bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
TSP, a virulent Podovirus can control the growth of Staphylococcus aureus till 12 hours
Authors: Tabassum Rabia , Alvi Iqbal Ahmed , Asif Muhammad , Basit Abdul , Rehman Shafiq ur 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a prevailing nosocomial pathogen that causes a large number of diseases in healthcare and community settings. The MRSA causes infections in different tissues of immunocompromised individuals leading to increased morbidity and mortality. It possess various virulence mechanisms to show resistance against to a lot of beta-lactam antibiotics. To tackle this emerging issue of MRSA, there is an urgent need of antibiotic alternatives and utilizing lytic bacteriophages is one of the best promising therapeutic approach. In the present study, a lytic bacteriophage TSP was isolated from hospital wastewater against MRSA. Its morphology, physiology, host specificity, burst size and lytic spectrum were determined and complete genome sequence was analyzed. TSP phage efficiently inhibit bacterial growth for up to 12 hours. TSP phage showed broad lytic spectrum against clinical isolates of MRSA (78%) and MSSA (37%). It showed stability at varying temperatures (25ºC, 37ºC) and pH (5–9), while its maximum storage stability was observed at 4ºC. It had short latent period (20min) and high burst size (103 PFU/ infected cell). TSP genome sequence and restriction analysis revealed that its genome is linear having 17,987 bp in length with an average GC content of 29.7%. The TSP genome showed 98% similarity to S aureus phages SCH1, SCH11 and vB SauP-436A1. According to comparative genomic analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis, TSP phage can be considered as a member of genus “P68viruses”. The strong lytic activity, broad host range and short latent period along with absence of any lysogenic and toxic genes make TSP a very good candidate for phage therapy against MRSA infections if prove safe during in vivo studies.
Development and Validation of a New Algorithm Model for Differential Diagnosis Between Crohn's Disease and Intestinal Tuberculosis: A Combination of Laboratory, Imaging and Endoscopic Characteristics
Authors: Lu Yi , Chen Yonghe , Peng Xiang , Yao Jiayin , Zhong Weijie , Li Chujun , Zhi Min 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Sometimes in clinical practice, it was a great challenge to distinguish Crohn's disease (CD) and intestinal tuberculosis (ITB), we conducted this study was to identify simple and useful algorithm for distinguishing them.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical history of the patients who were diagnosed as ITB or CD. We firstly identified ITB patients, and then the patients diagnosed with CD were matched by age, sex, and admission time in a 1:1 ratio. Patients who admitted between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2019 were regarded as training cohort, and patients admitted between May 1, 2019 and May 1, 2020 were regarded as validation cohort. We used multivariate analysis to identify the potential variables, and then we used R package rpart to build the classification and regression tree (CART), and validated the newly developed model.Results: In total, the training cohort included 84 ITB and 84 CD patients, the validation cohort included 22 ITB and 22 CD patients. Multivariate analysis showed that, positive T-SPOT, ≥4 segments involved, longitudinal ulcer, circular ulcer, and aphthous ulcer were confirmed as independent discriminating factors. Using these parameters to build the CART model made an overall accuracy rate was 88.64%, with sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV being 90.91%, 86.36%, 90.48% and 86.96%, respectively.Conclusion: We developed a simple and novel algorithm model covering laboratory, imaging, and endoscopy parameters with CART to differentiate ITB and CD with good accuracy.
