bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Different experimental multiple trauma models induce comparable inflammation and organ injury
Authors: Relja Borna , Yang Bing , Bundkirchen Katrin , Xu Baolin , Köhler Kernt , Neunaber Claudia 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMultiple injuries appear to be a decisive factor for experimental polytrauma. Therefore, our aim was to compare the inflammatory response and organ damage of five different monotrauma with three multiple trauma models. For this, mice were randomly assigned to 10 groups: Healthy control (Ctrl), Sham, hemorrhagic shock (HS), thoracic trauma (TxT), osteotomy with external fixation (Fx), bilateral soft tissue trauma (bsTT) or laparotomy (Lap); polytrauma I (PT I, TxT + HS + Fx), PT II (TxT + HS + Fx + Lap) and one multi-trauma group (MT, TxT + HS + bsTT + Lap). The inflammatory response and organ damage were quantified at 6 h by analyses of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, CXCL1, SAA1, HMGB1 and organ injury. Systemic IL-6 increased in all mono and multiple trauma groups, while CXCL1 increased only in HS, PT I, PT II and MT vs. control. Local inflammatory response was most prominent in HS, PT I, PT II and MT in the liver. Infiltration of inflammatory cells into lung and liver was significant in all multiple trauma groups vs. controls. Hepatic and pulmonary injury was prominent in HS, PT I, PT II and MT groups. These experimental multiple trauma models closely mimic the early post-traumatic inflammatory response in human. Though, the choice of read-out parameters is very important for therapeutic immune modulatory approaches.
Urolithin A augments angiogenic pathways in skeletal muscle by bolstering NAD+ and SIRT1
Authors: Ghosh Nandini , Das Amitava , Biswas Nirupam , Gnyawali Surya , Singh Kanhaiya , Gorain Mahadeo , Polcyn Carly , Khanna Savita , Roy Sashwati , Sen Chandan K. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractUrolithin A (UA) is a natural compound that is known to improve muscle function. In this work we sought to evaluate the effect of UA on muscle angiogenesis and identify the underlying molecular mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were administered with UA (10 mg/body weight) for 12–16 weeks. ATP levels and NAD+ levels were measured using in vivo 31P NMR and HPLC, respectively. UA significantly increased ATP and NAD+ levels in mice skeletal muscle. Unbiased transcriptomics analysis followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed upregulation of angiogenic pathways upon UA supplementation in murine muscle. The expression of the differentially regulated genes were validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Angiogenic markers such as VEGFA and CDH5 which were blunted in skeletal muscles of 28 week old mice were found to be upregulated upon UA supplementation. Such augmentation of skeletal muscle vascularization was found to be bolstered via Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1-alpha (PGC-1α) pathway. Inhibition of SIRT1 by selisistat EX527 blunted UA-induced angiogenic markers in C2C12 cells. Thus this work provides maiden evidence demonstrating that UA supplementation bolsters skeletal muscle ATP and NAD+ levels causing upregulated angiogenic pathways via a SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway.
Spatially resolved fibre cavity ring down spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Rongzhang , Peng Zhaoqiang , Wang Mohan , Yan Aidong , Li Shuo , Huang Sheng , Li Ming-Jun , Chen Kevin P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis paper presents a fibre cavity ring down spectroscopy probed by Rayleigh scattering optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), which provides spatial location of stimuli and improved signal to noise ratio for distributed sensing measurements. A section of optical fibre was integrated into an active fibre ring cavity with optical gain and interrogated by the OFDR system for 11 cycles with a single laser scan. Through the cavity ring down configuration, root-mean-squared (RMS) noise of distributed temperature and strain measurements was reduced to 6.9 mK and less than 0.1 με, respectively for 1-cm spatially resolved measurements. Our work shows that the active fibre cavity configuration can be combined with distributed fibre sensing schemes to achieve both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity measurements.
