bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a novel heterologous β-lactam-specific whole-cell biosensor in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Lautenschläger Nina , Popp Philipp F. , Mascher Thorsten 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Whole-cell biosensors are a powerful and easy-to-use screening tool for the fast and sensitive detection of chemical compounds, such as antibiotics. β-Lactams still represent one of the most important antibiotic groups in therapeutic use. They interfere with late stages of the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis and result in irreversible perturbations of cell division and growth, ultimately leading to cell lysis. In order to simplify the detection of these antibiotics from solutions, solid media or directly from producing organisms, we aimed at developing a novel heterologous whole-cell biosensor in Bacillus subtilis, based on the β-lactam-induced regulatory system BlaR1/BlaI from Staphylococcus aureus.

Results
The BlaR1/BlaI system was heterologously expressed in B. subtilis and combined with the luxABCDE operon of Photorhabdus luminescens under control of the BlaR1/BlaI target promoter to measure the output of the biosensor. A combination of codon adaptation, constitutive expression of blaR1 and blaI and the allelic replacement of penP increased the inducer spectrum and dynamic range of the biosensor. β-Lactams from all four classes induced the target promoter PblaZ in a concentration-dependent manner, with a dynamic range of 7- to 53-fold. We applied our biosensor to a set of Streptomycetes soil isolates and demonstrated its potential to screen for the production of β-lactams. In addition to the successful implementation of a highly sensitive β-lactam biosensor, our results also provide the first experimental evidence to support previous suggestions that PenP functions as a β-lactamase in B. subtilis.

Conclusion
We have successfully established a novel heterologous whole-cell biosensor in B. subtilis that is highly sensitive for a broad spectrum of β-lactams from all four chemical classes. Therefore, it increases the detectable spectrum of compounds with respect to previous biosensor designs. Our biosensor can readily be applied for identifying β-lactams in liquid or on solid media, as well as for identifying potential β-lactam producers.
Total T4 rise in pregnancy: a relook?
Authors: Pramanik Subhodip , Mukhopadhyay Pradip , Ghosh Sujoy 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Total T4 (TT4) measurement is preferred to free T4 (FT4) especially in last part of pregnancy. Guidelines by American Thyroid Association, European Thyroid Association and Endocrine Society state that TT4 increases 1.5 times pre-pregnant levels after week 16 of pregnancy. However, this is based on a small study conducted 40 years ago which used radioimmunoassay for determination in changes in TT4.

Materials and methods
A cross-sectional study was undertaken to find reference interval for thyroid function in different trimester of pregnancy with special reference to look at the degree of elevation of TT4 as compared to non-pregnant women. Two hundred non-pregnant women (excluding oral contraceptive users) and 600 pregnant women (200 from each trimester) aged 18–40 years were consecutively recruited starting from around 6th week of pregnancy having confirmed singleton pregnancy diagnosed at 8th week by ultrasound. The exclusion criteria included: (1) a personal or family history of thyroid disease; (2) presence of goiter or nodule confirmed by ultrasound; (3) anti-TPO antibody positive state (titre > 35 IU/ml). All subjects were tested for urinary spot iodine concentration and those with UIC < 150 μg/L were excluded. Finally, thyroid function tests (TSH, FT4, TT4, TT3) of 168 non-pregnant women and 163, 153 and 148 women at 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester respectively were analysed..

Results
Total T4 (mean ± SD, μg/dl) in non pregnant women and in different trimesters was 8.95 ± 1.71, 9.71 ± 2.39, 12.11 ± 1.55, 11.83 ± 1.49 respectively. Rise in TT4 occurred between 10-18th week. The mean TT4 in second trimester increased by 25% as compared with the value at 6-9th week and by 35% as compared to non-pregnant value.

