bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antigenic cross-reactivity between Schistosoma mansoni and allergenic invertebrates putatively due to shared glycanic epitopes
Authors: El-Faham Marwa H. , Gai Fatou , Igetei Joseph E. , Richter Sarah , Falcone Franco H. , Schramm Gabi , Doenhoff Michael J. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that rabbit IgG antibodies againstSchistosoma mansoniegg antigens (SmSEA) cross-react with allergens in natural rubber latex, peanuts and grass and tree pollens. Here we describe antigenic molecules that cross-react with rabbit anti-S.mansoniIgG antibodies in extracts of the house dust mite (HDM)Dermatophagoides farinae, the Australian cockroach (ACR)Periplaneta australasiaeand in the venom of the honey beeApis mellifera(HBV). Tandem mass spectrometry identified the cross-reactive allergens as Der f 15 in HDM, two homologues of thePeriplaneta americanacockroach allergen Cr-PI/Per a 3 in ACR and two isoforms of the allergen Api m 1 (phospholipase A2: PLA2) in HBV. Cross-reactive rabbit anti-SmSEA IgG antibodies eluted from the three invertebrate allergens reacted withS.mansoniegg antigens and variably with schistosome cercarial and worm antigens. Treatment of the electroblotted allergens with sodium metaperiodate abrogated most of the cross-reactivity of the rabbit anti-SmSEA antibodies, suggesting it was due to cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs). Furthermore, analyses of the allergens’ amino acid sequences indicated that they had potential for both N- and O-linked glycosylation. A potential role for the CCDs shared by the schistosome and invertebrates in inducing an allergy-protective effect, as proposed by the hygiene hypothesis, is discussed.
A retrospective, Italian multicenter study of complex abdominal wall defect repair with a Permacol biological mesh
Authors: Russello Domenico , Sofia Maria , Conti Piero , Latteri Saverio , Pesce Antonino , Scaravilli Francesco , Vasta Fabio , Trombatore Giovanni , Randazzo Valentina , Schembari Elena , Barchitta Martina , Agodi Antonella , La Greca Gaetano 
Published: February 2020

AbstractComplex abdominal wall defects (CAWDs) can be difficult to repair and using a conventional synthetic mesh is often unsuitable. A biological mesh might offer a solution for CAWD repair, but the clinical outcomes are unclear. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a cross-linked, acellular porcine dermal collagen matrix implant (Permacol) for CAWD repair in a cohort of 60 patients. Here, 58.3% patients presented with a grade 3 hernia (according to the Ventral Hernia Working Group grading system) and a contaminated surgical field. Permacol was implanted as a bridge in 46.7%, as an underlay (intraperitoneal position) in 38.3% and as a sublay (retromuscolar position) in 15% of patients. Fascia closure was achieved in 53.3% of patients. The surgical site occurrence rate was 35% and the defect size significantly influenced the probability of post-operative complications. The long-term (2 year) hernia recurrence rate was 36.2%. This study represents the first large multi-centre Italian case series on Permacol implants in patients with a CAWD. Our data suggest that Permacol is a feasible strategy to repair a CAWD, with acceptable early complications and long-term (2 year) recurrence rates.
Gender-specific changes in energy metabolism and protein degradation as major pathways affected in livers of mice treated with ibuprofen
Authors: Tiwari Shuchita , Mishra Manish , Salemi Michelle R. , Phinney Brett S. , Newens Joanne L. , Gomes Aldrin V. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIbuprofen, an inhibitor of prostanoid biosynthesis, is a common pharmacological agent used for the management of pain, inflammation and fever. However, the chronic use of ibuprofen at high doses is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal and liver injuries. The underlying mechanisms of ibuprofen-mediated effects on liver remain unclear. To determine the mechanisms and signaling pathways affected by ibuprofen (100 mg/kg/day for seven days), we performed proteomic profiling of male mice liver with quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using ten-plex tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling. More than 300 proteins were significantly altered between the control and ibuprofen-treated groups. The data suggests that several major pathways including (1) energy metabolism, (2) protein degradation, (3) fatty acid metabolism and (4) antioxidant system are altered in livers from ibuprofen treated mice. Independent validation of protein changes in energy metabolism and the antioxidant system was carried out by Western blotting and showed sex-related differences. Proteasome and immunoproteasome activity/expression assays showed ibuprofen induced gender-specific proteasome and immunoproteasome dysfunction in liver. The study observed multifactorial gender-specific ibuprofen-mediated effects on mice liver and suggests that males and females are affected differently by ibuprofen.
