bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PmAP2-β depletion enhanced activation of the Toll signaling pathway during yellow head virus infection in the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon
Authors: Jatuyosporn Thapanan , Laohawutthichai Pasunee , Supungul Premruethai , Sotelo-Mundo Rogerio R. , Ochoa-Leyva Adrian , Tassanakajon Anchalee , Krusong Kuakarun 
Published: May 2021

AbstractYellow head virus (YHV) is a pathogen which causes high mortality in penaeid shrimp. Previous studies suggested that YHV enters shrimp cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This research investigated the roles of clathrin adaptor protein 2 subunit β (AP-2β) from Penaeus monodon during YHV infection. PmAP2-β was continuously up-regulated more than twofold during 6–36 hpi. Suppression of PmAP2-β significantly reduced YHV copy numbers and delayed shrimp mortality. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that knockdown of PmAP2-β significantly enhanced the expression level of PmSpätzle, a signaling ligand in the Toll pathway, by 30-fold at 6 and 12 hpi. Moreover, the expression levels of gene components in the Imd and JAK/STAT signaling pathways under the suppression of PmAP2-β during YHV infection were also investigated. Interestingly, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor isoform 3 (ALFPm3) was up-regulated by 40-fold in PmAP2-β knockdown shrimp upon YHV infection. In addition, silencing of PmAP2-β dramatically enhanced crustinPm1 expression in YHV-infected shrimp. Knockdown of ALFPm3 and crustinPm1 significantly reduced shrimp survival rate. Taken together, this work suggested that PmAP2-β-deficiency promoted the Toll pathway signalings, resulting in elevated levels of ALFPm3 and crustinPm1, the crucial antimicrobial peptides in defence against YHV.
The chemical defensome of five model teleost fish
Authors: Eide Marta , Zhang Xiaokang , Karlsen Odd André , Goldstone Jared V. , Stegeman John , Jonassen Inge , Goksøyr Anders 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHow an organism copes with chemicals is largely determined by the genes and proteins that collectively function to defend against, detoxify and eliminate chemical stressors. This integrative network includes receptors and transcription factors, biotransformation enzymes, transporters, antioxidants, and metal- and heat-responsive genes, and is collectively known as the chemical defensome. Teleost fish is the largest group of vertebrate species and can provide valuable insights into the evolution and functional diversity of defensome genes. We have previously shown that the xenosensing pregnane x receptor (pxr, nr1i2) is lost in many teleost species, including Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), but it is not known if compensatory mechanisms or signaling pathways have evolved in its absence. In this study, we compared the genes comprising the chemical defensome of five fish species that span the teleosteii evolutionary branch often used as model species in toxicological studies and environmental monitoring programs: zebrafish (Danio rerio), medaka (Oryzias latipes), Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), Atlantic cod, and three-spined stickleback. Genome mining revealed evolved differences in the number and composition of defensome genes that can have implication for how these species sense and respond to environmental pollutants, but we did not observe any candidates of compensatory mechanisms or pathways in cod and stickleback in the absence of pxr. The results indicate that knowledge regarding the diversity and function of the defensome will be important for toxicological testing and risk assessment studies.
A microfluidic chip enables fast analysis of water microplastics by optical spectroscopy
Authors: Elsayed Ahmed A. , Erfan Mazen , Sabry Yasser M. , Dris Rachid , Gaspéri Johnny , Barbier Jean-Sébastien , Marty Frédéric , Bouanis Fatima , Luo Shaobo , Nguyen Binh T. T. , Liu Ai-Qun , Tassin Bruno , Bourouina Tarik 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMicroplastics contaminating drinking water is a growing issue that has been the focus of a few recent studies, where a major bottleneck is the time-consuming analysis. In this work, a micro-optofluidic platform is proposed for fast quantification of microplastic particles, the identification of their chemical nature and size, especially in the 1–100 µm size range. Micro-reservoirs ahead of micro-filters are designed to accumulate all trapped solid particles in an ultra-compact area, which enables fast imaging and optical spectroscopy to determine the plastic nature and type. Furthermore, passive size sorting is implemented for splitting the particles according to their size range in different reservoirs. Besides, flow cytometry is used as a reference method for retrieving the size distribution of samples, where chemical nature information is lost. The proof of concept of the micro-optofluidic platform is validated using model samples where standard plastic particles of different size and chemical nature are mixed.
