bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Simulated microgravity with floating environment promotes migration of non-small cell lung cancers
Authors: Ahn Chi Bum , Lee Ji-Hyun , Han Dae Geun , Kang Hyun-Wook , Lee Sung-Ho , Lee Jae-Ik , Son Kuk Hui , Lee Jin Woo 
Published: October 2019

AbstractA migration of cancer is one of the most important factors affecting cancer therapy. Particularly, a cancer migration study in a microgravity environment has gained attention as a tool for developing cancer therapy. In this study, we evaluated the proliferation and migration of two types (adenocarcinoma A549, squamous cell carcinoma H1703) of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) in a floating environment with microgravity. When we measured proliferation of two NSCLCs in the microgravity (MG) and ground-gravity (CONT), although initial cell adhesion in MG was low, a normalized proliferation rate of A549 in MG was higher than that in CONT. Wound healing results of A549 and H1703 showed rapid recovery in MG; particularly, the migration rate of A549 was faster than that of H1703 both the normal and low proliferating conditions. Gene expression results showed that the microgravity accelerated the migration of NSCLC. Both A549 and H1703 in MG highly expressed the migration-related genes MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 compared to CONT at 24 h. Furthermore, analysis of MMP-2 protein synthesis revealed weaker metastatic performance of H1703 than that of A549. Therefore, the simulated microgravity based cancer culture environment will be a potential for migration and metastasis studies of lung cancers.
Ricinus communis L. fruit extract inhibits migration/invasion, induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells and arrests tumor progression in vivo
Authors: Majumder Munmi , Debnath Shibjyoti , Gajbhiye Rahul L. , Saikia Rimpi , Gogoi Bhaskarjyoti , Samanta Suman Kumar , Das Deepjyoti K. , Biswas Kaushik , Jaisankar Parasuraman , Mukhopadhyay Rupak 
Published: October 2019

AbstractMedicinal plant-based therapies can be important for treatment of cancer owing to high efficiency, low cost and minimal side effects. Here, we report the anti-cancer efficacy of Ricinus communis L. fruit extract (RCFE) using estrogen positive MCF-7 and highly aggressive, triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. RCFE induced cytotoxicity in these cells in dose and time-dependent manner. It also demonstrated robust anti-metastatic activity as it significantly inhibited migration, adhesion, invasion and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9 in both cell lines. Further, flow cytometry analysis suggested RCFE-mediated induction of apoptosis in these cells. This was supported by attenuation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, induction of pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-7 expressions as well as PARP cleavage upon RCFE treatment. RCFE (0.5 mg/Kg body weight) treatment led to significant reduction in tumor volume in 4T1 syngeneic mouse model. HPLC and ESI-MS analysis of active ethyl acetate fraction of RCFE detected four compounds, Ricinine, p-Coumaric acid, Epigallocatechin and Ricinoleic acid. Individually these compounds showed cytotoxic and migration-inhibitory activities. Overall, this study for the first time demonstrates the anti-cancer efficacy of the fruit extract of common castor plant which can be proposed as a potent candidate for the treatment of breast cancer.
Nondestructive real-space imaging of energy dissipation distributions in randomly networked conductive nanomaterials
Authors: Morimoto Takahiro , Ata Seisuke , Yamada Takeo , Okazaki Toshiya 
Published: October 2019

AbstractFor realization the new functional materials and devices by conductive nanomaterials, how to control and realize the optimum network structures are import point for fundamental, applied and industrial science. In this manuscript, the nondestructive real-space imaging technique has been studied with the lock-in thermal scope via Joule heating caused by ac bias conditions. By this dynamical method, a few micrometer scale energy dissipations originating from local current density and resistance distributions are visualized in a few tens of minutes due to the frequency-space separation and the strong temperature damping of conductive heat components. Moreover, in the tensile test, the sample broken points were completely corresponding to the intensity images of lock-in thermography. These results indicated that the lock-in thermography is a powerful tool for inspecting the intrinsic network structures, which are difficult to observe by conventional imaging methods.
