bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urinary steroid profile in relation to the menstrual cycle
Authors: Schulze Jenny , Suominen Tina , Bergström Helena , Ericsson Magnus , Björkhem Bergman Linda , Ekström Lena 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe interpretation of the steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) in female athletes is complex due to the large variation of the endogenous urinary steroids. The menstrual cycle seems to be one of the largest confounders of the steroid profile. The duration of the different phases in the menstrual cycle differs between women and is difficult to predict only by counting days after menstruation. Here, we have determined the follicle, ovulation, and luteal phases, by assessing the menstrual hormones in serum samples collected from 17 healthy women with regular menses. Urine samples were collected three times per week during two consecutive cycles to measure the urinary steroid concentrations used in the ABP.The metabolite that was mostly affected by the menstrual phases was epitestosterone (E), where the median concentration was 133% higher in the ovulation phase compared to the follicle phase (p < 0.0001). The women with a large coefficient of variation (CV) in their first cycle also had a large CV in their second cycle and vice versa. The inter‐individual difference was extensive with a range of 11%–230% difference between the lowest and the highest T/E ratio during a cycle.In conclusion, E and ratios with E as denominator are problematic biomarkers for doping in female athletes. The timing of the sample collection in the menstrual cycle will have a large influence on the steroid profile. The results of this study highlight the need to find additional biomarkers for T doping in females.
Analysis of cobalt for human sports drug testing purposes using ICP‐ and LC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Knoop Andre , Planitz Peter , Wüst Bernhard , Thevis Mario 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDue to the current demands in the fight against manipulation of blood and blood components, commonly referred to as “blood doping” in sports drug testing, specific and sensitive detection methods enabling the detection of prohibited substances and methods of doping are required. Similar to illicit blood transfusions, erythropoiesis stimulating agents have been shown to be misused in sport, aiming at improving an athlete's aerobic capacity and endurance performance. Amongst other strategies, the administration of ionic cobalt (Co2+) can increase the number of erythrocytes by stimulating the endogenous erythropoietin (EPO) biosynthesis. Conversely, several organic Co‐containing compounds such as cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) are not prohibited in sports, and thus, an analytical differentiation of permitted and banned contributions to urinary Co‐concentrations is desirable. An excretion study with daily applications of either 1 mg of CoCl2or 1 mg of cyanocobalamin was conducted with 20 volunteers over a period of 14 consecutive days. Urine, plasma, and concentrated red blood cells were analyzed for their cobalt content. The samples were collected starting 7 days before the administration until 7 days after. Total Co concentrations were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), which yielded significantly elevated levels exclusively after inorganic cobalt intake. Furthermore, a liquid chromatography (LC)‐ICP‐MS approach was established and employed for the simultaneous determination of organically bound and inorganic cobalt by chromatographic separation within one single run. The analytical approach offers the option to further develop detection methods of illegal Co2+supplementation in sport.
Bimetallic CuCo Derived from Prussian Blue Analogue for Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing
Authors: Ni Gang , Wang Feifan , Pan Zhiqiu , Zhang Ruihan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBimetallic CuCo composites are prepared by calcinating copper hexacyanocobaltate precursor in N2 atmosphere. The CuCo modified electrodes are fabricated for nonenzymatic glucose sensing in the alkaline electrolyte. The glucose can be directly electro‐oxidized on the surface of the electrode catalyst mediated by the redox couples of Cu and Co. The optimal glucose sensor exhibits a high sensitivity (567 μA ⋅ mM−1 ⋅ cm−2) in the range up to 825 μM with a detection limit of 3 μM and acceptable selectivity. The sensor can also be applied in serum samples. This work provides a facile and easily‐scalable synthesis method of electrocatalysts for nonenzymatic glucose sensors.
Numerical study of ferro‐droplet breakup initiation induced by a slowly rotating uniform magnetic field
Authors: Radcliffe Alastair J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe fully three‐dimensional start‐up deformations and accelerations of initially spherical magnetically susceptable linearly magnetizable ferrofluid droplets, driven by a rotating uniform magnetic field, are investigated through the use of coupled finite element/boundary element computer simulations. For given magnetic susceptability, a critical viscosity is suggested, proportional to both magnetic field strength and rotation speed, below which the deformations of the initially spherical droplet inevitably lead to breakup, but above which a simple persistent spheroidal solid body rotation is attained.
