bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Platelets induce increased estrogen production through NF-κB and TGF-β1 signaling pathways in endometriotic stromal cells
Authors: Qi Qiuming , Liu Xishi , Zhang Qi , Guo Sun-Wei 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEndometriosis is estrogen-dependent disorder. Two theories provide the explanations for the increased estrogen production. One is the feed-forward loop model linking inflammation and estrogen production. The more recent model evokes the tissue hypoxia resulting from endometrial debris detached and then regurgitated to the peritoneal cavity. Both models tacitly assume that everything occurs within the endometriotic stromal cells, seemingly without the need for exogenous factors. This study was undertaken to investigate as whether platelets may be responsible for local estrogen overproduction. We employed in vitro experimentation that evaluated the 17β-estradiol (E2) levels in endometriotic stromal cells treated with activated platelets, and the genes and protein expression levels of StAR, HSD3B2, aromatase, and HSD17B1, as well as their upstream genes/proteins such as NF-κB, TGF-β1, HIF-1α, SF-1 and phosphorylated CREB. In addition, we conducted 2 animal experimentations using platelet depletion/infusion and also neutralization of NF-κB and TGF-β1, followed by immunohistochemistry analysis of involved in StAR, HSD3B2, aromatase, and HSD17B1, as well as SF-1 and p-CREB. We found that treatment of endometriotic stromal cells by activated platelets increase the E2 production by 4.5 fold, and concomitant with increased gene and protein expression of StAR, HSD3B2, aromatase, and HSD17B1, the four genes/enzymes important to estrogen synthesis, along with their upstream genes HIF-1α, SF-1 and phosphorylated CREB. Moreover, platelets activate these genes through the activation of NF-κB and/or TGF-β1, and antagonism of either signaling pathway can abolish the induction of the 4 genes and thus increased estrogen production. The two animal experimentations confirmed these changes. Thus, platelets increase the E2 production in endometriotic stromal cells through upregulation of StAR, HSD3B2, aromatase, and HSD17B1 via the activation of NF-κB and/or TGF-β1. These findings provide a yet another compelling piece of evidence that endometriotic lesions are indeed wounds undergoing repeated tissue injury and repair. They strongly indicate that non-hormonal therapeutics for endometriosis is theoretically viable, with anti-platelet therapy being one promising avenue.
Expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 as a molecular target for prognostic and therapeutic indicators in bladder carcinoma
Authors: Maimaiti Maihulan , Sakamoto Shinichi , Yamada Yasutaka , Sugiura Masahiro , Rii Junryo , Takeuchi Nobuyoshi , Imamura Yusuke , Furihata Tomomi , Ando Keisuke , Higuchi Kosuke , Xu Minhui , Sazuka Tomokazu , Nakamura Kazuyoshi , Kaneda Atsushi , Kanai Yoshikatsu , Kyprianou Natasha , Ikehara Yuzuru , Anzai Naohiko , Ichikawa Tomohiko 
Published: January 2020

AbstractL-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) plays a role in transporting essential amino acids including leucine, which regulates the mTOR signaling pathway. Here, we studied the expression profile and functional role of LAT1 in bladder cancer. Furthermore, the pharmacological activity of JPH203, a specific inhibitor of LAT1, was studied in bladder cancer. LAT1 expression in bladder cancer cells was higher than that in normal cells. SiLAT1 and JPH203 suppressed cell proliferative and migratory and invasive abilities in bladder cancer cells. JPH203 inhibited leucine uptake by > 90%. RNA-seq analysis identified insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) as a downstream target of JPH203. JPH203 inhibited phosphorylation of MAPK / Erk, AKT, p70S6K and 4EBP-1. Multivariate analysis revealed that high LAT1 expression was found as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR3.46 P = 0.0204). Patients with high LAT1 and IGFBP-5 expression had significantly shorter overall survival periods than those with low expression (P = 0.0005). High LAT1 was related to the high Grade, pathological T stage, LDH, and NLR. Collectively, LAT1 significantly contributed to bladder cancer progression. Targeting LAT1 by JPH203 may represent a novel therapeutic option in bladder cancer treatment.
