bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three dimensional reconstruction of coronary artery stents from optical coherence tomography: experimental validation and clinical feasibility
Authors: Wu Wei , Khan Behram , Sharzehee Mohammadali , Zhao Shijia , Samant Saurabhi , Watanabe Yusuke , Murasato Yoshinobu , Mickley Timothy , Bicek Andrew , Bliss Richard , Valenzuela Thomas , Iaizzo Paul A. , Makadia Janaki , Panagopoulos Anastasios , Burzotta Francesco , Samady Habib , Brilakis Emmanouil S. , Dangas George D. , Louvard Yves , Stankovic Goran , Dubini Gabriele , Migliavacca Francesco , Kassab Ghassan S. , Edelman Elazer R. , Chiastra Claudio , Chatzizisis Yiannis S. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe structural morphology of coronary stents (e.g. stent expansion, lumen scaffolding, strut apposition, tissue protrusion, side branch jailing, strut fracture), and the local hemodynamic environment after stent deployment are key determinants of procedural success and subsequent clinical outcomes. High-resolution intracoronary imaging has the potential to enable the geometrically accurate three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary stents. The aim of this work was to present a novel algorithm for 3D stent reconstruction of coronary artery stents based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and angiography, and test experimentally its accuracy, reproducibility, clinical feasibility, and ability to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. Our method has the following steps: 3D lumen reconstruction based on OCT and angiography, stent strut segmentation in OCT images, packaging, rotation and straightening of the segmented struts, planar unrolling of the segmented struts, planar stent wireframe reconstruction, rolling back of the planar stent wireframe to the 3D reconstructed lumen, and final stent volume reconstruction. We tested the accuracy and reproducibility of our method in stented patient-specific silicone models using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and stereoscopy as references. The clinical feasibility and CFD studies were performed in clinically stented coronary bifurcations. The experimental and clinical studies showed that our algorithm (1) can reproduce the complex spatial stent configuration with high precision and reproducibility, (2) is feasible in 3D reconstructing stents deployed in bifurcations, and (3) enables CFD studies to assess the local hemodynamic environment within the stent. Notably, the high accuracy of our algorithm was consistent across different stent designs and diameters. Our method coupled with patient-specific CFD studies can lay the ground for optimization of stenting procedures, patient-specific computational stenting simulations, and research and development of new stent scaffolds and stenting techniques.
Fourteen days of smoking cessation improves muscle fatigue resistance and reverses markers of systemic inflammation
Authors: Darabseh Mohammad Z. , Maden-Wilkinson Thomas M. , Welbourne George , Wüst Rob C. I. , Ahmed Nessar , Aushah Hakima , Selfe James , Morse Christopher I. , Degens Hans 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCigarette smoking has a negative effect on respiratory and skeletal muscle function and is a risk factor for various chronic diseases. To assess the effects of 14 days of smoking cessation on respiratory and skeletal muscle function, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in humans. Spirometry, skeletal muscle function, circulating carboxyhaemoglobin levels, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), markers of oxidative stress and serum cytokines were measured in 38 non-smokers, and in 48 cigarette smokers at baseline and after 14 days of smoking cessation. Peak expiratory flow (p = 0.004) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (p = 0.037) were lower in smokers compared to non-smokers but did not change significantly after smoking cessation. Smoking cessation increased skeletal muscle fatigue resistance (p < 0.001). Haemoglobin content, haematocrit, carboxyhaemoglobin, total AGEs, malondialdehyde, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 (p < 0.05) levels were higher, and total antioxidant status (TAS), IL-12p70 and eosinophil numbers were lower (p < 0.05) in smokers. IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12p70 had returned towards levels seen in non-smokers after 14 days smoking cessation (p < 0.05), and IL-2 and TNF-α showed a similar pattern but had not yet fully returned to levels seen in non-smokers. Haemoglobin, haematocrit, eosinophil count, AGEs, MDA and TAS did not significantly change with smoking cessation. Two weeks of smoking cessation was accompanied with an improved muscle fatigue resistance and a reduction in low-grade systemic inflammation in smokers.
