bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of glucose exposure on bioenergetics and function in a cultured endothelial cell model and the implications for cardiovascular health in diabetes
Authors: Fiorello Maria Luisa , Treweeke Andrew T. , Macfarlane David P. , Megson Ian L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCardiovascular disease is the primary driver of morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. Hyperglycaemia is implicated in driving endothelial dysfunction that might underpin the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to determine the impact of chronic preconditioning of cells to hyperglycaemia and transient switching of cultured endothelial cells between hyper- and normo-glycaemic conditions on bioenergetic and functional parameters. Immortalised EA.hy926 endothelial cells were cultured through multiple passages under normoglycaemic (5.5 mM) or hyperglycaemic (25 mM) conditions. Cells were subsequently subjected (48 h) to continued normo- or hyperglycaemic exposure, or were switched to the alternative glycaemic condition, or to an intermediate glucose concentration (12.5 mM) and metabolic activity, together with key markers of function were measured. Cells habituated to hyperglycaemia were energetically quiescent. Functional activity, characterised by the measurement of nitric oxide, endothelin-1, tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, was depressed by exposure to high glucose, with the reduction in nitric oxide production being the most notable. Function was more responsive to acute changes in extracellular glucose than were bioenergetic changes. We conclude that glucose is a key determinant of endothelial function. The study highlights the importance of chronic glucose exposure on cell phenotype and emphasises the need to pay close attention to glucose preconditioning in interpreting results under culture conditions.
Multifunctional rhodamine B appended ROMP derived fluorescent probe detects Al3+ and selectively labels lysosomes in live cells
Authors: Gandra Upendar Reddy , Courjaret Raphael , Machaca Khaled , Al-Hashimi Mohammed , Bazzi Hassan S. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThere a few reports of rhodamine-based fluorescent sensors for selective detection of only Al3+, due to the challenge of identifying a suitable ligand for binding Al3+ ion. The use of fluorophore moieties appended to a polymer backbone for sensing applications is far from mature. Here, we report a new fluorescent probe/monomer 4 and its ROMP derived polymer P for specific detection of Al3+ ions. Both monomer 4 and its polymer P exhibit high selectivity toward only Al3+ with no interference from other metal ions, having a limit detection of 0.5 and 2.1 µM, respectively. The reversible recognition of monomer 4 and P for Al3+ was also proved in presence of Na2EDTA by both UV–Vis and fluorometric titration. The experimental data indicates the behavior of 4 and P toward Al3+ is pH independent in medium conditions. In addition, the switch-on luminescence response of 4 at acidic pH (0 < 5.0), allowed us to specifically stain lysosomes (pH ~ 4.5–5.0) in live cells.
Disparity of time-contrast curves generated by various types of power injectors used in magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Doppler Marcus , Moser Ewald , Klickovic Uros , Nasel Christian 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe profiles of time-contrast (TC) -curves from popular MRI injectors derived at the injection site of the attached tube-line system were compared. Variations of TC-profiles were previously reported to potentially influence image quality in time critical MRI measurements. TC-curves from five injectors obtained during commonly used injection protocols were assessed according to representative quality criteria: (1) correlation strength between a fitted boxcar function and the TC-curve (cBCF) and (2) difference between true and expected injection time (dBIT). Additionally, the impact from technical injector properties: pump type, line volume, maximum injection power and type of contrast medium (CM) on the TC-profiles was evaluated. Injectors using a piston-syrinx (PS) mechanism for CM-injection performed significantly better than those working with a peristaltic roller pump (RP) technique. Besides injection mechanism, line filling volume showed a strong influence on the final TC-curves, where larger filling volumes induced worse cBCF- and dBIT-results. Therefore, to achieve an optimal bolus in clinical MRI use of a PS-injector seems recommendable. Besides their pump mechanism, RP-injectors appeared additionally hampered by their high volume line systems, pointing out an unfavourable coinicidence of these technical features in RP-injectors. This should be considered, particularly, in comparative or time-critical MRI-studies.
