bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognosis and Associated Factors among Elderly Patients with Small Artery Occlusion
Authors: Zhao Yuguang , Yang Chunxiao , Yan Xiaobo , Ma Xu , Wang Xiaokun , Zou Chunying , Wang Shuang 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSmall artery occlusion (SAO) is the one of the primary subtype of ischemic stroke in China. However, its outcomes among elderly patients are unclear. Consecutive patients with SAO were recruited at Jiamusi University First Hospital, China between January 2008 and December 2016. Stroke subtype, severity, and risk factors were collected; outcomes at 3, 12, and 36 months after stroke onset were assessed. A total of 1464 SAO patients were included in this study. Participants aged ≥75 years had higher dependency rates than Participants aged <75 years with SAO in all three follow-up periods, in addition to a higher recurrence rate at 12 months and a higher mortality rate 36 months after stroke. After adjusting for confounders, elevated triglyceride level was found to be a protective factor against mortality 36 months after stroke. Stroke severity, diabetes mellitus, artery stenosis, gender, obesity, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were independently associated with the risk of dependency; elevated triglyceride level was an independent risk factor for recurrence at 3 months point after stroke onset. These findings suggest that it is vital to manage risk factors that may affect prognosis of stroke among elderly patients with SAO to improve patient prognosis and reduce the burden of stroke in China.
Retinal artery occlusion is associated with compositional and functional shifts in the gut microbiome and altered trimethylamine-N-oxide levels
Authors: Zysset-Burri Denise C. , Keller Irene , Berger Lieselotte E. , Neyer Peter J. , Steuer Christian , Wolf Sebastian , Zinkernagel Martin S. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractRetinal artery occlusion (RAO) is a sight threatening complication of cardiovascular disease and commonly occurs due to underlying atherosclerosis. As cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis in particular has been associated with compositional alterations in the gut microbiome, we investigated this association in patients with clinically confirmed non-arteritic RAO compared to age- and sex-matched controls. On the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was decreased in patients with RAO compared to controls, whereas the opposite applied for the phylum of Proteobacteria. Several genera and species such as Actinobacter, Bifidobacterium spp., Bacteroides stercoris, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were relatively enriched in patients with RAO, whereas others such as Odoribacter, Parasutterella or Lachnospiraceae were significantly lower. Patient’s gut microbiomes were enriched in genes of the cholesterol metabolism pathway. The gut derived, pro-atherogenic metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) was significantly higher in patients with RAO compared to controls (p = 0.023) and a negative correlation between relative abundances of genera Parasutterella and Lachnospiraceae and TMAO levels and a positive correlation between relative abundance of genus Akkermansia and TMAO levels was found in study subjects. Our findings proposes that RAO is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome and with elevated TMAO levels, suggesting that RAO could be targeted by microbiome-altering interventions.
Mantle degassing along strike-slip faults in the Southeastern Korean Peninsula
Authors: Lee Hyunwoo , Kim Heejun , Kagoshima Takanori , Park Jin-Oh , Takahata Naoto , Sano Yuji 
Published: October 2019

AbstractOn September 12, 2016, a ML 5.8 earthquake hit Gyeongju in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula (SeKP), although the area is known to be far from the boundary of the active plate. A number of strike-slip faults are observed in heavily populated city areas (e.g., Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, and Gyeongju). However, dissolved gases related to the active faults have rarely been studied despite many groundwater wells and hot springs in the area. Here we report new results of gas compositions and isotope values of helium and carbon dioxide (CO2) in fault-related fluids in the region. Based on gas geochemistry, the majority of gas samples are abundant in CO2 (up to 99.91 vol.%). Measured 3He/4He ratios range from 0.07 to 5.66 Ra, showing that the mantle contribution is up to 71%. The range of carbon isotope compositions (δ13C) of CO2 is from −8.25 to −24.92‰, showing mantle-derived CO2 is observed coherently where high 3He/4He ratios appear. The weakening of faults seems to be related to enhanced pressures of fluids containing mantle-derived helium and CO2 despite the ductile lower crust underneath the region. Thus, we suggest that the SeKP strike-slip faults penetrate into the mantle through ductile shearing.
