bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Intrauterine Growth Restriction on the Capillarization of the Early Postnatal Rat Heart
Authors: Sutherland Megan R. , Ng Ka Wing , Drenckhahn Jörg D. , Wlodek Mary E. , Black Mary Jane 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTCapillarization plays a key role in the growth of the developing heart. We therefore hypothesized that impaired heart development following intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may arise from inadequate myocardial capillary growth. The aims of the study were to examine the effect of IUGR on the growth and diffusion radius of intramyocardial capillaries in rats at postnatal day 1. Uteroplacental insufficiency was induced in rats in late gestation (E18, term = E22) by bilateral uterine artery and vein ligation (restricted offspring N = 12; six males and six females); offspring from sham‐operated dams were used as controls (N = 10; five males and five females). At postnatal day 1, the hearts were immersion‐fixed and heart volume, capillary length density, capillary diffusion radius, and total capillary length were stereologically determined. Restricted offspring were significantly smaller at birth, with a concomitant reduction in heart volume and total myocardial capillary length compared to controls. Capillary growth was not impaired relative to heart size, with no significant differences in capillary length density or diffusion radius in the myocardium of restricted and control offspring. There were no sex differences in any of the parameters examined. In conclusion, there was no evidence to indicate that microvascular development is compromised in the heart of IUGR offspring at 1 day after birth. Total myocardial capillary length, however, was significantly reduced in the growth restricted offspring and further longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the long‐term impact, particularly following hypertrophic cardiac growth. Anat Rec, 302:1580–1586, 2019. © 2018 American Association for Anatomy
Enhanced cecropin B2 production via chitin‐binding domain and intein self‐cleavage system
Authors: Fang Yi‐Ting , Lai Wei‐Shiang , Liu Jyung‐Hurng , Liu Yung‐Chuan 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn this study, various constructs and hosts were used to produce high levels of cecropin B2 (cecB2). To mitigate cecB2's toxic inhibition of host cells, various cecB2 constructs were built. Results showed that the combination of a chitin‐binding domain and an intein self‐cleavage motif in front of cecropin B2, without a His‐tag, was best for cecB2 expression. E. coli ER2566 was the best host, and 2YT was the best medium for cultivation. Under these conditions, a cecB2 yield of 98.2 mg/L could be obtained after purification. The purified cecB2 expressed a wide antimicrobial effect on most Gram‐negative strains, including multidrug‐resistant Acinetobactor baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus. This study provides a systematic approach to the efficient production of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) cecB2 via the recombinant E. coli process, which is expected to be an efficient way for the production of other AMPs.
Rank‐based inference with responses missing not at random
Authors: Bindele Huybrechts F. , Adekpedjou Akim 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMissing data have become almost inevitable whenever data are collected. In this paper, interest is given to responses missing not at random in the context of regression modeling. Many of the existing methods for estimating the model parameters lack robustness or efficiency. We propose a robust and efficient approach towards estimating the true regression parameters when some responses in the regression model are missing not at random. Large sample properties of the proposed estimator are established under mild regularity conditions. Monte Carlo simulation experiments are carried out and they showed that the proposed estimator is more efficient than the least squares estimator whenever the model error distribution is heavy tailed, contaminated or when data contain gross outliers. Finally, the method is illustrated using the ACTG protocol 315 data.The Canadian Journal of Statistics46: 501–528; 2018 © 2018 Statistical Society of Canada
Hypothesis testing in finite mixture of regressions: Sparsity and model selection uncertainty
Authors: Khalili Abbas , Vidyashankar Anand N. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractSparse finite mixture of regression models arise in several scientific applications and testing hypotheses concerning regression coefficients in such models is fundamental to data analysis. In this article, we describe an approach for hypothesis testing of regression coefficients that take into account model selection uncertainty. The proposed methods involve (i) estimating the active predictor set of the sparse model using a consistent model selector and (ii) testing hypotheses concerning the regression coefficients associated with the estimated active predictor set. The methods asymptotically control the family wise error rate at a pre‐specified nominal level, while accounting for variable selection uncertainty. Additionally, we provide examples of consistent model selectors and describe methods for finite sample improvements. Performance of the methods is also illustrated using simulations. A real data analysis is included to illustrate the applicability of the methods. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 46: 429–457; 2018 © 2018 Statistical Society of Canada
