bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
γ-Aminobutyric acid confers cadmium tolerance in maize plants by concerted regulation of polyamine metabolism and antioxidant defense systems
Authors: Seifikalhor Maryam , Aliniaeifard Sasan , Bernard Françoise , Seif Mehdi , Latifi Mojgan , Hassani Batool , Didaran Fardad , Bosacchi Massimo , Rezadoost Hassan , Li Tao 
Published: February 2020

AbstractGamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) accumulates in plants following exposure to heavy metals. To investigate the role of GABA in cadmium (Cd) tolerance and elucidate the underlying mechanisms, GABA (0, 25 and 50 µM) was applied to Cd-treated maize plants. Vegetative growth parameters were improved in both Cd-treated and control plants due to GABA application. Cd uptake and translocation were considerably inhibited by GABA. Antioxidant enzyme activity was enhanced in plants subjected to Cd. Concurrently GABA caused further increases in catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, which led to a significant reduction in hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion and malondealdehyde contents under stress conditions. Polyamine biosynthesis-responsive genes, namely ornithine decarboxylase and spermidine synthase, were induced by GABA in plants grown under Cd shock. GABA suppressed polyamine oxidase, a gene related to polyamine catabolism, when plants were exposed to Cd. Consequently, different forms of polyamines were elevated in Cd-exposed plants following GABA application. The maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was decreased by Cd-exposed plants, but was completely restored by GABA to the same value in the control. These results suggest a multifaceted contribution of GABA, through regulation of Cd uptake, production of reactive oxygen species and polyamine metabolism, in response to Cd stress.
Machine learning identifies a strong association between warming and reduced primary productivity in an oligotrophic ocean gyre
Authors: D’Alelio Domenico , Rampone Salvatore , Cusano Luigi Maria , Morfino Valerio , Russo Luca , Sanseverino Nadia , Cloern James E. , Lomas Michael W. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPhytoplankton play key roles in the oceans by regulating global biogeochemical cycles and production in marine food webs. Global warming is thought to affect phytoplankton production both directly, by impacting their photosynthetic metabolism, and indirectly by modifying the physical environment in which they grow. In this respect, the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) in the Sargasso Sea (North Atlantic gyre) provides a unique opportunity to explore effects of warming on phytoplankton production across the vast oligotrophic ocean regions because it is one of the few multidecadal records of measured net primary productivity (NPP). We analysed the time series of phytoplankton primary productivity at BATS site using machine learning techniques (ML) to show that increased water temperature over a 27-year period (1990–2016), and the consequent weakening of vertical mixing in the upper ocean, induced a negative feedback on phytoplankton productivity by reducing the availability of essential resources, nitrogen and light. The unbalanced availability of these resources with warming, coupled with ecological changes at the community level, is expected to intensify the oligotrophic state of open-ocean regions that are far from land-based nutrient sources.
Holothurians have a reduced GPCR and odorant receptor-like repertoire compared to other echinoderms
Authors: Marquet Nathalie , Cardoso João C. R. , Louro Bruno , Fernandes Stefan A. , Silva Sandra C. , Canário Adelino V. M. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSea cucumbers lack vision and rely on chemical sensing to reproduce and survive. However, how they recognize and respond to environmental cues remains unknown. Possible candidates are the odorant receptors (ORs), a diverse family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) involved in olfaction. The present study aimed at characterizing the chemosensory GPCRs in sea cucumbers. At least 246 distinct GPCRs, of whichca. 20% putative ORs, were found in a transcriptome assembly of putative chemosensory (tentacles, oral cavity, calcareous ring, and papillae/tegument) and reproductive (ovary and testis) tissues fromHolothuria arguinensis(57 ORs) and in theApostichopus japonicusgenome (79 ORs). The sea cucumber ORs clustered with those of sea urchin and starfish into four main clades of gene expansions sharing a common ancestor and evolving under purifying selection. However, the sea cucumber ORs repertoire was the smallest among the echinoderms and the olfactory receptor signature motif LxxPxYxxxxxLxxxDxxxxxxxxP was better conserved in cluster OR-l1 which also had more members. ORs were expressed in tentacles, oral cavity, calcareous ring, and papillae/tegument, supporting their potential role in chemosensing. This study is the first comprehensive survey of chemosensory GPCRs in sea cucumbers, and provides the molecular basis to understand how they communicate.
