bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leptin signalling on arcuate NPY neurones controls adiposity independent of energy balance or diet composition
Authors: Zhang Lei , Reed Felicia , Herzog Herbert 
Published: August 2020

AbstractCentral action of the adipocyte hormone leptin via the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system is considered critical for energy homeostatic control. However, the precise mechanisms for this control are still not clear. To specifically investigate how leptin signalling on the NPY neurone contributes to the control of energy homeostasis, we generated an inducible adult‐onset NPY neurone‐specific leptin receptor (Lepr) knockout model and performed a comprehensive metabolic phenotyping study. Here, we show that the NPY neurone subpopulation that is directly responsive to leptin is not required for the inhibition of fasting‐induced hyperphagia by leptin, although it is essential for the regulation of adiposity independent of changes in energy balance or diet composition. Furthermore, under obesogenic conditions such as a high‐fat diet, a lack of Lepr signalling on NPY neurones results in significant increases in food intake and concomitant reductions in energy expenditure, leading to accelerated accumulation of fat mass. Collectively, these findings support the notion that Lepr‐expressing NPY neurones act as the key relay point where peripheral adipose storage information is sensed, and corresponding responses are initiated to protect adipose reserves.
The association between bacterial infections and the risk of coronary heart disease in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Simonsen J. R. , Järvinen A. , Harjutsalo V. , Forsblom C. , Groop P.‐H. , Lehto M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundDiabetes increases the risk of infections and coronary heart disease (CHD). Whether infections increase the risk of CHD and how this applies to individuals with diabetes is unclear.ObjectivesTo investigate the association between bacterial infections and the risk of CHD in type 1 diabetes.MethodsIndividuals with type 1 diabetes (n = 3781) were recruited from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study (FinnDiane), a prospective follow‐up study. CHD was defined as incident events: fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention, identified through national hospital discharge register data. Infections were identified through national register data on all antibiotic purchases from outpatient care. Register data were available from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2015. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activity was measured from serum samples at baseline. Data on traditional risk factors for CHD were collected during baseline and consecutive visits.ResultsIndividuals with an incident CHD event (n = 370) had a higher mean number of antibiotic purchases per follow‐up year compared to those without incident CHD (1.34 [95% CI: 1.16–1.52], versus 0.79 [0.76–0.82], P < 0.001), as well as higher levels of LPS activity (0.64 [0.60–0.67], versus 0.58 EU mL−1 [0.57–0.59], P < 0.001). In multivariable‐adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, the mean number of antibiotic purchases per follow‐up year was an independent risk factor for incident CHD (HR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.14–1.29, P < 0.0001). High LPS activity was a risk factor for incident CHD (HR 1.93 [1.34–2.78], P < 0.001) after adjusting for static confounders.ConclusionBacterial infections are associated with an increased risk of incident CHD in individuals with type 1 diabetes.
U.S. Media Enjoyment without Strong Media Literacy Undermines Adolescents' and Mothers' Reported Efforts to Reduce Unhealthy Eating in Jamaica
Authors: Ferguson Gail M. , Nelson Michelle R. , Fiese Barbara H. , Meeks Gardner Julie M. , Koester Brenda ,   JUS Media? Programme Study Team
Published: August 2020

