bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of osteopontin on the development of non‐alcoholic liver disease and related hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nardo Alexander D. , Grün Nicole G. , Zeyda Maximilian , Dumanic Monika , Oberhuber Georg , Rivelles Elisa , Helbich Thomas H. , Markgraf Daniel F. , Roden Michael , Claudel Thierry , Trauner Michael , Stulnig Thomas M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackground & aimsOsteopontin, a multifunctional protein and inflammatory cytokine, is overexpressed in adipose tissue and liver in obesity and contributes to the induction of adipose tissue inflammation and non‐alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). Studies performed in both mice and humans also point to a potential role for OPN in malignant transformation and tumour growth. To fully understand the role of OPN on the development of NAFL‐derived hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we applied a non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)‐HCC mouse model on osteopontin‐deficient (Spp1−/−) mice analysing time points of NASH, fibrosis and HCC compared to wild‐type mice.MethodsTwo‐day‐old wild‐type and Spp1−/− mice received a low‐dose streptozotocin injection in order to induce diabetes, and were fed a high‐fat diet starting from week 4. Different cohorts of mice of both genotypes were sacrificed at 8, 12 and 19 weeks of age to evaluate the NASH, fibrosis and HCC phenotypes respectively.ResultsSpp1−/− animals showed enhanced hepatic lipid accumulation and aggravated NASH, as also increased hepatocellular apoptosis and accelerated fibrosis. The worse steatotic and fibrotic phenotypes observed in Spp1−/− mice might be driven by enhanced hepatic fatty acid influx through CD36 overexpression and by a pathological accumulation of specific diacylglycerol species during NAFL. Lack of osteopontin lowered systemic inflammation, prevented HCC progression to less differentiated tumours and improved overall survival.ConclusionsLack of osteopontin dissociates NASH‐fibrosis severity from overall survival and HCC malignant transformation in NAFLD, and is therefore a putative therapeutic target only for advanced chronic liver disease.
The global epidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Li Pengfei , Liu Jiaye , Li Yang , Su Junhong , Ma Zhongren , Bramer Wichor M. , Cao Wanlu , de Man Robert A. , Peppelenbosch Maikel P. , Pan Qiuwei 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackground and aimsHepatitis E virus (HEV), as an emerging zoonotic pathogen, is a leading cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide, with a high risk of developing chronic infection in immunocompromised patients. However, the global epidemiology of HEV infection has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aims to map the global prevalence and identify the risk factors of HEV infection by performing a systematic review and meta‐analysis.MethodsA systematic searching of articles published in Medline, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane and Google scholar databases till July 2019 was conducted to identify studies with HEV prevalence data. Pooled prevalence among different countries and continents was estimated. HEV IgG seroprevalence of subgroups was compared and risk factors for HEV infection were evaluated using odd ratios (OR).ResultsWe identified 419 related studies which comprised of 1 519 872 individuals. A total of 1 099 717 participants pooled from 287 studies of general population estimated a global anti‐HEV IgG seroprevalence of 12.47% (95% CI 10.42‐14.67; I2 = 100%). Notably, the use of ELISA kits from different manufacturers has a substantial impact on the global estimation of anti‐HEV IgG seroprevalence. The pooled estimate of anti‐HEV IgM seroprevalence based on 98 studies is 1.47% (95% CI 1.14‐1.85; I2 = 99%). The overall estimate of HEV viral RNA‐positive rate in general population is 0.20% (95% CI 0.15‐0.25; I2 = 98%). Consumption of raw meat (P = .0001), exposure to soil (P < .0001), blood transfusion (P = .0138), travelling to endemic areas (P = .0244), contacting with dogs (P = .0416), living in rural areas (P = .0349) and receiving education less than elementary school (P < .0001) were identified as risk factors for anti‐HEV IgG positivity.ConclusionsGlobally, approximately 939 million corresponding to 1 in 8 individuals have ever experienced HEV infection. 15‐110 million individuals have recent or ongoing HEV infection. Our study highlights the substantial burden of HEV infection and calls for increasing routine screening and preventive measures.
RpoN1 and RpoN2 play different regulatory roles in virulence traits, flagellar biosynthesis, and basal metabolism in Xanthomonas campestris
Authors: Li Kaihuai , Wu Guichun , Liao Yuling , Zeng Quan , Wang Haihong , Liu Fengquan 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHomologous regulatory factors are widely present in bacteria, but whether homologous regulators synergistically or differentially regulate different biological functions remains mostly unknown. Here, we report that the homologous regulators RpoN1 and RpoN2 of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) play different regulatory roles with respect to virulence traits, flagellar biosynthesis, and basal metabolism. RpoN2 directly regulated Xcc fliC and fliQ to modulate flagellar synthesis in X. campestris, thus affecting the swimming motility of X. campestris. Mutation of rpoN2 resulted in reduced production of biofilms and extracellular polysaccharides in Xcc. These defects may together cause reduced virulence of the rpoN2 mutant against the host plant. Moreover, we demonstrated that RpoN1 could regulate branched‐chain fatty acid production and modulate the synthesis of diffusible signal factor family quorum sensing signals. Although RpoN1 and RpoN2 are homologues, the regulatory roles and biological functions of these proteins were not interchangeable. Overall, our report provides new insights into the two different molecular roles that form the basis for the transcriptional specialization of RpoN homologues.
