bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Functional and phenotypic heterogeneity of Th17 cells in health and disease
Authors: Bystrom Jonas , Clanchy Felix I. L. , Taher Taher E. , Al‐Bogami Mohammed , Ong Voon H. , Abraham David J. , Williams Richard O. , Mageed Rizgar A. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundTh17 cells have nonredundant roles in maintaining immunity, particularly at mucosal surfaces. These roles are achieved principally through the production of cytokines and the recruitment of other immune cells to maintain the integrity of mucosal barriers and prevent the dissemination of microorganisms. Th17 cells are heterogeneous and exhibit a considerable degree of plasticity. This allows these cells to respond to changing environmental challenges. However, Th17 cells also play pro‐inflammatory roles in chronic autoimmune diseases. The trigger(s) that initiate these Th17 responses in chronic autoimmune diseases remain unclear.DesignIn this report, we provide an overview of studies involving animal models, patient data, genome wide association studies and clinical trials targeting IL‐17 for treatment of patients to gain a better understanding of the pathogenic roles of Th17 cells play in a range of autoimmune diseases.ResultsThe report sheds light on likely triggers that initiate or perpetuate Th17 responses that promote chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. The divergent effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha blockade on Th17 cells in patients, is explored. Furthermore, we highlight the role of Th17 cells in inducing autoreactive B cells, leading to autoantibody production. Pathogenic bacterial species can change Th17 cell phenotype and responses. These findings provide insights into how Th17 cells could be induced to promoting autoimmune disease pathogenesis.ConclusionThis article provides an overview of the distinct roles Th17 cells play in maintaining immunity at mucosal surfaces and in skin mucosa and how their functional flexibility could be linked with chronic inflammation in autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Testing the role of the posterior cingulate cortex in processing salient stimuli in cannabis users: an rTMS study
Authors: Prashad Shikha , Dedrick Elizabeth S. , To Wing Ting , Vanneste Sven , Filbey Francesca M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precuneus are hubs in the default mode network and play a role in processing external salient stimuli. Accordingly, activation in these regions has been associated with response to salient stimuli using drug cue‐reactivity paradigms in substance using populations. These studies suggest that the PCC and precuneus may underlie deficits in processing salient stimuli that contribute toward the development of substance use disorders. The goal of this study was to directly test this hypothesis using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Using a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design, we used rTMS to target the PCC and precuneus with a double‐cone coil at 10 Hz (high frequency) and 1 Hz (low frequency) in 10 adult cannabis users and 10 age‐ and sex‐matched non‐using controls. Electroencephalography data were collected before and after rTMS during a modified oddball paradigm with neutral, oddball, self‐relevant, and cannabis‐related stimuli. Cannabis users exhibited increased amplitude in P3 and faster latencies in the P3, N2, and P2 components in response to self‐relevant stimuli compared to controls during baseline that normalized after rTMS. These results suggest that cannabis users exhibited heightened salience to external self‐relevant stimuli that were modulated after rTMS. PCC dysfunction in cannabis users may be related to abnormalities in processing salient stimuli, such those during cue‐reactivity, and provides a potential target for cannabis use disorder intervention.
Response anisocoria in the pupillary light and darkness reflex
Authors: Wang Chin‐An , Tworzyanski Leanne , Huang Jeff , Munoz Douglas P. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe pupil constricts or dilates in response to a luminance increase or decrease, and these transient pupillary responses are controlled by the parasympathetic and sympathetic pathways. Although pupillary responses of the two eyes are highly correlated, they are not always identical (referred to as anisocoria). For example, there are unequal direct and consensual pupillary constriction responses after an increase in luminance to one eye. While contraction anisocoria (i.e. constriction) has been demonstrated in the pupillary light reflex, it is not yet known if there is also dilation anisocoria in the pupillary darkness reflex. Unlike previous studies that focused on the pupillary light reflex, we examined response anisocoria in both pupillary light and darkness reflexes. While requiring participants to maintain central fixation, we presented a light or dark stimulus to either the right or left visual field to induce transient pupillary constriction or dilation. Both the pupillary light and darkness reflexes had significantly larger ipsilateral responses compared to the contralateral responses relative to the stimulated visual field. The observed ipsilateral effects occurred significantly faster in the light than darkness reflex, suggesting that larger ipsilateral pupillary dilation after a luminance decrease cannot be only attributed to the inhibition of the parasympathetic system, but is also mediated by the excitation of the sympathetic system. Together, our results demonstrated a larger ipsilateral pupil response in both the pupillary light and darkness reflex, indicating an asymmetry in ipsilateral and contralateral neural circuitry of the pupillary darkness reflex.
