bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross‐sectional study on patients' understanding and views of the informed consent procedure of a secondary stroke prevention trial
Authors: Eichner Felizitas A. , Reis Joschua M. , Dores Joaquim , Pavlovic Vladimir , Kreß Luisa , Daneshkhah Naeimeh , Weinhardt Renate , Grau Armin , Mühler Johannes , Soda Hassan , Schwarzbach Christopher J. , Schuler Michael , Häusler Karl Georg , Heuschmann Peter U. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackground and purposeImproving understanding of study contents and procedures might enhance recruitment into studies and retention during follow‐up. However, data in stroke patients on understanding of the informed consent (IC) procedure are sparse.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional study among ischemic stroke patients taking part in the IC procedure of an ongoing cluster‐randomized secondary prevention trial. All aspects of the IC procedure were assessed in an interview using a standardized 20‐item questionnaire. Responses were collected within 72 h after the IC procedure and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Participants were also asked their main reasons for participation.ResultsA total of 146 stroke patients (65 ± 12 years old, 38% female) were enrolled. On average, patients recalled 66.4% (95% confidence interval = 65.2%–67.5%) of the content of the IC procedure. Most patients understood that participation was voluntary (99.3%) and that they had the right to withdraw consent (97.1%); 79.1% of the patients recalled the study duration and 56.1% the goal. Only 40.3% could clearly state a benefit of participation, and 28.8% knew their group allocation. Younger age, higher graduation, and allocation to the intervention group were associated with better understanding. Of all patients, 53% exclusively stated a personal and 22% an altruistic reason for participation.ConclusionsWhereas understanding of patient rights was high, many patients were unable to recall other important aspects of study content and procedures. Increased attention to older and less educated patients may help to enhance understanding in this patient population. Actual recruitment and retention benefit of an improved IC procedure remains to be tested in a randomized trial.
Artificial selection for nonreproductive host killing in a native parasitoid on the invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii
Authors: Kruitwagen Astrid , Wertheim Bregje , Beukeboom Leo W. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractEstablishment and spread of invasive species can be facilitated by lack of natural enemies in the invaded area. Host‐range evolution of natural enemies augments their ability to reduce the impact of the invader and could enhance their value for biological control. We assessed the potential of the Drosophila parasitoid, Leptopilina heterotoma (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), to exploit the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii by focusing on three performance indices: (i) attack rate; (ii) host killing, consisting of killing rate and lethal attack rate (killing efficiency); and (iii) successful offspring development (reproductive success). We found significant intraspecific variation in attack rate and killing rate and lethal attack rate among seven European populations, but offspring generally failed to successfully develop from the D. suzukii host. We crossed these European lines to create a genetically variable source population and performed a half‐sib analysis to quantify genetic variation. Using a Bayesian animal model, we found that attack rate and killing rate had a heritability of , lethal attack rate , and offspring development . We then artificially selected wasps with the highest killing rate of D. suzukii for seven generations to test whether host‐killing could be improved. There was a small and inconsistent response to selection in the three selection lines. Realized heritability () after four generations of selection was 0.17 but near zero after seven generations of selection. The genetic response might have been masked by an increased D. suzukii fitness resulting from adaptation to laboratory conditions. Our study reveals that native, European, L. heterotoma can attack the invasive pest, D. suzukii and significantly reduce fly survival and that different steps of the parasitization process need to be considered in the evolution of host‐range. It highlights how evolutionary principles can be applied to optimize performance of native species for biological control.
Optoacoustic imaging of the skin
Authors: Deán‐Ben Xosé Luís , Razansky Daniel 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOptoacoustic (OA, photoacoustic) imaging capitalizes on the synergistic combination of light excitation and ultrasound detection to empower biological and clinical investigations with rich optical contrast while effectively bridging the gap between micro and macroscopic imaging realms. State‐of‐the‐art OA embodiments consistently provide images at micron‐scale resolution through superficial tissue layers by means of focused illumination that can be smoothly exchanged for acoustic‐resolution images at diffuse light depths of several millimetres to centimetres via ultrasound beamforming or tomographic reconstruction. Taken together, this unique multi‐scale imaging capacity opens unprecedented capabilities for high‐resolution in vivo interrogations of the skin at scalable depths. Moreover, diverse anatomical and functional information is retrieved via dynamic mapping of endogenous chromophores such as haemoglobin, melanin, lipids, collagen, water and others. This, along with the use of non‐ionizing radiation, facilitates a clinical translation of the OA modalities. We review recent progress in OA imaging of the skin in preclinical and clinical studies exploiting the rich contrast provided by endogenous substances in tissues. The imaging capabilities of existing approaches are discussed in the context of initial translational studies on skin cancer, inflammatory skin diseases, wounds and other conditions.