We investigate whether media literacy and media use can moderate the association between U.S. media enjoyment and unhealthy eating among remotely acculturating “Americanized” adolescents and their mothers in Jamaica (n = 164 individuals/82 dyads; Madolescent.age = 12.83, SD = 0.48, 48% female; Mmother_age = 39.25, SD = 5.71). Socioeconomically diverse participants completed questionnaires reporting their degree of enjoyment of U.S. media (i.e., remote acculturation), media literacy (i.e., critical thinking about food media/advertising), and adherence to national dietary guidelines to reduce sugar/fat. Multilevel modeling showed that enjoying U.S. media and consuming high levels of U.S. TV plus Jamaican TV are associated with lower efforts to reduce sugar and fat. However, high media literacy, whether one’s own or a close family member’s, weakens or nullifies that association.
A more powerful non‐attribute‐specified sensory discrimination method: The paired unspecified tetrad with different order (AB and BA) pairs
Authors: Bi Jian , Kuesten Carla 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe unspecified tetrad is a powerful non‐attribute‐specified sensory discrimination method widely used for sensory analysis and consumer research. A paired version of the method is proposed and explored in this article. It is the paired unspecified tetrad with different order (AB and BA) pairs. An analytical and a simulation‐derived psychometric function of the new method are produced. The paired unspecified tetrad with AB and BA pairs is more powerful than the conventional unspecified tetrad and the paired versions of the triangle and duo‐trio methods. A weakness of the paired version of the unspecified tetrad versus the conventional unspecified tetrad is that the new method involves in more adaption, fatigue, or memory factors.Practical ApplicationsThe paired unspecified tetrad with different order (AB and BA) pairs has wide potential applications, especially for visual or manual inspection of food or nonfood products to detect before–after treatment effects, but may not be suitable for food tasting considering the adaption, fatigue, or memory factors.
Effect of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination on productive performance, intestinal morphology and digestive enzymes' activity of broiler chickens
Authors: Youssef Ibrahim M. I. , Männer Klaus , Zentek Jürgen 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis study was carried out to evaluate the effect of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination on productive performance, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzymes' activity in broilers. Four hundred one‐day‐old male broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four treatments, each with 5 replicates. The birds were fed experimental diets contained either no phytogenic feed additives (control) or were supplemented with 25.0 mg/kg of an essential oil blend from star anise, rosemary, thyme and oregano (essential oils); 46.0 mg/kg of a Quillaja saponin blend (saponins); or a combination of both phytogenic preparations (essential oils plus saponins). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Body weight, feed intake and weight gain were recorded weekly, and the feed conversion ratio was calculated, throughout the experiment. Intestinal morphology and digestive enzymes' activity were determined at the end of the experiment. It was found that the body weight was increased by all dietary supplements at the end of the experiment. There was no change in performance parameters among the treatments during the starter period. At the grower period and the overall experiment, the weight gain of birds was higher in all supplemented groups compared to the control, but the feed conversion was better in the essential oils with saponins treatment. Supplementation of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination increased the villus height and the villus/crypt ratio of the intestine. There was an increase in trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase activities in the essential oils plus saponins group only. The obtained results indicate that the phytogenic feed additives, especially essential oils with saponins, can be considered as new promising agents in promoting the growth performance of broilers. The effect could be related to its improving impact in intestinal development and increasing the protease enzymes' activity, resulting in increased protein digestibility and absorption of dietary nutrients.
Identification and characterization of the enzymes responsible for the metabolism of the non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone, in horses
Authors: Knych Heather K. , Finno Carrie J. , Baden Russell , Arthur Rick M. , McKemie Daniel S. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics of flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone have been extensively characterized; however, there are no published reports describing the in vitro metabolism, specifically the enzymes responsible for the biotransformation of these compounds in horses. Due to their widespread use and, therefore, increased potential for drug–drug interactions and widespread differences in drug disposition, this study aims to build on the limited current knowledge regarding P450‐mediated metabolism in horses. Drugs were incubated with equine liver microsomes and a panel of recombinant equine P450s. Incubation of phenylbutazone in microsomes generated oxyphenbutazone and gamma‐hydroxy phenylbutazone. Microsomal incubations with flunixin meglumine generated 5‐OH flunixin, with a kinetic profile suggestive of substrate inhibition. In recombinant P450 assays, equine CYP3A97 was the only enzyme capable of generating oxyphenbutazone while several members of the equine CYP3A family and CYP1A1 were capable of catalyzing the biotransformation of flunixin to 5‐OH flunixin. Flunixin meglumine metabolism by CYP1A1 and CYP3A93 showed a profile characteristic of biphasic kinetics, suggesting two substrate binding sites. The current study identifies specific enzymes responsible for the metabolism of two NSAIDs in horses and provides the basis for future study of drug–drug interactions and identification of reasons for varying pharmacokinetics between horses.
The phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris utilizes the divergently transcribed pobA/pobR locus for 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid recognition and degradation to promote virulence
Authors: Chen Bo , Li Rui‐Fang , Zhou Lian , Qiu Jia‐Hui , Song Kai , Tang Ji‐Liang , He Ya‐Wen 
Published: August 2020

AbstractXanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is the causal agent of black rot in crucifers. Our previous findings revealed that Xcc can degrade 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid (4‐HBA) via the β‐ketoadipate pathway. This present study expands on this knowledge in several ways. First, we show that infective Xcc cells induce in situ biosynthesis of 4‐HBA in host plants, and Xcc can efficiently degrade 4‐HBA via the pobA/pobR locus, which encodes a 4‐hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase and an AraC‐family transcription factor respectively. Next, the transcription of pobA is specifically induced by 4‐HBA and is positively regulated by PobR, which is constitutively expressed in Xcc. 4‐HBA directly binds to PobR dimers, resulting in activation of pobA expression. Point mutation and subsequent isothermal titration calorimetry and size exclusion chromatography analysis identified nine key conserved residues required for 4‐HBA binding and/or dimerization of PobR. Furthermore, overlapping promoters harboring fully overlapping −35 elements were identified between the divergently transcribed pobA and pobR. The 4‐HBA/PobR dimer complex specifically binds to a 25‐bp site, which encompasses the −35 elements shared by the overlapping promoters. Finally, GUS histochemical staining and subsequent quantitative assay showed that both pobA and pobR genes are transcribed during Xcc infection of Chinese radish, and the strain ΔpobR exhibited compromised virulence in Chinese radish. These findings suggest that the ability of Xcc to survive the 4‐HBA stress might be important for its successful colonization of host plants.
Molecular detection and identification of piroplasms (Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing ticks from northwest Spain
Authors: Remesar S. , Díaz P. , Prieto A. , García‐Dios D. , Panadero R. , Fernández G. , Brianti E. , Díez‐Baños P. , Morrondo P. , López C. M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAnaplasma phagocytophilum and some piroplasm species are pathogens mainly transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Considering that this tick species is predominant in north‐western Spain, individual specimens (652 nymphs, 202 females and 202 males) and 23 larval pools were processed to determine the prevalence of these pathogens in questing I. ricinus from that region. Additionally, Dermacentor marginatus, Dermacentor reticulatus, Ixodes frontalis and Ixodes acuminatus were individually analysed. The groESL operon as well as the 16S rRNA and msp2 genes of Anaplasma were analysed. Similarly, piroplasms were identified at the 18S rRNA gene and the ITS1 of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. Babesia venatorum (1.5%), A. phagocytophilum (0.7%), Babesia microti (0.3%) and Theileria sp. OT3 (0.2%) were detected in I. ricinus. A single I. frontalis (8.3%) tested positive to A. phagocytophilum. Although a low percentage of I. ricinus were infected with A. phagocytophilum and piroplasms, a potentially human pathogenic variant of A. phagocytophilum was detected, and both Babesia species found were zoonotic. Since the vector of Theileria sp. OT3 remains unknown, further investigations are needed to unravel the role of I. ricinus in the transmission of this piroplasm.
Operationalist and inferentialist pragmatism: Implications for nursing knowledge development and practice
Authors: Younas Ahtisham 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPhilosophical inquiries in nursing are useful for analysing and critiquing existing practices, exploring contextual factors affecting practice, adapting to and sustaining ongoing changes in knowledge development, and facilitating the linkages between theory, research and practice. Nurse scholars used several philosophical schools of thought to guide knowledge development and practice. Pragmatism has been described as essential for bridging the theory–practice gap, for engaging in the inquiry‐based practice and for translating knowledge into practice. The existing descriptions of pragmatism rely on rudimentary descriptions of “what works” and “inquiry‐based action" aspects. However, the operationalist and inferentialist aspects of pragmatism and their worth for nursing knowledge development and practice are yet to be discussed. This paper explores the operationalist and inferentialist pragmatism and highlights the implications of these aspects for nursing knowledge development and practice. It has been argued that the dual aspect of pragmatism offers an approach to develop practical lines of action, evaluate actions in terms of their usefulness and assimilate already learned actions with the new actions. I suggested that moving beyond the rudimentary understanding of pragmatism and embracing and utilizing the dual aspect of pragmatism can bring more significant benefits for nursing. Embracing the dual aspect of pragmatism can enable nurses in developing philosophical reflexivity, emphasizing the experiential context of nursing, generating actionable and ready to use knowledge, and utilizing nursing theories to their fullest potential.
Reproductive biology ofSyagrus coronata(Arecaceae): sex‐biased insect visitation and the unusual case of scent emission by peduncular bracts
Authors: Barbosa C. M. , Maia A. C. D. , Martel C. , Regueira J. C. S. , Navarro D. M. do A. F. , Raguso R. A. , Milet‐Pinheiro P. , Machado I. C. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractSeveral monoecious species of palms have developed complex strategies to promote cross‐pollination, including the production of large quantities of floral resources and the emission of scents that are attractive to pollinators.Syagrus coronataconstitutes an interesting model with which to understand the evolution of plant reproductive strategies in a monoecious species adapted to seasonally dry forests.We monitored blooming phenology over 1 year, during which we also collected and identified floral visitors and putative pollinators. We identified potential floral visitor attractants by characterizing the scent composition of inflorescences as well as of peduncular bracts, during both male and female phases, and the potential for floral thermogenesis.Syagrus coronataproduces floral resources throughout the year. Its inflorescences are predominantly visited by a diverse assortment of small‐sized beetles, whose richness and abundance vary throughout the different phases of anthesis. We did not find evidence of floral thermogenesis. A total of 23 volatile compounds were identified in the scent emitted by the inflorescences, which did not differ between male and female phases; whereas the scent of the peduncular bracts was composed of only 4‐methyl guaiacol, which was absent in inflorescences.The composition of floral scent chemistry indicates that this palm has evolved strategies to be predominantly pollinated by small‐sized weevils. Our study provides rare evidence of a non‐floral scent emitting structure involved in pollinator attraction, only the second such case specifically in palms. The peculiarities of the reproductive strategy ofS. coronatamight play an important role in the maintenance of pollination services and pollen dispersion.
The fungal elicitor AsES requires a functional ethylene pathway to activate the innate immunity in strawberry
Authors: Perato S. M. , Furio R. N. , Tomas‐Grau R. H. , Caro M. P. , Hael‐Conrad V. , Díaz‐Ricci J. C. , Martinez‐Zamora M. G. 
Published: August 2020

