bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Asymmetric electrode incorporated 2D GeSe for self-biased and efficient photodetection
Authors: Hussain Muhammad , Aftab Sikandar , Jaffery Syed Hassan Abbas , Ali Asif , Hussain Sajjad , Cong Dinh Nguyen , Akhtar Raheel , Seo Yongho , Eom Jonghwa , Gautam Praveen , Noh Hwayong , Jung Jongwan 
Published: June 2020

Abstract2D layered germanium selenide (GeSe) with p-type conductivity is incorporated with asymmetric contact electrode of chromium/Gold (Cr/Au) and Palladium/Gold (Pd/Au) to design a self-biased, high speed and an efficient photodetector. The photoresponse under photovoltaic effect is investigated for the wavelengths of light (i.e. ~220, ~530 and ~850 nm). The device exhibited promising figures of merit required for efficient photodetection, specifically the Schottky barrier diode is highly sensitive to NIR light irradiation at zero voltage with good reproducibility, which is promising for the emergency application of fire detection and night vision. The high responsivity, detectivity, normalized photocurrent to dark current ratio (NPDR), noise equivalent power (NEP) and response time for illumination of light (~850 nm) are calculated to be 280 mA/W, 4.1 × 109 Jones, 3 × 107 W−1, 9.1 × 10−12 WHz−1/2 and 69 ms respectively. The obtained results suggested that p-GeSe is a novel candidate for SBD optoelectronics-based technologies.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Serum proteomic analysis before and after nintedanib therapy
Authors: Landi Claudia , Bergantini Laura , Cameli Paolo , d’Alessandro Miriana , Carleo Alfonso , Shaba Enxhi , Rottoli Paola , Bini Luca , Bargagli Elena 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal progressive disease with a median survival of 2–5 years. Nintedanib is a small tyrosine kinase inhibitor that reduces IPF progression, significantly slowing the annual decline in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). Very little data is available on the molecular mechanisms of this treatment in IPF, despite a growing interest in the definition of IPF pathogenesis and target therapy. A functional proteomic approach was applied to the analysis of serum samples from IPF patients in order to highlight differential proteins potentially indicative of drug-induced molecular pathways modifications and response to therapy. Twelve serum samples were collected from six IPF patients in care at Siena Regional Referral Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) and treated with nintedanib for one year. Serum samples were analyzed at baseline (T0 before starting therapy) and after one year of treatment (T1) and underwent differential proteomic and bioinformatic analysis. Proteomic analysis revealed 13 protein species that were significantly increased after one year of treatment. When the targets of nintedanib (VEGFR, FGFR and PDGFR) were added, enrichment analysis extracted molecular pathways and process networks involved in cell differentiation (haptoglobin and albumin), coagulation (antithrombin III), epithelial mesenchymal transition, cell proliferation and transmigration. PI3K and MAPK induced up-regulation of apolipoprotein C3. Proteomic study found 13 protein species up-regulated in IPF patients after one year of nintedanib treatment. Haptoglobin, a central hub of our analysis was validated by 2D-WB and ELISA as theranostic marker in a more numerous populations of patients.
Characteristics of Adolescents and Young adults with HIV in the Republic of Korea from 2010 through 2015
Authors: Yoo Myeongsu , Seong Jaehyun , Yoon Jae-Gyu , Cha Jeong-ok , Chung Yoon-Seok , Kim Kisoon , Kee Mee-Kyung 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAlthough the number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV is decreasing worldwide, those in Korea have been steadily on the rise, especially among adolescents (ages 10–19 years) and young adults (ages 20–29 years). To identify the characteristics in the new diagnosis among these age groups, we analyzed HIV testing sizes and HIV prevalence under the national HIV surveillance system in Korea in the last six years. We collected data of HIV tests conducted at Blood Banks (BB), Public Health Centers (PHCs), and Military Manpower Administration (MMA) nationwide every year from 2010 to 2015, except for anonymous tests. HIV prevalence, calculated as the number of new HIV-diagnosed cases per 10,000 test-takers per year, was analyzed according to sex, age, institution, and reason for HIV testing. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. In the three testing institutes, there were new cases of HIV with 50% and 75% of cases diagnosed in young adults and adolescents, respectively. The total size of HIV tests at the three sites was approximately 3.5 million tests per year; 80% of these were conducted in BBs, 10% in PHCs, and 10% in MMA. HIV prevalence, according to age, increased across all age groups for the six years, especially prevalent in young adults doubled during that period (1.01 per 10,000 test-takers in 2010, 2.45 in 2015). HIV prevalence among the “suspected” young male adults who visited PHCs for tests, was highest during the six years, increasing 6.5 times in the last two years (315.79 per 10,000 test-takers in 2014, 335.55 in 2015) compared to before 2014. We identified the characteristics of growing HIV infection in Korea as the increase of HIV prevalence among the suspected of young male adults at PHCs. Further, we propose that HIV prevalence in MMA can be used as an essential index for national HIV surveillance of adolescent boys in Korea.