Inter‐domain horizontal gene transfer of nickel‐binding superoxide dismutase
Authors: Sutherland K. M. , Ward L. M. , Colombero C.‐R. , Johnston D. T. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe ability of aerobic microorganisms to regulate internal and external concentrations of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) superoxide directly influences the health and viability of cells. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are the primary regulatory enzymes that are used by microorganisms to degrade superoxide. SOD is not one, but three separate, non‐homologous enzymes that perform the same function. Thus, the evolutionary history of genes encoding for different SOD enzymes is one of convergent evolution, which reflects environmental selection brought about by an oxygenated atmosphere, changes in metal availability, and opportunistic horizontal gene transfer (HGT). In this study, we examine the phylogenetic history of the protein sequence encoding for the nickel‐binding metalloform of the SOD enzyme (SodN). The genomic potential to produce SodN is widespread among bacteria, including Actinobacteriota (Actinobacteria), Chloroflexota (Chloroflexi), Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Patescibacteria, and others. The gene is also present in many archaea, with Thermoplasmatota and Nanoarchaeota representing the vast majority of archaeal sodN diversity. A comparison of organismal and SodN protein phylogenetic trees reveals several instances of HGT, including multiple inter‐domain transfers of the sodN gene from the bacterial domain to the archaeal domain. Nearly half of the archaeal members with sodN live in the photic zone of the marine water column. The sodN gene is widespread and characterized by apparent vertical gene transfer in some sediment‐ or soil‐associated lineages within the Actinobacteriota and Chloroflexota phyla, suggesting the ancestral sodN likely originated in one of these clades before expanding its taxonomic and biogeographic distribution to additional microbial groups in the surface ocean in response to decreasing iron availability. In addition to decreasing iron quotas, nickel‐binding SOD has the added benefit of withstanding high reactant and product ROS concentrations without damaging the enzyme, making it particularly well suited for the modern surface ocean.
Grassland soil organic carbon stocks along management intensity and warming gradients
Authors: Poeplau Christopher 
Published: May 2021

AbstractGrasslands are a major terrestrial ecosystem type and store large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) per unit area. Quantitative and mechanistic knowledge on the effects of management on SOC stocks in grasslands is limited. Also, climate change can be seen as an indirect anthropogenic threat to SOC stocks, with warming effects on grassland SOC being currently understudied. Here, several studies investigating the effects of management and warming on SOC stocks are summarised, with a central to northern European focus. SOC sequestration increased with management intensity, i.e. cutting frequency and mineral fertilisation, even without external C inputs. This was partly explicable by increased productivity in more intensively managed grasslands. In addition, the availability of nutrients was found to foster microbial anabolism, leading to a more efficient build‐up of SOC in fertilised as compared to unfertilised soils. Interestingly, the addition of 1 kg nitrogen as NPK fertiliser consistently led to approximately 1 kg of additional SOC. Sequestration of SOC might thus compensate for a major part of the increased greenhouse gas emissions associated with highly intensive grassland management. Including perennial grasses in agricultural crop rotations is multi‐beneficial and proved to be a very efficient measure to increase SOC stocks. At the same time, soil warming depleted SOC, both in natural subarctic as well as in managed temperate grasslands. Climate change can thus be expected to counterbalance efforts of SOC build‐up to some extent. Future research should focus on the interactive effects of climate change and management, which will be important for future management decisions.
Transcriptome analysis of gene expression changes upon enzymatic dissociation in skeletal myoblasts
Authors: Miyawaki‐Kuwakado Atsuko , Wu Qianmei , Harada Akihito , Tomimatsu Kosuke , Fujii Takeru , Maehara Kazumitsu , Ohkawa Yasuyuki 
Published: May 2021

AbstractSingle‐cell RNA‐sequencing analysis is one of the most effective tools for understanding specific cellular states. The use of single cells or pooled cells in RNA‐seq analysis requires the isolation of cells from a tissue or culture. Although trypsin or more recently cold‐active protease (CAP) has been used for cell dissociation, the extent to which the gene expression changes are suppressed has not been clarified. To this end, we conducted detailed profiling of the enzyme‐dependent gene expression changes in mouse skeletal muscle progenitor cells, focusing on the enzyme treatment time, amount and temperature. We found that the genes whose expression was changed by the enzyme treatment could be classified in a time‐dependent manner and that there were genes whose expression was changed independently of the enzyme treatment time, amount and temperature. This study will be useful as reference data for genes that should be excluded or considered for RNA‐seq analysis using enzyme isolation methods.
