bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In-vitro and in-vivo metabolism of different aspirin formulations studied by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method
Authors: Dei Cas Michele , Rizzo Jessica , Scavone Mariangela , Femia Eti , Podda Gian Marco , Bossi Elena , Bignotto Monica , Caberlon Sabrina , Cattaneo Marco , Paroni Rita 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLow-dose aspirin (ASA) is used to prevent cardiovascular events. The most commonly used formulation is enteric-coated ASA (EC-ASA) that may be absorbed more slowly and less efficiently in some patients. To uncover these “non-responders” patients, the availability of proper analytical methods is pivotal in order to study the pharmacodynamics, the pharmacokinetics and the metabolic fate of ASA. We validated a high-throughput, isocratic reversed-phase, negative MRM, LC–MS/MS method useful for measuring circulating ASA and salicylic acid (SA) in blood and plasma. ASA-d4 and SA-d4 were used as internal standards. The method was applied to evaluate: (a) the "in vitro" ASA degradation by esterases in whole blood and plasma, as a function of time and concentration; (b) the "in vivo" kinetics of ASA and SA after 7 days of oral administration of EC-ASA or plain-ASA (100 mg) in healthy volunteers (three men and three women, 37–63 years). Parameters of esterases activity were Vmax 6.5 ± 1.9 and Km 147.5 ± 64.4 in plasma, and Vmax 108.1 ± 20.8 and Km 803.2 ± 170.7 in whole blood. After oral administration of the two formulations, tmax varied between 3 and 6 h for EC-ASA and between 0.5 and 1.0 h for plain-ASA. Higher between-subjects variability was seen after EC-ASA, and one subject had a delayed absorption over eight hours. Plasma AUC was 725.5 (89.8–1222) for EC-ASA, and 823.1(624–1196) ng h/mL (median, 25–75% CI) for plain ASA. After the weekly treatment, serum levels of TxB2 were very low (< 10 ng/mL at 24 h from the drug intake) in all the studied subjects, regardless of the formulation or the tmax. This method proved to be suitable for studies on aspirin responsiveness.
Genome-wide insights into population structure and host specificity of Campylobacter jejuni
Authors: Epping Lennard , Walther Birgit , Piro Rosario M. , Knüver Marie-Theres , Huber Charlotte , Thürmer Andrea , Flieger Antje , Fruth Angelika , Janecko Nicol , Wieler Lothar H. , Stingl Kerstin , Semmler Torsten 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is among the leading causes of foodborne diseases worldwide. While C. jejuni colonises many wild animals and livestock, persistence mechanisms enabling the bacterium to adapt to host species' guts are not fully understood. In order to identify putative determinants influencing host preferences of distinct lineages, bootstrapping based on stratified random sampling combined with a k-mer-based genome-wide association was conducted on 490 genomes from diverse origins in Germany and Canada. We show a strong association of both the core and the accessory genome characteristics with distinct host animal species, indicating multiple adaptive trajectories defining the evolution of C. jejuni lifestyle preferences in different ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that adaptation towards a specific host niche ecology is most likely a long evolutionary and multifactorial process, expressed by gene absence or presence and allele variations of core genes. Several host-specific allelic variants from different phylogenetic backgrounds, including dnaE, rpoB, ftsX or pycB play important roles for genome maintenance and metabolic pathways. Thus, variants of genes important for C. jejuni to cope with specific ecological niches or hosts may be useful markers for both surveillance and future pathogen intervention strategies.