Association between mental health comorbidity and health outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: Guerrero Fernández de Alba Inmaculada , Gimeno-Miguel Antonio , Poblador-Plou Beatriz , Gimeno-Feliu Luis Andrés , Ioakeim-Skoufa Ignatios , Rojo-Martínez Gemma , Forjaz Maria João , Prados-Torres Alexandra 
Published: November 2020

AbstractType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is often accompanied by chronic diseases, including mental health problems. We aimed at studying mental health comorbidity prevalence in T2D patients and its association with T2D outcomes through a retrospective, observational study of individuals of the EpiChron Cohort (Aragón, Spain) with prevalent T2D in 2011 (n = 63,365). Participants were categorized as having or not mental health comorbidity (i.e., depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and/or substance use disorder). We performed logistic regression models, controlled for age, sex and comorbidities, to analyse the likelihood of 4-year mortality, 1-year all-cause hospitalization, T2D-hospitalization, and emergency room visit. Mental health comorbidity was observed in 19% of patients. Depression was the most frequent condition, especially in women (20.7% vs. 7.57%). Mortality risk was higher in patients with mental health comorbidity (odds ratio 1.24; 95% confidence interval 1.16–1.31), especially in those with substance use disorder (2.18; 1.84–2.57) and schizophrenia (1.82; 1.50–2.21). Mental health comorbidity also increased the likelihood of all-cause hospitalization (1.16; 1.10–1.23), T2D-hospitalization (1.51; 1.18–1.93) and emergency room visit (1.26; 1.21–1.32). These results suggest that T2D healthcare management should include specific strategies for the early detection and treatment of mental health problems to reduce its impact on health outcomes.
FGF21 signaling in glutamatergic neurons is required for weight loss associated with dietary protein dilution
Authors: Flippo Kyle H. , Jensen-Cody Sharon O. , Claflin Kristin E. , Potthoff Matthew J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAlterations in macronutrient intake can have profound effects on energy intake and whole-body metabolism. For example, reducing protein intake increases energy expenditure, increases insulin sensitivity and decreases body weight in rodents. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) signaling in the brain is necessary for the metabolic effects of dietary protein restriction and has more recently been proposed to promote protein preference. However, the neuron populations through which FGF21 elicits these effects are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of β-klotho in glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, neurons abrogated the effects of dietary protein restriction on reducing body weight, but not on improving insulin sensitivity in both diet-induced obese and lean mice. Specifically, FGF21 signaling in glutamatergic neurons is necessary for protection against body weight gain and induction of UCP1 in adipose tissues associated with dietary protein restriction. However, β-klotho expression in glutamatergic neurons was dispensable for the effects of dietary protein restriction to increase insulin sensitivity. In addition, we report that FGF21 administration does not alter protein preference, but instead promotes the foraging of other macronutrients primarily by suppressing simple sugar consumption. This work provides important new insights into the neural substrates and mechanisms behind the endocrine control of metabolism during dietary protein dilution.
The role of isochrony in speech perception in noise
Authors: Aubanel Vincent , Schwartz Jean-Luc 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe role of isochrony in speech—the hypothetical division of speech units into equal duration intervals—has been the subject of a long-standing debate. Current approaches in neurosciences have brought new perspectives in that debate through the theoretical framework of predictive coding and cortical oscillations. Here we assess the comparative roles of naturalness and isochrony in the intelligibility of speech in noise for French and English, two languages representative of two well-established contrastive rhythm classes. We show that both top-down predictions associated with the natural timing of speech and to a lesser extent bottom-up predictions associated with isochrony at a syllabic timescale improve intelligibility. We found a similar pattern of results for both languages, suggesting that temporal characterisation of speech from different rhythm classes could be unified around a single core speech unit, with neurophysiologically defined duration and linguistically anchored temporal location. Taken together, our results suggest that isochrony does not seem to be a main dimension of speech processing, but may be a consequence of neurobiological processing constraints, manifesting in behavioural performance and ultimately explaining why isochronous stimuli occupy a particular status in speech and human perception in general.
