bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isoliquiritigenin, a potent human monoamine oxidase inhibitor, modulates dopamine D1, D3, and vasopressin V1A receptors
Authors: Prajapati Ritu , Seong Su Hui , Park Se Eun , Paudel Pradeep , Jung Hyun Ah , Choi Jae Sue 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIsoliquiritigenin (= 4,2′,4′-Trihydroxychalcone) (ILG) is a major constituent of the Glycyrrhizae Rhizoma that has significant neuroprotective functions. In the present study, we re-examined the potential of ILG to inhibit human monoamine oxidase (hMAO) in vitro and established its mechanism of inhibition through a kinetics study and molecular docking examination. ILG showed competitive inhibition of hMAO-A and mixed inhibition of hMAO-B with IC50 values of 0.68 and 0.33 µM, respectively, which varied slightly from the reported IC50 values. Since ILG has been reported to reduce dopaminergic neurodegeneration and psychostimulant-induced toxicity (both of which are related to dopamine and vasopressin receptors), we investigated the binding affinity and modulatory functions of ILG on dopamine and vasopressin receptors. ILG was explored as an antagonist of the D1 receptor and an agonist of the D3 and V1A receptors with good potency. An in silico docking investigation revealed that ILG can interact with active site residues at target receptors with low binding energies. These activities of ILG on hMAO and brain receptors suggest the potential role of the compound to ameliorate dopaminergic deficits, depression, anxiety, and associated symptoms in Parkinson’s disease and other neuronal disorders.
Modulation of TCR signalling components occurs prior to positive selection and lineage commitment in iNKT cells
Authors: Dinh Xuyen T. , Stanley Dragana , Smith Letitia D. , Moreau Morgane , Berzins Stuart P. , Gemiarto Adrian , Baxter Alan G. , Jordan Margaret A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractiNKT cells play a critical role in controlling the strength and character of adaptive and innate immune responses. Their unique functional characteristics are induced by a transcriptional program initiated by positive selection mediated by CD1d expressed by CD4+CD8+ (double positive, DP) thymocytes. Here, using a novel Vα14 TCR transgenic strain bearing greatly expanded numbers of CD24hiCD44loNKT cells, we examined transcriptional events in four immature thymic iNKT cell subsets. A transcriptional regulatory network approach identified transcriptional changes in proximal components of the TCR signalling cascade in DP NKT cells. Subsequently, positive and negative selection, and lineage commitment, occurred at the transition from DP NKT to CD4 NKT. Thus, this study introduces previously unrecognised steps in early NKT cell development, and separates the events associated with modulation of the T cell signalling cascade prior to changes associated with positive selection and lineage commitment.
Flow cytometry analysis of immune and glial cells in a trigeminal neuralgia rat model
Authors: Lin Junjin , Zhou Luxi , Luo Zhaoke , Adam Madeha Ishag , Zhao Li , Wang Feng , Luo Daoshu 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMicrovascular compression of the trigeminal root entry zone (TREZ) is the main cause of most primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN), change of glial plasticity was previously studied in the TREZ of TN rat model induced by chronic compression. To better understand the role of astrocytes and immune cells in the TREZ, different cell markers including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), complement C3, S100A10, CD45, CD11b, glutamate-aspartate transporter (GLAST), Iba-1 and TMEM119 were used in the TN rat model by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. On the post operation day 28, GFAP/C3-positive A1 astrocytes and GFAP/S100A10-positive A2 astrocytes were activated in the TREZ after compression injury, there were no statistical differences in the ratios of A1/A2 astrocytes between the sham and TN groups. There was no significant difference in Iba-1-positive cells between the two groups. The ratios of infiltrating lymphocytes (CD45+CD11b−) (p = 0.0075) and infiltrating macrophages (CD45highCD11b+) (p = 0.0388) were significantly higher than those of the sham group. In conclusion, different subtypes A1/A2 astrocytes in the TREZ were activated after compression injury, infiltrating macrophages and lymphocytes increased, these neuroimmune cells in the TREZ may participate in the pathogenesis of TN rat model.
