bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of practical experiences of German speaking radiation oncologists in combining radiation therapy with checkpoint blockade
Authors: Kraus Kim M. , Fischer Julius C. , Borm Kai J. , Vogel Marco M. E. , Pigorsch Steffi. U. , Devečka Michal , Combs Stephanie E. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe results of this survey reveal current clinical practice in the handling of combined radioimmunotherapy with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (RT + ICI). We aim to provide a basis to open a discussion for clinical application of RT + ICI by analyzation of experts’ assessment. We conducted a survey with 24 items with a focus on side effects of RT + ICI, common practice of scheduling and handling of adverse events. After pilot testing by radiation oncology experts the link to the online survey was sent to all members of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO). In total, 51 radiation oncologists completed the questionnaire. Pulmonary toxicity under RT + ICI with ICIs was reported most frequently. Consensus was observed for bone and soft tissue RT of the limbs in favor for no interruption of ICIs. For cranial RT half of the participants do not suspend ICIs during normofractionated radiotherapy (nfRT) or stereotactic hypofractionated RT (SRT). More participants pause ICIs for central than for peripheral thoracic region. Maintenance therapy with ICIs is mostly not interrupted prior to RT. For management of RT associated pneumonitis under durvalumab the majority of 86.3% suggest corticosteroid therapy and 76.5% would postpone the next cycle of ICI therapy. The here obtained assessment and experiences by radiation oncologists reveal a large variability in practical handling of combined RT + ICI. Until scientific evidence is available a discussion for current clinical application of RT + ICI should be triggered. Interdisciplinary consensus guidelines with practical recommendations are required.
Electron transfer studies of a conventional redox probe in human sweat and saliva bio-mimicking conditions
Authors: Krishnaveni P. , Ganesh V. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractModern day hospital treatments aim at developing electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of diseases using unconventional human bio-fluids like sweat and saliva by monitoring the electron transfer reactions of target analytes. Such kinds of health care diagnostics primarily avoid the usage of human blood and urine samples. In this context, here we have investigated the electron transfer reaction of a well-known and commonly used redox probe namely, potassium ferro/ferri cyanide by employing artificially simulated bio-mimics of human sweat and saliva as unconventional electrolytes. Typically, electron transfer characteristics of the redox couple, [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− are investigated using electrochemical techniques like cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Many different kinetic parameters are determined and compared with the conventional system. In addition, such electron transfer reactions have also been studied using a lyotropic liquid crystalline phase comprising of Triton X-100 and water in which the aqueous phase is replaced with either human sweat or saliva bio-mimics. From these studies, we find out the electron transfer reaction of [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− redox couple is completely diffusion controlled on both Au and Pt disc shaped electrodes in presence of sweat and saliva bio-mimic solutions. Moreover, the reaction is partially blocked by the presence of lyotropic liquid crystalline phase consisting of sweat and saliva bio-mimics indicating the predominant charge transfer controlled process for the redox probe. However, the rate constant values associated with the electron transfer reaction are drastically reduced in presence of liquid crystalline phase. These studies are essentially carried out to assess the effect of sweat and saliva on the electrochemistry of Fe2+/3+ redox couple.
Extracellular vesicles isolated from milk can improve gut barrier dysfunction induced by malnutrition
Authors: Maghraby Mohamed Karim , Li Bo , Chi Lijun , Ling Catriona , Benmoussa Abderrahim , Provost Patrick , Postmus Andrea C. , Abdi Abdirahman , Pierro Agostino , Bourdon Celine , Bandsma Robert H. J. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMalnutrition impacts approximately 50 million children worldwide and is linked to 45% of global mortality in children below the age of five. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is associated with intestinal barrier breakdown and epithelial atrophy. Extracellular vesicles including exosomes (EVs; 30–150 nm) can travel to distant target cells through biofluids including milk. Since milk-derived EVs are known to induce intestinal stem cell proliferation, this study aimed to examine their potential efficacy in improving malnutrition-induced atrophy of intestinal mucosa and barrier dysfunction. Mice were fed either a control (18%) or a low protein (1%) diet for 14 days to induce malnutrition. From day 10 to 14, they received either bovine milk EVs or control gavage and were sacrificed on day 15, 4 h after a Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC) dose. Tissue and blood were collected for histological and epithelial barrier function analyses. Mice fed low protein diet developed intestinal villus atrophy and barrier dysfunction. Despite continued low protein diet feeding, milk EV treatment improved intestinal permeability, intestinal architecture and cellular proliferation. Our results suggest that EVs enriched from milk should be further explored as a valuable adjuvant therapy to standard clinical management of malnourished children with high risk of morbidity and mortality.
