bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an ischemic model in ischemia prone and general Mongolian gerbils by neurological symptom, injury, and sex difference
Authors: Du Xiao‐yan , Li Chang‐long , Guo Meng , Wang Ying , Guo Hong‐gang , Dai Fang‐wei , Sa Xiao‐ying , Chen Zhen‐wen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackgroundIn the previous study, we established an ischemia‐prone gerbil population (IG), which was selectively bred to increase the incidence of unilateral carotid arterial occlusion (UCO)‐induced ischemia in Mongolian gerbils. However, if the characteristics of ischemia model in IG are the same as those in general gerbils (GG), and if the neurological symptoms are associated with the neurological insults in IG is still unclear.MethodsIn the present study, we evaluated the UCO model in IG by analyzing neurological symptoms, neurological injury in the hippocampal CA1 region and compared with GG.ResultsThe data showed that the ratios of neurological symptom scores ≥ 2 in the IG and GG groups were 65.0% vs 30.0%, respectively, and were significantly different (P < .01).The neuronal damage following a UCO ischemic insult in the IG group was more severe compared to the GG group. There was a high correlation between the neurological insults’ scale and the neurological symptom score in the IG and GG groups (r = .979 and .943 in the IG and GG groups, respectively). In animals with mild neurological symptom scores (2 and 3), the neuronal insults were significantly different between female and male gerbils in both IG and GG.ConclusionOur findings suggest that IG population would likely be more advantageous to establish an ischemic model.
To develop a novel animal model of myocardial infarction: A research imperative
Authors: Tang Yao‐ping , Liu Ying , Fan Yong‐jie , Zhao Yang‐yang , Feng Jiao‐qun , Liu Yuan 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAlthough great progress has been made in therapeutic interventions for coronary artery disease (CAD), it is still the deadliest disease in the world. Currently animals that are similar to human beings in their cardiovascular pathophysiology are being used to explore the pathogenesis and therapy of CAD. There have been a series of developments in creating CAD animal models using mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, and pigs, but unfortunately there is still no acceptable model for human CAD. The ideal CAD animal model should satisfy several conditions as follows. First of all, it should have a pathophysiological process for CAD that is similar to humans. Second, it should be useable for assessing drug efficacy. The last and most important condition is that the model can be used to duplicate clinical therapeutic skills. The limitations of current methods for making animal models have meant that these models not only do not duplicate the actual pathogenesis, but also cannot be used to simulate clinical therapy, and do not support scientific evaluation of drug efficacy. Therefore, the development of a fit‐for‐purpose animal model for CAD is imperative for future research. Such a development will lead to rapid progress and greater efficiency in CAD research. This paper summarizes the present situation in the field of CAD animal models, and puts forwards ideas for developing a novel animal model of myocardial infarction.
Butein protects the nonalcoholic fatty liver through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species attenuation in rats
Authors: Alshammari Ghedeir M. , Balakrishnan Aristatile , Chinnasamy Thirunavukkarasu 
Published: April 2018

AbstractOne of the worldwide metabolic health dilemma is nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Researchers are searching effective drug to manage NAFLD patients. One of the best way to manage the metabolic imperfection is through natural principal isolated from different sources. Butein, a natural compound known to have numerous pharmacological application. In the current study we assessed the therapeutic effect of butein administration on liver function tests, oxidative stress, antioxidants, lipid abnormalities, serum inflammatory cytokines, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels, in rats with methionine‐choline deficient (MCD) diet induced NAFLD. Male Wistar rats