bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anticancer properties of Tulbaghia violacea regulate the expression of p53-dependent mechanisms in cancer cell lines
Authors: Motadi Lesetja R. , Choene Mpho S. , Mthembu Nonkululeko N. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCancer is an enormous burden of disease globally. Today, more people die from cancer than a combination of several diseases. And in females, breast and cervical malignancies remain the most common types. Currently, cervical and breast cancer are the most diagnosed gynecological cancer type amongst black females in the Southern Sahara while amongst males prostate cancer is on the upward trend. With many of them still dependent on medicinal plants as a form of therapy and the need to identify new therapeutic agents, we have identified a commonly used medicinal plant Tulbaghia violacea Harv. commonly known as Itswele lomlambo (Xhosa), wilde knoffel (Afrikaans) and Isihaqa (zulu) to evaluate its anticancer properties at a molecular biology level. In this study, we evaluated the molecular mechanism of T. violacea extracts in regulating cell death in various cancer cell lines. To achieve this, T. violacea was collected, dried before crushing into a fine ground powder. Three organic solvents namely, methanol, hexane, and butanol at 10 g per 100 mL were used as extraction solvents. Each cell line was treated with varying concentrations of the plant extract to identify the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The IC 50 was later used to analyse if the extracts were inducing apoptosis using annexin V analysis. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms by which apoptosis was induced was analysed by qPCR, western blots. All three extracts exhibited anticancer activity with the most cytotoxic being methanol extract. p53 expression was significantly increased in treated cells that correlated with increased caspase activity. The results point to possible activation of apoptosis following treatment with hexane extracts.
Proliferation of Aedes aegypti in urban environments mediated by the availability of key aquatic habitats
Authors: Wilke André Barretto Bruno , Vasquez Chalmers , Carvajal Augusto , Medina Johana , Chase Catherine , Cardenas Gabriel , Mutebi John-Paul , Petrie William D. , Beier John C. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling populations of vector mosquito species in urban environments is a major challenge and being able to determine what aquatic habitats should be prioritized for controlling Ae. aegypti populations is key to the development of more effective mosquito control strategies. Therefore, our objective was to leverage on the Miami-Dade County, Florida immature mosquito surveillance system based on requested by citizen complaints through 311 calls to determine what are the most important aquatic habitats in the proliferation of Ae. aegypti in Miami. We used a tobit model for Ae. aegypti larvae and pupae count data, type and count of aquatic habitats, and daily rainfall. Our results revealed that storm drains had 45% lower percentage of Ae. aegypti larvae over the total of larvae and pupae adjusted for daily rainfall when compared to tires, followed by bromeliads with 33% and garbage cans with 17%. These results are indicating that storm drains, bromeliads and garbage cans had significantly more pupae in relation to larvae when compared to tires, traditionally know as productive aquatic habitats for Ae. aegypti. Ultimately, the methodology and results from this study can be used by mosquito control agencies to identify habitats that should be prioritized in mosquito management and control actions, as well as to guide and improve policies and increase community awareness and engagement. Moreover, by targeting the most productive aquatic habitats this approach will allow the development of critical emergency outbreak responses by directing the control response efforts to the most productive aquatic habitats.
Physical and mechanical properties of wood and their geographic variations in Larix sibirica trees naturally grown in Mongolia
Authors: Tumenjargal Bayasaa , Ishiguri Futoshi , Aiso Haruna , Takahashi Yusuke , Nezu Ikumi , Takashima Yuya , Baasan Bayartsetseg , Chultem Ganbaatar , Ohshima Jyunichi , Yokota Shinso 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe examined the physical and mechanical properties of wood in Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) trees that grow naturally in five Mongolian provenances (Khentii, Arkhangai, Zavkhan, Khuvsgul, and Selenge) and the geographic variations between them. Five trees with stem diameters of 20 to 30 cm at 1.3 m above ground were collected from each provenance. The mean values of the modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), compressive strength parallel to grain (CS), and shearing strength (SS) ranged from 7.03 to 9.51 GPa, 79.8 to 103.9 MPa, 46.3 to 51.1 MPa, and 10.4 to 13.0 MPa, respectively. Significant differences were found in radial and tangential shrinkage, MOE, MOR, and SS in wood among the five provenances. In addition, juvenile wood had inferior physical and mechanical properties in comparison to mature wood within and among provenances. Furthermore, there were significant differences in all examined properties, except for CS, in mature wood among the five provenances. Higher correlation coefficients were also obtained in mature wood among all mechanical properties, except for SS.