2019‒2020 Australian bushfire air particulate pollution and impact on the South Pacific Ocean
Authors: Li Mengyu , Shen Fang , Sun Xuerong 
Published: June 2021

AbstractDuring late 2019 and early 2020, Australia experienced one of the most active bushfire seasons that advected large emissions over the adjacent ocean. Herein, we present a comprehensive research on mixed atmospheric aerosol particulate pollution emitted by wildfires in the atmosphere and the ocean. Based on a wide range of physical and biochemical data, including the Aerosol Robotic Network, multi-satellite observations, and Argo floats, we investigated the spatio-temporal variations and mixed compositions of aerosol particles, deposition in the coastal waters of eastern Australia and the South Pacific Ocean, and biogeochemical responses in the water column. Four types of wildfire-derived mixed particles were classified by using the optical properties of aerosols into four types, including the background aerosols, mineral dust, wildfire smoke particles, and residual smoke. The coarse particles accounted for more than 60% of the mineral dust on 22 November 2019 in the Tasman Sea; afterwards, during the wildfire smoke episode from December 2019 to January 2020, the particles affected large areas of the atmosphere such as eastern Australia, the South Pacific Ocean, and South America. The maximum value of the aerosol optical depth reached 2.74, and the proportion of fine particles accounted for 98.9% in the smoke episode. Mineral dust and smoke particles from the fire emissions changed the particle composition in the surface ocean. Particle deposition accounted for increases in chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) standardized anomaly up to maximum of 23.3 with a lag time of less than 8 days. In the vertical direction, float observations showed the impact of exogenous particles on the water column could up to 64.7 m deep, resulting in Chla of 1.85 mg/m3. The high Chla lasted for a minimum period of two months until it returned to normal level.
Energy-efficient ultrafast nucleation of single and multiple antiferromagnetic skyrmions using in-plane spin polarized current
Authors: Khan Kacho Imtiyaz Ali , Sisodia Naveen , Muduli P. K. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe numerically investigate the ultrafast nucleation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmion using in-plane spin-polarized current and present its key advantages over out-of-plane spin-polarized current. We show that the threshold current density required for the creation of AFM skyrmion is almost an order of magnitude lower for the in-plane spin-polarized current. The nucleation time for the AFM skyrmion is found to be $$12-7$$

12
-
7

ps for the corresponding current density of 1–$$3\times 10^{13}~\text{A/m}^{2}$$

3
×

10
13

A/m
2

. We also demonstrate ultrafast nucleation of multiple AFM skyrmions that is possible only with in-plane spin polarized current and discuss how the current pulse width can be used to control the number of AFM skyrmions. The results show more than one order of magnitude improvement in energy consumption for ultrafast nucleation of AFM skyrmions using in-plane spin-polarized current, which is promising for applications such as logic gates, racetrack memory, and neuromorphic computing.
Chemoradiation induces upregulation of immunogenic cell death-related molecules together with increased expression of PD-L1 and galectin-9 in gastric cancer
Authors: Petersen S. H. , Kua L. F. , Nakajima S. , Yong W. P. , Kono K. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSurgery alone or combined with chemo- and/or radiation therapy remains the primary treatment for gastric cancer (GC) to date and immunotherapeutic tools such as monoclonal antibodies are only slowly being implemented. This is partly due to the fact that the immune microenvironment in GC during chemoradiation and other treatment modalities is still poorly understood. 7 gastric cancer (GC) cell lines were tested for their response to chemoradiation using 5-FU in combination with X-ray irradiation. We conducted flow cytometric analysis to determine the cells’ ability to undergo immunogenic cell death (ICD) and their expression of the two immunosuppressive proteins programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and galectin-9 (Gal-9). We evaluated the overall immunogenicity of two cell lines (MKN7, MKN74) in co-culture experiments with human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs). Chemoradiation induces distinct responses in different GC cell lines. We observe ICD in vitro in all tested GC cell lines in the form of calreticulin (CRT) translocation to the plasma membrane. As a resistance mechanism, these cells also upregulated Gal-9 and PD-L1. Mo-DC maturation experiments showed that GCs provoked the maturation of Mo-DCs after chemoradiation in vitro. The addition of α-PD-L1 blocking antibody further enhanced the immunogenicity of these cells while improving DC viability. Blocking Tim-3, as the main receptor for Gal-9, had no such effect. Our findings suggest that the benefits of chemoradiation can substantially depend on tumor subtype and these benefits can be offset by induced immune evasion in GC. Combination treatment using checkpoint inhibitors could potentially lead to enhanced immune responses and yield better patient outcomes.
