bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systemic ablation of vitamin D receptor leads to skeletal muscle glycogen storage disorder in mice
Authors: Das Anamica , Gopinath Suchitra D. , Arimbasseri Gopalakrishnan Aneeshkumar 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundVitamin D deficiency leads to pathologies of multiple organ systems including skeletal muscle. Patients with severe vitamin D deficiency exhibit muscle weakness and are susceptible to frequent falls. Mice lacking a functional vitamin D receptor (VDR) develop severe skeletal muscle atrophy immediately after weaning. But the root cause of myopathies when vitamin D signalling is impaired is unknown. Because vitamin D deficiency leads to metabolic changes as well, we hypothesized that the skeletal muscle atrophy in mice lacking VDR may have a metabolic origin.MethodsWe analysed wild‐type (WT) mice as well as vitamin D receptor null (vdr−/−) mice for skeletal muscle proteostasis, energy metabolism, systemic glucose homeostasis, and muscle glycogen levels. Dysregulation of signalling pathways as well as the glycogen synthesis and utilization machinery were also analysed using western blots. qRT–PCR assays were performed to understand changes in mRNA levels.ResultsSkeletal muscles of vdr−/− exhibited higher expression levels of muscle‐specific E3 ubiquitin ligases and showed increased protein ubiquitination, suggesting up‐regulation of protein degradation. Foxo1 transcription factor was activated in vdr−/− while Foxo3 factor was unaffected. Fasting protein synthesis as well as mTORC1 pathways were severely down‐regulated in vdr−/− mice. Skeletal muscle ATP levels were low in vdr−/− (0.58 ± 0.18 μmol/mL vs. 1.6 ± 0.0.14 μmol/mL, P = 0.006), leading to increased AMPK activity. Muscle energy deprivation was not caused by decreased mitochondrial activity as we found the respiratory complex II activity in vdr−/− muscles to be higher compared with WT (0.29 ± 0.007 mU/μL vs. 0.16 ± 0.005 mU/μL). vdr−/− mice had lower fasting blood glucose levels (95 ± 14.5 mg/dL vs. 148.6 ± 6.1 mg/dL, P = 0.0017) while they exhibited hyperlactataemia (7.42 ± 0.31 nmol/μL vs. 4.95 ± 0.44 nmol/μL, P = 0.0032), suggesting systemic energy deficiency in these mice. Insulin levels in these mice were significantly lower in response to intraperitoneal glucose injection (0.69 ± 0.08 pg/mL vs. 1.11 ± 0.09 pg/mL, P = 0.024). Skeletal muscles of these mice exhibit glycogen storage disorder characterized by increased glycogen accumulation. The glycogen storage disorder in vdr−/− muscles is driven by increased glycogen synthase activity and decreased glycogen phosphorylase activity. Increased glycogenin expression supports higher levels of glycogen synthesis in these muscles.ConclusionsThe results presented show that lack of vitamin D signalling leads to a glycogen storage defect in the skeletal muscles, which leads to muscle energy deprivation. The inability of vdr−/− skeletal muscles to use glycogen leads to systemic defects in glucose homeostasis, which in turn leads to proteostasis defects in skeletal muscles and atrophy.
The positive relationship between androgens and hematocrit levels in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Authors: Kobayashi Shohei , Qasimi Mohammad I. , Watanabe Gen 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStudies have confirmed the involvement of androgens in bird erythropoiesis, suggesting its potential function as a mediator thereof. However, little is known on whether anti‐androgenic treatment reduces erythropoiesis and whether changes in endogenous androgen levels are reflected in red blood cell (RBC) indices in birds. Clarifying such issues would highlight the importance of androgens in mediating avian erythropoiesis and bring attention to the effects of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals with anti‐androgenic activity on their ecology. The present study focused on hematocrit levels among the RBC indices, as well as the relationship between androgens and hematocrit levels in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). In experiment 1, daily injections (i.m.) of testosterone propionate administered to immature quails for a week dose‐dependently increased their hematocrit levels. In experiment 2, daily injections (i.m.) of flutamide, a general antagonist of the androgen receptor (AR), administered to adult male quails for a week dose‐dependently decreased their hematocrit levels. In experiment 3, weekly blood collection from male quails through the immature to mature stages revealed that changes in endogenous testosterone concentrations were correlated with changes in hematocrit levels along with sexual maturation. The aforementioned results suggested that androgen stimulates erythropoiesis via the ARs and further highlighted the biological importance of androgens on erythropoiesis in quails. Moreover, given that hematocrit is considered a key determinant of aerobic performance related to migration in birds, these findings highlight the need for investigating the effects of anti‐androgenic chemicals on the hematology of migratory species for their conservation.