SMARTWOMAN™: Feasibility assessment of a smartphone app to control cardiovascular risk factors in vulnerable diabetic women
Authors: Wenger Nanette K. , Williams Olubunmi O. , Parashar Susmita 
Published: November 2018

Background/HypothesisSMARTWOMAN™ was designed to develop and assess the feasibility of a smartphone app to control cardiovascular risk factors in vulnerable diabetic women.MethodsFourteen African‐American women with diabetes and without known cardiovascular disease were enrolled. A weight‐scale, glucometer, sphygmomanometer, and FitBit were synchronized to the smartphone, and text messaging was provided. Follow‐up was 6 months.ResultsPatients were able to follow instructions for app use and device prompts. Weekly device reporting was 85% for blood glucose, 82.5% for daily steps, and 77% for systolic blood pressure. Patient engagement levels were 85% to 100% at 1 month and 50% to 78% at month 6. The majority reported text messages to be useful, easy to understand, and appropriate in frequency. The women indicated on the exit questionnaire that study participation increased their motivation and ability to take charge of their health.ConclusionsUse of a smartphone app to control cardiovascular risk factors appears feasible in a population of vulnerable indigent African‐American diabetic women, resulted in increased patient satisfaction and positive reinforcement to healthy behaviors, and warrants a larger clinical outcome trial.
Neural microvascular pericytes contribute to human adult neurogenesis
Authors: Farahani Ramin M. , Rezaei‐Lotfi Saba , Simonian Mary , Xaymardan Munira , Hunter Neil 
Published: November 2018

AbstractConsistent adult neurogenic activity in humans is observed in specific niches within the central nervous system. However, the notion of an adult neurogenic niche is challenged by accumulating evidence for ectopic neurogenic activity in other cerebral locations. Herein we interface precision of ultrastructural resolution and anatomical simplicity of accessible human dental pulp neurogenic zone to address this conflict. We disclose a basal level of adult neurogenic activity characterized by glial invasion of terminal microvasculature followed by release of individual platelet‐derived growth factor receptor‐β mural pericytes and subsequent reprogramming into NeuN+ local interneurons. Concomitant angiogenesis, a signature of adult neurogenic niches, accelerates the rate of neurogenesis by amplifying release and proliferation of the mural pericyte population by ≈10‐fold. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed gliogenic and neurogenic capacities of human neural pericytes. Findings foreshadow the bimodal nature of the glio‐vascular assembly where pericytes, under instruction from glial cells, can stabilize the quiescent microvasculature or enrich local neuronal microcircuits upon differentiation.
Metal‐ion Binding to Host Defense Peptide Piscidin 3 Observed in Phospholipid Bilayers by Magic Angle Spinning Solid‐state NMR
Authors: Rai Ratan Kumar , De Angelis Anna , Greenwood Alexander , Opella Stanley J. , Cotten Myriam L. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractCationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential components of the innate immune system. They have attracted interest as novel compounds with the potential to treat infections associated with multi‐drug resistant bacteria. In this study, we investigate piscidin 3 (P3), an AMP that was first discovered in the mast cells of hybrid striped bass. Prior studies showed that P3 is less active than its homolog piscidin 1 (P1) against planktonic bacteria. However, P3 has the advantage of being less toxic to mammalian cells and more active on biofilms and persister cells. Both P1 and P3 cross bacterial membranes and co‐localize with intracellular DNA but P3 is more condensing to DNA while P1 is more membrane active. Recently, we showed that both peptides coordinate Cu2+ through an amino‐terminal copper and nickel (ATCUN) motif. We also demonstrated that the bactericidal effects of P3 are linked to its ability to form radicals that nick DNA in the presence of Cu2+. Since metal binding and membrane crossing by P3 is biologically important, we apply in this study solid‐state NMR spectroscopy to uniformly 13C‐15N‐labeled peptide samples to structurally characterize the ATCUN motif of P3 bound to bilayers and coordinated to Ni2+ and Cu2+. These experiments are supplemented with density functional theory calculations. Taken together, these studies refine the arrangement of not only the backbone but also side chain atoms of an AMP simultaneously bound to metal ions and phospholipid bilayers.