Characterisation of aptamer-anchored poly(EDMA-co-GMA) monolith for high throughput affinity binding
Authors: Acquah Caleb , Chan Yi Wei , Pan Sharadwata , Yon Lau Sie , Ongkudon Clarence M. , Guo Haobo , Danquah Michael K. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractImmobilisation of aptameric ligands on solid stationary supports for effective binding of target molecules requires understanding of the relationship between aptamer-polymer interactions and the conditions governing the mass transfer of the binding process. Herein, key process parameters affecting the molecular anchoring of a thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) onto polymethacrylate monolith pore surface, and the binding characteristics of the resulting macroporous aptasensor were investigated. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the TBA-thrombin binding indicated enhanced Guanine 4 (G4) structural stability of TBA upon interaction with thrombin in an ionic environment. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses were used to characterise the available functional groups and thermo-molecular stability of the immobilised polymer generated with Schiff-base activation and immobilisation scheme. The initial degradation temperature of the polymethacrylate stationary support increased with each step of the Schiff-base process: poly(Ethylene glycol Dimethacrylate-co-Glycidyl methacrylate) or poly(EDMA-co-GMA) [196.0 °C (±1.8)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine [235.9 °C (±6.1)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine-Glutaraldehyde [255.4 °C (±2.7)]; and aptamer-modified monolith [273.7 °C (±2.5)]. These initial temperature increments reflected in the associated endothermic energies were determined with differential scanning calorimetry. The aptameric ligand density obtained after immobilisation was 480 pmol/μL. Increase in pH and ionic concentration affected the surface charge distribution and the binding characteristics of the aptamer-modified disk-monoliths, resulting in the optimum binding pH and ionic concentration of 8.0 and 5 mM Mg2+, respectively. These results are critical in understanding and setting parametric constraints indispensable to develop and enhance the performance of aptasensors.
Overexpression of BZW1 is an independent poor prognosis marker and its down-regulation suppresses lung adenocarcinoma metastasis
Authors: Chiou Jean , Chang Yu-Chan , Jan Yi-Hua , Tsai Hsing-Fang , Yang Chih-Jen , Huang Ming-Shyan , Yu Yung-Luen , Hsiao Michael 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe basic leucine zipper and the W2 domain-containing protein 1 (BZW1) plays a key role in the cell cycle and transcriptionally control the histone H4 gene during G1/S phase. Since cellular proliferation rates are frequently dysregulated in human cancers, we identified the characteristics of BZW1 in cancer cells and analyzed its prognostic value in lung cancer patients. By searching public databases, we found that high BZW1 expression was significantly correlated with poor survival rate in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in lung adenocarcinoma. Similar trends were also shown in an array comprising NSCLC patient tissue. Knockdown of BZW1 inhibited cell metastatic ability, but did not affect the cell proliferation rate of NSCLC cells. From transcriptomics data mining, we found that coordination between BZW1 and EGFR overexpression was correlated with a worse outcome for lung cancer patients. In summary, BZW1 expression serves as an independent prognostic factor of NSCLC, especially in lung adenocarcinoma. Overexpression of BZW1 in lung cancer cells revealed a novel pathway underlying the induction of lung cancer metastasis.
Topically Applied Cross-Linked Hyaluronan Attenuates the Formation of Spinal Epidural Fibrosis in a Swine Model of Laminectomy
Authors: Lin Cheng-Li , Jou I-Ming , Wu Cheng-Yi , Kuo Yuh-Ruey , Yang Shih-Chieh , Lee Jung-Shun , Tu Yuan-Kun , Chen Sung-Ching , Huang Yi-Hung 
Published: October 2019

AbstractEpidural fibrosis is an inevitable aspect of the postoperative healing process which is one of the causes of failed back surgery syndrome following spinal surgery. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effect of 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether-crosslinked hyaluronan (cHA) on spinal epidural fibrosis in a swine model. Epidural fibrosis was induced through conduction of hemi-laminotomy (L2 and L3) or laminectomy (L4 and L5), while L1 was assigned as the control group in six pigs. The cHA was applied to L3 and L5 surgical sites. MRI evaluation, histologic examination, expressions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and cytokines in scar tissue were assessed four months after surgery. cHA treatment significantly decreased the scar formation in both hemi-laminotomy and laminectomy sites. cHA also significantly increased MMP-3 and MMP-9 expression in scar tissue. Further, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition -related factors (transforming growth factor-β and vimentin) were suppressed and the anti-inflammatory cytokines (CD44 and interleukin-6) were increasingly expressed in cHA-treated sites. The current study demonstrated that cHA may attenuate spinal epidural fibrosis formation after laminectomy surgery by enhancing the expression of MMPs and anti-inflammatory pathways.