A robust convolutional neural network for lung nodule detection in the presence of foreign bodies
Authors: Schultheiss Manuel , Schober Sebastian A. , Lodde Marie , Bodden Jannis , Aichele Juliane , Müller-Leisse Christina , Renger Bernhard , Pfeiffer Franz , Pfeiffer Daniela 
Published: July 2020

AbstractLung cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. As early detection can improve outcome, regular screening is of great interest, especially for certain risk groups. Besides low-dose computed tomography, chest X-ray is a potential option for screening. Convolutional network (CNN) based computer aided diagnosis systems have proven their ability of identifying nodules in radiographies and thus may assist radiologists in clinical practice. Based on segmented pulmonary nodules, we trained a CNN based one-stage detector (RetinaNet) with 257 annotated radiographs and 154 additional radiographs from a public dataset. We compared the performance of the convolutional network with the performance of two radiologists by conducting a reader study with 75 cases. Furthermore, the potential use for screening on patient level and the impact of foreign bodies with respect to false-positive detections was investigated. For nodule location detection, the architecture achieved a performance of 43 true-positives, 26 false-positives and 22 false-negatives. In comparison, performance of the two readers was 42 ± 2 true-positives, 28 ± 0 false-positives and 23 ± 2 false-negatives. For the screening task, we retrieved a ROC AUC value of 0.87 for the reader study test set. We found the trained RetinaNet architecture to be only slightly prone to foreign bodies in terms of misclassifications: out of 59 additional radiographs containing foreign bodies, false-positives in two radiographs were falsely detected due to foreign bodies.
Transient neonatal antibiotic exposure increases susceptibility to late-onset sepsis driven by microbiota-dependent suppression of type 3 innate lymphoid cells
Authors: Niu Xinying , Daniel Sarah , Kumar Dharmendra , Ding Elizabeth Y. , Savani Rashmin C. , Koh Andrew Y. , Mirpuri Julie 
Published: July 2020

AbstractExtended early antibiotic exposure in the neonatal intensive care unit is associated with an increased risk for the development of late-onset sepsis (LOS). However, few studies have examined the mechanisms involved. We sought to determine how the neonatal microbiome and intestinal immune response is altered by transient early empiric antibiotic exposure at birth. Neonatal mice were transiently exposed to broad-spectrum antibiotics from birth for either 3- (SE) or 7-days (LE) and were examined at 14-days-old. We found that mice exposed to either SE or LE showed persistent expansion of Proteobacteria (2 log difference, P < 0.01). Further, LE mice demonstrated baseline translocation of E. coli into the liver and spleen and were more susceptible K. pneumoniae-induced sepsis. LE mice had a significant and persistent decrease in type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) in the lamina propria. Reconstitution of the microbiome with mature microbiota by gavage in LE mice following antibiotic exposure resulted in an increase in ILC3 and partial rescue from LOS. We conclude that prolonged exposure to broad spectrum antibiotics in the neonatal period is associated with persistent alteration of the microbiome and innate immune response resulting in increased susceptibility to infection that may be partially rescued by microbiome reconstitution.
Positional determination of the carbon–carbon double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids mediated by solvent plasmatization using LC–MS
Authors: Takashima Shigeo , Toyoshi Kayoko , Yamamoto Takuhei , Shimozawa Nobuyuki 
Published: July 2020

AbstractFatty acids (FAs) are the central components of life: they constitute biological membranes in the form of lipid, act as signaling molecules, and are used as energy sources. FAs are classified according to their chain lengths and the number and position of carbon–carbon double bond, and their physiological character is largely defined by these structural properties. Determination of the precise structural properties is crucial for characterizing FAs, but pinpointing the exact position of carbon–carbon double bond in FA molecules is challenging. Herein, a new analytical method is reported for determining the double bond position of mono- and poly-unsaturated FAs using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) coupled with solvent plasmatization. With the aid of plasma on ESI capillary, epoxidation or peroxidation of carbon–carbon double bond in FAs is facilitated. Subsequently, molecular fragmentation occurs at or beside the epoxidized or peroxidized double bond via collision-induced dissociation (CID), and the position of the double bond is elucidated. In this method, FAs are separated by LC, modified by plasma, fragmented via CID, and detected using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer in a seamless manner such that the FA composition in a mixture can be determined. Our method enables thorough characterization of FA species by distinguishing multiple isomers, and therefore can uncover the true diversity of FAs for their application in food, health, and medical sciences.
