed for immunological and metabolic effects to occur, these may be achieved if delivered over a longer period of time.
Enteral Medication for the Tube‐Fed Patient: Making This Route Safe and Effective
Authors: Boullata Joseph I. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe administration of medication through an enteral access device requires important forethought. Meeting a patient's therapeutic needs requires achieving expected drug bioavailability without increasing the risk for toxicity, therapeutic failure, or feeding tube occlusion. Superimposing gut dysfunction, critical illness, or enteral nutrition–drug interaction further increases the need for a systematic approach to prescribing, evaluating, and preparing a drug for administration through an enteral access device. This review will explain the fundamental factors involved in drug bioavailability through the gut, address the influencing considerations for the enterally fed patient, and describe best practices for enteral drug preparation and administration.
Unconditionally optimal error estimates of BDF2 Galerkin method for semilinear parabolic equation
Authors: Yang Huaijun , Shi Dongyang , Zhang Li‐Tao 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn this paper, a 2‐step backward differentiation formula (BDF2) Galerkin method is investigated for semilinear parabolic equation. More precisely, the second‐order time‐stepping scheme is used for time discretization and the piecewise linear continuous Galerkin method is employed for spatial discretization, respectively. Optimal error estimates in L2 and H1‐norms are obtained without any restriction on the time‐step size, while previous works always require certain conditions on time step‐size. The key to our analysis is to derive a uniform boundness of the numerical solution in energy norm so as to avoid the inverse inequality used in the usual convergence analysis of the finite element methods. Numerical experiments are carried out to confirm the theoretical analysis.
Significance of bioconvection in flow of Williamson nano‐material confined by a porous radioactive Riga surface with convective Nield constrains
Authors: Ahmad Iftikhar , Aziz Samaira , Ali Nasir , Khan Sami Ullah 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe improved thermal assessment of nano‐particles in presence of magnetic force, thermal radiation and activation energy involve dynamic applications in thermal engineering, industrial processes, and modern technologies. The bioconvection pattern in various nanoparticles attributes novel bio‐technology applications like bio‐fuels petroleum engineering, enzymes, bio‐sensors, and many more. On this end, present theoretical analysis endeavors to examine the thermal characteristics of time dependent Williamson nanofluid confined by an unsteady stretched radioactive Riga plate. Here, nanofluid bioconvection is developed by the combined aspects of buoyancy forces and magnetic field with collaboration of motile microorganisms and nanoparticles. Present analysis is further carried out in presence of activation energy, nonlinear thermal radiation and chemical reaction. The whole exploration is exposed to convective Nield constraints on boundary. The dimensionless form of formulated nonlinear system is achieved with utilization of apposite transformations and then approximate solution is elucidated by shooting technique. The graphical interpretation for numerous relevant parameters on velocity, concentration, temperature and motile microorganism profiles are displayed. The results reveal that an increasing variation in velocity is noticed with modified Hartmann. An increasing nanofluid temperature is associated with Williamson parameter and temperature ratio constant. Moreover, the motile microorganism distribution enhances with bioconvected Lewis and mixed convection constant.
Synthesis and factor affecting on the conductivity of polypyrrole: a short review
Authors: Pang Ai Ling , Arsad Agus , Ahmadipour Mohsen 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPolypyrrole (PPy) has unique features such as easy synthesis, environmental stability, and high electrical conductivity (approximately 105 S/cm and even >380 S/cm) for bulk and thin‐film materials. Thus, PPy is applied in numerous well‐established applications, such as in sensors, supercapacitors, and resonators. These applications take advantage of the unique properties achieved through the structure and properties of PPy. This article comprehensively elaborates the methods used to synthesize conductive PPy, along with the important factors affecting its conductivity. Emphasis is given to versatile and basic approaches that enable control of the microstructural features that eventually determine PPy conductivity. Despite the intensive research in this area, no previous study has presented all possible relevant information about PPy fabrication and the important factors influencing its electrical conductivity.