A new strategy for directly calculating the minimum eigenvector of matrices without diagonalization
Authors: Pan Wei , Wang Jing , Sun Deyan 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe diagonalization of matrices may be the top priority in the application of modern physics. In this paper, we numerically demonstrate that, for real symmetric random matrices with non-positive off-diagonal elements, a universal scaling relationship between the eigenvector and matrix elements exists. Namely, each element of the eigenvector of ground states linearly correlates with the sum of matrix elements in the corresponding row. Although the conclusion is obtained based on random matrices, the linear relationship still keeps for non-random matrices, in which off-diagonal elements are non-positive. The relationship implies a straightforward method to directly calculate the eigenvector of ground states for one kind of matrices. The tests on both Hubbard and Ising models show that, this new method works excellently.
Amphibian responses in the aftermath of extreme climate events
Authors: Bucciarelli Gary M. , Clark Morgan A. , Delaney Katy S. , Riley Seth P. D. , Shaffer H. Bradley , Fisher Robert N. , Honeycutt Rodney L. , Kats Lee B. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractClimate change-induced extinctions are estimated to eliminate one in six known species by the end of the century. One major factor that will contribute to these extinctions is extreme climatic events. Here, we show the ecological impacts of recent record warm air temperatures and simultaneous peak drought conditions in California. From 2008–2016, the southern populations of a wide-ranging endemic amphibian (the California newt, Taricha torosa) showed a 20% reduction to mean body condition and significant losses to variation in body condition linked with extreme climate deviations. However, body condition in northern populations remained relatively unaffected during this period. Range-wide population estimates of change to body condition under future climate change scenarios within the next 50 years suggest that northern populations will mirror the loss of body condition recently observed in southern populations. This change is predicated on latter 21st century climate deviations that resemble recent conditions in Southern California. Thus, the ecological consequences of climate change have already occurred across the warmer, drier regions of Southern California, and our results suggest that predicted climate vulnerable regions in the more mesic northern range likely will not provide climate refuge for numerous amphibian communities.
Disease asymmetry and hyperautofluorescent ring shape in retinitis pigmentosa patients
Authors: Jauregui Ruben , Chan Lawrence , Oh Jin Kyun , Cho Ahra , Sparrow Janet R. , Tsang Stephen H. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) is described as a bilateral disease with inter-eye symmetry that presents on short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (SW-AF) imaging with hyperautofluorescent (hyperAF) rings with an ellipsoid shape and regular borders. Nevertheless, both asymmetry and irregular ring morphologies are also observed. In this retrospective study of 168 RP patients, we characterize the degree of inter-eye asymmetry and frequency of irregular hyperAF ring morphologies according to mode of inheritance and disease-causing gene by using SW-AF imaging and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans. We observed that from 336 eyes, 290 (86%) presented with regular hyperAF rings and 46 (14%) presented with irregular shapes. From the 168 patients, 23 (14%) presented with asymmetric disease, with 16 (70%) of these patients also presenting with irregular ring shapes. Patients with autosomal dominant RP (adRP) had the highest proportion of irregular ring shapes (21%) and disease asymmetry (23%) in comparison to other modes of inheritance. Furthermore, both RP1 and RHO-adRP had the highest proportions of both disease asymmetry and irregular ring morphology. Our results suggest that in patients presenting with either irregular ring shapes or asymmetric disease, emphasis should be placed in targeted gene sequencing of genes known to cause adRP, such as RHO and RP1.