Conclusion
Rise in total T4 in second trimester pregnancy is only around 25% as compared to first trimester value and 35% than the non-pregnant value. Hence multiplying non-pregnant T4 value by 1.5 may actually over-diagnose maternal hypothroxinemia and lead to inappropriate diagnosis and treatment of isolated maternal hypothyroxinemia in a significant proportion of subjects.
Follicular phase length has no influence on frozen-thawed embryo transfers in natural cycles
Authors: Ying Ying , Qiu Fuman , Huang Qing , Li Sichen , Liu Haiying , Liu Jianqiao 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Whether menstrual variability in women with regular and ovulatory cycle could affect embryo implantation remains controversial, with conflicting evidences presented in the literature. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the impact of prolonged follicular phase length (FPL) on the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) after frozen–thawed embryo transfer (FET) in true natural cycles (NC).

Methods
This retrospective cohort study utilized data from a large university-affiliated reproductive medicine center. Women undergoing true NC-FET were grouped as per their FPL type: Prolonged FPL (n = 127) and Normal FPL (n = 737). The primary study outcome was CPR in these 2 groups.

Results
The FPL in the current cycle was significantly longer in the Prolonged FPL group (23.0 ± 2.4) than in the Normal FPL group (16.0 ± 2.2; p < 0.001). The crude CPR was significantly higher in the Prolonged FPL group (61.4%) than in the Normal FPL group (51.7%; p = 0.043). After adjusting for the results of potential confounders including the age, BMI, percent of optimal embryos transferred, and endometrial thickness, the difference in the CRP between the 2 groups disappeared (OR 1.28, 95% CI: 0.86–1.91, p = 0.232). No statistically significant difference was noted in the rates of implantation and miscarriage.

Conclusions
The current FET should not be cancelled if the ovulation time exceeds the predicted period based on the length of the previous menstrual cycle in the light of no negative effect on the pregnancy outcome.
Polymorphisms in MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-13 and MT2A do not contribute to breast, lung and colon cancer risk in polish population
Authors: Białkowska Katarzyna , Marciniak Wojciech , Muszyńska Magdalena , Baszuk Piotr , Gupta Satish , Jaworska-Bieniek Katarzyna , Sukiennicki Grzegorz , Durda Katarzyna , Gromowski Tomasz , Lener Marcin , Prajzendanc Karolina , Łukomska Alicja , Cybulski Cezary , Huzarski Tomasz , Gronwald Jacek , Dębniak Tadeusz , Lubiński Jan , Jakubowska Anna 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and metallothioneins (MTs) are Zinc-related proteins which are involved in processes crucial for carcinogenesis such as angiogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MMPs and MTs that affect genes expression have been associated with cancer risk, including breast, lung and colon.

Methods
The study group consisted of 648 unselected patients (299 with breast cancer, 199 with lung cancer, 150 with colon cancer) and 648 unaffected individuals. Five SNPs, rs1799750 in MMP-1, rs243865 in MMP-2, rs11568818 in MMP-7, rs2252070 in MMP-13 and rs28366003 in MT2A were genotyped and serum zinc (Zn) level was measured. The cancer risk was calculated using multivariable logistic regression with respect to Zn.

Results
None of the 5 tested polymorphisms showed a correlation with cancer risk in studied groups, although for MMP-2, MMP-7 and MT2A non-significant differences in genotypes frequencies among cases and controls were observed.

Conclusions
Analyses of polymorphisms, rs1799750 in MMP-1, rs243865 in MMP-2, rs11568818 in MMP-7, rs2252070 in MMP-13 and rs28366003 in MT2A in relation to serum Zn level did not show significant association with breast, lung and colon cancer risk among polish patients. Further studies are needed to verify this observation.
Epigenetic measures of ageing predict the prevalence and incidence of leading causes of death and disease burden
Authors: Hillary Robert F. , Stevenson Anna J. , McCartney Daniel L. , Campbell Archie , Walker Rosie M. , Howard David M. , Ritchie Craig W. , Horvath Steve , Hayward Caroline , McIntosh Andrew M. , Porteous David J. , Deary Ian J. , Evans Kathryn L. , Marioni Riccardo E. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Individuals of the same chronological age display different rates of biological ageing. A number of measures of biological age have been proposed which harness age-related changes in DNA methylation profiles. These measures include five ‘epigenetic clocks’ which provide an index of how much an individual’s biological age differs from their chronological age at the time of measurement. The five clocks encompass methylation-based predictors of chronological age (HorvathAge, HannumAge), all-cause mortality (DNAm PhenoAge, DNAm GrimAge) and telomere length (DNAm Telomere Length). A sixth epigenetic measure of ageing differs from these clocks in that it acts as a speedometer providing a single time-point measurement of the pace of an individual’s biological ageing. This measure of ageing is termed DunedinPoAm. In this study, we test the association between these six epigenetic measures of ageing and the prevalence and incidence of the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in high-income countries (n ≤ 9537, Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study).