Neural basis of goal‐driven changes in knowledge activation
Authors: Wang Wei‐Chun , Brashier Nadia M. , Wing Erik A. , Marsh Elizabeth J. , Cabeza Roberto 
Published: October 2018

AbstractDepending on a person's goals, different aspects of stored knowledge are accessed. Decades of behavioral work document the flexible use of knowledge, but little neuroimaging work speaks to these questions. We used representational similarity analysis to investigate whether the relationship between brain activity and semantic structure of statements varied in two tasks hypothesized to differ in the degree to which knowledge is accessed: judging truth (semantic task) and judging oldness (episodic task). During truth judgments, but not old/new recognition judgments, a left‐lateralized network previously associated with semantic memory exhibited correlations with semantic structure. At a neural level, people activate knowledge representations in different ways when focused on different goals. The present results demonstrate the potential of multivariate approaches in characterizing knowledge storage and retrieval, as well as the ways that it shapes our understanding and long‐term memory.
Investigation of soil properties using different techniques of mid‐infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Ma F. , Du C. W. , Zhou J. M. , Shen Y. Z. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryDiffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRF), attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (ATR) and Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) are useful techniques that are commonly used to characterize soil properties. Here, these techniques were used to evaluate individual properties of 1456 paddy soil samples from Nanjing, China, to explore their features in the mid‐infrared range. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed broad and shouldered peaks that ranged from 4000 to 500 cm−1. Attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy produced main peaks around 1000 cm−1. Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy spectra showed several moderate intensity peaks in the regions of 4000–2600 and 2500–500 cm−1. The effective variables (wavenumbers) were selected using an uninformative variable elimination (UVE) algorithm to predict soil pH, and soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP) contents; it used a self‐adaptive partial least squares model (SAM–PLS). The results showed that selected wavenumbers improved the accuracy of prediction for pH, and SOM, TN and AP contents. For the prediction of pH, ATR spectra showed marginally better performance than the other spectra. The DRF spectroscopy was the optimal method for SOM and TN prediction. Available phosphorus contents were predicted poorly by all three spectra. Furthermore, mid‐infrared incident light paths, absorption modes, sensing styles, as well as peak interference and the prediction model, were the main factors that affected the assessment of soil properties in the three types of spectroscopy.Highlights
Soil spectra data were measured with DRF, ATR and PAS spectrometers over the range 4000–500 cm−1.
A UVE algorithm was used to select effective wavenumbers from the full spectrum.
The pH, SOM, TN and AP were estimated using three techniques based on a SAM–PLS model.
Mid‐infrared incident light paths and absorption modes affected prediction performance of the three techniques.