Sampling of fluid through skin with magnetohydrodynamics for noninvasive glucose monitoring
Authors: Hakala Tuuli A. , García Pérez Alejandro , Wardale Melissa , Ruuth Ida A. , Vänskä Risto T. , Nurminen Teemu A. , Kemp Emily , Boeva Zhanna A. , Alakoskela Juha-Matti , Pettersson-Fernholm Kim , Hæggström Edward , Bobacka Johan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractOut of 463 million people currently with diabetes, 232 million remain undiagnosed. Diabetes is a threat to human health, which could be mitigated via continuous self-monitoring of glucose. In addition to blood, interstitial fluid is considered to be a representative sample for glucose monitoring, which makes it highly attractive for wearable on-body sensing. However, new technologies are needed for efficient and noninvasive sampling of interstitial fluid through the skin. In this report, we introduce the use of Lorentz force and magnetohydrodynamics to noninvasively extract dermal interstitial fluid. Using porcine skin as an ex-vivo model, we demonstrate that the extraction rate of magnetohydrodynamics is superior to that of reverse iontophoresis. This work seeks to provide a safe, effective, and noninvasive sampling method to unlock the potential of wearable sensors in needle-free continuous glucose monitoring devices that can benefit people living with diabetes.
Effective Hamiltonian for silicene under arbitrary strain from multi-orbital basis
Authors: Siu Zhuo Bin , Jalil Mansoor B. A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractA tight-binding (TB) Hamiltonian is derived for strained silicene from a multi-orbital basis. The derivation is based on the Slater–Koster coupling parameters between different orbitals across the silicene lattice and takes into account arbitrary distortion of the lattice under strain, as well as the first and second-order spin–orbit interactions (SOI). The breaking of the lattice symmetry reveals additional SOI terms which were previously neglected. As an exemplary application, we apply the linearized low-energy TB Hamiltonian to model the current-induced spin accumulation in strained silicene coupled to an in-plane magnetization. The interplay between symmetry-breaking and the additional SOI terms induces an out-of-plane spin accumulation. This spin accumulation remains unbalanced after summing over the Fermi surfaces of the occupied bands and the two valleys, and can thus be utilized for spin torque switching.
Older adults use a motor plan that is detrimental to endpoint control
Authors: Delmas Stefan , Choi Yoon Jin , Komer Marcel , Weintraub Michelle , Yacoubi Basma , Christou Evangelos A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHere, we aimed to understand if older adults (OA) use a unique motor plan that is detrimental to endpoint control. We performed two experiments that used ankle ballistic contractions that reversed at the target. In Experiment 1, eight young adults (YA; 27.1 ± 4.2) and eight OA (73.3 ± 4.5) aimed to perform an ankle dorsiflexion–plantarflexion movement that reversed at 9° in 180 ms (target). We found that the coordination pattern (motor plan) differed for the two groups. OA used significantly greater soleus (SOL) activity to reverse the ankle movement than YA and exhibited greater tibialis anterior (TA) muscle activity variability (p < 0.05). OA exhibited worse endpoint control than YA, which associated with the exacerbated TA variability (R2 > 0.2; p < 0.01). Experiment 2 aimed to confirm that the OA motor plan was detrimental to endpoint control. Fifteen YA (20.5 ± 1.4) performed an ankle dorsiflexion–plantarflexion contraction that reversed at 30% MVC in 160 ms by using either a pattern that mimicked OA (High SOL) or YA (Low SOL). With the High SOL coordination pattern, YA exhibited impaired endpoint control and greater TA activation variability. These findings provide strong evidence that OA select a unique motor plan that is detrimental to endpoint control.
Maintaining higher leaf photosynthesis after heading stage could promote biomass accumulation in rice
Authors: Honda Sotaro , Ohkubo Satoshi , San Nan Su , Nakkasame Anothai , Tomisawa Kazuki , Katsura Keisuke , Ookawa Taiichiro , Nagano Atsushi J. , Adachi Shunsuke 
Published: April 2021

AbstractLeaf photosynthetic rate changes across the growing season as crop plants age. Most studies of leaf photosynthesis focus on a specific growth stage, leaving the question of which pattern of photosynthetic dynamics maximizes crop productivity unanswered. Here we obtained high-frequency data of canopy leaf CO2 assimilation rate (A) of two elite rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars and 76 inbred lines across the whole growing season. The integrated A value after heading was positively associated with crop growth rate (CGR) from heading to harvest, but that before heading was not. A curve-smoothing analysis of A after heading showed that accumulated A at > 80% of its maximum (A80) was positively correlated with CGR in analyses of all lines mixed and of lines grouped by genetic background, while the maximum A and accumulated A at ≤ 80% were less strongly correlated with CGR. We also found a genomic region (~ 12.2 Mb) that may enhance both A80 and aboveground biomass at harvest. We propose that maintaining a high A after heading, rather than having high maximum A, is a potential target for enhancing rice biomass accumulation.