Protection of layers and breeders against homologous or heterologous HPAIv by vaccines from Korean national antigen bank
Authors: Kang Yong-Myung , Cho Hyun-Kyu , Kim Hyun-Mi , Lee Chi-Ho , Kim Do-Young , Choi Sang-Hyun , Lee Myoung-Heon , Kang Hyun-Mi 
Published: June 2020

AbstractKorean government has selected and stocked five type antigens of two clades as Korean national antigen bank having high possibility of introduction to Korea. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the clade 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4c H5Nx vaccines from the Korean avian influenza (AI) national antigen bank for emergency preparedness for their potency and protective efficacy against lethal homologous and heterologous viruses in layer and breeder chickens practically. The PD50 (dose of vaccine that protects 50% of chickens from viral challenge) of all vaccinated groups was >50, which was satisfied with minimum antigen requirement of OIE, and the PD50 levels of the two vaccines differed depending on strain and chicken breed. In homologous challenge, all vaccinated groups exhibited 100% survival with no clinical symptoms and high levels of pre-challenge protective immunity (7.2–8.5 log2), although they did not completely prevent virus shedding. On the other hand, against heterologous virus challenge, vaccinated animals exhibited 62.5–80% survival with lower antibody titers (2.3–3.4 log2) and a longer period of virus shedding (14 days post infection [dpi]). Our results suggest that the clade 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4c H5Nx vaccines are good candidates for emergency vaccination of commercial chickens and support the idea that close genetic matching between vaccine and challenge virus provides the best protection.
Rapeseed-based diet modulates the imputed functions of gut microbiome in growing-finishing pigs
Authors: Umu Özgün Candan Onarman , Mydland Liv Torunn , Øverland Margareth , Press Charles McLean , Sørum Henning 
Published: June 2020

AbstractRapeseed meal is a sustainable feed ingredient that can be used as an alternative to imported soybean meal in European pig production. The gut microbiota plays an important role on pig physiology and health but the impact on microbiota of using rapeseed in diets is still not well known. In this study, 84 purebred Norwegian Landrace pigs with average initial weight of 25 kg were divided into two groups and fed for approximately three months with either a control diet containing soybean meal (CON) or a high-fiber experimental diet where 20% rapeseed meal (RSF) was included as an alternative to soybean meal in CON. The composition and function of microbiome in gut digesta samples were analyzed by performing 16S rRNA gene sequencing and culturing of bacteria. The microbiota diversity and composition were similar between the dietary treatments; however, relative abundance of a variety of bacterial groups and imputed functions of microbiome in the ileum and large intestine were altered when the pigs were fed with a rapeseed-based diet. It was notable that the immune-inducing bacterial group Mucispirillum and anti-inflammatory stimulating bacteria Lachnospira were more abundant in the ileum and large intestine of the RSF group, respectively. Moreover, there was a higher abundance of major amino acid fermenters and amylolytic bacteria in the CON group and a high abundance of putative short chain fatty acid producers in RSF group. In comparison with the CON group, the gut microbiome of RSF group possessed an enhanced potential for carbohydrate and energy metabolism and a reduced potential for bacterial pathogenicity-related pathways.
