bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and risk factors of latent tuberculosis among Korean healthcare workers using whole-blood interferon-γ release assay
Authors: Yeon Jeong Hwa , Seong Hye , Hur Ho , Park Yoonseon , Kim Young Ah , Park Yoon Soo , Han Chang Hoon , Lee Sun Min , Seo Jeong Hun , Kang Jung Gu 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBecause healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection, it is essential to research the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) and to implement health interventions including early treatment of LTBI and TB infection control measures. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for LTBI using interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) among HCWs in South Korea. The cross-sectional study was carried in the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, which is a 740-bed general hospital, South Korea. HCWs who participated in this survey were required to complete a questionnaire and IGRA was performed. Of the 1,655 HCWs, 271 results were positive and the prevalence of LTBI was 16% (95% CI; 15–18%). In the multivariate analysis, age (OR; 2.201, 95% CI; 1.911–2.536, P < 0.001), male sex (OR; 1.523, 95% CI; 1.133–2.046, P = 0.005), contact active TB patients (OR; 1.461, 95% CI; 1.061–2.010, P = 0.02) and diabetes (OR; 2.837, 95% CI; 1.001–8.044, P = 0.05) were significant risk factors for LTBI. LTBI among HCWs in Korea, although prevalent, might not exceed the background level of the general population. Because contact with active TB patients has been identified as a risk factor for LTBI, more effective TB infection control measures are essential in healthcare facilities and congregate settings.
Towards Laser-Textured Antibacterial Surfaces
Authors: Lutey Adrian H. A. , Gemini Laura , Romoli Luca , Lazzini Gianmarco , Fuso Francesco , Faucon Marc , Kling Rainer 
Published: June 2018

AbstractEscherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacterial retention on mirror-polished and ultrashort pulse laser-textured surfaces is quantified with a new approach based on ISO standards for measurement of antibacterial performance. It is shown that both wettability and surface morphology influence antibacterial behavior, with neither superhydrophobicity nor low surface roughness alone sufficient for reducing initial retention of either tested cell type. Surface structures comprising spikes, laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) and nano-pillars are produced with 1030 nm wavelength 350 fs laser pulses of energy 19.1 μJ, 1.01 μJ and 1.46 μJ, respectively. SEM analysis, optical profilometry, shear force microscopy and wettability analysis reveal surface structures with peak separations of 20–40 μm, 0.5–0.9 μm and 0.8–1.3 μm, average areal surface roughness of 8.6 μm, 90 nm and 60 nm and static water contact angles of 160°, 119° and 140°, respectively. E. coli retention is highest for mirror-polished specimens and spikes whose characteristic dimensions are much larger than the cell size. S. aureus retention is instead found to be inhibited under the same conditions due to low surface roughness for mirror-polished samples (Sa: 30 nm) and low wettability for spikes. LIPSS and nano-pillars are found to reduce E. coli retention by 99.8% and 99.2%, respectively, and S. aureus retention by 84.7% and 79.9% in terms of viable colony forming units after two hours of immersion in bacterial broth due to both low wettability and fine surface features that limit the number of available attachment points. The ability to tailor both wettability and surface morphology via ultrashort pulsed laser processing confirms this approach as an important tool for producing the next generation of antibacterial surfaces.
Inorganic carbon and nitrogen assimilation in cellular compartments of a benthic kleptoplastic foraminifer
Authors: LeKieffre Charlotte , Jauffrais Thierry , Geslin Emmanuelle , Jesus Bruno , Bernhard Joan M. , Giovani Maria-Evangelia , Meibom Anders 
Published: June 2018