A semi exact solution for a metallic phase in a Holstein-Hubbard chain at half filling with Gaussian anharmonic phonons
Authors: Debnath Debika , Malik M. Zahid , Chatterjee Ashok 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe nature of phase transition from an antiferromagnetic SDW polaronic Mott insulator to the paramagnetic bipolaronic CDW Peierls insulator is studied for the half-filled Holstein-Hubbard model in one dimension in the presence of Gaussian phonon anharmonicity. A number of unitary transformations performed in succession on the Hamiltonian followed by a general many-phonon averaging leads to an effective electronic Hamiltonian which is then treated exactly by using the Bethe-Ansatz technique of Lieb and Wu to determine the energy of the ground state of the system. Next using the Mott–Hubbard metallicity condition, local spin-moment calculation, and the concept of quantum entanglement entropy and double occupancy, it is shown that in a plane spanned by the electron–phonon coupling coefficient and onsite Coulomb correlation energy, there exists a window in which the SDW and CDW phases are separated by an intermediate phase that is metallic.
Protected area networks do not represent unseen biodiversity
Authors: Delso Ángel , Fajardo Javier , Muñoz Jesús 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMost existing protected area networks are biased to protect charismatic species or landscapes. We hypothesized that conservation networks designed to include unseen biodiversity—species rich groups that consist of inconspicuous taxa, or groups affected by knowledge gaps—are more efficient than networks that ignore these groups. To test this hypothesis, we generated species distribution models for 3006 arthropod species to determine which were represented in three networks of different sizes and biogeographic origin. We assessed the efficiency of each network using spatial prioritization to measure its completeness, the increment needed to achieve conservation targets, and its specificity, the extent to which proposed priority areas to maximize unseen biodiversity overlap with existing networks. We found that the representativeness of unseen biodiversity in the studied protected areas, or extrinsic representativeness, is low, with ~ 40% of the analyzed unseen biodiversity species being unprotected. We also found that existing networks should be expanded ~ 26% to 46% of their current area to complete targets, and that existing networks do not efficiently conserve the unseen biodiversity given their low specificity (as low as 8.8%) unseen biodiversity. We conclude that information on unseen biodiversity must be included in systematic conservation planning approaches to design more efficient and ecologically representative protected areas.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Taurine ameliorates thioacetamide induced liver fibrosis in rats via modulation of toll like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway
Authors: Younis Nancy S. , Ghanim Amal M. H. , Elmorsy Mohammad A. , Metwaly Heba A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractLiver fibrosis is a significant health problem that can cause serious illness and death. Unfortunately, a standard treatment for liver fibrosis has not been approved yet due to its complicated pathogenesis. The current study aimed at assessing the anti-fibrotic effect of taurine against thioacetamide induced liver fibrosis in rats through the modulation of toll like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway. Both concomitant and late taurine treatment (100 mg/kg, IP, daily) significantly reduced the rise in serum ALT and AST activities and significantly reversed the decrease in serum albumin and total protein. These results were confirmed by histopathological examinations and immunehistochemical inspection of α-SMA, caspase-3 and NF-κB. The antioxidant potential of taurine was verified by a marked increase of GSH content and a reduction of MDA level in liver tissue. The anti-fibrotic effects of taurine were evaluated by investigating the expression of TLR4, NF-κB. The protein levels of IL-6, LPS, MyD88, MD2, CD14, TGF-β1 and TNF-α were determined. Docking studies were carried out to understand how taurine interacts inside TLR4-MD2 complex and it showed good binding with the hydrophobic binding site of MD2. We concluded that the anti-fibrotic effect of taurine was attributable to the modulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling.