Outcomes of push and pull percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placements in 854 patients: A single‐center study
Authors: Bouchiba Hicham , Jacobs Maarten A J M , Bouma Gerd , Ramsoekh Dewkoemar 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsPercutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is indicated for prolonged enteral nutrition. This study aimed to analyze the outcome and to identify potential risk factors for complications in PEG procedures.MethodsA single‐center retrospective analysis of the performed PEG procedures during the period January 2010 till January 2020.ResultsA PEG placement procedure was performed in 854 patients (64.1% male) and was successful in 833 (97.5%). In total, 513 push (61.6%) and 320 pull (38.6%) PEGs were placed. The mean age was 60.7 years, and the median follow‐up was 267 days. The push PEG was associated with peri‐procedural bleeding (P = 0.002) and tube dislodgements (P < 0.001), while the pull PEG was significantly associated with buried bumpers (P < 0.001), infected placement sites (P = 0.019), and granulation tissue formation (P = 0.044). The PEG‐related mortality rate was 0.2%, but the overall 30‐day mortality was 4.0%.ConclusionThe current study showed that the push and pull PEG placements are both safe and feasible procedures, with a low PEG‐related mortality. Buried bumpers, infected placement sites, and granulation tissue formation are more often seen in the pull PEG, while the push PEG is associated with periprocedural bleeding and tube dislodgements. These complications should be taken into account and there is a need for a prospective trial to identify superiority between the PEG methods.
Unusual cause of gastric outlet obstruction mimicking superior mesenteric artery syndrome: A case of infiltrative duodenal cancer arising from a choledochocele
Authors: Jang Min Jae , Kim Hyun Gun , Oh Chi Hyuk , Kim So‐Woon , You Myung‐Won 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCholedochocele is a rare subtype of choledochal cyst and is associated with increased prevalence of periampullary cancers. Here, we report an unusual manifestation of infiltrative duodenal cancer arising from a choledochocele, involving superficial spreading (muscularis mucosae) of cancer cells along the duodenum causing gastric outlet obstruction, which clinically mimicked superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Histologically, wide spread of cancer cells was confirmed from periampullary region to duodenojejunal junction showing mismatch with radiologic findings, in which the cancer segment was mainly located in the distal duodenum. Clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings are discussed with literature reviews.
Comparison of contrast‐enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography following endoscopic ultrasonography with GD‐EOB‐DTPA‐enhanced MRI for the sequential diagnosis of liver metastasis in patients with pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ishikawa Takuya , Ohno Eizaburo , Mizutani Yasuyuki , Iida Tadashi , Koya Toshinari , Sasaki Yutaka , Ogawa Hiroshi , Kinoshita Fumie , Hirooka Yoshiki , Kawashima Hiroki 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPurposeTo compare contrast‐enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography (CE‐US) following contrast‐enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH‐EUS) with enhanced magnetic resonance imaging using gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (EOB‐MRI) in the diagnosis of liver metastases in patients with pancreatic cancer.MethodsPatients who underwent contrast‐enhanced computed tomography for possible pancreatic cancer and required further evaluation with CH‐EUS were enrolled in this study, and the diagnostic performance of CE‐US following CH‐EUS for liver metastasis was compared with that of EOB‐MRI.ResultsA total of 228 patients were included in the final analysis. Two hundred thirty‐four hepatic lesions were found in 81 patients, and 178 lesions were finally diagnosed as metastases. EOB‐MRI had a higher sensitivity (0.837 vs 0.949), while CE‐US had a higher specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) (0.982 and 0.993 vs 0.911 and 0.971, respectively) in the diagnosis of liver metastasis. CE‐US with defect reperfusion imaging had a higher diagnostic performance than EOB‐MRI (0.866 vs 0.667) in the differentiation between liver metastasis and abscess.ConclusionEOB‐MRI had a higher sensitivity than CE‐US for diagnosing liver metastasis in patients with pancreatic cancer, but CE‐US following CH‐EUS demonstrated a higher specificity and PPV than EOB‐MRI and was especially useful in the differentiation between liver metastasis and abscess.
