bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transcriptional profiling reveals molecular basis and the role of arginine in response to low-pH stress in Pichia kudriavzevii
Authors: Ji Hao , Dong Xiameng , Zhang Kailun , Jin Libo , Peng Renyi , Lin sue , Sun Da , Xu Ke 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
BackgroundThe non-conventional yeast Pichia kudriavzevii possesses a unique ability to tolerate various environmental stresses particularly low-pH stress. Thus, it is considered to be a promising biotechnological host for the production of various organic acids under low-pH conditions. However, little is known about the low-pH stress response in P. kudriavzevii, which significantly restricts its future development. ResultsIn this study, P. kudriavzevii JLY1107 showed great tolerance to low-pH stress, but its cell aggregation upon acidic conditions is unfavorable for the development of low-pH fermentation. To explore the molecular basis, we conducted RNA-Seq to compare global gene expression in response to low-pH. Among the 429 differentially expressed genes, the genes associated with regulation of membrane lipid composition, filamentous growth and arginine metabolism were selected for in-depth discussions. The up-regulation of genes associated with arginine uptake and degradation suggests a potential role of arginine in response to low-pH strsss. We therefore present data supporting the hypothesis that P. kudriavzevii maintains intracellular homeostasis by using the ammonia produced by arginine catabolism. Furthermore, external addition of arginine significantly enhances growth and reduces cell aggregation of P. kudriavzevii under low-pH conditions.ConclusionsArginine was demonstrated to be a promising molecule for improving cell growth and preventing cell aggregation under extremely low-pH conditions. Our study is a step towards developing the non-conventional yeast P. kudriavzevii as a platform host for the production of organic acids under low-pH conditions.
NT-4 attenuates neuroinflammation via TrkB/PI3K/FoxO1 pathway after germinal matrix hemorrhage in neonatal rats
Authors: Wang Tianyi , Zhang Junyi , Li Peng , Ding Yan , Tang Jiping , Chen Gang , Zhang John 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: Neuroinflammation plays an important role in pathogenesis of germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH). Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) is a member of the neurotrophin family, and it interacts with the tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) receptor. It has been studied that NT-4 has neuroprotective effects following cerebral ischemia. We aimed to investigate the neuroprotective function of NT-4 and it’s high affinity receptor TrkB as well as its downstream mediator phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) following GMH in neonatal rats, with a specific focus on inflammation. Methods: GMH was induced by intraparenchymal injection of bacterial collagenase (0.3U) in P7 rat pups. A total of 163 seven-day-old pups were used in this study. The recombinant human NT-4 was administered intranasally at 1 hour after the collagenase injection. The selective TrkB antagonist ANA-12, selective PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and FoxO1 activating CRISPR were administered intracerebroventricularly at 24 hours prior to NT-4 treatment to investigate the potential mechanism. Short-and-long-term neurobehavior assessments, immunofluorescence staining, Nissl’s staining and Western blot were performed. Results：The expression of p-TrkB increased after GMH with a peak at day3. The TrkB receptor was expressed by neurons, microglia, and astrocytes. The administration of rh-NT-4 increased phosphorylation of TrkB, expression of PI3K, phosphorylation of Akt and decreased FoxO1, IL-1beta and IL-6 levels. Selective inhibition of TrkB/PI3K/Akt signaling in microglia increased the expression levels of FoxO1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The use of FoxO1 activation CRISPR increased the expression of IL-6, suggesting that FoxO1 might potentially induce pro-inflammatory factors. These results demonstrated that PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 may be the downstream pathway of TrkB phosphorylation. The rat pups treated with rh-NT-4 performed better than untreated animals both in short-and-long-term behavior test. Conclusion：These data showed that rh-NT-4 can reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, improve neurological function, attenuate neuroinflammation and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus after GMH by promoting TrkB/PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 pathway. These results indicated that rh-NT-4 could be a promising therapeutic target to ameliorate neuroinflammation and hydrocephalus after GMH or other similar brain injuries.
