bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biological characterization of new inhibitors of microsomal PGE synthase‐1 in preclinical models of inflammation and vascular tone
Authors: Larsson Karin , Steinmetz Julia , Bergqvist Filip , Arefin Samsul , Spahiu Linda , Wannberg Johan , Pawelzik Sven‐Christian , Morgenstern Ralf , Stenberg Patric , Kublickiene Karolina , Korotkova Marina , Jakobsson Per‐Johan 
Published: August 2019

Background and PurposeMicrosomal PGE synthase‐1 (mPGES‐1), the inducible synthase that catalyses the terminal step in PGE2 biosynthesis, is of high interest as therapeutic target to treat inflammation. Inhibition of mPGES‐1 is suggested to be safer than traditional NSAIDs, and recent data demonstrate anti‐constrictive effects on vascular tone, indicating new therapeutic opportunities. However, there is a lack of potent mPGES‐1 inhibitors lacking interspecies differences for conducting in vivo studies in relevant preclinical disease models.Experimental ApproachPotency was determined based on the reduction of PGE2 formation in recombinant enzyme assays, cellular assay, human whole blood assay, and air pouch mouse model. Anti‐inflammatory properties were assessed by acute paw swelling in a paw oedema rat model. Effect on vascular tone was determined with human ex vivo wire myography.Key ResultsWe report five new mPGES‐1 inhibitors (named 934, 117, 118, 322, and 323) that selectively inhibit recombinant human and rat mPGES‐1 with IC50 values of 10–29 and 67–250 nM respectively. The compounds inhibited PGE2 production in a cellular assay (IC50 values 0.15–0.82 μM) and in a human whole blood assay (IC50 values 3.3–8.7 μM). Moreover, the compounds blocked PGE2 formation in an air pouch mouse model and reduced acute paw swelling in a paw oedema rat model. Human ex vivo wire myography analysis showed reduced adrenergic vasoconstriction after incubation with the compounds.Conclusion and ImplicationsThese mPGES‐1 inhibitors can be used as refined tools in further investigations of the role of mPGES‐1 in inflammation and microvascular disease.
Reevaluation of genetic variants previously associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy integrating population‐based cohorts and proteomics data
Authors: Ye Johan Z. , Delmar Mario , Lundby Alicia , Olesen Morten S. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractArrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in young people. Patients diagnosed with ARVC may experience increased likelihood of development of anxiety and depression, emphasizing the need for accurate diagnosis. To assist future genetic diagnosis and avoidance of misdiagnosis, we evaluated the reported monogenic disease‐causing variants in ARVD/C Genetic Variants Database, Human Gene Mutation Database, and ClinVar. Within the aforementioned databases, 630 monogenic disease‐causing variants from 18 genes were identified. In the genome Aggregation Database, 226 of these were identified; 68 of which were found at greater than expected prevalence. Furthermore, 37/226 genetic variants were identified amongst the 409 000 UK biobank participants, 23 were not associated with ARVC. Among the 14 remaining variants, 13 were previously found with greater than expected prevalence for a monogenic variant. Nevertheless, they were associated with serious cardiac phenotypes, suggesting that these 13 variants may be disease‐modifiers of ARVC, rather than monogenic disease‐causing. In summary, more than 10% of variants previously reported to cause ARVC were found unlikely to be associated with highly penetrant monogenic forms of ARVC. Notably, all variants in OBSCN and MYBPC3 were found, making these unlikely to be monogenic causes of ARVC.
Divergence‐Free Shape Correspondence by Deformation
Authors: Eisenberger M. , Lähner Z. , Cremers D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe present a novel approach for solving the correspondence problem between a given pair of input shapes with non‐rigid, nearly isometric pose difference. Our method alternates between calculating a deformation field and a sparse correspondence. The deformation field is constructed with a low rank Fourier basis which allows for a compact representation. Furthermore, we restrict the deformation fields to be divergence‐free which makes our morphings volume preserving. This can be used to extract a correspondence between the inputs by deforming one of them along the deformation field using a second order Runge‐Kutta method and resulting in an alignment of the inputs. The advantages of using our basis are that there is no need to discretize the embedding space and the deformation is volume preserving. The optimization of the deformation field is done efficiently using only a subsampling of the orginal shapes but the correspondence can be extracted for any mesh resolution with close to linear increase in runtime. We show 3D correspondence results on several known data sets and examples of natural intermediate shape sequences that appear as a by‐product of our method.