Bioactive phytocompound mulberroside C and endophytes of Morus alba as potential inhibitors of HIV‐1 replication: a mechanistic evaluation
Authors: Vora J , Velhal S , Sinha S , Patel V , Shrivastava N 
Published: May 2021

ObjectivesDespite considerable advancement in antiretroviral therapy, development of safe, effective, and multi‐targeted drugs for HIV still remains a big challenge. Endophytes are untouched and, hence, an important and novel sources in drug discovery endeavours. The present study was conducted to identify the anti‐HIV compounds from Morus alba and endophytes isolated from it.MethodsThe extracts of isolated endophytes were screened using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Further, all samples were analysed for their cytotoxicity using a thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay. Subsequently, anti‐HIV activity was performed using cell‐based and cell‐free assay. At the end, potential endophytes were identified using gene sequencing.ResultsA total of 27 endophytes were isolated from the eight stem bark samples of M. alba. Of the 27 endophytes, extracts of total of four endophytes showed a profile similar to the M. alba plant when analysed by HPLC. Further experimentation with extracts of these four endophytes, along with an extract of M. alba stem bark and its bioactive molecule, mulberroside C, revealed that all these six samples have good inhibitory potential for HIV. Among them, mulberroside C and two endophytic fungal extracts showed very potent anti‐HIV activity. Subsequently, mechanistic studies at the molecular level showed that out of six test samples, three acted as protease inhibitors. Further, all four potential endophytes were identified using gene sequencing.ConclusionsThe overall findings of these studies can help in the development of a novel anti‐HIV candidate from mulberroside C, an extract of stem bark of M. alba and extracts of these endophytes. However, further validation and clinical studies are required to develop an anti‐HIV drug.
The emerging role of microRNA in regulating the mTOR signaling pathway in immune and inflammatory responses
Authors: Nazari Nazanin , Jafari Farzaneh , Ghalamfarsa Ghasem , Hadinia Abolghasem , Atapour Amir , Ahmadi Majid , Dolati Sanam , Rostamzadeh Davood 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is considered to be an atypical protein kinase that plays a critical role in integrating different cellular and environmental inputs in the form of growth factors, nutrients and energy and, subsequently, in regulating different cellular events, including cell metabolism, survival, homeostasis, growth and cellular differentiation. Immunologically, mTOR is a critical regulator of immune function through integrating numerous signals from the immune microenvironment, which coordinates the functions of immune cells and T cell fate decisions. The crucial role of mTOR in immune responses has been lately even more appreciated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, small, noncoding single‐stranded RNAs that act as molecular regulators involved in multiple processes during immune cells development, homeostasis, activation and effector polarization. Several studies have recently indicated that a range of miRNAs are involved in regulating the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/protein kinase B/mTOR (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway by targeting multiple components of this signaling pathway and modulating the expression and function of these targets. Current evidence has revealed the interplay between miRNAs and the mTOR pathway circuits in various immune cell types. The expression of individual miRNA can affect the function of mTOR signaling to determine the cell fate decisions in immune responses through coordinating immune signaling and cell metabolism. Dysregulation of the mTOR pathway/miRNAs crosstalk has been reported in cancers and various immune‐related diseases. Thus, expression profiles of dysregulated miRNAs could influence the mTOR pathway, resulting in the promotion of aberrant immunity. This review summarizes the latest information regarding the reciprocal role of the mTOR signaling pathway and miRNAs in orchestrating immune responses.
Gm40600 promotes CD4+ T‐cell responses by interacting with Ahnak
Authors: He Youdi , Fang Ying , Zhai Bing , Liu Xiaoling , Zhu Gaizhi , Zhou Shan , Xu Yaqi , Wang Xiaoqian , Su Wenting , Wang Renxi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIt is important to characterize novel proteins involved in T‐ and B‐cell responses. Our previous study demonstrated that a novel protein, Mus musculus Gm40600, reduced the proliferation of Mus musculus plasmablast (PB)‐like SP 2/0 cells and B‐cell responses induced in vitro by LPS. In the present study, we revealed that Gm40600 directly promoted CD4+ T‐cell responses to indirectly up‐regulate B‐cell responses. Importantly, we found that CD4+ T‐cell responses, including T‐cell activation and differentiation and cytokine production, were increased in Gm40600 transgenic (Tg) mice and were reduced in Gm40600 knockout (KO) mice. Finally, we demonstrated that Gm40600 promoted the Ahnak‐mediated calcium signalling pathway by interacting with Ahnak to maintain a cytoplasmic lateral location of Ahnak in CD4+ T cells. Collectively, our data suggest that Gm40600 promotes CD4+ T‐cell activation to up‐regulate the B‐cell response via interacting with Ahnak to promote the calcium signalling pathway. The results suggest that targeting Gm40600 may be a means to control CD4+ T‐cell‐related diseases.
