bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1 and Notch1 immunocytochemical expression of oral brush liquid‐based cytology for the diagnosis of oral leukoplakia and oral cancer
Authors: Kujan Omar , Huang Gareth , Ravindran Ashwati , Vijayan Monisha , Farah Camile S. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using oral liquid‐based brush cytology (OLBC) coupled with immunocytochemistry as a minimally invasive approach to stratify the cancer risk in patients with oral leukoplakia.MethodsFifty‐five patients diagnosed with either oral leukoplakia (OLK) or oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were recruited. All patients underwent oral brush biopsy followed by surgical biopsy. 275 liquid‐based cytology preparations were made. Pap‐stained OLBC slides were assessed using the modified 2014 Bethesda Cytology system. The expression of CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and Notch 1 was immunocytochemically analysed and compared against the histopathological diagnosis. A combined index score of OLBC grading and protein expression was calculated.ResultsA significant association was found between the definitive histopathological diagnosis and the cytological interpretation (P = 0.0005). The index scores of CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin D1 were significantly associated with the development of disease from non‐dysplastic epithelium to OSCC. No significant association was observed between the Notch 1 index score and disease stage. The diagnostic accuracy of OLBC showed the highest values of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy: 84.6%, 70.4%, 73.3%, 82.6%, and 78.8%, respectively, compared with the cumulative protein index, CDK4/6 index, and the combined OLBC grading and CDK4/6 index.ConclusionThis study has also demonstrated the efficacy of the use of OLBC in the detection of OED and OSCC, and showed that the use of CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and Notch 1 immunocytochemistry failed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of OLBC suggesting they are not useful in the early detection of OSCC.
Biopolymers interaction elaborating using viscoelastic relaxation spectra, network parameters, and thermodynamic properties
Authors: Alghooneh Ali , Razavi Seyed M. A. , Behrouzian Fataneh 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTHerein, oscillatory rheological measurements were performed to study the interaction behavior of xanthan gum‐sage seed gum blends at different ratios (SSG‐XG: 1–0, 3–1, 1–1, 1–3, 0–1), from the dynamic viscosity behavior, relaxation spectrum, fracture properties, network parameters, and thermodynamic points of view at the temperature range of 10–90°C. Then, the coefficient of the interaction of four parameters, which were obtained from the clustering technique and Han curves, were used to investigate the interaction behavior quantitatively. At 90°C, SSG showed 2.01 extent of loss modulus overshoot, which was the highest value among different gum dispersions at different temperatures, while XG showed strain softening behavior. At 10 and 90°C, SSG and 1–1 SSG‐XG showed the highest spreadability reflected by the slope of loss tangent after flow point stress (tan δAF) of 0.52 and 0.40, respectively. The high values of ψ parameter, which represented the Gibbs free energy change, of both 1–3 and 3–1 SSG‐XG blends and the lowest entropy value of 1–3 SSG‐XG, suggested that the role of entropy change in incompatibility behavior of 1–3 SSG‐XG was higher than that of 3–1 SSG‐XG blend. With the increase in temperature from 10 to 70°C, the XG Euclidean distance from SSG decreased, while it increased from 70 to 90°C and showed the highest Euclidean distance with XG at 10°C (3.92) and 90°C (4.05). Interaction coefficients and Han curves results showed that all blends were incompatible with the lowest antagonistic behavior for 1–1 SSG‐XG dispersion at 50°C. Often, a mixture of hydrocolloids, especially xanthan gum and a galactomannan, are employed in processed foods to modify their rheological properties and cut the cost. The synergistic/non‐synergistic effect of biopolymers mixture, which is invaluable from the practical and economical points of view, seems to be mainly induced by their thermodynamic status of interaction. Our former study showed that the thermodynamic indices of mixing could be probed by mechanical parameters. On the other hands, we found that the mechanical properties of materials are highly temperature dependent. Therefore, in this study, to better investigate the effect of temperature on the biopolymers interaction, first we classified all the thermodynamic and mechanical properties (relaxation spectrum, fracture properties, and network parameters) of hydrocolloids into four classes, then one parameter was selected randomly from each class. The selected parameters were employed to investigate the synergistic/non‐synergistic effect at all temperature ranges by determining the interaction coefficient and decide on the best interaction temperature.
First distribution record of the invasive copepod Oithona davisae Ferrari and Orsi, 1984, in the coastal waters of the Aegean Sea
Authors: Terbıyık Kurt Tuba , Beşiktepe Şengul 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe occurrence of the invasive nonindigenous copepod Oithona davisae Ferrari and Orsi, 1984, is reported for the first time in the Aegean Sea. The data we collected in August 2017 from 14 stations along the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea reveal the spatial distribution of O. davisae between the openning of the Dardanelles Strait in the north and the Izmir Bay in the south. The O. davisae individuals, in seven mesozooplankton samples collected from a single station, were consistently found in the inner part of the Izmir Bay from April 2015‐October 2016. The abundance of female O. davisae ranged from 4 ind./m3 in April 2015 to 31,524 ind./m3 in July 2016 and contributed to the total oithonid female population by 10.8% in April 2015 and 92.8% in September 2016. Our results show that this species is well established in the inner part of Izmir Bay and that it has become a permanent component of the copepod community in the area.