Neuromodulation and neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acids in excitatory synapses of mouse hippocampal slices
Authors: Fernandes Mara Yone D. , Dobrachinski Fernando , Silva Henrique B. , Lopes João Pedro , Gonçalves Francisco Q. , Soares Felix A. A. , Porciúncula Lisiane O. , Andrade Geanne M. , Cunha Rodrigo A. , Tomé Angelo R. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe increased healthspan afforded by coffee intake provides novel opportunities to identify new therapeutic strategies. Caffeine has been proposed to afford benefits through adenosine A2A receptors, which can control synaptic dysfunction underlying some brain disease. However, decaffeinated coffee and other main components of coffee such as chlorogenic acids, also attenuate brain dysfunction, although it is unknown if they control synaptic function. We now used electrophysiological recordings in mouse hippocampal slices to test if realistic concentrations of chlorogenic acids directly affect synaptic transmission and plasticity. 3-(3,4-dihydroxycinnamoyl)quinic acid (CA, 1–10 μM) and 5-O-(trans-3,4-dihydroxycinnamoyl)-D-quinic acid (NCA, 1–10 μM) were devoid of effect on synaptic transmission, paired-pulse facilitation or long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in Schaffer collaterals-CA1 pyramidal synapses. However, CA and NCA increased the recovery of synaptic transmission upon re-oxygenation following 7 min of oxygen/glucose deprivation, an in vitro ischemia model. Also, CA and NCA attenuated the shift of LTD into LTP observed in hippocampal slices from animals with hippocampal-dependent memory deterioration after exposure to β-amyloid 1–42 (2 nmol, icv), in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. These findings show that chlorogenic acids do not directly affect synaptic transmission and plasticity but can indirectly affect other cellular targets to correct synaptic dysfunction. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of action of chlorogenic acids will allow the design of hitherto unrecognized novel neuroprotective strategies.
Diurnal evolution of urban tree temperature at a city scale
Authors: Vo Thuy Trang , Hu Leiqiu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDespite the importance of urban trees’ surface temperature in assessing micro-climate interactions between trees and the surrounding environment, their diurnal evolution has been largely understudied at a city-wide scale due to a lack of effective thermal observations. By downscaling ECOSTRESS land surface temperature imaginary over New York City, we provide the first diurnal analysis of city-scale canopy temperature. Research reveals a remarkable spatial variation of the canopy temperature during daytime up to 5.6 K (standard deviation, STD), while the nighttime STD remains low at 1.7 K. Further, our analysis shows that the greenspace coverage and distance to bluespaces play an important role in cooling the local canopy during daytime, explaining 25.0–41.1% of daytime spatial variation of canopy temperatures while surrounding buildings modulate canopy temperature asymmetrically diurnally: reduced daytime warming and reduced nocturnal cooling. Built on space-borne observations and a flexible yet robust statistical method, our research design can be easily transferable to explore urban trees’ response to local climate across cities, highlighting the potentials of advancing the science and technologies for urban forest management.
A rich gallery of carbon dots based photoluminescent suspensions and powders derived by citric acid/urea
Authors: Stachowska Joanna D. , Murphy Andrew , Mellor Claire , Fernandes Diogo , Gibbons Ella N. , Krysmann Marta J. , Kelarakis Antonios , Burgaz Engin , Moore Joshua , Yeates Stephen G. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this study we demonstrate simple guidelines to generate a diverse range of fluorescent materials in both liquid and solid state by focusing on the most popular C-dots precursors, i.e. the binary systems of citric acid and urea. The pyrolytic treatment of those precursors combined with standard size separation techniques (dialysis and filtration), leads to four distinct families of photoluminescent materials in which the emissive signal predominantly arises from C-dots with embedded fluorophores, cyanuric acid-rich C-dots, a blend of molecular fluorophores and a mixture of C-dots with unbound molecular fluorophores, respectively. Within each one of those families the chemical composition and the optical properties of their members can be fine-tuned by adjusting the molar ratio of the reactants. Apart from generating a variety of aqueous dispersions, our approach leads to highly fluorescent powders derived from precursors comprising excessive amounts of urea that is consumed for the build-up of the carbogenic cores, the molecular fluorophores and the solid diluent matrix that suppresses self-quenching effects.