Stochastic evaluation of restoration procedures on postmining land areas using a game theory approach
Authors: Vach Marek , Vachová Pavla , Walmsley Alena , Berka Martin , Albert Jan , Cienciala Emil , Braun Kohlová Markéta , Máca Vojtěch , Melichar Jan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRestoration of postmining areas is a frequently addressed topic requiring a comprehensive view. In this article, the recovery process of selected postmining spoil heap sites was evaluated using an approach based on calculation of Nash equilibrium (NE) probability distributions. Many of these sites have been allowed to recover by spontaneous succession, while on others, a variety of restoration procedures have been tested, most of them variants of the forest plantation type. The evaluation was carried out on selected data from each site that reflects four factors: the richness of the vegetation cover, the amount of biomass as soil macrofauna per unit area, the forestry yield, and the attractiveness for recreation use. The analysis was based on permuted game configurations in which these factors were treated as competing entities, adversaries that were differentially successful in each location depending on the conditions of the recovery procedure used. The game strategies that the factors exhibited as theoretically interacting entities had no primary information content, which meant that they could be treated stochastically. The result was a distribution of the NE probability at each location. Considering the fact that this result reflected the degree of optimality of the included factors, the calculation could be considered as a specific type of multicriteria evaluation, which was practically applicable and provided unambiguous results. The NE probability in sites restored by deciduous tree stands was higher, which was therefore assumed to correspond to higher stability.
Structural Evolutions of Initially Amorphous Polymers during Near‐Tg Stretching: A Minireview of Recent Progresses
Authors: Xu Shanshan , Zhou Jian , Pan Pengju 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIndustrial processing of polymeric products often involves stretching from glassy state. Therefore, the understanding of structural evolution of glassy polymers during stretching around glass transition temperatures (Tg) is of fundamental significance to predict suitable processing parameters for industrial purpose. However, former reviews have mostly focused on the structural evolution of polymers being stretched from melt or crystalline state, whereas there still lacks summaries dedicated to stretching studies from the amorphous state. This work summarizes important advances of researches on both non‐crystallizable and crystallizable polymers concerning their stretching behavior near Tg. Based on case studies on typical examples of each kind, the review systematically presented the structural changes including chain orientation/relaxation kinetics, dynamic network evolution, and stretch‐induced phase transition. A discussion about the influence of these structural evolutions on essential end‐use properties of materials is also included, in the hope of providing guidance on future stretching‐related studies.
Micro‐ and Nanotexturization of Liquid Silicone Rubber Surfaces by Injection Molding Using Hybrid Polymer Inlays
Authors: Lozano‐Hernández Nekane , Pérez Llanos Germán , Saez Comet Carlos , del Valle Luis J. , Puiggali Jordi , Fontdecaba Enric 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMicro‐ and nanotexturization of surfaces can give to the parts different advanced functionalities, such as superhydrophobicity, self‐cleaning, or antibacterial capabilities. These advanced properties in combination with the biocompatibility of Liquid Silicone Rubber are an interesting approach for obtaining high‐performance medical devices. The industrial production of surface textures in polymeric materials is through the replication technique, and the best option to attain a high production rate is injection molding. Moreover, its low viscosity during processing can provide an accurate replication capacity by the easy filling by capillarity of the microtextures. An innovative replicating technique for Liquid Silicone Rubber is presented by studying the replication of different shaped textures within a diameter range of between 2 and 50 µm. The copying process consists in the overmolding of a textured polymeric inlay obtained by nanoimprint lithography. At the end of the process, a textured part is obtained, while the imprinted film remains in the mold. The injection molding parameters are optimized to increase the replication accuracy, and their effect on texture replicability is analyzed and discussed. Finally, it is shown that the textured surfaces improve their wettability behavior, which is a necessary and important characteristic in the development of biomedical devices.