Language familiarity influences own‐race face recognition in 9‐ and 12‐month‐old infants
Authors: Hillairet de Boisferon Anne , Kubicek Claudia , Gervain Judit , Schwarzer Gudrun , Loevenbruck Hélène , Vilain Anne , Fort Mathilde , Méary David , Pascalis Olivier 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDuring their first year, infants attune to the faces and language(s) that are frequent in their environment. The present study investigates the impact of language familiarity on how French‐learning 9‐ and 12‐month‐olds recognize own‐race faces. In Experiment 1, infants were familiarized with the talking face of a Caucasian bilingual German‐French speaker reciting a nursery rhyme in French (native condition) or in German (non‐native condition). In the test phase, infants’ face recognition was tested by presenting a picture of the speaker's face they were familiarized with, side by side with a novel face. At 9 and 12 months, neither infants in the native condition nor the ones in the non‐native condition clearly recognized the speaker's face. In Experiment 2, we familiarized infants with the still picture of the speaker's face, along with the auditory speech stream. This time, both 9‐ and 12‐month‐olds recognized the face of the speaker they had been familiarized with, but only if she spoke in their native language. This study shows that at least from 9 months of age, language modulates the way faces are recognized.
A novel autophagy‐related lncRNA survival model for lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wu Liwei , Wen Zilu , Song Yanzheng , Wang Lin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLong non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) is an important regulatory factor in the development of lung adenocarcinoma, which is related to the control of autophagy. LncRNA can also be used as a biomarker of prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Therefore, it is important to determine the prognostic value of autophagy‐related lncRNA in lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, autophagy‐related mRNAs‐lncRNAs were screened from lung adenocarcinoma and a co‐expression network of autophagy‐related mRNAs‐lncRNAs was constructed by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic value of the autophagy‐related lncRNAs and finally obtained a survival model composed of 11 autophagy‐related lncRNAs. Through Kaplan‐Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, it was further verified that the survival model was a new independent prognostic factor for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, based on the survival model, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to illustrate the function of genes in low‐risk and high‐risk groups. These 11 lncRNAs were GAS6‐AS1, AC106047.1, AC010980.2, AL034397.3, NKILA, AL606489.1, HLA‐DQB1‐AS1, LINC01116, LINC01806, FAM83A‐AS1 and AC090559.1. The hazard ratio (HR) of the risk score was 1.256 (1.196‐1.320) (P < .001) in univariate Cox regression analysis and 1.215 (1.149‐1.286) (P < .001) in multivariate Cox regression analysis. And the AUC value of the risk score was 0.809. The 11 autophagy‐related lncRNA survival models had important predictive value for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma and may become clinical autophagy‐related therapeutic targets.
Interobserver variability in the classification of childhood maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis
Authors: Torrelo A. , Vergara‐de‐la‐Campa L. , Azaña J.M. , Greenberger S. , Lam J.M. , Lawley L.P. , Morren M.‐A. , Schaffer J.V. , García‐Doval I. , Matito A. , Alvarez‐Twose I. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundMaculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis (MPCM) in children is classified in two variants: (i) monomorphic variant, presenting with the small macules or papules typically seen in adult patients; and (ii) polymorphic variant with larger lesions of variable size and shape, typically seen in children. The definition of polymorphic and monomorphic variants is mostly intuitive, and a validation of this classification has not been done.ObjectiveTo study interobserver variability in the classification of MPCM in two groups of observers: mastocytosis experts and general dermatologists.Materials and methodsNineteen cases of childhood MPCM were shown blindly, for classification as monomorphic or polymorphic type, to 10 independent observers (eight dermatologists, one allergist and one haematologist) from Europe and North America with a vast experience in the management of paediatric mastocytosis. Also, the same cases were shown on a screen to 129 general dermatologists attending a meeting; their votes were registered by remote controls. The interobserver variability kappa coefficient (with 95% confidence interval) was calculated to measure the reliability of the correlation.ResultsThe value of kappa interobserver variability coefficient for the group of 10 experts (95% confidence interval) was 0.39 (0.18–0.63), which is considered as ‘fair’. The value of kappa interobserver variability coefficient for the group of 129 general dermatologists (95% confidence interval) was 0.17 (0.06–0.39), which is considered as ‘slight’. A complete agreement of all 10 experts was achieved in only four of 19 cases (21.1%) The most voted choice was concordant between the two groups in only 11 of the 19 cases.ConclusionsWe failed to validate the classification system of childhood MPCM in monomorphic and polymorphic types. While the rate of agreement was low for mastocytosis experts, it was nearly the agreement expected by chance in general dermatologists.