The Role of Complement Immune Response on Artemisinin Combination Therapy in a Population from Malaria Endemic Region of Western Kenya
Authors: Wanjala Christine , Bergmann-Leitner Elke , Akala Hoseah M , Odhiambo Geoffrey , Ogutu Bernhards R , Andagalu Ben , Kamau Edwin , Ochiel Daniel 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Naturally acquired immunity which is characterized by protection against overt clinical disease and high parasitemia is acquired with age and transmission intensity. The role of naturally acquired immunity on the efficacy of antimalarial drugs including artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), the first-line treatments for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum has been demonstrated. This study investigated the role of naturally acquired immunity in the response to malaria ACT drug treatment in symptomatic patients living in a malaria high-transmission area of Western Kenya.METHODS: This study used samples obtained from a therapeutic efficacy study conducted in western Kenya, an areas of high transmission which assessed ACTs. Sera samples from malaria immune (n = 105) and naïve participants (n = 6) were assessed for in vitro growth inhibitory activity against 3D7 P. falciparum using a fluorescent-based Growth Inhibition Assay (GIA). Participants’ age and parasite clearance parameters were used in the analysis.RESULTS: The key observations of the study are: (1) Sera with intact complement displayed higher GIA activity at lower serum dilutions; (2) there was significant relationship between GIA activity, parasite clearance rate, and slope half-life; (3) Age was a confounding factor when comparing the GIA activity with parasite clearance kinetics.CONCLUSION: Taken together, this study demonstrates for the first time there is synergy of complement, pre-existing immunity, and drug treatment in younger patients with symptomatic malaria in a high-transmission area.
Characterisation of proliferation, differentiation potential, and gene expression among clonal cultures of human dental pulp cells
Authors: Kobayashi Tomoko , Torii Daisuke , Iwata Takanori , Izumi Yuichi , Nasu Masanori , Tsutsui Takeo W. 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: Mesenchymal stem cells are a highly promising source of cells for regeneration therapy because of their multilineage differentiation potential. However, distinct markers for mesenchymal stem cells are not well-established. To identify new candidate marker genes for multipotent human dental pulp stem cells, we analysed the characteristics and gene expression profiles of cell clones obtained from a single dental pulp specimen.Results: Fifty colony-forming single cell-derived clones were isolated from a single dental pulp specimen. These clones varied in their proliferation abilities and surface marker (STRO-1 and CD146) expression patterns, as well as their odontogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potentials. Four clones maintained their original differentiation potentials during long-term culture. Gene expression profile analysis of five representative clones identified 1227 genes that were related to multipotency. Ninety of these 1227 genes overlapped with genes reportedly involved in ‘stemness or differentiation’. Based on the predicted locations of expressed protein products and large changes in expression levels, 14 of the 90 genes were selected as candidate dental pulp stem cell markers, particularly in relation to their multipotency characteristics.Conclusions: This characterisation of cell clones obtained from a single specimen of human dental pulp provided information regarding new candidate marker genes for multipotent dental pulp stem cells, which could facilitate efficient analysis or enrichment of multipotent stem cells.
Assessment of the ptxD gene as a growth and selective marker in Trichoderma atroviride using Pccg6, a novel constitutive promoter
Authors: Carreras-Villaseñor Nohemi , Rico-Ruiz Guillermo , Lopez-Hernandez Jose Fabricio , Martinez-Hernandez Pedro , Herrera-Estrella Luis , Herrera-Estrella Alfredo , López-Arredondo Damar 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
BackgroundTrichoderma species are among the most effective cell factories to produce recombinant proteins, whose productivity relies on the molecular toolkit and promoters available for the expression of the target protein. Although inducible promoter systems have been developed for producing recombinant proteins in Trichoderma, constitutive promoters are often a desirable alternative. Constitutive promoters are simple to use, do not require external stimuli or chemical inducers to be activated, and lead to purer enzyme preparations. Moreover, most of the promoters for homologous and heterologous expression reported in Trichoderma have been commonly evaluated by directly assessing production of industrial enzymes, requiring optimization of laborious protocols.ResultsHere we report the identification of Pccg6, a novel Trichoderma atroviride constitutive promoter, that has similar transcriptional strength as that of the commonly used pki1 promoter. Pccg6 displayed conserved arrangements of transcription factor binding sites between promoter sequences of Trichoderma ccg6 orthologues genes, potentially involved in their regulatory properties. The predicted ccg6-encoded protein potentially belongs to the SPE1/SPI1 protein family and shares high identity with CCG6 orthologue sequences from other fungal species including Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma virens, Trichoderma asperellum, and lo a lesser extent to that of Neurosposa crassa. We also report the use of the Pccg6 promoter to drive the expression of PTXD, a phosphite oxidoreductase of bacterial origin, which allowed T. atroviride to utilize phosphite as a sole source of phosphorus. We propose ptxD as a growth reporter gene that allows real-time comparison of the functionality of different promoters by monitoring growth of Trichoderma transgenic lines and enzymatic activity of PTXD. Finally, we show that constitutive expression of ptxD provided T. atroviride a competitive advantage to outgrow bacterial contaminants when supplied with phosphite as a sole source of phosphorus.ConclusionsA new constitutive promoter, ccg6, for expression of homologous and heterologous proteins has been identified and tested in T. atroviride by expressing PTXD, which resulted in an effective and visible phenotype to evaluate transcriptional activity of sequence promoters. Use of PTXD as a growth marker holds great potential for assessing activity of other promoters and for biotechnological applications as a contamination control system.
