bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of hydroxychloroquine on insulin sensitivity, insulin clearance and inflammation in insulin‐resistant adults: A randomized trial
Authors: Toledo Frederico G. S. , Miller Rachel G. , Helbling Nicole L. , Zhang Yingze , DeLany James P. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimTo determine the effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on skeletal muscle and liver insulin sensitivity, insulin clearance, inflammation and adipokines.MethodsInsulin‐resistant adults without rheumatic disease were randomized to 13 weeks of HCQ (400 mg/day) versus placebo (double‐blinded). Primary outcomes were changes in skeletal muscle and liver insulin sensitivity assessed by hyperinsulinaemic‐euglycaemic clamp and stable‐isotope tracer methods. Secondary outcomes included insulin clearance, inflammation biomarkers and adipokines.ResultsCompared with placebo, HCQ significantly improved skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity by 26% (p = .019) and enhanced systemic glucose clearance (p = .025). By contrast, HCQ had no effect on hepatic insulin sensitivity. HCQ did not affect insulin clearance but decreased circulating IL‐6 (p = .01) and increased adiponectin (p = .045). There were no effects on leptin, RBP‐4, FGF‐21 or C‐reactive protein.ConclusionsHCQ selectively enhances insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal in skeletal muscle, without affecting hepatic insulin sensitivity or insulin clearance. These findings offer a mechanistic explanation for the antidiabetic properties of HCQ and suggest that this medication might be useful in conditions linked to insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes.
Pre‐stimulus alpha‐band power and phase fluctuations originate from different neural sources and exert distinct impact on stimulus‐evoked responses
Authors: Zazio Agnese , Ruhnau Philipp , Weisz Nathan , Wutz Andreas 
Published: February 2021

AbstractOngoing oscillatory neural activity before stimulus onset influences subsequent visual perception. Specifically, both the power and the phase of oscillations in the alpha‐frequency band (9–13 Hz) have been reported to predict the detection of visual stimuli. Up to now, the functional mechanisms underlying pre‐stimulus power and phase effects on upcoming visual percepts are debated. Here, we used magnetoencephalography recordings together with a near‐threshold visual detection task to investigate the neural generators of pre‐stimulus power and phase and their impact on subsequent visual‐evoked responses. Pre‐stimulus alpha‐band power and phase opposition effects were found consistent with previous reports. Source localization suggested clearly distinct neural generators for these pre‐stimulus effects: Power effects were mainly found in occipital‐temporal regions, whereas phase effects also involved prefrontal areas. In order to be functionally relevant, the pre‐stimulus correlates should influence post‐stimulus processing. Using a trial‐sorting approach, we observed that only pre‐stimulus power modulated the Hits versus Misses difference in the evoked response, a well‐established post‐stimulus neural correlate of near‐threshold perception, such that trials with stronger pre‐stimulus power effect showed greater post‐stimulus difference. By contrast, no influence of pre‐stimulus phase effects were found. In sum, our study shows distinct generators for two pre‐stimulus neural patterns predicting visual perception, and that only alpha power impacts the post‐stimulus correlate of conscious access. This underlines the functional relevance of prestimulus alpha power on perceptual awareness, while questioning the role of alpha phase.
Inferring translational heterogeneity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosome profiling
Authors: do Couto Bordignon Pedro , Pechmann Sebastian 
Published: February 2021

Translation of mRNAs into proteins by the ribosome is the most important step of protein biosynthesis. Accordingly, translation is tightly controlled and heavily regulated to maintain cellular homeostasis. Ribosome profiling (Ribo‐seq) has revolutionized the study of translation by revealing many of its underlying mechanisms. However, equally many aspects of translation remain mysterious, in part also due to persisting challenges in the interpretation of data obtained from Ribo‐seq experiments. Here, we show that some of the variability observed in Ribo‐seq data has biological origins and reflects programmed heterogeneity of translation. Through a comparative analysis of Ribo‐seq data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we systematically identify short 3‐codon sequences that are differentially translated (DT) across mRNAs, that is, identical sequences that are translated sometimes fast and sometimes slowly beyond what can be attributed to variability between experiments. Remarkably, the thus identified DT sequences link to mechanisms known to regulate translation elongation and are enriched in genes important for protein and organelle biosynthesis. Our results thus highlight examples of translational heterogeneity that are encoded in the genomic sequences and tuned to optimizing cellular homeostasis. More generally, our work highlights the power of Ribo‐seq to understand the complexities of translation regulation.