Negative parenting modulates the association between mother’s DNA methylation profiles and adult offspring depression
Authors: Hein Sascha , Thomas Tina , Yu. Naumova Oxana , Luthar Suniya S. , Grigorenko Elena L. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThis study aimed to examine whether the relationship between mothers’ DNA methylation profiles and offspring's depression is modulated by negative parenting. The participants were 35 African‐American mother–offspring dyads. Young adult offspring (19 females; age = 17–29.5 years) were assessed on depressive symptoms, and mothers (36–51 years) were assessed on negative parenting. Methyl‐binding domain (MBD) sequencing was used to assay genome‐wide DNA methylation in peripheral T lymphocytes. Controlling for the effect of offspring's DNA methylation, mothers' DNA methylation was positively associated with offspring's depression. Hypermethylation of a subset of the epigenetic markers was associated with increased negative parenting. Negative parenting was positively correlated with offspring's depression as well, suggesting that negative parenting may be a modulator between the mother's epigenome and offspring's depression. This study is one of the first investigations of the modulating role of parenting behavior in associations between the mother's epigenome and offspring's depression.
Long‐term seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery in patients with mild malformation of cortical development and focal cortical dysplasia
Authors: Veersema Tim J. , Swampillai Banu , Ferrier Cyrille H. , van Eijsden Pieter , Gosselaar Peter H. , van Rijen Peter C. , Spliet Wim G. M. , Mühlebner Angelika , Aronica Eleonora , Braun Kees P. J. 
Published: November 2018

SummaryFocal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and mild malformation of cortical development (mMCD) are frequent histopathologic diagnoses in patients who undergo surgery for refractory epilepsy. Literature concerning surgical outcome in patients with mMCD, as well as its contrast with FCD, has been scarce. We studied 88 patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of isolated FCD (n = 57) or mMCD (n = 31), revised according to the latest International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) guidelines, who underwent resective or disconnective surgery. Our findings suggest differences between mMCD and FCD in clinical presentation and surgical outcome after surgery. Patients with mMCD developed seizures later in life, and their lesions had a predilection for location in the temporal lobe and remained undetected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) more frequently. A diagnosis of mMCD has a less favorable surgical outcome. Still, 32% of these patients reached continuous seizure freedom (Engel class 1A) at a latest median follow‐up duration of 8 years, compared to 59% in FCD. A histopathologic diagnosis of mMCD, extratemporal surgery, and indication of an incomplete resection each were independent predictors of poor outcome.
The Values and Limits of Altmetrics
Authors: Fraumann Grischa 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAltmetrics are tools for measuring the impact of research beyond scientific communities. In general, they measure online mentions of scholarly outputs, such as on online social networks, blogs, and news sites. Some stakeholders in higher education have championed altmetrics as a new way to understand research impact and as an alternative or supplement to bibliometrics. Contrastingly, others have criticized altmetrics for being ill conceived and limited in their use. This chapter explores the values and limits of altmetrics, including their role in evaluating, promoting, and disseminating research.
Uncertainty across volatility regimes
Authors: Angelini Giovanni , Bacchiocchi Emanuele , Caggiano Giovanni , Fanelli Luca 
Published: November 2018

SummaryWe propose a nonrecursive identification scheme for uncertainty shocks that exploits breaks in the volatility of macroeconomic variables and is novel in the literature on uncertainty. This approach allows us to simultaneously address two major questions in the empirical literature: Is uncertainty a cause or effect of decline in economic activity? Does the relationship between uncertainty and economic activity change across macroeconomic regimes? Results based on a small‐scale vector autoregression with US monthly data suggest that (i) uncertainty is an exogenous source of decline of economic activity, and (ii) the effects of uncertainty shocks amplify in periods of economic and financial turmoil.