Flow cytometric analysis reveals culture condition dependent variations in phenotypic heterogeneity of Limosilactobacillus reuteri
Authors: Rao Nikhil Seshagiri , Lundberg Ludwig , Palmkron Shuai , Håkansson Sebastian , Bergenståhl Björn , Carlquist Magnus 
Published: December 2021

AbstractOptimisation of cultivation conditions in the industrial production of probiotics is crucial to reach a high-quality product with retained probiotic functionality. Flow cytometry-based descriptors of bacterial morphology may be used as markers to estimate physiological fitness during cultivation, and can be applied for online monitoring to avoid suboptimal growth. In the current study, the effects of temperature, initial pH and oxygen levels on cell growth and cell size distributions of Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 were measured using multivariate flow cytometry. A pleomorphic behaviour was evident from the measurements of light scatter and pulse width distributions. A pattern of high growth yielding smaller cells and less heterogeneous populations could be observed. Analysis of pulse width distributions revealed significant morphological heterogeneities within the bacterial cell population under non-optimal growth conditions, and pointed towards low temperature, high initial pH, and high oxygen levels all being triggers for changes in morphology towards cell chain formation. However, cell size did not correlate to survivability after freeze-thaw or freeze-drying stress, indicating that it is not a key determinant for physical stress tolerance. The fact that L. reuteri morphology varies depending on cultivation conditions suggests that it can be used as marker for estimating physiological fitness and responses to its environment.
Plasma-derived candidate biomarkers for detection of gallbladder carcinoma
Authors: Priya Ratna , Jain Vaishali , Akhtar Javed , Chauhan Geeta , Sakhuja Puja , Goyal Surbhi , Agarwal Anil Kumar , Javed Amit , Jain Ankit P. , Polisetty Ravindra Varma , Sirdeshmukh Ravi , Kar Sudeshna , Gautam Poonam 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a major cancer of the gastrointestinal tract with poor prognosis. Reliable and affordable biomarker-based assays with high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of this cancer are a clinical need. With the aim of studying the potential of the plasma-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), we carried out quantitative proteomic analysis of the EV proteins, using three types of controls and various stages of the disease, which led to the identification of 86 proteins with altered abundance. These include 29 proteins unique to early stage, 44 unique to the advanced stage and 13 proteins being common to both the stages. Many proteins are functionally relevant to the tumor condition or have been also known to be differentially expressed in GBC tissues. Several of them are also present in the plasma in free state. Clinical verification of three tumor-associated proteins with elevated levels in comparison to all the three control types—5′-nucleotidase isoform 2 (NT5E), aminopeptidase N (ANPEP) and neprilysin (MME) was carried out using individual plasma samples from early or advanced stage GBC. Sensitivity and specificity assessment based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated a significant association of NT5E and ANPEP with advanced stage GBC and MME with early stage GBC. These and other proteins identified in the study may be potentially useful for developing new diagnostics for GBC.
Determination of murine norovirus aerosol concentration during toilet flushing
Authors: Boles Corey , Brown Grant , Nonnenmann Matthew 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMurine norovirus (MNV) was used as a surrogate for human viral pathogens (e.g.,norovirus) to determine if toilet flushing resulted in the aerosolization of virus. A flushometer type toilet was seeded with a viral solution of 105and 106PFU mL-1of MNV and then flushed. Upon flushing, two bioaerosol samplers were activated to collect aerosolized MNV. Prior to the experiment, two optical particle counters monitored particle size and number distribution of aerosol produced from flushing a toilet across height, position, and side. The location with the highest mean particle concentration, was behind the toilet and 0.15 m above the toilet bowl rim, which is where bioaerosol sampling occurred. Bioaerosol and toilet water samples were collected, extracted and then quantified using RT-ddPCR. The concentration of MNV collected after seeding the toilet water ranged from 2.18 × 105to 9.65 × 106total copies of MNV. Positive samples of airborne MNV were detected with collected concentrations ranging from 383 to 684 RNA copies/m3of air. This study provides evidence that viral pathogens may be aerosolized when a toilet is flushed. Furthermore, the MNV used in this study is a model organism for human norovirus and may be generalizable to other viral pathogens (e.g., coronavirus). This study suggests that virus is aerosolized from toilet flushing and may contribute to human exposure to viral pathogens.