Inactive and inefficient: Warming and drought effect on microbial carbon processing in alpine grassland at depth
Authors: Zhu Erxiong , Cao Zhenjiao , Jia Juan , Liu Chengzhu , Zhang Zhenhua , Wang Hao , Dai Guohua , He Jin‐Sheng , Feng Xiaojuan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSubsoils contain >50% of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally yet remain under‐investigated in terms of their response to climate changes. Recent evidence suggests that warmer, drier conditions in alpine grasslands induce divergent responses in SOC decomposition and carbon accrual in top‐ versus subsoils. However, longer term effects on microbial activity (i.e., catabolic respiration vs. anabolic growth) and belowground carbon cycling are not well understood. Here we utilized a field manipulation experiment on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau and conducted a 110‐day soil incubation with and without 13C‐labeled grass litter to assess microbes' role as both SOC “decomposers” and “contributors” in the top‐ (0–10 cm) versus subsoils (30−40 cm) after 5 years of warming and drought treatments. Microbial mineralization of both SOC and added litter was examined in tandem with potential extracellular enzyme activities, while microbial biomass synthesis and necromass accumulation were analyzed using phospholipid fatty acids and amino sugars coupled with 13C analysis, respectively. We found that warming and, to a lesser extent, drought decreased the ratio of inorganic nitrogen (N) to water‐extractable organic carbon in the subsoil, intensifying N limitation at depth. Both SOC and litter mineralization were reduced in the subsoil, which may also be related to N limitation, as evidenced by lower hydrolase activity (especially leucine aminopeptidase) and reduced microbial efficiency (lower biomass synthesis and necromass accumulation relative to respiration). However, none of these effects were observed in the topsoil, suggesting that soil microbes became inactive and inefficient in subsoil but not topsoil environments. Given increasing belowground productivity in this alpine grassland under warming, both elevated root deposits and diminished microbial activity may contribute to new carbon accrual in the subsoil. However, the sustainability of plant growth and persistence of subsoil SOC pools deserve further investigation in the long term, given the aggravated N limitation at depth.
Quick validation of genetic quality for conditional alleles in mice
Authors: Nakata Hatsumi , Hashimoto Tomomi , Yoshiki Atsushi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSite‐specific conditional inactivation technologies using Cre‐loxP or Flp‐FRT systems are becoming increasingly important for the elucidation of gene function and disease mechanism in vivo. A large number of gene knockout mouse models carrying complex conditional alleles have been generated by global community efforts and made available for biomedical researchers. The structures of conditional alleles in these mice are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, and so the validation of the genetic quality of these alleles is likewise becoming a laborious task for individual researchers. To ensure the reproducibility of conditional experiments, the researcher should confirm that loxP or FRT is integrated at the correct positions in the genome prior to start of the experiments. We report the successful design of universal PCR primers specific to loxP and FRT for the quick validation of conditional floxed and Flrted alleles. The primer set consists of forward and reverse primers complimentary to the loxP or FRT sequences with partial modifications at the 5ʹ end containing 6‐base restriction endonuclease recognition sites. The universal primer set was tested to detect genomic intervals between a pair of cis‐integrated loxP or FRT and was useful for quickly validating various floxed or Flrted alleles in conditional mice.
Rethinking gender equity in the contaminated university: A methodology for listening for music in the ruins
Authors: Locke Kirsten , Lund Rebecca W. B. , Wright Susan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper offers a new way to engage with gender, race, and class relations in academic leadership and organizations. Viewing our research materials through different images helps us to ask new questions, open up new kinds of answers and ultimately other ways of knowing gender and leadership in academia. Our approach has three connected steps. Firstly, we engage with the ruins of the three main promises upon which the contemporary university has been built: enlightenment, liberalism, and feminism, drawing on Anna Tsing's mushrooms at the end of the world and Gibson‐Graham's notion of a post‐capitalist economy. Secondly, we use intersectionality as a methodological lens, combining it with Karen Barad's ideas about how “matter comes to matter.” We explore the intersections between four themes arising from the accounts of our participants: Reshaping the disciplinary field; gender, class, and race; traveling and mobility; and Institutional structures and policies. The third and final step engages with how some women successfully coordinate these intersecting themes to navigate their careers and achieve leadership positions within the contaminated and ruinous university environment. In doing so, we draw on the musical form of the fugue with its four themes that at different moments diverge, clash and, if successful, achieve resolution, to provide us with a way for analyzing the women's stories as “polyphony‐in‐action.” By using this musical approach to retool intersectionality, we are able to show how some women managed to bring all four themes of their lives into symbiosis and achieve value in the ruinous academic landscape.
