bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lung alveolar tissue destruction and protein citrullination in diesel exhaust‐exposed mouse lungs
Authors: Kulvinskiene Ieva , Raudoniute Jovile , Bagdonas Edvardas , Ciuzas Darius , Poliakovaite Karina , Stasiulaitiene Inga , Zabulyte Danguole , Bironaite Daiva , Rimantas Venskutonis Petras , Martuzevicius Dainius , Aldonyte Ruta 
Published: February 2019

AbstractHumanity faces an increasing impact of air pollution worldwide, including threats to human health. Air pollutants prompt and promote chronic inflammation, tumourigenesis, autoimmune and other destructive processes in the human body. Post‐translational modification of proteins, for example citrullination, results from damaging attacks of pollutants, including smoking, air pollution and others, rendering host tissues immunogenic. Citrullinated proteins and citrullinating enzymes, deiminases, are more prevalent in patients with COPD and correlate with ongoing inflammation and oxidative stress. In this study, we installed an in‐house–designed diesel exhaust delivery and cannabidiol vaporization system where mice were exposed to relevant, urban traffic–related levels of diesel exhaust for 14 days and assessed integrity of alveolar tissue, gene expression shifts and changes in protein content in the lungs and other tissues of exposed mice. Systemic presence of modified proteins was also tested. The protective effect of phytocannabinoids was investigated as well. Data obtained in our study show subacute effects of diesel exhaust on mouse lung integrity and protein content. Emphysematous changes are documented in exposed mouse lungs. In parallel, increased levels of citrulline were detected in the alveolar lung tissue and peripheral blood of exposed mice. Pre‐treatment with vaporized cannabidiol ameliorated some damaging effects. Results reported hereby provide new insights into subacute lung tissue changes that follow diesel exhaust exposure and suggest possible dietary and/or other therapeutic interventions for maintaining lung health and healthy ageing.
Assessment of the use of the Internet and social media among people with bladder cancer and their carers, and the quality of available patient‐centric online resources: a systematic review
Authors: Tariq Amina , Khan Shanchita R. , Vela Ian , Williams Elizabeth D. 
Published: February 2019

ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic synthesis of the literature evaluating the use of the Internet and social media by people with bladder cancer (BCa) and their carers, and to synthesize the evidence on the quality of available online resources for patients with BCa.MethodsWe selected studies published between January 2000 and September 2018, written in the English language and meeting the inclusion criteria. Data sources included PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus.ResultsA total of 15 studies were included in the review. Four studies explored patterns of Internet use among patients with BCa, five studies investigated social media use related to BCa and six studies evaluated the quality of online resources available for patients with BCa. Evidence in all these three dimensions was limited in its ability to establish rigorously if use of the Internet, social media and online resources for BCa is effective in improving the care outcomes for patients with BCa.ConclusionOur review emphasizes the forgotten status of BCa by establishing that, despite its high global incidence, it remains underrepresented in the building of evidence on patient information needs and the possible role of online spaces. Our synthesis establishes that further research is needed to examine the full impact of online information and social media use on the health management of people with BCa.
Lowland tapirs facilitate seed dispersal in degraded Amazonian forests
Authors: Paolucci Lucas N. , Pereira Rogério L. , Rattis Ludmila , Silvério Divino V. , Marques Nubia C. S. , Macedo Marcia N. , Brando Paulo M. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe forests of southeastern Amazonia are highly threatened by disturbances such as fragmentation, understory fires, and extreme climatic events. Large‐bodied frugivores such as the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) have the potential to offset this process, supporting natural forest regeneration by dispersing a variety of seeds over long distances to disturbed forests. However, we know little about their effectiveness as seed dispersers in degraded forest landscapes. Here, we investigate the seed dispersal function of lowland tapirs in Amazonian forests subject to a range of human (fire and fragmentation) and natural (extreme droughts and windstorms) disturbances, using a combination of field observations, camera traps, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. Tapirs travel and defecate more often in degraded forests, dispersing much more seeds in these areas [9,822 seeds per ha/year (CI95% = 9,106; 11,838)] than in undisturbed forests [2,950 seeds per ha/year (CI95% = 2,961; 3,771)]. By effectively dispersing seeds across disturbed forests, tapirs may contribute to natural forest regeneration—the cheapest and usually the most feasible way to achieve large‐scale restoration of tropical forests. Through the dispersal of large‐seeded species that eventually become large trees, such frugivores also contribute indirectly to maintaining forest carbon stocks. These functions may be critical in helping tropical countries to achieve their goals to maintain and restore biodiversity and its ecosystem services. Ultimately, preserving these animals along with their habitats may help in the process of natural recovery of degraded forests throughout the tropics.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
Connectivity with primary forest determines the value of secondary tropical forests for bird conservation
