bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geomorphic and stream flow influences on large wood dynamics and displacement lengths in high gradient mountain streams (Chile)
Authors: Iroumé Andrés , Ruiz‐Villanueva Virginia , Mao Luca , Barrientos Guillermo , Stoffel Markus , Vergara Gastón 
Published: May 2018

AbstractUnderstanding large wood (LW; ≥1 m long and ≥10 cm in diameter) dynamics in rivers is critical for many disciplines including those assessing flood hazard and risk. However, our understanding of wood entrainment and deposition is still limited, mainly because of the lack of long‐term monitoring of wood‐related processes. The dataset presented here was obtained from more than 8 years of monitoring of 1,264 tagged wood pieces placed in 4 low‐order streams of the Chilean mountain ranges and was used to further our understanding of key factors controlling LW dynamics. We show that LW displacement lengths were longer during periods when peak‐flow water depths (Hmax) exceeded the bankfull stage (HBk) than in periods with Hmax ≤ HBkand that these differences were significantly higher for smaller wood pieces. LW length and length relative to channel dimensions were the main factors governing LW entrainment; LW displacement lengths were inversely related to the ratio of piece length to H15%(i.e., the level above which the flow remains for 15% of the time) and to the ratio of H15%to bankfull width. Unrooted logs and LW pieces located at the bankfull stage travelled significantly longer distances than logs with attached rootwads and those located in other positions within the bankfull channel. A few large logjams were broken during the period of observation, and in all occasions, LW from these broken logjams did not travel over longer distances than other pieces of LW moved in the same periods and in the same stream segments. Most importantly, our work reveals that LW dynamics tend to be concentrated within a few reaches in each stream and that reaches exhibiting high wood dynamics (extensive entrainment, deposition, or repositioning of LW) are significantly wider and less steep than less dynamic reaches.
MicroRNA‐1270 is associated with poor prognosis and its inhibition yielded anticancer mechanisms in human osteosarcoma
Authors: Zhong Lei , Zheng Changjun , Fang Hongjuan , Xu Meng , Chen Bingpeng , Li Chen 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn this work, we explored the aberrant expression pattern, clinical association, and functional regulations of microRNA‐1270 (miR‐1270) in osteosarcoma. Among in vitro osteosarcoma cell lines and in situ tissues of osteosarcoma patients, quantitative real time‐PCR was used to examine their endogenous miR‐1270 expression. Clinical correlation between endogenous miR‐1270 expression and clinicopathological features of osteosarcoma patients, as well as cancer patients' overall survival, was statistically examined. MiR‐1270 was downregulated in 143B and MG‐63 cells by lentiviral transduction. The mechanistic effects of miR‐1270 downregulation on osteosarcoma in vitro proliferation and migration, as well as in vivo tumorigenesis, were further examined. MiR‐1270 was aberrantly upregulated in both in vitro osteosarcoma cell lines and in situ human tumors. Statistical analysis demonstrated endogenous miR‐1270 was associated with poor clinical outcomes and shorter overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. Lentivirus‐induced miR‐1270 downregulation inhibited cancer in vitro proliferation and migration, as well as in vivo tumorigenesis. Aberrant upregulation miR‐1270 may be a prognostic biomarker for osteosarcoma patients with poor clinical outcomes and shorter survival. Inhibition of miR‐1270 may also be a potential therapeutic target for anticancer treatment in osteosarcoma. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(7):625–632, 2018
Chronic exposure to cannabidiol induces reproductive toxicity in male Swiss mice
Authors: Carvalho Renata K. , Santos Monaliza L. , Souza Maingredy R. , Rocha Thiago L. , Guimarães Francisco S. , Anselmo‐Franci Janete A. , Mazaro‐Costa Renata 
Published: May 2018

AbstractChildren and adults with frequent and severe episodes of epilepsy that do not respond to standard treatments (such as carbamazepine, phenytoin and valproate) have long been prescribed cannabidiol (CBD) as an anticonvulsant drug. However, the safety of its chronic use in relation to reproduction has not been fully examined. This study aimed to assess the effects of chronic CBD exposure on the male reproductive system. CBD was orally administered to 21‐day‐old male Swiss mice at doses of 15 and 30 mg kg−1 daily (CBD 15 and 30 groups, respectively), with a control group receiving sunflower oil, for 34 consecutive days. After a 35 day recovery period, the following parameters were evaluated: weight of reproductive organs, testosterone concentration, spermatogenesis, histomorphometry, daily sperm production and its morphology. The CBD 30 group had a 76% decrease in total circulating testosterone, but it remained within the physiological normal range (240–1100 ng dl−1). CBD treatment induced a significant increase in the frequency of stages I–IV and V–VI of spermatogenesis, and a decrease in the frequency of stages VII–VIII and XII. A significant decrease in the number of Sertoli cells was observed only in the CBD 30 group. In both CBD groups the number of spermatozoa in the epididymis tail was reduced by 38%, sperm had head abnormalities, and cytoplasmic droplets were observed in the medial region of flagellum. These results indicated that chronic CBD exposure was associated with changes in the male reproductive system, suggesting its reproductive toxicity.
