bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cathelicidin‐related antimicrobial peptide alleviates alcoholic liver disease through inhibiting inflammasome activation
Authors: Li Fengyuan , Zhao Cuiqing , Shao Tuo , Liu Yunhuan , Gu Zelin , Jiang Mengwei , Li Huimin , Zhang Lihua , Gillevet Patrick M , Puri Puneet , Deng Zhong‐Bin , Chen Shao‐Yu , Barve Shirish , Gobejishvili Leila , Vatsalya Vatsalya , McClain Craig J , Feng Wenke 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAlcoholic liver disease (ALD) is associated with gut dysbiosis and hepatic inflammasome activation. While it is known that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play a critical role in the regulation of bacterial homeostasis in ALD, the functional role of AMPs in the alcohol‐induced inflammasome activation is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of cathelicidin‐related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) on inflammasome activation in ALD. CRAMP knockout (Camp−/−) and wild‐type (WT) mice were subjected to binge‐on‐chronic alcohol feeding and synthetic CRAMP peptide was administered. Serum/plasma and hepatic tissue samples from human subjects with alcohol use disorder and/or alcoholic hepatitis were analyzed. CRAMP deficiency exacerbated ALD with enhanced inflammasome activation as shown by elevated serum interleukin (IL)‐1β levels. Although Camp−/− mice had comparable serum endotoxin levels compared to WT mice after alcohol feeding, hepatic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein (LBP) and cluster of differentiation (CD) 14 were increased. Serum levels of uric acid (UA), a Signal 2 molecule in inflammasome activation, were positively correlated with serum levels of IL‐1β in alcohol use disorder patients with ALD and were increased in Camp−/− mice fed alcohol. In vitro studies showed that CRAMP peptide inhibited LPS binding to macrophages and inflammasome activation stimulated by a combination of LPS and UA. Synthetic CRAMP peptide administration decreased serum UA and IL‐1β concentrations and rescued the liver from alcohol‐induced damage in both WT and Camp−/− mice. In summary, CRAMP exhibited a protective role against binge‐on‐chronic alcohol‐induced liver damage via regulation of inflammasome activation by decreasing LPS binding and UA production. CRAMP administration may represent a novel strategy for treating ALD. © 2020 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quality of life in parents of childhood leukemia survivors. A French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study for Leukemia study
Authors: Vercasson Camille , Auquier Pascal , Michel Gérard , Bertrand Yves , Ansoborlo Sophie , Tabone Marie‐Dominique , Leverger Guy , Gandemer Virginie , Baruchel André , Contet Audrey , Dalle Jean‐Hugues , Paillard Catherine , Poirée Maryline , Thouvenin‐Doulet Sandrine , Sirvent Nicolas , Kanold Justyna , Freycon Claire , Hamidou Zeinab , Berbis Julie 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIntroductionOur objectives were to assess the quality of life (QoL) of parents of childhood leukemia survivors compared with population norms and to identify the determinants of parents’ long‐term QoL.MethodsParents of minors who had survived childhood leukemia participating in the French LEA cohort (Leucémie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent—French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study for Leukemia) were asked to complete the French version of the WHOQOL‐BREF. Results were compared with age‐ and sex‐matched values from a French reference population. Parents’ and survivors’ characteristics likely to be associated with QoL, long after the child's leukemia diagnosis, were explored using multivariate analysis.ResultsWe included 487 parents (mean age 42.9 ± 6.0 years, mean follow‐up time from diagnosis 7.3 ± 3.3 years). Compared with the reference population, scores for physical health and social relationships for parents of childhood leukemia survivors were significantly lower (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.24 and P < 0.001, effect size = 0.29, respectively) contrary to scores for psychological health which were significantly higher (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.29). Even if health‐ and cancer‐related characteristics were associated with parents’ QoL in some dimensions, the only factor associated with each of the three dimensions (social relationships, physical health, and psychological) in the multivariate analysis was the parent's financial situation.ConclusionsLong after leukemia diagnosis, the parents reported lower scores in the physical health and social relationship domains. Despite the difficulties of actually influencing socioeconomic characteristics, it is important to consider the social situation of each family in the long‐term care of survivors and their families.