Meta‐Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficiency of THSD7A‐AB for the Diagnosis of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy
Authors: Liu Yipeng , Zheng Shanshan , Ma Chaoqun , Lian Ying , Zheng Xiaoli , Guan Peizhong , Wang Baobao , Gong Xiaojie , Gao Feng , Liang Liming , Xu Dongmei 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThrombospondin type I domain‐containing 7A (THSD7A), is a specific autoantigen of adult idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), whose circulating antibody (THSD7A‐AB) represents a promising biomarker for diagnosis of IMN. The objective of this meta‐analysis is to investigate the diagnostic efficiency of THSD7A‐AB for IMN. After rigorous data extraction, quality assessment, and data analysis, 10 articles (4545 patients) are included. For IMN, the summary sensitivity is 4% (2–7%), and the specificity is 99% (98–100%). The summary positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) are 5.40 (2.40–11.90) and 0.97 (0.95–0.99), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) is 6.00 (2.00–12.00). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is 0.78 (0.74–0.81). For M‐type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R)‐negative IMN, the summary sensitivity is 8% (6–10%), specificity is 100% (99–100%). The summary PLR and NLR are 15.80 (5.70–44.00) and 0.93 (0.91–0.95), respectively. The DOR is 17.00 (6.00–48.00). The AUC is 0.99 (0.98–1.00). THSD7A‐AB has higher diagnostic value in PLA2R‐negative patients than in IMN patients. These results suggest that THSD7A‐AB could possibly be applied as an auxiliary non‐invasive diagnostic method for PLA2R‐negative IMN.
Health policy and genetic endowments: Understanding sources of response to Minimum Legal Drinking Age laws
Authors: Fletcher Jason M. , Lu Qiongshi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis paper uses policy‐induced variation in legal access to alcohol in the United States to explore interactions between genetic predispositions and health behaviors. It is well known that Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) laws have discrete impacts on binge drinking behaviors, but less is known about heterogeneity of the effects and the characteristics of individuals most and least affected. Using the Add Health data, this paper explores differential policy effects based on polygenic scores (PGS), which are genome‐wide summary measures predicting health outcomes. Specifically, we leverage PGS for alcoholism and for a broader set of risk‐taking behaviors to explore heterogeneities in response to the policy and consider mechanisms for the responses. Like previous literature using the Add Health and other datasets, we find main effects of MLDA in increasing recent binge drinking episodes by approximately 5 percentage points. We find MLDA effects are concentrated entirely in individuals with high PGS for alcohol use. We are also able to compare these results with measures of parental alcoholism as a global proxy for family history.
Genomic Analysis of Vascular Invasion in HCC Reveals Molecular Drivers and Predictive Biomarkers
Authors: Krishnan Maya S. , Rajan KD Anand , Park Jangho , Arjunan Vinodhini , Garcia Marques Fernando Jose , Bermudez Abel , Girvan Olivia A. , Hoang Nam S. , Yin Jun , Nguyen Mindie H. , Kothary Nishita , Pitteri Sharon , Felsher Dean W. , Dhanasekaran Renumathy 
Published: November 2020

Background and Aims
Vascular invasion (VI) is a critical risk factor for HCC recurrence and poor survival. The molecular drivers of vascular invasion in HCC are open for investigation. Deciphering the molecular landscape of invasive HCC will help identify therapeutic targets and noninvasive biomarkers.

Approach and Results
To this end, we undertook this study to evaluate the genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profile of tumors with VI using the multiplatform cancer genome atlas (The Cancer Genome Atlas; TCGA) data (n = 373). In the TCGA Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma cohort, macrovascular invasion was present in 5% (n = 17) of tumors and microvascular invasion in 25% (n = 94) of tumors. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the MYC oncogene was a common upstream regulator of the mRNA, miRNA, and proteomic changes in VI. We performed comparative proteomic analyses of invasive human HCC and MYC‐driven murine HCC and identified fibronectin to be a proteomic biomarker of invasive HCC (mouse fibronectin 1 [Fn1], P = 1.7 × 10−11; human FN1, P = 1.5 × 10−4) conserved across the two species. Mechanistically, we show that FN1 promotes the migratory and invasive phenotype of HCC cancer cells. We demonstrate tissue overexpression of fibronectin in human HCC using a large independent cohort of human HCC tissue microarray (n = 153; P < 0.001). Lastly, we showed that plasma fibronectin levels were significantly elevated in patients with HCC (n = 35; mean = 307.7 μg/mL; SEM = 35.9) when compared to cirrhosis (n = 10; mean = 41.8 μg/mL; SEM = 13.3; P < 0.0001).

Conclusions
Our study evaluates the molecular landscape of tumors with VI, identifying distinct transcriptional, epigenetic, and proteomic changes driven by the MYC oncogene. We show that MYC up‐regulates fibronectin expression, which promotes HCC invasiveness. In addition, we identify fibronectin to be a promising noninvasive proteomic biomarker of VI in HCC.