Cytokines and chemokines differentially regulate innate immune cell trafficking during post kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis
Authors: Singh Ashish K. , Das Vidya N. R. , Amit Ajay , Dikhit Manas R. , Mahantesh Vijaya , Singh Shubhankar K. , Naryan Shyam , Pandey Krishna , Das Pradeep , Verma Neena , Bimal Sanjiva 
Published: May 2018

AbstractPost kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is often considered to be the anthroponotic reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in India. A better understanding of the host immune‐response in dermal lesions of PKDL patients is therefore of utmost significance to minimize such patients and to restrict VL transmission. Although the innate immune response is known to play an important role in parasite clearance from dermal lesions, the actual contribution of innate cells to the pathogenicity of PKDL is poorly understood. The present study explored the immune‐pathogenesis of PKDL patients to understand the expression of CD62L, CD11b, CXCL8/IL‐8, and MIP1‐α and their contribution in signaling during innate cell trafficking. Twenty‐five individuals were enrolled, who comprised eight active and untreated macular cases, seven active and untreated cases with papulo‐nodular PKDL manifestations, five successfully treated post PKDL cases and five healthy individuals from a non‐endemic region of Bihar, India. The immunological investigation was performed on biopsy specimens prepared with a disaggregation technique and blood samples. We observed that the PMNs in nodular patients displayed decreased L‐selectin (CD62L) levels and increased integrin (CD11b) expression compared with those in macular patients. Further analysis showed that lower PMN extravasation in macular patients occurred because of inadequate CXCL8/ IL‐8 release. In summary, Leishmania donovani (L. donovani) infection in macular PKDL patients decreased leucocyte rolling (L‐selectin shedding) and induced up‐regulation of the cellular signaling factors involved in pathogenesis (ERK1/2) as well as down regulated the signaling elements (p38 MAPK) involved in the Th1 response, especially in PMNs.
Membrane‐tethered syntaxin‐4 locally abrogates E‐cadherin function and activates Smad signals, contributing to asymmetric mammary epithelial morphogenesis
Authors: Hirose Yuina , Shirai Kota , Hirai Yohei 
Published: May 2018

AbstractSpatial and temporal epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical event for the generation of asymmetric epithelial architectures. We found that only restricted cell populations in the morphogenic mammary epithelia extrude syntaxin‐4, a plasmalemmal t‐SNARE protein, and that epithelial cell clusters with artificial heterogenic presentation of extracellular syntaxin‐4 undergo asymmetric morphogenesis. A previous study revealed that inducible expression of cell surface syntaxin‐4 causes EMT‐like cell behaviors in the clonal mammary epithelial cells, where laminin‐mediated signals were abolished so that cells readily succumb to initiate EMT. The present study added new mechanistic insight into syntaxin‐4‐driven EMT‐like cell behaviors. Extracellular syntaxin‐4 directly perturbs E‐cadherin‐mediated epithelial cell‐cell adhesion and activates Smad signals. We found that the epithelial cells activated Smad2/3 upon induction of expression of extracellular syntaxin‐4, leading to the upregulation of certain transcriptional targets of these TGF‐β signaling mediators. Intriguingly, however, mRNA expression of canonical EMT initiators, such as Snail and Slug, was unchanged. In addition, E‐cadherin protein was steeply decreased, yet its transcriptional expression remained constant for a couple of days. We found that extracellular syntaxin‐4 directly bound to E‐cadherin and sequestered β‐catenin from cell‐cell contact sites, perturbing intercellular adhesive property. The functional ablation of E‐cadherin by syntaxin‐4 was further validated by L cells with stably expressing E‐cadherin, in which cells shows intercellular adhesive property solely by E‐cadherin. These results underline the role of local exportation of syntaxin‐4 for onset of complex epithelial morphogenesis.