Radiation dose reduction for CT-guided intrathecal nusinersen administration in adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Cordts Isabell , Deschauer Marcus , Lingor Paul , Burian Egon , Baum Thomas , Zimmer Claus , Maegerlein Christian , Sollmann Nico 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIntrathecal administration of nusinersen in adult spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients with scoliosis and spondylodesis requires image guidance, which is preferably achieved with multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). As long-term treatment is necessary and patients are young, radiation doses should be reduced to a minimum whilst a sufficient image quality for precise interventional performance should be kept. We compared 44 MDCT standard-dose scans (133.0–200.0 mA) with a hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose4) to 20 low-dose scans (20.0–67.0 mA) with iterative model reconstruction (IMR), which were performed for procedure planning of intrathecal nusinersen administration in 13 adult patients with SMA and complex spinal conditions. Qualitative image evaluation, including confidence for intervention planning, was performed by two neuroradiologists for standard- and low-dose scans. All 64 MDCT-guided intrathecal administrations of nusinersen were successful. The dose length product (DLP) was significantly lower when using low-dose scanning with IMR (median DLP of standard-dose scans: 92.0 mGy•cm vs. low-dose scans: 34.5 mGy•cm; p < 0.0001). Image quality was significantly reduced for low-dose compared to standard-dose scanning. However, bone/soft tissue contrast and confidence for intervention planning were not significantly impaired in low-dose MDCT according to both readers, showing good inter-reader agreement. Thus, we hereby demonstrate a low-dose MDCT protocol combined with advanced image reconstruction for scanning during procedure planning as a viable option for image guidance in intrathecal nusinersen treatment of adult SMA patients with complex spinal conditions.
Translational Inhibition of α-Neurexin 2
Authors: Ding Xiaoting , Meng Shasha , Zhou Jiahong , Yang Juan , Li Hongmei , Zhou Weihui 
Published: February 2020

AbstractNeurexins are extensively investigated presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules which play important roles in transmitting signals and processing information at synapses that connect neurons into a vast network of cellular communications. Synaptic transmission of information is a fast and dynamic process which relies on rapid and tight regulation of synaptic protein expression. However, the mechanism underlying those regulation is still not fully understood. Therefore, we explore how the expression of NRXN2α, one of encoding genes for neurexins, is regulated at the translational level. NRXN2α transcript has a long and conserved 5′-untranslated region (5′UTR) suggestive of the rapid regulation of protein expression at the translational level. We first demonstrate that the 5′UTR has negative effects on the expression of the NRXN2α and find a critical subregion responsible for the major inhibitory function. Then we identify a particular secondary structure of G-quadruplex in the 5′UTR. Moreover, we find that the synergistic roles of G-quadruplex and upstream AUGs are responsible for most of NRXN2α-5′UTR inhibitory effects. In conclusion, we uncovered 5′ UTR of neurexin2 potentially inhibits neurexin2 translation by multiple mechanisms. In addition, this study underscores the importance of direct protein quantitation in experiments rather than using mRNA as an indirect estimate of protein expression.
Inhibition of Grb14, a negative modulator of insulin signaling, improves glucose homeostasis without causing cardiac dysfunction
Authors: Ding Xunshan , Iyer Rugmani , Novotny Christopher , Metzger Daniel , Zhou Heather H. , Smith Gordon I. , Yoshino Mihoko , Yoshino Jun , Klein Samuel , Swaminath Gayathri , Talukdar Saswata , Zhou Yingjiang 
Published: February 2020

AbstractInsulin resistance increases patients’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and a host of other comorbidities including cardiovascular disease and cancer. At the molecular level, insulin exerts its function through the insulin receptor (IR), a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. Data from human genetic studies have shown that Grb14 functions as a negative modulator of IR activity, and the germline Grb14-knockout (KO) mice have improved insulin signaling in liver and skeletal muscle. Here, we show that Grb14 knockdown in liver, white adipose tissues, and heart with an AAV-shRNA (Grb14-shRNA) improves glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. A previous report has shown that germline deletion of Grb14 in mice results in cardiac hypertrophy and impaired systolic function, which could severely limit the therapeutic potential of targeting Grb14. In this report, we demonstrate that there are no significant changes in cardiac function as measured by echocardiography in the Grb14-knockdown mice fed a high-fat diet for a period of four months. While additional studies are needed to further confirm the efficacy and to de-risk potential negative cardiac effects in preclinical models, our data support the therapeutic strategy of inhibiting Grb14 to treat diabetes and related conditions.