were treated with MCD diet with/without butein (200 mg/kg body wt. orally) for 6 weeks. The protective effect of butein, were evident from decreased transaminase activities, restoration of albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio, and oxidants in serum (P < 0.01), further it improved liver antioxidant status (P < 0.01). Butein significantly lowered lipid profile parameters (P < 0.01), suppressed inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.01), and improved liver histology. Further to understand the possible mechanism behind the hepatoprotective and lipid lowering effect of butein, the activities of heme oxygenase (HO1), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. We found that butein supplementation significantly decreased the activity of HO1 (P < 0.001), and increased the activity of MPO (P < 0.001). Furthermore butein attenuated mitochondrial ROS produced in NAFLD condition. Present study shows that butein supplementation restore liver function by altering liver oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, vital defensive enzyme activities, and mitochondrial ROS. In summary, butein has remarkable potential to develop effective hepato‐protective drug. © 2018 BioFactors, 44(3):289–298, 2018
Identification of four plasma microRNAs as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of male lung squamous cell carcinoma patients in China
Authors: Shan Xia , Zhang Huo , Zhang Lan , Zhou Xin , Wang Tongshan , Zhang JinYing , Shu Yongqian , Zhu Wei , Wen Wei , Liu Ping 
Published: April 2018

AbstractDysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in the plasma of patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) might serve as biomarkers for LSCC diagnosis. The expression of miRNAs was performed using quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) on the basis of Exiqon panels in the initial screening phase including three male LSCC pool samples and one normal control (NC) pool sample (per 10 samples were pooled as one pool sample). After the training (32 LSCC vs. 31 NCs), the testing (55 LSCC vs. 55 NCs), and the external validation (15 LSCC vs. 15 NCs) stages via qRT‐PCR, a four‐miRNA signature (miR‐181a‐5p, miR‐21‐5p, miR‐106a‐5p, and miR‐93‐5p) was identified for LSCC detection. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of the four‐miRNA panel for the training, the testing, and the external validation phases were 0.795, 0.827, and 0.914, respectively. Then, the four miRNAs were explored in LSCC tissue samples (23 LSCC vs. 23 NCs), and their expression was significantly up‐regulated. However, none of the four miRNAs found significantly up‐regulated in plasma exosomes expect miR‐93‐5p with borderline significance (16 LSCC vs. 16 NCs). In summary, our study established a four‐miRNA peripheral plasma signature, which contributed to diagnosing male LSCC patients in China to a certain degree.
Smoking, drinking, and depression: comorbidity in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy
Authors: McCarter Kristen , Baker Amanda L. , Britton Benjamin , Wolfenden Luke , Wratten Chris , Bauer Judith , Halpin Sean A. , Carter Gregory , Beck Alison K. , Leigh Lucy , Oldmeadow Christopher 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWe aimed to determine the prevalence and co‐occurrence of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and depressive symptoms among a sample of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy. A total of 307 HNC patients participated in a multi‐site stepped‐wedge randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of a dietitian‐delivered health behavior intervention in patients with HNC undergoing radiotherapy. During week one of radiotherapy patients completed measures of smoking, alcohol consumption, and level of depression. Approximately one‐fifth (21%) of patients had two or more co‐occurring problems: current smoking, hazardous alcohol use, and/or likely presence of a major depressive episode (MDE). Approximately one‐third (34%) of the sample were current smokers, one‐third (31%) were drinking hazardously and almost one‐fifth (19%) had likely cases of depression. Comorbidity of smoking, hazardous alcohol use, and MDE is high in HNC patients, and interventions need to address this cluster of cancer risk factors.