Comparison of gene expression and biotransformation activity of HepaRG cells under static and dynamic culture conditions
Authors: Duivenvoorde Loes P. M. , Louisse Jochem , Pinckaers Nicole E. T. , Nguyen Tien , van der Zande Meike 
Published: May 2021

AbstractFlow conditions have been shown to be important in improving longevity and functionality of primary hepatocytes, but the impact of flow on HepaRG cells is largely unknown. We studied the expression of genes encoding CYP enzymes and transporter proteins and CYP1 and CYP3A4 activity during 8 weeks of culture in HepaRG cells cultured under static conditions (conventional 24-/96-well plate culture with common bicarbonate/CO2 buffering) and under flow conditions in an organ-on-chip (OOC) device. Since the OOC-device is a closed system, bicarbonate/CO2 buffering was not possible, requiring application of another buffering agent, such as HEPES. In order to disentangle the effects of HEPES from the effects of flow, we also applied HEPES-supplemented medium in static cultures and studied gene expression and CYP activity. We found that cells cultured under flow conditions in the OOC-device, as well as cells cultured under static conditions with HEPES-supplemented medium, showed more stable gene expression levels. Furthermore, only cells cultured in the OOC-device showed relatively high baseline CYP1 activity, and their gene expression levels of selected CYPs and transporters were most similar to gene expression levels in human primary hepatocytes. However, there was a decrease in baseline CYP3A4 activity under flow conditions compared to HepaRG cells cultured under static conditions. Altogether, the present study shows that HepaRG cells cultured in the OOC-device were more stable than in static cultures, being a promising in vitro model to study hepatoxicity of chemicals upon chronic exposure.
Phantom and clinical assessment of small pulmonary nodules using Q.Clear reconstruction on a silicon-photomultiplier-based time-of-flight PET/CT system
Authors: Wu Zhifang , Guo Binwei , Huang Bin , Hao Xinzhong , Wu Ping , Zhao Bin , Qin Zhixing , Xie Jun , Li Sijin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTo evaluate the quantification accuracy of different positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) reconstruction algorithms, we measured the recovery coefficient (RC) and contrast recovery (CR) in phantom studies. The results played a guiding role in the partial-volume-effect correction (PVC) for following clinical evaluations. The PET images were reconstructed with four different methods: ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM), OSEM with time-of-flight (TOF), OSEM with TOF and point spread function (PSF), and Bayesian penalized likelihood (BPL, known as Q.Clear in the PET/CT of GE Healthcare). In clinical studies, SUVmax and SUVmean (the maximum and mean of the standardized uptake values, SUVs) of 75 small pulmonary nodules (sub-centimeter group: < 10 mm and medium-size group: 10–25 mm) were measured from 26 patients. Results show that Q.Clear produced higher RC and CR values, which can improve quantification accuracy compared with other methods (P < 0.05), except for the RC of 37 mm sphere (P > 0.05). The SUVs of sub-centimeter fludeoxyglucose (FDG)-avid pulmonary nodules with Q.Clear illustrated highly significant differences from those reconstructed with other algorithms (P < 0.001). After performing the PVC, highly significant differences (P < 0.001) still existed in the SUVmean measured by Q.Clear comparing with those measured by the other algorithms. Our results suggest that the Q.Clear reconstruction algorithm improved the quantification accuracy towards the true uptake, which potentially promotes the diagnostic confidence and treatment response evaluations with PET/CT imaging, especially for the sub-centimeter pulmonary nodules. For small lesions, PVC is essential.
Combination of automated brain volumetry on MRI and quantitative tau deposition on THK-5351 PET to support diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Kim Minjae , Kim Sang Joon , Park Ji Eun , Yun Jessica , Shim Woo Hyun , Oh Jungsu S. , Oh Minyoung , Roh Jee Hoon , Seo Sang Won , Oh Seung Jun , Kim Jae Seung 
Published: May 2021

AbstractImaging biomarkers support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aimed to determine whether combining automated brain volumetry on MRI and quantitative measurement of tau deposition on [18F] THK-5351 PET can aid discrimination of AD spectrum. From a prospective database in an IRB-approved multicenter study (NCT02656498), 113 subjects (32 healthy control, 55 mild cognitive impairment, and 26 Alzheimer disease) with baseline structural MRI and [18F] THK-5351 PET were included. Cortical volumes were quantified from FDA-approved software for automated volumetric MRI analysis (NeuroQuant). Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was calculated from tau PET images for 6 composite FreeSurfer-derived regions-of-interests approximating in vivo Braak stage (Braak ROIs). On volumetric MRI analysis, stepwise logistic regression analyses identified the cingulate isthmus and inferior parietal lobule as significant regions in discriminating AD from HC and MCI. The combined model incorporating automated volumes of selected brain regions on MRI (cingulate isthmus, inferior parietal lobule, hippocampus) and SUVRs of Braak ROIs on [18F] THK-5351 PET showed higher performance than SUVRs of Braak ROIs on [18F] THK-5351 PET in discriminating AD from HC (0.98 vs 0.88, P = 0.033) but not in discriminating AD from MCI (0.85 vs 0.79, P = 0.178). The combined model showed comparable performance to automated volumes of selected brain regions on MRI in discriminating AD from HC (0.98 vs 0.94, P = 0.094) and MCI (0.85 vs 0.78; P = 0.065).