Spaceflight and hind limb unloading induces an arthritic phenotype in knee articular cartilage and menisci of rodents
Authors: Kwok Andy T. , Mohamed Nequesha S. , Plate Johannes F. , Yammani Raghunatha R. , Rosas Samuel , Bateman Ted A. , Livingston Eric , Moore Joseph E. , Kerr Bethany A. , Lee Jingyun , Furdui Cristina M. , Tan Li , Bouxsein Mary L. , Ferguson Virginia L. , Stodieck Louis S. , Zawieja David C. , Delp Michael D. , Mao Xiao W. , Willey Jeffrey S. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractReduced knee weight-bearing from prescription or sedentary lifestyles are associated with cartilage degradation; effects on the meniscus are unclear. Rodents exposed to spaceflight or hind limb unloading (HLU) represent unique opportunities to evaluate this question. This study evaluated arthritic changes in the medial knee compartment that bears the highest loads across the knee after actual and simulated spaceflight, and recovery with subsequent full weight-bearing. Cartilage and meniscal degradation in mice were measured via microCT, histology, and proteomics and/or biochemically after: (1) ~ 35 days on the International Space Station (ISS); (2) 13-days aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis; or (3) 30 days of HLU, followed by a 49-day weight-bearing readaptation with/without exercise. Cartilage degradation post-ISS and HLU occurred at similar spatial locations, the tibial-femoral cartilage-cartilage contact point, with meniscal volume decline. Cartilage and meniscal glycosaminoglycan content were decreased in unloaded mice, with elevated catabolic enzymes (e.g., matrix metalloproteinases), and elevated oxidative stress and catabolic molecular pathway responses in menisci. After the 13-day Shuttle flight, meniscal degradation was observed. During readaptation, recovery of cartilage volume and thickness occurred with exercise. Reduced weight-bearing from either spaceflight or HLU induced an arthritic phenotype in cartilage and menisci, and exercise promoted recovery.
Diagnostic performance and characteristics of anterior nasal collection for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen test: a prospective study
Authors: Takeuchi Yuto , Akashi Yusaku , Kato Daisuke , Kuwahara Miwa , Muramatsu Shino , Ueda Atsuo , Notake Shigeyuki , Nakamura Koji , Ishikawa Hiroichi , Suzuki Hiromichi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe clinical utility of antigen test using anterior nasal samples has not been well evaluated. We conducted a prospective study in a drive-through testing site located at a PCR center to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the antigen test QuickNavi-COVID19 Ag using anterior nasal samples and to compare the degrees of coughs or sneezes induction and the severity of pain between anterior nasal collection and nasopharyngeal collection. The study included a total of 862 participants, of which 91.6% were symptomatic. The median duration from symptom onset to sample collection was 2.0 days. Fifty-one participants tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) with nasopharyngeal samples, and all of them were symptomatic. In comparison to the findings of RT-PCR, the antigen test using anterior nasal samples showed 72.5% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 58.3–84.1%) and 100% specificity (95% CI 99.3–100%). Anterior nasal collection was associated with a significantly lower degree of coughs or sneezes induction and the severity of pain in comparison to nasopharyngeal collection (p < 0.001). The antigen test using anterior nasal samples showed moderate sensitivity in symptomatic patients who were at the early stages of the disease course but was less painful and induced fewer coughs or sneezes.