In-silico study of the cardiac arrhythmogenic potential of biomaterial injection therapy
Authors: Ramírez William A. , Gizzi Alessio , Sack Kevin L. , Guccione Julius M. , Hurtado Daniel E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBiomaterial injection is a novel therapy to treat ischemic heart failure (HF) that has shown to reduce remodeling and restore cardiac function in recent preclinical studies. While the effect of biomaterial injection in reducing mechanical wall stress has been recently demonstrated, the influence of biomaterials on the electrical behavior of treated hearts has not been elucidated. In this work, we developed computational models of swine hearts to study the electrophysiological vulnerability associated with biomaterial injection therapy. The propagation of action potentials on realistic biventricular geometries was simulated by numerically solving the monodomain electrophysiology equations on anatomically-detailed models of normal, HF untreated, and HF treated hearts. Heart geometries were constructed from high-resolution magnetic resonance images (MRI) where the healthy, peri-infarcted, infarcted and gel regions were identified, and the orientation of cardiac fibers was informed from diffusion-tensor MRI. Regional restitution properties in each case were evaluated by constructing a probability density function of the action potential duration (APD) at different cycle lengths. A comparative analysis of the ventricular fibrillation (VF) dynamics for every heart was carried out by measuring the number of filaments formed after wave braking. Our results suggest that biomaterial injection therapy does not affect the regional dispersion of repolarization when comparing untreated and treated failing hearts. Further, we found that the treated failing heart is more prone to sustain VF than the normal heart, and is at least as susceptible to sustained VF as the untreated failing heart. Moreover, we show that the main features of VF dynamics in a treated failing heart are not affected by the level of electrical conductivity of the biogel injectates. This work represents a novel proof-of-concept study demonstrating the feasibility of computer simulations of the heart in understanding the arrhythmic behavior in novel therapies for HF.
Synchronization of two cavity-coupled qubits measured by entanglement
Authors: Huan Tian-tian , Zhou Ri-gui , Ian Hou 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSome nonlinear radiations such as superfluorescence can be understood as cooperative effects between atoms. We regard cooperative radiations as a manifested effect secondary to the intrinsic synchronization among the two-level atoms and propose the entanglement measure, concurrence, as a time-resolved measure of synchronization. Modeled on two cavity-coupled qubits, the evolved concurrence monotonically increases to a saturated level. The finite duration required for the rising to saturation coincides with the time delay characteristic to the initiation of superfluorescence, showing the role of synchronization in establishing the cooperation among the qubits. We verify concurrence to be a good measure of synchronization by comparing it with asynchronicity computed from the difference between the density matrices of the qubits. We find that the feature of time delay agrees in both measures and is determined by the coupling regimes of the cavity-qubit interaction. Specifically, synchronization is impossible in the weak coupling regime.
Nearly-incompressible transverse isotropy (NITI) of cornea elasticity: model and experiments with acoustic micro-tapping OCE
Authors: Pitre John J. , Kirby Mitchell A. , Li David S. , Shen Tueng T. , Wang Ruikang K. , O’Donnell Matthew , Pelivanov Ivan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe cornea provides the largest refractive power for the human visual system. Its stiffness, along with intraocular pressure (IOP), are linked to several pathologies, including keratoconus and glaucoma. Although mechanical tests can quantify corneal elasticity ex vivo, they cannot be used clinically. Dynamic optical coherence elastography (OCE), which launches and tracks shear waves to estimate stiffness, provides an attractive non-contact probe of corneal elasticity. To date, however, OCE studies report corneal moduli around tens of kPa, orders-of-magnitude less than those (few MPa) obtained by tensile/inflation testing. This large discrepancy impedes OCE’s clinical adoption. Based on corneal microstructure, we introduce and fully characterize a nearly-incompressible transversely isotropic (NITI) model depicting corneal biomechanics. We show that the cornea must be described by at least two shear moduli, contrary to current single-modulus models, decoupling tensile and shear responses. We measure both as a function of IOP in ex vivo porcine cornea, obtaining values consistent with both tensile and shear tests. At pressures above 30 mmHg, the model begins to fail, consistent with non-linear changes in cornea at high IOP.