Point Pattern Synthesis via Irregular Convolution
Authors: Tu Peihan , Lischinski Dani , Huang Hui 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPoint pattern synthesis is a fundamental tool with various applications in computer graphics. To synthesize a point pattern, some techniques have taken an example‐based approach, where the user provides a small exemplar of the target pattern. However, it remains challenging to synthesize patterns that faithfully capture the structures in the given exemplar. In this paper, we present a new example‐based point pattern synthesis method that preserves both local and non‐local structures present in the exemplar. Our method leverages recent neural texture synthesis techniques that have proven effective in synthesizing structured textures. The network that we present is end‐to‐end. It utilizes an irregular convolution layer, which converts a point pattern into a gridded feature map, to directly optimize point coordinates. The synthesis is then performed by matching inter‐ and intra‐correlations of the responses produced by subsequent convolution layers. We demonstrate that our point pattern synthesis qualitatively outperforms state‐of‐the‐art methods on challenging structured patterns, and enables various graphical applications, such as object placement in natural scenes, creative element patterns or realistic urban layouts in a 3D virtual environment.
Parallel Globally Consistent Normal Orientation of Raw Unorganized Point Clouds
Authors: Jakob J. , Buchenau C. , Guthe M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA mandatory component for many point set algorithms is the availability of consistently oriented vertex‐normals (e.g. for surface reconstruction, feature detection, visualization). Previous orientation methods on meshes or raw point clouds do not consider a global context, are often based on unrealistic assumptions, or have extremely long computation times, making them unusable on real‐world data. We present a novel massively parallelized method to compute globally consistent oriented point normals for raw and unsorted point clouds. Built on the idea of graph‐based energy optimization, we create a complete kNN‐graph over the entire point cloud. A new weighted similarity criterion encodes the graph‐energy. To orient normals in a globally consistent way we perform a highly parallel greedy edge collapse, which merges similar parts of the graph and orients them consistently. We compare our method to current state‐of‐the‐art approaches and achieve speedups of up to two orders of magnitude. The achieved quality of normal orientation is on par or better than existing solutions, especially for real‐world noisy 3D scanned data.
Immediate nonfunctional loading of implants placed simultaneously using computer‐guided flapless maxillary crestal sinus augmentation with bone morphogenetic protein‐2/collagen matrix
Authors: An Xueyin , Lee Chunui , Fang Yiqin , Choi Byung‐Ho 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundImmediate loading has shown positive results for total, partial, or single edentulism. The effects of BMP‐2 addition to graft materials on bone formation and implant stability in the early stages of healing have rarely been studied, especially in patients with severely atrophic maxillae.PurposeTo evaluate the effects of simultaneously placed immediate non‐functional loaded implants and bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2)‐loaded Bio‐Oss collagen, on bone formation and implant stability during the early healing stages of patients with a severely atrophic posterior maxilla using crestal approach.Materials and MethodsThirty‐three cases presenting posterior maxillary residual alveolar bone height of 1‐3 mm were evaluated. Flapless crestal sinus augmentation surgery was performed using BMP‐2‐loaded Bio‐Oss collagen, with non‐functional implants immediately loaded after surgery. The bone height was assessed using preoperative and postoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Bone density of the sinus graft sites and implant stability (after 3 months) were evaluated using postoperative CBCT scans and Periotest, respectively. The periodontal parameters and marginal bone loss around the implant were checked after 37.3 months of final prosthesis.ResultsThe survival rate of the implants was 100% and the gingiva around the implants remained healthy. All implants remained integrated, and all sinus grafts showed radiographic bone formation. The results indicated high level of bone density and good implant stability, showing minimal marginal bone loss after 37.3 months.ConclusionThis technique could be used in the posterior maxillary region exhibiting poor bone quantity.