AbstractHaynesina germanica, an ubiquitous benthic foraminifer in intertidal mudflats, has the remarkable ability to isolate, sequester, and use chloroplasts from microalgae. The photosynthetic functionality of these kleptoplasts has been demonstrated by measuring photosystem II quantum efficiency and O2 production rates, but the precise role of the kleptoplasts in foraminiferal metabolism is poorly understood. Thus, the mechanism and dynamics of C and N assimilation and translocation from the kleptoplasts to the foraminiferal host requires study. The objective of this study was to investigate, using correlated TEM and NanoSIMS imaging, the assimilation of inorganic C and N (here ammonium, NH4+) in individuals of a kleptoplastic benthic foraminiferal species. H. germanica specimens were incubated for 20 h in artificial seawater enriched with H13CO3− and 15NH4+ during a light/dark cycle. All specimens (n = 12) incorporated 13C into their endoplasm stored primarily in the form of lipid droplets. A control incubation in darkness resulted in no 13C-uptake, strongly suggesting that photosynthesis is the process dominating inorganic C assimilation. Ammonium assimilation was observed both with and without light, with diffuse 15N-enrichment throughout the cytoplasm and distinct 15N-hotspots in fibrillar vesicles, electron-opaque bodies, tubulin paracrystals, bacterial associates, and, rarely and at moderate levels, in kleptoplasts. The latter observation might indicate that the kleptoplasts are involved in N assimilation. However, the higher N assimilation observed in the foraminiferal endoplasm incubated without light suggests that another cytoplasmic pathway is dominant, at least in darkness. This study clearly shows the advantage provided by the kleptoplasts as an additional source of carbon and provides observations of ammonium uptake by the foraminiferal cell.
A misaligned magneto-optical trap to enable miniaturized atom chip systems
Authors: Roy Ritayan , Rushton Jo , Dragomir Andrei , Aldous Matthew , Himsworth Matt 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe describe the application of displaced, or misaligned, beams in a mirror-based magneto-optical trap (MOT) to enable portable and miniaturized atom chip experiments where optical access is limited to a single window. Two different geometries of beam displacement are investigated: a variation on the well-known ‘vortex-MOT’, and the other a novel ‘hybrid-MOT’ combining Zeeman-shifted and purely optical scattering force components. The beam geometry is obtained similar to the mirror-MOT, using a planar mirror surface but with a different magnetic field geometry more suited to planar systems. Using these techniques, we have trapped around 6 × 106 and 26 × 106 atoms of 85Rb in the vortex-MOT and hybrid-MOT respectively. For the vortex-MOT the atoms are directly cooled well below the Doppler temperature without any additional sub-Doppler cooling stage, whereas the temperature of the hybrid-MOT has been measured slightly above the Doppler temperature limit. In both cases the attained lower temperature ensures the quantum behaviour of the trapped atoms required for the applications of portable quantum sensors and many others.
Concurrent TSHR mutations and DIO2 T92A polymorphism result in abnormal thyroid hormone metabolism
Authors: Park Eunkuk , Jung Jaehoon , Araki Osamu , Tsunekawa Katsuhiko , Park So Young , Kim Jeonghyun , Murakami Masami , Jeong Seon-Yong , Lee Sihoon 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDeiodinase 2 (DIO2) plays an important role in thyroid hormone metabolism and its regulation. However, molecular mechanism that regulates DIO2 activity remains unclear; only mutaions in selenocysteine insertion sequence binding protein 2 and selenocysteine tranfer RNA (tRNA[Ser]Sec) are reported to result in decreased DIO2 activity. Two patients with clinical evidence of abnormal thyroid hormone metabolism were identified and found to have TSHR mutations as well as DIO2 T92A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Primary-cultured fibroblasts from one patient present a high level of basal DIO2 enzymatic activity, possibly due to compensation by augmented DIO2 expression. However, this high enzymatic active state yet fails to respond to accelerating TSH. Consequently, TSHR mutations along with DIO2 T92A SNP (“double hit”) may lead to a significant reduction in DIO2 activity stimulated by TSH, and thereby may have clinical relevance in a select population of hypothyroidism patients who might benefit from a T3/T4 combination therapy.
Environmental properties of cells improve machine learning-based phenotype recognition accuracy
Authors: Toth Timea , Balassa Tamas , Bara Norbert , Kovacs Ferenc , Kriston Andras , Molnar Csaba , Haracska Lajos , Sukosd Farkas , Horvath Peter 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTo answer major questions of cell biology, it is often essential to understand the complex phenotypic composition of cellular systems precisely. Modern automated microscopes produce vast amounts of images routinely, making manual analysis nearly impossible. Due to their efficiency, machine learning-based analysis software have become essential tools to perform single-cell-level phenotypic analysis of large imaging datasets. However, an important limitation of such methods is that they do not use the information gained from the cellular micro- and macroenvironment: the algorithmic decision is based solely on the local properties of the cell of interest. Here, we present how various features from the surrounding environment contribute to identifying a cell and how such additional information can improve single-cell-level phenotypic image analysis. The proposed methodology was tested for different sizes of Euclidean and nearest neighbour-based cellular environments both on tissue sections and cell cultures. Our experimental data verify that the surrounding area of a cell largely determines its entity. This effect was found to be especially strong for established tissues, while it was somewhat weaker in the case of cell cultures. Our analysis shows that combining local cellular features with the properties of the cell’s neighbourhood significantly improves the accuracy of machine learning-based phenotyping.
Gene expression profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of postpartum depression patients
Authors: Pan Danqing , Xu Yuemei , Zhang Lei , Su Qizhu , Chen Manman , Li Bing , Xiao Qian , Gao Qi , Peng Xiuhua , Jiang Binfei , Gu Yilu , Du Yuling , Gao Pengfei 
Published: June 2018