Combining two national‐scale datasets to map soil properties, the case of available magnesium in England and Wales
Authors: Lark R. M. , Ander E. L. , Broadley M. R. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryGiven the costs of soil survey it is necessary to make the best use of available datasets, but data that differ with respect to some aspect of the sampling or analytical protocol cannot be combined simply. In this paper we consider a case where two datasets were available on the concentration of plant‐available magnesium in the topsoil. The datasets were the Representative Soil Sampling Scheme (RSSS) and the National Soil Inventory (NSI) of England and Wales. The variable was measured over the same depth interval and with the same laboratory method, but the sample supports were different and so the datasets differ in their variance. We used a multivariate geostatistical model, the linear model of coregionalization (LMCR), to model the joint spatial distribution of the two datasets. The model allowed us to elucidate the effects of the sample support on the two datasets, and to show that there was a strong correlation between the underlying variables. The LMCR allowed us to make spatial predictions of the variable on the RSSS support by cokriging the RSSS data with the NSI data. We used cross‐validation to test the validity of the LMCR and showed how incorporating the NSI data restricted the range of prediction error variances relative to univariate ordinary kriging predictions from the RSSS data alone. The standardized squared prediction errors were computed and the coverage of prediction intervals (i.e. the proportion of sites at which the prediction interval included the observed value of the variable). Both these statistics suggested that the prediction error variances were consistent for the cokriging predictions but not for the ordinary kriging predictions from the simple combination of the RSSS and NSI data, which might be proposed on the basis of their very similar mean values. The LMCR is therefore proposed as a general tool for the combined analysis of different datasets on soil properties.Highlights
Differences in sample support mean that two datasets on a soil property cannot be combined simply.
We showed how a multivariate geostatistical model can be used to elucidate the relationships between two such datasets.
The same model allows soil properties to be mapped jointly from such data.
This offers a general basis for combining soil datasets from diverse sources
How do speculators in agricultural commodity markets impact production decisions and commodity prices? A theoretical analysis
Authors: Koziol Christian , Treuter Tilo 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWe analyze the impact of speculative trading in agricultural commodity markets on major economic quantities. We consider a theoretical model with production shocks, in which a farmer interacts with a retailer in both the spot and the forward market. The contribution of the paper is twofold. First, we show that the current forward price drives agricultural production decisions. Since the forward trading of speculators influences the forward price, they indirectly affect production decisions. Second, we identify crucial variables determining whether speculative trading is beneficial or dangerous, such as the correlation between the speculators’ portfolio and the commodity prices, the risk premium of the forward, and the producer's gains.
Distinguishing the victim from the threat: SNP‐based methods reveal the extent of introgressive hybridization between wildcats and domestic cats in Scotland and inform future in situ and ex situ management options for species restoration
Authors: Senn Helen V. , Ghazali Muhammad , Kaden Jennifer , Barclay David , Harrower Ben , Campbell Ruairidh D. , Macdonald David W. , Kitchener Andrew C. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe degree of introgressive hybridization between the Scottish wildcat and domestic cat has long been suspected to be advanced. Here, we use a 35‐SNP‐marker test, designed to assess hybridization between wildcat and domestic cat populations in Scotland, to assess a database of 295 wild‐living and captive cat samples, and test the assumptions of the test using 3,097 SNP markers generated independently in a subset of the data using ddRAD. We discovered that despite increased genetic resolution provided by these methods, wild‐living cats in Scotland show a complete genetic continuum or hybrid swarm structure when judged against reference data. The historical population of wildcats, although hybridized, clearly groups at one end of this continuum, as does the captive population of wildcats. The interpretation of pelage scores against nuclear genetic data continues to be problematic. This is probably because of a breakdown in linkage equilibrium between wildcat pelage genes as the two populations have become increasingly mixed, meaning that pelage score or SNP score alone is poor diagnostic predictors of hybrid status. Until better tools become available, both should be used jointly, where possible, when making management decisions about individual cats. We recommend that the conservation community in Scotland must now define clearly what measures are to be used to diagnose a wildcat in the wild in Scotland, if future conservation action is to be effective.