Tacrolimus Population Pharmacokinetics and Multiple CYP3A5 Genotypes in Black and White Renal Transplant Recipients
Authors: Campagne Olivia , Mager Donald E. , Brazeau Daniel , Venuto Rocco C. , Tornatore Kathleen M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractTacrolimus exhibits inter‐patient pharmacokinetic variability attributed to CYP3A5 isoenzymes and the efflux transporter, P‐glycoprotein. Most black renal transplant recipients require higher tacrolimus doses compared to whites to achieve similar troughs when race‐adjusted recommendations are used. An established guideline provides tacrolimus genotype dosing recommendations based on CYP3A5*1(W/T) and loss of protein function variants: CYP3A5*3 (rs776746), CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272), CYP3A5*7 (rs41303343) and may provide more comprehensive race‐adjusted dosing recommendations. Our objective was to develop a tacrolimus population pharmacokinetic model evaluating demographic, clinical, and genomic factors in stable black and white renal transplant recipients. A secondary objective investigated race‐based tacrolimus regimens and genotype‐specific dosing. Sixty‐seven recipients receiving oral tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid ≥6 months completed a 12‐hour pharmacokinetic study. CYP3A5*3,*6,*7 and ABCB1 1236C>T, 2677G>T/A, 3435C>T polymorphisms were characterized. Patients were classified as extensive, intermediate, and poor metabolizers using a novel CYP3A5*3*6*7 metabolic composite. Modeling and simulation was performed with computer software (NONMEM 7.3, ICON Development Solutions; Ellicott City, Maryland). A 2‐compartment model with first‐order elimination and absorption with lag time best described the data. The CYP3A5*3*6*7 metabolic composite was significantly associated with tacrolimus clearance (P value < .05), which was faster in extensive (mean: 45.0 L/hr) and intermediate (29.5 L/hr) metabolizers than poor metabolizers (19.8 L/hr). Simulations support CYP3A5*3*6*7 genotype‐based tacrolimus dosing to enhance general race‐adjusted regimens, with dose increases of 1.5‐fold and 2‐fold, respectively, in intermediate and extensive metabolizers for comparable exposures to poor metabolizers. This model offers a novel approach to determine tacrolimus dosing adjustments that maintain comparable therapeutic exposure between black and white recipients with different CYP3A5 genotypes.
