bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a stereo dip-coating system for fabrication of tube-shaped blood vessel models
Authors: Shimizu Yasutomo , Tupin Simon , Kiyomitsu Chihaya , Kitamura Ko , Takashima Kazuto , Ohta Makoto 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTube-shaped blood vessel models that mimic their geometries and mechanical properties can deliver reliable and realistic behavioral information such as deformation and rupture during procedures such as insertion of medical devices. Thickness of vessel walls is an important parameter for fabricating the blood vessel models owing to their strong influence on the model behavior, especially during deformation. The dip-coating method is used to fabricate blood vessel models; however, non-uniform wall thicknesses are observed using this method. This study aimed at finding the characteristics of stereo “angular control dip-coating” (ACDC) system to develop a dip-coating system that can produce tubular models with uniformed wall thickness. The system developed here enables an observation of the substrate behavior from two different views. The conditions of dip-coating used in this study produce 1.36–1.82 mm in the maximum and 0.188–0.435 mm in minimum wall thickness and the fabricated walls cover the realistic range of carotid arterial dimensions. The characteristics of the ACDC system indicate that ACDC is effective for fabricating the uniform wall thickness particularly in the strong curved parts.
FIBTEM Improves the Sensitivity of Hyperfibrinolysis Detection in Severe Trauma Patients: A Retrospective Study Using Thromboelastometry
Authors: Wang Il-Jae , Park Sung-Wook , Bae Byung-Kwan , Lee Sung-Hwa , Choi Hyuk Jin , Park Sung Jin , Ahn Tae Young , Goh Tae Sik , Lee Min Jee , Yeom Seok Ran 
Published: April 2020

AbstractRotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) can only detect high-degree hyperfibrinolysis (HF), despite being frequently used in trauma patients. We investigated whether considering FIBTEM HF (the presence of maximal lysis (ML) > 15%) could increase ROTEM-based HF detection’s sensitivity. This observational cohort study was performed at a level 1 trauma centre. Trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 who underwent ROTEM in the emergency department between 2016 and 2017 were included. EXTEM HF was defined as ML > 15% in EXTEM. We compared mortality rates between EXTEM HF, FIBTEM HF, and non-HF patient groups. Overall, 402 patients were included, of whom 45% were men (mean age, 52.5 years; mean ISS, 27). The EXTEM HF (n = 37), FIBTEM HF (n = 132), and non-HF (n = 233) groups had mortality rates of 81.1%, 22.3%, and 10.3%, respectively. The twofold difference in mortality rates between the FIBTEM HF and non-HF groups remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.01). On multivariable Cox regression analysis, FIBTEM HF was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.21–3.84, P = 0.009). Here, trauma patients with FIBTEM HF had significantly higher mortality rates than those without HF. FIBTEM be a valuable diagnostic method to improve HF detection’s sensitivity in trauma patients.
Identification of novel HNF1B mRNA splicing variants and their qualitative and semi-quantitative profile in selected healthy and tumour tissues
Authors: Hojny Jan , Bartu Michaela , Krkavcova Eva , Nemejcova Kristyna , Sevcik Jan , Cibula David , Fryba Vladimir , Plincelnerova Lenka , Dundr Pavel , Struzinska Ivana 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHepatocyte nuclear factor-1-beta (HNF1B) is a transcription factor crucial for the development of several tissues, and a promising biomarker of certain solid tumours. Thus far, two HNF1B alternative splicing variants (ASVs) have been described, however, the complete spectrum, prevalence and role of HNF1B ASVs in tumorigenesis are unclear. Considering the equivocal data about HNF1B ASVs and expression presented in literature, our aim was to characterize the spectrum of HNF1B mRNA splicing variants across different tissues. Here, we characterize HNF1B ASVs with high sensitivity in carcinomas of the uterine corpus, large intestine, kidney, pancreas, and prostate, with selected paired healthy tissues, using the previously described multiplex PCR and NGS approach. We identified 45 ASVs, of which 43 were novel. The spectrum and relative quantity of expressed ASVs mRNA differed among the analysed tissue types. Two known (3p, Δ7_8) and two novel (Δ7, Δ8) ASVs with unknown biological functions were detected in all the analysed tissues in a higher proportion. Our study reveals the wide spectrum of HNF1B ASVs in selected tissues. Characterization of the HNF1B ASVs is an important prerequisite for further expression studies to delineate the HNF1B splicing pattern, potential ASVs functional impact, and eventual refinement of HNF1B’s biomarker role.