Ovarian follicular dynamics, progesterone concentrations, pregnancy rates and transcriptional patterns in Bos indicus females with a high or low antral follicle count
Authors: de Lima Marina Amaro , Morotti Fábio , Bayeux Bernardo Marcozzi , de Rezende Rômulo Germano , Botigelli Ramon Cesar , De Bem Tiago Henrique Camara , Fontes Patrícia Kubo , Nogueira Marcelo Fábio Gouveia , Meirelles Flávio Vieira , Baruselli Pietro Sampaio , da Silveira Juliano Coelho , Perecin Felipe , Seneda Marcelo Marcondes 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe evaluated the effect of the antral follicle count (AFC) on ovarian follicular dynamics, pregnancy rates, progesterone concentrations, and transcriptional patterns of genes in Nelore cattle (Bos taurus indicus) after a timed artificial insemination (TAI) programme. Cows were separated based on the AFC, and those with a high AFC showed a larger (P < 0.0001) ovarian diameter and area than those with a very low AFC. Females with a very low AFC exhibited a larger (P < 0.01) diameter of the dominant follicle at TAI (13.6 ± 0.3 vs. 12.2 ± 0.4 mm) and a tendency (P = 0.06) to have different serum progesterone concentrations (2.9 ± 0.3 vs. 2.1 ± 0.3 ng/mL; on day 18, considering day 0 as the beginning of the synchronization protocol) than those with a high AFC. The pregnancy rate was higher (P ≤ 0.05) in animals with a very low (57.9%) and low (53.1%) AFC than in those with a high AFC (45.2%). The expression of genes related to intercellular communication, meiotic control, epigenetic modulation, cell division, follicular growth, cell maintenance, steroidogenesis and cellular stress response was assessed on day 5. In females with a low AFC, 8 and 21 genes in oocytes and cumulus cells, respectively, were upregulated (P < 0.05), while 3 and 6 genes in oocytes and cumulus cells, respectively, were downregulated. The results described here will help elucidate the differences in ovarian physiology and the reproductive success of Bos indicus females with a low or high AFC.
Network analysis of ballast-mediated species transfer reveals important introduction and dispersal patterns in the Arctic
Authors: Saebi Mandana , Xu Jian , Curasi Salvatore R. , Grey Erin K. , Chawla Nitesh V. , Lodge David M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractRapid climate change has wide-ranging implications for the Arctic region, including sea ice loss, increased geopolitical attention, and expanding economic activity resulting in a dramatic increase in shipping activity. As a result, the risk of harmful non-native marine species being introduced into this critical region will increase unless policy and management steps are implemented in response. Using data about shipping, ecoregions, and environmental conditions, we leverage network analysis and data mining techniques to assess, visualize, and project ballast water-mediated species introductions into the Arctic and dispersal of non-native species within the Arctic. We first identify high-risk connections between the Arctic and non-Arctic ports that could be sources of non-native species over 15 years (1997–2012) and observe the emergence of shipping hubs in the Arctic where the cumulative risk of non-native species introduction is increasing. We then consider how environmental conditions can constrain this Arctic introduction network for species with different physiological limits, thus providing a tool that will allow decision-makers to evaluate the relative risk of different shipping routes. Next, we focus on within-Arctic ballast-mediated species dispersal where we use higher-order network analysis to identify critical shipping routes that may facilitate species dispersal within the Arctic. The risk assessment and projection framework we propose could inform risk-based assessment and management of ship-borne invasive species in the Arctic.
