bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Danthron attenuates experimental atherosclerosis by targeting foam cell formation
Authors: Shi Xiujin , Zhang Yi , Lin Baidi , Zhou Yang , Suo Wei , Wei Juanjuan , Zhang Lin , Lin Jie , Xiao Fucheng , Zhao Limin , Lin Yang 
Published: January 2021

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Does danthron alleviate experimental atherosclerosis by inhibiting the formation of foam cells?
What are the main findings and their importance?
Danthron improved serum lipid profiles and significantly reduced the atherosclerotic plaque areas and lipid accumulation in the aortic root of ApoE−/− mice. Danthron inhibited foam cell formation in oxidized low‐density lipoprotein‐induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, danthron exerted its function in atherosclerosis at least partly through activating the AMP‐activated protein kinase–sirtuin 1 signalling pathway. These findings suggest that danthron has the potential to alleviate atherosclerosis.
AbstractDanthron, an ingredient isolated from Rheum palmatum L., has been revealed to reduce lipid accumulation in vitro. This study aimed to discover the effects of danthron on the development of atherosclerosis and to delineate the underlying mechanisms. For in vivo studies, male ApoE−/− mice were fed a high‐fat diet and orally treated with danthron (30 or 60 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks. For in vitro studies, RAW264.7 cells were induced by oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL, 50 μg/ml) for 48 h and subsequently administered danthron at appropriate concentrations for 24 h. AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C was added to ox‐LDL‐stimulated RAW264.7 cells 2 h before danthron administration to confirm the role of the AMPK signalling pathway in the regulation by danthron of foam cell formation. We found that danthron improved serum lipid profiles, and significantly reduced atherosclerotic plaque areas and lipid accumulation in the aortic root of atherosclerotic mice. Moreover, danthron upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), ABCG1 and liver X receptor α (LXRα), which play a crucial role in lipid metabolism, and activated the AMPK–sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) pathway. In an in vitro study, danthron inhibited foam cell formation in ox‐LDL‐induced RAW264.7 macrophages with an increase in the expression of ABCA1, ABCG1 and LXRα as well as activation of the AMPK–SIRT1 pathway. Furthermore, compound C abolished the effects of danthron on lipid accumulation and the protein expression of ABCA1/G1 and LXRα in vitro. Our results highlight that danthron possesses potential benefits in alleviating experimental atherosclerosis by targeting foam cell formation by activating the AMPK–SIRT1 signalling pathway.
Regional functional and structural abnormalities within the aorta as a potential driver of vascular disease in metabolic syndrome
Authors: Ameer Omar Z. , Salman Ibrahim M. , Alwadi Aiman Y. , Ouban Abderrahman , Abu‐Owaimer Fahmi M. , AlSharari Shakir D. , Bukhari Ishfaq A. 
Published: January 2021