Being A Caregiver In Home Care: Choosing Between The Duty And The Moral Desire Of Taking Care
Authors: Silva Yara Cardoso , Silva Kênia Lara 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: to analyze the process of development of the caregiver in a home care program, focusing on the attributes, feeling and needs of those individuals. Methods: regarding our method, we made use of a qualitative research, which has been carried out at the Home Care Service of Belo Horizonte. The data has been collected through interviews performed with all the 7 caregivers and 6 healthcare practitioners. All the info has been analyzed under the scope of the the discourse analysis research method. Results: the caregiver acts with his/her heart, he/she listens and looks very carefully and attentively. Care is characterized by an intense and permanent process of conflict between the duty due to the assingned functions and the moral desisre of taking care of other human beings. Those two dimensions can be expressed sometimes by affection, gratitude and solidarity, but, in other times, it is guided by duty, resulting in work overload and concerns that make the caregiver unique in his/her moral condition. Conclusion: the person in charge of being a caregiver finds himself/herself surrounded by feelings and responsibilities, in a heavy load of relationships that are shaped by the subjective and subjectfying experiences, which makes critical the implementation of supportive social networks to aid the caregivers. keywords: Caregiver; Home Care Services; Home Care.
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae-derived lipid-associated membrane proteins induce cytokine secretion in mouse peritoneal macrophages through TLR2 signalling
Authors: Bai Fan , Wu Jindi , Liu Bo , Wang Xiaohui , Shi Xiaona , Lv Tianxing , Wang Yanfang , Hao Yongqing 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi) is the causal pathogen of chronic non-progressive pneumonia infections in sheep, goats, bighorn, and wild small ruminants. However, the mechanism of infection and immune response to M. ovi remain unclear. Invading microbes express lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) on the cell surface that interact with host cells to facilitate infection, and are thus the major molecules recognised by the host immune system. Upon LAMP recognition, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and NLRP3 inflammasome sense the pathogens and signalling pathways for cytokine secretion. In this study, we investigated whether M. ovi and M. ovi-derived LAMPs are immunobiologically active compounds capable of activating mouse peritoneal macrophages and explored the underlying mechanism. Results: After infection of wild-type mice with M. ovi, the expression of TLR2 and NLRP3 at the transcription and translational levels was determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry. In addition, the cytokine levels and associated pathways were detected in infected wild-type, Tlr2-/-, and Nlrp3-/- mice via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assaying and western blotting. The nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways were found to mediate the expression of inflammatory cytokines in M. ovi or M. ovi-derived LAMPs-infected peritoneal macrophages, and cytokines were not induced in Tlr2-/- and/or Nlrp3-/- macrophages. Conclusion: Host cytokine production is activated in response to M. ovi-derived LAMPs through the NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathway via TLR2.
Two novel protein chips for the detection of antibodies against porcine parvovirus
Authors: Wu Yue , Wu Xudan , Hou Jinxiu , Chen Xiongnan , Huang Xiaobo , Zhou Bin 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: PPV is one of the most important pathogens causing porcine reproductive disorder. It has been shown in clinical cases to be a commonly mixed infection with other important swine diseases which can aggravate the severity of the disease and bring serious economic losses to the pig industry. Serological methods, such as hemagglutination inhibition assays (HAI), serum neutralization (SN), and the modified direct complement-fixation (MDCF) test were utilized earlier, whereas the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the most frequently applied assay to detect PPV-specific antibodies Results: We establish the visible protein chip and the cyanine dye 3 (Cy3)-labeled protein chip to detect the clinical serum from pigs. In this study, the recombinant protein VP2 of PPV was expressed in E.coli, purified with nickel magnetic beads, and then printed onto epoxy-coated glass slides for preparation of the protein chip. After a series of experiments, the conditions of antigen protein concentration, incubation time of primary antibody or secondary antibody, and optimal serum dilution fold were optimized, resulting in a successful visible protein chip and Cy3-labeled protein chip. The results showed that the positive serum, diluted up to 6000-fold, can be detected by the visible protein chip, and the positive serum, diluted up to 12,800-fold, can be detected by the Cy3-labeled protein chip, suggesting the high sensitivity of these protein chips. Moreover, the positive detection ratio, sensitivity, and specificity of these two kinds of protein chips were higher than those of commercial ELISA antibody detection kits.Conclusion: Overall, these two protein chips can be used to rapidly diagnose clinical samples with high throughput. Key words: Protein chip; Porcine parvovirus (PPV); Antibody detection; Clinical serum
Does obesity affect cognitive functions in middle-aged adulthood? A comparative study in Sri Lanka
Authors: Ariyasinghe Pushpika , Kumara Ruwan , Alexander Daham , Senarathna Harsha , Kasthuri Sunethra , Galgamuwa Lahiru Sandaruwan , Karunathilaka Nimantha , Warnakulasuriya Sudath 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background Cognition is the collection of an intellectual process, such as perception, thinking, reasoning and remembering for goal-directed behaviors. Recent studies have shown that obesity associated with poor cognitive functions (CFs). However, this association is not known in the Sri Lankan context. The objective was to determine the association of cognitive function and obesity among middle-aged adults in Colombo district, Sri LankaMethods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 middle-aged adults aged 50-60 years in a selected MOH division in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Generalized and central obesity were determined using the WHO cutoff of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) values. CFs were assessed using validated Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) tools.Results The study sample consisted 83 subjects of each obese and normal weight categories while 50% were females. Obese middle-aged adults showed significantly lower CF scores in both MoCA and MMSE compared to the normal-weight adults. In addition, lower MMSE scores were significantly associated with high WHR values. Education level of the obese people was a significant predictor of the cognitive functions.Conclusion Obese middle-aged adults had poor cognition compared with their normal-weight subjects. Therefore, remedial actions need to be taken to overcome adulthood obesity for better neuropsychological functions in the brain.