Lufenuron induces reproductive toxicity and genotoxic effects in pregnant albino rats and their fetuses
Authors: Basal Wesam T. , Ahmed Abdel Rahman T. , Mahmoud Aya A. , Omar Amel R. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractInsecticides and other agrochemicals have become indispensable components of the agricultural system to ensure a notable increase in crop yield and food production. As a natural consequence, chemical residues result in significantly increased contamination of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The present study evaluated the teratogenic, genotoxic, and oxidative stress effects of residual-level lufenuron exposure on pregnant rats during the organogenesis gestational period of both mother and fetus. The tested dams were divided into three groups; control (untreated), low-dose group (orally administered with 0.4 mg/kg lufenuron) and high-dose group (orally administered with 0.8 mg/kg lufenuron). The dams of the two treatment groups showed teratogenic abnormalities represented by the asymmetrical distribution of fetuses in both uterine horns, accompanied by observed resorption sites and intensive bleeding in the uterine horns, whereas their fetuses suffered from growth retardation, morphologic malformations, and skeletal deformations. Histologic examination of the liver and kidney tissues obtained from mothers and fetuses after lufenuron exposure revealed multiple histopathologic changes. DNA fragmentation and cell cycle perturbation were also detected in the liver cells of lufenuron-treated pregnant dams and their fetuses through comet assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, lufenuron-induced oxidative stress in the liver of mothers and fetuses was confirmed by the increased malondialdehyde levels and decreased levels of enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase). Taken together, it can be concluded that lufenuron has a great potential in exerting teratogenic, genotoxic, and oxidative stresses on pregnant rats and their fetuses upon chronic exposure to residual levels during the organogenesis gestational period. The obtained results in the present study imply that women and their fetuses may have the same risk.
Stereopsis and retinal microstructures following macular hole surgery
Authors: Okamoto Fumiki , Moriya Yuki , Sugiura Yoshimi , Murakami Tomoya , Morikawa Shohei , Hoshi Sujin , Hiraoka Takahiro , Oshika Tetsuro 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the changes in stereopsis in patients who underwent vitrectomy for macular hole (MH) and assess the relationship between stereopsis and retinal microstructures. Fifty-two patients who underwent successful vitrectomy for unilateral MH and 20 control participants were recruited. We examined stereopsis using the Titmus Stereo Test (TST) and TNO stereotest (TNO), optical coherence tomography, and best-corrected visual acuity measurements, preoperatively, and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. As a result, preoperative and postoperative 3, 6, and 12-month values of stereopsis assessed by TST (log) were 2.7, 2.2, 2.2, and 2.2, respectively. TNO (log) were 2.8, 2.5, 2.4, and 2.4, respectively. Stereopsis in MH after surgery was significantly worse than that in normal participants (p < 0.001). Preoperative TST significantly correlated with MH size and defect length of external limiting membrane (ELM). Postoperative TST demonstrated significant correlation with the preoperative ELM defect length, and postoperative TNO was associated with the preoperative interdigitation zone defect length. Vitrectomy for MH significantly improved stereopsis, although not to normal levels. The ELM defect lengths, which approximately correspond to TST circles, are prognostic factors for postoperative stereopsis by TST. The interdigitation zone defect length, similar in size to the TNO index, is a prognostic factor for postoperative stereopsis by TNO.