Reynoutria sachalinensis extract elicits SA-dependent defense responses in courgette genotypes against powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii
Authors: Margaritopoulou Theoni , Toufexi Eleftheria , Kizis Dimosthenis , Balayiannis George , Anagnostopoulos Christos , Theocharis Andreas , Rempelos Leonidas , Troyanos Yerasimos , Leifert Carlo , Markellou Emilia 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPowdery mildew (PM) caused by Podosphaera xanthii is one of the most important courgette diseases with high yield losses and is currently controlled by fungicides and sulphur applications in conventional and organic production. Plant derived elicitors/inducers of resistance are natural compounds that induce resistance to pathogen attack and promote a faster and/or more robust activation of plant defense responses. Giant knotweed (Reynoutria sachalinensis, RS) extract is a known elicitor of plant defenses but its mode of action remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of foliar RS applications and how these affect PM severity and crop performance when used alone or in combination with genetic resistance. RS foliar treatments significantly reduced conidial germination and PM severity on both an intermediate resistance (IR) and a susceptible (S) genotype. RS application triggered plant defense responses, which induced the formation of callose papillae, hydrogen peroxide accumulation and the Salicylic acid (SA) - dependent pathway. Increased SA production was detected along with increased p-coumaric and caffeic acid concentrations. These findings clearly indicate that RS elicits plant defenses notably as a consequence of SA pathway induction.
Oncologist-led BRCA ‘mainstreaming’ in the ovarian cancer clinic: A study of 255 patients and its impact on their management
Authors: Rumford Megan , Lythgoe Mark , McNeish Iain , Gabra Hani , Tookman Laura , Rahman Nazneen , George Angela , Krell Jonathan 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAlthough guidelines recommend BRCA testing for all women with non-mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer, there is significant variability in access to testing across the UK. A germline BRCA mutation (BRCAm) in ovarian cancer patients provides prognostic and predictive information and influences clinical management, such as the use of PARP inhibitors, which have demonstrated a progression-free survival benefit in the BRCAm cohort. Additionally, the finding of a BRCAm has significant implications for patients and their families in terms of cancer risk and prevention. We studied the impact of a newly-formed, oncologist-led ‘mainstreaming’ germline BRCA testing pathway in 255 ovarian cancer patients at Imperial College NHS Trust. Prior to the establishment of ‘mainstreaming’, uptake of germline BRCA testing was 14% with a mean turnaround time of 148.2 calendar days. The ‘mainstreaming’ approach led to a 95% uptake of germline BRCA testing and a mean turnaround time of 20.6 days. Thirty-four (13.33%) BRCAm patients were identified. At the time of data collection nine BRCAm patients had received a PARP inhibitor off-trial, three had entered a PARP inhibitor trial and 5 were receiving platinum-based chemotherapy with a plan to receive PARP inhibitor maintenance. This study provides further evidence of the impact of oncologist-led ‘mainstreaming’ programs.
Cohesive-strength homogenisation model of porous and non-porous materials using linear comparison composites and application
Authors: Lee Hyuk , Vimonsatit Vanissorn , Huen Wai Yeong , Mendis Priyan , Baduge Kasun Shanaka Kristombu 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAn estimation of the strength of composite materials with different strength behaviours of the matrix and inclusion is of great interest in science and engineering disciplines. Linear comparison composite (LCC) is an approach introduced for estimating the macroscopic strength of matrix-inclusion composites. The LCC approach has however not been expanded to model non-porous composites. Therefore, this paper is to fill this gap by developing a cohesive-strength method for modelling frictional composite materials, which can be porous and non-porous, using the LCC approach. The developed cohesive-strength homogenisation model represents the matrix and inclusion as a two-phase composite containing solids and pores. The model is then implemented in a multiscaling model in which porous cohesive-frictional solids intermix with each other at different scale levels classified as micro, meso and macro. The developed model satisfies an upscaling scheme and is suitable for investigating the effects of the microstructure, the composition, and the interface condition of the materials at micro scales on the macroscopic strength of the composites. To further demonstrate the application of the developed cohesive-strength homogenisation model, the cohesive-strength properties of very high strength concrete are determined using instrumented indentation, nonlinear limit analysis and second-order cone programming to obtain material properties at different scale levels.
