bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Mydriasis-Caused Intraocular Pressure Changes on Corneal Biomechanical Metrics
Authors: Ye Yufeng , Li Yi , Zhu Zehui , Abu Said Anas Ziad Masoud , Nguelemo Mayopa Kevin , Akiti Stephen , Huang Chengyi , Lopes Bernardo T. , Eliasy Ashkan , Miao Yuanyuan , Wang Junjie , Zheng Xiaobo , Chen Shihao , Bao Fangjun , Elsheikh Ahmed 
Published: December 2021

Purpose: To evaluate the dependence of biomechanical metrics on intraocular pressure (IOP).Methods: 233 refractive surgery patients were included in this study—all were examined 3 times with the Corvis ST before and after dilation, and the differences (∆) in the main device parameters were assessed. The data collected included the biomechanically corrected IOP (bIOP), the central corneal thickness (CCT), and six dynamic corneal response (DCR) parameters, namely DA, DARatio2mm, IIR, SP-A1, CBI, and SSI. Participants were divided into three groups according to the changes in patients’ bIOP after mydriasis.Results: Intra-operator repeatability was generally high in most of the DCR parameters obtained before and after dilation. The mean changes in bIOP and CCT after dilation were −0.12 ± 1.36 mmHg and 1.95 ± 5.23 μm, respectively. Only ∆DARatio2mm, ∆IIR, and ∆CBI exhibited a statistically significant correlation with ∆CCT (p &lt; 0.05). The changes in all DCR parameters, especially ∆DA and ∆SP-A1 were also correlated with ∆bIOP (p &lt; 0.01)—a 1-mmHg change in bIOP was associated, on average, with 5.612 and −0.037 units of change in SP-A1 and DA, respectively. In contrast, the weakest correlation with ∆bIOP was exhibited by ∆SSI.Conclusion: Most corneal DCR parameters, provided by the Corvis ST, were correlated with IOP, and more weakly with CCT. Changes experienced in CCT and IOP should therefore be considered in studies on corneal biomechanics and how it is affected by disease progression and surgical or medical procedures.
Sensitive Colorimetric Detection of Interleukin-6 via Lateral Flow Assay Incorporated Silver Amplification Method
Authors: Rahbar Mohammad , Wu Yuling , Subramony J. Anand , Liu Guozhen 
Published: December 2021

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine, the quantitative detection of which has been extensively considered for diagnosis of inflammatory associated diseases. However, there has not yet been a reliable, low-cost, and user-friendly platform developed for point-of-care (POC) detection of IL-6, which will eliminate the conventional costly, time-consuming, and complex assays. In this work, we developed a lateral flow assay for colorimetric detection of IL-6, using anti-IL-6 antibodies conjugated to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as the detection probes. Silver amplification technique was incorporated with the newly developed assay in order to enhance the obtained colorimetric signals, allowing sensitive detection of IL-6 in human serum in the desired physiological ranges (i.e., 5–1000 pg/mL). A limit of detection of 5 pg/mL could be achieved for IL-6 detection in serum with the amplification step which was not achievable in the standard assay. The corresponding specificity and reproducibility tests were all preformed to confirm the reliability of this assay for quantitative measurement of IL-6 in a POC manner.
Effect of Amniotic Membrane/Collagen-Based Scaffolds on the Chondrogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and Cartilage Repair
Authors: Cao Le , Tong Yuling , Wang Xiao , Zhang Qiang , Qi Yiying , Zhou Chenhe , Yu Xinning , Wu Yongping , Miao Xudong 
Published: December 2021