Influence of cardiovascular risk-factors on morphological changes of cerebral arteries in healthy adults across the life span
Authors: Mouches Pauline , Langner Sönke , Domin Martin , Hill Michael D. , Forkert Nils D. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCerebral artery morphological alterations have been associated with several cerebrovascular and neurological diseases, whereas these structures are known to be highly variable among healthy individuals. To date, the knowledge about the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the morphology of cerebral arteries is rather limited. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the regional cerebroarterial radius and density. Time-of-Flight magnetic resonance angiography from 1722 healthy adults (21–82 years) were used to extract region-specific measurements describing the main cerebral artery morphology. Multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of cardiovascular risk factors, including clinical and life behavioural factors, on each region-specific artery measurement. Increased age, blood pressure, and markers of obesity were significantly associated with decreased artery radius and density in most regions, with aging having the greatest impact. Additionally, females showed significantly higher artery density while males showed higher artery radius. Smoking and alcohol consumption did not show any significant association with the artery morphology. The results of this study improve the understanding of the impact of aging, clinical factors, and life behavioural factors on cerebrovascular morphology and can help to identify potential risk factors for cerebrovascular and neurological diseases.
Characterization of metapopulation of Ellobium chinense through Pleistocene expansions and four covariate COI guanine-hotspots linked to G-quadruplex conformation
Authors: Shin Cho Rong , Choi Eun Hwa , Kim Gyeongmin , Baek Su Youn , Park Bia , Hwang Jihye , Jun Jumin , Kil Hyun Jong , Oh Hyunkyung , Lee Kyungjin , Kim Sa Heung , Lee Jongrak , Suh Seung Jik , Park Dong-min , Suk Ho Young , Lee Yong Seok , Lee Young Sup , Hwang Ui Wook 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe land snail Ellobium chinense (L. Pfeiffer, 1855) (Eupulmonata, Ellobiida, Ellobiidae), which inhabits the salt marshes along the coastal areas of northwestern Pacific, is an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Over recent decades, the population size of E. chinense has consistently decreased due to environmental interference caused by natural disasters and human activities. Here, we provide the first assessment of the genetic diversity and population genetic structures of northwestern Pacific E. chinense. The results analyzed with COI and microsatellites revealed that E. chinense population exhibit metapopulation characteristics, retaining under the influence of the Kuroshio warm currents through expansion of the Late-Middle and Late Pleistocene. We also found four phylogenetic groups, regardless of geographical distributions, which were easily distinguishable by four unidirectional and stepwise adenine-to-guanine transitions in COI (sites 207–282–354–420: A–A–A–A, A–A–G–A, G–A–G–A, and G–G–G–G). Additionally, the four COI hotspots were robustly connected with a high degree of covariance between them. We discuss the role of these covariate guanines which link to form four consecutive G-quadruplexes, and their possible beneficial effects under positive selection pressure.