Central and peripheral modulation of gastrointestinal transit in mice by DN‐9, a multifunctional opioid/NPFF receptor agonist
Authors: Xu Biao , Guo Yuanyuan , Zhang Mengna , Zhang Run , Chen Dan , Zhang Qinqin , Xiao Jian , Xu Kangtai , Li Ning , Qiu Yu , Zhu Hanwen , Niu Jiandong , Zhang Xiaoyu , Fang Quan 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe nonapeptide DN‐9 functions as a multifunctional agonist to opioid and neuropeptide FF (NPFF) receptors and exhibits antinociceptive effects at the central and peripheral levels.MethodsThe effects of DN‐9 on small and colonic intestinal transit were evaluated using the upper gastrointestinal (GI) transit test and colonic bead expulsion assay, respectively. Opioid and NPFF receptor antagonists were used to investigate the mechanisms of DN‐9‐induced GI inhibition. Furthermore, the agonism of the DN‐9 analog [Phg9]‐DN‐9 to opioid and NPFF receptors was tested by the cAMP assay.Key resultsIntracerebroventricular administration of DN‐9 dose‐dependently slowed upper GI transit and colonic expulsion via mu‐ and kappa‐opioid receptors in the brain, independent of the delta‐opioid receptor. Similarly, intraperitoneal injection of DN‐9 dose‐dependently inhibited GI propulsion via the peripheral opioid receptors. DN‐9‐induced GI transit inhibitions were significantly aggravated by the NPFF receptor antagonist RF9. Moreover, the DN‐9 analog [Phg9]‐DN‐9, an agonist at mu‐, delta‐, and kappa‐opioid receptors but not NPFF receptors, inhibited GI more potently than DN‐9. In addition, intracerebroventricular NPFF significantly attenuated the central inhibitory effects induced by [Phg9]‐DN‐9 and morphine. However, central and peripheral injections of NPFF or RF9 almost had no significant effects on GI transit by itself.Conclusion and InferencesIntracerebroventricular and intraperitoneal administrations of DN‐9 inhibit GI transit via opioid receptors in mice by central and peripheral mechanisms, respectively. In addition, the NPFF agonism of DN‐9 possesses antiopioid effects on GI transit, which might explain the reduced constipation at the antinociceptive doses.
Genetic variability of Polish tomato black ring virus isolates and their satellite RNAs
Authors: Zarzyńska‐Nowak Aleksandra , Hasiów‐Jaroszewska Beata , Budzyńska Daria , Trzmiel Katarzyna 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTomato black ring virus (TBRV), a member of the Nepovirus genus, is a serious plant pathogen distributed worldwide. It causes significant damage to several economically important crops, such as artichoke or strawberry. The TBRV bipartite genome consists of two polyadenylated single‐stranded positive‐sense RNA molecules, which may be accompanied by subviral particles such as defective interfering RNAs (DI RNAs) and satellite RNAs (satRNAs). In this study, we obtained the complete genome sequence of six TBRV isolates originating from different hosts and determined the presence of eight TBRV satRNAs. Subsequently, genetic variability, recombination, phylogenetic and selection pressure analyses were performed. The results revealed that the TBRV population is genetically diverse. The occurrence of potential recombination events, evidence of positive selection pressure acting on particular codons and the diversification of satRNAs within the TBRV population indicated that the virus mutates and can rapidly adapt to new environmental conditions or hosts. The presented data shed some light on TBRV evolutionary dynamics and epidemiology.
Finding the Strength in a Weak Instrument in a Study of Cognitive Outcomes Produced by Catholic High Schools
Authors: Heng Siyu , Small Dylan S. , Rosenbaum Paul R. 
