bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discovery and validation of hsa_circ_0001953 as a potential biomarker for proliferative diabetic retinopathy in human blood
Authors: Wu Zheming , Liu Bing , Ma Yan , Chen Haisong , Wu Jing , Wang Jiawei 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPurposeThis study aimed to determine whether circular RNAs (circRNAs) in whole blood could be served as novel non‐invasive biomarkers for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).MethodsThis retrospective cross‐sectional study comprised 34 healthy participants, 34 PDR patients and 34 non‐proliferative DR (NPDR) patients. High‐throughput whole transcriptome sequencing was performed to explore the expression profile of circRNAs in the whole blood, and the candidate circRNAs were validated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated the ability of these candidate circRNAs in discriminating PDR patients from NPDR patients and healthy subjects. Finally, the networks of circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA based on the candidate circRNAs were constructed.ResultsUsing sequencing and qRT‐PCR, hsa_circ_0001953 was found to be elevated in PDR patients in contrast with the other two groups. Statistical analysis showed that the expression levels of hsa_circ_0001953 in PDR patients were positively related to the duration of diabetes and HbAc1. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that hsa_circ_0001953 was associated with a high diagnostic accuracy in discriminating PDR patients from NPDR patients and healthy controls, resulting in an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 and 0.92, respectively. The circRNA‐miRNA‐target gene networks for hsa_circ_0001953 showed that hsa_circ_0001953 could interact with dozens of miRNAs and some targeted mRNAs have been potentially involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes.ConclusionThe present findings indicate that hsa_circ_0001953 in the whole blood may serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for PDR.
Melatonin ameliorates the sleep disorder induced by surgery under sevoflurane anaesthesia in aged mice
Authors: Jia Xixi , Zhang Liqun , Zhang Wen , Zhou Yang , Song Yanan , Liu Chang , Yang Ning , Sun Jie , Sun Zhuonan , Li Zhengqian , Shi Chengmei , Han Yongzheng , Yuan Yi , Shi Jie , Liu Yajie , Guo Xiangyang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPost‐operative sleep disorders induce adverse effects on patients, especially the elderly, which may be associated with surgery and inhalational anaesthetics. Melatonin is a neuroendocrine regulator of the sleep‐wake cycle. In this study, we analysed the alterations of post‐operative sleep in aged melatonin‐deficient (C57BL/6J) mice, and investigated if exogenous melatonin could facilitate entrainment of circadian rhythm after laparotomy under sevoflurane anaesthesia. The results showed that laparotomy under sevoflurane anaesthesia had a greater influence on post‐operative sleep than sevoflurane alone. Laparotomy under anaesthesia led to circadian rhythm shifting forward, altered EEG power density and delta power of NREM sleep, and lengthened REM and NREM sleep latencies. In the light phase, the number of waking episodes tended to decline, and wake episode duration elevated. However, these indicators presented the opposite tendency during the dark phase. Melatonin showed significant efficacy for ameliorating the sleep disorder and restoring physiological sleep, and most of the beneficial effect of melatonin was antagonized by luzindole, a melatonin receptor antagonist.
NH2‐terminal fragment of ZF21 protein suppresses tumor invasion via inhibiting the interaction of ZF21 with FAK
Authors: Nagano Makoto , Hoshino Daisuke , Toshima Jiro , Seiki Motoharu , Koshikawa Naohiko 
Published: September 2020

AbstractCellular migration, coupled with the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), is a key step in tumor invasion and represents a promising therapeutic target in malignant tumors. Focal adhesions (FAs) and invadopodia, which are distinct actin‐based cellular structures, play key roles in cellular migration and ECM degradation, respectively. The molecular machinery coordinating the dynamics between FAs and invadopodia is not fully understood, although several lines of evidence suggest that the disassembly of FAs is an important step in triggering the formation of invadopodia. In a previous study, we identified the ZF21 protein as a regulator of both FA turnover and invadopodia‐dependent ECM degradation. ZF21 interacts with multiple factors for FA turnover, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), microtubules, m‐Calpain, and Src homology region 2‐containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP‐2). In particular, the dephosphorylation of FAK by ZF21 is a key event in tumor invasion. However, the precise role of ZF21 binding to FAK remains unclear. We established a method to disrupt the interaction between ZF21 and FAK using the FAK‐binding NH2‐terminal region of ZF21. Tumor cells expressing the ZF21‐derived polypeptide had significantly decreased FA turnover, migration, invadopodia‐dependent ECM degradation, and Matrigel invasion. Furthermore, the expression of the polypeptide inhibited an early step of experimental lung metastasis in mice. These findings indicate that the interaction of ZF21 with FAK is necessary for FA turnover as well as ECM degradation at the invadopodia. Thus, ZF21 is a potential regulator that coordinates the equilibrium between FA turnover and invadopodia activity by interacting with FAK.