Genome-wide association analysis of insomnia using data from Partners Biobank
Authors: Song Wenyu , Torous John , Kossowsky Joe , Chen Chia-Yen , Huang Hailiang , Wright Adam 
Published: April 2020

AbstractInsomnia is one of the most prevalent and burdensome mental disorders worldwide, affecting between 10–20% of adults and up to 48% of the geriatric population. It is further associated with substance usage and dependence, as well other psychiatric disorders. In this study, we combined electronic health record (EHR) derived phenotypes and genotype information to conduct a genome wide analysis of insomnia in a 18,055 patient cohort. Diagnostic codes were used to identify 3,135 patients with insomnia. Our genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified one novel genomic risk locus on chromosome 8 (lead SNP rs17052966, p = 4.53 × 10−9, odds ratio = 1.28, se = 0.04). The heritability analysis indicated that common SNPs accounts for 7% (se = 0.02, p = 0.015) of phenotypic variation. We further conducted a large-scale meta-analysis of our results and summary statistics of two recent insomnia GWAS and 13 significant loci were identified. The genetic correlation analysis yielded a strong positive genetic correlation between insomnia and alcohol use (rG = 0.56, se = 0.14, p < 0.001), nicotine use (rG = 0.50, se = 0.12, p < 0.001) and opioid use (rG = 0.43, se = 0.18, p = 0.02) disorders, suggesting a significant common genetic risk factors between insomnia and substance use.
Multiple heavy metal tolerance and removal by an earthworm gut fungus Trichoderma brevicompactum QYCD-6
Authors: Zhang Ding , Yin Caiping , Abbas Naeem , Mao Zhenchuan , Zhang Yinglao 
Published: April 2020

AbstractFungal bioremediation is a promising approach to remove heavy-metal from contaminated water. Present study examined the ability of an earthworm gut fungus Trichoderma brevicompactum QYCD-6 to tolerate and remove both individual and multi-metals. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of heavy metals [Cu(II), Cr(VI), Cd(II) and Zn(II)] against the fungus was ranged 150–200 mg L−1 on composite medium, and MIC of Pb(II) was the highest with 1600 mg L−1 on potato dextrose (PD) medium. The Pb(II) presented the highest metal removal rate (97.5%) which mostly dependent on bioaccumulation with 80.0%, and synchronized with max biomass (6.13 g L−1) in PD medium. However, on the composite medium, the highest removal rate was observed for Cu(II) (64.5%). Cellular changes in fungus were reflected by TEM analysis. FTIR and solid-state NMR analyses indicated the involvement of different functional groups (amino, carbonyl, hydroxyl, et al.) in metallic biosorption. These results established that the earthworm-associated T. brevicompactum QYCD-6 was a promising fungus for the remediation of heavy-metal wastewater.