AbstractPostpartum depression (PPD) is a common mental health problem that causes maternal suffering and various negative consequences for offspring. The pathogenesis of PPD and the causes of consequences for offspring remain largely unknown. Here, we applied RNA sequencing to sequence the whole transcriptomes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from PPD patients (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS] score ≥13) and control subjects (EPDS = 0). We found that PPD was positively correlated with multiple genes involved in energy metabolism, neurodegenerative diseases and immune response, while negatively correlated with multiple genes in mismatch repair and cancer-related pathways. Remarkably, genes associated with appetite regulation and nutrient response were differentially expressed between PPD and control subjects. Then, we employed a postnatal growth retardation model by repeated immobilization stress (IS) stimulation to maternal mice. The expression of appetite regulation and nutrient response-related genes in the PBMCs of IS mice and in the hypothalamus of their offspring were also affected. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive characterization of the PBMCs transcriptome in PPD and suggests that maternal stress may affect appetite regulation and nutrient response in the hypothalamus of offspring mice.
Isoquercetin and inulin synergistically modulate the gut microbiome to prevent development of the metabolic syndrome in mice fed a high fat diet
Authors: Tan Si , Caparros-Martin Jose A. , Matthews Vance B. , Koch Henrietta , O’Gara Fergal , Croft Kevin D. , Ward Natalie C. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDietary fibre positively influences gut microbiome composition, enhancing the metabolism of dietary flavonoids to produce bioactive metabolites. These synergistic activities facilitate the beneficial effects of dietary flavonoids on cardiometabolic health parameters. The aims of this study were to investigate whether isoquercetin (a major dietary flavonoid) and inulin (soluble fibre), either alone or in combination could improve features of the metabolic syndrome. Following a 1 week acclimatization, male C57BL6 mice (6–8 weeks) were randomly assigned to; (i) normal chow diet (n = 10), (ii) high fat (HF) diet (n = 10), (iii) HF diet + 0.05% isoquercetin (n = 10), (iv) HF diet + 5% inulin, or (v) HF diet + 0.05% isoquercetin + 5% inulin (n = 10). Body weight and food intake were measured weekly. At 12 weeks, glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed, and blood, faecal samples, liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue were collected. At 12 weeks, mice on the HF diet had significantly elevated body weights as well as impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared to the normal chow mice. Supplementation with either isoquercetin or inulin had no effect, however mice receiving the combination had attenuated weight gain, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, reduced hepatic lipid accumulation, adipocyte hypertrophy, circulating leptin and adipose FGF21 levels, compared to mice receiving the HF diet. Additionally, mice on the combination diet had improvements in the composition and functionality of their gut microbiome as well as production of short chain fatty acids. In conclusion, long-term supplementation with the dietary flavonoid isoquercetin and the soluble fibre inulin can attenuate development of the metabolic syndrome in mice fed a high fat diet. This protective effect appears to be mediated, in part, through beneficial changes to the microbiome.
Tweaking the Electronic and Optical Properties of α-MoO3 by Sulphur and Selenium Doping – a Density Functional Theory Study
Authors: Bandaru Sateesh , Saranya Govindarajan , English Niall J. , Yam Chiyung , Chen Mingyang 
Published: June 2018