Tumour size and overall survival among surgically treated patients with non‐metastatic colon cancer in the U.S. Military Health System
Authors: Alexander Melannie , Lin Jie , Shriver Craig D. , McGlynn Katherine A. , Zhu Kangmin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAimLarger tumour size and lymph node involvement traditionally predict poorer survival in colon cancer patients. However, it has been recently suggested that very small tumours (<5 mm) may be a predictor of poor prognosis in colon cancer patients when lymph nodes are involved. This study investigated whether node‐positive colon cancer patients with small tumours had worse survival compared to those with larger tumours in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Military Health System (MHS), a universal health care system.MethodsSurgically treated colon cancer patients were identified from the DoD's Automated Central Tumour Registry (ACTUR). These patients were diagnosed with Stage I–III colon cancer between 1989 and 2010, had one or more lymph nodes examined, did not receive pre‐operative radiotherapy and were followed through 2013 to determine vital status. Multivariable Cox models were used to examine survival differences according to tumour size, and data were stratified by lymph node status and age.ResultsThere were no differences in overall survival according to tumour size in the study population. These findings remained similar in analyses stratified by lymph node status and age.ConclusionIn a universal healthcare system, small tumour size is not associated with worse prognosis in node‐positive colon cancer patients.
Colorimetric detection of Mn(ii) based on a mixture of an anionic pyridylazo dye and a cationic polyelectrolyte in aqueous solution
Authors: Fukushima Yasumasa , Aikawa Shunichi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe have developed a simple and valuable method for the construction of a colorimetric chemosensor for detecting Mn(ii) in aqueous media. The chemosensor was prepared by mixing two commercial products, an anionic organic dye, 2‐(5‐nitro‐2‐pyridylazo)‐5‐(N‐propyl‐N‐sulphopropylamino)phenol (Nitro‐PAPS) and a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). Upon gradual addition of Mn(ii) to the chemosensor, the absorption spectra showed a remarkable bathochromic shift concomitantly with a distinct colour change from yellow to blue‐green, while Nitro‐PAPS alone could not detect Mn(ii) in a colorimetric method. PDADMAC played a key role in sensing Mn(ii) for the mixture. The colour change might be due to the formation of the aggregate obtained through electrostatic interactions of a Nitro‐PAPS‐based Mn(ii) complex with PDADMAC. This investigation can inform the development of a new chemosensor by the combination of an anionic dye and a cationic polyelectrolyte.
