bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasma metabolomics supports the use of long-duration cardiac arrest rodent model to study human disease by demonstrating similar metabolic alterations
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Choudhary Rishabh C. , Choi Jaewoo , Kim Nancy , Hayashida Kei , Yagi Tsukasa , Yin Tai , Nishikimi Mitsuaki , Stevens Jan F. , Becker Lance B. , Kim Junhwan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death and there is a necessity for animal models that accurately represent human injury severity. We evaluated a rat model of severe CA injury by comparing plasma metabolic alterations to human patients. Plasma was obtained from adult human control and CA patients post-resuscitation, and from male Sprague–Dawley rats at baseline and after 20 min CA followed by 30 min cardiopulmonary bypass resuscitation. An untargeted metabolomics evaluation using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS was performed for plasma metabolome comparison. Here we show the metabolic commonality between humans and our severe injury rat model, highlighting significant metabolic dysfunction as seen by similar alterations in (1) TCA cycle metabolites, (2) tryptophan and kynurenic acid metabolites, and (3) acylcarnitine, fatty acid, and phospholipid metabolites. With substantial interspecies metabolic similarity in post-resuscitation plasma, our long duration CA rat model metabolically replicates human disease and is a suitable model for translational CA research.
High definition transcranial direct current stimulation modulates abnormal neurophysiological activity in post-stroke aphasia
Authors: Shah-Basak Priyanka P. , Sivaratnam Gayatri , Teti Selina , Francois-Nienaber Alexander , Yossofzai Maryam , Armstrong Sabrina , Nayar Sumiti , Jokel Regina , Meltzer Jed 
Published: November 2020

AbstractRecent findings indicate that measures derived from resting-state magnetoencephalography (rsMEG) are sensitive to cortical dysfunction in post-stroke aphasia. Spectral power and multiscale entropy (MSE) measures show that left-hemispheric areas surrounding the stroke lesion (perilesional) exhibit pathological oscillatory slowing and alterations in signal complexity. In the current study, we tested whether individually-targeted high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) can reduce MEG abnormalities and transiently improve language performance. In eleven chronic aphasia survivors, we devised a method to localize perilesional areas exhibiting peak MSE abnormalities, and subsequently targeted these areas with excitatory/anodal-tDCS, or targeted the contralateral homolog areas with inhibitory/cathodal-tDCS, based on prominent theories of stroke recovery. Pathological MEG slowing in these patients was correlated with aphasia severity. Sentence/phrase repetition accuracy was assessed before and after tDCS. A delayed word reading task was administered inside MEG to assess tDCS-induced neurophysiological changes in relative power and MSE computed on the pre-stimulus and delay task time windows. Results indicated increases in repetition accuracy, decreases in contralateral theta (4–7 Hz) and coarse-scale MSE (slow activity), and increases in perilesional low-gamma (25–50 Hz) and fine-scale MSE (fast activity) after anodal-tDCS, indicating reversal of pathological abnormalities. RsMEG may be a sensitive measure for guiding therapeutic tDCS.
Predicting airborne coronavirus inactivation by far-UVC in populated rooms using a high-fidelity coupled radiation-CFD model
Authors: Buchan Andrew G. , Yang Liang , Atkinson Kirk D. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThere are increased risks of contracting COVID-19 in hospitals and long-term care facilities, particularly for vulnerable groups. In these environments aerosolised coronavirus released through breathing increases the chance of spreading the disease. To reduce aerosol transmissions, the use of low dose far-UVC lighting to disinfect in-room air has been proposed. Unlike typical UVC, which has been used to kill microorganisms for decades but is carcinogenic and cataractogenic, recent evidence has shown that far-UVC is safe to use around humans. A high-fidelity, fully-coupled radiation transport and fluid dynamics model has been developed to quantify disinfection rates within a typical ventilated room. The model shows that disinfection rates are increased by a further 50-85% when using far-UVC within currently recommended exposure levels compared to the room’s ventilation alone. With these magnitudes of reduction, far-UVC lighting could be employed to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission before the onset of future waves, or the start of winter when risks of infection are higher. This is particularly significant in poorly-ventilated spaces where other means of reduction are not practical, in addition social distancing can be reduced without increasing the risk.