MiR-499 Responsive Lethal Construct for Removal of Human Embryonic Stem Cells after Cardiac Differentiation
Authors: Elovic Edan , Etzion Sharon , Cohen Smadar 
Published: October 2019

AbstractDeriving cell populations from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for cell-based therapy is considered a promising strategy to achieve functional cells, yet its translation to clinical practice depends on achieving fully defined differentiated cells. In this work, we generated a miRNA-responsive lethal mRNA construct that selectively induces rapid apoptosis in hESCs by expressing a mutant (S184del) Bax variant. Insertion of miR-499 target sites in the construct enabled to enrich hESC-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) in culture. A deterministic non-linear model was developed and validated with experimental data, to predict the outcome for each treatment cycle and the number of treatment cycle repetitions required to achieve completely purified cTNT-positive cells. The enriched hESC-CMs displayed physiological sarcomere orientation, functional calcium handling and after transplantation into SCID-NOD mice did not form teratomas. The modular miRNA responsive lethal mRNA construct could be employed in additional directed differentiation protocols, by adjusting the miRNA to the specific cells of choice.
Blue and green luminescent carbon nanodots from controllable fuel-rich flame reactors
Authors: Russo Carmela , Apicella Barbara , Ciajolo Anna 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe continuous synthesis in controlled gas flame reactors is here demonstrated as a very effective approach for the direct and easy production of structurally reproducible carbon nanodots. In this work, the design of a simple deposition system, inserted into the reactor, is introduced. A controlled flame reactor is employed in the present investigation. The system was optimized for the production of carbon nanoparticles including fluorescent nanocarbons. Blue and green fluorescent carbon could be easily separated from the carbon nanoparticles by extraction with organic solvents and characterized by advanced chemical (size exclusion chromatography and mass spectrometry) and spectroscopic analysis. The blue fluorescent carbon comprised a mixture of molecular fluorophores and aromatic domains; the green fluorescent carbon was composed of aromatic domains (10–20 aromatic condensed rings), bonded and/or turbostratically stacked together. The green-fluorescent carbon nanodots produced in the flame reactor were insoluble in water but soluble in N-methylpyrrolidinone and showed excitation-independent luminescence. These results provide insights for a simple and controlled synthesis of carbon nanodots with specific and versatile features, which is a promising pathway for their use in quite different applicative sectors of bioimaging.
An in-vitro assay using human spermatozoa to detect toxicity of biologically active substances
Authors: Vollmer Tino , Ljungberg Börje , Jankowski Vera , Jankowski Joachim , Glorieux Griet , Stegmayr Bernd G. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractIdentifying the key toxic players within an in-vivo toxic syndrome is crucial to develop targeted therapies. Here, we established a novel method that characterizes the effect of single substances by means of an ex-vivo incubation set-up. We found that primary human spermatozoa elicit a distinct motile response on a (uremic) toxic milieu. Specifically, this approach describes the influence of a bulk toxic environment (uremia) as well as single substances (uremic toxins) by real-time analyzing motile cellular behavior. We established the human spermatozoa-based toxicity testing (HSTT) for detecting single substance-induced toxicity to be used as a screening tool to identify in-vivo toxins. Further, we propose an application of the HSTT as a method of clinical use to evaluate toxin-removing interventions (hemodialysis).