Wide distribution of anaerobic ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria in the water column of the South China Sea: Implications for their survival strategies
Authors: Liu Xiaohan , Wu Jiapeng , Hong Yiguo , Li Yiben , Hu Yaohao , Wang Limei , Wang Yu , Long Aimin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAimAnammox bacteria are widely distributed in various environments, but the community composition and survival strategies of anammox bacteria in oligotrophic, deep‐sea water rich in dissolved oxygen (DO) remain unknown. We aimed to understand the distribution of anammox bacteria in the water columns of the South China Sea (SCS).Time periodThree cruises were in October 2014, October 2015 and September 2016, respectively.LocationSix water columns were obtained in the SCS, China (E 111–120°, N 16–22°).MethodsThe diversity and community composition of anammox bacteria were investigated through a high‐throughput sequencing technique targeting the anammox 16S rRNA gene.ResultsUnexpectedly, phylogenetic analysis showed that Ca. Brocadia (78.35%) was the dominant genus while Ca. Scalindua and unclassified species accounted for 12.62% and 9.03%, respectively. The highest diversity of anammox bacteria and concentrations of particulate organic matter (POM) were simultaneously observed in the 50–200 m layer, suggesting that particles may be a favourable niche for anammox bacteria. The wide distribution of anammox bacteria in the DO‐rich sea waters suggests two possible survival strategies: one strategy is attaching to particles and using anaerobic anammox metabolism to produce energy, and the other strategy is free‐living and using aerobic metabolism to produce energy.Main conclusionsA high diversity of anammox bacteria was found in the aerobic water columns, and Ca. Brocadia was the clearly dominant genus. Furthermore, anammox microbes could improve their viability by switching their metabolic pathways between anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Overall, our study has improved the understanding of the distribution and survival strategies of anammox communities in an aerobic marine environment and could provide new ideas for engineering applications in wastewater treatment with anammox technology.
Association between mitral annular calcification and progression of mitral and aortic stenoses
Authors: Jozsa Csilla , Budwal Balam , Lloyd Guy , Bhattacharyya Sanjeev 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundMitral annular calcification (MAC) is a chronic degenerative process affecting the annular fibrosus of the mitral valve. We sought to examine the relationship between MAC and the progression of valve disease.MethodsThe echocardiography database was searched for patients with MAC who had undergone at least two studies more than 1 year apart. The degree of MAC was quantified according to both extent and thickness. The degree of aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral stenosis (MS) was classified according to valve area and mean gradient, respectively.ResultsOf 125 patients, moderate or greater AS was present in 8 of 86 (9.3%) patients with mild, 12 of 29 (41.4%) patients with moderate, and 4 of 10 (40%) patients with severe MAC extent, P = .0002. The rate of progression of AS was highest in those with greatest MAC extent (0.21 cm2/y) or greatest MAC thickness (0.28 cm2/y) compared with those with least MAC extent (0.09 cm2/y) or thickness (0.07 cm2/y), P = .04 and <.0001, respectively. The rate of progression of mean mitral gradient was highest in those with greatest MAC extent (0.71 mm Hg/y) or greatest MAC thickness (0.17 mm Hg/y) compared with those with least MAC extent (0.07 mm Hg/y) or thickness (0.07 mm Hg/y), P = .0003 and P < .0001, respectively. Patients with greatest MAC extent had lower survival than those with lower MAC extent, P = .03. However, there was no difference in survival between patients with different MAC thickness, P = .43.ConclusionBoth the degree of MAC extent and thickness are associated with the rate of progression of aortic and mitral stenosis and may serve as a risk marker for future progression.
The use of ultrasound to assess aortic biomechanics: Implications for aneurysm and dissection
Authors: Mantella Laura E. , Chan Winnie , Bisleri Gianluigi , Hassan Syed M. Ali , Liblik Kiera , Benbarkat Hanane , Rival David E. , Johri Amer M. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractArterial stiffening, which occurs when conduit arteries thicken and lose elasticity, has been associated with cardiovascular disease and increased risk for future cardiovascular events. Specifically, aortic stiffening plays a large role in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases, such as aneurysm formation and dissection. Current parameters used to assess risk of aortic rupture include absolute diameter and growth rate. However, these properties lack the reliability required to accurately risk‐stratify patients. As with any elastic conduit, it is important to assess the biomechanical properties of the aorta in order to assess cardiovascular risk and prevent disease progression. There are several invasive and noninvasive methods by which stiffness of the large arteries can be assessed. Of particular interest are ultrasound‐based methods, such as tissue Doppler imaging and speckle‐tracking echocardiography, due to their noninvasive and feasible nature. In this review, we summarize studies demonstrating utility of noninvasive ultrasound imaging methods for measuring aortic biomechanics for the assessment and management of aortic aneurysms.