Concomitant cell‐free biosynthesis of optically pure D‐(−)‐acetoin and xylitol via a novel NAD+ regeneration in two‐enzyme cascade
Authors: Cui Zhenzhen , Mao Yufeng , Zhao Yujiao , Chen Cong , Tang Ya‐Jie , Chen Tao , Ma Hongwu , Wang Zhiwen 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDAcetoin and xylitol are widely used as high‐value platform chemicals with numerous potential applications. The chiral enantiomers L‐(+)‐ and D‐(−)‐acetoin are used as pharmaceutical intermediates. Cell‐free biosynthesis has many applications in chemicals production, but efficient methods for production of optically pure acetoin were rarely reported.RESULTSA novel two‐enzyme system composed of meso‐2,3‐butanediol dehydrogenase (BDH) and xylose reductase was constructed to co‐produce acetoin and xylitol with NAD+ regeneration. Four BDHs from four candidates, as well as xylose reductase from Candida tenuis were first purified and characterized. The best BDH was then selected according to titers and chiral purities of acetoin. After optimization of reaction conditions, the ratios of meso‐2,3‐butanediol to xylose and BDH to xylose reductase, 28.5 g L−1 D‐(−)‐acetoin with an optical purity of 95.2% was produced in 6 h. The yield and productivity of acetoin was 0.97 g g−1 and 4.75 g L−1 h−1. The titer of co‐product xylitol was 40.29 g L−1, and the yield and productivity of xylitol reached 0.98 g g−1 and 6.72 g L−1 h−1.CONCLUSIONSTo our best knowledge, this is the first report on the production of optically pure D‐(−)‐acetoin using xylose reductase to regenerate NAD+, as well as the highest acetoin titer among enzymatic synthesis methods. This work therefore provides an economical and green alternative for the in vitro production of D‐(−)‐acetoin. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Sensitive and simultaneous quantitation of 6β‐hydroxycortisol and cortisol in human plasma by LC‐MS/MS coupled with stable isotope dilution method
Authors: Hirano Ryohei , Yokokawa Akitomo , Furuta Takashi , Shibasaki Hiromi 
Published: May 2018

AbstractCYP3A phenotyping provides a means for personalized drug therapy. We focused our attention on the plasma 6β‐hydroxycortisol (6β‐OHF) to cortisol ratio as an index for CYP3A phenotyping. In the present study, we developed a sensitive and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 6β‐OHF and cortisol in human plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry together with picolinylester derivatization or nonderivatization methods and 6β‐[9,11,12,12‐2H4]hydroxycortisol and [1,2,4,19‐13C4]cortisol as internal standards for in vivo CYP3A phenotyping in humans. The lower limits of quantification were 38.513 pg/mL for 6β‐OHF and 38.100 pg/mL for cortisol. The relative error and relative standard deviation of the lower limits of quantification were <5% for both methods. The intra‐day and inter‐day assay reproducibilities of the determined 6β‐OHF and cortisol concentrations were consistent with the actual amounts added as relative errors and relative standard deviations for both methods, which were <5.4% and <3.9%, respectively. Both methods were applied for the quantification of plasma 6β‐OHF and cortisol concentrations in healthy subjects taking oral contraceptives. The absolute concentrations and time course of 6β‐OHF and cortisol were found to be consistent when measured using the 2 methods. The ratio as an index for in vivo CYP3A activity decreased after 21 days of taking oral contraceptives for both methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the detailed investigation of accuracy and precision in the simultaneous measurement of 6β‐OHF and cortisol in human plasma using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry coupled with stable isotope dilution method, which can be applied to CYP3A phenotyping.
A tool to assure the geographical origin of local food products (glasshouse tomatoes) using labeling with rare earth elements
Authors: Bandoniene Donata , Meisel Thomas , Rachetti Alessandra , Walkner Christoph 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDTrace element fingerprinting has been widely used for identification of provenance of regional food. In the case of products from conventional agriculture, it is expected that the elemental composition will comply with that of the commercially available substrate of the plants. Therefore, for products without a direct relationship with the regional soil the region‐specific differences in elemental composition are no longer recognizable. The idea of this work is the labeling of tomatoes with rare earth elements (REE) in the ultra‐trace range for food authentication.RESULTSLabeling of tomatoes was carried out either by watering the soil with Nd‐ and Er‐spiked water or by adding these elements as solid oxides to the soil. In both cases enrichment of Nd and Er relative to the control group was detected in tomato fruits and leaves using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Tomato plants rapidly absorb the dissolved REE from the irrigation water, and watering for a short period just before ripeness is sufficient to induce REE labels.CONCLUSIONLabeling with trace amounts of REE could potentially be used to assure the provenance of tomatoes of local origin and separate these from products of foreign origin. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Polypropylene Filled With Glass Spheres in Extrusion‐Based Additive Manufacturing: Effect of Filler Size and Printing Chamber Temperature
Authors: Spoerk Martin , Arbeiter Florian , Raguž Ivan , Weingrill Georg , Fischinger Thomas , Traxler Gerhard , Schuschnigg Stephan , Cardon Ludwig , Holzer Clemens 
Published: May 2018

AbstractA challenge in extrusion‐based additive manufacturing of polypropylene (PP) filled with spherical particles is the combination of decent processability, excellent warpage control, and the retention of the tensile strength of neat PP. This study addresses this issue by adopting two approaches. Firstly, different size fractions of borosilicate glass spheres incorporated into PP are compared. Secondly, the temperature of the printing chamber (TCh) is varied. The effects of these features on the thermal, crystalline, morphological, tensile, impact, and warpage properties of 3D‐printed parts are examined. Smaller glass spheres (<12 µm) are found to be superior to larger fractions in all investigated aspects. Notably, the corresponding composites show higher tensile strengths than neat PP. An increase inTChresults in a more homogeneous temperature distribution within the printing chamber and promotes annealing during printing. Consequently, the dimensional accuracy of printed parts is improved. Additionally, β‐crystals and larger spherulites are formed at a higherTCh.