Objectives: Repairing articular cartilage damage is challenging. Clinically, tissue engineering technology is used to induce stem cell differentiation and proliferation on biological scaffolds to repair defective joints. However, no ideal biological scaffolds have been identified. This study investigated the effects of amniotic membrane/collagen scaffolds on the differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and articular cartilage repair.Methods: Adipose tissue of New Zealand rabbits was excised, and ADSCs were isolated and induced for differentiation. An articular cartilage defect model was constructed to identify the effect of amniotic membrane/collagen scaffolds on cartilage repair. Cartilage formation was analyzed by imaging and toluene blue staining. Knee joint recovery in rabbits was examined using hematoxylin and eosin, toluidine, safranine, and immunohistochemistry at 12 weeks post-operation. Gene expression was examined using ELISA, RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence.Results: The adipose tissue was effectively differentiated into ADSCs, which further differentiated into chondrogenic, osteogenic, and lipogenic lineages after 3 weeks’ culture in vitro. Compared with platelet-rich plasmon (PRP) scaffolds, the amniotic membrane scaffolds better promoted the growth and differentiation of ADSCs. Additionally, scaffolds containing the PRP and amniotic membrane efficiently enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of ADSCs. The levels of COL1A1, COL2A1, COL10A1, SOX9, and ACAN in ADSCs + amniotic membrane + PRP group were significantly higher than the other groups both in vitro and in vivo. The Wakitani scores of the ADSC + amniotic membrane + PRP group were lower than that in ADSC + PRP (4.4 ± 0.44**), ADSC + amniotic membrane (2.63 ± 0.38**), and control groups (6.733 ± 0.21) at week 12 post-operation. Osteogenesis in rabbits of the ADSC + amniotic membrane + PRP group was significantly upregulated when compared with other groups. Amniotic membranes significantly promoted the expression of cartilage regeneration-related factors (SOX6, SOX9, RUNX2, NKX3-2, MEF2C, and GATA4). The ADSC + PRP + amniotic membrane group exhibited the highest levels of TGF-β, PDGF, and FGF while exhibiting the lowest level of IL-1β, IL6, and TNF-α in articular cavity.Conclusion: Amniotic membrane/collagen combination-based scaffolds promoted the proliferation and cartilage differentiation of ADSCs, and may provide a new treatment paradigm for patients with cartilage injury.
Integrating m6A Regulators-Mediated Methylation Modification Models and Tumor Immune Microenvironment Characterization in Caucasian and Chinese Low-Grade Gliomas
Authors: Liu Wangrui , Li Chuanyu , Wu Yuhao , Xu Wenhao , Chen Shuxian , Zhang Hailiang , Huang Haineng , Zhao Shuai , Wang Jian 
Published: December 2021

Background: As an important epigenetic modification, m6A methylation plays an essential role in post-transcriptional regulation and tumor development. It is urgently needed to comprehensively and rigorously explore the prognostic value of m6A regulators and its association with tumor microenvironment (TME) infiltration characterization of low-grade glioma (LGG).Methods: Based on the expression of 20 m6A regulatory factors, we comprehensively evaluated the m6A modification patterns of LGG after unsupervised clustering. Subsequent analysis of the differences between these groups was performed to obtain m6A-related genes, then consistent clustering was conducted to generate m6AgeneclusterA and m6AgeneclusterB. A Random Forest and machining learning algorithms were used to reduce dimensionality, identify TME characteristics and predict responses for LGG patients receiving immunotherapies.Results: Evident differential m6A regulators were found in mutation, CNV and TME characteristics of LGG. Based on TCGA and CGGA databases, we identified that m6A regulators clusterA could significantly predict better prognosis (p = 0.00016) which enriched in mTOR signaling pathway, basal transcription factors, accompanied by elevated immune cells infiltration, and decreased IDH and TP53 mutations. We also investigated the distribution of differential genes in m6A regulators clusters which was closely associated with tumor immune microenvironment through three independent cohort comparisons. Next, we established m6Ascore based on previous m6A model, which accurately predicts outcomes in 1089 LGG patients (p &lt; 0.0001) from discovering cohort and 497 LGG patients from testing cohort. Significant TME characteristics, including genome heterogeneity, abidance of immune cells, and clinicopathologic parameters have been found between m6Ascore groups. Importantly, LGG patients with high m6Ascore are confronted with significantly decreased responses to chemotherapies, but benefit more from immunotherapies.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study first demonstrates that m6A modification is crucial participant in tumorigenesis and TME infiltration characterization of LGG based on large-scale cohorts. The m6Ascore provides useful and accurately predict of prognosis and clinical responses to chemotherapy, immunotherapy and therapeutic strategy development for LGG patients.
Hsa_Circ_0001860 Promotes Smad7 to Enhance MPA Resistance in Endometrial Cancer via miR-520h
Authors: Yuan Shuang , Zheng Panchan , Sun Xiao , Zeng Judan , Cao Wenjiao , Gao Wuyuan , Wang Yudong , Wang Lihua 
Published: December 2021