Assessment of coronary artery abnormalities and variability of Z‐score calculation in the acute episode of Kawasaki disease—A retrospective study from China
Authors: Liu Hui Hui , Qiu Zhen , Fan Guo Zhen , Jiang Qi , Li Rui Xue , Chen Wei Xia , Liu Fei Fei , Wu Yue , Wang Jing Jing , Wu Yang Fang , Luo Huang Huang , Zhang Dong Dong , Hu Peng 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundAccurate classification of coronary artery abnormalities (CAAs) is essential for clinical decision‐making and long‐term management in Kawasaki disease (KD) patients. To date, there are several echocardiographic criteria of CAA assessment.Materials and methodsThe Japanese Ministry of Health (JMH) criteria and the Z‐score criteria from 2004 American Heart Association guidelines were adopted and their detective efficacies for CAAs were compared in 251 Chinese patients with KD Z scores were calculated by 6 published methods.ResultsAccording to the JMH criteria, 19 (7.57%) KD patients were classified as CAAs during the acute KD episode. However, the detective number of CAAs was highest and had a 0.68‐fold increase by the Dallaire et al method with a Z‐score cut point of ≥2.5 as compared with the JMH criteria; in contrast, more than 78.95% of patients with CAAs identified by the JMH criteria had a coronary artery Z score ≥2.5. All 6 different Z‐score methods had satisfactory accuracies with a range from 93.23% to 97.61% in screening CAAs. For the 19 patients with CAAs identified by the JMH criteria, their Z scores presented the widest variation calculated by the McCrindle et al method.ConclusionsThe JMH criteria underestimate the prevalence of CAAs as compared with the Z‐score criteria. Quantitative assessment of coronary artery luminal dimensions, normalized as Z scores adjusted for body surface, should be recommended. The larger coronary artery luminal dimensions vary, the more heterogeneous Z scores calculated by different methods have.
Genetic variation in the behavioural mechanisms involved in the response of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus brochymenae to contact chemical cues left by the pest Murgantia histrionica
Authors: Sevarika Milos , Foti Maria Cristina , Peri Ezio , Colazza Stefano , Wajnberg Eric 
Published: September 2020

The ability of parasitoid females to perceive chemical traces left by their hosts is of utmost importance in the host location process. The behaviours involved in such ability have thus most likely been promoted by natural selection in the course of the evolutionary time. For this to happen, however, there must be significant genetic variation in natural populations on which natural selection could act.
Using the isofemale line method and motion analysis, we detected significant intra‐population genetic variation for several walking behaviour traits of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus brochymenae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) females responding to chemical traces left by its host Murgantia histrionica (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).
Besides opening new avenues of research on the reproductive strategies, behaviour, and biological control potential of parasitoid wasps, these results also have implications for understanding their life‐history evolution in general.
Reasoning and grasping objects
Authors: Golan Rea 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThere is a pervasive view that inference—as opposed, notably, to a grasp of objects—is an intralinguistic process that does not draw on extralinguistic resources. The present paper aims to show that this dichotomy between inferring and grasping objects can be resisted. Specifically, I offer an alternative view: a phenomenological account according to which our most basic inferences draw on our grasp of objects. I motivate this account on the grounds that, although it is restricted to such basic inferences, it has significant implications for the general question of whether inference involves taking one's premises to support one's conclusion. The proposed account implies that basic inferences need not involve corresponding “takings,” (even though such inferences involve conceptual content), but it leaves open the possibility that non‐basic inferences do involve corresponding “takings,” while relying on basic inferences. It will turn out that such a disjunctive view, according to which non‐basic reasoning is somewhat parasitic on basic reasoning, manages to avoid many of the problems with which the literature on the “taking condition” deals.