AbstractFirst-principles calculations were carried out to understand how anionic isovalent-atom doping affects the electronic structures and optical properties of α-MoO3. The effects of the sulphur and selenium doping at the three unique oxygen sites (Ot, Oa, and Ot) of α-MoO3 were examined. We found that the valence p orbitals of Sulphur/Selenium dopant atoms give rise to impurity bands above the valence band maximum in the band structure of α-MoO3. The number of impurity bands in the doped material depends on the specific doping sites and the local chemical environment of the dopants in MoO3. The impurity bands give rise to the enhanced optical absorptions of the S- and Se-doped MoO3 in the visible and infrared regions. At low local doping concentration, the effects of the dopant sites on the electronic structure of the material are additive, so increasing the doping concentration will enhance the optical absorption properties of the material in the visible and infrared regions. Further increasing the doping concentration will result in a larger gap between the maximum edge of impurity bands and the conduction band minimum, and will undermine the optical absorption in the visible and infrared region. Such effects are caused by the local geometry change at the high local doping concentration with the dopants displaced from the original O sites, so the resulting impurity bands are no long the superpositions of the impurity bands of each individual on-site dopant atom. Switching from S-doping to Se-doping decreases the gap between the maximum edge of the impurity bands and conduction band minimum, and leads to the optical absorption edge red-shifting further into the visible and infrared regions.
Vehicle criteria pollutant (PM, NOx, CO, HCs) emissions: how low should we go?
Authors: Winkler S. L. , Anderson J. E. , Garza L. , Ruona W. C. , Vogt R. , Wallington T. J. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractOver the past 30–40 years, vehicle tailpipe emissions of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HCs) have decreased significantly. Advanced emission after-treatment technologies have been developed for gasoline and diesel vehicles to meet increasingly stringent regulations, yielding absolute emission reductions from the fleet despite increased vehicle travel. As a result of mobile and stationary source emission controls, air quality has generally improved substantially in cities across the US and Europe. Emission regulations (such as Tier 3 in the US, LEV III in California, and Euro 6 rules in the EU) will lead to even lower vehicle emissions and further improvements in air quality. We review historical vehicle emission and air quality trends, discuss the future outlook for air quality, and note that modern internal combustion engine vehicles typically have lower exhaust emissions than battery electric vehicle upstream emissions. As vehicle manufacturers and city officials grapple with questions about future mobility in cities, we raise the question “how low should we go?” for future vehicle criteria emissions. The answer to this question will have profound implications for automotive and fuel companies and for the future economic and environmental health of urban areas.
Evidence of non-tandemly repeated rDNAs and their intragenomic heterogeneity in Rhizophagus irregularis
Authors: Maeda Taro , Kobayashi Yuuki , Kameoka Hiromu , Okuma Nao , Takeda Naoya , Yamaguchi Katsushi , Bino Takahiro , Shigenobu Shuji , Kawaguchi Masayoshi 
Published: June 2018

AbstractArbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) species are some of the most widespread symbionts of land plants. Our much improved reference genome assembly of a model AMF, Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM-181602 (total contigs = 210), facilitated a discovery of repetitive elements with unusual characteristics. R. irregularis has only ten or 11 copies of complete 45S rDNAs, whereas the general eukaryotic genome has tens to thousands of rDNA copies. R. irregularis rDNAs are highly heterogeneous and lack a tandem repeat structure. These findings provide evidence for the hypothesis that rDNA heterogeneity depends on the lack of tandem repeat structures. RNA-Seq analysis confirmed that all rDNA variants are actively transcribed. Observed rDNA/rRNA polymorphisms may modulate translation by using different ribosomes depending on biotic and abiotic interactions. The non-tandem repeat structure and intragenomic heterogeneity of AMF rDNA/rRNA may facilitate successful adaptation to various environmental conditions, increasing host compatibility of these symbiotic fungi.
Direct Observation of Hierarchic Molecular Interactions Critical to Biogenic Aerosol Formation
Authors: Hou Gao-Lei , Lin Wei , Wang Xue-Bin 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSmall clusters consisting of sulfuric acid/bisulfate and oxidized organics have been identified in both aerosol field measurements and laboratory experiments, and their formation is suggested to be the rate-limiting step in the formation of new particles. However, the underlying mechanism for cluster formation is still largely unclear. Here we show, through an integrated negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical study on a series of (HSO4−)(organic molecule) surrogate binary clusters, that the functional groups are more important in determining the extent of the enhanced role of the organics in aerosol formation process than the average carbon oxidation states or O/C ratios. This extent is quantified explicitly for specific functional groups, revealing highly hierarchic intermolecular interactions critical to aerosol formation. Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations are employed to probe the water-binding abilities of these clusters under ambient conditions, and their statistical hydrogen-bonding networks.
Verzögerte Kohlenmonoxidenzephalopathie
Authors: Lettow Iris , Hoffmann Anna , Burmeister Hartmut Peter , Toepper Rudolf 
Published: June 2018