Ethanol-guided behavior in Drosophila larvae
Authors: Schumann Isabell , Berger Michael , Nowag Nadine , Schäfer Yannick , Saumweber Juliane , Scholz Henrike , Thum Andreas S. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractChemosensory signals allow vertebrates and invertebrates not only to orient in its environment toward energy-rich food sources to maintain nutrition but also to avoid unpleasant or even poisonous substrates. Ethanol is a substance found in the natural environment of Drosophila melanogaster. Accordingly, D. melanogaster has evolved specific sensory systems, physiological adaptations, and associated behaviors at its larval and adult stage to perceive and process ethanol. To systematically analyze how D. melanogaster larvae respond to naturally occurring ethanol, we examined ethanol-induced behavior in great detail by reevaluating existing approaches and comparing them with new experiments. Using behavioral assays, we confirm that larvae are attracted to different concentrations of ethanol in their environment. This behavior is controlled by olfactory and other environmental cues. It is independent of previous exposure to ethanol in their food. Moreover, moderate, naturally occurring ethanol concentration of 4% results in increased larval fitness. On the contrary, higher concentrations of 10% and 20% ethanol, which rarely or never appear in nature, increase larval mortality. Finally, ethanol also serves as a positive teaching signal in learning and memory and updates valence associated with simultaneously processed odor information. Since information on how larvae perceive and process ethanol at the genetic and neuronal level is limited, the establishment of standardized assays described here is an important step towards their discovery.
Population structure and genetic diversity of non-native aoudad populations
Authors: Stipoljev Sunčica , Safner Toni , Gančević Pavao , Galov Ana , Stuhne Tina , Svetličić Ida , Grignolio Stefano , Cassinello Jorge , Šprem Nikica 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe aoudad (Ammotragus lerviaPallas 1777) is an ungulate species, native to the mountain ranges of North Africa. In the second half of the twentieth century, it was successfully introduced in some European countries, mainly for hunting purposes, i.e. in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain. We used neutral genetic markers, the mitochondrial DNA control region sequence and microsatellite loci, to characterize and compare genetic diversity and spatial pattern of genetic structure on different timeframes among all European aoudad populations. Four distinct control region haplotypes found in European aoudad populations indicate that the aoudad has been introduced in Europe from multiple genetic sources, with the population in the Sierra Espuña as the only population in which more than one haplotype was detected. The number of detected microsatellite alleles within all populations (< 3.61) and mean proportion of shared alleles within all analysed populations (< 0.55) indicates relatively low genetic variability, as expected for new populations funded by a small number of individuals. In STRUCTURE results with K = 2–4, Croatian and Czech populations cluster in the same genetic cluster, indicating joined origin. Among three populations from Spain, Almeria population shows as genetically distinct from others in results, while other Spanish populations diverge at K = 4. Maintenance of genetic diversity should be included in the management of populations to sustain their viability, specially for small Czech population with high proportion of shared alleles (0.85) and Croatian population that had the smallest estimated effective population size (Ne = 5.4).
Label-free high-throughput screening assay for the identification of norepinephrine transporter (NET/SLC6A2) inhibitors
Authors: Sijben Hubert J. , van Oostveen Wieke M. , Hartog Peter B. R. , Stucchi Laura , Rossignoli Andrea , Maresca Giovanna , Scarabottolo Lia , IJzerman Adriaan P. , Heitman Laura H. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe human norepinephrine transporter (NET) is an established drug target for a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Conventional methods that are used to functionally characterize NET inhibitors are based on the use of radiolabeled or fluorescent substrates. These methods are highly informative, but pose limitations to either high-throughput screening (HTS) adaptation or physiologically accurate representation of the endogenous uptake events. Recently, we developed a label-free functional assay based on the activation of G protein-coupled receptors by a transported substrate, termed the TRACT assay. In this study, the TRACT assay technology was applied to NET expressed in a doxycycline-inducible HEK 293 JumpIn cell line. Three endogenous substrates of NET—norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (EP)—were compared in the characterization of the reference NET inhibitor nisoxetine. The resulting assay, using NE as a substrate, was validated in a manual HTS set-up with a Z′ = 0.55. The inhibitory potencies of several reported NET inhibitors from the TRACT assay showed positive correlation with those from an established fluorescent substrate uptake assay. These findings demonstrate the suitability of the TRACT assay for HTS characterization and screening of NET inhibitors and provide a basis for investigation of other solute carrier transporters with label-free biosensors.