A convolution based computational approach towards DNA N6-methyladenine site identification and motif extraction in rice genome
Authors: Rahman Chowdhury Rafeed , Amin Ruhul , Shatabda Swakkhar , Toaha Md. Sadrul Islam 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDNA N6-methylation (6mA) in Adenine nucleotide is a post replication modification responsible for many biological functions. Automated and accurate computational methods can help to identify 6mA sites in long genomes saving significant time and money. Our study develops a convolutional neural network (CNN) based tool i6mA-CNN capable of identifying 6mA sites in the rice genome. Our model coordinates among multiple types of features such as PseAAC (Pseudo Amino Acid Composition) inspired customized feature vector, multiple one hot representations and dinucleotide physicochemical properties. It achieves auROC (area under Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) score of 0.98 with an overall accuracy of 93.97% using fivefold cross validation on benchmark dataset. Finally, we evaluate our model on three other plant genome 6mA site identification test datasets. Results suggest that our proposed tool is able to generalize its ability of 6mA site identification on plant genomes irrespective of plant species. An algorithm for potential motif extraction and a feature importance analysis procedure are two by products of this research. Web tool for this research can be found at:https://cutt.ly/dgp3QTR.
First Asian population study of stereotactic body radiation therapy for ventricular arrhythmias
Authors: Ho Li-Ting , Chen Jenny Ling-Yu , Chan Hsing-Min , Huang Yu-Cheng , Su Mao-Yuan , Kuo Sung-Hsin , Chang Yeun-Chung , Lin Jiunn-Lee , Chen Wen-Jone , Lee Wen-Jeng , Lin Lian-Yu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe report the first Asian series on stereotactic body radiation (SBRT) for refractory ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in Taiwanese patients. Three-dimensional electroanatomic maps, delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI), and dual-energy computed tomography (CT) were used to identify scar substrates. The main target volume was treated with a single radiation dose of 25 Gy and the margin volume received 20 Gy using simultaneous integrated boost delivered by the Varian TrueBeam system. Efficacy was assessed according to VA events recorded by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or a 24-h Holter recorder. Pre- and post-radiation therapy imaging studies were performed. From February 2019 to December 2019, seven patients (six men, one woman; mean age, 55 years) were enrolled and treated. One patient died of hepatic failure. In the remaining six patients, at a median follow-up of 14.5 months, the VA burden and ICD shocks significantly decreased (only one patient with one ICD shock after treatment). Increased intensity on DE-MRI might be associated with a lower risk for VA recurrence, whereas dual-energy CT had lower detection sensitivity. No acute or minimal late adverse events occurred. In patients with refractory VA, SBRT is associated with a marked reduction in VA burden and ICD shocks, and DE-MRI might be useful for monitoring treatment effects.
Molecular and serological epidemiology of Leptospira infection in cats in Okinawa Island, Japan
Authors: Kakita Tetsuya , Kuba Yumani , Kyan Hisako , Okano Sho , Morita Masatomo , Koizumi Nobuo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLeptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by pathogenicLeptospiraspp. Cats have been reported to be infected withLeptospiraspp. and shed the bacteria in the urine. However, the importance of cats as an infection source for humans remains unclear. In this study,Leptospirainfection in cats in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, where leptospirosis is endemic, was investigated by leptospiral antibody and DNA detection using microscopic agglutination test and nested PCR, respectively. Moreover, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were conducted on theLeptospira borgpeterseniiserogroup Javanica isolated from cats, black rats, a mongoose, and humans. Anti-Leptospiraantibodies were detected in 16.6% (40/241) of the cats tested, and the predominant reactive serogroup was Javanica. The leptospiralflaBgene was detected in 7.1% (3/42) of cat urine samples, and their sequences were identical and identified asL. borgpetersenii. MLST and WGS revealed the genetic relatedness ofL. borgpeterseniiserogroup Javanica isolates. This study indicated that most seropositive cats had antibodies against the serogroup Javanica and that cats excretedL. borgpeterseniiin the urine after infection. Further, genetic relatedness between cat and human isolates suggests that cats may be a maintenance host forL. borgpeterseniiserogroup Javanica and a source for human infection.