The number of metabolic features as a significant prognostic factor in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Yuk Hyeong Dong , Hwang Eu Chang , Park Jae Young , Jeong Chang Wook , Song Cheryn , Seo Seong Il , Byun Seok-Soo , Kwak Cheol , Hong Sung-Hoo , Kang Minyong , Chung Jinsoo , Lee Hakmin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe effect of metabolic characteristics on the prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma remains controversial. We investigated the associations between metabolic features of each individual and disease prognosis in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Data of 1,584 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma from a multi-institutional database were retrospectively analyzed. The entire cohort was stratified into three subgroups according to how many patients had abnormal metabolic features (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and low body mass index). The Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional analyses were performed to investigate the associations between abnormal metabolic features and disease prognosis. mThere were 465 subjects without any metabolic features, 995 with one or two, and 124 with three. When the survival outcomes were compared according to the number of metabolic features, patients with higher numbers of metabolic features had significantly shorter overall and cancer-specific survival than those with fewer metabolic features (all p values <0.05). The multivariate Cox analysis showed that the number of metabolic features was an independent predictor for shorter cancer-specific and overall survival (all p values < 0.05). When performing subgroup analysis according to the cellular type, significant results were only obtained among the clear cell subtype subgroup, with the association not being significant in the non-clear cell subtype cohort. Patients with more metabolic features had significantly worse survival outcomes than those with fewer metabolic features. However, the association was only statistically significant in patients with clear cell-type metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
Elevated O-GlcNAcylation induces an antidepressant-like phenotype and decreased inhibitory transmission in medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Cho Yoonjeong , Hwang Hongik , Rahman Md. Ataur , Chung ChiHye , Rhim Hyewhon 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDepression is a devastating mental disorder affected by multiple factors that can have genetic, environmental, or metabolic causes. Although previous studies have reported an association of dysregulated glucose metabolism with depression, its underlying mechanism remains elusive at the molecular level. A small percentage of glucose is converted into uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, which serves as an immediate donor for protein O-GlcNAc modification. O-GlcNAcylation is a particularly common post-translational modification (PTM) in the brain, and the functional significance of O-GlcNAcylation in neurodegenerative diseases has been extensively reported. However, whether the degree of O-GlcNAc modification is associated with depressive disorder has not been examined. In this study, we show that increased O-GlcNAcylation levels reduce inhibitory synaptic transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and that Oga+/− mice with chronically elevated O-GlcNAcylation levels exhibit an antidepressant-like phenotype. Moreover, we found that virus-mediated expression of OGA in the mPFC restored both antidepressant-like behavior and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Therefore, our results suggest that O-GlcNAc modification in the mPFC plays a significant role in regulating antidepressant-like behavior, highlighting that the modulation of O-GlcNAcylation levels in the brain may serve as a novel therapeutic candidate for antidepressants.
Construction and analysis for differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs in acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Song Ning , Li Xiang-Mei , Luo Jun-Yi , Zhai Hui , Zhao Qian , Zhou Xin-Rong , Liu Fen , Zhang Xue-He , Gao Xiao-Ming , Li Xiao-Mei , Yang Yi-Ning 
Published: April 2020

AbstractLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides. Some lncRNAs are related to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and can serve as blood-based biomarkers for AMI detection. To identify whether new lncRNAs participate in AMI, the expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs was analysed by microarray analysis (Agilent human array) with the limma package in R in two series: five paired peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples and four paired plasma samples from different AMI patients. In PBMCs, a total of 2677 upregulated and 458 downregulated lncRNAs were significantly differentially expressed; additionally, 1168 mRNAs were upregulated and 1334 mRNAs were downregulated between the AMI patients and controls. In plasma, we found 41 upregulated and 51 downregulated lncRNAs that were differentially expressed, as well as 9 mRNAs that were upregulated and 9 mRNAs that were downregulated among the two groups. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler package in R, and differentially expressed mRNAs were functionally annotated. The top differentially expressed mRNAs were associated with circadian rhythm, the NF-kB pathway, the p53 pathway and the metabolism pathway. We further performed target gene prediction and coexpression analysis and revealed the interrelationships among the significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. The expression of four lncRNAs (uc002ddj.1, NR_047662, ENST00000581794.1 and ENST00000509938.1) was validated in the newly diagnosed AMI and control groups by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Our study demonstrated that the clustered expression of lncRNAs between PBMCs and plasma showed tremendous differences. The newly screened lncRNAs may play indispensable roles in the development of AMI, although their biological functions need to be further validated.