Polystyrene microplastics induce blood-testis barrier disruption regulated by MAPK-Nrf2 signaling pathway in rats
Authors: Li Shengda , Wang Qimeng , Yu Hui , Yang Long , Sun Yiqing , Xu Ning , Wang Nana , Lei Zhimin , Hou Junyu , Jin Yinchuan , Zhang Hongqin , Li Lianqin , Xu Feibo , Zhang Lianshuang 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
As a persistent organic pollutant, microplastics (MPs) have been reported to induce sperm quantity decrease in male rats. However, the related mechanism remains obscure. Therefore, this study is intended to explore the effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on male reproduction and its related mechanism of blood-testis barrier (BTB) impairment. Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups fed with PS-MPs for 90 days at the dose of 0 mg/d (control group), 0.015 mg/d, 0.15 mg/d and 1.5 mg/d respectively. The present results have showed that PS-MPs exposure led to the damage of seminiferous tubule, resulted in apoptosis of spermatogenic cell and decreased the motility and concentration of sperm, while the abnormality of sperm was elevated. Meanwhile, PS-MPs could induce oxidative stress and activate p38 MAPK pathway and thus deplete the nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). Noteworthily, the adverse effect of PS-MPs on BTB is only significant in 0.15 mg/d and 1.5 mg/d groups ,which demonstrated that high-dose PS-MPs exposure may lead to the destruction of BTB integrity and the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells through the activation of MAPK-Nrf2 pathway. The current study provided novelty evidence for elucidating the effects of PS-MPs on male reproductive toxicity and its potential mechanism.
Design and modeling of a planar graphene structure as a terahertz cyclotron radiation source
Authors: Planillo Jordan , Alves Fabio 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
With incredibly high carrier mobility and saturation velocity, graphene would be an ideal candidate for a miniaturized solid-state cyclotron radiation source. A planar semicircular graphene arc geometry was investigated for emission in the 0.5 THz to 1.5 THz range. Analytical studies, confirmed by finite element simulations, show that the emitted THz frequencies are inversely proportional to the arc radius given a fixed charge-carrier velocity. The simulations show that the desired frequency spectrum can be obtained with design radii ranging from 50 nm to 150 nm. Interestingly, the radiated spectrum is independent of the frequency of the stimulation of the graphene nano-arcs. The simulations also indicate that the total output power correlates well with the Larmor formulation. The device is expected to emit 1 nW/cm2, which confirms the findings of existing research in this field. Such a design could yield a scalable and cost-effective THz source.
Effect of exposure to carbofuran on the behavior and metabolism of the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape (Eigenmann 1907), a native species from Brazil
Authors: Mendes Ricardo Claudionor , HENRIQUES MARCELO Barbosa , Barbieri Edison 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
One of the major causes of aquatic biodiversity loss is the contamination of the environment by pesticides. Although there is a considerable amount of studies on the subject, there are still few that deal with the effects of carbofuran on native species in Brazil. Although carbofuran is widely used in Brazil, its action on native organisms, such as the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape , has not yet been studied. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of exposure to carbofuran on the fish D. iguape , considering the behavior and specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion as end points. Opercular movements, dorsal fin movements and swimming speed were analyzed as behavioral parameters. To assess specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion, fish were subjected to concentrations of 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/L, for 24 hours. For behavior analysis, fish remained exposed to carbofuran at concentrations: 0.0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L, in periods of 0, 2, 24 and 48 hours. The behavior was studied through filming, analyzed with the free software, Tracker 4.92 (Open Source Physics). The results showed that there was a decrease in opercular movements (-8%±2.65), in dorsal fin movements (-18.6%±2.97), as well as in swimming speed (-66.4%±1.83). There was an increase in oxygen consumption of 58.4% and ammonia excretion by 90.6% in fish exposed to the highest concentration of carbofuran. Thus, it is concluded that carbofuran altered D. iguape 's behavior, oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion. The species was sensitive to carbofuran concentrations and can be used as a bioindicator.
Closed-Loop Digital Twin for the Product Lifecycle
Authors: Durão Luiz Fernando C. S. , Zancul Eduardo , Schützer Klaus 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Digital Twin advances have provided the conceptual ground for integrating a physical product with its digital representation. However, Digital Twin implementation has been focused on the beginning of life and manufacturing optimization, leaving space for developing a Digital Twin model that encompasses and connects different stages of the entire product lifecycle. In this scenario, the integration between company-internal data with real-time customers' data is still a challenge. Besides, implementing such a model in a multiplatform environment is also an open issue in the literature. This paper proposes the definition of a Closed-loop Digital Twin implemented as a middleware software that connects PLM, ERP, and MES data with customers' usage data. The proposed concept was implemented and tested in a learning factory. Results demonstrated the concept potential to consolidate product data, support data analyses, and provide insights for different stages of the product lifecycle.