Integrative quantitative-phase and airy light-sheet imaging
Authors: Subedi N. R. , Jung P. S. , Bredeweg E. L. , Nemati S. , Baker S. E. , Christodoulides D. N. , Vasdekis A. E. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLight-sheet microscopy enables considerable speed and phototoxicity gains, while quantitative-phase imaging confers label-free recognition of cells and organelles, and quantifies their number-density that, thermodynamically, is more representative of metabolism than size. Here, we report the fusion of these two imaging modalities onto a standard inverted microscope that retains compatibility with microfluidics and open-source software for image acquisition and processing. An accelerating Airy-beam light-sheet critically enabled imaging areas that were greater by more than one order of magnitude than a Gaussian beam illumination and matched exactly those of quantitative-phase imaging. Using this integrative imaging system, we performed a demonstrative multivariate investigation of live-cells in microfluidics that unmasked that cellular noise can affect the compartmental localization of metabolic reactions. We detail the design, assembly, and performance of the integrative imaging system, and discuss potential applications in biotechnology and evolutionary biology.
X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals a unique morphology in a new click-beetle (Coleoptera, Elateridae) from the Eocene Baltic amber
Authors: Kundrata Robin , Bukejs Andris , Prosvirov Alexander S. , Hoffmannova Johana 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBeetle fossils are a rich source of information about the palaeodiversity and evolutionary history of the order Coleoptera. Despite the increasing rate of fossil research on click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), the most diverse group in the superfamily Elateroidea, their fossil record has remained largely unstudied. This may be caused by the combination of their rather uniform external morphology and the suboptimal state of preservation and visibility in most fossil specimens. Here, we used X-ray micro-computed tomography to reconstruct the morphology of an interesting click-beetle from Eocene Baltic amber, which had some principal diagnostic characters obscured by opaque bubbles and body position. Our results suggest that the newly describedBaltelater bipectinatusgen. et sp. nov. belongs to tribe Protelaterini within subfamily Lissominae. Since Protelaterini have a predominantly Gondwanan distribution, our discovery is of a great importance for the historical biogeography of the group. Very distinctive are the bipectinate antennae with 11 antennomeres and with rami beginning on antennomere IV, which are not found in any recent Elateridae. The discovery of a new click-beetle lineage from European Eocene amber sheds further light on the palaeodiversity and historical diversification of the family as well as on the composition of the extinct amber forest ecosystem.
Ex vivo rectal explant model reveals potential opposing roles of Natural Killer cells and Marginal Zone-like B cells in HIV-1 infection
Authors: Smith S. Abigail , Murray Phillip M. , Amancha Praveen Kumar , Ackerley Cassie G. , Hu Yi-Juan , Amara Rama R. , Kelley Colleen F. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractOur understanding of innate immune responses in human rectal mucosal tissues (RM) and their contributions to promoting or restricting HIV transmission is limited. We defined the RM composition of innate and innate-like cell subsets, including plasmacytoid dendritic cells; CD1c + myeloid DCs; neutrophils; macrophages; natural killer cells (NK); Marginal Zone-like B cells (MZB); γδ T cells; and mucosal-associated invariant T cells in RM from 69 HIV-negative men by flow cytometry. Associations between these cell subsets and HIV-1 replication in ex vivo RM explant challenge experiments revealed an inverse correlation between RM-NK and p24 production, in contrast to a positive association between RM-MZB and HIV replication. Comparison of RM and blood-derived MZB and NK illustrated qualitative and quantitative differences between tissue compartments. Additionally, 22 soluble molecules were measured in a subset of explant cultures (n = 26). Higher production of IL-17A, IFN-γ, IL-10, IP-10, GM-CSF, sFasL, Granzyme A, Granzyme B, Granulysin, and Perforin following infection positively correlated with HIV replication. These data show novel associations between MZB and NK cells and p24 production in RM and underscore the importance of inflammatory cytokines in mucosal HIV infection, demonstrating the likely critical role these innate immune responses play in early mucosal HIV replication in humans.