Published: April 2020

SummaryWe show that the strength of an instrument is incompletely characterized by the proportion of compliers, and we propose and evaluate new methods that extract more information from certain settings with comparatively few compliers. Specifically, we demonstrate that, for a fixed small proportion of compliers, the presence of an equal number of always-takers and never-takers weakens an instrument, whereas the absence of always-takers or, equivalently, the absence of never-takers strengthens an instrument. In this statement, the strength of an instrument refers to its ability to recognize and reject a false hypothesis about a structural parameter. Equivalently, the strength of an instrument refers to its ability to exclude from a confidence interval a false value of a structural parameter. This ability is measured by the Bahadur efficiency of a test that assumes that the instrument is flawless, or the Bahadur efficiency of a sensitivity analysis that assumes that the instrument may be somewhat biased. When there are few compliers, the outcomes for most people are unaffected by fluctuations in the instrument, so most of the information about the treatment effect is contained in the tail of the distribution of the outcomes. Exploiting this fact, we propose new methods that emphasize the affected portion of the distribution of outcomes, thereby extracting more information from studies with few compliers. Studies of the effects of Catholic high schools on academic test performance have used ‘being Catholic’ as an instrument for ‘attending a Catholic high school’, and the application concerns such a comparison using the US National Educational Longitudinal Study. Most Catholics did not attend Catholic school, so there are few compliers, but it was rare for non-Catholics to attend Catholic school, so there are very few always-takers.
Heart failure management in dialysis patients: Many treatment options with no clear evidence
Authors: Roehm Bethany , Gulati Gaurav , Weiner Daniel E. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHeart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) impacts approximately 20% of dialysis patients and is associated with high mortality rates. Key issues discussed in this review of HFrEF management in dialysis include dialysis modality choice, vascular access, dialysate composition, pharmacological therapies, and strategies to reduce sudden cardiac death, including the use of cardiac devices. Peritoneal dialysis and more frequent or longer duration of hemodialysis may be better tolerated due to slower ultrafiltration rates, leading to less intradialytic hypotension and better volume control; dialysate cooling and higher dialysate calcium may also have benefits. While high‐quality evidence exists for many drug classes in the non‐dialysis population, dialysis patients were excluded from major trials, and only limited data exist for many medications in kidney failure patients. Despite limited evidence, beta blocker and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use is common in dialysis. Similarly, devices such as implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy that have proven benefits in non‐dialysis HFrEF patients have not consistently been beneficial in the limited dialysis studies. The use of leadless pacemakers and subcutaneous ICDs can mitigate future hemodialysis access limitations. Additional research is critical to address knowledge gaps in treating maintenance dialysis patients with HFrEF.
Recognizing the product of concave‐bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander‐belt strata
Authors: Durkin Paul R. , Hubbard Stephen M. , Holbrook John , Weleschuk Zennon , Nesbit Paul , Hugenholtz Chris , Lyons Tania , Smith Derald G. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDownstream migration of point bars is an important process in meander belts. Inherent to downstream migration is sediment accumulation in concave channel banks, immediately adjacent to and downstream of convex point bars. Despite this, associated concave bank processes are often overlooked, with depositional products sparsely identified in the stratigraphic record. Counter‐point‐bar deposits are a type of concave‐bank deposit that have been positively identified in subsurface three‐dimensional seismic datasets, yet outcrop examples are not well‐constrained. This study characterizes and establishes recognition criteria of counter‐point‐bar deposits in outcrop using extensive exposure of Late‐Cretaceous meander‐belt deposits in eastern Alberta, Canada. Using a combination of traditional field‐based sedimentological analyses and three‐dimensional outcrop mapping with an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle and Structure‐from‐Motion photogrammetry, point bar, counter‐point bar, and associated abandoned‐channel deposits, as well as adjacent floodplain deposits are identified. Bed‐scale characteristics of counter‐point‐bar deposits include interlaminated and interbedded siltstone and fine‐grained sandstone, abundant organic detritus, and evidence of deformation and slumping. At the bend scale, accretion packages bounded by internal erosion surfaces are composed of dipping siltstone and minor sandstone beds that extend from the top to the base of the meander belt. At the belt scale, positive identification relies on concave accretion surface mapping, their orientation relative to the meander‐belt edge (i.e. dipping away), and consideration of meander‐bend evolution. These results have implications for recognition of counter‐point‐bar deposits in analogous, less‐constrained data sets, which provides a foundation for more complete palaeoenvironmental interpretations.
Equity versus equality: Discourses and practices within decentralized welfare‐to‐work programs in California
Authors: Lanfranconi Lucia M. , Chang Yu‐Ling , Das Aditi , Simpson Paul J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe U.S. welfare reform of 1996 brought about highly decentralized Welfare‐to‐Work (WTW) programs, granting discretion to states and local governments to implement policies. Previous research has emphasized racial disparities in WTW sanction rates, by focusing on state/county characteristics or frontline‐workers' biases. There is a dearth of research focusing on different understandings of equity or equality and corresponding practices embedded within WTW programs at the state and local levels. This knowledge is important to better understand how race disparities in WTW may be shaped. Our case is California's comparatively generous and highly devolved WTW program and its implementation in two most different counties. Descriptive analysis of administrative data reveals racial disparities in WTW sanctions and exemptions at the state‐level and contrasting racial disparity patterns across two counties. Drawing on an equity framework, critical discourse analysis (CDA) of policy documents and interviews at the state level reveals conflicting discourses and practices around equity and equality, leaving room for interpretation at local agencies. CDA of county‐level documents and interviews with county administrators showcases contrasting discourses and practices: while one county operates on an equality discourse that does not challenge existing disparities, the other county adopts an equity‐related discourse of providing better treatment towards some historically disadvantaged groups. The observed discourses and practices help to understand the different racial disparity patterns. We conclude that in the absence of a clear equity framework at the state level, decentralization in WTW complicates the manner in which equity discourses and practices play out at the local level.