Investigation of sirtuin 1 polymorphisms in relation to the risk of colorectal cancer by molecular subtype
Authors: Hrzic Rok , Simons Colinda C. J. M. , Schouten Leo J. , van Engeland Manon , Brandt Piet van den , Weijenberg Matty P. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a histone deacetylase, is involved in maintenance of genetic stability, inflammation, immune response, metabolism (energy-sensing molecule) and colorectal tumorigenesis. We investigated SIRT1’s specific role in colorectal tumorigenesis by studying SIRT1 polymorphisms in relation to colorectal cancer (CRC) risk by microsatellite instability (MSI) and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status. The Netherlands Cohort study (NLCS) was initiated in 1986 and includes 120,852 participants in a case-cohort design. CRC tumour samples were available for incident cases between 1989 and 1993. Toenail deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was used for genotyping of two SIRT1 tagging variants (rs10997870 and rs12778366). Excluding the first 2.3 years of follow-up, subcohort members and CRC cases with no toenail DNA available and those with low sample call rates, and CRC cases with no tumour DNA available left 3478 subcohort members and 533 CRC cases. Cox regression was utilised to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for MSI and CIMP positive and negative tumours by SIRT1 genotypes. The results were that the rs12778366 TC/CC versus TT genotype was inversely associated with MSI CRC (HR = 0.41, 95% confidence interval: 0.20, 0.88), while no association was found with the risk of an MSS tumour (TC/CC versus TT carriers: HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.44). No significant associations were found between other SIRT1 genotypes and CRC subtypes. In conclusion, the results suggest a role for SIRT1 polymorphisms in colorectal tumorigenesis, particularly MSI CRC.
Linagliptin and telmisartan induced effects on renal and urinary exosomal miRNA expression in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy
Authors: Delić Denis , Wiech Franziska , Urquhart Richard , Gabrielyan Ogsen , Rieber Kathrin , Rolser Marcel , Tsuprykov Oleg , Hasan Ahmed A. , Krämer Bernhard K. , Baum Patrick , Köhler Andreas , Gantner Florian , Mark Michael , Hocher Berthold , Klein Thomas 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers attenuate chronic kidney disease progression in experimental diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy in a blood pressure and glucose independent manner, but the exact molecular mechanisms remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA species that are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and play an important role in the pathogenesis of nephropathy. miRNAs are present in urine in a remarkably stable form, packaged in extracellular vesicles. Here, we investigated linagliptin and telmisartan induced effects on renal and urinary exosomal miRNA expression in 5/6 nephrectomized rats. In the present study, renal miRNA profiling was conducted using the Nanostring nCounter technology and mRNA profiling using RNA sequencing from the following groups of rats: sham operated plus placebo; 5/6 nephrectomy plus placebo; 5/6 nephrectomy plus telmisartan; and 5/6 nephrectomy plus linagliptin. TaqMan Array miRNA Cards were used to evaluate which of the deregulated miRNAs in the kidney are present in urinary exosomes. In kidneys from 5/6 nephrectomized rats, the expression of 13 miRNAs was significantly increased (>1.5-fold, P < 0.05), whereas the expression of 7 miRNAs was significantly decreased (>1.5-fold, P < 0.05). Most of the deregulated miRNA species are implicated in endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and inflammatory processes. Both telmisartan and linagliptin suppressed the induction of pro-fibrotic miRNAs, such as miR-199a-3p, and restored levels of anti-fibrotic miR-29c. In conclusion, the linagliptin and telmisartan-induced restorative effects on miR-29c expression were reflected in urinary exosomes, suggesting that miRNA profiling of urinary exosomes might be used as a biomarker for CKD progression and monitoring of treatment effects.
