bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Empty mesoporous silica particles significantly delay disease progression and extend survival in a mouse model of ALS
Authors: Leyton-Jaimes Marcel F. , Ivert Patrik , Hoeber Jan , Han Yilin , Feiler Adam , Zhou Chunfang , Pankratova Stanislava , Shoshan-Barmatz Varda , Israelson Adrian , Kozlova Elena N. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating incurable neurological disorder characterized by motor neuron (MN) death and muscle dysfunction leading to mean survival time after diagnosis of only 2–5 years. A potential ALS treatment is to delay the loss of MNs and disease progression by the delivery of trophic factors. Previously, we demonstrated that implanted mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSPs) loaded with trophic factor peptide mimetics support survival and induce differentiation of co-implanted embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived MNs. Here, we investigate whether MSP loaded with peptide mimetics of ciliary neurotrophic factor (Cintrofin), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (Gliafin), and vascular endothelial growth factor (Vefin1) injected into the cervical spinal cord of mutant SOD1 mice affect disease progression and extend survival. We also transplanted boundary cap neural crest stem cells (bNCSCs) which have been shown previously to have a positive effect on MN survival in vitro and in vivo. We show that mimetic-loaded MSPs and bNCSCs significantly delay disease progression and increase survival of mutant SOD1 mice, and also that empty particles significantly improve the condition of ALS mice. Our results suggest that intraspinal delivery of MSPs is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of ALS.
Integration of a soft dielectric composite into a cantilever beam for mechanical energy harvesting, comparison between capacitive and triboelectric transducers
Authors: Pruvost Mickaël , Smit Wilbert J. , Monteux Cécile , Del Corro Pablo , Dufour Isabelle , Ayela Cédric , Poulin Philippe , Colin Annie 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFlexible dielectrics that harvest mechanical energy via electrostatic effects are excellent candidates as power sources for wearable electronics or autonomous sensors. The integration of a soft dielectric composite (polydimethylsiloxane PDMS-carbon black CB) into two mechanical energy harvesters is here presented. Both are based on a similar cantilever beam but work on different harvesting principles: variable capacitor and triboelectricity. We show that without an external bias the triboelectric beam harvests a net density power of 0.3 $$\upmu \mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$$

μ
W
/

cm

2

under a sinusoidal acceleration of 3.9g at 40 Hz. In a variable capacitor configuration, a bias of 0.15 $$\mathrm{V}/\upmu \mathrm{m}$$

V
/
μ
m

is required to get the same energy harvesting performance under the same working conditions. As variable capacitors’ harvesting performance are quadratically dependent on the applied bias, increasing the bias allows the system to harvest energy much more efficiently than the triboelectric one. The present results make CB/PDMS composites promising for autonomous portable multifunctional systems and intelligent sensors.
Fibrinolysis-resistant carbonylated fibrin detected in thrombi attached to the vascular wall of abdominal aortic aneurysms
Authors: Suzuki Yuko , Tanaka Hiroki , Horinouchi Takahiro , Sano Hideto , Honkura Naoki , Unno Naoki , Miwa Soichi , Urano Tetsumei 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn this study, we investigated how carbonylation of fibrinogen by acrolein modified its indispensable function to enhance fibrinolysis after being converted to fibrin and contributed to generating a fibrinolysis-resistant fibrin clot. Acrolein-treated fibrinogen was subjected to tissue plasminogen activator-induced fibrinolysis assay and the effect of lysine residue carbonylation in fibrinogen on fibrinolysis was analyzed. The acrolein-treated fibrinogen-derived fibrin clot appeared more resistant to fibrinolysis and the N-acetyl 3-formyl-3,4-dehydropiperidino (FDP)-Lysine levels in the lysed solution were positively correlated with the duration of clot lysis. The lysine analog 6-amino hexanoic acid (6AHA), which mimics the C-terminal lysine of fibrin, was carbonylated and its enhancing effect on Glu1-plasminogen activation was evaluated. After incubation with acrolein, 6AHA was converted to N-acetyl FDP-6AHA, losing its ability to enhance Glu1-plasminogen activation. These results suggest that fibrinogen carbonylation by acrolein to generate N-acetyl FDP-Lysine resulted in the generation of fibrinolysis-resistant fibrin by attenuating the C-terminal lysine-dependent activation of the Glu1-plasminogen. In abdominal aortic aneurysms, fibrin(ogen) containing the acrolein adduct N-acetyl FDP-Lysine was detected in the vascular wall-attached thrombi. These results suggest that this mechanism is likely involved in the modification of fibrinolysis-resistant thrombi and to their persistence for a long period.
Activation of p38 MAPK participates in the sulbactam-induced cerebral ischemic tolerance mediated by glial glutamate transporter-1 upregulation in rats
Authors: Xian Xiao-Hui , Gao Jun-Xia , Qi Jie , Fan Shu-Juan , Zhang Min , Li Wen-Bin 
Published: November 2020