Association of circulating leptin, adiponectin, and resistin concentrations with long-term breast cancer prognosis in a German patient cohort
Authors: Obi Nadia , Jung Audrey Y. , Maurer Tabea , Huebner Marianne , Johnson Theron , Behrens Sabine , Jaskulski Stefanie , Becher Heiko , Chang-Claude Jenny 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAdipokines including leptin, adiponectin and resistin have been linked to risk of obesity-related cancers potentially through low-grade chronic inflammation pathways. We aimed to assess the role of post-diagnosis circulating adipokines on long-term prognosis in a prospective breast cancer cohort. Adipokines were measured in blood collected at baseline shortly after diagnosis (2002–2005) and at follow-up (2009) from 3112 breast cancer patients enrolled in the population-based MARIE study. Half of the patients had measurements at both time-points. All-cause mortality, breast cancer specific mortality and recurrences were ascertained up to June 2015 (11 years median follow-up). Associations with time-varying adipokine concentrations overall and stratified by estrogen and progesterone receptor (ERPR) were evaluated using adjusted proportional hazard regression. At baseline (n = 2700) and follow-up (n = 2027), median concentrations for leptin, adiponectin and resistin were 4.6 and 2.7 ng/ml, 24.4 and 30.0 mg/l, 15.4 and 26.2 ng/ml, respectively. After adjustment, there was no evidence for associations between adipokines and any outcome overall. In ERPR negative tumors, highest vs. lowest quintile of adiponectin was significantly associated with increased breast cancer specific mortality (HR 2.51, 95%CI 1.07–5.92). Overall, post-diagnosis adipokines were not associated with long-term outcomes after breast cancer. In patients with ERPR negative tumors, higher concentrations of adiponectin may be associated with increased breast cancer specific mortality and warrant further investigation.
A geostatistical approach to estimating source apportionment in urban and peri-urban soils using the Czech Republic as an example
Authors: Agyeman Prince Chapman , JOHN Kingsley , Kebonye Ndiye Michael , Borůvka Luboš , Vašát Radim , Drábek Ondřej 
Published: December 2021

AbstractUnhealthy soils in peri-urban and urban areas expose individuals to potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which have a significant influence on the health of children and adults. Hundred and fifteen (n = 115) soil samples were collected from the district of Frydek Mistek at a depth of 0–20 cm and measured for PTEs content using Inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy. The Pearson correlation matrix of the eleven relevant cross-correlations suggested that the interaction between the metal(loids) ranged from moderate (0.541) correlation to high correlation (0.91). PTEs sources were calculated using parent receptor model positive matrix factorization (PMF) and hybridized geostatistical based receptor model such as ordinary kriging-positive matrix factorization (OK-PMF) and empirical Bayesian kriging-positive matrix factorization (EBK-PMF). Based on the source apportionment, geogenic, vehicular traffic, phosphate fertilizer, steel industry, atmospheric deposits, metal works, and waste disposal are the primary sources that contribute to soil pollution in peri-urban and urban areas. The receptor models employed in the study complemented each other. Comparatively, OK-PMF identified more PTEs in the factor loadings than EBK-PMF and PMF. The receptor models performance via support vector machine regression (SVMR) and multiple linear regression (MLR) using root mean square error (RMSE), R square (R2) and mean square error (MAE) suggested that EBK-PMF was optimal. The hybridized receptor model increased prediction efficiency and reduced error significantly. EBK-PMF is a robust receptor model that can assess environmental risks and controls to mitigate ecological performance.