Determination of natural radioactivity in products of animals fed with grass: A case study for Kars Region, Turkey
Authors: Bilgici Cengiz Gülçin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this research, the activity concentrations of 40 K, 232Th and 226Ra in 41 grass samples collected from Kars region, Turkey, were determined using gamma ray spectrometry. Natural radioactivity concentrations in animal food products were calculated based on activity concentrations of these radionuclides in pasture-grass samples and dry-grass consumption of animals. The average annual effective dose from these radionuclides for local consumers due to indirect ingestion of cow milk, sheep milk, poultry, mutton and beef consumption have been calculated as 9.01, 0.24, 1.76, 0.38 and 5.25 µSv y-1, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated average annual effective dose values for adults are within the values found in other countries worldwide. These results show that animal products can be safe for human consumption in terms of radiation exposure due to the natural radionuclides studied.
Whole-Genome Analysis of Cervical Human Papillomavirus Type 35 from rural Zimbabwean Women
Authors: Fitzpatrick Megan B. , Hahn Zoe , Mandishora Racheal S. Dube , Dao Jenny , Weber Jenna , Huang ChunHong , Sahoo Malaya K. , Katzenstein David A. , Pinsky Benjamin A. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHuman papillomavirus (HPV) types differ by geographic location and the ethnicity of the human host, which may have implications for carcinogenicity. HPV35 is one of the least frequently identified high-risk types in North America and Europe but was the most common high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection in a cohort in rural Zimbabwe. Whole genome analysis is limited for HPV35; no such studies have been performed in Zimbabwe. Of 648 women in the initial cohort in Zimbabwe, 19 (19/648, 2.9%) tested positive for HPV35, and eight samples were successfully sequenced for HPV35. The maximum number of sequence variants for the whole genome was 58 nucleotides (0.7%) compared to the prototype (58/7879). The maximum number of sequence variants in E6 and E7 was 3 (3/450, 0.7%) 2 (2/300, 0.7%), respectively. These are the first HPV35 whole genome sequences from Zimbabwe, and these data further lend support to the carcinogenicity of HPV35 despite limited sequence heterogeneity. Further studies to determine carcinogenic effects and impact of HPV vaccinations are warranted, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Comparison of tick-borne pathogen prevalence in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in urban areas of Europe
Authors: Grochowska Anna , Milewski Robert , Pancewicz Sławomir , Dunaj Justyna , Czupryna Piotr , Milewska Anna Justyna , Róg-Makal Magdalena , Grygorczuk Sambor , Moniuszko-Malinowska Anna 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTick-borne diseases are a major threat to human and animal health. An increasing number of natural habitats have been transformed into urban areas by human activity; hence, the number of reported tick bites in urban and suburban areas has risen. This retrospective analysis evaluated 53 scientific reports concerning infections of Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from urban and suburban areas of Europe between 1991 and 2017. The results indicate significant differences in many variables, including a higher number of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. The opposite result was observed for Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis infections. A comparison of climate zones revealed that Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infections have the greatest median incidence rate in subtropical climate zones. No statistical significance was found when comparing other tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), such as Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. The analysis also showed significant differences in the overall prevalence of TBPs according to average temperatures and rainfall across Europe. This retrospective study contributes to the knowledge on the occurrence and prevalence of TBPs in urbanized areas of Europe and their dependence on the habitats and geographical distributions of ticks. Due to the increased risk of tick bites, it is of great importance to investigate infections in ticks from urban and suburban areas.
The optimal spatial noise for continuous flash suppression masking is pink
Authors: Drewes Jan , Zhu Weina , Melcher David 
Published: April 2020

AbstractA basic question in cognitive neuroscience is how sensory stimuli are processed within and outside of conscious awareness. In the past decade, CFS has become the most popular tool for investigating unconscious visual processing, although the exact nature of some of the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we investigate which kind of random noise is optimal for CFS masking, and whether the addition of visible edges to noise patterns affects suppression duration. We tested noise patterns of various density as well as composite patterns with added edges, and classic Mondrian masks as well as phase scrambled (edgeless) Mondrian masks for comparison. We find that spatial pink noise (1/F noise) achieved the longest suppression of the tested random noises, however classic Mondrian masks are still significantly more effective in terms of suppression duration. Further analysis reveals that global contrast and general spectral similarity between target and mask cannot account for this difference in effectiveness.