The combination of tamoxifen with amphotericin B, but not with fluconazole, has synergistic activity against the majority of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Hai Trieu Phan , Van Anh Duong , Ngan Nguyen Thi Thuy , Nhat Le Thanh Hoang , Lan Nguyen Phu Huong , Vinh Chau Nguyen V. , Thwaites Guy E. , Krysan Damian , Day Jeremy N. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryBackgroundCryptococcal meningitis has fatality rates of 40%‐70%, resulting in 200 000 deaths each year. The best outcomes are achieved with amphotericin combined with flucytosine but flucytosine is expensive and unavailable where most disease occurs. More effective and affordable treatments are needed. Tamoxifen, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator frequently indicated for breast cancer, has been found to have synergistic activity against the Cryptococcus neoformans type strain when combined with amphotericin or fluconazole. It is cheap, off‐licence, widely available and well‐tolerated, and thus a pragmatic potential treatment for cryptococcal disease.ObjectivesWe wanted to determine the susceptibility of clinical isolates of C. neoformans to tamoxifen alone and in combination with other antifungals, to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of activity to justify a clinical trial.MethodsWe used the CLSI broth microdilution protocol to test the susceptibility of 30 randomly selected clinical isolates of C. neoformans to tamoxifen, in dual combination with amphotericin, fluconazole or flucytosine, and in triple combination with amphotericin and fluconazole. Evidence of drug interactions was assessed using the fractional inhibitory concentration index.ResultsThe MIC50 and MIC90 of tamoxifen were 4 and 16 mg/L, respectively. The combination of tamoxifen and amphotericin suggested a synergistic interaction in 20 of 30 (67%) isolates. There was no interaction between tamoxifen and either fluconazole or flucytosine. Synergy was maintained in 3‐Dimensional chequerboard testing. There was no evidence of antagonism.ConclusionsTamoxifen may be a useful addition to treatment with amphotericin and fluconazole for cryptococcal meningitis; a trial is justified.
Photocatalytic Degradation of a Chlorinated Organic Chemical Using Activated Carbon Fiber Coupled with Semiconductor
Authors: Gopinath Ashitha , Krishna Kadirvelu 
Published: June 2019

AbstractHydrothermal mediated synthesis was used to couple activated carbon fiber and semiconductor. Batch mode photocatalytic experiments were performed to investigate the efficacy of the developed photocatalyst in the degradation of 2, 4‐dichlorophenol. Operational parameters including initial concentration of 2, 4‐dichlorophenol and catalyst loading were optimized at natural pH conditions. Addition of inorganic anions during the degradation revealed that the presence of anions greatly affects the degradation efficiency. The significance of highly reactive radicals on the photocatalytic degradation was identified by the addition of radical scavengers such as isopropanol (OH˙), benzoquinone (˙) and potassium iodide (h+). Reusability of the photocatalyst was confirmed by conducting five cyclic studies. Further, the dissolution of Zn2+ in the solution was analyzed and determined to be 0.199 μg mL−1. Seed germination study was conducted to examine the toxicity nature of ZnO on growth and development of Vigna radiata.
Integrating Operational and Organizational Aspects in Interdependent Infrastructure Network Recovery
Authors: Gomez Camilo , González Andrés D. , Baroud Hiba , Bedoya‐Motta Claudia D. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractManaging risk in infrastructure systems implies dealing with interdependent physical networks and their relationships with the natural and societal contexts. Computational tools are often used to support operational decisions aimed at improving resilience, whereas economics‐related tools tend to be used to address broader societal and policy issues in infrastructure management. We propose an optimization‐based framework for infrastructure resilience analysis that incorporates organizational and socioeconomic aspects into operational problems, allowing to understand relationships between decisions at the policy level (e.g., regulation) and the technical level (e.g., optimal infrastructure restoration). We focus on three issues that arise when integrating such levels. First, optimal restoration strategies driven by financial and operational factors evolve differently compared to those driven by socioeconomic and humanitarian factors. Second, regulatory aspects have a significant impact on recovery dynamics (e.g., effective recovery is most challenging in societies with weak institutions and regulation, where individual interests may compromise societal well‐being). And third, the decision space (i.e., available actions) in postdisaster phases is strongly determined by predisaster decisions (e.g., resource allocation). The proposed optimization framework addresses these issues by using: (1) parametric analyses to test the influence of operational and socioeconomic factors on optimization outcomes, (2) regulatory constraints to model and assess the cost and benefit (for a variety of actors) of enforcing specific policy‐related conditions for the recovery process, and (3) sensitivity analyses to capture the effect of predisaster decisions on recovery. We illustrate our methodology with an example regarding the recovery of interdependent water, power, and gas networks in Shelby County, TN (USA), with exposure to natural hazards.