AbstractOur previous studies have shown that sulbactam can play a neuroprotection role in hippocampal neurons by upregulating the expression and function of glial glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) during ischemic insult. Here, using rat global cerebral ischemia model, we studied in vivo the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in the sulbactam-induced GLT-1 upregulation and neuroprotection against ischemia. The hippocampal CA1 field was selected as observing target. The expressions of phosphorylated-p38 MAPK and GLT-1 were assayed with western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. The condition of delayed neuronal death (DND) was assayed with neuropathological evaluation under thionin staining. It was shown that administration of sulbactam protected CA1 hippocampal neurons against ischemic insult accompanied with significantly upregulation in the expressions of phosphorylated-p38 MAPK and GLT-1. The time course analysis showed that sulbactam activated p38 MAPK before the GLT-1 upregulation in either normal or global cerebral ischemic rats. Furthermore, inhibiting p38 MAPK activation by SB203580 blocked the GLT-1 upregulation and neuroprotection induced by sulbactam. The above results suggested that p38 MAPK, at least partly, participated in the sulbactam-induced brain tolerance to ischemia mediated by GLT-1 upregulation in rats.
Searching for the roots of the first free African American community
Authors: Martínez Beatriz , Simão Filipa , Gomes Verónica , Nguidi Masinda , Amorim Antonio , Carvalho Elizeu F. , Marrugo Javier , Gusmão Leonor 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSan Basilio de Palenque is an Afro-descendant community near Cartagena, Colombia, founded in the sixteenth century. The recognition of the historical and cultural importance of Palenque has promoted several studies, namely concerning the African roots of its first inhabitants. To deepen the knowledge of the origin and diversity of the Palenque parental lineages, we analysed a sample of 81 individuals for the entire mtDNA Control Region as well as 92 individuals for 27 Y-STRs and 95 for 51 Y-SNPs. The results confirmed the strong isolation of the Palenque, with some degree of influx of Native American maternal lineages, and a European admixture exclusively mediated by men. Due to the high genetic drift observed, a pairwise FST analysis with available data on African populations proved to be inadequate for determining population affinities. In contrast, when a phylogenetic approach was used, it was possible to infer the phylogeographic origin of some lineages in Palenque. Contradicting previous studies indicating a single African origin, our results evidence parental genetic contributions from widely different African regions.
Systems biology analysis of osteogenic differentiation behavior by canine mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow and dental pulp
Authors: Nantavisai Sirirat , Pisitkun Trairak , Osathanon Thanaphum , Pavasant Prasit , Kalpravidh Chanin , Dhitavat Sirakarnt , Makjaroen Jiradej , Sawangmake Chenphop 
Published: November 2020