Competitive ability and plasticity of Wedelia trilobata (L.) under wetland hydrological variations
Authors: Javed Qaiser , Sun Jianfan , Azeem Ahmad , Jabran Khawar , Du Daolin 
Published: June 2020

AbstractGrowth behavior of different species under different habitats can be studied by comparing the production of biomass, plasticity index and relative competitive interaction. However, these functional traits of invasive species received rare consideration for determining the invasion success of invasive species at wetlands. Here, we examined the effect of water depth at 5 cm and 15 cm (static and fluctuated) with different nutrient concentrations (full-strength (n1), 1/4-strength (n2) and 1/8-strength (n3) Hoagland solution) on functional traits of invasive Wedelia trilobata and its congener native Wedelia chinensis under mono and mixed culture. Water depth of 5 cm with any of the nutrient treatments (n1, n2 and n3) significantly restrained the photosynthesis, leaf nitrogen and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) of both W. trilobata and W. chinensis. While, increase in the water depth to 15 cm with low nutrient treatment (n3) reduced more of biomass of W. chinensis under mixed culture. However, relative competition interaction (RCI) was recorded positive for W. trilobata and seemingly W. trilobata benefited more from RCI under high-fluctuated water depth at 15 cm in mixed culture. Therefore, higher PNUE, more competitive ability and higher plasticity may contribute to the invasiveness of W. trilobata in wetlands.
Structural evolution and mechanism of strain glass transition in Ti48.7Ni51.3 shape memory alloy studied by anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering
Authors: Huang Yung-Chien , Tsao Cheng-Si , Wu Shyi-Kaan 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe in-situ anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) technique was used to investigate the strain glass transition (SGT) in as-quenched Ti48.7Ni51.3 shape memory alloy during a thermal cycle of 30 °C to the SGT temperature Tg (−50 °C) and then to 30 °C again. The Ni atoms play a critical role as point defects in the SGT mechanism and are very difficult to characterize using conventional tools. ASAXS identified the distribution of Ni atoms in nanodomains, which have a disk-like core–shell configuration with a Ni-rich shell and a highly Ni-rich core. Moreover, the morphological evolution, growth and shrinkage of the highly Ni-rich core domains during the thermal cycle through Tg are demonstrated. The enhancement and reversible behavior of the local lamellar ordering arrangement of nanodomains during the SGT process at Tg are revealed. The structural evolution and local ordering arrangement of nanodomains can play a role in hindering martensitic transformation. The ASAXS results provide new knowledge about the SGT beyond that from current simulation works. However, this corresponding structure of the nanodomains was destroyed when the specimen was heated to 250 °C.
Characterization of Tear Immunoglobulins in a Small-Cohort of Keratoconus Patients
Authors: McKay Tina B. , Serjersen Henrik , Hjortdal Jesper , Zieske James D. , Karamichos Dimitrios 
Published: June 2020

AbstractKeratoconus (KC) is classically considered a non-inflammatory condition caused by central corneal thinning that leads to astigmatism and reduced visual acuity. Previous studies have identified increased systemic levels of pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, suggesting that KC may have an inflammatory component in at least a subset of patients. In this study, we evaluated the levels of different immunoglobulins (light and heavy chains) based on Ig α, Ig λ, Ig κ, Ig µ, and Ig heavy chain subunits in non-KC tears (n = 7 control individuals) and KC tears (n = 7 KC patients) using tandem-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The most abundant Ig heavy chains detected in both control individuals and KC patients were Ig α-1 and Ig α-2 likely correlating to the higher IgA levels reported in human tears. We identified significant differences in immunoglobulin κ-chain V-II levels in KC patients compared to control individuals with no significant difference in Ig κ/Ig λ ratios or heavy chain levels. Our study supports previous findings suggesting that KC possesses a systemic component that may contribute to the KC pathology. Further studies are required to define causality and establish a role for systemic immune system-dependent factors and pro-inflammatory processes in KC development or progression.