Turbo Similarity Searching: Effect of Partial Ranking and Fusion Rules on ChEMBL Database
Authors: Abdulhakeem Mansour Alhasbary Abeer , Hashimah Ahamed Hassain Malim Nurul 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTurbo Similarity Searching (TSS) is the simplest and most recent chemical similarity searching (SS) approach, which improves the effectiveness of SS by performing a multi‐target searching. TSS has four important elements, namely structural representation, similarity coefficient, number of nearest neighbours (NNs), and fusion rule, and any changes in these elements could affect the TSS results. A previous study suggested the advantage of using large numbers of reference compounds with small fractions of the database structures to obtain a better recall in group fusion. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of partial ranking on TSS utilising different fusion rules and different numbers of NNs on the ChEMBL database and to evaluate whether these observations hold in TSS. Furthermore, the objective is to observe the effect of the indirect relationship feature of TSS on the partial ranking investigation. The results showed that the effect of using partial ranking on TSS was significant. This study also found that the performance of TSS improved as the database proportions used in the fusion process decreased and by using a small number of NNs. In addition, fusion rules based on reciprocal rank positions (RKP), maximum similarity score (sMAX), and sMNZ were superior to all the other fusion rules.
Acute Rhabdomyolysis and Brachial Plexopathy Following Alcohol Ingestion
Authors: Maddison Paul 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTAn unusual case of brachial plexopathy following alcohol‐induced rhabdomyolysis is presented. The patient's rhabdomyolysis developed during sleep after an acute alcohol binge and there was no history of muscle trauma. It is thought that the brachial plexopathy developed due to direct compression of the plexus from swollen muscles of the shoulder girdle. The lack of similar reported cases despite the common clinical scenario of prolonged unconsciousness following excess alcohol intake suggests that other factors may be important in the development of muscle and nerve damage in susceptible individuals.
Design principles that protect the proteasome from self‐destruction
Authors: Singh Gautam Amit Kumar , Yu Houqing , Yellman Christopher , Elcock Adrian H. , Matouschek Andreas 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe proteasome is a powerful intracellular protease that can degrade effectively any protein, self or foreign, for regulation, quality control, or immune response. Proteins are targeted for degradation by localizing them to the proteasome, typically by ubiquitin tags. At the same time, the proteasome is built from ~33 subunits, and their assembly into the complex and activity are tuned by post‐translational modifications on long disordered regions on the subunits. Molecular modeling and biochemical experiments show that some of the disordered regions of proteasomal subunits can access the substrate recognition sites. All disordered regions tested, independent of location, are constructed from amino acid sequences that escape recognition. Replacing a disordered region with a sequence that is recognized by the proteasome leads to self‐degradation and, in the case of an essential subunit, cell death.
Exploiting the nearsightedness principle within the framework of the anti‐Hermitian contracted Schrödinger equation
Authors: Honoré Eduardo M. , Ríos Elías , Alcoba Diego R. , Massaccesi Gustavo E. , Torre Alicia , Lain Luis , Oña Ofelia B. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis work exploits the Kohn nearsightedness principle in the algorithms arising from the anti‐Hermitian contracted Schrödinger equation. The procedure provides the implementation of approximations yielding a considerable saving of computational costs in descriptions of N‐electron molecular systems by means of that technique. We report energies, at correlated level, of linear hydrogen chains designed at different geometries, so that we can analyze the strength of the interactions between first‐, second‐, third‐, fourth‐, and so forth neighbor atoms. Using localized molecular orbital basis sets, we observe rapid decays in the values of the elements of the reduced‐density‐matrix cumulant matrices, beyond a cut‐off radius, which justify the proposed approximations. The results, in terms of energies and reduced density matrices, have been compared with those obtained from the full configuration interaction method, showing the usefulness of the nearsightedness principle in this methodology.