Programmed death‐ligand 1 expression in gastric cancer: correlation with mismatch repair deficiency and HER2‐negative status
Authors: Wang Lei , Zhang Qiongyan , Ni Shujuan , Tan Cong , Cai Xu , Huang Dan , Sheng Weiqi 
Published: April 2018

AbstractGastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies. Immunotherapy is a promising targeted treatment. The immune regulatory programmed death‐1 (PD‐1)/programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) axis has been used as a checkpoint target for immunotherapy. Currently, considerable discrepancies exist concerning the expression status of PD‐L1 and its prognostic value in GC. We aimed to evaluate the expression rates of PD‐L1 in GC, and further assess its relationship with mismatch repair (MMR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. We retrospectively collected 550 consecutive cases of GC in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from 2010 to 2012. PD‐L1, MMR protein, and HER2 status were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fluorescence in situ hybridization was further used in HER2 IHC 2+ cases. Cases with at least 1% membranous and/or cytoplasmic PD‐L1 staining in either tumor cells (TCs) or tumor‐infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) were considered as PD‐L1 positive. The correlation between clinicopathological parameters, HER2, MMR, and PD‐L1 expression status was determined using chi‐squared tests. About 37.3% cases (205/550) showed PD‐L1 expression in TCs and/or TIICs. 17.3% cases (95/550) showed PD‐L1 expression in TCs, 34.5% (190/550) cases showed PD‐L1 expression in TIICs. There were 45 deficient MMR (dMMR) cases (8.2%), which showed higher rates of PD‐L1 expression compared with MMR‐proficient carcinomas (60.0% vs. 35.2%, P = 0.001). HER2 was positive in 66 (12.0%) cases. The expression of PD‐L1 occurred more frequently in HER2‐negative group than HER2‐positive cohorts (39.0% vs. 24.2%, P = 0.020). The survival analysis revealed that PD‐L1 was not associated with prognosis. This study evaluated the association between the PD‐L1 expression and a specific subgroup (dMMR and HER2‐negative) in a large Asian cohort of GC. GC patients with dMMR and HER2‐negative status exhibited higher PD‐L1 expression rates. Our finding indicated that MMR and HER‐2 status might be potential biomarkers for anti‐PD‐L1 therapy.
Die bunte Welt der Porphyrine
Authors: Weiß Dieter , Täuscher Eric , Brandl Herbert 
Published: April 2018

ZusammenfassungPorphyrine und einige ihrer Metallkomplexsalze (z. B. Chlorophylle, Hämo‐ und Myoglobin) spielen als Naturfarbstoffe eine bedeutende Rolle für das irdische Leben. Die chemische Struktur des Häms (prosthetische Gruppe des roten Blut‐ und Muskelfarbstoffs), seine Biosynthese und seine Abbauprodukte die Gallenfarbstoffe Biliverdin und Bilirubin werden beschrieben. In der Natur findet sich Biliverdin als Farbpigment in grünen bis blauen Eierschalen bestimmter Vögel, weiterhin in den grünen Gräten von Fischen wie Hornhecht‐ und Aalmutter‐Arten. Bilirubin in zu hoher (pathologischer) Konzentration im Blut, verursacht die typischen Symptome der Gelbsucht, die speziell bei Neugeborenen problematisch verlaufen kann. Die heutige Bedeutung der Porphyrinchemie liegt in innovativen medizinischen und technischen Anwendungen. Die faszinierenden Experimente in dieser Publikation mögen Interessenten dazu inspirieren, sich für die Porphyrinchemie zu begeistern und eigene Beobachtungen und Experimente zu machen.
Sulfur (VI) Fluoride Exchange Polymerization for Large Conjugate Chromophores and Functional Main‐Chain Polysulfates with Nonvolatile Memory Performance
Authors: Fan Huiru , Ji Yujin , Xu Qingfeng , Zhou Feng , Wu Bin , Wang Lihua , Li Youyong , Lu Jianmei 
Published: April 2018

AbstractSulfur (VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reactions can be applied not only in organic click synthesis, but also in the preparation of functional main‐chain polymers. In this work, four functional main‐chain polysulfates (PNT‐PS, NPNT‐PS, PHF‐PS, and TPE‐PS) are synthesized in high yield using the SuFEx reaction at room temperature. The polysulfates exhibit satisfactory thermal stability and solution processability. They are used as the active layer for memory devices (ITO/PNT‐PS/Al, ITO/NPNT‐PS/Al, ITO/PHF‐PS/Al, and ITO/TPE‐PS/Al). I–V measurements show that ITO/PNT‐PS/Al and ITO/NPNT‐PS/Al exhibit stable flash‐memory (write‐read‐erase) behavior, while ITO/PHF‐PS/Al and ITO/TPE‐PS/Al exhibit WORM (write once read many) behavior. Our studies provide a feasible and efficient synthetic methodology for the preparation of new memory materials.