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Is aortic dysfunction, a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease in metabolic syndrome, expressed uniformly across both the thoracic and abdominal aorta?
What is the main finding and its importance?
Our study shows that, in the setting of metabolic syndrome, functional and structural deficits in the aorta are differentially expressed along its length, with the abdominal portion displaying more extensive vascular abnormalities. It is, therefore, likely that early interventional strategies targeting the abdominal aorta might alleviate cardiovascular pathologies driven by the metabolic syndrome.
AbstractThe extent of vascular dysfunction associated with metabolic syndrome might vary along the length of the aorta. In this study, we investigated regional functional and structural changes in the thoracic and abdominal aorta of a rat model of metabolic syndrome, namely, high‐fat diet (HFD) streptozotocin‐induced diabetes mellitus (HFD‐D). Four‐week‐old male Wistar albino rats were fed with either HFD or control diet (CD) for 10 weeks. At week 6, 40 mg/kg streptozotocin and its vehicle were injected i.p. into HFD and CD groups, respectively. At the end of the feeding period, rats were euthanised and aortic segments collected for assessment of vascular functional responses and histomorphometry. Tail‐cuff systolic blood pressures (154 ± 6 vs. 110 ± 4 mmHg) and areas under the curve for oral glucose and i.p. insulin tolerance tests were greater in HFD‐D versus CD rats. Abdominal aortic vasoconstriction in response to noradrenaline and KCl was greater in HFD‐D compared with CD rats. Thoracic vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline, but not KCl, were greater in the HFD‐D group. Abdominal, but not thoracic, endothelium‐dependent vasorelaxation in response to acetylcholine was blunted in HFD‐D relative to CD rats; however, nitric oxide‐dependent vasorelaxation in HFD‐D rats was impaired in both thoracic and abdominal segments. The abdominal aorta of HFD‐D rats showed deranged interlamellar spacing and increased lipid plaque deposition. In conclusion, vascular dysfunction in metabolic syndrome is expressed differentially along the length of the aorta, with the abdominal aorta exhibiting increased susceptibility to vasoconstrictors and greater deficits in endothelium‐dependent relaxation. These vascular functional abnormalities could potentially underlie the development of hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with the metabolic syndrome.
Location, location, location: the organization and roles of potassium channels in mammalian motoneurons
Authors: Deardorff Adam S. , Romer Shannon H. , Fyffe Robert E.W. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe spatial and temporal balance of spinal α‐motoneuron (αMN) intrinsic membrane conductances underlies the neural output of the final common pathway for motor commands. Although the complete set and precise localization of αMN K+ channels and their respective outward conductances remain unsettled, important K+ channel subtypes have now been documented, including Kv1, Kv2, Kv7, TASK, HCN and SK isoforms. Unique kinetics and gating parameters allow these channels to differentially shape and/or modify αMN firing properties, and recent immunohistochemical localization of K+‐channel complexes reveals a framework in which their spatial distribution and/or focal clustering within different surface membrane compartments is highly tuned to their physiological function. Moreover, highly evolved regulatory mechanisms enable specific channels to operate over variable levels of αMN activity and contribute to either state‐dependent enhancement or diminution of firing. While recent data suggest an additional, non‐conducting role for clustered Kv2.1 channels in the formation of endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane junctions postsynaptic to C‐bouton synapses, electrophysiological evidence demonstrates that conducting Kv2.1 channels effectively regulate αMN firing, especially during periods of high activity in which the cholinergic C‐boutons are engaged. Intense αMN activity or cell injury rapidly disrupts the clustered organization of Kv2.1 channels in αMNs and further impacts their physiological role.
Thus, αMN K+ channels play a critical regulatory role in motor processing and are potential therapeutic targets for diseases affecting αMN excitability and motor output, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Biased auditory nerve central synaptopathy is associated with age‐related hearing loss
Authors: Wang Meijian , Zhang Chuangeng , Lin Shengyin , Wang Yong , Seicol Benjamin J. , Ariss Robert W. , Xie Ruili 
Published: January 2021

Key points
Sound information is transmitted by different subtypes of spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) from the ear to the brain.
Selective damage of SGN peripheral synapses (cochlear synaptopathy) is widely recognized as one of the primary mechanisms of hearing loss, whereas the mechanisms at the SGN central synapses remain unclear.
We report that different subtypes of SGN central synapses converge at different ratios onto individual target cochlear nucleus neurons with distinct physiological properties, and show biased morphological and physiological changes during age‐related hearing loss (ARHL).
The results reveal a new dimension in cochlear nucleus neural circuitry that systematically reassembles and processes auditory information from different SGN subtypes, which is altered during ageing and probably contributes to the development of ARHL.
In addition to known cochlear synaptopathy, the present study shows that SGN central synapses are also pathologically changed during ageing, which collectively helps us better understand the structure and function of SGNs during ARHL.
AbstractSound information is transmitted from the cochlea to the brain by different subtypes of spiral ganglion neurons (SGN), which show varying degrees of vulnerability under pathological conditions. Selective cochlear synaptopathy, the preferential damage of certain subtypes of SGN peripheral synapses, has been recognized as one of the main mechanisms of hearing loss. The organization and function of the auditory nerve (AN) central synapses from different subtypes of SGNs remain unclear, including how different AN synapses reassemble onto individual neurons in the cochlear nucleus, as well as how they differentially change during hearing loss. Combining immunohistochemistry with electrophysiology, we investigated the convergence pattern and subtype‐specific synaptopathy of AN synapses at the endbulb of Held, as well as the response properties of their postsynaptic bushy neurons in CBA/CaJ mice of either sex under normal hearing and age‐related hearing loss (ARHL). We found that calretinin‐expressing (type Ia) and non‐calretinin‐expressing (type Ib/Ic) endbulbs converged along a continuum of different ratios onto individual bushy neurons with varying physiological properties. Endbulbs degenerated during ageing in parallel with ARHL. Furthermore, the degeneration was more severe in non‐calretinin‐expressing synapses, which correlated with a gradual decrease in bushy neuron subpopulation predominantly innervated by these inputs. These synaptic and cellular changes were profound in middle‐aged mice when their hearing thresholds were still relatively normal and prior to severe ARHL. Our findings suggest that biased AN central synaptopathy and the correlated shift in cochlear nucleus neuronal composition play significant roles in weakened auditory input and altered central auditory processing during ARHL.
Effect of an office-based intervention on visceral adipose tissue: the WorkACTIVE-P randomized controlled trial
Authors: Dorling James L. , Höchsmann Christoph , Tudor-Locke Catrine , Beyl Robbie , Martin Corby K. 
Published: January 2021