Results
DNAm GrimAge predicted incidence of clinically diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease after 13 years of follow-up (hazard ratios = 2.22, 1.52 and 1.41, respectively). DunedinPoAm predicted the incidence of COPD and lung cancer (hazard ratios = 2.02 and 1.45, respectively). DNAm PhenoAge predicted incidence of type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio = 1.54). DNAm Telomere Length associated with the incidence of ischemic heart disease (hazard ratio = 0.80). DNAm GrimAge associated with all-cause mortality, the prevalence of COPD and spirometry measures at the study baseline. These associations were present after adjusting for possible confounding risk factors including alcohol consumption, body mass index, deprivation, education and tobacco smoking and surpassed stringent Bonferroni-corrected significance thresholds.

Conclusions
Our data suggest that epigenetic measures of ageing may have utility in clinical settings to complement gold-standard methods for disease assessment and management.
Circulating unmethylated CHTOP and INS DNA fragments provide evidence of possible islet cell death in youth with obesity and diabetes
Authors: Syed Farooq , Tersey Sarah A. , Turatsinze Jean-Valery , Felton Jamie L. , Kang Nicole Jiyun , Nelson Jennifer B. , Sims Emily K. , Defrance Mathieu , Bizet Martin , Fuks Francois , Cnop Miriam , Bugliani Marco , Marchetti Piero , Ziegler Anette-Gabriele , Bonifacio Ezio , Webb-Robertson Bobbie-Jo , Balamurugan Appakalai N. , Evans-Molina Carmella , Eizirik Decio L. , Mather Kieren J. , Arslanian Silva , Mirmira Raghavendra G. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Identification of islet β cell death prior to the onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) might allow for interventions to protect β cells and reduce diabetes risk. Circulating unmethylated DNA fragments arising from the human INS gene have been proposed as biomarkers of β cell death, but this gene alone may not be sufficiently specific to report β cell death.

Results
To identify new candidate genes whose CpG sites may show greater specificity for β cells, we performed unbiased DNA methylation analysis using the Infinium HumanMethylation 450 array on 64 human islet preparations and 27 non-islet human tissues. For verification of array results, bisulfite DNA sequencing of human β cells and 11 non-β cell tissues was performed on 5 of the top 10 CpG sites that were found to be differentially methylated. We identified the CHTOP gene as a candidate whose CpGs show a greater frequency of unmethylation in human islets. A digital PCR strategy was used to determine the methylation pattern of CHTOP and INS CpG sites in primary human tissues. Although both INS and CHTOP contained unmethylated CpG sites in non-islet tissues, they occurred in a non-overlapping pattern. Based on Naïve Bayes classifier analysis, the two genes together report 100% specificity for islet damage. Digital PCR was then performed on cell-free DNA from serum from human subjects. Compared to healthy controls (N = 10), differentially methylated CHTOP and INS levels were higher in youth with new onset T1D (N = 43) and, unexpectedly, in healthy autoantibody-negative youth who have first-degree relatives with T1D (N = 23). When tested in lean (N = 32) and obese (N = 118) youth, increased levels of unmethylated INS and CHTOP were observed in obese individuals.