Assessment of the generalization of learned image reconstruction and the potential for transfer learning
Authors: Knoll Florian , Hammernik Kerstin , Kobler Erich , Pock Thomas , Recht Michael P , Sodickson Daniel K 
Published: May 2018

PurposeAlthough deep learning has shown great promise for MR image reconstruction, an open question regarding the success of this approach is the robustness in the case of deviations between training and test data. The goal of this study is to assess the influence of image contrast, SNR, and image content on the generalization of learned image reconstruction, and to demonstrate the potential for transfer learning.MethodsReconstructions were trained from undersampled data using data sets with varying SNR, sampling pattern, image contrast, and synthetic data generated from a public image database. The performance of the trained reconstructions was evaluated on 10 in vivo patient knee MRI acquisitions from 2 different pulse sequences that were not used during training. Transfer learning was evaluated by fine‐tuning baseline trainings from synthetic data with a small subset of in vivo MR training data.ResultsDeviations in SNR between training and testing led to substantial decreases in reconstruction image quality, whereas image contrast was less relevant. Trainings from heterogeneous training data generalized well toward the test data with a range of acquisition parameters. Trainings from synthetic, non‐MR image data showed residual aliasing artifacts, which could be removed by transfer learning–inspired fine‐tuning.ConclusionThis study presents insights into the generalization ability of learned image reconstruction with respect to deviations in the acquisition settings between training and testing. It also provides an outlook for the potential of transfer learning to fine‐tune trainings to a particular target application using only a small number of training cases.
Psychosocial variables and presence, severity and prognosis of plantar heel pain: A systematic review of cross‐sectional and prognostic associations
Authors: Drake Chris , Mallows Adrian , Littlewood Chris 
Published: May 2018

AbstractObjectivePlantar heel pain (PHP) is often disabling, and persistent symptoms are common. Psychosocial variables are known to affect pain and disability but the association of these factors with PHP has yet to be established. The purpose of the present systematic review was to determine if psychosocial variables are associated with the presence, severity and prognosis of PHP.MethodsA systematic review of the literature and qualitative synthesis was carried out. Electronic searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO and EMBASE were undertaken from the inception of the respective databases up to November 2017. Any study design incorporating measurements of psychosocial variables with participants with plantar heel pain were included. The quality of included articles was appraised using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale.ResultsFive articles from four studies were included in the review, with a total of 422 participants. Moderate‐level evidence suggested a clinically unimportant association with the incidence of PHP and depression, anxiety and stress, and limited evidence suggested a clinically unimportant association with job dissatisfaction. Moderate‐level evidence suggested that there may also be an association between depression, anxiety, stress and catastrophization and PHP pain, and between depression, anxiety, stress, catastrophization and kinesiophobia and PHP function. We also found moderate‐level evidence that a psychological disorder may be associated with a poorer outcome to shockwave therapy.ConclusionIn light of this review, the association of psychosocial variables and plantar heel pain cannot be ruled out. Given recommendations to adopt an individualized and stratified approach to other musculoskeletal conditions, clinicians should remain vigilant to their presence.