Outcomes of patients with infection related to a ventricular assist device after heart transplantation
Authors: Moayedi Yasbanoo , Multani Ashrit , Bunce Paul E. , Henricksen Erik , Lee Roy , Yang Wenjia , Gomez Carlos A. , Garvert Donn W. , Tremblay‐Gravel Maxime , Duclos Sebastien , Hiesinger William , Ross Heather J. , Khush Kiran K. , Montoya Jose G. , Teuteberg Jeffrey J. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundDespite significant advances in durable mechanical support survival, infectious complications remain the most common adverse event after ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation and the leading cause of early death after transplantation. In this study, we aim to describe our local infectious epidemiology and review short‐term survival and infectious incidence rates in the post‐transplantation period and assess risk factors for infectious episodes after transplantation.MethodsRetrospective single‐center study of all consecutive adult heart transplant patients from 2008 to 2017. Survival data were estimated and summarized using the Kaplan‐Meier method. We quantified and evaluated the difference in the incidence rate between patients with and without infection using a Fine‐Gray model. The outcome of interest is the time to first infection diagnosis with post‐transplant death as the competing event.ResultsAmong 278 heart transplant patients, 74 (26.5%) underwent LVAD implantation. Twenty‐one patients (28.3%) developed an infection while supported by an LVAD. When compared to patients supported by an LVAD without a preceding infection, BMI was significantly greater (31.2 vs 27.8 kg/m2, P = .03). Median follow‐up post‐transplantation was 3.01 years. Significant risk factors for the competing risk regression for infection after heart transplantation include LVAD infection (HR 1.94, [95% CI] 1.11‐3.39, P = .020) and recipient COPD (HR 2.14, [95% CI] 1.39‐3.32, P = .001) when adjusted for recipient age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and body mass index.ConclusionsPatients with LVAD‐related infection had a significantly increased risk of infectious complications after heart transplantation. Further research on the avoidance of induction agents and reduced maintenance immunosuppression in this patient population is warranted.
Donor hypernatremia and smoking addiction contribute to primary graft failure in heart transplantation
Authors: Finger Marco Aurélio , Cipullo Reginaldo , Rossi Neto João Manoel , dos Santos Carolina Casadei , Contreras Carlos Alberto , Chaccur Paulo , Dinkhuysen Jarbas Jakson , de Souza Roberta , Dias França João Italo , Lin‐Wang Hui Tzu 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIntroductionPrimary graft failure (PGF) is an important contributor to early mortality, accounting for 41% of deaths within the first 30 days after heart transplantation (HT). Donor hypernatremia has been associated with PGF development. However, controversial data exist regarding the impact of sodium deregulation in patient survival after HT. This study aimed to assess the influence of donor hypernatremia on PGF development and to determine the serum sodium level threshold to assist in decision‐making for organ procurement.MethodsThe medical record from 200 HT patients and organ donors were retrospectively assessed and categorized by PGF occurrence. Donor sodium levels were compared and cut‐off points obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A multiple logistic regression model was applied to assess the effects of factors and covariates that influence PGF development.ResultsSodium levels of donors were significantly higher in recipients who developed PGF than those who did not develop PGF (162 vs. 153 mmol/L, P = .001). The sodium cut‐off value determined by the ROC curve was 159 mmol/L. The group who received organs from donors with a serum sodium concentration ≥159 mmol/L had a higher incidence of PGF (63.3% vs 32.4%, P < .001). Furthermore, donor sodium levels ≥159 mmol/L increased the likelihood of recipients developing PGF by 3.4 times. It is also observed that the incidence of donor smoking addiction was significantly higher in the PGF group (28.6% vs. 11.5%, P = .004) and donor smoking addiction increased the risk of developing PGF by 2.8 times.ConclusionSmoking addiction and the application of suboptimal organs from donors with hypernatremia contribute to primary graft failure in heart transplantation.