Authors: Mayhew Rebekah J. , Tobias Joseph A. , Bunnefeld Lynsey , Dent Daisy H. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractSpecies extinctions caused by the destruction and degradation of tropical primary forest may be at least partially mitigated by the expansion of regenerating secondary forest. However, the conservation value of secondary forest remains controversial, and potentially underestimated, since most previous studies have focused on young, single‐aged, or isolated stands. Here, we use point‐count surveys to compare tropical forest bird communities in 20–120‐year‐old secondary forest with primary forest stands in central Panama, with varying connectivity between secondary forest sites and extensive primary forest. We found that species richness and other metrics of ecological diversity, as well as the combined population density of all birds, reached a peak in younger (20‐year‐old) secondary forests and appeared to decline in older secondary forest stands. This counter‐intuitive result can be explained by the greater connectivity between younger secondary forests and extensive primary forests at our study site, compared with older secondary forests that are either (a) more isolated or (b) connected to primary forests that are themselves small and isolated. Our results suggest that connectivity with extensive primary forest is a more important determinant of avian species richness and community structure than forest age, and highlight the vital contribution secondary forests can make in conserving tropical bird diversity, so long as extensive primary habitats are adjacent and spatially connected.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Nickel release from metal tools in the German hairdressing trade—A current analysis
Authors: Symanzik Cara , John Swen M. , Strunk Meike 
Published: February 2019

BackgroundNickel is one of the most common contact allergens. Despite EU regulations concerning the maximum permissible release of nickel from metal objects, nickel release at inappropriately high levels from metal objects has been detected in various studies.ObjectivesTo screen current nickel release from metal tools in the German hairdressing trade.MethodsTwo hundred and twenty‐nine metal tools from the German hairdressing trade were tested with the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) test for nickel release. Additionally, an employee survey was conducted to collect data about the metal tools.ResultsThe DMG test showed that 21 of 229 metal tools (9.2%) released nickel. Nickel release was detected in 8 of 45 hair clips (17.8%), 2 of 27 tail combs (7.4%), and 11 of 17 tweezers (64.7%).ConclusionIt must be assumed that hairdressers in Germany have prolonged skin contact with nickel‐releasing metal tools. This should prompt further testing for nickel release from metal tools, and the development of regulations to eliminate nickel‐releasing metal tools in the (German) hairdressing trade.
Evaluating predictive factors for determining the presence of lateral pelvic node metastasis in rectal cancer patients following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Wang P. , Zhou S. , Zhou H. , Liang J. , Zhou Z. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAimThe need or otherwise for lateral pelvic node dissection (LPND) in rectal cancer patients with clinical lateral pelvic node metastasis (LPNM) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is controversial. This study was designed to explore the predictive factors for pathological LPNM in rectal cancer patients with clinical LPNM after nCRT.MethodFrom January 2010 to February 2018, a consecutive series of patients with rectal cancer and clinical LPNM after nCRT who underwent total mesorectal excision and LPND were reviewed. Patient demographics, operative and pathological outcomes were collected and analysed.ResultsA total of 76 consecutive cases were included in this study: 53 (69.7%) patients underwent unilateral LPND and 23 (30.3%) bilateral LPND. The pathological results showed that LPNM was found in 13 (17.1%) patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the post‐nCRT lateral pelvic node size ≥ 5 mm (OR = 7.67, 95% CI = 1.45–40.63, P = 0.017) and mucinous/signet‐ring adenocarcinoma (OR = 4.60, 95% CI = 1.11–19.08, P = 0.035) were independent risk factors for pathological LPNM.ConclusionPost‐nCRT lateral pelvic node size ≥ 5 mm and mucinous/signet‐ring adenocarcinoma were independent predictive factors of pathological LPNM for rectal cancer patients with clinical LPNM after nCRT, and patients with these characteristics may benefit from LPND.
Associations of physical activity and gross motor skills with executive function in preschool children from low‐income South African settings
Authors: Cook Caylee J. , Howard Steven J. , Scerif Gaia , Twine Rhian , Kahn Kathleen , Norris Shane A. , Draper Catherine E. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractExecutive function is foundational for cognitive development. Previous research has shown both gross motor skills and physical activity to be related to executive function. However, evidence for these relationships in the preschool years, as well as in low‐ and middle‐income countries is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between components of executive function (inhibition, shifting and working memory) and gross motor skills (locomotor skills and object control skills) in a sample of preschool children from urban and rural low‐income settings in South Africa. Results revealed that inhibition and working memory, but not shifting, were associated with gross motor skills. More specifically: inhibition was associated with both locomotor [β = 0.20, p = 0.047] and object control skills [β = 0.24, p = 0.024], whereas working memory was only associated with locomotor skills [β = 0.21, p = 0.039]. Physical activity was not associated with inhibition and shifting but was negatively associated with working memory. These results elaborate a growing evidence base linking executive function and gross motor skills in the early years, and it is the first to look at specific associations of locomotor and object control skills with executive function in the South African context (a low‐ and middle‐income country).