Instrumental activities of daily living and neuropsychological functioning among patients with different types of cancer
Authors: Megari K. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackground and objectivesThe ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) is important for maintaining independent living, and optimal health‐related quality of life and well‐being. Neuropsychological measures are predictors of IADL ratings. The aims of the present study were to measure ability to perform IADL in patients with cancer and to explore the relationship between IADL and neuropsychological functioning.MethodsWe evaluated IADL in 182 patients with four different types of cancer (thyroid, colorectal, breast and prostate cancer) and examined the relationship between IADL and neuropsychological functioning 6 months after chemotherapy treatment.ResultsOur results showed that patients with breast cancer had significantly greater difficulty in performing IADL compared to patients with other types of cancer. There were no differences in IADL performance among the other three study groups. In addition, we found that neuropsychological score was a predictor of IADL; the greater the patients' disability, the lower their performance on neuropsychological measures. This is in accordance with the literature that suggests neuropsychological measures to be predictors of IADL ratings.ConclusionsThe present findings are important because, although many researchers have studied the relationship between IADL and neuropsychological functioning in cancer, few studies have investigated IADL in different types of cancer. Optimal neuropsychological functioning is connected with better ability with regard to IADL.
Recovering the market risk premium from higher‐order moment risks
Authors: Chalamandaris George , Rompolis Leonidas S. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe propose a consistent approach for the estimation of the market risk premium. As a first step, we define the broadest possible set of ex ante estimators from the viewpoint of a power utility optimiser holding the market portfolio. We then employ an evaluation framework to optimise the parametrisation of the methodology. We show that this theoretical framework can still produce reasonable market risk premium estimates, even when the representative agent is not a power utility optimiser. Our results show that the inclusion of higher‐order moment risk premia improves the accuracy of the method.
Involvement of subdomain II in the recognition of acetyl‐CoA revealed by the crystal structure of homocitrate synthase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Authors: Suzuki Tomohiro , Tomita Takeo , Hirayama Kenta , Suzuki Michio , Kuzuyama Tomohisa , Nishiyama Makoto 
Published: September 2020

Homocitrate synthase (HCS) catalyzes the aldol condensation of α‐ketoglutarate and acetyl coenzyme A to form homocitrate, which is the first committed step of lysine biosynthesis through the α‐aminoadipate pathway in yeast, fungi, and some prokaryotes. We determined the crystal structure of a truncated form of HCS from a hyperthermophilic acidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, which lacks the RAM (Regulation of amino acid metabolism) domain at the C terminus serving as the regulatory domain for the feedback inhibition by lysine, in complex with α‐ketoglutarate, Mg2+, and CoA. This structure coupled with mutational analysis revealed that a subdomain, subdomain II, connecting the N‐terminal catalytic domain and C‐terminal RAM domain is involved in the recognition of acetyl‐CoA. This is the first structural evidence of the function of subdomain II in the related enzyme family, which will lead to a better understanding of the catalytic mechanism of HCS.DatabasesStructural data are available in the RCSB PDB database under the accession number 6KTQ.
Spage2vec: Unsupervised representation of localized spatial gene expression signatures
Authors: Partel Gabriele , Wählby Carolina 
Published: September 2020

Investigations of spatial cellular composition of tissue architectures revealed by multiplexed in situ RNA detection often rely on inaccurate cell segmentation or prior biological knowledge from complementary single‐cell sequencing experiments. Here, we present spage2vec, an unsupervised segmentation‐free approach for decrypting the spatial transcriptomic heterogeneity of complex tissues at subcellular resolution. Spage2vec represents the spatial transcriptomic landscape of tissue samples as a graph and leverages a powerful machine learning graph representation technique to create a lower dimensional representation of local spatial gene expression. We apply spage2vec to mouse brain data from three different in situ transcriptomic assays and to a spatial gene expression dataset consisting of hundreds of individual cells. We show that learned representations encode meaningful biological spatial information of re‐occurring localized gene expression signatures involved in cellular and subcellular processes.DatabaseSpatial gene expression data are available in Zenodo database at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3897401. Source code for reproducing analysis results and figures is available in Zenodo database at http://www.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4030404.