Tracing the evolution of nectin and nectin-like cell adhesion molecules
Authors: Duraivelan Kheerthana , Samanta Dibyendu 
Published: June 2020

AbstractNectin and nectin-like cell adhesion molecules (collectively referred as nectin family henceforth) are known to mediate cell-cell adhesion and related functions. While current literature suggests that nectins are prevalent in vertebrates, there are no in-depth analyses regarding the evolution of nectin family as a whole. In this work, we examine the evolutionary origin of the nectin family, using selected multicellular metazoans representing diverse clades whose whole genome sequencing data is available. Our results show that this family may have appeared earlier during metazoan evolution than previously believed. Systematic analyses indicate the order in which various members of nectin family seem to have evolved, with some nectin-like molecules appearing first, followed by the evolution of other members. Furthermore, we also found a few possible ancient homologues of nectins. While our study confirms the previous grouping of the nectin family into nectins and nectin-like molecules, it also shows poliovirus receptor (PVR/nectin-like-5) to possess characteristics that are intermediate between these two groups. Interestingly, except for PVR, the other nectins show surprising sequence conservations across species, suggesting evolutionary constraints due to critical roles played by these proteins.
Aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase undergoes structural transition to form extended spirosomes for substrate channeling
Authors: Kim Gijeong , Yang Jinsol , Jang Juwon , Choi Jin-Seok , Roe Andrew J. , Byron Olwyn , Seok Chaok , Song Ji-Joon 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE) is an enzyme responsible for converting acetyl-CoA to ethanol via acetaldehyde using NADH. AdhE is composed of two catalytic domains of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and forms a spirosome architecture critical for AdhE activity. Here, we present the atomic resolution (3.43 Å) cryo-EM structure of AdhE spirosomes in an extended conformation. The cryo-EM structure shows that AdhE spirosomes undergo a structural transition from compact to extended forms, which may result from cofactor binding. This transition leads to access to a substrate channel between ALDH and ADH active sites. Furthermore, prevention of this structural transition by crosslinking hampers the activity of AdhE, suggesting that the structural transition is important for AdhE activity. This work provides a mechanistic understanding of the regulation mechanisms of AdhE activity via structural transition, and a platform to modulate AdhE activity for developing antibiotics and for facilitating biofuel production.
Autologous bone marrow cell transplantation in the treatment of HIV patients with compensated cirrhosis
Authors: Liu Baochi , Cheng Mingrong , Chen Xiaodong , Li Lei , Si Yanhui , Wang Shijia , Wang Ying , Shi Yufang 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Liver stem cell therapy is a promising tool to improve decompensated liver cirrhosis (DLC). Especially in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the condition of the liver may be aggravated by antiretroviral therapy. A total of 21 patients diagnosed with DLC and HIV infection were divided into two groups as follows: those who received (combination therapy group, 14 patients) and those who did not receive (routine therapy group, 7 patients) bone marrow cell transplantation through the portal vein. Two patients died of surgery-related complications in the combination therapy group. The results showed that the survival rate was 85.7% in the combination therapy group after 2 years of follow-up, which was significantly higher than the 14.3% in the conventional therapy group (P&lt;0.01). After treatment, the liver function score decreased significantly in the combination therapy group at 1 (t = 4.276, P = 0.000), 3 (t = 9.153, P = 0.000), and 12 (t = 13.536, P = 0.000) months, the levels of albumin were significantly increased, and the total bilirubin level and prothrombin time were significantly reduced or shortened as compared with the routine therapy group (P&lt;0.05 or &lt;0.01). The white blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelet count, and CD4+ and CD8+ levels were significantly higher in the combination therapy group at different time points as compared with the routine therapy group (P&lt;0.05 or &lt;0.01). In summary, the combination therapy is effective in HIV-infected patients with DLC and useful for the recovery of liver function and cellular immune function but may increase the risk of severe complications after surgery.