Weather and agricultural intensification determine the breeding performance of a small generalist predator
Authors: Orozco-Valor Paula M. , Grande Juan M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLand-use changes due to agricultural intensification and climatic factors can affect avian reproduction. We use a top predator of agroecosystems, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) breeding in nest boxes in Central Argentina as a study subject to identify if these two drivers interact to affect birds breeding. We analyzed their breeding performance across a gradient of agricultural intensification from native forest, traditional farmland to intensive farmland. The surface devoted to soybean was used as a proxy of agriculture intensification; however, it did not affect the breeding performance of American kestrels. Even though the presence of pastures was important to determine the probability of breeding successfully. Climatic variables had strong effects on the species breeding timing, on the number of nestlings raised by breeding pairs and on the probability of those pairs to breed successfully (raising at least one fledgling). Our results highlight the relevance of pastures and grasslands for American kestrel reproduction. These environments are the most affected by land-use change to intensive agriculture, being transformed into fully agricultural lands mostly devoted to soybean production. Therefore, future expansion of intensive agriculture may negatively affect the average reproductive parameters of American Kestrels, at least at a regional scale. Further research will be needed to disentangle the mechanisms by which weather variables affect kestrel breeding parameters.
A quick and sensitive diagnostic tool for detection of Maize streak virus
Authors: Tembo Mathias , Adediji Adedapo O. , Bouvaine Sophie , Chikoti Patrick C. , Seal Susan E. , Silva Gonҫalo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMaize streak virus disease (MSVD), caused by Maize streak virus (MSV; genus Mastrevirus), is one of the most severe and widespread viral diseases that adversely reduces maize yield and threatens food security in Africa. An effective control and management of MSVD requires robust and sensitive diagnostic tests capable of rapid detection of MSV. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was designed for the specific detection of MSV. This test has shown to be highly specific and reproducible and able to detect MSV in as little as 10 fg/µl of purified genomic DNA obtained from a MSV-infected maize plant, a sensitivity 105 times higher to that obtained with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in current general use. The high degree of sequence identity between Zambian and other African MSV isolates indicate that this LAMP assay can be used for detecting MSV in maize samples from any region in Africa. Furthermore, this assay can be adopted in minimally equipped laboratories and with potential use in plant clinic laboratories across Africa strengthening diagnostic capacity in countries dealing with MSD.
A general form of capillary rise equation in micro-grooves
Authors: Bamorovat Abadi Gholamreza , Bahrami Majid 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMicro-grooves are a crucial feature in many applications, such as microelectro-mechanical systems, drug delivery, heat pipes, sorption systems, and microfluidic devices. Micro-grooves utilize capillary action to deliver a liquid, with no need for an extra pumping device, which makes them unique and desirable for numerous systems. Although the capillary action is well studied, all the available equations for the capillary rise are case-specific and depend on the geometry of the groove, surface properties, and the transport liquid. In this study, a unified non-dimensional model for capillary rise is proposed that can accurately predict the capillary rise for any given groove geometry and condition and only depends on two parameters: contact angle and characteristic length scale, defined as the ratio of the liquid–vapor to the solid–liquid interface. The proposed model is compared against data from the literature and can capture the experimental results with less than 10% relative difference. The effect of the grooves’ height, width, and contact angle is investigated and reported. This study can be used for a unified approach in designing heat pipes, capillary-assisted evaporators for sorption systems, drug delivery micro-fluidic devices, etc.
Disruption of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans synergy by a commensal streptococcus
Authors: Huffines Joshua T. , Scoffield Jessica A. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPolymicrobial interactions in dental plaque play a significant role in dysbiosis and homeostasis in the oral cavity. In early childhood caries, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans are often co-isolated from carious lesions and associated with increased disease severity. Studies have demonstrated that metabolic and glucan-dependent synergism between C. albicans and S. mutans contribute to enhanced pathogenesis. However, it is unclear how oral commensals influence pathogen synergy. Streptococcus parasanguinis, a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) producing oral commensal, has antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. In this study, we utilized a three species biofilm model to understand the impact of S. parasanguinis on S. mutans and C. albicans synergy. We report that S. parasanguinis disrupts S. mutans and C. albicans biofilm synergy in a contact and H2O2-independent manner. Further, metabolomics analysis revealed a S. parasanguinis-driven alteration in sugar metabolism that restricts biofilm development by S. mutans. Moreover, S. parasanguinis inhibits S. mutans glucosyltransferase (GtfB) activity, which is important for glucan matrix development and GtfB-mediated binding to C. albicans mannan. Taken together, our study describes a new antimicrobial role for S. parasanguinis and highlights how this abundant oral commensal may be utilized to attenuate pathogen synergism.
Transcriptome profiling and weighted gene co-expression network analysis of early floral development in Aquilegia coerulea
Authors: Min Ya , Kramer Elena M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe earliest phases of floral development include a number of crucial processes that lay the foundation for the subsequent morphogenesis of floral organs and success in reproduction. Currently, key transcriptional changes during this developmental window have been characterized in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, but little is known about how transcriptional dynamics change over the course of these developmental processes in other plant systems. Here, we have conducted the first in-depth transcriptome profiling of early floral development in Aquilegia at four finely dissected developmental stages, with eight biological replicates per stage. Using differential gene expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified both crucial genes whose expression changes mark the transitions between developmental stages and hub genes in co-expression modules. Our results support the potential functional conservation of key genes in early floral development that have been identified in other systems, but also reveal a number of previously unknown or overlooked loci that are worthy of further investigation. In addition, our results highlight not only the dynamics of transcriptional regulation during early floral development, but also the potential involvement of the complex, essential networks of small RNA and post-translational regulation to these developmental stages.