The mechanism of sugar produced from simple glycolaldehyde derivative at ambient conditions
Authors: Zhao Yanliang , Wang Honglei , Wu Naiwei , Yang Junxia , Sun Jikai , Zhai Dong , Deng Weiqiao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA benchmark of sugar produced from simple glycolaldehyde derivative has been achieved at ambient conditions (Science, 2004, 305, 1752), which is the most important step to produce life in nature. However, the mechanism has never been clearly understood. Here, we report a reaction mechanism which includes a two‐step synthesis of sugars by selective aldol reactions based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Results show that the prochirality of attacking orientation of the enamine intermediate and steric effect in proton transfer is the main cause for stereochemical preference. This work provides the theoretical insight of sugar produced in glycolaldehyde procedure and may assist the improvement of catalyst design for this procedure.
Cinematic CT as a valuable protocol for severe ECAC
Authors: Hernandez‐Rojas Daniel , Abia‐Trujillo David , Rojas Carlos , Yu Lee‐Mateus Alejandra , Castillo‐Larios Rocio , Pulipaka Sai Priyanka , Fernandez‐Bussy Sebastian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractExpiratory central airway collapse (ECAC) is a pathology gaining recognition in the medical community due to its unspecific symptoms and diagnostic challenges. Its current gold standard for diagnosis, dynamic bronchoscopy, is invasive. Current non‐invasive techniques such as computed tomography (CT) protocols have shown limited reproducibility. We present a case of a 77‐year‐old man with suspected ECAC who underwent evaluation with two different expiratory CT protocols. The initial standard end‐expiratory CT could not detect airway collapsibility. However, dynamic bronchoscopy detected severe ECAC. Afterwards, we implemented a novel CT protocol, called dynamic forced expiratory CT (cinematic), comprising detailed, consecutive helical imaging of the central airway throughout the entire respiratory cycle, detecting severe ECAC, as proven by the earlier dynamic bronchoscopy. We hypothesize this may reduce the risks and need for performing multiple invasive procedures such as dynamic bronchoscopy. Extensive studies are required to evaluate the feasibility of its implementation for diagnosing ECAC.
Temporal dynamics of biodiversity effects and light‐use‐related traits in two intercropping systems
Authors: Engbersen Nadine , Stefan Laura , Brooker Rob W. , Schöb Christian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionIntercropping systems can be more productive than their respective monocultures and this positive net biodiversity effect is caused by complementarity and selection effects. While the complementarity effect is caused through resource partitioning or facilitation, the selection effect operates via the greater probability that a more diverse community contains a dominant and high‐yielding species which will account for the majority of productivity in that community. Here, we investigated how light‐use‐related traits contribute to the net biodiversity effect via complementarity or selection effects and how these qrelationships change throughout an annual growing season.Materials and MethodsWe conducted weekly destructive harvests to examine temporal dynamics of biodiversity effects in two crop mixtures (oat–lupin and oat–camelina) and their respective monocultures. We linked the biodiversity effects to traits related to light use (i.e., light interception, plant height, photosynthetic efficiency and photosynthetic capacity) and investigated how these relationships changed over time.ResultsWe found that the net biodiversity and selection effect increased over time in both mixtures, while complementarity effects increased only in the oat–lupin mixture. More intercepted light and taller plants in mixtures compared to monocultures positively contributed to biodiversity effects in both mixtures. Strategies for shade tolerance differed between the mixtures, that is, increased photosynthetic capacity and increased photosynthetic efficiency contributed to a positive net biodiversity effect in the oat–lupin and oat–camelina mixture, respectively.ConclusionBy linking the temporal dynamics of the net biodiversity effect and its two additive components to light‐use‐related traits in two different crop mixtures, this study demonstrates that complementary light use contributes to overyielding in intercropping systems. Such understanding is important for the design of effective intercropping systems and developing new crop cultivars suited to these environments.