Pulse pressure and prognosis in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Authors: Shah Neeraj , Qian Min , Di Tullio Marco R. , Graham Susan , Mann Douglas L. , Sacco Ralph L. , Lip Gregory Y. H. , Labovitz Arthur J. , Ponikowski Piotr , Lok Dirk J. , Anker Stefan D. , Teerlink John R. , Thompson John L. P. , Homma Shunichi , Freudenberger Ronald S. ,   the WARCEF Investigators
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundA high pulse pressure (PP) is associated with adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes; however, this relationship may be reversed in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF).MethodsPatients from the WARCEF trial with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% were included. PP was divided into tertiles: ≤42, 42‐54 and >54 mm Hg. Age and ejection fraction adjusted Kaplan‐Meier curves were generated to evaluate the relationship between PP and outcomes [mortality, CV mortality, stroke and HF hospitalizations (HFH)]. Cox proportional hazards models were created incorporating PP as a continuous variable. The interaction of PP with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was examined. Linear and restricted cubic splines were used to study nonlinear association between PP and outcomes.ResultsWe included 2,299 patients with a mean(±SD) follow‐up of 3.5 ± 1.8 years. The lowest tertile of PP (≤42 mm Hg) was associated with significantly higher CV mortality and HFH. Cox proportional hazards models showed a reduction in CV death and HFH with higher PP, with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 0.91 (P = 0.02) and 0.93 (P = 0.04) per 10 mm Hg increase in PP. This relationship was more pronounced in subjects with NYHA functional class III‐IV. Spline analysis showed that the association between PP and CV mortality and HFH was only seen at PP values lower than 40 mm Hg.ConclusionsIn patients with advanced HFREF, a low PP (<40 mm Hg) portends a worse prognosis, whereas a high PP (>50 mm Hg) predicts a relatively favourable prognosis.
Wood‐rotting basidiomycetes are a minor component of fungal communities associated with Acacia hybrid trees grown for sawlogs in South Vietnam
Authors: Tran Trang T. , Glen Morag , Beadle Chris , Ratkowsky David , Mohammed Caroline 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAcacia hybrid (Acacia mangium × Acacia auriculiformis) clones are widely planted in Vietnam with a total of approximately 400,000 ha to meet the demand for pulpwood, sawn timber and wood chip exports. Silvicultural techniques such as pruning and thinning have been applied to improve productivity and sawlog quality of Acacia hybrid plantations. However, those techniques may also create opportunities for wood decay fungi to enter the Acacia hybrid stems through wounds and cause stem defects that reduce sawlog quality and the value of the plantation. The presence of fungal decay agents in Acacia hybrid trees was examined in two Vietnamese plantations. In July 2011, just prior to a second thinning, discoloured wood samples were taken from a three‐year‐old Acacia hybrid plantation at Phan Truong Hai for the isolation of fungi. In July 2012, approximately 18 months after pruning and thinning treatments, discoloured wood samples were taken from a three‐year‐old Acacia hybrid plantation at Nghia Trung for the isolation of fungi. DNA sequencing of the rDNA ITS identified the isolates. In May 2015, approximately 4 years after thinning and fertilizer treatments, discoloured and decayed wood samples were taken from the above (7‐year‐old) Acacia hybrid plantation at Phan Truong Hai for fungal identification. DNA was extracted directly from discoloured and decayed wood samples and fungal rDNA ITS amplicons sequenced on a Roche 454 sequencer. The results showed that silvicultural treatments did not affect the fungal communities associated with discoloured and decayed wood of Acacia hybrid plantation at Phan Truong Hai. A total of 135 fungal species or OTUs (operational taxonomic units) were identified, including 82 members of Ascomycota and 52 Basidiomycota.
