bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Microbial lipid extraction from Lipomyces starkeyi using irreversible electroporation
Authors: Karim Ahasanul , Yousuf Abu , Islam M. Amirul , Naif Yasir H. , Faizal Che Ku Mohammad , Alam Md. Zahangir , Pirozzi Domenico 
Published: February 2018

The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using irreversible electroporation (EP) as a microbial cell disruption technique to extract intracellular lipid within short time and in an eco‐friendly manner. An EP circuit was designed and fabricated to obtain 4 kV with frequency of 100 Hz of square waves. The yeast cells of Lipomyces starkeyi (L. starkeyi) were treated by EP for 2‐10 min where the distance between electrodes was maintained at 2, 4, and 6 cm. Colony forming units (CFU) were counted to observe the cell viability under the high voltage electric field. The forces of the pulsing electric field caused significant damage to the cell wall of L. starkeyi and the disruption of microbial cells was visualized by field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM) image. After breaking the cell wall, lipid was extracted and measured to assess the efficiency of EP over other techniques. The extent of cell inactivation was up to 95% when the electrodes were placed at the distance of 2 cm, which provided high treatment intensity (36.7 kWh m−3). At this condition, maximum lipid (63 mg g−1) was extracted when the biomass was treated for 10 min. During the comparison, EP could extract 31.88% lipid while the amount was 11.89% for ultrasonic and 16.8% for Fenton's reagent. The results recommend that the EP is a promising technique for lowering the time and solvent usage for lipid extraction from microbial biomass. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:838–845, 2018
A blood tumor marker combination assay produces high sensitivity and specificity for cancer according to the natural history
Authors: Kobayashi Tsuneo 
Published: February 2018

AbstractDiagnosis using a specific tumor marker is difficult because the sensitivity of this detection method is under 20%. Herein, a tumor marker combination assay, combining growth‐related tumor marker and associated tumor marker (Cancer, 73(7), 1994), was employed. This double‐blind tumor marker combination assay (TMCA) showed 87.5% sensitivity as the results, but a low specificity, ranging from 30 to 76%. To overcome this low specificity, we exploited complex markers, a multivariate analysis and serum fractionation by biochemical biopsy. Thus, in this study, a combination of new techniques was used to re‐evaluate these serum samples. Three serum panels, containing 90, 120, and 97 samples were obtained from the Mayo Clinic. The final results showed 80‐90% sensitivity, 84‐85% specificity, and 83‐88% accuracy. We demonstrated a notable tumor marker combination assay with high accuracy. This TMCA should be applicable for primary cancer detection and recurrence prevention.
The efficacy of adding targeted agents to neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer patients: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhong Xi , Wu Zhonghua , Gao Peng , Shi Jinxin , Sun Jingxu , Guo Zhexu , Wang Zhenning , Song Yongxi 
Published: February 2018

AbstractPatients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) are at tremendous risk of metastatic diseases. To improve the prognoses of LARC patients, the efficacy of adding targeted agents to neoadjuvant therapy has been investigated by many researchers but remains controversial. A literature search of relevant databases was conducted through December 2016, 804 studies were identified and 32 investigations were ultimately included. A total of 1196 patients from 31 cohorts of 29 studies were eligible for quantitative synthesis in this single‐arm setting meta‐analysis. As pathologic complete response (pCR) shows promise as a prognosis indicator, we focused on pCR rates to evaluate whether adding targeted agents to neoadjuvant therapies improves the outcome of LARC patients. In our study, we revealed pooled estimates of pCR of 27% (95%CI, 21–34%) and 14% (95%CI, 9–21%) for bevacizumab‐relevant cohorts and cetuximab‐relevant cohorts, respectively. The safety of adding targeted agents to neoadjuvant therapy was also evaluated by pooling the data of Grade 3/4 toxicity. In conclusion, our study revealed that adding bevacizumab to the neoadjuvant therapy regimens provides appreciable pCR for LARC patients. Meanwhile, the efficacy of cetuximab remains inconclusive, RCTs with larger scale and better study design that stress more on mutational status are needed.
Forkhead box C2 promotes the invasion ability of human trophoblast cells through Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Yuhong , Zhang Yangjia 
Published: February 2018

AbstractEmbryonic development depends on the normal invasion of trophoblast cells. Forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) is a member of Forkhead box family, which is involved in the tumor cells invasion. The aim of this study was to explore the roles of FOXC2 on the invasion of human trophoblast cells, and further study its molecular mechanism. The mRNA and protein levels of FOXC2 in human normal trophoblast and choriocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed by quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) and Western blot assays, respectively. Methylthiazolyldiphenyl‐tetrazo lium bromide (MTT) and transwell assays were separately performed to detect the adhesion and invasion of normal trophoblast cells treated with exogenous FOXC2 and FOXC2 siRNA. QRT‐PCR and Western blot assays were used to test levels of the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway‐related factors, respectively. Herein, our results found that the expression levels of FOXC2 in normal trophoblast cells were lower than choriocarcinoma cells. FOXC2 over‐expression remarkably strengthened the adhesion and invasion abilities of normal trophoblast cells. Moreover, over‐expression of FOXC2 significantly promoted the expression of human leukocyte antigen‐G (HLA‐G), matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2), Vimentin, sonic hedgehog (Shh), Glioma‐associated oncogene homolog 1 (Gli1), and Snail, and inhibited E‐cadherin expression. However, it showed the opposite tendency in FOXC2 siRNA group. In addition, there was no significant change in the expression of MMP9 among different groups. Above results illustrated that FOXC2 could promote the invasion ability of normal trophoblast cells by EMT‐mediated Hh pathway.
Neonatal adrenal findings: significance and diagnostic approach. Description of two cases
Authors: Angelis Dimitrios , Mudduluru Manjula , Joseph Sonia , Ching Christopher , Hughes Amanda , Bennett Robert 
Published: February 2018