Background: Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is one of the most commonly prescribed progestin for the treatment of endometrial cancer (EC). Despite initial benefits, many patients ultimately develop progesterone resistance. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a kind of noncoding RNA, contributing greatly to the development of human tumor. However, the role of circular RNA in MPA resistance is unknown.Methods: We explored the expression profile of circRNAs in Ishikawa cells treated with (ISK/MPA) or without MPA (ISK) by RNA sequencing, and identified a key circRNA, hsa_circ_0001860. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to verify its expression in MPA-resistant cell lines and tissues. CCK8, Transwell, and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the functional roles of hsa_circ_0001860 in MPA resistance. The interaction between hsa_circ_0001860 and miR-520 h was confirmed by bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down assay.Results: The expression of hsa_circ_0001860 was significantly downregulated in MPA-resistant cell lines and tissues, and negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade of EC. Functional analysis showed that hsa_circ_0001860 knockdown by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) promoted the proliferation, inhibited the apoptosis of Ishikawa cells, and promoted the migration and invasion of Ishikawa cells treated with MPA. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0001860 promoted Smad7 expression by sponging miR-520 h.Conclusion: Hsa_circ_0001860 plays an important role in the development of MPA resistance in EC through miR-520h/Smad7 axis, and it could be targeted to reverse the MPA resistance in endometrial cancer.
TP53 Mutation Infers a Poor Prognosis and Is Correlated to Immunocytes Infiltration in Breast Cancer
Authors: Zhang Ziwen , Hao Ran , Guo Qiusheng , Zhang Sheyu , Wang Xiaojia 
Published: December 2021

Background: This study aimed to investigate the TP53 mutation, its potential immune features, its prognostic value, and its impact on immune infiltration in patients with breast cancer (BC).Methods: We downloaded the somatic mutation data and clinicopathologic features of BC patients from the TCGA GDC database, UCSC Xena platform, and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database. The association between the TP53 mutation, clinicopathology features, and overall survival (OS) in BC patients was analyzed. We evaluated the potential role of the TP53 mutation in the immune therapy response, including the tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE). Moreover, ESTIMATE was employed to assess the ImmuneScore and StromalScore in BC patients. We also explored immunocyte infiltration related to the TP53 mutation and its potential mechanism. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to validate the association between the expression of CXCL1, CXCL10, and CCL20 and TP53 status.Results: We found that the TP53 mutation was significantly associated with the shorter OS (p = 0.038) and was also an independent predictive factor of OS for BC patients (p &lt; 0.001). Compared to that in the wild type group, the TP53-mutant group showed a higher TMB value (P&lt; 0.001), MSI value (p = 0.077), and TIDE value (p &lt; 0.001) with respect to BC patient immunotherapy. In addition, the ImmuneScore and StromalScore were both significantly increased in the TP53-mutant group (ImmuneScore: p &lt; 0.001; StromalScore: p = 0.003). The results of CIBERSORT suggested that the TP53 mutation significantly promoted the infiltration of Tregs, T helper cells, and M0-type macrophages. KEGG and GSEA enrichment results suggested that the IL-17 signaling pathway and antigen processing and presentation pathways were significantly enriched in the TP53-mutant group. Importantly, based on IHC results of immune-related hub-genes, the chemokines CXCL1, CXCL10, and CCL20 were significantly upregulated in the TP53-mutant group in BC patients.Conclusion: These results indicate that a TP53 mutation might serve as a biomarker for BC prognosis and is related to immunocyte infiltration in the tumor microenvironment.
Publication Trends on Mitophagy in the World and China: A 16-Year Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Chen Jingli , Li Xin , Jia Yifan , Xia Zhongyuan , Ye Jishi 
Published: December 2021