Conclusion
Our data suggest that concurrent measurement of circulating unmethylated INS and CHTOP has the potential to detect islet death in youth at risk for both T1D and T2D. Our data also support the use of multiple parameters to increase the confidence of detecting islet damage in individuals at risk for developing diabetes.
Effects of inorganic and organic treatments on the microbial community of maize rhizosphere by a shotgun metagenomics approach
Authors: Enebe Matthew Chekwube , Babalola Olubukola Oluranti 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose
The main drivers of biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, plant growth promotion, and disease suppression are microbes. Organic manure increases soil quality and plant productivity; the same is true of inorganic fertilizer. In this study, we explored shotgun metagenomics study to investigate how maize (Zea mays everta) rhizosphere microbial community diversity is shaped following the application of both compost manure and inorganic fertilizer.

Methods
We used high throughput next-generation sequencing—metagenomics studies to examine the rhizosphere microbial community of maize plants grown in an organic compost manure (8 tons/ha and 4 tons/ha) and inorganic (120 kg/ha NPK and 60 kg/ha NPK chemical) fertilized soils. An unfertilized soil was used as a control.

Results
The taxonomic analysis of the soil revealed that regardless of the fertilization regimes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes are distributed across all the samples, but in varying populations. Higher quantities of organic manure (8 tons/ha) and lower (60 kg/ha) nitrogen fertilizer, as well as the untreated control, supports the selection and enrichment of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while lower quantities of organic compost (4 tons/ha) manure boost the population of Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes, on the other hand, were most abundant in low organic manure (4 tons/ha) and higher inorganic (120 kg/ha) fertilized soil. Fungi were selected and enriched by higher (8 tons/ha) and lower (4 tons/ha) compost manure, while archaea were mostly supported by higher doses of inorganic fertilizers (120 kg/ha) and high compost manure (8 tons/ha) treatments.

Conclusion
Therefore, comprehending the effects of compost and chemical fertilizers (NPK—20% nitrogen, 7% phosphorus, 3% potassium) on the community structure, dynamics, and abundance of rhizosphere microbiome will help in the manipulation of soil microbial community to increase microbial diversity in the agroecosystem.
Monogenic autoinflammatory diseases in children: single center experience with clinical, genetic, and imaging review
Authors: Alsharief Alaa N. , Laxer Ronald M. , Wang Qiuyan , Stimec Jennifer , Man Carina , Babyn Paul , Doria Andrea S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPurpose1. To review the contemporary literature and present a list of the imaging findings for patients with autoinflammatory diseases from our hospital. All these patients are found to have a genetic mutation that is responsible for their disease.2. To present follow-up imaging findings, when available, and correlate those with symptoms and type of treatment administered in approximately 40 patients with autoinflammatory diseases of a single tertiary pediatric health care center including familial Mediterranean fever, Cryopyrin-associated autoinflammatory syndrome, PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenousum, and acne) syndrome, and more. These findings are related to disease progression, treatment response, or treatment-induced changes.ConclusionAutoinflammatory diseases are relatively rare entities that can affect any system of the body. Given the many nonspecific imaging features, awareness of these diseases and good communication with clinicians aid in reaching an accurate diagnosis.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and stem cell factor (SCF) maintained the stemness of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) during long-term expansion by preserving mitochondrial function via the PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2, and STAT3 signaling pathways
Authors: Cao Zeyuan , Xie Yunyi , Yu Le , Li Yi , Wang Yan 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a limited self-renewal ability, impaired multi-differentiation potential, and undetermined cell senescence during in vitro series expansion. To address this concern, we investigated the effects of the microenvironment provided by stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) in maintaining the stemness of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and identified the key factors and possible mechanisms responsible for maintaining the stemness of MSCs during long-term expansion in vitro.