The high protein expression of FOXO3, but not that of FOXO1, is associated with markers of good prognosis
Authors: Lallemand François , Vacher Sophie , de Koning Leanne , Petitalot Ambre , Briaux Adrien , Driouch Keltouma , Callens Céline , Schnitzler Anne , Lecerf Caroline , Oulie-Bard Floriane , Barbet Aurélie , Vincent Anne , Zinn-Justin Sophie , Lopez Bernard S. , Lidereau Rosette , Bieche Ivan , Caputo Sandrine M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTo better define the role of FOXO1 and FOXO3 transcriptional factors in breast carcinogenesis, we performed a comparative study of their expression at both the RNA and protein levels in a series of human breast tumors. We used qRT-PCR assay to quantify mRNA expression and Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA) to quantify protein expression in 218 breast tumors from patients with known clinical/pathological status and outcome. Weak correlations were observed between mRNA and protein expressions for both FOXO1 and FOXO3 genes. High expression of FOXO3 protein, but not FOXO1 protein, was a good prognostic marker, negatively correlated with KI67 and markers of activity of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR oncogenic pathway, and positively correlated with p53, a marker of apoptosis. Moreover, FOXO3 protein expression, but not FOXO1 protein expression, was also negatively correlated with various proteins involved in different DNA repair mechanisms. FOXO3 protein, but not FOXO1 protein, appears to be a tumor suppressor that inhibits breast cancer by altering DNA damage response (DDR), thereby inducing p53-dependent apoptosis. This antitumor effect appears to be suppressed by excessive activity of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. High FOXO3 protein expression could be a biomarker of deficient DDR in breast tumors.
Facile conversion of cis into trans oxane as liquid crystals
Authors: Dong Zhaoheng , Fan Ping , Chen Qun , Chen Chen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTrans-oxanes are important liquid crystals. The commonly used techniques for the synthesis were to react 2-substituted propylene glycols with substituted formaldehydes. Such process produces toxic cis-oxanes, which are harmful to the environment. The cis to trans isomerization of wasted cis-oxanes was studied in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst. The yield of cis to trans conversion was over 70%, which was much higher than 42–69% when traditional methods were employed. The total yield of the new method was increased to 90%. Further investigation of effects of catalysts, reaction times, temperatures on the cis-trans conversion was carried out. Proposed mechanism of this process for the conversion was discussed.
Choosing the Right Differentiation Medium to Develop Mucociliary Phenotype of Primary Nasal Epithelial Cells In Vitro
Authors: Luengen Anja E. , Kniebs Caroline , Buhl Eva Miriam , Cornelissen Christian G. , Schmitz-Rode Thomas , Jockenhoevel Stefan , Thiebes Anja Lena 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn vitro differentiation of airway epithelium is of interest for respiratory tissue engineering and studying airway diseases. Both applications benefit from the use of primary cells to maintain a mucociliated phenotype and thus physiological functionality. Complex differentiation procedures often lack standardization and reproducibility. To alleviate these shortfalls, we compared differentiation behavior of human nasal epithelial cells in four differentiation media. Cells were differentiated at the air-liquid interface (ALI) on collagen-coated inserts. Mucociliary differentiation status after five weeks was analyzed by electron microscopy, histology and immunohistochemistry. The amount of ciliation was estimated and growth factor concentrations were evaluated using ELISA. We found that retinoic-acid-supplemented mixture of DMEM and Airway Epithelial Cell Growth Medium gave most promising results to obtain ciliated and mucus producing nasal epithelium in vitro. We discovered the balance between retinoic acid (RA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor β (FGF-β) to be relevant for differentiation. We could show that low VEGF, EGF and FGF-β concentrations in medium correspond to absent ciliation in specific donors. Therefore, our results may in future facilitate donor selection and non-invasive monitoring of ALI cultures and by this contribute to improved standardization of epithelial in vitro culture.