Applying ecological site concepts and state‐and‐transition models to a grazed riparian rangeland
Authors: Ratcliff Felix , Bartolome James , Macaulay Luke , Spiegal Sheri , White Michael D. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractEcological sites and state‐and‐transition models are useful tools for generating and testing hypotheses about drivers of vegetation composition in rangeland systems. These models have been widely implemented in upland rangelands, but comparatively, little attention has been given to developing ecological site concepts for rangeland riparian areas, and additional environmental criteria may be necessary to classify riparian ecological sites. Between 2013 and 2016, fifteen study reaches on five creeks were studied at Tejon Ranch in southern California. Data were collected to describe the relationship between riparian vegetation composition, environmental variables, and livestock management; and to explore the utility of ecological sites and state‐and‐transition models for describing riparian vegetation communities and for creating hypotheses about drivers of vegetation change. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to classify the environmental and vegetation data (15 stream reaches × 4 years) into two ecological sites and eight community phases that comprised three vegetation states. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to determine the influence of abiotic site variables, annual precipitation, and cattle activity on vegetation clusters. Channel slope explained the greatest amount of variation in vegetation clusters; however, soil texture, geology, watershed size, and elevation were also selected as important predictors of vegetation composition. The classification tree built with this limited set of abiotic predictor variables explained 90% of the observed vegetation clusters. Cattle grazing and annual precipitation were not linked to qualitative differences in vegetation. Abiotic variables explained almost all of the observed riparian vegetation dynamics—and the divisions in the CART analysis corresponded roughly to the ecological sites—suggesting that ecological sites are well‐suited for understanding and predicting change in this highly variable system. These findings support continued development of riparian ecological site concepts and state‐and‐transition models to aid decision making for conservation and management of rangeland riparian areas.
Layer‐by‐layer Proton Donor and Acceptor Membrane for an Efficient Proton Transfer System in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell
Authors: Meemuk C. , Chirachanchai S. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe high performance proton transfer in polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) is known to be achieved through cooperating of proton donors and acceptors. In order to obtain the effective and efficient proton transfer, the present work proposes a membrane with proton donors and proton acceptors in layer‐by‐layer (LbL) structure. By applying sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) as the substrate membrane and soaking alternatively with the proton donor polymer, i.e. poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), and the proton acceptor heterocycles, i.e. benzimidazoles (BI), the LbL SPEEK/BI/PAA membranes can be achieved. The systematic variation based on the branching benzimidazole groups suggest that the LbL SPEEK/BI/PAA membrane obtained shows an increase in proton conductivity compared to the neat SPEEK, especially in the case of the membrane with trifunctional benzimidazole (B4) is as high as 1–2.5 orders of magnitude over the temperature range of 30–170 °C. The present work points out the simple surface modification of the proton conductive membrane by layer‐by‐layer approach as a practical and simple way to enhance the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane.
Consumer Credit and Over‐indebtedness in China
Authors: Yin Huifen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractOver the past three decades, China has experienced a significant increase in consumer credit. There are many causes for this growth and expansion in credit availability, such as deregulation of consumer credit markets. The expansion of consumer credit leads to the climbing of consumers' over‐indebtedness. Traditional remedies provided to consumers are limited to minor restrictions on attachment of the debtor's property. No statute has been passed in China to rearrange consumer insolvency. Moral hazard and debtor fraud are the two particularly salient concerns that hinder the adoption of consumer insolvency legislation in China. This paper makes use of publicly available data collected on government websites and bank websites to empirically describe the development of consumer credit and consumers' indebtedness in China and also theoretically examines the treatment of over‐indebtedness and the obstacles encountered in the adoption of consumer insolvency legislation. Based on these investigations, the paper suggests that although there are some obstacles, it is necessary and feasible to construct consumer insolvency system in China. Copyright © 2018 INSOL International and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Achieving state‐of‐the‐art ICT connectivity in developing countries: The Azerbaijan model of Technology Leapfrogging
Authors: Ng Evelyn , Tan Barney 
Published: April 2018

AbstractTechnology Leapfrogging can allow developing countries to achieve an advanced state of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) connectivity rapidly and efficiently. And yet, despite its apparent value and benefits, there is currently a lack of research on how the process is enacted. In an attempt to fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a case study of Azerbaijan's national ICT infrastructure development journey. Azerbaijan is one of the top developing countries across the globe in terms of ICT connectivity, and with an in‐depth exploration of how it planned for ICT development, and leveraged new and existing ICT capabilities toward the implementation of high‐impact projects in the areas of infrastructure development, e‐government, information management and security, business and entrepreneurship, and research and education, a process model of Technology Leapfrogging is derived and presented in this article. More specifically, our process model suggests that ICT development in Azerbaijan unfolded as a “stage‐skipping” variant of Technology Leapfrogging that consists of 4 stages: (1) strategizing, (2) anchoring, (3) enacting, and (4) reinforcing. Traversing the 4 stages enabled Azerbaijan to achieve the state of the art in ICT connectivity quickly and cost‐effectively, which served to generate a number of economic and social outcomes for the country in spite of its limited resources.