Office-based activity reduces sedentariness, yet no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed how such activity influences visceral adipose tissue (VAT). This study examined the effect of an office-based, multicomponent activity intervention on VAT. The WorkACTIVE-P RCT enrolled sedentary office workers (body mass index: 31.4 (standard deviation (SD) 4.4) kg/m2) to an intervention (n = 20) or control (n = 20) group. For 3 months, the intervention group received an office-based pedal desk, further to an intervention promoting its use and increased walking. The control group maintained habitual activity. At baseline and follow-up, VAT, cardiometabolic disease risk markers, physical activity, and food intake were measured. Steps/day were not altered relative to control (P ≥ 0.51), but the pedal desk was utilized for 127 (SD 61) min/day. The intervention reduced VAT relative to control (−0.15 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.29 to −0.01; P = 0.04). Moreover, the intervention decreased fasting glucose compared with control (−0.29 mmol/L; 95% CI = −0.51 to −0.06; P = 0.01), but no differences in other cardiometabolic disease markers or food intake were revealed (P ≥ 0.11). A multicomponent intervention decreased VAT in office workers who were overweight or obese. Though longer-term studies are needed, office-based, multicomponent activity regimens may lower cardiometabolic disease risk. Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02561611). Novelty: In WorkACTIVE-P, a multicomponent activity intervention decreased visceral adipose tissue relative to control in office workers. The intervention also reduced glucose compared with control, though other metabolic risk markers and food intake were not altered. Such multicomponent interventions could help reduce cardiometabolic disease risk, but longer studies are needed.
Effect of Sample Volume Variation and Delay in Analysis on Plasma Glucose Concentration in Sri Lankan Healthy Adults
Authors: Dharmasena Isuru Anupama , Siriwardhana Deepani , Attanayake Anoja Priyadarshani 
Published: January 2021

The correct volume of sample and time of storing prior to the analysis are important considerations in the estimation of plasma glucose concentration of patients. The present study was to determine the effect of sample volume variation and time delay in the analysis of plasma glucose results in healthy adults. A total of 30 individuals aged between 20 and 30 years were selected for the study. Blood samples were collected into three fluoride-oxalate collection tubes separately. The results revealed that the sample volume variation from 2.0 mL fluoride-oxalate tube to 1.0 mL and 3.0 mL did not significantly affect the plasma glucose concentration (

p

> 0.05). However, the plasma glucose concentration in the sample significantly decreased upon delaying the analysis. The mean fasting plasma glucose concentration of analysis after one hour of collection and analysis after three hours of collection was not significantly different (

p

> 0.05). The mean fasting plasma glucose concentrations between one hour and five hours timepoints after collection (

p

< 0.001) and between three hours and five hours after collection (

p

= 0.014) were significantly different. In conclusion, overfilling and underfilling (2.0 ± 1.0 mL) of fluoride-oxalate tubes did not affect the plasma glucose results significantly. If the samples are analyzed within three hours of collection, the time dependent change too is not statistically significant.
Esophageal Balloon-Directed Ventilator Management for Postpneumonectomy Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Sy Eric , Rao Jagadish , Zacharias Sherma , Ronco Juan J. , Lee James S. 
Published: January 2021

Objective. Postpneumonectomy patients may develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). There is a paucity of data regarding the optimal management of mechanical ventilation for postpneumonectomy patients. Esophageal balloon pressure monitoring has been used in traditional ARDS patients to set positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and minimize transpulmonary driving pressure (

Δ

P

L

), but its clinical use has not been previously described nor validated in postpneumonectomy patients. The primary objective of this report was to describe the potential clinical application of esophageal pressure monitoring to manage the postpneumonectomy patient with ARDS. Design. Case report. Setting. Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university-affiliated teaching hospital. Patient. A 28-year-old patient was involved in a motor vehicle collision, with a right main bronchus injury, that required a right-sided pneumonectomy to stabilize his condition. In the perioperative phase, they subsequently developed ventilator-associated pneumonia, significant cumulative positive fluid balance, and ARDS. Interventions. Prone positioning and neuromuscular blockade were initiated. An esophageal balloon was inserted to direct ventilator management. Measurements and Main Results.