Sex-dependent associations of low birth weight and suicidal ideation in adulthood: a community-based cohort study
Authors: Ernst Mareike , Reiner Iris , Fieß Achim , Tibubos Ana N. , Schulz Andreas , Burghardt Juliane , Klein Eva M. , Brähler Elmar , Wild Philipp S. , Münzel Thomas , König Jochem , Lackner Karl J. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Michal Matthias , Wiltink Jörg , Beutel Manfred E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractLow birth weight (LBW; < 2,500 g) has been identified as a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes over the life span. However, little is known about the association of LBW and suicidal ideation in middle and late adulthood. We investigated N = 8,278 participants of a representative community cohort: 3,849 men (46.5%) and 4,429 women (53.5%) (35–74 years of age). We assessed standardized measures of mental distress, sociodemographics, health behavior, and somatic factors (based on an extensive medical assessment). Controlling for these confounders, we examined the relationship of birth weight and suicidal ideation in logistic regression models. As men and women differ with regard to their susceptibility to suicidal ideation and behavior, we tested sex-dependent effects. LBW was reported by 458 participants (5.5%). In men, LBW was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting suicidal ideation (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.58–5.12). In women, there was no such relationship. The findings underscore the interrelatedness of the physical and psychological domain, the role of early adversity in suicidal ideation, and they identify a vulnerable group whose numbers are expected to grow. They also indicate other risk factors for suicidal ideation in the community (mental distress, lack of social support, and health risk behavior).
Laboratory evidence for an asymmetric accretion structure upon slanted matter impact in young stars
Authors: Burdonov K. , Revet G. , Bonito R. , Argiroffi C. , Béard J. , Bolanõs S. , Cerchez M. , Chen S. N. , Ciardi A. , Espinosa G. , Filippov E. , Pikuz S. , Rodriguez R. , Šmíd M. , Starodubtsev M. , Willi O. , Orlando S. , Fuchs J. 
Published: July 2020

Aims. Investigating the process of matter accretion onto forming stars through scaled experiments in the laboratory is important in order to better understand star and planetary system formation and evolution. Such experiments can indeed complement observations by providing access to the processes with spatial and temporal resolution. A previous investigation revealed the existence of a two-component stream: a hot shell surrounding a cooler inner stream. The shell was formed by matter laterally ejected upon impact and refocused by the local magnetic field. That laboratory investigation was limited to normal incidence impacts. However, in young stellar objects, the complex structure of magnetic fields causes variability of the incident angles of the accretion columns. This led us to undertake an investigation, using laboratory plasmas, of the consequence of having a slanted accretion impacting a young star.
Methods. Here, we used high power laser interactions and strong magnetic field generation in the laboratory, complemented by numerical simulations, to study the asymmetry induced upon accretion structures when columns of matter impact the surface of young stars with an oblique angle.
Results. Compared to the scenario where matter accretes perpendicularly to the star surface, we observe a strongly asymmetric plasma structure, strong lateral ejecta of matter, poor confinement of the accreted material, and reduced heating compared to the normal incidence case. Thus, slanted accretion is a configuration that seems to be capable of inducing perturbations of the chromosphere and hence possibly influencing the level of activity of the corona.
Possible mechanism for multiple changing-look phenomena in active galactic nuclei
Authors: Sniegowska M. , Czerny B. , Bon E. , Bon N. 
Published: July 2020

Context. The changing-look phenomenon observed in a growing number of active galaxies challenges our understanding of the accretion process close to a black hole.
Aims. We propose a simple explanation for the sources where multiple semi-periodic outbursts are observed, and the sources are operating close to the Eddington limit.