In situ investigation of tensile behavior of Cf/SiC mini composites
Authors: Chen Xihui , Sun Zhigang , Niu Xuming , Song Yingdong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis study presents an in depth analysis over the in situ tensile behavior of Cf/SiC mini composites. As part of the process, the matrix crack spacing at saturation was determined by the in situ x‐ray microtomography tensile test and the test results were compared with others obtained by in situ optical microscope tensile test and scanning electron microscopy scan. Moreover, elastic modulus of fiber and matrix as well as interface shear stress were identified by the indirect method and in situ modulus of C fibers and SiC matrix were also measured by the nanoindentation test, showing outcomes much lower than those identified by indirect method. The in situ property parameters measured by in situ XCT tensile test and identified by the indirect method were substituted into the shear‐lag model to predict the stress‐strain responses of Cf/SiC mini composites and the predicted results agrees well with the experimental data, while there exists large deviation between the stress‐strain response predicted by using the in situ modulus of C fibers tested by nanoindentation and the experimental data, which indicates that in situ modulus of C fibers tested by nanoindentation tests cannot be utilized to model the tensile stress‐strain responses due to the possible asymmetry of tension and compression of C fibers.
Efficacy of different platelet‐rich plasma injections in the treatment of mild‐moderate knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chou Shih‐Hsiang , Shih Chia‐Lung 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimsThis study aimed to compare the efficacy of different numbered sets of injections of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of mild‐moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA comprehensive search in three databases of Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed was conducted to find relevant articles that investigated the efficacy of PRP injection therapies in the treatment of mild‐moderate knee OA through August 2020. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain and function scores were the primary outcomes and visual analogue scale (VAS) was the secondary outcome. The pooled improvements amongst different injection therapies were compared.ResultsNo significant differences in the improvement of WOMAC pain were observed amongst 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐injection therapies at 3‐ (P = .26) and 6‐month (P = .13) follow‐ups. For a 12‐month follow‐up, the difference amongst different therapies reached borderline significance (P = .05) in which 3‐injection therapy had a significantly better improvement than 2‐injection therapy (P = .02) and reached borderline significance compared with 1‐injection (P = .07). However, no significant differences in the improvement of VAS scores were observed amongst three injection therapies for all the follow‐up visits (P > .05). For WOMAC function score, 3‐injection therapy performed significantly better than 1‐injection (P < .00001) or 2‐injection therapy (P < .0001) only at 12‐month follow‐up visit.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that 3‐injection therapy of PRP in the treatment of mild‐moderate knee OA had the best efficacy in pain relief and function improvement compared with 1‐ and 2‐injection therapies.
Comparing the views of the Italian general public and scientists on GMOs
Authors: Pappalardo Gioacchino , D’Amico Mario , Lusk Jayson L. 
Published: February 2021

SummaryThe gap between statements from scientific organisations about the safety of genetically modified (or GMO) food and public concerns about the technology is puzzling, raising questions about the extent to which expert opinion and scientific consensus can sway public opinion and whether scientific progress might be hindered by public opposition. This study sought to determine whether beliefs about GMO safety are high among experts in countries where there has been significant public opposition to the technology. Surveys conducted among 1006 members of the Italian general public and 258 members of the Italian Association of the Agricultural Science Societies (AISSA) reveal that whereas 54% of our sample of the Italian general public believes GMOs are generally safe to eat, 81% of sample of the Italian agricultural scientists believe the same. Despite the gap in lay‐expert safety beliefs, results reveal greater similarity between scientists and the general public on topics related to beliefs about the impact of GM food on food prices, the developing world and concentration in the agricultural supply chain.
Flapless application of enamel matrix derivative in periodontal retreatment: A multicentre randomized feasibility trial
Authors: Jentsch Holger F. R. , Roccuzzo Mario , Pilloni Andrea , Kasaj Adrian , Fimmers Rolf , Jepsen Søren 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimTo investigate the potential benefit of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) as adjunct to re‐instrumentation of residual pockets persisting after steps 1 and 2 of periodontal therapy.Material and Methods44 adult patients participated in a multicentre feasibility randomized clinical trial with split‐mouth design. They had presented at re‐evaluation after initial non‐surgical periodontal therapy (steps 1 and 2 of periodontal therapy) for generalized periodontitis with at least 2 teeth with residual probing pocket depths (PPD) ≥5 and ≤8 mm, with bleeding on probing (BOP). Two teeth with similar PPD were randomized to receive re‐instrumentation either with (test) or without (control) adjunctive flapless administration of EMD. Differences in the changes of PPD and BOP from baseline to 6 and 12 months were analysed, and the frequencies of pocket closure (PPD ≤4 mm and no BOP) compared.ResultsFor the primary outcome “change of mean PPD after 6 months,” a significant additional benefit of 0.79 ± 1.3 mm (p < .0001) could be observed for the test group. At 12 months, this difference could be maintained (0.85 ± 1.1 mm; p < .0001). The frequency of pocket closure in the test group was 69% at 6 and 80% at 12 months and significantly higher than in the control group with 34% and 42%, respectively (p < .01).ConclusionsThe results of the present feasibility study indicate a benefit of adjunctive EMD during non‐surgical retreatment (step 3 of periodontal therapy) of residual deep pockets.