Radioplasmonics: design of plasmonic milli-particles in air and absorbing media for antenna communication and human-body in-vivo applications.
Authors: Abraham-Ekeroth Ricardo Martin 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Surface plasmons with MHz-GHz energies are predicted by using milliparticles made of metamaterials that behave like metals in the radiofrequency range. In this work, the so-called Radioplasmonics is exploited to design scatterers embedded in different realistic media with tunable absorption or scattering properties. High-quality scattering/absorption based on plasmon excitation is demonstrated through a few simple examples, useful to build antennas with better performance than conventional ones. Systems embedded in absorbing media as saline solutions or biological tissues are also considered to improve biomedical applications and contribute with real-time, in-vivo monitoring tools in body tissues. In this regard, any possible implementation is criticized by calculating the radiofrequency heating with full thermal simulations. As proof of the versatility offered by radioplasmonic systems, plasmon “hybridization” is used to enhance near-fields to unprecedented values or to tune resonances as in optical spectra, minimizing the heating effects. Finally, a monitorable drug-delivery in human tissue is illustrated with a hypothetical example.
This study has remarkable consequences on the conception of plasmonics at macroscales. The recently-developed concept of “spoof” plasmons achieved by complicated structures is simplified in Radioplasmonics since bulk materials with elemental geometries are considered.
Head to Head Comparison of 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) and 99mTc-MAG3 in Patients with Suspected Obstruction
Authors: Taylor Andrew , Lipowska Malgorzata , Halkar Raghuveer K. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Purpose 99mTc-tricarbonyl-nitrilotriacetic acid, 99mTc(CO)3(NTA), is a new 99mTc-renal radiopharmaceutical with a clearance equal to that of 131I-ortho-iodohippuran. Our purpose was to compare the performance of 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) and 99mTc-MAG3 in patients with suspected obstruction.Methods 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) was prepared with commercially available NTA and CRS Isolink kit, and isolated by HPLC. Eighteen adult patients referred for diuretic renography received an intravenous injection of approximately 40 mg of furosemide 15 min prior to either 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) or 99mTc-MAG3 (mean activity of 47 ± 4.4 MBq). Data were acquired for 24 minutes followed by an anterior image of the liver and gall bladder and a measure of voided volume. Patients received a second furosemide injection equal to one third of the original dose followed fifteen minutes later by administration of the alternate tracer, mean activity of 320 ± 34 MBq. Clearances were measured using a camera-based technique.Results The clearance of 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) was greater than that of 99mTc-MAG3, 331 ± 146 vs 271 ± 105 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively, p < 0.0001. The kidney to background ratio for 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) was greater than that of 99mTc-MAG3 for both left and right kidneys, p < 0.001; the 20 min/maximum count ratio was significantly less, p < 0.0001. There was no significant difference in the voiding volumes following 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) and 99mTc-MAG3 administration, 598 ± 237 mL vs 498 ± 170 mL, respectively, p = 0.07. Gall bladder activity was not observed with 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) but was present in 6/17 99mTc-MAG3 studies. Images and renogram curves were comparable except for two patients where the 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) study excluded obstruction but the 99mTc-MAG3 study suggested an indeterminate or obstructed kidney.Conclusions Unlike 99mTc-MAG3, 99mTc(CO)3(NTA) is not eliminated via the hepatobiliary track. Moreover, 99mTc(CO)3(NTA has a higher kidney to background ratio and more rapid clearance than 99mTc-MAG3. These advantages should allow more robust camera-based clearance measurements and may lead to better discrimination between obstructed and non-obstructed kidneys.