Modeling of One-Dimensional Thermoelastic Dual-Phase-Lag Skin Tissue Subjected to Different Types of Thermal Loading
Authors: Youssef Hamdy M. , Alghamdi Najat A. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThis work introduces a mathematical model of thermoelastic skin tissue in the context of the dual-phase-lag heat conduction law. One-dimensional skin tissue has been considered with a small thickness and its outer surface traction free. The bounding plane of the skin tissue is subjected to three different types of thermal loading; thermal shock, ramp type heating, and harmonic heating. The inner surface has no temperature increment and traction free. Laplace transform techniques have been used, and its inversions have been calculated by using the Tzuo method. The numerical results have been represented in figures. The thermal shock time parameter, the ramp-type heat parameter, and the angular thermal parameter have significant effects on the temperature increment, the strain, the displacement, and the stress distributions, and they play vital roles in the speed propagation of the thermomechanical waves through the skin tissue.
Engineering Meteorological Features to Select Stress Tolerant Hybrids in Maize
Authors: Mimić Gordan , Brdar Sanja , Brkić Milica , Panić Marko , Marko Oskar , Crnojević Vladimir 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn this study we used meteorological parameters and predictive modelling interpreted by model explanation to develop stress metrics that indicate the presence of drought and heat stress at the specific environment. We started from the extreme temperature and precipitation indices, modified some of them and introduced additional drought indices relevant to the analysis. Based on maize’s sensitivity to stress, the growing season was divided into four stages. The features were calculated throughout the growing season and split in two groups, one for the drought and the other for heat stress. Generated meteorological features were combined with soil features and fed to random forest regression model for the yield prediction. Model explanation gave us the contribution of features to yield decrease, from which we estimated total amount of stress at the environments, which represents new environmental index. Using this index we ranked the environments according to the level of stress. More than 2400 hybrids were tested across the environments where they were grown and based on the yield stability they were marked as either tolerant or susceptible to heat, drought or combined heat and drought stress. Presented methodology and results were produced within the Syngenta Crop Challenge 2019.
Blood Pressure measurements are site dependent in a cohort of patients with neurological illness
Authors: Siaron Kathrina B. , Cortes Michaela X. , Stutzman Sonja E. , Venkatachalam Aardhra , Ahmed Khalid Mohamed , Olson DaiWai M. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBlood pressure (BP) management is a crucial part of critical care that directly affects morbidity and mortality. While BP has become a mainstay in patient care, the accuracy and precision of BP measures across commonly used sites (left upper arm, right upper arm, etc.) and methods have not been established. This study begins to fill this gap in literature by testing the null hypothesis that BP measurement does not vary according to site. This is a prospective, non-randomized, cross-sectional study of 80 neurocritical care unit patients. Near simultaneous non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) readings from 4 different locations (bilateral upper arm, bilateral wrist) and, when available, intra-arterial blood pressure readings (IABP) were included. Pearson correlation coefficients and one-way repeated measures ANOVA were used to observe the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) correlations. The BP measured at the four most common sites (left upper arm, left wrist, right upper arm, right wrist) had adequate correlation coefficients but were statistically significantly different and highly unpredictable. The median inter-site systolic variability was 10 mmHg (IQR 2 to 10 mmHg). The median inter-site MAP variability was 6mmHg with an interquartile range (IQR) of 3 to 9 mmHg. As expected, the values correlated to show that patients with high BP in one site tended to have high BP in another site. However, the unpredictable inter-site variability is concerning within the clinical setting where oftentimes BP measurement site is not standardized but resulting values are nevertheless used for treatment. There is prominent inter-site variability of BP measured across the 4 most common measurement sites. The variability persists across non-invasive (NIBP) and invasive (IABP) methods of assessment.