Brimonidine displays anti‐inflammatory properties in the skin through the modulation of the vascular barrier function
Authors: Bertino Béatrice , Blanchet‐Réthoré Sandrine , Thibaut de Ménonville Séverine , Reynier Philippe , Méhul Bruno , Bogouch Audrey , Gamboa Bastien , Dugaret Anne Sophie , Zugaj Didier , Petit Laurent , Roquet Manon , Piwnica David , Vial Emmanuel , Bourdès Valerie , Voegel Johannes J. , Nonne Christelle 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundRosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Characteristic vascular changes in rosacea skin include enlarged, dilated vessels of the upper dermis and blood flow increase.Brimonidine is approved for symptomatic relief of the erythema of rosacea. It acts by selectively binding to α2‐adrenergic receptors present on smooth muscle in the peripheral vasculature, resulting in transient local vasoconstriction.ObjectivesTo provide further evidence of the anti‐inflammatory potential of brimonidine across preclinical models of skin inflammation and its ability to decrease the neutrophil infiltration in human skin after ultraviolet light exposure.MethodsThe anti‐inflammatory properties of brimonidine through modulation of the vascular barrier function were assessed using in vivo neurogenic vasodilation and acute inflammatory models and a well‐described in vitro transmigration assay. A clinical study assessed the neutrophil infiltration in human skin after exposure to UV in 37 healthy Caucasian male subjects.ResultsIn vitro, brimonidine affects the transmigration of human neutrophils through the endothelial barrier by modulating adhesion molecules.In vivo, in the mouse, topical treatment with brimonidine, used at a vasoconstrictive dose, confirmed its anti‐inflammatory properties and prevented leucocyte recruitment (rolling and adhesion) mediated by endothelial cells.Topical pretreatment with brimonidine tartrate 0.33% gel once a day for 4 days significantly prevented neutrophil infiltration by 53.9% in human skin after exposure to UV light.ConclusionResults from in vitro, in vivo and from a clinical study indicate that brimonidine impacts acute inflammation of the skin by interfering with neurogenic activation and/or recruitment of neutrophils.
Beta‐lactam‐induced severe neutropaenia: a descriptive study
Authors: Vial Thierry , Bailly Henry , Perault‐Pochat Marie‐Christine , Default Anne , Boulay Charlène , Chouchana Laurent , Kassai Behrouz ,   the French Network of Pharmacovigilance Centres
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics and natural history of beta‐lactam‐induced severe neutropaenia and to evaluate the risk of recurrences after another beta‐lactam readministration. Reports of pure agranulocytosis associated with a beta‐lactam exposure within the 10 days preceding the neutropaenia were extracted from the French Pharmacovigilance Database over the year 2010. Cases with another evident cause or more likely attributable to another drug were excluded. Data were analyzed for demographics, clinical and biological features, prognosis factors, granulocyte colony stimulating factors administration and outcome. Sixty‐two cases were included (median age: 65 years). The median duration of treatment before neutropaenia was 16 days. In 47% of cases, the diagnosis was made on a systematic blood cell count. The median neutrophil count at nadir was 0.125 × 109/L, and bone marrow examination evidenced features of neutrophilic maturation arrest or aplasia in 21 patients, hyperplasia of granulopoietic cells in three and normal findings in five. Three patients developed severe sepsis. All but one recovered a normal blood cell count within 2–56 days after beta‐lactam discontinuation. The last patient died from recurrent severe septic shock. No significant effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor on the mean duration of haematological recovery was found. Among the 21 patients who later received another beta‐lactam, two experienced recurrence of the neutropaenia after receiving a beta‐lactam from another subfamily. Beta‐lactam‐induced agranulocytosis was usually observed after prolonged treatment, and severe complications are uncommon. In most patients, a subsequent treatment with another beta‐lactam was well tolerated.
Medicated or not medicated hypnotic substance use: strategies in sleep disorders among patients of community pharmacy
Authors: Lauzeille Delphine , Guerlais Marylène , Sallenave‐Namont Claire , Etcheverrigaray François , Broccato Luciano , Poisblaud Quentin , Jolliet Pascale , Victorri‐Vigneau Caroline 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe principal outcome was to identify which hypnotics substances, medicated (benzodiazepines, antihistamine, antidepressant…) or not medicated (herbal medicine, homeopathy, melatonin…), were consumed by community pharmacy patients who reported taking something for sleep disorder, and which factors can influence the consumption of medicated substance rather than nonmedicated substance. Data were collected via a network of 73 partner pharmacies around Nantes, France. Patients who reported taking a substance to sleep completed a questionnaire that collected data relative to the different substances consumed by that person for sleep, and the desired effect. Substances were classified in Hypnotic Drug Substances and nonmedicated hypnotic substances. A logistical regression was done in order to highlight the factors associated with the consumption of Hypnotic Drug Substance rather than nonmedicated hypnotic substances. Six hundred and forty‐seven patients were included, with an average age of 58 years and 74% female. The principal strategy employed to combat sleep disorder was the consumption of Hypnotic Drug Substance (54%), followed by herbal medicine (32%) and homeopathy (19%). The factors positively associated with the consumption of a Hypnotic Drug Substance are age, living alone, being out of work, or in the process of looking for a job and being a parent. In our survey, the use of Hypnotic Drug Substance to help patients with sleep is far from systematic. On the other hand, among patients who consume HDS, misuse is still significant, particularly in terms of the duration of consumption.
