bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrating inflammatory serum biomarkers into a risk calculator for prostate cancer detection
Authors: Jalali Amirhossein , Kitching Michael , Martin Kenneth , Richardson Ciaran , Murphy Thomas Brendan , FitzGerald Stephen Peter , Watson Ronald William , Perry Antoinette Sabrina 
Published: January 2021

AbstractImproved prostate cancer detection methods would avoid over-diagnosis of clinically indolent disease informing appropriate treatment decisions. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of a panel of Inflammation biomarkers to inform the need for a biopsy to diagnose prostate cancer. Peripheral blood serum obtained from 436 men undergoing transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy were assessed for a panel of 18 inflammatory serum biomarkers in addition to Total and Free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). This panel was integrated into a previously developed Irish clinical risk calculator (IPRC) for the detection of prostate cancer and high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason Score ≥ 7). Using logistic regression and multinomial regression methods, two models (Logst-RC and Multi-RC) were developed considering linear and nonlinear effects of the panel in conjunction with clinical and demographic parameters for determination of the two endpoints. Both models significantly improved the predictive ability of the clinical model for detection of prostate cancer (from 0.656 to 0.731 for Logst-RC and 0.713 for Multi-RC) and high-grade prostate cancer (from 0.716 to 0.785 for Logst-RC and 0.767 for Multi-RC) and demonstrated higher clinical net benefit. This improved discriminatory power and clinical utility may allow for individualised risk stratification improving clinical decision making.
Association of Behçet disease with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Hahn Hyung Jin , Kwak Sang Gyu , Kim Dong-Kyu , Kim Jong-Yeup 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBehçet disease (BD) is a debilitating multi-systemic vasculitis with a litany of muco-cutaneous manifestations and potentially lethal complications. Meanwhile, psoriasis (PSO) is a cutaneous and systemic inflammatory disorder marked by hyperplastic epidermis and silvery scales, which may be accompanied by a distinct form of arthropathy called psoriatic arthritis (PsA). While the clinical pictures of these two are quite different, they feature some important similarities, most of which may stem from the autoinflammatory components of BD and PSO. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prospective link between BD and cutaneous and articular manifestations of psoriasis. BD, PSO, and PsA cohorts were extracted using the National Health Insurance Service of Korea database. Using χ2 tests, prevalence of PSO and PsA with respect to BD status was analysed. Relative to non-BD individuals, those with personal history of BD were nearly three times more likely to be diagnosed with PSO. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 2.36 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.91–2.93, p < 0.001]. Elevated PSO risk was more pronounced in the male BD cohort (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.16–1.23, p < 0.001). In age-group sub-analysis, individuals over 65 years with PSO were one and a half times more likely to be affected with BD, relative to those under 65. The adjusted OR for the older group was 1.51 (95% CI 1.43–1.59, p < 0.001). BD individuals with “healthy” body weight were significantly less likely to be affected by PSO (aOR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.57–0.62, p < 0.001). On the other hand, there was a correlation between BMI and the risk of BD, with the “moderately obese (30–35 kg/m2)” group having an aOR of 1.24 (95% CI 1.12–1.38, p < 0.001). BD patients were also twice more likely to be associated with PsA (aOR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.42–3.38, p < 0.001). However, in contrast to the case of psoriatic disease itself, females were exposed to a greater risk of developing BD compared to the male PsA cohort (aOR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.88–2.16, p < 0.001). As with PSO, older BD patients were exposed to a significantly higher risk of developing PsA (aOR = 3.13, 95% CI 2.90–3.40, p < 0.001). Behçet disease may place an individual at a significantly increased risk of psoriasis, and still greater hazard of being affected with psoriatic arthritis. This added risk was pronounced in the male cohort, and tended to impact senile population, and this phenomenon may be related with the relatively poor prognosis of BD in males and PSO in older patients.
iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 have abnormal ion channel functions and slower conduction velocities
Authors: Poulin Hugo , Mercier Aurélie , Djemai Mohammed , Pouliot Valérie , Deschenes Isabelle , Boutjdir Mohamed , Puymirat Jack , Chahine Mohamed 
Published: January 2021

AbstractCardiac complications such as electrical abnormalities including conduction delays and arrhythmias are the main cause of death in individuals with Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1). We developed a disease model using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from a healthy individual and two DM1 patients with different CTG repeats lengths and clinical history (DM1-1300 and DM1-300). We confirmed the presence of toxic RNA foci and mis-spliced MBNL1/2 transcripts in DM1 iPSC-CMs. In DM1-1300, we identified a switch in the cardiac sodium channel SCN5A from the adult to the neonatal isoform. The down-regulation of adult SCN5A isoforms is consistent with a shift in the sodium current activation to depolarized potentials observed in DM1-1300. L-type calcium current density was higher in iPSC-CMs from DM1-1300, which is correlated with the overexpression of the CaV1.2 transcript and proteins. Importantly, INa and ICaL dysfunctions resulted in prolonged action potentials duration, slower velocities, and decreased overshoots. Optical mapping analysis revealed a slower conduction velocity in DM1-1300 iPSC-CM monolayers. In conclusion, our data revealed two distinct ions channels perturbations in DM1 iPSC-CM from the patient with cardiac dysfunction, one affecting Na+ channels and one affecting Ca2+ channels. Both have an impact on cardiac APs and ultimately on heart conduction.
In-depth quantitative proteomic characterization of organotypic hippocampal slice culture reveals sex-specific differences in biochemical pathways
Authors: Weis Simone Nardin , Souza Jaques Miranda F. , Hoppe Juliana Bender , Firmino Marina , Auer Manfred , Ataii Nassim N. , da Silva Leonardo Assis , Gaelzer Mariana Maier , Klein Caroline Peres , Mól Alan R. , de Lima Consuelo M. R. , Souza Diogo Onofre , Salbego Christianne G. , Ricart Carlos André O. , Fontes Wagner , de Sousa Marcelo Valle 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSex differences in the brain of mammals range from neuroarchitecture through cognition to cellular metabolism. The hippocampus, a structure mostly associated with learning and memory, presents high vulnerability to neurodegeneration and aging. Therefore, we explored basal sex-related differences in the proteome of organotypic hippocampal slice culture, a major in vitro model for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms related to neurodegenerative disorders. Results suggest a greater prevalence of astrocytic metabolism in females and significant neuronal metabolism in males. The preference for glucose use in glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway and glycogen metabolism in females and high abundance of mitochondrial respiration subunits in males support this idea. An overall upregulation of lipid metabolism was observed in females. Upregulation of proteins responsible for neuronal glutamate and GABA synthesis, along with synaptic associated proteins, were observed in males. In general, the significant spectrum of pathways known to predominate in neurons or astrocytes, together with the well-known neuronal and glial markers observed, revealed sex-specific metabolic differences in the hippocampus. TEM qualitative analysis might indicate a greater presence of mitochondria at CA1 synapses in females. These findings are crucial to a better understanding of how sex chromosomes can influence the physiology of cultured hippocampal slices and allow us to gain insights into distinct responses of males and females on neurological diseases that present a sex-biased incidence.
Observation of positive–negative sub-wavelength interference without intensity correlation calculation
Authors: Dou Ling-Yu , Cao De-Zhong , Xu De-Qin , Zhang An-Ning , Song Xin-Bing 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe report an experimental demonstration of positive–negative sub-wavelength interference without correlation. Typically, people can achieve sub-wavelength effects with correlation measurement no matter by using bi-photon or thermal light sources. In this paper, we adopt a thermal light source, and we count the realizations in which the intensities of the definite symmetric points are above or below a certain threshold. The distribution of numbers of these realizations which meet the restriction will show a sub-wavelength effect. With proper constrictions, positive and negative interference patterns are demonstrated.