Distinct regional ontogeny and activation of tumor associated macrophages in human glioblastoma
Authors: Landry Alexander P. , Balas Michael , Alli Saira , Spears Julian , Zador Zsolt 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute up to 50% of tumor bulk in glioblastoma (GBM) and play an important role in tumor maintenance and progression. The recently discovered differences between invading tumour periphery and hypoxic tumor core implies that macrophage biology is also distinct by location. This may provide further insight into the observed treatment resistance to immune modulation. We hypothesize that macrophage activation occurs through processes that are distinct in tumor periphery versus core. We therefore investigated regional differences in TAM recruitment and evolution in GBM by combining open source single cell and bulk gene expression data. We used single cell gene expression data from 4 glioblastomas (total of 3589 cells) and 122 total bulk samples obtained from 10 different patients. Cell identity, ontogeny (bone-marrow derived macrophages-BMDM vs microglia), and macrophage activation state were inferred using verified gene expression signatures. We captured the spectrum of immune states using cell trajectory analysis with pseudotime ordering. In keeping with previous studies, TAMs carrying BMDM identity were more abundant in tumor bulk while microglia-derived TAMs dominated the tumor periphery across all macrophage activation states including pre-activation. We note that core TAMs evolve towards a pro-inflammatory state and identify a subpopulation of cells based on a gene program exhibiting strong, opposing correlation with Programmed cell Death-1 (PD-1) signaling, which may correlate to their response to PD-1 inhibition. By contrast, peripheral TAMs evolve towards anti-inflammatory phenotype and contains a population of cells strongly associated with NFkB signaling. Our preliminary analysis suggests important regional differences in TAMs with regard to recruitment and evolution. We identify regionally distinct and potentially actionable cell subpopulations and advocate the need for a multi-targeted approach to GBM therapeutics.
A test of the lateral semicircular canal correlation to head posture, diet and other biological traits in “ungulate” mammals
Authors: Benoit J. , Legendre L. J. , Farke A. A. , Neenan J. M. , Mennecart B. , Costeur L. , Merigeaud S. , Manger P. R. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFor over a century, researchers have assumed that the plane of the lateral semicircular canal of the inner ear lies parallel to the horizon when the head is at rest, and used this assumption to reconstruct head posture in extinct species. Although this hypothesis has been repeatedly questioned, it has never been tested on a large sample size and at a broad taxonomic scale in mammals. This study presents a comprehensive test of this hypothesis in over one hundred “ungulate” species. Using CT scanning and manual segmentation, the orientation of the skull was reconstructed as if the lateral semicircular canal of the bony labyrinth was aligned horizontally. This reconstructed cranial orientation was statistically compared to the actual head posture of the corresponding species using a dataset of 10,000 photographs and phylogenetic regression analysis. A statistically significant correlation between the reconstructed cranial orientation and head posture is found, although the plane of the lateral semicircular canal departs significantly from horizontal. We thus caution against the use of the lateral semicircular canal as a proxy to infer precisely the horizontal plane on dry skulls and in extinct species. Diet (browsing or grazing) and head-butting behaviour are significantly correlated to the orientation of the lateral semicircular canal, but not to the actual head posture. Head posture and the orientation of the lateral semicircular canal are both strongly correlated with phylogenetic history.
Improving stability of organometallic-halide perovskite solar cells using exfoliation two-dimensional molybdenum chalcogenides
Authors: Liang Meiying , Ali Adnan , Belaidi Abdelhak , Hossain Mohammad Istiaque , Ronan Oskar , Downing Clive , Tabet Nouar , Sanvito Stefano , EI-Mellouhi Fedwa , Nicolosi Valeria 
Published: November 2020

AbstractOrganometallic-halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are emerging as the most promising next generation solar cell devices. However, the stability is still the main bottleneck of their further development. Here, we introduce two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum chalcogenides (MoS2 and MoSe2) (MCs) nanoflakes as a buffer layer between perovskite layer and hole transport layer (HTL) to improve the stability of the organometallic-halide PSCs. 2D MCs are obtained via liquid-phase exfoliated (LPE) approach, and Glass/FTO/compact-TiO2/ mesoporous-TiO2/FA85MA15PbI85Br15/2D MCs/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au structured solar cell devices are designed and fabricated. In this system, 2D MCs act both as a protective layer and an additional HTL of PSCs. This kind of PSCs achieve a relatively high-power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.9%, along with a much longer lifetime stability compared to the standard PSCs. After 1 h, PCE of the PSC adding a 2D MCs buffer layer could maintain 93.1% of initial value, while the PCE of the standard PSC dropped dramatically to 78.2% of initial efficiency. Our results pave the way towards the implementation of 2D MCs nanoflakes as a material able to boost the shelf life of PSCs and further provide the opportunity to fabricate large-area PSCs in view of their commercialization.