Genomic determinants for initiation and length of natural antisense transcripts in Entamoeba histolytica
Authors: Mornico Damien , Hon Chung-Chau , Koutero Mikael , Weber Christian , Coppee Jean-Yves , Dillies Marie-Agnes , Guillen Nancy 
Published: November 2020

AbstractNatural antisense transcripts (NAT) have been reported in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. While the functions of most reported NATs remain unknown, their potentials in regulating the transcription of their counterparts have been speculated. Entamoeba histolytica, which is a unicellular eukaryotic parasite, has a compact protein-coding genome with very short intronic and intergenic regions. The regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in this compact genome are under-described. In this study, by genome-wide mapping of RNA-Seq data in the genome of E. histolytica, we show that a substantial fraction of its protein-coding genes (28%) has significant transcription on their opposite strand (i.e. NAT). Intriguingly, we found the location of transcription start sites or polyadenylation sites of NAT are determined by the specific motifs encoded on the opposite strand of the gene coding sequences, thereby providing a compact regulatory system for gene transcription. Moreover, we demonstrated that NATs are globally up-regulated under various environmental conditions including temperature stress and pathogenicity. While NATs do not appear to be consequences of spurious transcription, they may play a role in regulating gene expression in E. histolytica, a hypothesis which needs to be tested.
Moving targets in drug discovery
Authors: Zdrazil Barbara , Richter Lars , Brown Nathan , Guha Rajarshi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDrug Discovery is a lengthy and costly process and has faced a period of declining productivity within the last two decades resulting in increasing importance of integrative data-driven approaches. In this paper, data mining and integration is leveraged to inspect target innovation trends in drug discovery. The study highlights protein families and classes that have received more attention and those that have just emerged in the scientific literature, thus highlighting novel opportunities for drug intervention. In order to delineate the evolution of target-driven research interest from a biological perspective, trends in biological process annotations from Gene Ontology and disease annotations from DisGeNET are captured. The analysis reveals an increasing interest in targets related to immune system processes, and a recurrent trend for targets involved in circulatory system processes. At the level of diseases, targets associated with cancer-related pathologies, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia are increasingly investigated in recent years. The methodology enables researchers to capture trends in research attention in target space at an early stage during the drug discovery process. Workflows, scripts, and data used in this study are publicly available from https://github.com/BZdrazil/Moving_Targets. An interactive web application allows the customized exploration of target, biological process, and disease trends (available at https://rguha.shinyapps.io/MovingTargets/).
Factors affecting stability of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Authors: Wessels Jocelyn M. , Agarwal Ravi K. , Somani Aamer , Verschoor Chris P. , Agarwal Sanjay K. , Foster Warren G. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCirculating concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been linked to cancer, neuropsychiatric, diabetes, and gynecological disorders. However, factors influencing plasma storage and subsequent BDNF quantification are incompletely understood. Therefore, the anticoagulant used in plasma separator tubes, storage-time, storage-temperature, and repeated freeze–thaw cycles on circulating BDNF concentrations was evaluated. Peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy women (n = 14) and men (n = 10) recruited prospectively from McMaster University (August 2014). Blood was collected from the cubital vein into plasma separator tubes containing five different anticoagulant systems [K2EDTA, Li-Hep, Li-Hep (gel), Na-Hep, Na-Hep (glass)], and placed on ice for transport to the lab for centrifugation. Plasma samples (n = 16) collected in K2EDTA tubes from women recruited to a previous study (April 2011 to December 2012) were used to determine the effect of multiple freeze–thaw cycles. Plasma BDNF was quantified using a commercially available ELISA kit. Plasma concentrations of BDNF were significantly affected by the type of plasma separator tube, storage-time, and number of freeze–thaw cycles. Storage temperature (− 20 vs. − 80 °C) did not significantly affect the quantity of BDNF measured as mean BDNF concentrations generally fell within our calculated acceptable change limit up to 6 months in the freezer. Our results suggest that for quantification of circulating BDNF blood collected in K2EDTA tubes and plasma stored up to 6 months at either − 20 or − 80 °C produces reproducible results that fall within an acceptable range. However, plasma samples stored beyond 6 months and repeated freeze–thaw cycles should be avoided.