Left ventricular dyssynchrony in coronary artery disease patients without regional wall‐motion abnormality: Correlation with Gensini score
Authors: Li Miao , Li Lin , Wu Wenfang , Ran Hong , Zhang Pingyang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractObjectivesOur study investigated left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients without regional wall‐motion abnormality (RWMA) by three‐dimensional echocardiography (3‐DE) and explored the relationship between LVD and severity of CAD as assessed by the Gensini score (GS).MethodsSixty‐one patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CAD by coronary angiography (CAG) were enrolled. We quantified LVD parameters, including the left ventricular segments (16, 12, and 6) standard deviation of the time to minimum systolic volume (TmsvSD‐16, TmsvSD‐12, and TmsvSD‐6) and the systolic dyssynchrony index in regions 16, 12, and 6 (16R‐SDI, 12R‐SDI, 6R‐SDI) using 3‐DE. The severity of coronary atherosclerotic lesions was evaluated by the GS system on the basis of CAG findings. We further divided all patients into three groups according to the tertiles of GS: low‐GS ≤20, mid‐GS >20 and ≤48, and high‐GS >48. The differences of LVD values among the three groups were compared, and the associations between LVD parameters and GS were analyzed.ResultsCoronary artery disease patients demonstrated increased LVD parameters compared with healthy controls. TmsvSD12, 16R‐SDI, and 6R‐SDI were prolonged in the high‐GS group compared with the low‐ and mid‐GS groups. 16R‐SDI was positively correlated with the GS, and multivariate regression analysis showed that 16R‐SDI was an independent predictor of the GS. 16R‐SDI above 10.7% had a sensitivity of 84.21% and a specificity of 92.86% for identifying high‐GS.ConclusionThree‐dimensional echocardiography is a noninvasive technique to detect LVD in non‐RWMA CAD patients, and the parameter 16R‐SDI was significantly correlated with CAD severity.
Alexithymia, resilience, somatic sensations and their relationships with suicide ideation in drug naïve patients with first‐episode major depression: An exploratory study in the “real world” everyday clinical practice
Authors: De Berardis Domenico , Fornaro Michele , Valchera Alessandro , Rapini Gabriella , Di Natale Serena , De Lauretis Ida , Serroni Nicola , Orsolini Laura , Tomasetti Carmine , Bustini Massimiliano , Carano Alessandro , Vellante Federica , Perna Giampaolo , Core Laura , Alessandrini Marco , Fraticelli Silvia , Martinotti Giovanni , Di Giannantonio Massimo 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAimThe present study is aimed at revaluating alexithymia, somatic sensations, resilience and their relationships with suicide ideation in drug naïve adult outpatients suffering from first episode major depression (MD).MethodsData of 103 adult outpatients (49 men, 56 women) with a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM‐IV‐TR) diagnosis of MD were analysed. Alexithymia was measured using the 20‐item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‐20) and resilience with the 25 items Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC) whereas depression was evaluated using the 17‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, somatic sensations with the Body Sensations Questionnaire and suicide ideation with Scale of Suicide Ideation (SSI).ResultsGender comparisons between all demographic and clinical variables showed no significant differences in all variables. Subjects who were found positive for alexithymia showed higher scores on all clinical variables controlling for age, gender and duration of the current episode. In a linear regression model, lower scores on CD‐RISC and Difficulty in Identifying Feelings dimension of TAS‐20 were significantly predictive of higher scores on SSI.ConclusionsAlexithymia and low resilience were significant predictors of increased suicide ideation in a first MD episode. However, study limitations must be considered and future research needs are being discussed.