Topology comparison of Twitter diffusion networks effectively reveals misleading information
Authors: Pierri Francesco , Piccardi Carlo , Ceri Stefano 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn recent years, malicious information had an explosive growth in social media, with serious social and political backlashes. Recent important studies, featuring large-scale analyses, have produced deeper knowledge about this phenomenon, showing that misleading information spreads faster, deeper and more broadly than factual information on social media, where echo chambers, algorithmic and human biases play an important role in diffusion networks. Following these directions, we explore the possibility of classifying news articles circulating on social media based exclusively on a topological analysis of their diffusion networks. To this aim we collected a large dataset of diffusion networks on Twitter pertaining to news articles published on two distinct classes of sources, namely outlets that convey mainstream, reliable and objective information and those that fabricate and disseminate various kinds of misleading articles, including false news intended to harm, satire intended to make people laugh, click-bait news that may be entirely factual or rumors that are unproven. We carried out an extensive comparison of these networks using several alignment-free approaches including basic network properties, centrality measures distributions, and network distances. We accordingly evaluated to what extent these techniques allow to discriminate between the networks associated to the aforementioned news domains. Our results highlight that the communities of users spreading mainstream news, compared to those sharing misleading news, tend to shape diffusion networks with subtle yet systematic differences which might be effectively employed to identify misleading and harmful information.
Calponin-3 deficiency augments contractile activity, plasticity, fibrogenic response and Yap/Taz transcriptional activation in lens epithelial cells and explants
Authors: Maddala Rupalatha , Mongan Maureen , Xia Ying , Rao Ponugoti Vasantha 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe transparent ocular lens plays a crucial role in vision by focusing light on to the retina with loss of lens transparency leading to impairment of vision. While maintenance of epithelial phenotype is recognized to be essential for lens development and function, knowledge of the identity of different molecular mechanisms regulating lens epithelial characteristics remains incomplete. This study reports that CNN-3, the acidic isoform of calponin, an actin binding contractile protein, is expressed preferentially and abundantly relative to the basic and neutral isoforms of calponin in the ocular lens, and distributes predominantly to the epithelium in both mouse and human lenses. Expression and MEKK1-mediated threonine 288 phosphorylation of CNN-3 is induced by extracellular cues including TGF-β2 and lysophosphatidic acid. Importantly, siRNA-induced deficiency of CNN3 in lens epithelial cell cultures and explants results in actin stress fiber reorganization, stimulation of focal adhesion formation, Yap activation, increases in the levels of α-smooth muscle actin, connective tissue growth factor and fibronectin, and decreases in E-cadherin expression. These results reveal that CNN3 plays a crucial role in regulating lens epithelial contractile activity and provide supporting evidence that CNN-3 deficiency is associated with the induction of epithelial plasticity, fibrogenic activity and mechanosensitive Yap/Taz transcriptional activation.
Surgical results and prognostic factors following percutaneous full endoscopic posterior decompression for thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum
Authors: Li Xingchen , An Bo , Gao Haoran , Zhou Chengpei , Zhao Xiaobing , Ma Haijun , Wang Bisheng , Yang Hejun , Zhou Honggang , Guo Xinjun , Zhu Huimin , Qian Jixian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractMinimally invasive surgery (MIS) has shown satisfactory surgical results for the treatment of thoracic myelopathy (TM) caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF). This study investigated the prognostic factors following MIS and was based on the retrospective analysis of OLF patients who underwent percutaneous full endoscopic posterior decompression (PEPD). Thirty single-segment OLF patients with an average age of 60.4 years were treated with PEPD under local anaesthesia. Clinical data were collected from the medical and operative records. The surgical results were assessed by the recovery rate (RR) calculated from the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score. Correlations between the RR and various factors were analysed. Patients’ neurological status improved from a preoperative mJOA score of 6.0 ± 1.3 to a postoperative mJOA score of 8.5 ± 2.0 (P < 0.001) at an average follow-up of 21.3 months. The average RR was 53.8%. Dural tears in two patients (6.7%, 2/30) were the only observed complications. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a longer duration of preoperative symptoms and the presence of a high intramedullary signal on T2-weighted MRI (T2HIS) were significantly associated with poor surgical results. PEPD is feasible for the treatment of TM patients with a particular type of OLF. Patients without T2HIS could achieve a good recovery if they received PEPD early.