AbstractUtilization of canine mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) for regenerating incorrigible bone diseases has been introduced. However, cMSCs harvested from different sources showed distinct osteogenicity. To clarify this, comparative proteomics-based systems biology analysis was used to analyze osteogenic differentiation behavior by cMSCs harvested from bone marrow and dental pulp. The results illustrated that canine dental pulp stem cells (cDPSCs) contained superior osteogenicity comparing with canine bone marrow-derived MSCs (cBM-MSCs) regarding alkaline phosphatase activity, matrix mineralization, and osteogenic marker expression. Global analyses by proteomics platform showed distinct protein clustering and expression pattern upon an in vitro osteogenic induction between them. Database annotation using Reactome and DAVID revealed contrast and unique expression profile of osteogenesis-related proteins, particularly on signaling pathways, cellular components and processes, and cellular metabolisms. Functional assay and hierarchical clustering for tracking protein dynamic change confirmed that cBM-MSCs required the presences of Wnt, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, and bone-morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, while cDPSCs mainly relied on BMP signaling presentation during osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Therefore, these findings illustrated the comprehensive data regarding an in vitro osteogenic differentiation behavior by cBM-MSCs and cDPSCs which is crucial for further mechanism study and the establishment of cMSC-based bone tissue engineering (BTE) for veterinary practice.
Differences in gynecologic tumor development in Amhr2-Cre mice with KRASG12D or KRASG12V mutations
Authors: Kun Eucharist H. S. , Tsang Yvonne T. M. , Lin Sophia , Pan Sophia , Medapalli Tejas , Malpica Anais , Richards JoAnne S. , Gershenson David M. , Wong Kwong-Kwok 
Published: November 2020

AbstractHow different KRAS variants impact tumor initiation and progression in vivo has not been thoroughly examined. We hypothesize that the ability of either KRASG12D or KRASG12V mutations to initiate tumor formation is context dependent. Amhr2-Cre mice express Cre recombinase in tissues that develop into the fallopian tubes, uterus, and ovaries. We used these mice to conditionally express either the KRASG12V/+or KRASG12D/+ mutation. Mice with the genotype Amhr2-Cre Pten(fl/fl) KrasG12D/+(G12D mice) had abnormal follicle structures and developed low-grade serous ovarian carcinomas with 100% penetrance within 18 weeks. In contrast, mice with the genotype Amhr2-Cre Pten(fl/fl) KrasG12V/+ (G12V mice) had normal follicle structures, and about 90% of them developed uterine tumors with diverse histological features resembling those of leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. Granulosa cell tumors also developed in G12V mice. Differences in cell-signaling pathways in the uterine tissues of G12D and G12V mice were identified using RNA sequencing and reverse-phase protein array analyses. We found that CTNNB1, IL1A, IL1B, TNF, TGFB1, APP, and IL6 had the higher activity in G12V mice than in G12D mice. These mouse models will be useful for studying the differences in signaling pathways driven by KrasG12V/+ or KrasG12D/+ mutations to aid development of targeted therapies for specific KRAS mutant variants. Our leiomyoma model driven by the KrasG12V/+ mutation will also be useful in deciphering the malignant progression from leiomyoma to leiomyosarcoma.
Sojourn-time-corrected receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for prostate specific antigen (PSA) test in population-based prostate cancer screening
Authors: Jen Hsiao-Hsuan , Chang Wei-Jung , Hsu Chen-Yang , Yen Amy Ming-Fang , Auvinen Anssi , Chen Tony Hsiu-Hsi , Chen Sam Li-Sheng 
Published: November 2020