Stingy principals or benevolent stewards: Reward practices in family versus nonfamily trucking companies
Authors: Bamberger Peter , Kuzmenko Aleksandra , Michael‐Tsabari Nava , Doveh Etti , Delery John E. , Gupta Nina 
Published: November 2020

AbstractResearch on family firms' employment practices remains equivocal with findings from studies framed on the basis of stewardship and socioemotional wealth (SEW) preservation perspectives suggesting that family firms are better employers than nonfamily peers, and findings from studies grounded on agency theory suggesting the opposite. Arguing that these two perspectives are not mutually exclusive, we theorize that, consistent with notions of compensating differentials, pay practices in family firms offer a compensatory balancing of lower base pay with pay forms and benefits signaling the kind of caring, support and long‐term commitment typical of such firms. Accordingly, while, consistent with an agentic perspective, pay rates in nonfamily firms may be higher than in family firms, consistent with the stewardship/SEW perspective, we argue that pay and benefits may be structured to offer greater long‐term reward security in family firms. Focusing on reward practices among employees in a single job in a single industry (i.e., truck drivers), we find that where there are differences, they generally favor family firms, with a significantly higher proportion of family firms paying on the basis of fixed salary (as opposed to more variable hourly/mile‐based rates), and with those firms paying hourly offering typical and “floor” rates higher than those offered by nonfamily firms. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Proglacial groundwater storage dynamics under climate change and glacier retreat
Authors: Mackay Jonathan D , Barrand Nicholas E , Hannah David M , Krause Stefan , Jackson Christopher R , Everest Jez , MacDonald Alan M , Ó Dochartaigh Brighid É 
Published: November 2020

AbstractProglacial aquifers are an important water store in glacierised mountain catchments that supplement meltwater‐fed river flows and support freshwater ecosystems. Climate change and glacier retreat will perturb water storage in these aquifers, yet the climate‐glacier‐groundwater response cascade has rarely been studied and remains poorly understood. This study implements an integrated modelling approach that combines distributed glacio‐hydrological and groundwater models with climate change projections to evaluate the evolution of groundwater storage dynamics and surface‐groundwater exchanges in a temperate, glacierised catchment in Iceland. Focused infiltration along the meltwater‐fed Virkisá River channel is found to be an important source of groundwater recharge and is projected to provide 14%–20% of total groundwater recharge by the 2080s. The simulations highlight a mechanism by which glacier retreat could inhibit river recharge in the future due to the loss of diurnal melt cycling in the runoff hydrograph. However, the evolution of proglacial groundwater level dynamics show considerable resilience to changes in river recharge and, instead, are driven by changes in the magnitude and seasonal timing of diffuse recharge from year‐round rainfall. The majority of scenarios simulate an overall reduction in groundwater levels with a maximum 30‐day average groundwater level reduction of 1 m. The simulations replicate observational studies of baseflow to the river, where up to 15% of the 30‐day average river flow comes from groundwater outside of the melt season. This is forecast to reduce to 3%–8% by the 2080s due to increased contributions from rainfall and meltwater runoff. During the melt season, groundwater will continue to contribute 1%–3% of river flow despite significant reductions in meltwater runoff inputs. Therefore it is concluded that, in the proglacial region, groundwater will continue to provide only limited buffering of river flows as the glacier retreats.
Risk factors for sexual dysfunction in pregnant women during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Karakas Latife A. , Azemi Asli , Simsek Seda Y. , Akilli Huseyin , Esin Sertac 
Published: November 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the level of sexual function during the COVID‐19 pandemic in pregnant women followed up in Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey, using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).MethodsAn observational analysis was performed on pregnant women who were not infected with COVID‐19. A total of 135 pregnant women (group 1), 45 of whom were in the first trimester, 45 in the second trimester, and 45 in the third trimester, and 45 healthy women who were not pregnant (group 2), were included in the study. The FSFI was used to assess sexual dysfunction status.ResultsA total of 118 (87.4%) pregnant participants and 31 (68.9%) non‐pregnant participants were diagnosed as having sexual dysfunction according to the FSFI. When comparing groups 1 and 2, FSFI scores were significantly lower in group 1 (p = 0.002). It was also found that women who had university degrees, were multiparous, and in the third trimester were more likely to develop sexual dysfunction (p = 0.030, p = 0.029, and p = 0.001, respectively). FSFI scores were found to be significantly higher in planned pregnancies than in unplanned pregnancies (p = 0.001).ConclusionThe sexual function of uninfected pregnant women decreased during the COVID‐19 pandemic, negatively influenced by restrictive social distancing measures.