Maternal effects shape offspring physiological condition but do not senesce in a wild mammal
Authors: Cheynel Louise , Gilot‐Fromont Emmanuelle , Rey Benjamin , Quéméré Erwan , Débias François , Duhayer Jeanne , Pardonnet Sylvia , Pellerin Maryline , Gaillard Jean‐Michel , Lemaître Jean‐François 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn vertebrates, offspring survival often decreases with increasing maternal age. While many studies have reported a decline in fitness‐related traits of offspring with increasing maternal age, the study of senescence in maternal effect through age‐specific changes in offspring physiological condition is still at its infancy. We assessed the influence of maternal age and body mass on offspring physiological condition in two populations of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) subjected to markedly different environmental conditions. We measured seven markers to index body condition and characterize the immune profile in 86 fawns which became recently independent of their known‐aged mothers. We did not find striking effects of maternal age on offspring physiological condition measured at 8 months of age. This absence of evidence for senescence in maternal effects is likely due to the strong viability selection observed in the very first months of life in this species. Offspring physiological condition was, on the other hand, positively influenced by maternal body mass. Between‐population differences in environmental conditions experienced by fawns also influenced their average body condition and immune phenotype. Fawns facing food limitation displayed lower values in some markers of body condition (body mass and haemoglobin levels) than those living in good quality habitat. They also allocated preferentially to humoral immunity, contrary to those living in good conditions, which allocated more to cellular response. These results shed a new light on the eco‐physiological pathways mediating the relationship between mother's mass and offspring condition.
Intense pulsed light versus cryotherapy in the treatment of hypertrophic scars: A clinical and histopathological study
Authors: Salem Samar A.M. , Abdel Hameed Sharief M. , Mostafa Azza E. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundDifferent therapeutic modalities have been tried for hypertrophic scar treatment. To our knowledge, intense pulsed light (IPL) has not been previously evaluated in comparison with cryotherapy as a stand‐alone treatment for hypertrophic scars.ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the efficacy of IPL as a monotherapy for hypertrophic scar treatment as compared with cryotherapy both clinically and histopathologically.MethodsThis study included 28 patients with hypertrophic scars. Patients were divided randomly and equally into two groups; group I patients received cryotherapy while group II patients received IPL. All patients received treatments for a total of six sessions or until resolution of the lesion whichever was nearer. The outcome was evaluated clinically and histopathologically.ResultsScar height showed a significant decrease and scar color and pliability showed a significant improvement in group I. No significant changes were detected in group II except in scar pliability. Vancouver scar scale (VSS) mean decreased by −53.7% in group I versus −11.5% decrease in group II. Histopathologically, group I showed a significantly increased epidermal thickness and decreased dermal and collagen bundle thickness, while group II showed insignificant histopathological changes. Group I exhibited a statistically significant clinical and histopathological improvement compared to group II, yet with more complications.ConclusionCryotherapy is more effective than IPL in the treatment of hypertrophic scars both on clinical and histopathological level yet with more complications.
Transconjunctival lower eyelid blepharoplasty with fat transposition above the orbicularis muscle for improvement of the tear trough deformity
Authors: Majidian BA Mandy , Kolli BS Hiren , Moy MD Ronald L. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe tear trough is the hollow concavity of the medial lower eyelid. Surgery can address tear trough deformities and reverse visible signs of periorbital aging. The previous methods of transconjunctival blepharoplasty with fat transposition were first described with subperiosteal placement of fat (Plast Reconstr Surg, 125, 2010,699, Aesthetic Surg J, 32, 2012, 426). This was followed by techniques with submuscular transposition of fat, which overcame certain difficulties associated with the subperiosteal methods (Clin Plast Surg, 20, 1993, 393, Arch Facial Plast Surg, 2, 2000, 16).ObjectivesWe present a detailed description, evaluate the efficacy, safety, and advantages of transconjunctival blepharoplasty with fat pedicle transposition above the orbicularis muscle for lower eyelid rejuvenation and improvement of the tear trough deformity.MethodsForty‐one patients underwent lower eyelid blepharoplasty with fat transposition above the orbicularis muscle. Clinical and photographic documentation along with patient satisfaction ratings were evaluated for a minimum of 44 months postoperatively.ResultsSignificant improvements of lower eyelid aesthetics and correction of tear trough abnormalities were observed in most patients. At 44 months postoperatively, surgical correction was maintained in all patients with a high satisfaction and long‐term survival. No contour irregularities or significant long‐term complications were detected in any of the patients.ConclusionTransconjunctival blepharoplasty with the fat pedicle transposition placed above the orbicularis muscle is a safe and effective technique for lower eyelid rejuvenation. Compared to previously described techniques of repositioning fat into the subperiosteal or submuscular plane, this technique of transposing fat above the orbicularis muscle is an alternative technique resulting in long‐term improvement of tear trough abnormalities with no major complications.