Quantitative assessment of treatment efficacy in keloids using high-frequency ultrasound and shear wave elastography: a preliminary study
Authors: Huang Song-Ya , Xiang Xi , Guo Rui-Qian , Cheng Shan , Wang Li-Yun , Qiu Li 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE) in the quantitative evaluation of therapeutic responses of keloids. 43 patients with 76 keloids were recruited into this study. In keloids and symmetrical sites, the skin thickness was measured using HFUS and skin stiffness expressed as elastic moduli (Young’s modulus and shear wave velocity) was measured using SWE. The coefficient of variation values were calculated by using difference values of skin elastic moduli and skin thickness. A significant increase of both skin stiffness and thickness appeared in pre-treated keloids compared with post-treated keloids (P < 0.001) and normal controls (P < 0.001), respectively. Stiffness in post-treated keloids and normal skins was significantly different (P < 0.001), while the difference in thickness measurements showed no significance (P = 0.56, >0.05). The coefficient of variation of Young’s modulus was the highest when compared between (i) pre-treated keloids and theirs site-matched areas; (ii) pre-treated and post-treated keloids. SWE, which showed greater ability in determining the extent of keloids recovery, may provide an ideal tool to assess the stiffness of keloids and theirs therapeutic response.
Elevated levels of circulating betahydroxybutyrate in pituitary tumor patients may differentiate prolactinomas from other immunohistochemical subtypes
Authors: Ijare Omkar B. , Holan Cole , Hebert Jonathan , Sharpe Martyn A. , Baskin David S. , Pichumani Kumar 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe diagnosis of various histological subtypes of pituitary tumors is made using serum based hormone panel test. However, certain subtypes secrete more than one hormone, making the diagnosis ambiguous. Here, we performed 1H-NMR based metabolomic analysis of serum and whole-blood from luteinizing/follicle-stimulating (LH/FSH)-secreting (n = 24), prolactinomas (n = 14), and non-functional (NF) (n = 9) tumors. We found elevated levels of betahydroxybutyrate (BHB) in serum and whole-blood (WB) of prolactinomas (0.481 ± 0.211/0.329 ± 0.228 mM in serum/WB), but it was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.0033, Bonferroni correction) only in serum when compared with LH/FSH-secreting tumor patients (0.269 ± 0.139/0.167 ± 0.113 mM in serum/WB). Phenylalanine in NF tumors was found to be elevated in both serum and WB when compared with prolactinomas but it met the statistical significance criteria (p ≤ 0.0028) only in the serum. Alanine (p ≤ 0.011), tyrosine (p ≤ 0.014) and formate (p ≤ 0.011) were also elevated in NF tumors but none showed statistically significance when compared with prolactinomas. Quantification of BHB and the above amino acids in the circulation may aid in the development of blood-based in vitro diagnostic methods which can supplement the currently used serum hormone panel in the diagnosis of various subtypes of pituitary tumors.