Sex‐dependency of oestrogen‐induced structural synaptic plasticity: Inhibition of aromatase versus application of estradiol in rodents
Authors: Brandt Nicola , Rune Gabriele M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractSex‐dependent differences in learning and memory formation in humans have been frequently shown. The mechanisms underlying the formation and retention of memories are assumed to involve synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. Estradiol was shown to effect synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of rodents. The effects after exogenous application of estradiol to animals frequently produce inconsistent results, in particular, if sex is not considered in the studies. Recently we provided evidence that locally synthesized estradiol plays an essential role on synaptic connectivity in the hippocampus of females but not of male mice. In females, inhibition of local estradiol synthesis leads to synapse loss, which results from impairment of long‐term potentiation and dephosphorylation of cofilin, and thereby the destabilization of postsynaptic dendritic spines. This sex‐dependency was also seen in the classical aromatase knock‐out mouse. Intriguingly, no differences between sexes have been found in a conditional forebrain‐specific aromatase knock‐out mouse. Altogether, the findings underscore the necessity of including ‘Sex as a Biological Variable’ in studies of sex steroid‐induced synaptic plasticity.
Speed Gaps: Exploring Differences in Response Latencies Among Groups
Authors: Wright Daniel B. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThere is much discussion about and many policies to address achievement gaps in education among groups of students. The focus here is on a different gap and it is argued that it also should be of concern. Speed gaps are differences in how quickly different groups of students answer the questions on academic assessments. To investigate some speed gaps, response times from approximately 75,000 untimed online assessments were compared by English language learning proficiency, student gender, and ethnicity. Also examined were the relationships between response time and accuracy for these groups. The differences observed lead to recommendations for assessment accommodations and teaching strategies for taking assessments.
Development of high internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilised by ovotransferrin–gum arabic particles as curcumin delivery vehicles
Authors: Wei Zihao , Huang Qingrong 
Published: August 2019

SummaryThis study explored feasibility of preparing high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) as curcumin delivery vehicles. Particles assembled from ovotransferrin (OVT) and gum arabic (GA) could stabilise HIPEs successfully, and OVT–GA particle‐stabilised HIPEs with extremely high oil fraction of 0.90 were stable. Droplet size and rheological properties of OVT–GA particle‐stabilised HIPEs were dependent on both particle concentration and oil fraction. Either increasing particle concentration or decreasing oil fraction resulted in a decrease of droplet size. Increase in storage modulus and viscosity of HIPEs could be achieved by increasing particle concentration or oil fraction. Food structures with controlled shape could be constructed by OVT–GA particle‐stabilised HIPEs. When compared with bulk MCT oil, OVT–GA particle‐stabilised HIPEs improved both extent of lipolysis and curcumin bioaccessibility significantly. These findings provided novel insight into potential application of HIPEs with extremely high oil fractions in nutraceutical delivery systems.
Is there a place and role for endocytic TCR signaling?
Authors: Saveanu Loredana , Zucchetti Andres E. , Evnouchidou Irini , Ardouin Laurence , Hivroz Claire 
Published: August 2019

AbstractT‐lymphocyte activation relies on the cognate recognition by the TCR of the MHC‐associated peptide ligand (pMHC) presented at the surface of an antigen‐presenting cell (APC). This leads to the dynamic formation of a cognate contact between the T lymphocyte and the APC: the immune synapse (IS). Engagement of the TCR by the pMHC in the synaptic zone induces a cascade of signaling events leading to phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins and lipids, which ultimately shapes the response of T lymphocytes. Although the engagement of the T‐cell receptor (TCR) takes place at the plasma membrane, the TCR/CD3 complexes and the signaling molecules involved in transduction of the TCR signal are also present in intracellular membrane pools. These pools, which are both endocytic and exocytic, have tentatively been characterized by several groups including ours. We will herein summarize what is known on the intracellular pools of TCR signaling components. We will discuss their origin and the mechanisms involved in their mobility at the IS. Finally, we will propose several hypotheses concerning the functional role(s) that these intracellular pools might play in T‐cell activation. We will also discuss the tools that could be used to test these hypotheses.