OAM light propagation through tissue
Authors: Biton Netanel , Kupferman Judy , Arnon Shlomi 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA major challenge in use of the optical spectrum for communication and imaging applications is the scattering of light as it passes through diffuse media. Recent studies indicate that light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) can penetrate deeper through diffuse media than simple Gaussian beams. To the best knowledge of the authors, in this paper we describe for the first time an experiment examining transmission of OAM beams through biological tissue with thickness of up to a few centimeters, and for OAM modes reaching up to 20. Our results indicate that OAM beams do indeed show a higher transmittance relative to Gaussian beams, and that the greater the OAM, the higher the transmittance also up to 20, Our results extend measured results to highly multi scattering media and indicate that at 2.6 cm tissue thickness for OAM of order 20, we measure nearly 30% more power in comparison to a Gaussian beam. In addition, we develop a mathematical model describing the improved permeability. This work shows that OAM beams can be a valuable contribution to optical wireless communication (OWC) for medical implants, optical biological imaging, as well as recent innovative applications of medical diagnosis.
Protective effect of thymoquinone against lung intoxication induced by malathion inhalation
Authors: Abdo Walied , Elmadawy Mostafa A. , Abdelhiee Ehab Yahya , Abdel-Kareem Mona A. , Farag Amira , Aboubakr Mohamed , Ghazy Emad , Fadl Sabreen E. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractMalathion is considered one of the vastest pesticides use all over the world. Malathion-inhalation toxicity commonly occurred in many occupational farmers. Therefore, this study aimed to ameliorate the possible malathion-induced pulmonary toxicity through thymoquinone administration. Forty animals were used to conduct our study, divided into five groups; G1 control group, G2 thymoquinone (50 mg/kg) group, G3 malathion group (animals inhaled 100 mg/ml/m3 for 15 min for 5 days/week for three weeks), G4 and G5 were subjected to the same malathion inhalation protocol beside oral thymoquinone administration at doses of 25 and 50 (mg/kg), respectively. Malathion-inhalation induced marked systemic toxicity as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity associated with increased serum hepatic and renal enzymes, and hypersensitivity accompanied with increased total IgE serum level. The lung showed severe interstitial pneumonia associated with severe vascular damage and marked eosinophil infiltration. Moreover, the lung showed a marked decrease in the pulmonary surfactant protein, especially SP-D gene expression. While, thymoquinone treatment to malathion-inhaled animals decremented the following; hepatic enzymes and renal function tests, total IgE as well as pneumonia and hypersensitivity pathological features, and augmented the expression of SP-D. In conclusion, thymoquinone could be potentially used in pest control workers to ameliorate the systemic and pulmonary intoxication caused by one of the most field-used pesticides.
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography for assessing organ distribution of stressed red blood cells in mice
Authors: Yin Wen-yu , Yuan Jiao , Zhang Zhi-min , Mei Cheng , Xu Wei , Tang Yong-xiang , Peng Fang , Li Ning 
Published: January 2021

AbstractRed blood cells (RBCs) stressed by high temperature are similar to senescent or damaged RBCs in pathological conditions. RBCs can be efficiently labelled with18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). The aim of this study was to assess stressed RBCs erythrophagocytosis and organ distribution in vivo with the application of18F-FDG PET/CT. RBCs were induced under high temperature (48 °C) to prepare stressed RBCs. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to analyse reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, intracellular Ca2+concentration and membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization of RBCs.18F-FDG was used to label RBCs and assess the erythrophagocytosis. Finally,18F-FDG PET/CT was applied to reveal and measure the organ distribution of stressed RBCs in mice. Compared with untreated RBCs, stressed RBCs decreased in cell volume and increased in ROS level, intracellular Ca2+concentration, and PS exposure. RBCs could be labelled by18F-FDG. Stressed RBCs tended to be phagocytosed by macrophages via assessment of FACS and radioactivity.18F-FDG PET/CT imaging showed that stressed RBCs were mainly trapped in spleen, while untreated RBCs remained in circulation system. Thus, stressed RBCs can be effectively labelled by18F-FDG and tend to be trapped in spleen of mice as assessed by PET/CT.