Hyperalgesia when observing pain-related images is a genuine bias in perception and enhances autonomic responses
Authors: Chapon Anaïs , Perchet Caroline , Garcia-Larrea Luis , Frot Maud 
Published: October 2019

AbstractObserving pain in others can enhance our own pain. Two aspects of this effect remain unknown or controversial: first, whether it depends on the ‘painfulness’ of the visual stimulus; second, whether it reflects a genuine bias in perception or rather a bias in the memory encoding of the percept. Pain ratings and vegetative skin responses were recorded while 21 healthy volunteers received electric nociceptive shocks under three experimental conditions: (i) observing a painful contact between the body and a harmful object; (ii) observing a non-painful body contact, (iii) observing a control scene where the body and the object are not in contact. Pain reports and vegetative responses were enhanced exclusively when the subjects observed a painful body contact. The effect on perception was immediate, abated 3 sec after the shock, and positively correlated with the magnitude of vegetative arousal. This suggests that (a) hyperalgesia during observation of painful scenes was induced by their pain-related nature, and not by the simple body contact, and (b) hyperalgesia emerged from a very rapid bias in the perceptual encoding of the stimulus, and was not the result of a retrospective bias in memory recollection. Observing pain-depicting scenes can modify the processing of concomitant somatic stimuli, increasing their arousal value and shifting perception toward more painful levels.
The Interactome analysis of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus protein M2-1 suggests a new role in viral mRNA metabolism post-transcription
Authors: Bouillier Camille , Cosentino Gina , Léger Thibaut , Rincheval Vincent , Richard Charles-Adrien , Desquesnes Aurore , Sitterlin Delphine , Blouquit-Laye Sabine , Eléouët Jean-Francois , Gault Elyanne , Rameix-Welti Marie-Anne 
Published: October 2019

AbstractHuman respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a globally prevalent negative-stranded RNA virus, which can cause life-threatening respiratory infections in young children, elderly people and immunocompromised patients. Its transcription termination factor M2-1 plays an essential role in viral transcription, but the mechanisms underpinning its function are still unclear. We investigated the cellular interactome of M2-1 using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-trap immunoprecipitation on RSV infected cells coupled with mass spectrometry analysis. We identified 137 potential cellular partners of M2-1, among which many proteins associated with mRNA metabolism, and particularly mRNA maturation, translation and stabilization. Among these, the cytoplasmic polyA-binding protein 1 (PABPC1), a candidate with a major role in both translation and mRNA stabilization, was confirmed to interact with M2-1 using protein complementation assay and specific immunoprecipitation. PABPC1 was also shown to colocalize with M2-1 from its accumulation in inclusion bodies associated granules (IBAGs) to its liberation in the cytoplasm. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that M2-1 interacts with viral mRNA and mRNA metabolism factors from transcription to translation, and imply that M2-1 may have an additional role in the fate of viral mRNA downstream of transcription.
Pyrite-induced uv-photocatalytic abiotic nitrogen fixation: implications for early atmospheres and Life
Authors: Mateo-Marti E. , Galvez-Martinez S. , Gil-Lozano C. , Zorzano María-Paz 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe molecular form of nitrogen, N2, is universally available but is biochemically inaccessible for life due to the strength of its triple bond. Prior to the emergence of life, there must have been an abiotic process that could fix nitrogen in a biochemically usable form. The UV photo-catalytic effects of minerals such as pyrite on nitrogen fixation have to date been overlooked. Here we show experimentally, using X-ray photoemission and infrared spectroscopies that, under a standard earth atmosphere containing nitrogen and water vapour at Earth or Martian pressures, nitrogen is fixed to pyrite as ammonium iron sulfate after merely two hours of exposure to 2,3 W/m 2 of ultraviolet irradiance in the 200–400 nm range. Our experiments show that this process exists also in the absence of UV, although about 50 times slower. The experiments also show that carbonates species are fixed on pyrite surface.