Abstract

Acremonium strictum Elicitor Subtilisin (AsES) is a fungal elicitor that activates innate immunity, conferring disease resistance in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), Arabidopsis and other plant species. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the involvement of the ethylene (ET) signalling pathway in AsES‐mediated immune response in strawberry.

Ethylene production and expression of the genes responsible for ET synthesis, perception and response were measured after AsES treatment. ROS (H2O2) accumulation and immunity induced by AsES were studied after ET perception was blocked by 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP).

Biochemical and molecular results showed that AsES induced a marked increase in local and systemic biosynthesis of ET, both in a biphasic manner. Blocking of ET perception by 1‐MCP prior to AsES induction reduced production of ROS (H2O2) and prevented AsES from eliciting defence against fungal pathogens having different lifestyles, such as Botrytis cinerea (necrotrophic) and Colletotrichum acutatum (hemibiotrophic).

These findings contribute to elucidate the mode of action of the novel elicitor subtilase, AsES, specifically regarding the role of ET signalling in the activation of plant innate immunity, in addition to the multitude of processes regulated by ET in plants.
Machine‐learning prediction models for pedestrian traffic flow levels: Towards optimizing walking routes for blind pedestrians
Authors: Cohen Achituv , Dalyot Sagi 
Published: August 2020

AbstractNavigation and orientation while walking in urban spaces pose serious challenges for blind pedestrians, sometimes even on a daily basis. Research shows the practicability of computerized weighted network route planning algorithms based on OpenStreetMap mapping data for calculating customized routes for blind pedestrians. While data about pedestrians and vehicle traffic flow at different times throughout the day influence the route choices of blind pedestrians, such data do not exist in OpenStreetMap. Quantifying the correlation between spatial structure and traffic flow could be used to fill this gap. As such, we investigated machine‐learning methods to develop a computerized model for predicting pedestrian traffic flow levels, with the objective of enriching the OpenStreetMap database. This article presents prediction results by implementing six machine‐learning algorithms based on parameters relating to the geometrical and topological configuration of streets in OpenStreetMap, as well as points‐of‐interest such as public transportation and shops. The Random Forest algorithm produced the best results, whereby 95% of the testing data were successfully predicted. These results indicate that machine‐learning algorithms can accurately generate necessary temporal data, which when combined with the available crowdsourced open mapping data could augment the reliability of route planning algorithms for blind pedestrians.
Risks associated with perioperative anaemia and perioperative blood transfusion in patients undergoing neurosurgical operation
Authors: Liu Junting , Lin Jie , Guan Xiaozhen , Liu Li , Pan Xue , Zhou Lingling , Luo Yuanyuan , Wang Deqing 
Published: August 2020

SummaryObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of preoperative anaemia and the risks associated with perioperative anaemia and blood transfusion in patients who underwent neurological surgery.BackgroundPerioperative anaemia has an important impact on neurosurgery patients. The prevalence and risks of perioperative anaemia and blood transfusion in Chinese patients are still unknown.MethodsLogistic regression was used to predict adverse outcomes of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and different levels of anaemia. Anaemia and transfusion were compared as independent variables by using a 1:1 match on propensity score.ResultsThe prevalence of preoperative anaemia in neurosurgical patients was 20.05%; 10.33% patients received RBC transfusion. Perioperative RBC and plasma transfusion rates (P < .001) and average hospital costs (P = .0365) were higher in preoperative moderate‐to‐severe anaemia patients than in no anaemia patients. Perioperative RBC transfusion patients had longer hospital length of stay (LOS) (P < .001) and higher average hospital costs (P < .001) than no‐transfusion patients. The rates of return to the operating room (OR) within 30 days and intensive care unit stay did not demonstrate any significant difference in anaemia and transfusion cohorts, respectively.ConclusionThe status of preoperative anaemia in Chinese neurosurgical patients is associated with increased transfusion rates and hospital costs. Perioperative RBC transfusion is associated with increased length and cost of hospitalisation.