On the physical mechanisms underlying single molecule dynamics in simple liquids
Authors: Keanini Russell G. , Dahlberg Jerry , Tkacik Peter T. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPhysical arguments and comparisons with published experimental data suggest that in simple liquids: (i) single-molecule-scale viscous forces are produced by temperature-dependent London dispersion forces, (ii) viscosity decay with increasing temperature reflects electron cloud compression and attendant suppression of electron screening, produced by increased nuclear agitation, and (iii) temperature-dependent self-diffusion is driven by a narrow band of phonon frequencies lying at the low-frequency end of the solid-state-like phonon spectrum. The results suggest that collision-induced electron cloud distortion plays a decisive role in single molecule dynamics: (i) electron cloud compression produces short-lived repulsive states and single molecule, self-diffusive hops, while (ii) shear-induced distortion generates viscosity and single-molecule-scale viscous drag. The results provide new insight into nonequilibrium molecular dynamics in nonpolar, nonmetallic liquids.
Identification of triptonide as a therapeutic agent for triple negative breast cancer treatment
Authors: Gao Bowen , Chen Jiongyu , Han Bingchen , Zhang Xinfeng , Hao Jijun , Giuliano Armando E. , Cui Yukun , Cui Xiaojiang 
Published: January 2021

AbstractTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with a high rate of early recurrence and distant metastasis, frequent development of therapeutic resistance, and a poor prognosis. There is a lack of targeted therapies for this aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Identifying novel effective treatment modalities for TNBC remains an urgent and unmet clinical need. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of triptonide, a natural compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, in TNBC. We found that triptonide inhibits human TNBC cell growth in vitro and growth of TNBC xenograft mammary tumors. It induces apoptosis and suppresses stem-like properties as indicated by reduced mammosphere formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in TNBC cells. We show that triptonide downregulates multiple cancer stem cell-associated genes but upregulates SNAI1 gene expression. In support of SNAI1 induction as a negative feedback response to triptonide treatment, in vitro-derived triptonide-resistant HCC1806 cells display a markedly higher expression of SNAI1 compared with parental cells. Mechanistically, the increase of SNAI1 expression is mediated by the activation of JNK signaling, but not by ERK and AKT, two well-established SNAI1 regulators. Furthermore, knockdown of SNAI1 in the triptonide-resistant HCC1806 cells increases sensitivity to triptonide and reduces mammosphere formation. These results indicate that triptonide holds promise as a novel anti-tumor agent for TNBC treatment. Our study also reveals a SNAI1-associated feedback mechanism which may lead to acquired resistance to triptonide.
Predicting the new carbon nanocages, fullerynes: a DFT study
Authors: Qasemnazhand Mohammad , Khoeini Farhad , Marsusi Farah 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this study, based on density functional theory, we propose a new branch of pseudo-fullerenes which contain triple bonds with sp hybridization. We call these new nanostructures fullerynes, according to IUPAC. We present four samples with the chemical formula of C4nHn, and the structures derived from fulleranes. We compare the structural and electronic properties of these structures with those of two common fullerenes and fulleranes systems. The calculated electron affinities of the sampled fullerynes are negative, and much smaller than those of fullerenes, so they should be chemically more stable than fullerenes. Although fulleranes also exhibit higher chemical stability than fullerynes, but pentagon or hexagon of the fullerane structures cannot pass ions and molecules. Applications of fullerynes can be included in the storage of ions and gases at the nanoscale. On the other hand, they can also be used as cathode/anode electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.