Urbanization creates diverse aquatic habitats for immature mosquitoes in urban areas
Authors: Wilke André B. B. , Chase Catherine , Vasquez Chalmers , Carvajal Augusto , Medina Johana , Petrie William D. , Beier John C. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractGlobal increases in temperatures and urbanization are impacting the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. Urbanization processes create suitable habitats for vector mosquitoes in which there are a reduced number of predators, and human hosts are widely available. We hypothesize that mosquito vector species, especially Aedes aegypti, are locally concentrated primarily in those specific habitats at the neighborhood levels that provide suitable conditions and environmental resources needed for mosquito survival. Determining how mosquito vector species composition and abundance depend on environmental resources across habitats addresses where different types of vector control need to be applied. Therefore, our goal was to analyze and identify the most productive aquatic habitats for mosquitoes in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Immature mosquito surveys were conducted throughout Miami-Dade County from April 2018 to June 2019, totaling 2,488 inspections. Mosquitoes were collected in 76 different types of aquatic habitats scattered throughout 141 neighborhoods located in the urbanized areas of Miami-Dade County. A total of 44,599 immature mosquitoes were collected and Ae. aegypti was the most common and abundant species, comprising 43% of all specimens collected. Aedes aegypti was primarily found in buckets, bromeliads, and flower pots, concentrated in specific neighborhoods. Our results showed that aquatic habitats created by anthropogenic land-use modifications (e.g., ornamental bromeliads, buckets, etc.) were positively correlated with the abundance of Ae. aegypti. This study serves to identify how vector mosquitoes utilize the resources available in urban environments and to determine the exact role of these specific urban features in supporting populations of vector mosquito species. Ultimately, the identification of modifiable urban features will allow the development of targeted mosquito control strategies optimized to preventatively control vector mosquitoes in urban areas.
Increased nasal matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -9 expression in smokers with chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma
Authors: Huang Chien-Chia , Wang Chun-Hua , Wu Pei-Wen , He Jung-Ru , Huang Chi-Che , Chang Po-Hung , Fu Chia-Hsiang , Lee Ta-Jen 
Published: October 2019

AbstractA potential mechanism underlying cigarette smoke-induced airway disease is insufficient tissue repair via altered production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Osteitis is a signature feature of recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and often results in revision surgery. The present study aimed to investigate MMP expression in the nasal tissues of asthmatic patients with CRS and any association with cigarette smoking and osteitis. Thirteen smokers with CRS and asthma, 16 non-smokers with CRS and asthma, and seven non-smoker asthmatic patients without CRS were prospectively recruited. The expression of MMPs and associated immunological factors in surgically-obtained nasal tissues was evaluated via real-time PCR and western blotting. Maximal bone thickness of the anterior ethmoid (AE) partition was measured in axial sinus computed tomography (CT) sections. MMP-1 and MMP-9 expression was increased in the nasal tissues of smokers with asthma and CRS via real-time PCR and western blot. Maximal AE partition bone thickness was greater in smokers with CRS and asthma than in non-smokers with CRS and asthma. MMP-1 and MMP-9 levels were correlated with maximal AE bone thickness. Cigarette smoking was associated with the up-regulation of MMP-1 and MMP-9 in the nasal tissues of patients with airway inflammatory diseases, and with AE osteitis, and with therapeutic resistence.
Fertilization and Cleavage Axes Differ In Primates Conceived By Conventional (IVF) Versus Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Authors: Simerly Calvin R. , Takahashi Diana , Jacoby Ethan , Castro Carlos , Hartnett Carrie , Hewitson Laura , Navara Christopher , Schatten Gerald 
Published: October 2019

AbstractWith nearly ten million babies conceived globally, using assisted reproductive technologies, fundamental questions remain; e.g., How do the sperm and egg DNA unite? Does ICSI have consequences that IVF does not? Here, pronuclear and mitotic events in nonhuman primate zygotes leading to the establishment of polarity are investigated by multidimensional time-lapse video microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Multiplane videos after ICSI show atypical sperm head displacement beneath the oocyte cortex and eccentric para-tangential pronuclear alignment compared to IVF zygotes. Neither fertilization procedure generates incorporation cones. At first interphase, apposed pronuclei align obliquely to the animal-vegetal axis after ICSI, with asymmetric furrows assembling from the male pronucleus. Furrows form within 30° of the animal pole, but typically, not through the ICSI injection site. Membrane flow drives polar bodies and the ICSI site into the furrow. Mitotic spindle imaging suggests para-tangential pronuclear orientation, which initiates random spindle axes and minimal spindle:cortex interactions. Parthenogenetic pronuclei drift centripetally and assemble astral spindles lacking cortical interactions, leading to random furrows through the animal pole. Conversely, androgenotes display cortex-only pronuclear interactions mimicking ICSI. First cleavage axis determination in primates involves dynamic cortex-microtubule interactions among male pronuclei, centrosomal microtubules, and the animal pole, but not the ICSI site.