Application of mesenchymal stem cells to enhance non‐union bone fracture healing
Authors: Mousaei Ghasroldasht Mohammad , Matin Maryam M. , Kazemi Mehrjerdi Hossein , Naderi‐Meshkin Hojjat , Moradi Ali , Rajabioun Masoud , Alipour Faeze , Ghasemi Samaneh , Zare Mohammad , Mirahmadi Mahdi , Bidkhori Hamid Reza , Bahrami Ahmad Reza 
Published: April 2018

AbstractECM components include a number of osteoinductive and osteoconductive factors, which are involved in bone fracture healing. In this study, a combination of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad‐MSCs), cancellous bone graft (CBG), and chitosan hydrogel (CHI) was applied to the non‐union bone fracture and healing effects were evaluated for the first time. After creation of animal models with non‐union fracture in rats, they were randomly classified into seven groups. Radiography at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after surgery, indicated the positive effects of Ad‐MSCs + CBG + CHI and Ad‐MSCs + CBG in treatment of bone fractures as early as 2 weeks after the surgery. These data were confirmed with both biomechanical and histological studies. Gene expression analyses ofVegfandBmp2showed a positive effect of Ad‐MSCs on vascularization and osteogenic differentiation in all groups receiving Ad‐MSCs, as shown by real‐time PCR. Immunofluorescence analysis and RT‐PCR results indicated existence of human Ad‐MSCs in the fractured region 8 weeks post‐surgery. In conclusion, we suggest that application of Ad‐MSCs, CBG, and CHI, could be a suitable combination for osteoinduction and osteoconduction to improve non‐union bone fracture healing. Further investigations are required to determine the exact mechanisms involved in this process before moving to clinical studies. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 301–311, 2019.
Could Adenosine Recognize its Receptors with a Stoichiometry Other than 1 : 1?
Authors: Deganutti Giuseppe , Salmaso Veronica , Moro Stefano 
Published: April 2018

AbstractOne of the most largely accepted concepts in the G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) field is that the ligand, either agonist or antagonist, recognizes its receptor with a stoichiometry of 1 : 1. Recent experimental evidence, reporting ternary complexes formed by GPCR:orthosteric: allosteric ligands, has complicated the ligand‐receptor 1 : 1 binding scenario. Molecular modeling simulations have been used to retrieve insights on the whole ligand‐receptor recognition process, beyond information on the final bound state provided by experimental techniques. The simulation of adenosine binding pathways towards the A2A adenosine receptor highlighted the presence of alternative binding sites (meta‐binding sites) beside the canonical orthosteric one, mainly in proximity to the extracellular vestibule. In light of all these considerations, we investigated the possibility that a second molecule of adenosine engages its receptor when this is already in the holo form, generating a ternary complex with a stoichiometry of 2 : 1. Unexpectedly, supervised molecular dynamics (SuMD) simulations showed that the A2A adenosine receptor could bind the second molecule of adenosine in one of the possible meta‐binding sites as well as into its orthosteric site. The formation of this ternary complex, which favored the formation of the intracellular “ionic lock” between R102 (3.50) and E228 (6.30), could putatively be framed in the context of a negative allosteric regulation.