Inhibition of F1‐ATPase from Trypanosoma brucei by its regulatory protein inhibitor TbIF1
Authors: Gahura Ondřej , Panicucci Brian , Váchová Hana , Walker John E. , Zíková Alena 
Published: October 2018

Hydrolysis of ATP by the mitochondrial F‐ATPase is inhibited by a protein called IF1. In the parasitic flagellate, Trypanosoma brucei, this protein, known as TbIF1, is expressed exclusively in the procyclic stage, where the F‐ATPase is synthesizing ATP. In the bloodstream stage, where TbIF1 is absent, the F‐ATPase hydrolyzes ATP made by glycolysis and compensates for the absence of a proton pumping respiratory chain by translocating protons into the intermembrane space, thereby maintaining the essential mitochondrial membrane potential. We have defined regions and amino acid residues of TbIF1 that are required for its inhibitory activity by analyzing the binding of several modified recombinant inhibitors to F1‐ATPase isolated from the procyclic stage of T. brucei. Kinetic measurements revealed that the C‐terminal portion of TbIF1 facilitates homodimerization, but it is not required for the inhibitory activity, similar to the bovine and yeast orthologs. However, in contrast to bovine IF1, the inhibitory capacity of the C‐terminally truncated TbIF1 diminishes with decreasing pH, similar to full length TbIF1. This effect does not involve the dimerization of active dimers to form inactive tetramers. Over a wide pH range, the full length and C‐terminally truncated TbIF1 form dimers and monomers, respectively. TbIF1 has no effect on bovine F1‐ATPase, and this difference in the mechanism of regulation of the F‐ATPase between the host and the parasite could be exploited in the design of drugs to combat human and animal African trypanosomiases.
Morphological and isotopic changes of heterocystous cyanobacteria in response to N2 partial pressure
Authors: Silverman Shaelyn N. , Kopf Sebastian H. , Bebout Brad M. , Gordon Richard , Som Sanjoy M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractEarth's atmospheric composition has changed significantly over geologic time. Many redox active atmospheric constituents have left evidence of their presence, while inert constituents such as dinitrogen gas (N2) are more elusive. In this study, we examine two potential biological indicators of atmospheric N2: the morphological and isotopic signatures of heterocystous cyanobacteria. Biological nitrogen fixation constitutes the primary source of fixed nitrogen to the global biosphere and is catalyzed by the oxygen‐sensitive enzyme nitrogenase. To protect this enzyme, some filamentous cyanobacteria restrict nitrogen fixation to microoxic cells (heterocysts) while carrying out oxygenic photosynthesis in vegetative cells. Heterocysts terminally differentiate in a pattern that is maintained as the filaments grow, and nitrogen fixation imparts a measurable isotope effect, creating two biosignatures that have previously been interrogated under modern N2 partial pressure (pN2) conditions. Here, we examine the effect of variable pN2 on these biosignatures for two species of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena. We provide the first in vivo estimate of the intrinsic isotope fractionation factor of Mo‐nitrogenase (εfix = −2.71 ± 0.09‰) and show that, with decreasing pN2, the net nitrogen isotope fractionation decreases for both species, while the heterocyst spacing decreases for Anabaena cylindrica and remains unchanged for Anabaena variabilis. These results are consistent with the nitrogen fixation mechanisms available in the two species. Application of these quantifiable effects to the geologic record may lead to new paleobarometric measurements for pN2, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of Earth's atmospheric evolution.