Investigation of the Wilson gene ATP7B transcriptional start site and the effect of core promoter alterations
Authors: Höflich Clemens , Brieger Angela , Zeuzem Stefan , Plotz Guido 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPathogenic genetic variants in the ATP7B gene cause Wilson disease, a recessive disorder of copper metabolism showing a significant variability in clinical phenotype. Promoter mutations have been rarely reported, and controversial data exist on the site of transcription initiation (the core promoter). We quantitatively investigated transcription initiation and found it to be located in immediate proximity of the translational start. The effects human single-nucleotide alterations of conserved bases in the core promoter on transcriptional activity were moderate, explaining why clearly pathogenic mutations within the core promoter have not been reported. Furthermore, the core promoter contains two frequent polymorphisms (rs148013251 and rs2277448) that could contribute to phenotypical variability in Wilson disease patients with incompletely inactivating mutations. However, neither polymorphism significantly modulated ATP7B expression in vitro, nor were copper household parameters in healthy probands affected. In summary, the investigations allowed to determine the biologically relevant site of ATP7B transcription initiation and demonstrated that genetic variations in this site, although being the focus of transcriptional activity, do not contribute significantly to Wilson disease pathogenesis.
A new reduced-morphology model for CA1 pyramidal cells and its validation and comparison with other models using HippoUnit
Authors: Tomko Matus , Benuskova Lubica , Jedlicka Peter 
Published: April 2021

AbstractModeling long-term neuronal dynamics may require running long-lasting simulations. Such simulations are computationally expensive, and therefore it is advantageous to use simplified models that sufficiently reproduce the real neuronal properties. Reducing the complexity of the neuronal dendritic tree is one option. Therefore, we have developed a new reduced-morphology model of the rat CA1 pyramidal cell which retains major dendritic branch classes. To validate our model with experimental data, we used HippoUnit, a recently established standardized test suite for CA1 pyramidal cell models. The HippoUnit allowed us to systematically evaluate the somatic and dendritic properties of the model and compare them to models publicly available in the ModelDB database. Our model reproduced (1) somatic spiking properties, (2) somatic depolarization block, (3) EPSP attenuation, (4) action potential backpropagation, and (5) synaptic integration at oblique dendrites of CA1 neurons. The overall performance of the model in these tests achieved higher biological accuracy compared to other tested models. We conclude that, due to its realistic biophysics and low morphological complexity, our model captures key physiological features of CA1 pyramidal neurons and shortens computational time, respectively. Thus, the validated reduced-morphology model can be used for computationally demanding simulations as a substitute for more complex models.
Proteomic comparison between different tissue preservation methods for identification of promising biomarkers of urothelial bladder cancer
Authors: Valdés Alberto , Bitzios Athanasios , Kassa Eszter , Shevchenko Ganna , Falk Alexander , Malmström Per-Uno , Dragomir Anca , Segersten Ulrika , Lind Sara Bergström 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSamples in biobanks are generally preserved by formalin-fixation and paraffin-embedding (FFPE) and/or optimal cutting temperature compound (OCT)-embedding and subsequently frozen. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based analysis of these samples is now available via developed protocols, however, the differences in results with respect to preservation methods needs further investigation. Here we use bladder urothelial carcinoma tissue of two different tumor stages (Ta/T1—non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and T2/T3—muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)) which, upon sampling, were divided and preserved by FFPE and OCT. Samples were parallel processed from the two methods and proteins were analyzed with label-free quantitative MS. Over 700 and 1200 proteins were quantified in FFPE and OCT samples, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicates that the preservation method is the main source of variation, but also tumors of different stages could be differentiated. Proteins involved in mitochondrial function were overrepresented in OCT data but missing in the FFPE data, indicating that these proteins are not well preserved by FFPE. Concordant results for proteins such as HMGCS2 (uniquely quantified in Ta/T1 tumors), and LGALS1, ANXA5 and plastin (upregulated in T2/T3 tumors) were observed in both FFPE and OCT data, which supports the use of MS technology for biobank samples and encourages the further evaluation of these proteins as biomarkers.