Plasma Metabolomics Study in Lung Cancer Screening and Differential Diagnosis
Authors: Liu Zixu , Guo Lei , Liu Shuai , Du Minjun , Liang Yicheng , Li Zhili , Gao Yushun 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
[Objectives] By studying the plasma metabolomics of patients with different pulmonary nodules and healthy people, we can find the difference in plasma low-molecular metabolites among them. [Methods] Patients with pulmonary nodules admitted to our department were divided into three groups: pulmonary metastatic carcinoma (PMC), benign pulmonary nodules (BPN), and primary lung cancer (PLC). Meanwhile healthy people were enrolled as healthy population group (HPG). PLC and HPG were equally divided into the Discovery Set and Validation set. [Results] Five significant low-molecular metabolites were found by comparison of four groups as a whole. Four to six metabolites were selected by comparison of the three pulmonary nodule groups with healthy people respectively. The AUC of ROC of these metabolites were all＞0.93. Each pairwise comparison within the three pulmonary nodule groups all found three metabolites, whose AUC of ROC were all＞0.83. From the comparison of PLC and HPG in the discovery set, six metabolites were selected. Their AUC of ROC were all greater than 0.95 in the validation set, indicating that they had a strong ability to differentiate between primary lung cancer and healthy people. [Conclusions] We can find the significant changes of some low-molecular metabolites among three pulmonary nodules and healthy people. These metabolites had the potential to be biomarkers for screening and differential diagnosis of lung cancer.
Benzoylaconine Modulates LPS-Induced Responses through Inhibition of Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated NF-κB and MAPK Signaling in RAW264.7 Cells
Authors: Zhou Changkai , Gao Jing , Ji Hongyan , Li Wenjing , Xing Xiaomin , Liu Donghua , Guo Qie , Zhou Lihua , Jing Fanbo 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Previous studies have shown that benzoylaconine (BAC), a representative monoester alkaloid, has a potential anti-inflammatory effect. This study investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms using the mode of LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Our findings showed that BAC significantly suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, ROS, NO, and PGE2. BAC treatment also effectively downregulated the elevated protein levels of iNOS and COX-2 induced by LPS in a dose-dependent manner. In this study, we found that BAC inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation by reducing the phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα by Western blotting and blocking the nuclear translocation of p65 using an immunofluorescence assay. The elevated protein levels of JNK, p38, and ERK phosphorylation after LPS stimulation were restored effectively by BAC treatment. Moreover, LPS-induced phosphorylation of TAK1, which is a crucial upstream regulatory factor of Toll-like receptor-induced MAPK and NF-κB signaling, was inhibited by BAC in activated RAW264.7 macrophages. These findings demonstrated that BAC exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibition of Toll-like receptor-induced MAPK and NF-κB pathways, indicating that it could potentially be used for treating inflammatory diseases.
Teleparallel Stringy Black Holes and Topological Nieh-Yan Charges
Authors: Andrade luiz Garcia de 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Recently Banerjee [Class Quantum Gravity 2010] has investigated the Nieh-Yan (NY) topological charges in static black holes (BH) of Schwarzschild type. In this paper we extend Banerjee computations to a static BH with a cosmic string inside it and check how this modifies the NY anomaly. In orthonormal coordinates it is shown that NY topological invariant does not produce any contribution to anomaly. Nevertheless since other topological invariants as the Pontryagin density may appear in teleparallel gravity, since there the full Riemann-Cartan (RC) tensor vanishes and the Riemann tensor can be expressed in terms of torsion. Hence, Pontryagin topological charge may be computed in terms of torsion. The horizons of black holes and singularities are examined. The vanishing of torsion flux along Strings inside BH indicates that the string is confined inside the BH. This similarity is between the NY topological invariant $N=d(T^{i}{\wedge}e_{i})\sim{T^{i}{\wedge}T_{i}}$ and the torsion scalar defined here as $T^{2}= T_{ijk}T^{ijk}$ where T represents torsion differential forms and tensors. It is also shown that the Kerr BH can pursue a NY form invariant.the same problem in some metric forms.