Very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets and diabetes
Authors: Dyson Pamela 
Published: August 2020

AbstractVery low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) have been widely promoted for the management of diabetes. There is confusion among people with diabetes and health professionals about the efficacy and safety of these diets and this review aimed to explore the role of VLCKD for people with diabetes.An electronic search of English language articles was performed using MEDLINE (1980 to January 2020), EMBASE (1980 to January 2020) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1980 to January 2020). Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) >12 weeks duration comparing VLCKD, defined as <50g carbohydrate/day, with higher carbohydrate intakes in people at risk of or with diagnosed diabetes were included. Primary outcomes included HbA1c and weight and secondary outcomes were lipid concentrations.There were no RCTs examining the role of VLCKD for diabetes prevention. Two RCTs in diagnosed type 2 diabetes reported significant weight loss, but outcomes for glycaemic control and lipid concentrations were inconsistent. There were no RCTs in people with type 1 diabetes, although observational trials reported lower HbA1c, with a high prevalence of dyslipidaemia and hypoglycaemia.A lack of high‐quality evidence limits the use of VLCKD in people with diabetes. Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons.
Prebiotics and type 2 diabetes: targeting the gut microbiota for improved glycaemic control?
Authors: Robertson M Denise 
Published: August 2020

AbstractChanges to the gut microbiota are reported in type 2 diabetes. The activity of the microbiota is integral in maintaining intestinal barrier function, disruption to which is proposed as a risk factor for the low‐grade inflammation associated with insulin resistance. Can we target the microbiota through diet, and more specifically with prebiotics to improve barrier function and ultimately glycaemic control? This narrative review will discuss the evidence for barrier dysfunction in human type 2 diabetes and outline the recent evidence from clinical trials investigating the efficacy of prebiotics in glucose management. Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons.
Virtual consultations: are we missing anything?
Authors: Kilvert Anne , Wilmot Emma G , Davies Mark , Fox Charles 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in a rapid transfer of most diabetes care from face to face clinics to virtual consultations, and in general the response from people with diabetes and health professionals is positive. Advantages include saving time, travel and time off work. Disadvantages relate mainly to technological barriers but include increased difficulty in recognising and addressing emotional distress if non‐verbal clues are lost.People report that there is more focus on glucose levels and in this sense the consultations are more ‘efficient’. However, emotional issues may be more difficult to identify, particularly if the consultation is phone‐based. Diabetes distress and other diabetes‐related psychological issues are well recognised but people may be wary about discussing them remotely with a health care professional. To address this, the consultation should focus on the agenda of the person with diabetes, in particular life events or emotional difficulties that may be a barrier to good glucose control.Virtual consultations are certain to become a mainstay of future diabetes care but will not be suitable for everyone. First meetings should be face to face wherever possible to establish rapport; continuity of care is essential to maintain this. Access to technology, safeguarding issues and personal preference all influence suitability for virtual follow up. Training should be offered to diabetes professionals to help them get the most out of a virtual consultation. Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons.
Chromosome duplication causing gene‐dosage‐based effects on the gene expression level in Gossypium hirsutum‐Gossypium australe addition lines
Authors: Feng Shouli , Xu Min , Guo Haiyue , Liu Fujie , Cui Changjiang , Zhao Ting , Zhou Baoliang 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPolyploidization, or whole‐genome duplication, leads to gene expression changes that drive the evolution of many plants and some animals. However, the role of the dosage effect on gene expression changes following genome duplication remains unclear. Here, several Gossypium hirsutum‐Gossypium australe alien chromosome addition lines (ALs) were developed that contained a single (MA) or a pair (DA) of G. australe chromosomes on the G. hirsutum background, which can be regarded as a G. australe chromosome duplication, to mimic genome duplication and to elucidate the short‐term effects of chromosome duplication on gene expression changes. Therefore, the profile of G. australe gene expression was investigated in three pairs of MAs and DAs (2G, 3G, and 7G). Our results suggest that dosage‐dependent and ‐independent genes are enriched with genes of different functional categories. The dosage‐dependent genes were enriched in primary metabolic activities; whereas the dosage‐independent genes were enriched in stress responses, cell signaling, and the endomembrane system. Implication on possible differences in dosage‐dependent and independent genes in employing cis‐ and trans‐regulation are also discussed. These results will provide new insights into the mechanisms by which gene‐dosage affects expression changes induced by genome duplications.
Accelerating gene function discovery by rapid phenotyping of fatty acid composition and oil content of single transgenic T1 Arabidopsis and camelina seeds
Authors: Ma Shijie , Du Chang , Ohlrogge John , Zhang Meng 
Published: August 2020

AbstractArabidopsis is wildly used as a model plant and camelina is increasingly used for oilseed research and applications. Although the Arabidopsis genome has been sequenced for two decades, the functions of many lipid‐related genes and their regulators have not been well characterized. Improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of gene investigations are key to effective discovery of gene function and downstream bioengineering of plant oil quantity and quality. In this study, a visible marker was used to quickly identify transgenic T1 seeds and a method has been developed to phenotype fatty acid compositions and oil content of single T1 seeds. A whole seed direct transmethylation method was first optimized with multiple seeds and incubation at 85°C for 2 hours in a transmethylation solvent (5% H2SO4 in methanol with 30% toluene cosolvent) is recommended. Based on this method, a single Arabidopsis seed mini‐transmethylation (SAST) method has been established in a 1.5 ml GC sample vial with 200 μl transmethylation solvent. Characteristics of the method were evaluated and it was used to phenotype transgenic T1 seeds expressing AtFAD2 or RcWRI1. Our results indicate that fatty acid composition of T1 individual seeds are consistent with those of pools of multiple seeds from higher generations. However, oil content per individual seed varied substantially and therefore pooling five seeds is recommended for phenotyping oil content of T1 seeds. Additionally, a whole camelina single‐seed direct transmethylation was evaluated and results confirm its feasibility. The suitability of partial seed analysis of camelina was investigated but variation in composition of different seed tissues limits this approach.