Roles of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 in the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts in duck skeletal muscle
Authors: Wu Ningzhao , Gu Tiantian , Lu Lu , Cao Zhengfeng , Song Qianqian , Wang Zhixiu , Zhang Yang , Chang Guobin , Xu Qi , Chen Guohong 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMicroRNA (miRNA)‐1 and miRNA‐133 are derived from the same bicistronic pairs with roles in skeletal muscle development. Many investigations have focused on the role of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 in the regulation of skeletal muscle development in mammals and fish. However, the mechanisms of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 underlying the differences in skeletal muscle development between different breeds are not well known. Our study found that the weights of body and breast at 42 days of age were greater in Cherry Valley ducks than in Putian ducks and the areas of breast muscle fibers increased with age; the areas of muscle fibers of Cherry Valley ducks were always greater than those of Putian ducks. Besides, quantitative reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that relatively high levels of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 were detected in heart, breast, and leg muscles compared with the liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and the expression levels of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 remained stable in the embryo stage, and in the growth period, the fluctuation in miRNA expression levels in Putian ducks was considerably higher than that in Cherry Valley ducks, especially from 7 to 28 days. However, in the late growth period, the expression of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 of Cherry Valley duck was higher than that of Putian duck, which may indicate that miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 play a more important role during the growth period. To determine the function of miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 in skeletal muscle development, we found that the overexpression of miRNA‐1, but not miRNA‐133, promoted fusion of adjacent myoblasts. By contrast, a repressor of miRNA‐1 promoted, whereas a miRNA‐133 inhibitor inhibited, myoblast proliferation. Accordingly, the expression levels of myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) and myogenic differentiation (
MYOD) were significantly increased by an miRNA‐1 mimic and the miRNA‐133 inhibitor. In addition, we found that the expression levels of miRNA‐1 significantly affected the expression of histone deacetylase 4 (
HDAC4), and miRNA‐133 affected serum response factor (
SRF) and transforming growth factor β receptor 1 (
TGFBR1) levels. However, dual‐luciferase reporter assays revealed that only miRNA‐1 directly inhibited pGL‐
HDAC4 luciferase reporter activity, whereas miRNA‐133 did not affect pGL‐
SRF or pGL‐
TGFBR1 fluorescence activity. Taken together, these results suggest that miRNA‐1 targets
HDAC4 to promote the differentiation of duck myoblasts and miRNA‐133 may affect
SRF and
TGFBR1 expression to promote proliferation, which indicates that miRNA‐1 and miRNA‐133 play different important roles in skeletal muscle development.
Retracted: Effects of FOSL1 silencing on osteosarcoma cell proliferation, invasion and migration through the ERK/AP‐1 signaling pathway
Authors: Han Yu , Zhao Xingyu , Sun Yifu , Sui Yutong , Liu Jianguo 
Published: November 2018

Osteosarcoma (OS), as the most frequent primary malignancy of bone, is characterized by the presence of malignant mesenchymal cells. In the current study, our aim was to explore the possible effects Fos‐like antigen‐1 (FOSL1) had on the silencing regarding OS cell proliferation, invasion, and migration through the activation of the extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)/activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) signaling pathway. After the collection of OS on top of already having the adjacent normal tissue samples, the protein positive expression rate of FOSL1 was then measured by implementing the use of immunohistochemistry and discovered that FOSL1 was robustly expressed in OS. Later, to better grasp the impact FOSL1 projects on OS and its underlying mechanism, we determined the OS related genes as well as the ERK/AP‐1 signaling pathway related genes expression by using a reverse‐transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay techniques. The results of the aforementioned two experiments revealed that the FOSL1 depletion had downregulated the expression of OS related genes by simultaneously downregulating the ERK/AP‐1 signaling pathway. Moreover, cell proliferation, cycle, apoptosis, invasion, and migration of FOS1 were all tested by using a cell counting kit‐8 assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, and scratch test, and these results presented that silencing of the FOSL1 gene inhibited OS cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Our findings revealed a novel mechanism by which FOSL1 depletion played a significantly negative role in the OS progression through the regulation of the ERK/AP‐1 signaling pathway. Functional suppression of FOSL1 might be a future therapeutic strategy regarding OS.