A Comparison of Shisha Smoking among University students in Palestine, Jordan and Turkey
Authors: Hawash Mohammed , Mosleh Rami , Hanani Ahmad , Jarar Yazun , Hajyousef Yousef 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: Smoking is one of the main causes that is related to lung cancer. It was estimated that tobacco smoking may kill 10 million people annually in the next 20–30 years, and Shisha smoking was very common habit worldwide during the last 20 years, especially in the Middle East. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of shisha smoking and make a comparison between three different countries in the Middle East, and establishing factors associated with shisha smoking among students in universities in Palestine, Jordan and Turkey. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was carried out among university students from 3 different Middle East countries; Palestine, Jordan, and Turkey. A total of 812 students were selected for the study. They were asked to answer an online structured questionnaire consisted of questions concerning prevalence and patterns of Shisha smoking, and associated factors. Data was analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: The overall prevalence of Shisha smoking was 31.77%. Less than quarter of university students (21.67%) had smoked shisha before. The highest percentage of current Shisha smokers were Palestinians (36.11%), and lowest percentage was from Turkey (20.23%). Approximately 43% of Shisha smokers believe that they will be addicted to Shisha smoking and almost half of them smoke Shisha daily. Approximately, 66% of Jordanian students’ current Shisha smokers were smoking shisha at least once daily while the 44% of Turkish students’ current shisha smokers were smoking shisha once monthly. The highest percentage of Shisha smokers were university students aged 25 years old and above. However, highest percentages of university students who are Shisha smokers were low monthly income’s students. The university students living with their families were smoking Shisha less frequently than students’ living in private residencies. Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of Shisha smoking among university students. The highest percentage of university students smoking Shisha were Palestinians. High percentage of smokers between the students believes that they will be addicted to Shisha smoking. The majority of current Shisha smokers was smoking Shisha daily; especially in Jordan and followed by Palestine. The monthly income was affecting the prevalence of Shisha smoking.
Evaluation of gastric polyps in patients with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
Authors: Zheng Lie , Wen Xinli , Dai Yan-Cheng , QianTu Xiao-Xiao , He Hai-Feng , Zhang Ya-Li 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
BACKGROUNDAccording to the study population, incidence of gastric polyps (GP) varies from 0.33% to 6.7% in various studies. Most GPs consist of proliferative polyps (HP), gastric fundus polyps (FGP) and adenomatous polyps (APs). Despite the high malignant AP potential, sporadic FGP has no malignant potential. On the contrary, HP has a lower risk of potential harm. It is not sufficient to perform biopsies to determine the presence of polyp types and displacements, therefore, some polyps may require extensive biopsy or complete resection. METHODS This retrospective study included GP patients or polyphenic lesions with polyps or malignant histology found in polyps or gastroscopy at the Department of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 2017 to 2019.RESULTSIn a series of 10.000 upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, 384 patients (0.38%) were found to have GPs. Of these patients, 98 (25.5) were male and 286(74.5) were female. The average age of the patients was 62.8 ± 10.4 (36-75) years. HP, AP and FGP frequencies were 88.5%, 5.2% and 2.1%, respectively. The polyp size of 274 (71.3%) patients was ≤ 1 cm. Polyp was identified in 262 (68.2%) patients. The most common polyps are the antrum and the corpus. Endoscopic respiratory polypectomy was performed on 128 patients. Bleeding events have been observed and endoscopic treatment is required after ESP.CONCLUSIONIn current study, GP frequency was low (0.38%), and HP frequency may be high due to high frequency of Helicobacter pylori (HPy) infection in China. Due to the high frequency of HPy infection and the short-term use of proton pump use, FGP frequency may be low.