Seeing The Untold, Speaking The Invisible: Lesbian Co‐Formations In Milan
Authors: Nessi Cecilia 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis paper investigates how lesbian spaces in Milan are created, inhabited and reproduced in order to explore the existing ways of being lesbians, here and now. I reflect on how scholars can un/intentionally reinforce or challenge the dominant viewpoints of understanding difference. I use the concept of co‐formations, a non‐linear approach to intersectionality, that focuses on the relationality of difference and takes space and time into account. I argue that what is excluded from space is also excluded from the identities shaped by the same space. To conclude, I reflect upon the responsibilities and the possibilities presented by taking a critical and racialized White positionality seriously.
JC virus‐associated nephropathy in a post‐heart and ‐kidney transplantation patient
Authors: Aguilar Jack , Chang David H. , Lin Mercury , Hou Jean , Huang Edmund , Kittleson Michelle , Patel Jignesh , Kobashigawa Jon 
Published: April 2020

AbstractJC virus‐associated nephropathy is rare in kidney transplant recipients, and even rarer in recipients of other solid organ transplants. We present a case of JC virus‐associated nephropathy in a heart‐kidney transplant recipient, which to our knowledge is the first case reported in the literature. We discuss the findings on renal biopsy for JC virus nephropathy and our management approach to this rare complication.
The foxtail millet (Setaria italica) terpene synthase gene family
Authors: Karunanithi Prema S. , Berrios David I. , Wang Sadira , Davis John , Shen Tong , Fiehn Oliver , Maloof Julin N. , Zerbe Philipp 
Published: April 2020

SUMMARYTerpenoid metabolism plays vital roles in stress defense and the environmental adaptation of monocot crops. Here, we describe the identification of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family of the panicoid food and bioenergy model crop foxtail millet (Setaria italica). The diploid S. italica genome contains 32 TPS genes, 17 of which were biochemically characterized in this study. Unlike other thus far investigated grasses, S. italica contains TPSs producing all three ent‐, (+)‐ and syn‐copalyl pyrophosphate stereoisomers that naturally occur as central building blocks in the biosynthesis of distinct monocot diterpenoids. Conversion of these intermediates by the promiscuous TPS SiTPS8 yielded different diterpenoid scaffolds. Additionally, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP99A17), which genomically clustered with SiTPS8, catalyzes the C19 hydroxylation of SiTPS8 products to generate the corresponding diterpene alcohols. The presence of syntenic orthologs to about 19% of the S. italica TPSs in related grasses supports a common ancestry of selected pathway branches. Among the identified enzyme products, abietadien‐19‐ol, syn‐pimara‐7,15‐dien‐19‐ol and germacrene‐d‐4‐ol were detectable in planta, and gene expression analysis of the biosynthetic TPSs showed distinct and, albeit moderately, inducible expression patterns in response to biotic and abiotic stress. In vitro growth‐inhibiting activity of abietadien‐19‐ol and syn‐pimara‐7,15‐dien‐19‐ol against Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium subglutinans may indicate pathogen defensive functions, whereas the low antifungal efficacy of tested sesquiterpenoids supports other bioactivities. Together, these findings expand the known chemical space of monocot terpenoid metabolism to enable further investigations of terpenoid‐mediated stress resilience in these agriculturally important species.
Modelling the impact of non‐tariff measures on supply chains in ASEAN
Authors: Webb Mike , Strutt Anna , Gibson John , Walmsley Terrie 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis paper explores the impact of reducing non‐tariff measures (NTMs) in major ASEAN countries. New econometric estimates of the impact of different types of NTMs are used in a global supply chain model to separately model the effects on intermediate products and those sold to final consumers. We also distinguish between whether the NTM cost burden is directed at exporters or importers. This paper makes important advances in modelling the heterogeneity of NTMs, offering much richer policy analysis of the impact of NTMs on supply chains in the Asia‐Pacific region than has previously been possible. We illustrate the benefits, both to the major ASEAN countries and to their trading partners, from the partial liberalisation by ASEAN countries of their most trade distorting types of NTMs. Such liberalisation increases the GDP and welfare of all countries, with the effect particularly pronounced for the major ASEAN countries themselves, especially Vietnam and the Philippines. As trade in plant products and animal products is particularly affected by NTMs, these sectors show the largest expansion of trade.