ZBTB32 restrains antibody responses to murine cytomegalovirus infections, but not other repetitive challenges
Authors: Jash Arijita , Zhou You W. , Gerardo Diana K. , Ripperger Tyler J. , Parikh Bijal A. , Piersma Sytse , Jamwal Deepa R. , Kiela Pawel R. , Boon Adrianus C. M. , Yokoyama Wayne M. , Hsieh Chyi S. , Bhattacharya Deepta 
Published: October 2019

AbstractZBTB32 is a transcription factor that is highly expressed by a subset of memory B cells and restrains the magnitude and duration of recall responses against hapten-protein conjugates. To define physiological contexts in which ZBTB32 acts, we assessed responses by Zbtb32−/− mice or bone marrow chimeras against a panel of chronic and acute challenges. Mixed bone marrow chimeras were established in which all B cells were derived from either Zbtb32−/− mice or control littermates. Chronic infection of Zbtb32−/− chimeras with murine cytomegalovirus led to nearly 20-fold higher antigen-specific IgG2b levels relative to controls by week 9 post-infection, despite similar viral loads. In contrast, IgA responses and specificities in the intestine, where memory B cells are repeatedly stimulated by commensal bacteria, were similar between Zbtb32−/− mice and control littermates. Finally, an infection and heterologous booster vaccination model revealed no role for ZBTB32 in restraining primary or recall antibody responses against influenza viruses. Thus, ZBTB32 does not limit recall responses to a number of physiological acute challenges, but does restrict antibody levels during chronic viral infections that periodically engage memory B cells. This restriction might selectively prevent recall responses against chronic infections from progressively overwhelming other antibody specificities.
Comparing modes of delivery of a combination of ion channel inhibitors for limiting secondary degeneration following partial optic nerve transection
Authors: Toomey Lillian M. , Bartlett Carole A. , Gavriel Nikolas , McGonigle Terence , Majimbi Maimuna , Gopalasingam Gopana , Rodger Jennifer , Fitzgerald Melinda 
Published: October 2019

AbstractInjury to the central nervous system is exacerbated by secondary degeneration. Previous research has shown that a combination of orally and locally administered ion channel inhibitors following partial optic nerve injury protects the myelin sheath and preserves function in the ventral optic nerve, vulnerable to secondary degeneration. However, local administration is often not clinically appropriate. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of systemic and local delivery of the ion channel inhibitor combination of lomerizine, brilliant blue G (BBG) and YM872, which inhibits voltage-gated calcium channels, P2X7 receptors and Ca2+ permeable α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors respectively. Following a partial optic nerve transection, adult female PVG rats were treated with BBG and YM872 delivered via osmotic mini pump directly to the injury site, or via intraperitoneal injection, both alongside oral administration of lomerizine. Myelin structure was preserved with both delivery modes of the ion channel inhibitor combination. However, there was no effect of treatment on inflammation, either peripherally or at the injury site, or on the density of oligodendroglial cells. Taken together, the data indicate that even at lower concentrations, the combinatorial treatment may be preserving myelin structure, and that systemic and local delivery are comparable at improving outcomes following neurotrauma.