Sociodemographic and Environmental Determinants of Indoor Versus Outdoor Active Play Among Children Living in the Washington, DC Area
Authors: Puett Robin C. , Huang Dina , Montresor-Lopez Jessica , Ray Rashawn , Roberts Jennifer D. 
Published: June 2019

Background: Sociodemographic and environmental factors play important roles in determining both indoor and outdoor play activities in children. Methods: The Built Environment and Active Play Study assessed neighborhood playability for children (7–12 y), based on parental report of their children’s active play behaviors, neighborhood characteristics, and geographic locations. Simple logistic regression modeling tested the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and the frequency of and access to venues for indoor and outdoor play. Results: Children of higher socioeconomic status were almost 3 times more likely to live more than a 30-minute walk from indoor recreational facilities compared with their less affluent peers (odds ratio [OR] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–6.8). Non-Hispanic black children were less likely to live more than 30 minutes from indoor facilities (OR = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.08–0.57) and more were likely to engage in indoor activity (OR = 3.40; 95% CI, 1.17–9.88) than were white children. Boys were substantially more likely to play outdoors at a playing fields compared with girls (OR = 5.37; 95% CI, 2.10–13.69). Conclusions: Findings from this study could be used to enhance indoor and outdoor activity spaces for children and to reduce disparities in access to such spaces.
The Cell Wall of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Vollmer Waldemar , Massidda Orietta , Tomasz Alexander 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumoniae
has a complex cell wall that plays key roles in cell shape maintenance, growth and cell division, and interactions with components of the human host. The peptidoglycan has a heterogeneous composition with more than 50 subunits (muropeptides)—products of several peptidoglycan-modifying enzymes. The amidation of glutamate residues in the stem peptide is needed for efficient peptide cross-linking, and peptides with a dipeptide branch prevail in some beta-lactam-resistant strains. The glycan strands are modified by deacetylation of
N
-acetylglucosamine residues and
O
-acetylation of
N
-acetylmuramic acid residues, and both modifications contribute to pneumococcal resistance to lysozyme. The glycan strands carry covalently attached wall teichoic acid and capsular polysaccharide. Pneumococci are unique in that the wall teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid contain the same unusually complex repeating units decorated with phosphoryl choline residues, which anchor the choline-binding proteins. The structures of lipoteichoic acid and the attachment site of wall teichoic acid to peptidoglycan have recently been revised. During growth, pneumococci assemble their cell walls at midcell in coordinated rounds of cell elongation and division, leading to the typical ovococcal cell shape. Cell wall growth depends on the cytoskeletal FtsA and FtsZ proteins and is regulated by several morphogenesis proteins that also show patterns of dynamic localization at midcell. Some of the key regulators are phosphorylated by StkP and dephosphorylated by PhpP to facilitate robust selection of the division site and plane and to maintain cell shape.
Clostridial Genetics: Genetic Manipulation of the Pathogenic Clostridia
Authors: Kuehne S. A. , Rood J. I. , Lyras D. 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT

The past 10 years have been revolutionary for clostridial genetics. The rise of next-generation sequencing led to the availability of annotated whole-genome sequences of the important pathogenic clostridia:
Clostridium perfringens
,
Clostridioides
(
Clostridium
)
difficile
, and
Clostridium botulinum
, but also
Paeniclostridium
(
Clostridium
)
sordellii
and
Clostridium tetani
. These sequences were a prerequisite for the development of functional, sophisticated genetic tools for the pathogenic clostridia. A breakthrough came in the early 2000s with the development of TargeTron-based technologies specific for the clostridia, such as ClosTron, an insertional gene inactivation tool. The following years saw a plethora of new technologies being developed, mostly for
C. difficile
, but also for other members of the genus, including
C. perfringens
. A range of tools is now available, allowing researchers to precisely delete genes, change single nucleotides in the genome, complement deletions, integrate novel DNA into genomes, or overexpress genes. There are tools for forward genetics, including an inducible transposon mutagenesis system for
C. difficile
. As the latest addition to the tool kit, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 technologies have also been adopted for the construction of single and multiple gene deletions in
C. difficile
. This article summarizes the key genetic technologies available to manipulate, study, and understand the pathogenic clostridia.