Coherent response of the Indian Monsoon Rainfall to Atlantic Multi-decadal Variability over the last 2000 years
Authors: Naidu Pothuri Divakar , Ganeshram Raja , Bollasina Massimo A. , Panmei Champoungam , Nürnberg Dirk , Donges Jonathan F. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIndian Summer Monsoon (ISM) rainfall has a direct effect on the livelihoods of two billion people in the Indian-subcontinent. Yet, our understanding of the drivers of multi-decadal variability of the ISM is far from being complete. In this context, large-scale forcing of ISM rainfall variability with multi-decadal resolution over the last two millennia is investigated using new records of sea surface salinity (δ18Ow) and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Higher δ18Ow values during the Dark Age Cold Period (1550 to 1250 years BP) and the Little Ice Age (700 to 200 years BP) are suggestive of reduced ISM rainfall, whereas lower δ18Ow values during the Medieval Warm Period (1200 to 800 years BP) and the major portion of the Roman Warm Period (1950 to 1550 years BP) indicate a wetter ISM. This variability in ISM rainfall appears to be modulated by the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) via changes in large-scale thermal contrast between the Asian land mass and the Indian Ocean, a relationship that is also identifiable in the observational data of the last century. Therefore, we suggest that inter-hemispheric scale interactions between such extra tropical forcing mechanisms and global warming are likely to be influential in determining future trends in ISM rainfall.
Heterologous expression of xanthophyll esterase genes affects carotenoid accumulation in petunia corollas
Authors: Kishimoto Sanae , Oda-Yamamizo Chihiro , Ohmiya Akemi 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe majority of carotenoids in petals are xanthophylls and most of these xanthophylls are esterified with fatty acids. Although petunia (Petunia x hybrida) is an important ornamental plant, it cannot accumulate enough carotenoids to have deep-yellow flowers. Our previous study suggested that low esterification activity causes low carotenoid accumulation in petunia corollas. Here, we introduced xanthophyll esterase (XES) from the petals of Ipomoea obscura, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and marigold (Tagetes erecta) into a pale-yellow-flowered cultivar of petunia to see whether these affect carotenoid accumulation in petunia corollas. Carotenoid contents and the proportions of esterified xanthophylls were elevated in the corollas of XES-overexpressing (XES-OX) transformants. Expression analysis showed that the transcript levels of endogenous carotenoid biosynthetic genes, which included geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 2, ζ-carotene desaturase, and lycopene β-ring cyclase in corolla tubes were upregulated in XES-OX plants. In addition, we discovered a difference in the composition of esterified xanthophylls among XES-OX plants, which may be caused by differences in the substrate specificity of their respective XESs. We conclude that esterification is an important process for carotenoid accumulation and XES is a useful tool for the quantitative and qualitative control of carotenoid accumulation in petals.
Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies in Codonopsis pilosula Based on Transcriptome Sequence Data
Authors: Liang Lijun , He Zhigui , Yu Haizheng , Wang Erhuan , Zhang Xiaojiang , Zhang Bingxue , Zhang Chenlu , Liang Zongsuo 
Published: January 2020

AbstractRelative gene expression analyses by RT-qPCR (reverse transcription-quantitative PCR) are highly dependent on the reference genes in normalizing the expression data of target genes. Therefore, inappropriate endogenous control genes will lead to inaccurate target gene expression profiles, and the selection and validation of suitable internal reference genes becomes essential. In this study, we retrieved the commonly used reference genes in transcriptome datasets of Codonopsis pilosula by RNA-Seq (unpublished data), and selected 15 candidate reference genes according to the coefficient of variation (CV) and fold change (FC) value of gene expression. The expression levels of candidate reference genes, which is at different growth stages, undergoing cold stress and drought stress, was determined by RT-qPCR. The expression stability of these genes was evaluated using software packages and algorithms including ΔCt, geNorm, NormFinder and Bestkeeper. Then appropriate reference genes were screened and validated by target gene-UDGPase (UDP glucose pyrophosphorylase). The optimal RGs combinations of C. pilosula, including PP2A59γ, CPY20-1, UBCE32, RPL5B and UBC18 for developmental stage, RPL5B, RPL13 and PP2A59γ for cold treatment, RPL13 and PP2A59γ for drought treatment, were found and proposed as reference genes for future work. This paper laid foundations for both the selection of reference genes and exploration in metabolic mechanism of C. pilosula.