Synthesizing environmentally friendly non-silicone oxygen bleaching stabilizer for linen yarn using oligomeric acrylic acid
Authors: Liu Jie , Lv Chun 
Published: May 2021

AbstractUsing potassium peroxodisulfate as an initiator and acrylic acid as a monomer, an acrylic acid oligomer was synthesized and then compounded with magnesium salt to form a non-silicone oxygen bleaching stabilizer. By investigating the effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, initiator concentration, monomer concentration, and magnesium salt dosage on product performance, the effect of stabilizers on linen yarn bleaching was analyzed. The synthetic conditions of oxygen bleaching stabilizer were determined by orthogonal test method, namely, acrylic acid monomer concentration 25%, initiator dosage 5%, oligomeric acrylic acid and magnesium salt compound ratio 5:1, reaction temperature 65 °C, reaction time 4 h. At this time, the chelated iron value of the product was as high as 239.314 mg/g, and the chelated calcium value also reached 145.000 mg/g. The dosage of the synthesized stabilizer were determined to be 4 g/L through indicators such as the decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide and whiteness. The results showed that the environmentally friendly non-silicone oxygen bleaching stabilizer not only had a good ability to inhibit the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, but also provided bleached linen yarn with a superior degree of whiteness and less metal ion residue, which can effectively solve the “silicon scale” problem and improve the quality of the pre-treatmented products.
Priming with skin-problems increases fear of clusters
Authors: Shirai Risako , Ogawa Hirokazu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTrypophobia is induced by viewing multiple clustered objects. To date, several studies have investigated why certain people experience discomfort when looking at clustered patterns. Recently, “involuntary protection against dermatosis” (IPAD) hypothesis was proposed to explain the causes of trypophobia. The IPAD hypothesis suggests that involuntary aversive responses to skin diseases cause discomfort in response to image clusters. However, this idea has not been fully investigated empirically. Therefore, the present study used a modified version of the priming procedure and tested whether the activation of the concept of skin-related diseases affected the evaluation of trypophobic images. In Experiment 1, participants engaged in a lexical decision task in which words related to skin problems, negative events, or neutral events were presented. Then, they evaluated the discomfort of trypophobic, negative, and neutral images. The results indicated that participants evaluated trypophobic images as more discomforting after they were exposed to skin-problem-related words, whereas the exposure to words related to skin-problems did not enhance the discomfort of negative images. These findings demonstrate that the association with skin-related problems increases the discomfort of trypophobic images. In Experiment 2, we further tested the reproducibility of the priming effect observed in Experiment 1 and investigated the effect of priming with words related to COVID-19 in the context of a spreading infection. Contrary to predictions, no priming effect was produced by either skin-related words or COVID-19-related words. Future studies should further explore the causal relationship of the association between skin disease and trypophobia.
Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA
Authors: Blackman Rosetta C. , Osathanunkul Maslin , Brantschen Jeanine , Di Muri Cristina , Harper Lynsey R. , Mächler Elvira , Hänfling Bernd , Altermatt Florian 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLarge tropical and subtropical rivers are among the most biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, but also suffer from high anthropogenic pressures. These rivers are hitherto subject to little or no routine biomonitoring, which would be essential for identification of conservation areas of high importance. Here, we use a single environmental DNA multi-site sampling campaign across the 200,000 km2 Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on fish diversity. We found a total of 108 fish taxa and identified key biodiversity patterns within the river network. By using hierarchical clustering, we grouped the fish communities of all sites across the catchment into distinct clusters. The clusters not only accurately matched the topology of the river network, but also revealed distinct groups of sites enabling informed conservation measures. Our study reveals novel opportunities of large-scale monitoring via eDNA to identify relevant areas within whole river catchments for conservation and habitat protection.