830 nm photobiomodulation therapy promotes engraftment of human umbilical cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Yang Jingke , Wang Li , Wu Mei X. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractHuman umbilical cord blood (hUCB)-derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are an important source for HSCs in allogeneic HSC transplantation, but a limited number and a low efficacy of engraftment greatly restrict their clinical use. Here, we report the ability of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) to significantly enhance the engraftment efficacy of hUCB HSCs and progenitor cells (HSPCs). hUCB CD34+cells were illuminated at a fluence of 2 J/cm2with a near-infrared light (830 nm) transmitted by an array of light-emitting diodes (LED) prior to infusion of NOD/SCID-IL2Rγ−/−mice. The pre-treatment resulted in a threefold higher of the mean percentage of human CD45+cells in the periphery of the mice compared to sham-treated CD34+cells. The enhanced engraftment may result from a PBMT-mediated increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and Src protein phosphorylation in CD34+cells. The two events were causally related as suggested by the finding that elevation of ROS by hydrogen peroxide increased Src phosphorylation, while ROS reduction by N-acetyl cysteine partially reversed the phosphorylation. The investigation demonstrates that PBMT can promote engraftment of hUCB HPSCs, at least in part, via ROS-mediated Src signaling pathway. PBMT can be potentially a safe, convenient, and cost-effective modality to improve hematological reconstitution in patients.
Clinical and ultrasound features associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection as potential predictors for targeted newborn screening in high-risk pregnancies
Authors: Imafuku Hitomi , Yamada Hideto , Uchida Akiko , Deguchi Masashi , Shirakawa Tokuro , Sasagawa Yuki , Shi Yutoku , Fujioka Kazumichi , Morioka Ichiro , Tanimura Kenji 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis prospective cohort study aimed to determine clinical factors associated with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnancy. Newborns born at a perinatal medical center received PCR analyses for CMV-DNA in their urine with informed consent. Clinical data, including age, maternal fever or flu-like symptoms, complications, ultrasound fetal abnormality, gestational weeks at delivery, and birth weight, were collected. Logistic regression analyses determined clinical findings associated with congenital CMV infection (cCMV). cCMV was diagnosed in 32 of 4380 pregnancies. Univariate and multivariable analyses revealed that age < 25 years old (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1–6.6; p < 0.05), the presence of maternal fever or flu-like symptoms (5.4, 2.6–11.2; p < 0.01), ultrasound fetal abnormalities (12.7, 5.8–27.7; p < 0.01), and preterm delivery at less than 34 gestational weeks (2.6, 1.1–6.0; p < 0.05) were independent clinical findings associated with cCMV. A combination of maternal fever/flu-like symptoms, ultrasound fetal abnormalities, or preterm delivery at less than 34 gestational weeks as optimal predictive factors showed 90.6% sensitivity, 66.4% specificity, and a maximum Youden index of 0.57. CMV-DNA tests in the urine of newborns born to mothers with these clinical manifestations may be an effective method in detecting cCMV as a targeted screening with a high sensitivity.
Temporal lung changes on thin-section CT in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia
Authors: Zhang Zhiyan , Tang Runhui , Sun Heyang , Dai Haiyang , Chen Kangyin , Ye Xinmiao , Ye Wei , Li Shengkai , Lan Bowen , Li Li , Ou Chun-Quan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe examined characteristics of chest CT across different time periods for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Huizhou, China. This study included 56 COVID-19 patients with abnormal CT acquired between January 22 and March 3, 2020. The 141 scans of 56 patients were classified into four groups (Groups 1–4) based on dates on which scans were obtained at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd week or longer than three weeks after illness onset. Forty-five patients with follow-up scans were categorized into four groups (Groups A–D) according to extent that lesions reduced (≥ 75%, 50–75%, 25–50% and < 25%). Ground-glass opacities (GGO) was prevalent in Groups 1–4 (58.1–82.6%), while percentages of consolidation ranged between 9.7% in Group 4 and 26.2% in Group 2. The highest frequency of fibrous stripes occurred in Group 3 (46.7%). Total CT scores were on average higher in Groups 2–3. Among 45 follow-up patients, 11 (24.4%) of them recovered with lesions reducing ≥ 75%, with the lowest median age and total CT scores on admission. There are temporal patterns of lung abnormalities in COVID-19 patients, with higher extent of lesion involvement occurring in the 2nd and 3rd week. Persisting lung changes indicate some patients may need isolation after discharge from hospital.