Reactor environment during the Fukushima nuclear accident inferred from radiocaesium-bearing microparticles
Authors: Okumura Taiga , Yamaguchi Noriko , Suga Hiroki , Takahashi Yoshio , Segawa Hiroyo , Kogure Toshihiro 
Published: January 2020

AbstractRadiocaesium-bearing microparticles (CsMPs), which are substantially silicate glass, were formed inside the damaged reactor and released to the environment by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011. The present study reports several valuable findings regarding their composition and structure using advanced microanalytical techniques. X-ray absorption near-edge structure of Fe L3-absorption indicated that the oxidation state of the iron dissolved in the glass matrix of the CsMPs was originally nearly divalent, suggesting that the atmosphere in which the CsMPs were formed during the accident was considerably reductive. Another major finding is that sodium, which has not been recognised as a constituent element of CsMPs thus far, is among the major elements in the glass matrix. The atomic percent of Na is higher than that of other alkali elements such as K and Cs. Furthermore, halite (NaCl) was found as an inclusion inside a CsMP. The existence of Na in CsMPs infers that seawater injected for cooling might reach the inside of the reactor before or during the formation of the CsMPs. These results are valuable to infer the environment inside the reactor during the accident and the debris materials to be removed during the decommissioning processes.
Stellar rotation periods from K2 Campaigns 0–18
Authors: Reinhold Timo , Hekker Saskia 
Published: January 2020

Context. Rotation period measurements of stars observed with the Kepler mission have revealed a lack of stars at intermediate rotation periods, accompanied by a decrease of photometric variability. Whether this so-called dearth region is a peculiarity of stars in the Kepler field, or reflects a general manifestation of stellar magnetic activity, is still under debate. The K2 mission has the potential to unravel this mystery by measuring stellar rotation and photometric variability along different fields in the sky.
Aims. Our goal is to measure stellar rotation periods and photometric variabilities for tens of thousands of K2 stars, located in different fields along the ecliptic plane, to shed light on the relation between stellar rotation and photometric variability.
Methods. We use Lomb–Scargle periodograms, auto-correlation and wavelet functions to determine consistent rotation periods. Stellar brightness variability is assessed by computing the variability range, Rvar, from the light curve. We further apply Gaussian mixture models to search for bimodality in the rotation period distribution.
Results. Combining measurements from all K2 campaigns, we detect rotation periods in 29 860 stars. The reliability of these periods was estimated from stars observed more than once. We find that 75–90% of the stars show period deviation smaller than 20% between different campaigns, depending on the peak height threshold in the periodograms. For effective temperatures below 6000 K, the variability range shows a local minimum at different periods, consistent with an isochrone age of ∼750 Myr. Additionally, the rotation period distribution shows evidence for bimodality, although the dearth region in the K2 data is less pronounced compared to the Kepler field. The period at the dip of the bimodal distribution shows good agreement with the period at the local variability minimum.
Conclusions. We conclude that the rotation period bimodality is present in different fields of the sky, and is hence a general manifestation of stellar magnetic activity. The reduced variability in the dearth region is interpreted as a cancelation between dark spots and bright faculae. Our results strongly advocate that the role of faculae has been underestimated so far, suggesting a more complex dependence of the brightness variability on the rotation period.
A Frustrated Lewis Pair Solution to a Frustrating Problem: Mono-Selective Functionalization of C–F Bonds in Di- and Trifluoromethyl Groups
Authors: Young Rowan D. , Gupta Richa , Jaiswal Amit K. , Mandal Dipendu 
Published: January 2020

Polyfluoromethyl groups generally suffer from over-reaction, where multiple C–F bonds are uncontrollably functionalized. The use of a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP)-mediated C–F bond activation permits selective monodefluorination through base capture of intermediate fluorocarbocations. FLP-mediated C–F bond activation can be applied to aromatic, heteroaromatic, or nonaromatic difluoro and trifluoromethyl groups to generate selectively fluoride-substituted phosphonium and pyridinium salts. These salts can be further functionalized by Wittig coupling, nucleophilic substitution, photoredox alkylation, nucleophilic transfer, or hydrogenation reactions to install a range of functional groups into the activated C–F position.1	Introduction2	Frustrated Lewis Pair C–F Activation3	Conclusion