Antibacterial activity and mechanism of plant flavonoids to gram-positive bacteria predicted from their lipophilicities
Authors: Yuan Ganjun , Guan Yingying , Yi Houqin , Lai Shan , Sun Yifei , Cao Seng 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAntimicrobial resistance seriously threatened human health, and new antimicrobial agents are desperately needed. As one of the largest classes of plant secondary metabolite, flavonoids can be widely found in various parts of the plant, and their antibacterial activities have been increasingly paid attention to. Based on the physicochemical parameters and antibacterial activities of sixty-six flavonoids reported, two regression equations between their ACD/LogP or LogD7.40 and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to gram-positive bacteria were established with the correlation coefficients above 0.93, and then were verified by another sixty-eight flavonoids reported. From these two equations, the MICs of most flavonoids against gram-positive bacteria could be roughly calculated from their ACD/LogP or LogD7.40, and the minimum MIC was predicted as approximately 10.2 or 4.8 μM, more likely falls into the range from 2.6 to 10.2 μM, or from 1.2 to 4.8 μM. Simultaneously, both tendentiously concave regression curves indicated that the lipophilicity is a key factor for flavonoids against gram-positive bacteria. Combined with the literature analyses, the results also suggested that the cell membrane is the main site of flavonoids acting on gram-positive bacteria, and which likely involves the damage of phospholipid bilayers, the inhibition of the respiratory chain or the ATP synthesis, or some others.
Incident Parkinson’s disease in kidney transplantation recipients: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Korea
Authors: Baek Seon Ha , Park Sehoon , Yu Mi-yeon , Kim Ji Eun , Park Sang Hyun , Han Kyungdo , Kim Yong Chul , Kim Dong Ki , Joo Kwon Wook , Kim Yon Su , Lee Hajeong 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis nation-wide population based retrospective cohort study evaluated risk of incident Parkinson’ disease in kidney transplant (KT) recipients in Korea. From Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified incident KT recipients aged ≥ 40 years without any history of Parkinson’s disease between 2007 and 2015. We established two control cohorts without a history of Parkinson’ disease: (1) General population (GP) cohort of insured subjects without a history of kidney disease, (2) end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cohort of incident ESRD subjects, with frequency matched for age, sex, and inclusion year. Parkinson’s disease data were obtained from baseline until December 2017. We followed 8372 KT recipients, ESRD patients, and GP for 45,723, 38,357, and 47,476 patient-years, respectively. Their mean age was 51.2 years and 60.1% were men. During follow-up period, 19 KT recipients, 53 ESRD patients, and 15 GP developed Parkinson’ disease. Risk of incident Parkinson’s disease in KT recipients was similar to that in GP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35 to 2.13, P = 0.75) and significantly lower than that in ESRD patients (adjusted HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.52, P < 0.001). Older age was the strongest predictor for incident Parkinson’s disease in KT recipients.
Incremental value of QT interval for the prediction of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with chest pain
Authors: Cho Dong-Hyuk , Choi Jimi , Kim Mi-Na , Kim Hee-Dong , Hong Soon Jun , Yu Cheol Woong , Kim Hack-Lyoung , Kim Yong Hyun , Na Jin Oh , Yoon Hyun-Ju , Shin Mi-Seung , Kim Myung-A , Hong Kyung-Soon , Shim Wan Joo , Park Seong-Mi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIdentification of obstructive coronary artery disease (OCAD) in patients with chest pain is a clinical challenge. The value of corrected QT interval (QTc) for the prediction of OCAD has yet to be established. We consecutively enrolled 1741 patients with suspected angina. The presence of obstructive OCAD was defined as ≥ 50% diameter stenosis by coronary angiography. The pre-test probability was evaluated by combining QTc prolongation with the CAD Consortium clinical score (CAD2) and the updated Diamond-Forrester (UDF) score. OCAD was detected in 661 patients (38.0%). QTc was longer in patients with OCAD compared with those without OCAD (444 ± 34 vs. 429 ± 28 ms, p < 0.001). QTc was increased by the severity of OCAD (P < 0.001). QTc prolongation was associated with OCAD (odds ratio (OR), 2.27; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.81–2.85). With QTc, the C-statistics increased significantly from 0.68 (95% CI 0.66–0.71) to 0.76 (95% CI 0.74–0.78) in the CAD2 and from 0.64 (95% CI 0.62–0.67) to 0.74 (95% CI 0.72–0.77) in the UDF score, respectively. QT prolongation predicted the presence of OCAD and the QTc improved model performance to predict OCAD compared with CAD2 or UDF scores in patients with suspected angina.