Quantitative neurotoxicology: Potential role of artificial intelligence/deep learning approach
Authors: Srivastava Anshul , Hanig Joseph P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractNeurotoxicity studies are important in the preclinical stages of drug development process, because exposure to certain compounds that may enter the brain across a permeable blood brain barrier damages neurons and other supporting cells such as astrocytes. This could, in turn, lead to various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's or Huntington's disease as well as various dementias. Toxicity assessment is often done by pathologists after these exposures by qualitatively or semiquantitatively grading the severity of neurotoxicity in histopathology slides. Quantification of the extent of neurotoxicity supports qualitative histopathological analysis and provides a better understanding of the global extent of brain damage. Stereological techniques such as the utilization of an optical fractionator provide an unbiased quantification of the neuronal damage; however, the process is time‐consuming. Advent of whole slide imaging (WSI) introduced digital image analysis which made quantification of neurotoxicity automated, faster and with reduced bias, making statistical comparisons possible. Although automated to a certain level, simple digital image analysis requires manual efforts of experts which is time‐consuming and limits analysis of large datasets. Digital image analysis coupled with a deep learning artificial intelligence model provides a good alternative solution to time‐consuming stereological and simple digital analysis. Deep learning models could be trained to identify damaged or dead neurons in an automated fashion. This review has focused on and discusses studies demonstrating the role of deep learning in segmentation of brain regions, toxicity detection and quantification of degenerated neurons as well as the estimation of area/volume of degeneration.
Ferulic acid alleviates lipopolysaccharide‐induced acute lung injury through inhibiting TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathway
Authors: Wu Xialei , Lin Liyao , Wu Haibin 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFerulic acid (FA) exhibits anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, neuroprotective, and antihypertensive effects. This study aimed to determine whether FA could ameliorate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced inflammatory responses and acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Mice were challenged with LPS intratracheally to induce ALI 1 h after 3 days of FA (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (DEX; 5 mg/kg) administration. The lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected 12 h after the LPS challenge. Pretreatment with FA or DEX could attenuate lung histopathological change, complement deposition, and lung wet‐to‐dry weight ratio of mice injured by LPS. Meanwhile, the influx of neutrophils and macrophages, as well as the production of proinflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, interleukin 1 beta [IL‐1β], and IL‐6), in BALF of ALI mice was significantly decreased. Moreover, FA or DEX markedly reversed the LPS‐induced elevation of myeloperoxidase activity and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 level in lung tissues of ALI mice. In addition, the Western blot analysis demonstrated that FA or DEX effectively inhibited the LPS‐induced activation of the toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway in lung tissues. The current study suggested that the alleviating effect of FA against LPS‐induced ALI might be partially due to the inhibition of the inflammatory response via inactivation of the TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathway.
State of recent literature on communication about cancer genetic testing among Latinx populations
Authors: Chavez‐Yenter Daniel , Chou Wen‐Ying Sylvia , Kaphingst Kimberly A. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCancer‐related genetic testing (hereafter CGT) has transformed cancer prevention, treatment, and care. Researchers debate whether diffusion and use of genetic testing will reduce or widen cancer health disparities through effects on improving or worsening cancer‐related mortality, morbidity, and outcomes that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority populations. Cancer disparities by race and ethnicity have been associated with social determinants of health and healthcare access and experience. However, little research has explored how communication about CGT may contribute to these disparities. As such, the goal of this study was to characterize the literature published between 2010 and 2017 on communication about CGT among Latinx populations through a secondary analysis of papers identified in a larger scoping review. We found thirteen (2.5%) of 513 papers in the parent scoping review had over 50% Latinx representation; only nine of these (69%) had fully Latinx comprised study cohorts. The majority of the 13 identified studies (n = 9) were conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding CGT. Most studies included services or materials in both Spanish and English. Few studies assessed language preference or acculturation or compared outcomes across sub‐ethnicities. We identified opportunities for researchers to explore differences in outcomes by language preference and acculturation, and between sub‐ethnicities in future studies. Leveraging a greater understanding of the heterogeneity within the Latinx population will allow genetics researchers and providers to improve utilization of CGT and therein health outcomes to advance health equity.
A fast Broyden's approximation‐based weighted least square state estimation for power systems
Authors: Shanmugapriya Subramaniyan , Maharajan Duraisamy 
Published: November 2020

AbstractState estimation (SE) serves as the heart of the energy management systems in providing online database by processing slow‐sampled supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) measurements. The recent development of fast sampled phasor measurement units (PMUs) provides real‐time measurements that enable tracking of the system state; however, the associated high initial cost does not allow to completely replace the existing SCADA measurements by PMUs. This article thus attempts to employ both the SCADA and PMU measurements, and suggests a new SE scheme comprising of a static SE module (SSEM) that estimates system state at defined time interval in the order of minutes using both the SCADA and PMU measurements, and a fast state reconstructing module for tracking the system state using PMU measurements and the calculated pseudo measurements in place of SCADA measurements. The proposed scheme employs Broyden's approach that avoids repeated formation and factorization of the Jacobian and gain matrices, respectively while iteratively solving the nonlinear simultaneous equations. It exhibits superior computational efficiency of the suggested scheme by presenting simulation results of four standard test systems.