Evaluation of pulse crops’ functional diversity supporting food production
Authors: Guiguitant Julie , Vile Denis , Ghanem Michel Edmond , Wery Jacques , Marrou Hélène 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPulses, defined as legumes which produce dry seed used for human consumption, are plants of great agronomic value, at the food system level as much as the field level but their diversity has been largely underused. This study aimed at analyzing existing data on cultivated pulse species in the literature to provide a broad and structured description of pulses’ interspecific functional diversity. We used a functional trait-based approach to evaluate how pulse diversity could support food production in agroecosystems constrained by low water and nutrient availability and exposed to high weed pressure. We gathered data for 17 functional traits and six agroecosystem properties for 43 pulse species. Our analytical framework highlights the correlations and combinations of functional traits that best predict values of six agroecosystem properties defined as ecosystem services estimates. We show that pulse diversity has been structured both by breeding and by an environmental gradient. The covariance space corresponding to agroecosystem properties was structured by three properties: producers, competitors, stress-tolerant species. The distribution of crop species in this functional space reflected ecological adaptive strategies described in wild species, where the size-related axis of variation is separated from variation of leaf morpho-physiological traits. Six agroecosystem properties were predicted by different combinations of traits. However, we identified ubiquitous plant traits such as leaflet length, days to maturity, seed weight, and leaf nitrogen content, that discriminated agroecosystem properties and allowed us to gather individual species into three clusters, representative of the three strategies highlighted earlier. Implications for pulses provisioning of services in agroecosystems are discussed.
Increased mitochondrial and lipid metabolism is a conserved effect of Insulin/PI3K pathway downregulation in adipose tissue
Authors: Bettedi Lucia , Yan Anqi , Schuster Eugene , Alic Nazif , Foukas Lazaros C. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe Insulin/IGF-1 signalling (IIS) pathway plays an essential role in the regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis. At the same time, a reduction in the IIS pathway activity can extend lifespan and healthspan in various model organisms. Amongst a number of body organs that sense and respond to insulin/IGF-1, the adipose tissue has a central role in both the metabolic and lifespan effects of IIS at the organismal level. Genetic inactivation of IIS components specifically in the adipose tissue has been shown before to improve metabolic profile and extend lifespan in various model organisms. We sought to identify conserved molecular mechanisms that may underlie the beneficial effects of IIS inhibition in the adipose tissue, specifically at the level of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), a key IIS effector molecule. To this end, we inactivated PI3K by genetic means in the fly fat body and by pharmacological inhibition in mammalian adipocytes. Gene expression studies revealed changes to metabolism and upregulation of mitochondrial activity in mouse adipocytes and fly fat bodies with downregulated PI3K, which were confirmed by biochemical assays in mammalian adipocytes. These data suggest that PI3K inactivation has a conserved effect of upregulating mitochondrial metabolism in both fly and mammalian adipose tissue, which likely contributes to the health- and life-span extending effect of IIS pathway downregulation.
Force-time curve features of handgrip strength in fibromyalgia syndrome
Authors: Salaffi Fausto , Farah Sonia , Di Carlo Marco 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe aim of this study was to compare the handgrip strength (HGs), assessed with a cylindrical-shape grip device, of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) patients with healthy subjects and to demonstrate the relationship between HGs characteristics and disease severity. Consecutive female patients with FM were enrolled and compared to a group of healthy women. The correlations between HGs curve characteristics and disease severity indices were studied through the Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients (rho). The HGs threshold distinguishing the FM presence was determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. Multivariate regression analysis was used in order to assess the contribution of covariates on the HGs. 110 patients (mean age 53.8 ± 12.4 years) and 111 healthy controls have been enrolled. Altogether all parameters related to the analysis of HGs were worse in patients with FM. The HGs cut-off distinguishing the presence of a FM was 14.2 Kg. A negative correlation was found between disease severity indices and peak force (p < 0.001). Factors significantly associated with HGs area under the curve (AUC) in multivariate analysis were the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) (p = 0.003) and the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) (p = 0.016). HGs is reduced in female FM patients and is inversely related to disease severity. The force-time curves analysis may be used as a complementary tool in the FM assessment and monitoring.