Efficacy of P11-4 for the treatment of initial buccal caries: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Sedlakova Kondelova Paulina , Mannaa Alaa , Bommer Claudine , Abdelaziz Marwa , Daeniker Laurent , di Bella Enrico , Krejci Ivo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTo investigate the safety and efficacy of Self-Assembling Peptide P11-4 (SAP P11-4) compared to placebo or fluoride varnish (FV), a randomized, controlled, blinded, split-mouth study with sequential design was conducted. Subjects presenting two teeth with White-Spot-Lesions (WSLs) were included and teeth were randomly assigned to test or control. Control received placebo at baseline (D0) and test SAP P11-4, all received FV at Day 90 (D90). Standardized photographs were taken at each visit, and WSL size changes were morphometrically assessed. Hierarchical Linear Modelling, considering paired and sequential design, was used to test four hypotheses. SAP P11-4 lesions (test, D90–D0) showed significant WSL size reduction compared to placebo (control, D90–D0; p = 0.008) or FV (control, D180–D90; p = 0.001). Combination of SAP P11-4 and delayed FV after 90 days (test, D180–D0), showed a significant difference compared to FV alone (control D270–D90; p = 0.003). No significant difference on FV efficacy was found when SAP P11-4 was applied 3 months before FV (test D270–D90; control D270–D90, p = 0.70). SAP P11-4 treatment resulted in superior caries regression compared to either placebo or FV, and FV efficacy seems not to be affected by SAP P11-4. SAP P11-4 was found to be a safe and effective WSL treatment.
Culture systems influence the physiological performance of the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum
Authors: Chang Tai-Chi , Mayfield Anderson B. , Fan Tung-Yung 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThere is an urgent need to develop means of ex situ biobanking and biopreserving corals and other marine organisms whose habitats have been compromised by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. To optimize laboratory growth of soft corals in a way that could also benefit industry (e.g., aquarium trade), three culture systems were tested herein with Sarcophyton glaucum: (1) a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) without exogenous biological input (RAS−B), (2) a RAS with “live” rocks and an exogenous food supply (RAS+B), and (3) a simple flow-through system (FTS) featuring partially filtered natural seawater. In each system, the effects of two levels of photosynthetically active radiation (100 or 200 μmol quanta m−2 s−1) and flow velocity (5 or 15 cm s−1) were assessed, and a number of soft coral response variables were measured. All cultured corals survived the multi-month incubation, yet those of the RAS−B grew slowly and even paled; however, once they were fed (RAS−B modified to RAS+B), their pigmentation increased, and their oral discs readily expanded. Light had a more pronounced effect in the RAS−B system, while flow affected certain coral response variables in the FTS tanks; there were few effects of light or flow in the RAS+B system, potentially highlighting the importance of heterotrophy. Unlike the ceramic pedestals of the FTS, those of the RAS+B did not regularly become biofouled by algae. In concert with the aforementioned physiological findings, we therefore recommend RAS+B systems as a superior means of biopreservating and biobanking soft corals.
Dopamine receptor D1- and D2-agonists do not spark brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in mice
Authors: Raffaelli Francesca-Maria , Resch Julia , Oelkrug Rebecca , Iwen K. Alexander , Mittag Jens 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBrown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is considered a potential target for treatment of obesity and diabetes. In vitro data suggest dopamine receptor signaling as a promising approach; however, the biological relevance of dopamine receptors in the direct activation of BAT thermogenesis in vivo remains unclear. We investigated BAT thermogenesis in vivo in mice using peripheral administration of D1-agonist SKF38393 or D2-agonist Sumanirole, infrared thermography, and in-depth molecular analyses of potential target tissues; and ex vivo in BAT explants to identify direct effects on key thermogenic markers. Acute in vivo treatment with the D1- or D2-agonist caused a short spike or brief decrease in BAT temperature, respectively. However, repeated daily administration did not induce lasting effects on BAT thermogenesis. Likewise, neither agonist directly affected Ucp1 or Dio2 mRNA expression in BAT explants. Taken together, the investigated agonists do not seem to exert lasting and physiologically relevant effects on BAT thermogenesis after peripheral administration, demonstrating that D1- and D2-receptors in iBAT are unlikely to constitute targets for obesity treatment via BAT activation.