Quantity not sufficient rates and delays in sweat testing in US infants with cystic fibrosis
Authors: McColley Susanna A. , Elbert Alexander , Wu Runyu , Ren Clement L. , Sontag Marci K. , LeGrys Vicky A. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundDiagnostic sweat testing is required for infants with positive newborn‐screening (NBS) tests for cystic fibrosis (CF). Infants have “quantity not sufficient” (QNS) sweat volumes more often than older children. A comprehensive study of QNS sweat volumes in infants has not previously been reported.MethodsWe surveyed US CF Centers to obtain QNS rates in all infants who had sweat testing at under 14 days and under 3 months of age. We then calculated QNS rates reported to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry (CFFPR) 2010‐2018 in 10‐day increments from 1 to 60 days of life. We compared QNS sweat test rates in preterm (<37‐weeks gestational age) vs term infants. We assessed age at sweat test and proportion of infants who did not have a sweat test reported by 60 days of age.ResultsThirty‐nine of 144 (27%) of CF Centers reported a mean QNS rate of 10.5% (range, 0‐100) in infants 14‐days‐old or younger. CFFPR data showed the highest QNS rates in the youngest infants and in those born before 37 weeks of gestation. The median age at sweat testing decreased over time, but more than 22% of infants did not have a sweat test reported by 60 days.ConclusionHigher QNS rates are seen in the youngest infants with CF, but more than 80% of infants younger than 2 weeks of age have adequate sweat volumes. Sweat testing should not be delayed in infants with a positive CF NBS test.
Conserved tryptophan mutation disrupts structure and function of immunoglobulin domain revealing unusual tyrosine fluorescence
Authors: Vattepu Ravi , Klausmeyer Rachel A. , Ayella Allan , Yadav Rahul , Dille Joseph T. , Saiz Stan V. , Beck Moriah R. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractImmunoglobulin (Ig) domains are the most prevalent protein domain structure and share a highly conserved folding pattern; however, this structural family of proteins is also the most diverse in terms of biological roles and tissue expression. Ig domains vary significantly in amino acid sequence but share a highly conserved tryptophan in the hydrophobic core of this beta‐stranded protein. Palladin is an actin binding and bundling protein that has five Ig domains and plays an important role in normal cell adhesion and motility. Mutation of the core tryptophan in one Ig domain of palladin has been identified in a pancreatic cancer cell line, suggesting a crucial role for this sole tryptophan in palladin Ig domain structure, stability, and function. We found that actin binding and bundling was not completely abolished with removal of this tryptophan despite a partially unfolded structure and significantly reduced stability of the mutant Ig domain as shown by circular dichroism investigations. In addition, this mutant palladin domain displays a tryptophan‐like fluorescence attributed to an anomalous tyrosine emission at 341 nm. Our results indicate that this emission originates from a tyrosinate that may be formed in the excited ground state by proton transfer to a nearby aspartic acid residue. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of tryptophan in protein structural stability and illustrates how tyrosinate emission contributions may be overlooked during the interpretation of the fluorescence properties of proteins.
Guidelines for integrating process safety into engineering projects
Authors: Broadribb Michael P. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article describes a new guideline book that the Center for Chemical Process Safety has published on integrating process safety into engineering projects. Engineering projects in the process industry are temporary endeavors generally undertaken to create a new or modified facility and vary widely in scope and size ranging from large capital projects to small management of change works. The main focus of the guidelines is on proactively implementing process safety activities at the optimum timeframe, while also reactively conducting “cold eyes” reviews to provide assurance that nothing significant has been missed. This approach ensures that if the right process safety activities are conducted at the right time, project leadership will have the right (process safety) information in order to be able to make the right risk management decisions regarding safety. Process safety in engineering projects involves leadership, managers, engineers, operating and maintenance personnel, contractors, vendors, suppliers, and support staff. Therefore, these guidelines were prepared for a wide audience.