Transcriptome analysis of Rafflesia cantleyi flower stages reveals insights into the regulation of senescence
Authors: Mohd-Elias Nur-Atiqah , Rosli Khadijah , Alias Halimah , Juhari Mohd-Afiq-Aizat , Abu-Bakar Mohd-Faizal , Md-Isa Nurulhikma , Mat-Isa Mohd-Noor , Haji-Adam Jumaat , Goh Hoe-Han , Wan Kiew-Lian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRafflesia is a unique plant species existing as a single flower and produces the largest flower in the world. While Rafflesia buds take up to 21 months to develop, its flowers bloom and wither within about a week. In this study, transcriptome analysis was carried out to shed light on the molecular mechanism of senescence in Rafflesia. A total of 53.3 million high quality reads were obtained from two Rafflesia cantleyi flower developmental stages and assembled to generate 64,152 unigenes. Analysis of this dataset showed that 5,166 unigenes were differentially expressed, in which 1,073 unigenes were identified as genes involved in flower senescence. Results revealed that as the flowers progress to senescence, more genes related to flower senescence were significantly over-represented compared to those related to plant growth and development. Senescence of the R. cantleyi flower activates senescence-associated genes in the transcription activity (members of the transcription factor families MYB, bHLH, NAC, and WRKY), nutrient remobilization (autophagy-related protein and transporter genes), and redox regulation (CATALASE). Most of the senescence-related genes were found to be differentially regulated, perhaps for the fine-tuning of various responses in the senescing R. cantleyi flower. Additionally, pathway analysis showed the activation of genes such as ETHYLENE RECEPTOR, ETHYLENE-INSENSITIVE 2, ETHYLENE-INSENSITIVE 3, and ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR, indicating the possible involvement of the ethylene hormone response pathway in the regulation of R. cantleyi senescence. Our results provide a model of the molecular mechanism underlying R. cantleyi flower senescence, and contribute essential information towards further understanding the biology of the Rafflesiaceae family.
Characterization of a recently synthesized microtubule-targeting compound that disrupts mitotic spindle poles in human cells
Authors: Jaunky Dilan Boodhai , Larocque Kevin , Husser Mathieu C. , Liu Jiang Tian , Forgione Pat , Piekny Alisa 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe reveal the effects of a new microtubule-destabilizing compound in human cells. C75 has a core thienoisoquinoline scaffold with several functional groups amenable to modification. Previously we found that sub micromolar concentrations of C75 caused cytotoxicity. We also found that C75 inhibited microtubule polymerization and competed with colchicine for tubulin-binding in vitro. However, here we found that the two compounds synergized suggesting differences in their mechanism of action. Indeed, live imaging revealed that C75 causes different spindle phenotypes compared to colchicine. Spindles remained bipolar and collapsed after colchicine treatment, while C75 caused bipolar spindles to become multipolar. Importantly, microtubules rapidly disappeared after C75-treatment, but then grew back unevenly and from multiple poles. The C75 spindle phenotype is reminiscent of phenotypes caused by depletion of ch-TOG, a microtubule polymerase, suggesting that C75 blocks microtubule polymerization in metaphase cells. C75 also caused an increase in the number of spindle poles in paclitaxel-treated cells, and combining low amounts of C75 and paclitaxel caused greater regression of multicellular tumour spheroids compared to each compound on their own. These findings warrant further exploration of C75’s anti-cancer potential.
Identifying Parkinson’s disease subtypes with motor and non-motor symptoms via model-based multi-partition clustering
Authors: Rodriguez-Sanchez Fernando , Rodriguez-Blazquez Carmen , Bielza Concha , Larrañaga Pedro , Weintraub Daniel , Martinez-Martin Pablo , Rizos Alexandra , Schrag Anette , Chaudhuri K. Ray 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIdentification of Parkinson’s disease subtypes may help understand underlying disease mechanisms and provide personalized management. Although clustering methods have been previously used for subtyping, they have reported generic subtypes of limited relevance in real life practice because patients do not always fit into a single category. The aim of this study was to identify new subtypes assuming that patients could be grouped differently according to certain sets of related symptoms. To this purpose, a novel model-based multi-partition clustering method was applied on data from an international, multi-center, cross-sectional study of 402 Parkinson’s disease patients. Both motor and non-motor symptoms were considered. As a result, eight sets of related symptoms were identified. Each of them provided a different way to group patients: impulse control issues, overall non-motor symptoms, presence of dyskinesias and pyschosis, fatigue, axial symptoms and motor fluctuations, autonomic dysfunction, depression, and excessive sweating. Each of these groups could be seen as a subtype of the disease. Significant differences between subtypes (P< 0.01) were found in sex, age, age of onset, disease duration, Hoehn & Yahr stage, and treatment. Independent confirmation of these results could have implications for the clinical management of Parkinson’s disease patients.