Modulation of sensorimotor cortical oscillations in athletes with yips
Authors: Watanabe Tatsunori , Yoshioka Kiyoshi , Matsushita Kojiro , Ishihara Shin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe yips, an involuntary movement impediment that affects performance in skilled athletes, is commonly described as a form of task-specific focal dystonia or as a disorder lying on a continuum with focal dystonia at one end (neurological) and chocking under pressure at the other (psychological). However, its etiology has been remained to be elucidated. In order to understand sensorimotor cortical activity associated with this movement disorder, we examined electroencephalographic oscillations over the bilateral sensorimotor areas during a precision force task in athletes with yips, and compared them with age-, sex-, and years of experience-matched controls. Alpha-band event-related desynchronization (ERD), that occurs during movement execution, was greater in athlete with yips as compared to controls when increasing force output to match a target but not when adjusting the force at around the target. Event-related synchronization that occurs after movement termination was also greater in athletes with yips. There was no significant difference in task performance between groups. The enhanced ERD is suggested to be attributed to dysfunction of inhibitory system or increased allocation of attention to the body part used during the task. Our findings indicate that sensorimotor cortical oscillatory response is increased during movement initiation in athletes with yips.
High biodiversity in a limited mountain area revealed in the traditional production of Historic Rebel cheese by an integrated microbiota–lipidomic approach
Authors: Turri Federica , Cremonesi Paola , Battelli Giovanna , Severgnini Marco , Brasca Milena , Gandini Gustavo , Pizzi Flavia 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHistoric Rebel (HR) cheese is an Italian heritage cheese, produced from raw milk during the summer grazing period in the Alps. The aim of this work was (i) to characterize the cheese microbiota, by 16S rRNA gene amplicons sequencing, and the volatile and non-volatile lipophilic fraction, by Gas Chromatography and Dynamic Headspace Extraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, and (ii) to evaluate their respective associations. HR cheese was dominated by Firmicutes phylum (99% of the entire abundance). The core microbiota was formed by Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc and Pediococcus genera together representing 87.2–99.6% of the total abundance. The polyunsaturated fatty acids composition showed a high PUFA n-3, PUFA n-6 and CLA content, two fold higher than typical plain cheeses, positively correlated with pasture altitude. A complex volatilome was detected, dominated in terms of abundance by ketones, fatty acids and alcohols. Total terpene levels increased at higher altitudes, being the main terpenes compounds α-pinene, camphene and β-pinene. The HR cheese showed a great diversity of bacterial taxa and lipophilic fractions among producers, despite belonging to a small alpine area, revealing a scarce cheese standardization and a chemical fingerprint of a typical mountain cheese produced during the grazing period. A deeper knowledge of the variability of HR cheese due to its composition in microbial community and volatile compounds will be appreciated, in particular, by elite consumers looking for niche products, adding economic value to farming in these alpine areas.
One-pot catalytic synthesis of urea derivatives from alkyl ammonium carbamates using low concentrations of CO2
Authors: Koizumi Hiroki , Takeuchi Katsuhiko , Matsumoto Kazuhiro , Fukaya Norihisa , Sato Kazuhiko , Uchida Masahito , Matsumoto Seiji , Hamura Satoshi , Choi Jun-Chul 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTo reduce anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, it is desirable to develop reactions that can efficiently convert low concentrations of CO2, present in exhaust gases and ambient air, into industrially important chemicals, without involving any expensive separation, concentration, compression, and purification processes. Here, we present an efficient method for synthesizing urea derivatives from alkyl ammonium carbamates. The carbamates can be easily obtained from low concentrations of CO2 as present in ambient air or simulated exhaust gas. Reaction of alkyl ammonium carbamates with 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone solvent in the presence of a titanium complex catalyst inside a sealed vessel produces urea derivatives in high yields. This reaction is suitable for synthesizing ethylene urea, an industrially important chemical, as well as various cyclic and acyclic urea derivatives. Using this methodology, we also show the synthesis of urea derivatives directly from low concentration of CO2 sources in a one-pot manner.