Reorganisation of Brain Hubs across Altered States of Consciousness
Authors: Vatansever D. , Schröter M. , Adapa R. M. , Bullmore E. T. , Menon D. K. , Stamatakis E. A. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPatterns of functional interactions across distributed brain regions are suggested to provide a scaffold for the conscious processing of information, with marked topological alterations observed in loss of consciousness. However, establishing a firm link between macro-scale brain network organisation and conscious cognition requires direct investigations into neuropsychologically-relevant architectural modifications across systematic reductions in consciousness. Here we assessed both global and regional disturbances to brain graphs in a group of healthy participants across baseline resting state fMRI as well as two distinct levels of propofol-induced sedation. We found a persistent modular architecture, yet significant reorganisation of brain hubs that formed parts of a wider rich-club collective. Furthermore, the reduction in the strength of rich-club connectivity was significantly associated with the participants’ performance in a semantic judgment task, indicating the importance of this higher-order topological feature for conscious cognition. These results highlight a remarkable interplay between global and regional properties of brain functional interactions in supporting conscious cognition that is relevant to our understanding of clinical disorders of consciousness.
Simulation of an electrically actuated cantilever as a novel biosensor
Authors: SoltanRezaee Masoud , Bodaghi Mahdi 
Published: February 2020

AbstractRecently, detecting biological particles by analyzing their mechanical properties has attracted increasing attention. To detect and identify different bioparticles and estimate their dimensions, a mechanical nanosensor is introduced in this paper. To attract particles, numerous parts of the substrate are coated with different chemicals as probe detectors or receptors. The principal of cell recognition in this sensor is based on applying an electrical excitation and measuring the maximum deflection of the actuated cantilever electrode. Investigating the critical voltage that causes pull-in instability is also important in such highly-sensitive detectors. The governing equation of motion is derived from Hamilton’s principle. A Galerkin approximation is applied to discretize the nonlinear equation, which is solved numerically. Accuracy of the proposed model is validated by comparison studies with available experimental and theoretical data. The coupled effects of geometrical and mechanical properties are included in this model and studied in detail. Moreover, system identification is carried out to distinguish bioparticles by a stability analysis. Due to the absence of a similar concept and device, this research is expected to advance the state-of-the-art biosystems in identifying particles.
Prostate Cancer Nodal Staging: Using Deep Learning to Predict 68Ga-PSMA-Positivity from CT Imaging Alone
Authors: Hartenstein A. , Lübbe F. , Baur A. D. J. , Rudolph M. M. , Furth C. , Brenner W. , Amthauer H. , Hamm B. , Makowski M. , Penzkofer T. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractLymphatic spread determines treatment decisions in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT can be performed, although cost remains high and availability is limited. Therefore, computed tomography (CT) continues to be the most used modality for PCa staging. We assessed if convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can be trained to determine 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT-lymph node status from CT alone. In 549 patients with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging, 2616 lymph nodes were segmented. Using PET as a reference standard, three CNNs were trained. Training sets balanced for infiltration status, lymph node location and additionally, masked images, were used for training. CNNs were evaluated using a separate test set and performance was compared to radiologists’ assessments and random forest classifiers. Heatmaps maps were used to identify the performance determining image regions. The CNNs performed with an Area-Under-the-Curve of 0.95 (status balanced) and 0.86 (location balanced, masked), compared to an AUC of 0.81 of experienced radiologists. Interestingly, CNNs used anatomical surroundings to increase their performance, “learning” the infiltration probabilities of anatomical locations. In conclusion, CNNs have the potential to build a well performing CT-based biomarker for lymph node metastases in PCa, with different types of class balancing strongly affecting CNN performance.