ZusammenfassungKohlenmonoxid-Vergiftungen sind weltweit häufige Intoxikationen, bei denen das Spektrum der Symptome von leichten Kopfschmerzen und Schwindel bis hin zum Tod reicht. Wenig bekannt ist die verzögerte Kohlenmonoxidenzephalopathie, die mit einer Latenz von 2–40 Tagen nach dem Initialereignis auftreten kann. Häufige klinische Manifestationen sind dabei Bewegungsstörungen, kognitive- oder affektive Störungen. Dieser Artikel beschreibt exemplarisch den Fall eines Patienten mit einer akzidentellen Kohlenmonoxidvergiftung mit verzögert auftretender Enzephalopathie. In der anschließenden Übersichtsarbeit wird die Literatur hinsichtlich Klinik, Diagnostik, Pathophysiologie und Therapieoptionen zusammengefasst.
„Niemanden zurücklassen“ – migrierte Menschen in der Drogen- und Suchthilfe
Authors: Leicht Astrid , Köhnlein Ralf 
Published: June 2018

Die EU-Binnenmigration und die Fluchtbewegungen der letzten Jahre stellen die deutsche Gesellschaft und Politik mit ihren Integrations- und Krisenbewältigungskompetenzen auf die Probe und gehen auch an der Drogen- und Suchthilfe und -prävention nicht spurlos vorüber.Straßensozialarbeit und niedrigschwellige Kontakt- und Beratungsstellen sind häufig die ersten und oft die einzigen Suchthilfe-Angebote, die migrierte Menschen, die Probleme mit psychoaktiven Substanzen haben, in ihrer Vielfalt, ihrer Individualität und gleichzeitig der Komplexität ihrer Problemlagen wahrnehmen und in Kontakt kommen.Fixpunkt ist ein Berliner Träger, der hauptsächlich niedrigschwellige Suchthilfe- und Infektionsschutz-Angebote realisiert und sich als einer der ersten Träger der Suchthilfe neuen Herausforderungen und bekannten Herausforderungen stellte.
Bedeutung und Probleme bei der Anwendung des Gendiagnostikgesetzes im klinischen Alltag
Authors: Daunderer Johannes , Ebermann Thorsten , Beckmann Britt-Maria 
Published: June 2018

ZusammenfassungSeit Februar 2010 ist das Gendiagnostikgesetz in Kraft getreten. Das grundsätzlich begrüßenswerte Gesetz bereitet jedoch bei gesetzeskonformer Umsetzung im klinischen Alltag zum Teil erhebliche Probleme. Einige dieser Schwierigkeiten sollen im Folgenden angesprochen werden.
Genetik der koronaren Herzkrankheit
Authors: Wolf Bernhard , Kessler Thorsten , Schunkert Heribert 
Published: June 2018

ZusammenfassungDie Atherosklerose mit ihren Folgeerkrankungen, der koronaren Herzkrankheit (KHK/MI) und der zerebralen arteriellen Verschlusskrankheit (cAVK/Schlaganfall), gilt weltweit als führende Todesursache. Schon lange sind sich die Forscher über die herausragende Rolle der Vererbung bei der Entstehung der Atherosklerose im Klaren, doch erst im vergangenen Jahrzehnt legten molekulargenetische und epidemiologische Methoden die Vererbungsstruktur der Erkrankung offen. Genomweite Assoziationsstudien konnten bisher über 160 Loci genomweit signifikant mit der KHK assoziieren. Funktionelle Analysen helfen bei der Entschlüsselung zugrunde liegender Mechanismen und sollen den Grundstein für die Entwicklung neuer Therapiestrategien legen. In der Zukunft könnten genetische Tests Patientengruppen mit erhöhtem Erkrankungsrisiko identifizieren sowie eine individualisierte und präzisere Medizin ermöglichen.