Racial Differences in the Effect of APOE-ε4 Genotypes on Trail Making Test Part B in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Xu Chun , Acevedo Priscila , Lu Yongke , Su Brenda Bin , Padilla Victoria , Ozuna Kaysie , Moreno Kimberly , Karithara Annu , Mao Chun Xiang , Navia Osvaldo , Piamjariyakul Ubolrat , Wang Kesheng 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The trail making test part B (TMT-B) evaluates "executive" functions, memory, and sensorimotor functions. No previous studies were found to examine the longitudinal effect of apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE-ε4) genotypes on the TMT-B scores in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and/or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants. This study used data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI): 482 participants with AD, 503 with cognitive normal (CN), 1,293 with MCI at baseline and follow-up of four years. The multivariable linear mixed model was used to determine the longitudinal changes in the TMT-B scores. The individuals with 1 or 2 APOE-ε4 alleles revealed significantly higher TMT-B scores (poor cognitive function) compared with individuals without APOE-ε4 allele at baseline and four follow-up visits (all p values < 0.0001). Compared with Whites, non-Hispanic African American and Hispanic populations had higher TMT-B scores (p = 0.0007 and 0.0044, respectively). Furthermore, stratified by diagnosis, the African American CN group had the highest TMT-B scores (p < 0.0001) and the Hispanic AD group had higher TMT-B scores (p = 0.0123) compared with Whites, while both African American and Hispanic MCI groups had higher TMT-B scores compared with Whites (p = 0.162 and 0.0274, respectively). In addition, stratified by racial groups, the subjects with APOE-ε4-homozgous and APOE-ε4-heterozgous showed higher TMT-B scores compared with subjects who carry zero APOE-ε4 allele just in Whites (p = 0.0023 and 0.0003, respectively); whereas there was no difference among APOE-ε4 genotypes in AA and Hispanics. In conclusion, the APOE-ε4 allele was associated with increased TMT-B scores but such associations varied by racial groups.
First-in-human AAV Gene Therapy for Tay-Sachs Disease
Authors: Sena-Esteves Miguel , Flotte Terence , Cataltepe Oguz , Puri Ajit , Batista Ana Rita , Moser Richard , McKenna-Yasek Diane , Douthwright Catherine , Gernoux Gwladys , Blackwood Meghan , Mueller Christian , Jiang Xuntian , Bateman Scot , Spanakis Spiro , Parzych Julia , Keeler Allison , Abayazeed Aly , Rohatgi Saurabh , Gibson Laura , Finberg Robert , Barton Bruce , Vardar Zeynep , Shazeeb Mohammed , Gounis Matthew , Eichler Florian , Brown Robert , Martin Douglas , Gray-Edwards Heather 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Tay-Sachs Disease (TSD) is an inherited neurological disorder caused by deficiency of hexosaminidase A (HexA). Preclinical work demonstrated safety and efficacy of CNS gene therapy using AAVrh8-HEXA/HEXB. Here we describe an expanded access trial in two patients with infantile TSD (IND 18225).
Case TSD-001 demonstrated neurodevelopmental regression by 8 months of age and severe seizures by 1 year was treated at 30 months. An equimolar mix of AAVrh8-HEXA and AAVrh8-HEXB (now AXO-AAV-GM2) was administered intrathecally (IT), with 75% of the dose (1x1014vg) delivered to the cisterna magna and 25% at the thoraco-lumbar junction. The second patient (TSD-002) was treated at 7 months of age with 4.2x1013 vg by a combination of bilateral thalamic (0.18 mL; 1.5x1012vg per thalamus), and IT infusion (3.9x1013vg). Both patients underwent immunosuppression with sirolimus, corticosteroids, and rituximab.
Injection procedures were well tolerated and have shown no vector-related adverse events to date. CSF HexA activity nearly doubled from baseline and remained stable. In TSD-002 (now 16 months of age), MRI showed stabilization of disease by 3 months post-injection and appeared to temporarily deviate from the natural history of infantile TSD but declined again 6 months post-treatment. TSD-001 (now 4.5 years of age remains seizure-free on the same anti-convulsant
therapy as pre-therapy, but TSD-002 developed seizures between 13 and 17 months posttreatment (by 2 years of age).
Administration of AXO-AAV-GM2 by IT and thalamic injections was safe, HexA activity increased in CSF and ongoing myelination was apparent in the younger patient treated at an early symptomatic stage. This study provides early safety and proof-of-concept in humans for treatment of TSD patients by AAV gene therapy.