Distribution and curing reactions of melamine formaldehyde resin in cells of impregnation-modified wood
Authors: Altgen Michael , Awais Muhammad , Altgen Daniela , Klüppel André , Mäkelä Mikko , Rautkari Lauri 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWood modification improves the properties of wood as a building material by altering the wood structure on a cellular level. This study investigated how dimensional changes of wood on a macroscopic scale are related to the cellular level chemical changes on the micron level after impregnation modification with melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin under different heat curing conditions. Our results showed that the curing conditions affected the polycondensation reactions and the morphological structure of the MF resin within the cell lumen. The diffusion of the resin into the cell wall was estimated based on the triazine ring vibration of melamine in the Raman spectrum at 950–990 cm−1. Thereby, it was shown that macroscopic changes in wood dimensions do not provide a reliable estimate for the cell wall diffusion of the resin. The removal of cell wall constituents during the modification, which was facilitated by the alkaline pH of the impregnation solution, counterbalanced the cell wall bulking effect of the resin. This was particularly evident for wet cured samples, where diffusion of MF resin into the cell wall was observed by confocal Raman microscopy, despite a reduction in macroscopic wood dimensions.
DNA damage and expression of DNA methylation modulators in urine-derived cells of patients with hypertension and diabetes
Authors: Hishikawa Akihito , Hayashi Kaori , Yoshimoto Norifumi , Nakamichi Ran , Homma Koichiro , Itoh Hiroshi 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDiabetes and hypertension have become the primary causes of chronic kidney disease worldwide. However, there are no established markers for early diagnosis or predicting renal prognosis. Here, we investigated the expression profiles of DNA repair and DNA methylation factors in human urine-derived cells as a possible diagnostic or renal prognosis-predicting marker. A total of 75 subjects, aged 63.3 ± 1.9 years old, were included in this study. DNA and RNA were extracted from 50 mL of urine samples. We evaluated DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by the quantitative long distance-PCR method and performed real-time RT-PCR analysis to analyze the expression of renal cell-specific markers, DNA DSB repair factor KAT5, DNA methyltransferases DNMTs, and demethylation enzymes TETs. In patients with hypertension and diabetes, DNA DSBs of the nephrin gene increased with decreased urine KAT5/nephrin expression, consistent with our previous study (Cell Rep 2019). In patients with hypertension, DNA DSBs of the AQP1 gene were increased with elevated urine DNMTs/AQP1 and TETs/AQP1 expression. Moreover, urine DNMTs/AQP1 expression was significantly correlated with the annual eGFR decline rate after adjustment for age, baseline eGFR, the presence of diabetes and the amount of albuminuria, suggesting a possible role as a renal prognosis predictor.
Deep learning approach for device‐free localisation based on internet of things
Authors: Yang Menghuan , Wu Hong 
Published: February 2020

The device‐free localisation, which neither requires the targets to carry any electronic device nor participate in the position process proactively, is an innovated and prospective technique. Traditional device‐free techniques include computer vision, infrared sensor, indoor radar etc. Since there is a rapid development of the internet of things (IoT) brings massive wireless radio links, it is possible to achieve the device‐free localisation by investigating the link quality indicator of wireless links. In this Letter, the authors propose a device‐free localisation procedure to position the target by acquiring all the wireless link indictors in the IoT network, utilising deep learning to train the deep neural network. The experiment shows the average positioning error can be <0.2 m in an experimental environment of 160 square metres.
Le SAHOS du sénior
Authors: Soyer Yves , Legris Sylvie 
Published: February 2020

La notion de sénior varie suivant les situations et les variations du curseur utilisé. Les problèmes de santé apparaissent avec l’âge et la fonction physiologique liée au sommeil s’altère avec le vieillissement. Il convient de bien connaître les variations physiologiques du sommeil pour bien cerner l’apparition des troubles obstructifs du sommeil et d’en comprendre les mécanismes.La prise en charge du SAHOS chez le sujet âgé fait partie de l’arsenal thérapeutique de l’orthodontiste qui est donc un acteur clé de la chaine du traitement médical du patient sénior.