AbstractEvaluating the performance of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in population-based screening with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve often neglects the time dimension. Asymptomatic cases with negative PSA test would have been missed if sojourn time is not taken into account to allow for cases surfacing into the clinical phase. Data included 20,796 men with PSA test at the first screening round was used from population-based Finnish prostate cancer screening trial during 1996–1999. Cancers detected at the first screen, together with interval cancers ascertained during 4-year follow-up were expediently used to estimate sensitivity and specificity. A sojourn-time-corrected model was applied to estimating the possible false negative cases for those with PSA < 4 ng/ml for correcting the ROC curve. The estimated sensitivity estimate was reduced from 94.4% without correction to 68.8% with correction but the estimated specificity was identical (89.4% vs. 89.2%) at cutoff of 3 ng/ml. The corrected area under curve (AUC) [77.0% (74.9–79.1%)] of the PSA test was significantly lower than the uncorrected AUC [95.9% (95.3–96.6%)]. The failure of considering the time since last negative screen due to incomplete ascertainment for asymptomatic cancer led to the overestimation of PSA test performance that further affects the cut-off value of PSA tests for population-based prostate cancer screening.
Assessment of the aerobic glass beads fixed biofilm reactor (GBs-FBR) for the treatment of simulated methylene blue wastewater
Authors: Donkadokula Naresh Yadav , Naz Iffat , Kola Anand Kishore , Saroj Devendra 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe present research is focused on the application of glass beads (GBs) in fixed biofilm reactor (FBR) for the treatment of simulated methylene blue (MB) wastewater for 9 weeks under aerobic conditions. The COD of MB wastewater showed a reduction of 86.48% from 2000 to 270.4 mg/L, and BOD was declined up to 97.7% from 1095.5 to 25.03 mg/L. A drastic increase in the pH was observed until the 3rd week (8.5 to 8.28), and later, marginal changes between 8.30 ± 0.02 were noticed. A dramatic fluctuation was observed in ammonia concentration which increased (74.25 mg/L) up till the 2nd week, and from the 3rd week it started declining. In the 9th week, the ammonia concentration dropped to 16.5 mg/L. The color intensity increased significantly up till the 2nd week (259,237.46 Pt/Co) of the experiment and started decreasing slowly thereafter. The SEM–EDX analysis has shown the maximum quantity of carbon content in the GBs without biofilm, and then in the GB samples of 1st, and 9th-week old aerobic biofilms. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy results revealed that the 9th-week GBs has a fine and strong MB peak and matched with that of the MB stock solution. Overall, the results have shown that the GBs filter media were suitable for the development of active biofilm communities for the treatment of dye wastewater. Thus, GBs-FBR system can be used for wastewater treatment to solve the current problem of industrial pollution in many countries and to protect the aquatic environment from dye pollution caused by the textile industry.
Cannabidiol enhances cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Go Yoon Young , Kim Su Ra , Kim Do Yeon , Chae Sung-Won , Song Jae-Jun 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCannabidiol (CBD) has anti-tumorigenic activity. However, the anti-cancer effect of CBD on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. The cytotoxicity of CBD on HNSCC was analyzed using cell survival and colony-forming assays in vitro. RNA-seq was used for determining the mechanism underlying CBD-induced cell death. Xenograft mouse models were used to determine CBD’s effects in vivo. CBD treatment significantly reduced migration/invasion and viability of HNSCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HNSCC mouse xenograft models revealed anti-tumor effects of CBD. Furthermore, combinational treatment with CBD enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Apoptosis and autophagy processes were involved in CBD-induced cytotoxicity of HNSCCs. RNA-seq identified decreased expression of genes associated with DNA repair, cell division, and cell proliferation, which were involved in CBD-mediated cytotoxicity toward HNSCCs. We identified CBD as a new potential anti-cancer compound for single or combination therapy of HNSCC.
Fractal dimension of particle-size distribution and their relationships with alkalinity properties of soils in the western Songnen Plain, China
Authors: Bai Yufeng , Qin Yan , Lu Xinrui , Zhang Jitao , Chen Guoshuang , Li Xiujun 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to identify the fractal dimension and their relationships with alkalinity properties of soils, and to evaluate the potential of fractal dimension as an indicator of alkalinity properties of soil. Six soils with an increasing salinity (electrical conductivity was 0.09, 0.18, 0.62, 0.78, 1.57 and 1.99 dS m−1, respectively) were selected from the western part of the Songnen Plain (China). Salt content, exchangeable sodium percentage, sodium adsorption ratio and other properties of the soils were determined and the soil particle-size distribution (0–2000 μm) was measured using a laser diffraction particle size analyser. Our results show that the overall fractal dimension of the selected soils ranged from 2.35 to 2.60. A linear regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between fractal dimension and the amount of coarse sand and fine sand (r =  − 0.5452, P < 0.05 and r =  − 0.8641, P < 0.01, respectively), and a significant positive correlation with silt and clay (r = 0.9726, P < 0.01 and r = 0.9526, P < 0.01, respectively). Thus, soils with higher silt and clay content have higher fractal dimension values. Strong linear relationships between fractal dimension and salt content (P < 0.05), in particular a very significant positive relationship with HCO3− (P < 0.01), also exist. It is therefore possible to conclude that a soil’s fractal dimension could serve as a potential indicator of soil alkalization and the variability in alkaline soil texture.