Mononucleotide repeat expansions with non-natural polymerase substrates
Authors: Chudinov Alexander V. , Vasiliskov Vadim A. , Kuznetsova Viktoriya E. , Lapa Sergey A. , Kolganova Natalia A. , Timofeev Edward N. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractReplicative strand slippage is a biological phenomenon, ubiquitous among different organisms. However, slippage events are also relevant to non-natural replication models utilizing synthetic polymerase substrates. Strand slippage may notably affect the outcome of the primer extension reaction with repetitive templates in the presence of non-natural nucleoside triphosphates. In the current paper, we studied the ability of Taq, Vent (exo-), and Deep Vent (exo-) polymerases to produce truncated, full size, or expanded modified strands utilizing non-natural 2′-deoxyuridine nucleotide analogues and different variants of the homopolymer template. Our data suggest that the slippage of the primer strand is dependent on the duplex fluttering, incorporation efficiency for a particular polymerase-dNTP pair, rate of non-templated base addition, and presence of competing nucleotides.
Modified sensory feedback enhances the sense of agency during continuous body movements in virtual reality
Authors: Aoyagi Kei , Wen Wen , An Qi , Hamasaki Shunsuke , Yamakawa Hiroshi , Tamura Yusuke , Yamashita Atsushi , Asama Hajime 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe sense of agency refers to the feeling of control over one’s own actions, and through them, the external events. This study examined the effect of modified visual feedback on the sense of agency over one’s body movements using virtual reality in healthy individuals whose motor control was disturbed. Participants moved a virtual object using their right hand to trace a trajectory (Experiment 1) or a leading target (Experiment 2). Their motor control was disturbed by a delay in visual feedback (Experiment 1) or a 1-kg weight attached to their wrist (Experiment 2). In the offset conditions, the virtual object was presented at the median point between the desired position and the participants’ actual hand position. In both experiments, participants reported improved sense of agency in the offset condition compared to the aligned condition where the visual feedback reflected their actual body movements, despite their motion being less precise in the offset condition. The results show that sense of agency can be enhanced by modifying feedback to motor tasks according to the goal of the task, even when visual feedback is discrepant from the actual body movements. The present study sheds light on the possibility of artificially enhancing body agency to improve voluntary motor control.
Increasing New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-positive Escherichia coli among carbapenem non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae in Taiwan during 2016 to 2018
Authors: Huang Yu-Shan , Tsai Wan-Chen , Li Jia-Jie , Chen Pao-Yu , Wang Jann-Tay , Chen Ying-Tsong , Chen Feng-Jui , Lauderdale Tsai-Ling , Chang Shan-Chwen 
Published: January 2021

AbstractNew Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) had been reported to be the predominant carbapenemase among Escherichia coli in Taiwan. However, studies focusing on the clonal background and epidemiology of plasmids carrying NDM genes were limited. Between 2016 and 2018, all clinical E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates that were non-susceptible to ertapenem, meropenem, and imipenem were tested for carbapenemase-encoding genes (CEGs) and antimicrobial susceptibilities. Molecular typing was performed on all carbapenemase-producing isolates. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on all NDM-positive E. coli isolates. Twenty-three (29.5%) of 78 carbapenem non-susceptible E. coli and 108 (35.3%) of 306 carbapenem non-susceptible K. pneumoniae isolates carried CEGs. The most prevalent CEGs in carbapenemase-producing E. coli (CPEc) were blaNDM (39.1%) and blaIMP-8 (30.4%), while that in carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae was Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) (72.2%). Fifteen sequence types were identified among 23 CPEc, and 55.6% of NDM-positive E. coli isolates belonged to ST410. WGS showed ST410 isolates were highly clonal and similar to those from other countries. All NDM-5-positive E. coli isolates carried identical IncX3 plasmid harboring blaNDM-5 but no other antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. In each of the four NDM-1-positive E. coli isolates, the blaNDM-1 was present in a ∼ 300 kb IncHI2/IncHI2A plasmid which carried an array of AMR genes. NDMs are the most prevalent carbapenemase among CPEc in Taiwan. Awareness should be raised as the prevalence of NDM-positive E. coli might increase rapidly with IncX3 plasmid and globally distributed strain ST410 being the potential vectors for wide dissemination.