Methods
The passage 3 (P3) to passage 8 (P8) hBMSCs were cultured in the conditioned medium from SHED (SHED-CM). The percentage of senescent cells was evaluated by β-galactosidase staining. In addition, the osteogenic differentiation potential was analyzed by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blot, alizarin red, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Furthermore, RT-qPCR results identified hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and stem cell factor (SCF) as key factors. Thus, the effects of HGF and SCF on mitochondrial function were assessed by measuring the ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential levels. Finally, selected mitochondrial-related proteins associated with the PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2, and STAT3 signaling pathways were investigated to determine the effects of HGF and SCF in preserving the mitochondrial function of hBMSCs during long-term expansion.

Results
SHED-CM had significantly enhanced the cell proliferation, reduced the senescent cells, and maintained the osteogenesis and pro-angiogenic capacity in P8 hBMSCs during long-term expansion. In addition, hBMSCs treated with 100 ng/ml HGF and 10 ng/ml SCF had reduced ROS levels and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential compared with P8 hBMSCs during long-term expansion. Furthermore, HGF and SCF upregulated the expression of mitochondrial-related proteins associated with the PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2, and STAT3 signaling pathways, possibly contributing to the maintenance of hBMSCs stemness by preserving mitochondrial function.

Conclusion
Both HGF and SCF are key factors in maintaining the stemness of hBMSCs by preserving mitochondrial function through the expression of proteins associated with the PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2, and STAT3 signaling pathways. This study provides new insights into the anti-senescence capability of HGF and SCF, as well as new evidence for their potential application in optimizing the long-term culture of MSCs.
Energy-efficiency maximization bidirectional direct and relay transmission
Authors: Cai Caixia , Qiu Runhe , Jiang Xue-Qin , Peng Yuyang 
Published: July 2020

AbstractEnergy-efficient transmission (EET) has become a very important problem in wireless communication. Optimal power allocation (OPA) is one of the general methods to achieve EET. But when OPA is only considered in EET, it maybe cannot analyze EET problems accurately. This paper aims at analyzing energy-efficient bidirectional direct and relay transmission (RT) through joint optimization of transmit power (TP) and transmit time (TT) allocation. In RT, direct links (DLs) are existed. The EET problems are given with three optimization cases: (i) maximizing sum throughput (ST) to maximize energy efficiency (EE), in such case, optimal TT (OTT), optimal relay position (ORP), and outage probability analysis are given; (ii) minimizing total energy consumption (TEC) to maximize EE, in such case, optimal TP (OTP), OTT with gradient-descent algorithm, and influences of asymmetry and asymmetry transmission tasks are given; and (iii) maximizing ST and minimizing TEC simultaneously to maximize EE, in such case, Dinkelbach’s algorithm and one-by-one optimal algorithm are given. Simulation results are presented to validate theoretical analysis. Results reveal that relay technique and DLs in RT can improve system’s EE.
Novel finite-time synchronization criteria for coupled network systems with time-varying delays via event-triggered control
Authors: Cui Wenxia , Jin Wenbin , Wang Zhenjie 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis paper is concerned with the finite-time synchronization of coupled networks with time-varying delays. We work without applying the finite-time stability theorem, which is widely used in finite-time synchronization for complex networks or finite-time consensus problems for multi-agent systems. We construct a novel Lyapunov functional and apply some new analytical techniques. Sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure synchronization within a setting time with no Zeno behaviors. The obtained conditions do not contain any uncertain parameter. The controllers are presented based on event-driven strategies, which can significantly reduce the communication consumption and the frequency of the controller updates. And the setting time is related to initial values of the network. Finally, numerical examples are examined to illustrate the effectiveness of the analytical results.
Mittag-Leffler–Hyers–Ulam stability of differential equation using Fourier transform
Authors: Mohanapriya Arusamy , Park Choonkil , Ganesh Anumanthappa , Govindan Vediyappan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis research paper aims to present the results on the Mittag-Leffler–Hyers–Ulam and Mittag-Leffler–Hyers–Ulam–Rassias stability of linear differential equations of first, second, and nth order by the Fourier transform method. Moreover, the stability constant of such equations is obtained. Some examples are given to illustrate the main results.