In the past 16 years, research on mitophagy has increasingly expanded to a wider range of subjects. Therefore, comprehensively analyzing the relevant progress and development trends on mitophagy research requires specific methods. To assess the hotspots, directions, and quality of results in this field worldwide, we used multiple tools to examine research progress and growing trends in research on the matter during the last 16 years (from 2005 to 2020). We also compared the quantity and quality of the literature records on mitophagy published by research institutions in China and other developed countries, reviewed China’s contribution, and examined the gap between China and these developed countries. According to the results of our bibliometric analysis, the United States and its research institutes published the most papers. We identified cell biology as the most commonly researched subject on mitophagy and AUTOPHAGY as the most popular journal for research on mitophagy. We also listed the most cited documents from around the world and China. With gradually increased funding, China is progressively becoming prominent in the field of mitophagy; nevertheless, the gap between her and major countries in the world must be closed.
Advances in the Total Synthesis of Aflatoxins
Authors: Yang Liyan , Wang Zhonglei 
Published: December 2021

Abstract: Aflatoxins, which are produced by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus nomius, and Aspergillus parasiticus, are a group of pentacyclic natural products with difuran and coumarin skeletons. They mainly include aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, and M2. Biologically, aflatoxins are of concern to human health as they can be present as contaminants in food products. The unique skeletons of aflatoxins and their risk to human health have led to the publication of nine remarkable total syntheses (including three asymmetric syntheses) and ten formal total syntheses (including four asymmetric formal syntheses) of aflatoxins in the past 55 years. To better understand the mechanism of the biological activity of aflatoxins and their presence in samples from the food industry, this review summarizes progress in the total synthesis of aflatoxins.
In Situ Synthesis of Surface-Mounted Novel Nickel(II) Trimer-Based MOF on Nickel Oxide Hydroxide Heterostructures for Enhanced Methanol Electro-Oxidation
Authors: Sun Ya-Ya , Wang Yan-Jiang , Pi Qiu , Wu Ya-Pan , Wu Xue-Qian , Li Shuang , Lan Ya-Qian , Zhang Qichun , Li Dong-Sheng 
Published: December 2021

Engineering the heterogeneous interface fusing MOFs and inorganic active component is an effective strategy to improve the electrochemical performance. Herein, we report a new Ni3-based MOF (denoted as CTGU-24) with an infrequent two-fold interpenetrating 3D (3,8)-connected network constructed from Ni(II) trimer and mixed tripodal tectonics for the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In order to improve its stability and activities, the heterogeneous hybrid CTGU-24@NiOOH has been fabricated successfully via the first preparation of the NiOOH nanosphere and then in situ formation of CTGU-24 decorated on the NiOOH surface. Moreover, the integration of CTGU-24@NiOOH and different additives [acetylene black (AB) and ketjen black (KB)], resulting in the optimized hybrid sample AB&amp;CTGU-24@NiOOH (4:4). It attains better MOR performance with an area-specific peak current density of 34.53 mA·cm−2 than pure CTGU-24 (14.99 mA·cm−2) and improved durability in an alkali medium. The new findings indicate that the CTGU-24@NiOOH heterostructure formed in situ and the integration of moderate additives are critical to optimizing and improving electrocatalytic activity of pure MOF crystalline material.
Early Immune Response Elicited by Different Trypanosoma cruzi Infective Stages
Authors: Gutierrez Brenda Celeste , Lammel Estela , González-Cappa Stella Maris , Poncini Carolina Verónica 
Published: December 2021