CRISPR/Transposon gene integration (CRITGI) can manage gene expression in a retrotransposon-dependent manner
Authors: Hanasaki Miki , Masumoto Hiroshi 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe fine-tuning of gene expression contributes to both basic science and applications. Here, we develop a novel gene expression technology termed CRITGI (CRISPR/Transposon gene integration). CRITGI uses CRISPR/Cas9 to integrate multiple copies of the plasmid pTy1 into Ty1 loci, budding yeast retrotransposons. The pTy1 plasmid harbors a Ty1 consensus sequence for integration, a gene of interest with its own promoter and a selection marker gene. Interestingly, the expression of the pTy1 gene in Ty1 loci could be induced in synthetic complete amino acid depletion medium, which could activate the selection marker gene on pTy1. The induction or repression of the gene on pTy1 depended on Ty1 transcription. Activation of the selection marker gene on pTy1 triggered Ty1 transcription, which led to induction of the gene on pTy1. The gene on pTy1 was not transcribed with Ty1 mRNA; the transcription required its own promoter. Furthermore, the trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 4, a landmark of transcriptionally active chromatin, accumulated at the 5′ end of the gene on pTy1 following selection marker gene activation. Thus, CRITGI is a unique gene regulation system to induce the genes on pTy1 in amino acid depletion medium and utilizes Ty1 transcription to create a chromatin environment favorable for the transcription of the genes on pTy1.
Seeding hESCs to achieve optimal colony clonality
Authors: Wadkin L. E. , Orozco-Fuentes S. , Neganova I. , Bojic S. , Laude A. , Lako M. , Parker N. G. , Shukurov A. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have promising clinical applications which often rely on clonally-homogeneous cell populations. To achieve this, it is important to ensure that each colony originates from a single founding cell and to avoid subsequent merging of colonies during their growth. Clonal homogeneity can be obtained with low seeding densities; however, this leads to low yield and viability. It is therefore important to quantitatively assess how seeding density affects clonality loss so that experimental protocols can be optimised to meet the required standards. Here we develop a quantitative framework for modelling the growth of hESC colonies from a given seeding density based on stochastic exponential growth. This allows us to identify the timescales for colony merges and over which colony size no longer predicts the number of founding cells. We demonstrate the success of our model by applying it to our own experiments of hESC colony growth; while this is based on a particular experimental set-up, the model can be applied more generally to other cell lines and experimental conditions to predict these important timescales.
The relationship between MUC5B promoter, TERT polymorphisms and telomere lengths with radiographic extent and survival in a Chinese IPF cohort
Authors: Wang Hui , Zhuang Yi , Peng Hui , Cao Min , Li Yan , Xu Qingqing , Xin Xiaoyan , Zhou Kefeng , Liang Geyu , Cai Hourong , Dai Jinghong 
Published: October 2019

AbstractGenetic factors were identified to be associated with the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We aimed to investigate associations between mucin 5B (MUC5B) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) polymorphisms and telomere length (TL) with honeycombing extent and survival in a Chinese IPF cohort. Seventy-nine patients diagnosed with IPF were enrolled. The honeycombing extents in high resolution CT scan (HRCT) were quantitatively scored and defined as mild (<10%), moderate (10–50%), and severe (>50%) upon the honeycombing extents involving the total lung. We tested five single-nucleotide polymorphisms [rs35705950, rs868903 in MUC5B, rs2736100, rs2853676 in TERT and rs1881984 in Telomerase RNA Gene (TERC) and TLs in peripheral blood leucocytes, and evaluated their associations with radiographic extent and survival in IPF. The minor allele frequencies (MAF) were significantly greater for MUC5B rs868903 (P = 0.042) and TERT rs2853676 (P = 0.041) in IPF than those in healthy controls. CT/CC genotype of MUC5B rs868903 (p = 0.045) and short TLs (p = 0.035) were correlated with the more extensive honeycombing opacities in HRCT. After adjustment for age, sex, and smoking status, MUC5B rs868903 polymorphism was the significant gene risk factors for reduced survival (p = 0.044) in IPF. MUC5B promoter rs868903 polymorphism and TLs were associated with radiographic extent and survival in a Chinese IPF cohort. These findings suggested a genetic clue for exploring the underlying molecular basis and pathogenesis of IPF.