Choosing Clinical Variables for Risk Stratification Post-Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Myers Paul D. , Huang Wei , Anderson Fred , Stultz Collin M. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractMost risk stratification methods use expert opinion to identify a fixed number of clinical variables that have prognostic significance. In this study our goal was to develop improved metrics that utilize a variable number of input parameters. We first used Bootstrap Lasso Regression (BLR) – a Machine Learning method for selecting important variables – to identify a prognostic set of features that identify patients at high risk of death 6-months after presenting with an Acute Coronary Syndrome. Using data derived from the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) we trained a logistic regression model using these features and evaluated its performance on a development set (N = 43,063) containing patients who have values for all features, and a separate dataset (N = 6,363) that contains patients who have missing feature values. The final model, Ridge Logistic Regression with Variable Inputs (RLRVI), uses imputation to estimate values for missing features. BLR identified 19 features, 8 of which appear in the GRACE score. RLRVI had modest, yet statistically significant, improvement over the standard GRACE score on both datasets. Moreover, for patients who are relatively low-risk (GRACE≤87), RLRVI had an AUC and Hazard Ratio of 0.754 and 6.27, respectively, vs. 0.688 and 2.46 for GRACE, (p < 0.007). RLRVI has improved discriminatory performance on patients who have values for the 8 GRACE features plus any subset of the 11 non-GRACE features. Our results demonstrate that BLR and data imputation can be used to obtain improved risk stratification metrics, particularly for patients who are classified as low risk using traditional methods.
Increasing prevalence, time trend and seasonality of gastroschisis in São Paulo state, Brazil, 2005–2016
Authors: Calderon Mauricio Giusti , Santos Edige Felipe de Sousa , Abreu Luiz Carlos de , Raimundo Rodrigo Daminello 
Published: October 2019

AbstractTo estimate the gastroschisis seasonality and trend of prevalence in recent years, stratified by maternal age and geographical clusters of São Paulo state, a population–based study was designed. We used data from the Live Births Information System (SINASC) in São Paulo state, Brazil, from 2005 to 2016. Trends of prevalence were evaluated for the specific subgroups using the Prais–Winsten regression model, and the Durbin–Watson test was used, to estimate the regression coefficient, the annual percent change (APC), and 95% confidence interval (CI). We observed 1576 cases of gastroschisis among 7,317,657 live births (LB), a prevalence of 2.154 (95% CI: 2.047–2.260) per 10,000 LB which included, 50.6% males, 67.4% Caucasians, 53.4% preterm births, and 80.9% caesarean births. The prevalence of gastroschisis significantly increased by 2.6% (95% CI: 0.0–5.2) per year, and this trend was higher in mothers aged 30–34 years (APC: 10.2, 95% CI: 1.4–19.4) than in mothers of other age groups. Between 2011 and 2016, we identified the existence of seasonality based on the date of conception in the middle months of the year (p = 0.002). This is the first and largest population–based study summarizing current epidemiology and identifying trend of prevalence of gastroschisis in São Paulo state.
Clinical-like cryotherapy improves footprint patterns and reduces synovial inflammation in a rat model of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Barbosa Germanna Medeiros , Cunha Jonathan Emanuel , Cunha Thiago Mattar , Martinho Lizandra Botaro , Castro Paula Aiello Tomé Souza , Oliveira Francisco Fábio Bezerra , Cunha Fernando Queiróz , Ramalho Fernando Silva , Salvini Tania Fátima 
Published: October 2019

AbstractCryotherapy is a non-pharmacological treatment commonly used to control inflammation and improve function after acute traumas. However, there are no definitive findings about its effects on chronic joint diseases such as knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of clinical-like cryotherapy on functional impairment and synovial inflammation in a rat model of KOA generated by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8/group): Control, KOA, KOA + Cryotherapy and KOA + Placebo. The last two groups were submitted to the relevant interventions twice a day for five days (61 to 65), with each session lasting 20 min. Gait test, skin temperature, thermal response threshold and joint swelling were assessed in all groups before ACLT surgery, and pre (60th day) and post (66th day) intervention protocols. On day 66, the animals were euthanized and exsanguinated to remove the synovial membrane for histopathological examination and synovial fluid to determine the leukocyte count and cytokine concentration. After the intervention period (66th day), footprint area only increased in the KOA + Cryotherapy group (P = 0.004; 14%) when compared to KOA and KOA + Placebo, but did not differ from controls. Cryotherapy lowered the synovial fluid leukocyte count (P < 0.0001; ≥95.0%) and cytokine concentration (P < 0.0001; ≥55%) when compared to the KOA and Placebo groups. Synovial score and synovial fibrosis did not differ in the KOA groups. In conclusion, footprint patterns improved in rats with ACLT-induced KOA as a result of clinical-like cryotherapy, which also lowered the synovial fluid leukocyte count and inflammatory cytokine concentration in these rats.