5,6-diiodo-1H-benzotriazole: new TBBt analogue that minutely affects mitochondrial activity
Authors: Paprocki Daniel , Winiewska-Szajewska Maria , Speina Elżbieta , Kucharczyk Róża , Poznański Jarosław 
Published: December 2021

Abstract4,5,6,7-Tetrabromo-1H-benzotriazole is widely used as the reference ATP-competitive inhibitor of protein kinase CK2. Herein, we study its new analogs: 5,6-diiodo- and 5,6-diiodo-4,7-dibromo-1H-benzotriazole. We used biophysical (MST, ITC) and biochemical (enzymatic assay) methods to describe the interactions of halogenated benzotriazoles with the catalytic subunit of human protein kinase CK2 (hCK2α). To trace the biological activity, we measured their cytotoxicity against four reference cancer cell lines and the effect on the mitochondrial inner membrane potential. The results obtained lead to the conclusion that iodinated compounds are an attractive alternative to brominated ones. One of them retains the cytotoxicity against selected cancer cell lines of the reference TBBt with a smaller side effect on mitochondrial activity. Both iodinated compounds are candidate leaders in the further development of CK2 inhibitors.
Persimmon-derived tannin has antiviral effects and reduces the severity of infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a Syrian hamster model
Authors: Furukawa Ryutaro , Kitabatake Masahiro , Ouji-Sageshima Noriko , Suzuki Yuki , Nakano Akiyo , Matsumura Yoko , Nakano Ryuichi , Kasahara Kei , Kubo Kaoru , Kayano Shin-ichi , Yano Hisakazu , Ito Toshihiro 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the world. Inactivating the virus in saliva and the oral cavity represents a reasonable approach to prevent human-to-human transmission because the virus is easily transmitted through oral routes by dispersed saliva. Persimmon-derived tannin is a condensed type of tannin that has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of persimmon-derived tannin against SARS-CoV-2 in both in vitro and in vivo models. We found that persimmon-derived tannin suppressed SARS-CoV-2 titers measured by plaque assay in vitro in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We then created a Syrian hamster model by inoculating SARS-CoV-2 into hamsters’ mouths. Oral administration of persimmon-derived tannin dissolved in carboxymethyl cellulose before virus inoculation dramatically reduced the severity of pneumonia with lower virus titers compared with a control group inoculated with carboxymethyl cellulose alone. In addition, pre-administration of tannin to uninfected hamsters reduced hamster-to-hamster transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from a cohoused, infected donor cage mate. These data suggest that oral administration of persimmon-derived tannin may help reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission of the virus.
Context‐wise attention‐guided network for single image deraining
Authors: Fu Bo , Jiang Yong , Wang Hongguang , Wang Qiang , Gao Qian , Tang Yandong 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a context‐wise attention‐guided network for single image deraining. Unlike most existing deraining methods, our network exploits underlying complementary information not only across multiple scales but also between levels. Specifically, our network architecture is designed to transmit the inter‐level and inter‐scale features. To extract guiding information and improve the discriminating ability of context‐wise attention‐guided network, we propose a net‐context‐wise attention module to generate attention maps. Following residual learning, the clean image is created by removing the predicted rain streak layer from the rainy input. Experimental results show our method has better performance on public datasets than some state‐of‐the‐art methods.