Mining the plasma-proteome associated genes in patients with gastro-esophageal cancers for biomarker discovery
Authors: Vizeacoumar Frederick S. , Guo Hongyu , Dwernychuk Lynn , Zaidi Adnan , Freywald Andrew , Wu Fang-Xiang , Vizeacoumar Franco J. , Ahmed Shahid 
Published: April 2021

AbstractGastro-esophageal (GE) cancers are one of the major causes of cancer-related death in the world. There is a need for novel biomarkers in the management of GE cancers, to yield predictive response to the available therapies. Our study aims to identify leading genes that are differentially regulated in patients with these cancers. We explored the expression data for those genes whose protein products can be detected in the plasma using the Cancer Genome Atlas to identify leading genes that are differentially regulated in patients with GE cancers. Our work predicted several candidates as potential biomarkers for distinct stages of GE cancers, including previously identified CST1, INHBA, STMN1, whose expression correlated with cancer recurrence, or resistance to adjuvant therapies or surgery. To define the predictive accuracy of these genes as possible biomarkers, we constructed a co-expression network and performed complex network analysis to measure the importance of the genes in terms of a ratio of closeness centrality (RCC). Furthermore, to measure the significance of these differentially regulated genes, we constructed an SVM classifier using machine learning approach and verified these genes by using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve as an evaluation metric. The area under the curve measure was > 0.9 for both the overexpressed and downregulated genes suggesting the potential use and reliability of these candidates as biomarkers. In summary, we identified leading differentially expressed genes in GE cancers that can be detected in the plasma proteome. These genes have potential to become diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for early detection of cancer, recurrence following surgery and for development of targeted treatment.
Genetic analysis and selection of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) landraces for high yield revealed by qualitative and quantitative traits
Authors: Khan Md Mahmudul Hasan , Rafii Mohd Y. , Ramlee Shairul Izan , Jusoh Mashitah , Al Mamun Md 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAs a crop for the new millennium Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) considered as leading legumes in the tropical regions due to its versatile advantages. The main intent of this study was to find out the high yielding potential genotypes and considering these genotypes to develop pure lines for commercial cultivation in Malaysia. Considering the 14 qualitative and 27 quantitative traits of fifteen landraces the variation and genetic parameters namely, variability, heritability, genetic advance, characters association, and cluster matrix were determined. ANOVA revealed significant variation for all the agronomic traits (except plant height). Among the accessions, highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were found for almost all the traits excluding fifty percent flowering date, seed length, seed width. The 16 traits out of the 27 quantitative traits had a coefficient of variation (CV) ≥ 20%. A positive and intermediate to perfect highly significant association (r = 0.23 to 1.00; P < 0.00) was found between yield and its related traits. The trait dry seed weight per plant (g) had the highest GCV = 59.91% and PCV = 59.57% whereas the trait fresh pod weight (99.55%), dry seed weight (98.86%), and yield (98.10%) were highly heritable. The genetic advance recorded the highest for dry seed weight (122.01%) and lowest (3.97%) for plant height. To validate the genetic disparity, an unweighted pair-group produce with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), principal component analysis (PCA), heatmap, and H’-index was performed considering 27 quantitative traits. The constructed dendrogram showed five distinct groups of accessions. Genotypes G2, G3, and G9 from Group IV consider as promising lines which gave 70.05% higher mean yield compared to grand mean yield (1180 kg ha−1) with desirable traits. Group II had a maximum number of accessions while group III and group V had one of each. However, findings declared that the availability of genetic variance will be beneficial for this crop improvement through cross breeding as well as the plant breeders to prefer desirable traits in V. subterranea L. Verdc. for further breeding purposes.
Tracing local sources and long-range transport of PM10 in central Taiwan by using chemical characteristics and Pb isotope ratios
Authors: Wu Po-Chao , Huang Kuo-Fang 
Published: April 2021

AbstractCentral Taiwan is among the most heavily polluted regions in Taiwan because of a complex mixing of local emissions from intense anthropogenic activities with natural dust. Long-range transport (LRT) of pollutants from outside Taiwan also contributes critically to the deterioration of air quality, especially during the northeast monsoon season. To identify the sources of particulate matter < 10 μm (PM10) in central Taiwan, this study performed several sampling campaigns, including three local events, one LRT event, and one dust storm event, during the northeast monsoon season of 2018/2019. The PM10 samples were analyzed for water-soluble ion and trace metal concentrations as well as Pb isotope ratios. Local sediments were also collected and analyzed to constrain chemical/isotopic signatures of natural sources. The Pb isotope data were interpreted together with the enrichment factors and elemental ratios of trace metals in PM10, and reanalysis data sets were used to delineate the sources of PM10 in central Taiwan. Our results suggested that Pb in PM10 was predominantly contributed by oil combustion and oil refineries during the local events (48–88%), whereas the lowest contributions were from coal combustion (< 21%). During periods of high wind speed, the contribution from natural sources increased significantly from 13 to 31%. Despite Pb represented only a small portion of PM10, a strong correlation (r = 0.89, p  < 0.001, multiple regression analysis) between PM10 mass and the concentrations of Pb, V, and Al was observed in the study area, suggesting that the sources of PM10 in central Taiwan can be possibly tracked by using chemical characteristics and Pb isotopes in PM10. Moreover, the Pb isotopic signals of PM10 collected during the LRT event confirmed the impact of LRT from Mainland China, and the chemical characteristics of the PM10 significantly differed from those of the PM10 collected during local events. This study demonstrates the robustness of using a combination of Pb isotopic compositions and chemical characteristics in PM10 for source tracing in complex and heavily polluted areas.