Clinical and trichoscopic features in 18 cases of Folliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides with scalp involvement
Authors: Gallo Giuseppe , Pileri Alessandro , Starace Michela , Alessandrini Aurora , Guglielmo Alba , Ribero Simone , Quaglino Pietro , Piraccini Bianca Maria 
Published: May 2021

AbstractFolliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides (FMF) is a rare variant of Mycosis Fungoides involving the scalp leading to alopecia. The clinical and trichoscopic features in 18 patients were analyzed and compared with the reports in the literature. Gender, age, disease stage, site of onset were taken into consideration. Clinical and trichoscopic analyses were performed on each patient. From a clinical point of view, Folliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides lesions involving the scalp presented as generalized alopecia (27.8%) or patchy-plaque alopecia (72.2%). Trichoscopic analysis revealed six most frequent features: single hair (83.3%), dotted dilated vessels (77.8%), broken-dystrophic hairs (66.7%), vellus hairs (61.1%), spermatozoa-like pattern vessels (55.6%), and yellow dots (55.6%). Additional identified trichoscopic patterns were dilation of follicular openings, scales-crusts, purpuric dots, short hair with split-end, pigtail hairs, perifollicular hyperkeratosis, milky-white globules, black dots, white dots/lines and absence of follicular dots. These trichoscopic features were further correlated to clinical presentations and stage of the disease. The rarity of the disease is a limitation. The relatively high number of patients allowed to identify several clinical and trichoscopic patterns that could be featured as specific or highly suspicious for FMF in order to consider trichoscopy as a complementary diagnostic approach and improve the differential diagnoses between FMF and other scalp disorders.
Neogene hyperaridity in Arabia drove the directions of mammalian dispersal between Africa and Eurasia
Authors: Böhme Madelaine , Spassov Nikolai , Majidifard Mahmoud Reza , Gärtner Andreas , Kirscher Uwe , Marks Michael , Dietzel Christian , Uhlig Gregor , El Atfy Haytham , Begun David R. , Winklhofer Michael 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe evolution of the present-day African savannah fauna has been substantially influenced by the dispersal of Eurasian ancestors into Africa. The ancestors evolved endemically, together with the autochthonous taxa, into extant Afrotropical clades during the last 5 million years. However, it is unclear why Eurasian ancestors moved into Africa. Here we use sedimentological observations and soluble salt geochemical analyses of samples from a sedimentary sequence in Western Iran to develop a 10-million-year long proxy record of Arabian climate. We identify transient periods of Arabian hyperaridity centred 8.75, 7.78, 7.50 and 6.25 million years ago, out-of-phase with Northern African aridity. We propose that this relationship promoted unidirectional mammalian dispersals into Africa. This was followed by a sustained hyperarid period between 5.6 and 3.3 million years ago which impeded dispersals and allowed African mammalian faunas to endemically diversify into present-day clades. After this, the mid-Piacenzian warmth enabled bi-directional fauna exchange between Africa and Eurasia, which continued during the Pleistocene.
Sequential network‐flow based power‐flow method for hybrid power systems
Authors: Mohamed Ayman M.O. , El‐Shatshat Ramadan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper presents a sequential network‐flow graph‐based method for a steady‐state power flow solution in hybrid multi‐terminal power systems. The proposed method is a unique and novel one, which differs from other established methods that involve the use of modified versions of classical power flow methods. The proposed method formulates a power flow problem as a maximum network‐flow problem and solves it using a push‐relabel max‐flow algorithm. The solution procedure solves AC and DC parts sequentially, while accounting for voltage source converter losses using a generalised converter model. The proposed flow‐Augmenting method solves the power flow problem using matrix vector multiplication in its most abstract form, and it is independent of system parameters and network configuration. The proposed formulation is computationally efficient, as it is based on matrix vector multiplication, and is scalable, because the formulation works as a graph‐based method, which, inherently, allows for parallel computation for added computational speed. Further, unlike previously reported methods, the proposed method does not rely on Jacobian matrix formulation or any matrix inversion. This proves to be a strong advantage for the proposed method, as a significant reduction in computational time is observed, as a result. The proposed method is validated on 5‐bus hybrid system and CIGRE B4 DC system.