Orexin A depolarises rat intergeniculate leaflet neurons through non‐selective cation channels
Authors: Palus‐Chramiec Katarzyna , Chrobok Lukasz , Kepczynski Mariusz , Lewandowski Marian Henryk 
Published: February 2019

AbstractOrexins/hypocretins are hypothalamic neuropeptides that have a variety of functions, including maintenance of arousal, control over the sleep/wake cycle, reward and feeding. Accumulating evidence links orexins to the time‐keeping system with a documented action in the master clock—the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) is a thalamic structure with the well‐known function of collecting photic and non‐photic cues to adjust the rhythm of the suprachiasmatic nucleus to changing environmental conditions. TheIGLconsists ofGABAergic neurons that are intrinsically active, even in slice preparations. Our previous studies revealed the excitatory postsynaptic effects of orexins on singleIGLneurons, even though the ionic mechanism underlying this effect remained elusive. Therefore, in this study, we used patch clamp electrophysiology to identify the ions and distinct ion channels responsible for the observed depolarisations. The major finding of this article is that the orexin A‐evoked depolarisation ofIGLneurons depends on non‐selective cation channels, implicating the orexinergic tone in establishing the basal firing rate in these cells. The data presented here strengthen the mutual connections between the time‐keeping and orexinergic systems.
Conversations with Ray Guillery on albinism: linking Siamese cat visual pathway connectivity to mouse retinal development
Authors: Mason Carol , Guillery Ray 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIn albinism of all species, perturbed melanin biosynthesis in the eye leads to foveal hypoplasia, retinal ganglion cell misrouting, and, consequently, altered binocular vision. Here, written before he died, Ray Guillery chronicles his discovery of the aberrant circuitry from eye to brain in the Siamese cat. Ray's characterization of visual pathway anomalies in this temperature sensitive mutation of tyrosinase and thus melanin synthesis in domestic cats opened the exploration of albinism and simultaneously, a genetic approach to the organization of neural circuitry. I follow this account with a remembrance of Ray's influence on my work. Beginning with my postdoc research with Ray on the cat visual pathway, through my own work on the mechanisms of retinal axon guidance in the developing mouse, Ray and I had a continuous and rich dialogue about the albino visual pathway. I will present the questions Ray posed and clues we have to date on the still‐elusive link between eye pigment and the proper balance of ipsilateral and contralateral retinal ganglion cell projections to the brain.
Maladaptation in feral and domesticated animals
Authors: Gering Eben , Incorvaia Darren , Henriksen Rie , Wright Dominic , Getty Thomas 
Published: February 2019

AbstractSelection regimes and population structures can be powerfully changed by domestication and feralization, and these changes can modulate animal fitness in both captive and natural environments. In this review, we synthesize recent studies of these two processes and consider their impacts on organismal and population fitness. Domestication and feralization offer multiple windows into the forms and mechanisms of maladaptation. Firstly, domestic and feral organisms that exhibit suboptimal traits or fitness allow us to identify their underlying causes within tractable research systems. This has facilitated significant progress in our general understandings of genotype–phenotype relationships, fitness trade‐offs, and the roles of population structure and artificial selection in shaping domestic and formerly domestic organisms. Additionally, feralization of artificially selected gene variants and organisms can reveal or produce maladaptation in other inhabitants of an invaded biotic community. In these instances, feral animals often show similar fitness advantages to other invasive species, but they are also unique in their capacities to modify natural ecosystems through introductions of artificially selected traits. We conclude with a brief consideration of how emerging technologies such as genome editing could change the tempos, trajectories, and ecological consequences of both domestication and feralization. In addition to providing basic evolutionary insights, our growing understanding of mechanisms through which artificial selection can modulate fitness has diverse and important applications—from enhancing the welfare, sustainability, and efficiency of agroindustry, to mitigating biotic invasions.
Differential expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated melanocytes from lightly and darkly pigmented skin
Authors: Tam Irena , Dzierżęga‐Lęcznar Anna , Stępień Krystyna 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIncreasing evidence suggests that human epidermal melanocytes play an important role in the skin immune system; however, a role of their pigmentation in immune and inflammatory responses is poorly examined. In the study, the expression of Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by cultured normal melanocytes derived from lightly and darkly pigmented skin was investigated after cell stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The basal TLR4 mRNA level in heavily pigmented cells was higher as compared to their lightly pigmented counterparts. Melanocyte exposure to LPS upregulated the expression of TLR4 mRNA and enhanced the DNA‐binding activity of NF‐κB p50 and p65. We found substantial differences in the LPS‐stimulated expression of numerous genes encoding inflammatory cytokines and chemokines between the cells with various melanin contents. In lightly pigmented melanocytes, the most significantly upregulated genes were nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT/visfatin), the chemokines CCL2 and CCL20, and IL6, while the genes for CXCL12, IL‐16 and the chemokine receptor CCR4 were the most significantly upregulated in heavily pigmented cells. Moreover, the lightly pigmented melanocytes secreted much more NAMPT, CCL2 and IL‐6. The results of our study suggest modulatory effect of melanogenesis on the immune properties of normal epidermal melanocytes.