Methods. The outburst are caused by the radiation pressure instability operating in the narrow ring between the standard gas-dominated outer disk and the hot optically thin inner advection-dominated accretion flow. The corresponding limit cycle is responsible for periodic outbursts, and the timescales are much shorter than the standard viscous timescale due to the narrowness of the unstable radial zone.
Results. Our toy model gives quantitative predictions and works well for multiple outbursts like those observed in NGC 1566, NGC 4151, NGC 5548, and GSN 069, although the shapes of the outbursts are not yet well modeled, and further development of the model is necessary.
Anästhesie für Patienten nach Transplantation abdomineller Organe
Authors: Greve Susanne , Palmaers Thomas 
Published: July 2020

ZusammenfassungEine immer weiterentwickelte und erfolgreiche Transplantationsmedizin sorgt für eine große Zahl an lebenden transplantierten Patienten. Ein anästhesiologisch tätiger Arzt muss damit rechnen, mit einem solchen Patienten in Berührung zu kommen. Neben der präoperativen Beurteilung der Vorerkrankungen, inklusive der Funktion des transplantierten Organs, kommt auch der Immunsuppression eine bedeutende Rolle zu. Diese muss perioperativ immer sorgfältig fortgeführt werden. Ein striktes Einhalten aller hygienischen Vorschriften ist bei diesen Patienten aufgrund der Immunsuppression und des damit verbundenen erhöhten Infektionsrisikos essenziell. Dazu gehört auch die strenge Nutzen-Risiko-Bewertung aller invasiven Maßnahmen.Bei der Durchführung der Anästhesie und dem Einsatz der Anästhetika zeigen sich für diese Patienten keine wesentlichen Unterschiede zu nicht transplantierten Patienten, vielmehr muss hier das Augenmerk auf eine ausgeglichene Homöostase aller Organsysteme gerichtet werden.
Organspende – das Management von der Spenderevaluation bis zur Organentnahme
Authors: Logemann Frank 
Published: July 2020

ZusammenfassungDas Transplantationsgesetz von 2019 fordert von allen Beteiligten mehr Engagement bei der Organspende. Kliniken und Transplantationsbeauftragte (TxB) erhalten damit vehemente Unterstützung, aber auch klar definierte Vorgaben für Supervision und Management. Elementar wichtig für den Erfolg des Organspendeprozesses ist die Steuerung durch die TxB. Diese wird im Folgenden von der Evaluation infauster Hirnschädigungen bis zur Organentnahme beleuchtet.
Leitlinien in der Praxis: Hygieneempfehlungen für die Regionalanästhesie
Authors: Volk Thomas , Kubulus Christine 
Published: July 2020

ZusammenfassungDie wahre Inzidenz von Infektionskomplikationen im Zusammenhang mit Regionalanästhesie und -analgesie ist unbekannt, aber wie bei allen invasiven Verfahren besteht die Gefahr schwerer Folgeschäden. Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick zu Hygienemaßnahmen basierend auf der S1-Leitlinie „Hygieneempfehlungen für die Regionalanästhesie“, aktuellen Empfehlungen des Robert Koch-Instituts und aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen. Grundlegende hygienische Standards (Ablegen von Schmuck, gründliche Händedesinfektion, saubere Umgebung) sind anzuwenden. Ein Mund-Nasen-Schutz, eine Kopfhaube und sterile Handschuhe sind ein essenzieller Bestandteil jeder Regionalanästhesie. Für Katheterverfahren soll zusätzlich ein steriler langärmliger Kittel getragen werden, außerdem ist ein steriler Überzug für die Ultraschallsonde zu verwenden (beim Legen eines Katheters auch eine sterile Ummantelung des Zuleitungskabels). Hautdesinfektionsmittel sollten alkoholbasiert sein und eine Substanz
mit Remanenzwirkung enthalten (z. B. Chlorhexidin oder Octenidin). Bei thorakalen Epiduralanästhesien eignet sich das Tunneln zur Infektionsprophylaxe. Unter Berücksichtigung von patientenbezogenen Faktoren (Diabetes, Adipositas, Immunsuppression) und je nach Verfahren (geplante Katheternutzung > 4 Tage, Einstichstelle des Katheters) kann eine Antibiotika-Prophylaxe in Erwägung gezogen werden.