Distribution and quantification of bioluminescence as an ecological trait in the deep sea benthos
Authors: Martini Séverine , Kuhnz Linda , Mallefet Jérôme , Haddock Steven H. D. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBioluminescence is a prominent functional trait used for visual communication. A recent quantification showed that in pelagic ecosystems more than 75% of individual macro-planktonic organisms are categorized as able to emit light. In benthic ecosystems, only a few censuses have been done, and were based on a limited number of observations. In this study, our dataset is based on observations from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives conducted from 1991–2016, spanning 0–3,972 m depth. Data were collected in the greater Monterey Bay area in central California, USA and include 369,326 pelagic and 154,275 epibenthic observations at Davidson Seamount, Guide Seamount, Sur Ridge and Monterey Bay. Because direct observation of in situ bioluminescence remains a technical challenge, taxa from ROV observations were categorized based on knowledge gained from the literature to assess bioluminescence status. We found that between 30–41% of the individual observed benthic organisms were categorized as capable of emitting light, with a strong difference between benthic and pelagic ecosystems. We conclude that overall variability in the distribution of bioluminescent organisms is related to the major differences between benthic and pelagic habitats in the deep ocean. This study may serve as the basis of future investigations linking the optical properties of various habitats and the variability of bioluminescent organism distributions.
Macrophage polarization impacts tunneling nanotube formation and intercellular organelle trafficking
Authors: Goodman Spencer , Naphade Swati , Khan Meisha , Sharma Jay , Cherqui Stephanie 
Published: October 2019

AbstractTunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are cellular extensions enabling cytosol-to-cytosol intercellular interaction between numerous cell types including macrophages. Previous studies of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation for the lysosomal storage disorder cystinosis have shown that HSPC-derived macrophages form TNTs to deliver cystinosin-bearing lysosomes to cystinotic cells, leading to tissue preservation. Here, we explored if macrophage polarization to either proinflammatory M1-like M(LPS/IFNγ) or anti-inflammatory M2-like M(IL-4/IL-10) affected TNT-like protrusion formation, intercellular transport and, ultimately, the efficacy of cystinosis prevention. We designed new automated image processing algorithms used to demonstrate that LPS/IFNγ polarization decreased bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) formation of protrusions, some of which displayed characteristics of TNTs, including cytoskeletal structure, 3D morphology and size. In contrast, co-culture of macrophages with cystinotic fibroblasts yielded more frequent and larger protrusions, as well as increased lysosomal and mitochondrial intercellular trafficking to the diseased fibroblasts. Unexpectedly, we observed normal protrusion formation and therapeutic efficacy following disruption of anti-inflammatory IL-4/IL-10 polarization in vivo by transplantation of HSPCs isolated from the Rac2−/− mouse model. Altogether, we developed unbiased image quantification systems that probe mechanistic aspects of TNT formation and function in vitro, while HSPC transplantation into cystinotic mice provides a complex in vivo disease model. While the differences between polarization cell culture and mouse models exemplify the oversimplicity of in vitro cytokine treatment, they simultaneously demonstrate the utility of our co-culture model which recapitulates the in vivo phenomenon of diseased cystinotic cells stimulating thicker TNT formation and intercellular trafficking from macrophages. Ultimately, we can use both approaches to expand the utility of TNT-like protrusions as a delivery system for regenerative medicine.