Fabrication of a metal free catalyst for chemical reactions through decoration of chitosan with ionic liquid terminated dendritic moiety
Authors: Sadjadi Samahe , Koohestani Fatemeh , Heravi Majid M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn attempt to develop a biocompatible metal-free catalyst, a dendritic moiety was grown on chitosan through successive reactions with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and ethylenediamine. Subsequently, the terminal functional groups of the dendron were decorated with 1-methylimidazolium chloride. The catalyst was characterized with SEM, EDS, TGA, FTIR, XRD and mapping analysis. Then, the catalytic activity of the resultant composite was scrutinized for catalyzing Knoevenagel condensation and synthesis of xanthene derivatives in aqueous media under mild reaction condition. The results confirmed high activity of the catalyst, superior to ionic liquid free counterpart and bare chitosan. This observation was ascribed to the instinct catalytic activity of ionic liquid. Moreover, using control catalysts, it was confirmed that the presence of the dendritic moiety that could increase the content of ionic liquid on the backbone of the catalyst enhanced the catalytic activity.
Neuromorphic on-chip recognition of saliva samples of COPD and healthy controls using memristive devices
Authors: Zarrin Pouya Soltani , Zahari Finn , Mahadevaiah Mamathamba K. , Perez Eduardo , Kohlstedt Hermann , Wenger Christian 
Published: November 2020

AbstractChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a life-threatening lung disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. Implementation of Machine Learning (ML) techniques is crucial for the effective management of COPD in home-care environments. However, shortcomings of cloud-based ML tools in terms of data safety and energy efficiency limit their integration with low-power medical devices. To address this, energy efficient neuromorphic platforms can be used for the hardware-based implementation of ML methods. Therefore, a memristive neuromorphic platform is presented in this paper for the on-chip recognition of saliva samples of COPD patients and healthy controls. Results of its performance evaluations showed that the digital neuromorphic chip is capable of recognizing unseen COPD samples with accuracy and sensitivity values of 89% and 86%, respectively. Integration of this technology into personalized healthcare devices will enable the better management of chronic diseases such as COPD.
Acetylsalicylic acid and salicylic acid present anticancer properties against melanoma by promoting nitric oxide-dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis
Authors: Ausina Priscila , Branco Jessica R. , Demaria Thainá M. , Esteves Amanda M. , Leandro João Gabriel B. , Ochioni Alan C. , Mendonça Ana Paula M. , Palhano Fernando L. , Oliveira Marcus F. , Abou-Kheir Wassim , Sola-Penna Mauro , Zancan Patricia 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMelanoma is the most aggressive and fatal type of skin cancer due to being highly proliferative. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; Aspirin) and salicylic acid (SA) are ancient drugs with multiple applications in medicine. Here, we showed that ASA and SA present anticancer effects against a murine model of implanted melanoma. These effects were also validated in 3D- and 2D-cultured melanoma B16F10 cells, where the drugs promoted pro-apoptotic effects. In both in vivo and in vitro models, SA and ASA triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which culminates with the upregulation of the pro-apoptotic transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). These effects are initiated by ASA/SA-triggered Akt/mTOR/AMPK-dependent activation of nitric oxide synthase 3 (eNOS), which increases nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production inducing ER stress response. In the end, we propose that ASA and SA instigate anticancer effects by a novel mechanism, the activation of ER stress.
Identification of a nuclear localization signal in the Plasmodium falciparum CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase enzyme
Authors: Izrael Richard , Marton Lívia , Nagy Gergely N. , Pálinkás Hajnalka L. , Kucsma Nóra , Vértessy Beáta G. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe phospholipid biosynthesis of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum is a key process for its survival and its inhibition is a validated antimalarial therapeutic approach. The second and rate-limiting step of the de novo phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis is catalysed by CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (PfCCT), which has a key regulatory function within the pathway. Here, we investigate the functional impact of the key structural differences and their respective role in the structurally unique pseudo-heterodimer PfCCT protein in a heterologous cellular context using the thermosensitive CCT-mutant CHO-MT58 cell line. We found that a Plasmodium-specific lysine-rich insertion within the catalytic domain of PfCCT acts as a nuclear localization signal and its deletion decreases the nuclear propensity of the protein in the model cell line. We further showed that the putative membrane-binding domain also affected the nuclear localization of the protein. Moreover, activation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by phospholipase C treatment induces the partial nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation of PfCCT. We additionally investigated the cellular function of several PfCCT truncated constructs in a CHO-MT58 based rescue assay. In absence of the endogenous CCT activity we observed that truncated constructs lacking the lysine-rich insertion, or the membrane-binding domain provided similar cell survival ratio as the full length PfCCT protein.