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that affects millions of people in Latin America. Infection occurs by vectorial transmission or by transfusion or transplacental route. Immune events occurring immediately after the parasite entrance are poorly explored. Dendritic cells (DCs) are target for the parasite immune evasion mechanisms. Recently, we have demonstrated that two different populations of DCs display variable activation after interaction with the two infective forms of the parasite: metacyclic or blood trypomastigotes (mTp or bTp) in vitro. The skin constitutes a complex network with several populations of antigen-presenting cells. Previously, we have demonstrated T. cruzi conditioning the repertoire of cells recruited into the site of infection. In the present work, we observed that mTp and bTp inoculation displayed differences in cell recruitment to the site of infection and in the activation status of APCs in draining lymph nodes and spleen during acute infection. Animals inoculated with mTp exhibited 100% of survival with no detectable parasitemia, in contrast with those injected with bTp that displayed high mortality and high parasite load. Animals infected with mTp and challenged with a lethal dose of bTp 15 days after primary infection showed no mortality and incremented DC activation in secondary lymphoid organs compared with controls injected only with bTp or non-infected mice. These animals also displayed a smaller number of amastigote nests in cardiac tissue and more CD8 T cells than mice infected with bTp. All the results suggest that both Tp infective stages induce an unequal immune response since the beginning of the infection.
The Protective Role of TLR2 Mediates Impaired Autophagic Flux by Activating the mTOR Pathway During Neospora caninum Infection in Mice
Authors: Wang Jielin , Wang Xiaocen , Gong Pengtao , Ren Fu , Li Xin , Zhang Nan , Zhang Xu , Zhang Xichen , Li Jianhua 
Published: December 2021

Autophagy has been shown to play an essential role in defending against intracellular bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Mounting evidence suggests that autophagy plays different roles in the infection process of different pathogens. Until now, there has been no conclusive evidence regarding whether host autophagy is involved in Neospora caninum infection. In the current study, we first monitored the activation of autophagy by N. caninum, which occurred mainly in the early stages of infection, and examined the role of host autophagy in N. caninum infection. Here, we presented evidence that N. caninum induced an increase in autophagic vesicles with double-membrane structures in macrophages at the early stage of infection. LC3-II expression peaked and decreased as infection continued. However, the expression of P62/SQSTM1 showed significant accumulation within 12 h of infection, indicating that autophagic flux was blocked. A tandem fluorescence protein mCherry-GFP-LC3 construct was used to corroborate the impaired autophagic flux. Subsequently, we found that N. caninum infection induced the activation of the TLR2–AKT–mTOR pathways. Further investigation revealed that TLR2–mTOR, accompanied by the blockade of autophagic flux, was responsible for impaired autophagy but was not associated with AKT. In vitro and in vivo, N. caninum replication was strongly blocked by the kinase inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA, autophagy inhibitor). In contrast, rapamycin (Rapa, an autophagy inducer) was able to promote intracellular proliferation and reduce the survival rate of N. caninum-infected mice. On the other hand, the accumulation of autophagosomes facilitated the proliferation of N. caninum. Collectively, our findings suggest that activation of host autophagy facilitates N. caninum replication and may counteract the innate immune response of the host. In short, inhibition of the early stages of autophagy could potentially be a strategy for neosporosis control.
The Politics of Pulpit Religiosity in the Era of Covid-19 in Kenya
Authors: Kilonzo Susan M. , Omwalo Bryson O. 
Published: December 2021

This essay centres on the role of religion in the era of Covid-19. We juxtapose social media and religious practices in a way that challenges the conventional religion of the pulpit to deconstruct the myths and misconceptions around spirituality in the era of Covid-19. We show the transformation of worship from physical worship places, particularly churches, to virtual engagements through social media. Through observation, close relations’ accounts, personal experiences and media perspectives, we analyze the politics that surrounded religious observances in the first 7 months of Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya. We make a case that, discoveries made in these seven and other months to come, will most likely influenced the myths and misconceptions about religion and religious practices in the Country. From these accounts, we project a future that is likely to reap from the benefits of technology, and especially social media, which has revolutionized exchange of ideas, sermons, prayers and music. We challenge the very notion of pulpit religiosity, and the myths and misconceptions that religion cannot be without physical fellowships.