Caspase‐1‐dependent mechanism mediating the harmful impacts of the quorum‐sensing molecule N‐(3‐oxo‐dodecanoyl)‐l‐homoserine lactone on the intestinal cells
Authors: Tao Shiyu , Sun Qinwei , Cai Liuping , Geng Yali , Hua Canfeng , Ni Yingdong , Zhao Ruqian 
Published: November 2018

AbstractN‐(3‐oxododecanoyl)‐l‐homoserine lactone (3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL), a quorum‐sensing (QS) molecule produced by Gram‐negative bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, adversly impacts host cells. Our previous study demonstrated that 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL induced a decrease in cell viability via cell apoptosis and eventually disrupted mucin synthesis from LS174T goblet cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying cell apoptosis and whether pyroptosis was involved in this process are still unknown. In this study, we emphasized on the caspases signal pathway and sterile inflammation to reveal the harmful effects of 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL on LS174T goblet cells. Our data showed that 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL is a major inducer of oxidative stress indicated by a high level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, TQ416, an inhibitor of paraoxonase 2, can effectively block oxidative stress. A higher ROS level is the trigger for activating the caspase‐1 and 3 cascade signal pathways. Blockade of ROS synthesis and caspase‐1 and 3 cascades can obviously rescue the viability of LS174T cells after 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL treatment. We also found that paralleled with a higher level of ROS and caspases activation, an abnormal expression of proinflammatory cytokines was induced by 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL treatment; however, the blockage of TLRs‐NF‐κB pathway cannot restore cell viability and secretary function. These data collectively indicate that 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL exposure induces damages to cell viability and secretary function of LS174T goblet cells, which is mediated by oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, and sterile inflammation. Overall, the data in this study will provide a better understanding of the harmful impacts of some QS molecules on host cells and their underlying mechanism.
Microtia patients: Auricular chondrocyte ECM is promoted by CGF through IGF‐1 activation of the IGF‐1R/PI3K/AKT pathway
Authors: Chen Xia , Zhang Ruhong , Zhang Qun , Xu Zhicheng , Xu Feng , Li Datao , Li Yiyuan 
Published: November 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of the insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R)/PI3K/AKT pathway in promoting the synthesis of the auricular chondrocyte extracellular matrix (ECM) using concentrated growth factor (CGF).MethodsChondrocytes isolated from the remnant auricular cartilage of microtia patients were randomly divided into different experimental and control groups, then stimulated with a reagent. IGF‐1 released by CGF was quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG), proteoglycan, and type II collagen (COLAII) were examined by histological and immunohistological analysis. Expression levels of IGF‐1R, pIGF‐1R, PI3K, pPI3K, AKT, pAKT, COLAII, and Aggrecan were detected by western blot analysis technique and gene expression was tested by real‐time polymerase chain reaction.ResultsCGF significantly stimulated the synthesis of COLAII and Aggrecan and increased the phosphorylation levels of IGF‐1R, PI3K, and AKT. Small interfering RNA IGF‐1 blocked ECM synthesis, COLAII and Aggrecan gene expression, and IGF‐1R/PI3K/AKT activation. Inhibitor AG1024 and LY294002 significantly inhibited ECM synthesis and the phosphorylation of IGF‐1R, PI3K, and AKT.ConclusionCGF‐released IGF‐1 stimulates the synthesis of the auricular chondrocyte ECM via the IGF‐1R/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.