Deficits in motor and cognitive functions in an adult mouse model of hypoxia-ischemia induced stroke
Authors: Feng Li , Han Chun-Xia , Cao Shu-Yu , Zhang He-Ming , Wu Gang-Yi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIschemic strokes cause devastating brain damage and functional deficits with few treatments available. Previous studies have shown that the ischemia-hypoxia rapidly induces clinically similar thrombosis and neuronal loss, but any resulting behavioral changes are largely unknown. The goal of this study was to evaluate motor and cognitive deficits in adult HI mice. Following a previously established procedure, HI mouse models were induced by first ligating the right common carotid artery and followed by hypoxia. Histological data showed significant long-term neuronal losses and reactive glial cells in the ipsilateral striatum and hippocampus of the HI mice. Whereas the open field test and the rotarod test could not reliably distinguish between the sham and HI mice, in the tapered beam and wire-hanging tests, the HI mice showed short-term and long-term deficits, as evidenced by the increased number of foot faults and decreased hanging time respectively. In cognitive tests, the HI mice swam longer distances and needed more time to find the platform in the Morris water maze test and showed shorter freezing time in fear contextual tests after fear training. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that adult HI mice have motor and cognitive deficits and could be useful models for preclinical stroke research.
Salt-responsive transcriptome analysis of triticale reveals candidate genes involved in the key metabolic pathway in response to salt stress
Authors: Deng Chaohong , Zhang Zhibin , Yan Guorong , Wang Fan , Zhao Lianjia , Liu Ning , Abudurezike Abudukeyoumu , Li Yushan , Wang Wei , Shi Shubing 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTriticale is tolerant of many environmental stresses, especially highly resistant to salt stress. However, the molecular regulatory mechanism of triticale seedlings under salt stress conditions is still unclear so far. In this study, a salt-responsive transcriptome analysis was conducted to identify candidate genes or transcription factors related to salt tolerance in triticale. The root of salt-tolerant triticale cultivars TW004 with salt-treated and non-salt stress at different time points were sampled and subjected to de novo transcriptome sequencing. Total 877,858 uniquely assembled transcripts were identified and most contigs were annotated in public databases including nr, GO, KEGG, eggNOG, Swiss-Prot and Pfam. 59,280, 49,345, and 85,922 differentially expressed uniquely assembled transcripts between salt treated and control triticale root samples at three different time points (C12_vs_T12, C24_vs_T24, and C48_vs_T48) were identified, respectively. Expression profile and functional enrichment analysis of DEGs found that some DEGs were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways related to salt tolerance, such as reduction–oxidation pathways, starch and sucrose metabolism. In addition, several transcription factor families that may be associated with salt tolerance were also identified, including AP2/ERF, NAC, bHLH, WRKY and MYB. Furthermore, 14 DEGs were selected to validate the transcriptome profiles via quantitative RT-PCR. In conclusion, these results provide a foundation for further researches on the regulatory mechanism of triticale seedlings adaptation to salt stress in the future.
An atypical and functionally diverse family of Kunitz-type cysteine/serine proteinase inhibitors secreted by the helminth parasite Fasciola hepatica
Authors: Smith David , Cwiklinski Krystyna , Jewhurst Heather , Tikhonova Irina G. , Dalton John P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFasciola hepatica is a global parasite of humans and their livestock. Regulation of parasite-secreted cathepsin L-like cysteine proteases associated with virulence is important to fine-tune parasite-host interaction. We uncovered a family of seven Kunitz-type (FhKT) inhibitors dispersed into five phylogenetic groups. The most highly expressed FhKT genes (group FhKT1) are secreted by the newly excysted juveniles (NEJs), the stage responsible for host infection. The FhKT1 inhibitors do not inhibit serine proteases but are potent inhibitors of parasite cathepsins L and host lysosomal cathepsin L, S and K cysteine proteases (inhibition constants < 10 nM). Their unusual inhibitory properties are due to (a) Leu15 in the reactive site loop P1 position that sits at the water-exposed interface of the S1 and S1′ subsites of the cathepsin protease, and (b) Arg19 which forms cation-π interactions with Trp291 of the S1′ subsite and electrostatic interactions with Asp125 of the S2′ subsite. FhKT1.3 is exceptional, however, as it also inhibits the serine protease trypsin due to replacement of the P1 Leu15 in the reactive loop with Arg15. The atypical Kunitz-type inhibitor family likely regulate parasite cathepsin L proteases and/or impairs host immune cell activation by blocking lysosomal cathepsin proteases involved in antigen processing and presentation.