Initial assessment of treatment of talar posterior process fractures with open reduction and percutaneous fixation
Authors: Mao Haijiao , Wang Haiqing , Zhao Jiyuan , Wang Linger , Yao Liwei , Wei Ke 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to provide an initial assessment of treatment for talar posterior process fractures using open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) through posteromedial approach and percutaneous screw fixation. From January 2014 to December 2018, 12 cases with displaced fracture of talar posterior process were treated in our department. The clinical and radiological results were assessed after 4 and 12 months of operation with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores. ORIF was performed in four of the cases and percutaneous screw fixation was performed in eight of the cases. The average follow-up period was 13 months. Complications such as wound infection, nerve injury, screw loosening, malunion or nonunion of fracture were absent. For clinical assessment, considerable mprovements were observed for the AOFAS and VAS scores at 4 and 12 months postoperatively for both techniques. There was no significant difference for AOFAS scores and VAS scores between the two techniques (p > 0.05). Both techniques showed good functional outcome and were performed for posterior talar process fracture following the fracture displacement guidelines. Percutaneous screw fixation treatment with computer-assisted three-dimensional evaluation shortened the operation time and reduced incidences of surgical complications.
Novel nonlinear reconstruction method with grey-level quantisation units for electron tomography
Authors: Baba Norio , Kaneko Kenji , Baba Misuzu 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe report a new computed tomography reconstruction method, named quantisation units reconstruction technique (QURT), applicable to electron and other fields of tomography. Conventional electron tomography methods such as filtered back projection, weighted back projection, simultaneous iterative reconstructed technique, etc. suffer from the ‘missing wedge’ problem due to the limited tilt-angle range. QURT demonstrates improvements to solve this problem by recovering a structural image blurred due to the missing wedge and substantially reconstructs the structure even if the number of projection images is small. QURT reconstructs a cross-section image by arranging grey-level quantisation units (QU pieces) in three-dimensional image space via unique discrete processing. Its viability is confirmed by model simulations and experimental results. An important difference from recently developed methods such as discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART), total variation regularisation—DART, and compressed sensing is that prior knowledge of the conditions regarding the specimen or the expected cross-section image is not necessary.
In vitro modeling of solid tumor interactions with perfused blood vessels
Authors: Kwak Tae Joon , Lee Esak 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMolecular crosstalk between intra-tumor blood vessels and tumor cells plays many critical roles in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. However, it has been very difficult to investigate the biochemical mechanisms underlying the overlapping, multifactorial processes that occur at the tumor-vascular interface using conventional murine models alone. Moreover, traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture models used in cancer research do not recapitulate aspects of the 3D tumor microenvironment. In the present study, we introduce a microfluidic model of the solid tumor-vascular interface composed of a human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)-lined, perfusable, bioengineered blood vessel and tumor spheroids embedded in an extracellular matrix (ECM). We sought to optimize our model by varying the composition of the tumor spheroids (MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells + mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)/human lung fibroblasts (HLFs)/HUVECs) and the extracellular matrix (ECM: collagen, Matrigel, and fibrin gels with or without free HLFs) that we used. Our results indicate that culturing tumor spheroids containing MDA-MB-231 cells + HUVECs in an HLF-laden, fibrin-based ECM within our microfluidic device optimally (1) enhances the sprouting and migration of tumor spheroids, (2) promotes angiogenesis, (3) facilitates vascular invasion, and (4) preserves the structural integrity and functionality of HUVEC-lined microfluidic channels. This model may provide a platform for drug screening and mechanism studies on solid tumor interactions with functional blood vessels.