Exploring the potential and limitations of weak‐constraint 4D‐Var
Authors: Laloyaux P. , Bonavita M. , Chrust M. , Gürol S. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe standard formulation of 4D‐Var assumes random zero‐mean errors for all sources of information used in the analysis. This assumption is usually not well verified in real‐world applications. The performance of a weak‐constraint 4D‐Var formulation ("forcing" formulation) is studied in this paper in a simplified experimental setting using additive model errors of different length‐scales and observing systems of different coverage and accuracy. A set of twin experiments is carried out and results show that weak‐constraint 4D‐Var can accurately estimate the actual model errors and the initial state only when background and model errors have different spatial scales and when the observations are unbiased and spatially homogeneous. We also present preliminary results from a different weak‐constraint 4D‐Var formulation ("state" formulation) which could in principle overcome some of these limitations, but at the cost of a substantial increase of computational and memory requirements. These findings help identify the potential but also the intrinsic limitations of the weak‐constraint 4D‐Var approach. They also help to clarify the experimental results seen in the operational ECMWF analysis system where the analysis and first‐guess temperature bias is reduced by up to 50% in the stratosphere.
Representation of the Scandinavia–Greenland pattern and its relationship with the polar vortex in S2S forecast models
Authors: Lee Simon H. , Charlton‐Perez Andrew J. , Furtado Jason C. , Woolnough Steven J. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe strength of the stratospheric polar vortex is a key contributor to subseasonal prediction during boreal winter. Anomalously weak polar vortex events can be induced by enhanced vertically propagating Rossby waves from the troposphere, driven by blocking and wave breaking. Here, we analyse a tropospheric pattern—the Scandinavia–Greenland (S–G) pattern—associated with both processes. The S–G pattern is defined as the second empirical orthogonal function (EOF) of mean sea‐level pressure in the northeast Atlantic. The first EOF is a zonal pattern resembling the North Atlantic Oscillation. We show that the S–G pattern is associated with a transient amplification of planetary wavenumber 2 and meridional eddy heat flux, followed by the onset of a weakened polar vortex, which persists for the next two months. We then analyse 10 different models from the S2S database, finding that, while all models represent the structure of the S–G pattern well, some models have a zonal bias with more than the observed variability in their first EOF, and accordingly less in their second EOF. This bias is largest in the models with the lowest resolution. Skill in predicting the S–G pattern is not high beyond week 2 in any model, in contrast to the zonal pattern. We find that the relationship between the S–G pattern and enhanced eddy heat flux and a weakened polar vortex is initially well represented, but decays significantly with lead time in most S2S models. Our results motivate improved representation of the S–G pattern and its stratospheric response at longer lead times for improved subseasonal prediction of the stratospheric polar vortex.
Melioidosis—role of endobronchial ultrasound
Authors: Subramanian Santhakumar , Jaganathan Venugopal , Hari Deepak T. , Thangaraju Deepak 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMelioidosis is a Gram‐negative bacterial disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. It has got an increasing prevalence in India, although it is not endemic in the country. Rarely, this disease may pose a diagnostic dilemma, because of its similarities with tuberculosis in clinical, radiological, and pathological features. Mediastinal lymphadenopathy as a presentation is rare in melioidosis. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) could be a useful technique in obtaining samples from necrotic mediastinal lesions. We report three cases of mediastinal melioidosis where EBUS‐guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) aided in early diagnosis.
Late‐lumping fuzzy boundary geometric control of nonlinear partial differential systems
Authors: Raab Sadia , Habbi Hacene , Maidi Ahmed 
Published: August 2020

SummaryIn this article, a fuzzy boundary geometric controller that stabilizes a class of nonlinear distributed parameter systems (DPSs) is proposed. The design procedure relies on the use of Takagi‐Sugeno (T‐S) type fuzzy partial differential equation (PDE) model, which approximates the dynamical behavior of the nonlinear DPS. The T‐S fuzzy PDE model is constructed through “fuzzy blending” of local linear PDE models of infinite characteristic indexes. This is a challenging task in the design procedure of fuzzy PDE model‐based boundary controller in the framework of the well‐established geometric control theory. To overcome this constraint, it is proposed in this article to resort to the concept of extended operator in order to transform the T‐S fuzzy PDE model with boundary control to an equivalent fuzzy PDE model with punctual control and finite characteristic index. Based on the developed fuzzy model, a fuzzy boundary geometric controller is derived and sufficient conditions of exponential stability of the resulting closed‐loop system are established by employing the Lyapunov direct method. The stabilizing performance of the proposed fuzzy PDE model‐based boundary geometric controller is evaluated on benchmark control problems and compared with other existing control methods via numerical simulations.