Sex-based differences in myocardial infarction-induced kidney damage following cigarette smoking exposure: more renal protection in premenopausal female mice
Authors: Habeichi Nada J. , Mroueh Ali , Kaplan Abdullah , Ghali Rana , Al-Awassi Hiam , Tannous Cynthia , Husari Ahmad , Jurjus Abdo , Altara Raffaele , Booz George W. , El-Yazbi Ahmed , Zouein Fouad A. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe impact of cigarette smoking (CS) on kidney homeostasis in the presence of myocardial infarction (MI) in both males and females remains poorly elucidated. C57BL6/J mice were exposed to 2 weeks of CS prior to MI induction followed by 1 week of CS exposure in order to investigate the impact of CS on kidney damage in the presence of MI. Cardiac hemodynamic analysis revealed a significant decrease in ejection fraction (EF) in CS-exposed MI male mice when compared with the relative female subjects, whereas cardiac output (CO) comparably decreased in CS-exposed MI mice of both sexes. Kidney structural alterations, including glomerular retraction, proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) cross-sectional area, and total renal fibrosis were more pronounced in CS-exposed MI male mice when compared with the relative female group. Although renal reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and glomerular DNA fragmentation significantly increased to the same extent in CS-exposed MI mice of both sexes, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) significantly increased in CS-exposed MI male mice, only. Metabolically, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and nicotinamide riboside-1 (NMRK-1) substantially increased in CS-exposed MI female mice only, whereas sirtuin (SIRT)-1 and SIRT-3 substantially decreased in CS-exposed MI male mice compared with their relative female group. Additionally, renal NAD levels significantly decreased only in CS-exposed MI male mice. In conclusion, MI female mice exhibited pronounced renal protection following CS when compared with the relative male groups.
LncRNA HOXA-AS2 promotes the progression of prostate cancer via targeting miR-509-3p/PBX3 axis
Authors: Xiao Shangwen , Song Bin 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as crucial modulators during the development of diverse cancers. Although various types of lncRNAs in prostate cancer (PCa) have been explored, quantities of lncRNAs still wait to be exploited. The present study is to probe the functions and mechanism of lncRNA HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2) in PCa. In the present study, we discovered that HOXA-AS2 was highly expressed in PCa tissues and cells. HOXA-AS2 depletion obviously influenced cell proliferation, migration, invasion, as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression. In addition, miR-509-3p had low expression in PCa cells and inversely modulated by HOXA-AS2. Cutting down HOXA-AS2 expression was capable of up-regulating miR-509-3p expression. In addition, HOXA-AS2 served as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) through sponging miR-509-3p to release pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox 3 (PBX3) expression. The expression of PBX3 was noticeably high in tumor tissues. And PBX3 expression level was down-regulated markedly with the knockdown of HOXA-AS2. Rescue experiments certified the facilitated role of HOXA-AS2-miR-509-3p-PBX3 axis in regulating the progress of PCa. The present study may provide clues for exploration of novel therapeutic targets for PCa patients.
Lipoprotein(a): Behandlung eines unterschätzten kardiovaskulären Risikomarkers
Authors: Langhammer Romy , Laufs Ulrich 
Published: June 2020

ZusammenfassungAuf der Suche nach weiteren behandelbaren kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren rückte das Lipoprotein(a) – Lp(a) – in den letzten Jahren in den wissenschaftlichen Fokus. Lp(a) ist ein genetischer, unabhängiger und vermutlich kausaler Marker für Atherosklerose und kalzifizierende Aortenklappenstenose. Sein proatherogenes, prothrombotisches und proinflammatorisches Wirkprofil bedingt eine hohe Pathogenität. Die Definition einer Lp(a)-Hyperlipoproteinämie ist komplex, da verschiedene Messverfahren im Einsatz sind und Grenzwerte für pathologische Lp(a)-Serumkonzentrationen kontrovers diskutiert werden. Aktuell steht nur das invasive Verfahren der Lipoproteinapherese zur Verfügung, mit der Lp(a) moderat gesenkt werden kann. Die in der Phase III befindlichen Lp(a)RNA-Inhibitoren stellen einen wesentlich spezifischeren und potenteren Therapieansatz dar. Laufende randomisierte Endpunktstudien mit diesen Medikamenten werden erheblich zum Verständnis der pathophysiologischen Bedeutung
von Lp(a) unabhängig vom LDL-Cholesterin beitragen.