Pathogenicity Islands and Their Role in Staphylococcal Biology
Authors: Novick Richard P. 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTPathogenicity islands are members of a vast collection of genomic islands that encode important virulence, antibiotic resistance and other accessory functions and have a critical role in bacterial gene transfer.Staphylococcus aureusis host to a large family of such islands, known as SaPIs, which encode super antigen and other virulence determinants, are mobilized by helper phages and transferred at extremely high frequencies. They benefit their host cells by interfering with phage predation and enhancing horizontal gene transfer. This chapter describes their life cycle, the bases of their phage interference mechanisms, their transfer system and their conversion to antibacterial agents for treatment ofstaphylococcal infections.
Embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes inhibit doxorubicin-induced TLR4-NLRP3-mediated cell death-pyroptosis
Authors: Tavakoli Dargani Zahra , Singla Dinender K. 
Published: June 2019

Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiac side effects are regulated through increased oxidative stress and apoptosis. However, it remains unknown whether Dox induces the specific inflammatory-mediated form of cell death called pyroptosis. The current study is undertaken to determine whether Dox induces pyroptosis in an in vitro model and to test the potential of exosomes derived from embryonic stem cells (ES-Exos) in inhibiting pyroptosis. H9c2 cells were exposed to Dox to generate pyroptosis and then subsequently treated with exosomes to investigate the protective effects of ES-Exos. Mouse embryonic fibroblast-exosomes (MEF-Exos) were used as a cell line control. We confirmed pyroptosis by analyzing the presence of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome that initiates pyroptosis, which was further confirmed with pyroptotic markers caspase-1, IL-1β, caspase-11, and gasdermin-D. The presence of inflammation was confirmed for proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, and IL-6. Our data show that Dox exposure significantly ( P < 0.05) increases expression of TLR4, NLRP3, pyroptotic markers (caspase-1, IL-1β, caspase-11, and gasdermin-D), and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) in H9c2 cells. The increased expression of inflammasome, pyroptosis, and inflammation was significantly ( P < 0.05) inhibited by ES-Exos. Interestingly, our cell line control, MEF-Exos, did not show any protective effects. Furthermore, our cytokine array data suggest increased anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-9, and IL-13) and decreased proinflammatory cytokines (Fas ligand, IL-12, and TNF-α) in ES-Exos, suggesting that anti-inflammatory cytokines might be mediating the protective effects of ES-Exos. In conclusion, our data show that Dox induces pyroptotic cell death in the H9c2 cell culture model and is attenuated via treatment with ES-Exos. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity is mediated through increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, and necrosis. We report for the first time as per the best of our knowledge that Dox initiates Toll-like receptor 4 and pyrin domain containing-3 inflammasome formation and induces caspase-1-mediated inflammatory pyroptotic cell death in H9c2 cells. Moreover, we establish that inflammation and pyroptosis is inhibited by embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes that could be used as a future therapeutic option to treat Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.
Blockchain and Public Procurement
Authors: Carvalho Raquel 
Published: June 2019

Public procurement relies in an apparent irreconcilability between competition, which implies some confidentiality, and transparency. The latest Public Procurement Directives have made e-procurement a mandatory feature. Since blockchain technology has been developed and designed to accomplish integrity, transparency, efficiency and data accuracy, goals which are very much appreciated in public procurement, an interesting question then arises: is there room to apply this technology within public procurement procedures? Will smart contracts be an interesting tool within public procurement? Considering public duties such as data protection, which must be complied with by contracting authorities, and some blockchain features such as non-withdrawable information and the likely broad access to the information there enclosed, one can be drawn to conclude that there is no possible conciliation between these two procedures. The mandatory e-procurement implies some neighbouring problems with this technology. Yet, are there any technological solutions for some of the drawbacks?
The Congress of Vienna and the Making of Second Slavery
Authors: Bretones Lane Fernanda , de Paula Costa Santos Guilherme , El Youssef Alain 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
This article analyzes the ways that discussions regarding the abolition of the slave trade held at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815) affected slavery in the Iberian empires. Drawing from newspaper coverage, diplomatic correspondence, and conference minutes, we reassess the conditions under which Portuguese and Spanish agents negotiated with their British counterparts; highlight the Iberian political dilemmas that surfaced at the Congress; and elucidate the plenipotentiaries’ subsequent resolutions addressing the transatlantic slave trade. As a result of the talks held in Vienna, Spanish subjects in Cuba and Portuguese subjects in Brazil established political and diplomatic strategies to support slavery in order to maintain their positions in the world market of tropical goods. In other words, while slavery was undergoing reconfiguration in Brazil and Cuba, slave-owners and their political representatives were forced to engage with the hegemonic, abolitionist discourse systematically established by the British at the Congress in order to formulate their proslavery response. The article thus demonstrates that the Congress of Vienna was integral to the international consolidation of the politics of “second slavery” in the Americas. In other words, Brazil and Cuba were forced to engage with the hegemonic discourse systematically established by the British at the Congress in reconfiguring slavery and formulating their proslavery defense.