V

T

was kept around 3.6 mL/kg PBW,

Δ

P

L

at ≤14 cm H2O, and plateau pressure at ≤30 cm H2O. Lung compliance was measured to be 37 mL/cm H2O. PEEP was optimized to maintain end-inspiratory transpulmonary

pressure

P

L

<
15

cm H2O, and end-expiratory

P

L

between 0 and 5 cm H2O. The maximal

Δ

P

L

was measured to be 11 cm H2O during the care of this patient. The patient improved with esophageal balloon-directed ventilator management and was eventually liberated from mechanical ventilation. Conclusions. The optimal targets for

V

T

remain unknown in the postpneumonectomy patient. However, postpneumonectomy patients with ARDS may potentially benefit from very low

V

T

and optimization of PEEP. We demonstrate the application of esophageal balloon pressure monitoring that clinicians could potentially use to limit injurious ventilation and improve outcomes in postpneumonectomy patients with ARDS. However, esophageal balloon pressure monitoring has not been extensively validated in this patient population.
Digital Technologies as a Panacea for Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older Adults: An Intervention Model for Flourishing and Wellbeing
Authors: Amundsen Diana 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This article explores whether digital communication technologies have applicability in reducing social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Issues of social isolation and loneliness among older adults are important as they are identified risk factors for mortality, disability, cognitive ability, depression and poor wellbeing. This problem is more urgent due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has required older adults to physically and socially distance from family, friends, neighbours, communities and health services. In the context of the present Covid-19 pandemic, this article is of interest to educators, social workers, community service providers, health service practitioners, gerontological scholars involved in preparing older adult communities for present and future traumatic events resulting in socially isolating experiences. The literature identified that use of technology to promote social connection and enhance wellbeing for older adults can be an effective intervention, but more information is needed as to what aspects of such interventions make them effective. This research advocates for improvement in wellbeing and social connectedness of older adults through consideration of interventions through a model for flourishing and wellbeing. The research contributes to our growing understanding of how to change the way we think, feel and act towards older adults, ageing and flourishing.
OHNS Residency Program and Applicant Social Media Presence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ahmadmehrabi Shadi , Xie Deborah X. , Ward Bryan K. , Bryson Paul C. , Byrne Patrick 
Published: January 2021

Objectives: In addition to clinical and social disruption, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many aspects of the otolaryngology residency application process. With delays in the 2021 Electronic Residency Applications Service (ERAS) timeline, students and programs have had more time to interact prior to the formal application process. This communication will report recent trends in social media presence by OHNS residency programs, and discuss mechanisms to compensate for decreased applicant-program interactions using social media ahead of the 2021 Match. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of the accredited otolaryngology residency programs in the United States, the number of social media profiles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook from 2009 to 2019 were recorded and compared. Results: Most programs (61%) have at least 1 social media profile. Over the past 10 years, the number of programs on social media has increased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter and Instagram showed higher rates of growth compared to Facebook. With the reduction of in-person opportunities for interactions, both applicants and programs are utilizing social media to showcase their values and their research. Twitter, in particular, also serves as a platform for professional networking. Conclusion: Both Twitter and Instagram are growing in popularity among programs and applicants to enhance networking. Social media is a powerful tool for networking and may help compensate for limitations imposed on the residency match process by the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining professionalism considerations. The impact of social media on the 2021 otolaryngology residency match is an evolving phenomenon.
Psychiatric comorbidities and quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment: Risk and protective factors
Authors: Shim In Hee , Choi Chul Won , Bae Dong Sik , Ha Su Hong , Kwon Kyung A , Yoon Tae In , Yi On Vox 
Published: January 2021

Objective The primary goal was to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and changes in psychological distress levels among breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT). The secondary goal was to determine risk and protective factors for psychiatric comorbidities of these patients. Methods From June 2018 to November 2019, patients were recruited from the hospital, Department of Psychiatry. Patients completed baseline surveys after seeing their radiation oncologist and prior to the first treatment, which was scheduled to take place within 7 days (visit 1, baseline); visit 2 occurred within 7 days after RT completion, and visit 3 occurred at 6 weeks after RT completion. A total of 99 patients participated in the study at visit 1; 56 patients completed the study through visit 3. Results Although changes in psychiatric comorbidities and overall quality of life were observed in patients with breast cancer prior to, during, and after RT, the differences were not significant among visits. Patients diagnosed with psychiatric comorbidities after RT had exhibited risk factors at previous visits, including preexisting psychiatric comorbidities, functional deterioration, and more severe symptoms related to breast cancer. Based on the results, the psychological characteristics of optimism and resilience can be considered as protective factors for psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusions The results suggest that early detection and follow-up of psychological distress and poor quality of life at the onset of RT are of paramount importance, and that psychosocial interventions to enhance protective factors (optimism and resilience) may be helpful.