Key Clinical MessageAbnormal adrenal findings such as hemorrhage or calcifications in the neonate can stem from a variety of etiologies. Clinical presentation can vary significantly based on the degree of hemorrhage or the associated condition. Thorough work‐up is important to rule out critical underlying conditions as well as adrenal insufficiency.
Renal cyst infection: a diagnostic dilemma
Authors: Kamboj Mayanka , Zeng Xu , Koratala Abhilash 
Published: February 2018

Key Clinical MessageCyst infection is a common complication of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. It presents with vague clinical features and imaging findings which make the diagnosis challenging. Imaging findings can be misinterpreted as renal cell carcinoma, and biopsy of the lesion is often required for definitive diagnosis.
Claramines: A New Class Of Broad‐Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents With Bimodal Activity
Authors: Blanchet Marine , Borselli Diane , Rodallec Anne , Peiretti Franck , Vidal Nicolas , Bolla Jean‐Michel , Digiorgio Carole , Morrison Kelly R. , Wuest William M. , Brunel Jean Michel 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacteria and pathogens has created an urgent need for the development of new antibiotics. Herein we report our investigations into the broad‐spectrum activity of an easily prepared water‐soluble polyaminosterol compound, namely claramine A1, against both drug‐sensitive and drug‐resistant Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacterial strains. We also report its peculiar mechanism of action, which differs from that of all the other well‐known classes of antibiotics, toward Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. Given their low cytotoxicity, this class of compounds based on claramine A1 could constitute an effective response to combat the emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacteria and nosocomial diseases.
Fluorescent Flavoprotein Heterodimers: Combining Photostability with Singlet Oxygen Generation
Authors: Rodríguez‐Pulido Alberto , Torra Joaquim , Mejías Sara H. , Cortajarena Aitziber L. , Ruiz‐González Rubén , Nonell Santi , Flors Cristina 
Published: February 2018

AbstractFlavoproteins that combine stable fluorescence emission with the ability to photosensitize reactive oxygen species (ROS) have great potential for advanced imaging techniques, such as correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). However, ROS photosensitization results in substantial fluorescence photobleaching in flavoproteins, limiting their application as genetically encoded microscopy tags. To address this issue, we have engineered two novel flavoprotein heterodimers from monomers with complementary properties, and show that a good compromise between photostability and singlet oxygen photosensitization can be achieved. The potential of the heterodimers as tags for CLEM is also investigated and discussed. Since the size of the tandem heterodimers is still small, similar to that of a single green fluorescent protein, these novel tags are a useful addition to the flavoprotein toolbox for a growing number of advanced imaging techniques.
A Lion‐Whale optimization‐based migration of virtual machines for data centers in cloud computing
Authors: Venkata Krishna J. , Apparao Naidu G. , Upadhayaya Niraj 
Published: February 2018

SummaryThe scalability, reliability, and flexibility in the cloud computing services are the obligations in the growing demand of computation power. To sustain the scalability, a proper virtual machine migration (VMM) approach is needed with apt balance on quality of service and service‐level agreement violation. In this paper, a novel VMM algorithm based on Lion‐Whale optimization is developed by integrating the Lion optimization algorithm and the Whale optimization algorithm. The optimal virtual machine (VM) migration is performed by the Lion‐Whale VMM based on a new fitness function in the regulation of the resource use, migration cost, and energy consumption of VM placement. The experimentation of the proposed VM migration strategy is performed over 4 cloud setups with a different configuration which are simulated using CloudSim toolkit. The performance of the proposed method is validated over existing optimization‐based VMM algorithms, such as particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm, using the performance measures, such as energy consumption, migration cost, and resource use. Simulation results reveal the fact that the proposed Lion‐Whale VMM effectively outperforms other existing approaches in optimal VM placement for cloud computing environment with reduced migration cost of 0.01, maximal resource use of 0.36, and minimal energy consumption of 0.09.
Immediate biopsy of cervical cytology‐negative and non‐HPV‐16/18 oncogenic types positive patients
Authors: Karaca İbrahim , Öztürk Mustafa , Comba Cihan , Demirayak Gökhan , Alay İsmail , Erdoğan Volkan Şakir , Hoşgören Murat , Yaşar Levent 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundAccording to the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), a co‐test is recommended for patients one year after the detection of non‐HPV 16/18 viral types in association with a negative cervical cytology. In this study, we used immediate colposcopy to evaluate the risks to the patient during the one year waiting period.MethodsWe included 544 Hpv‐positive/cervical cytology‐negative patients who underwent cervical cancer screening from June 2015 to June 2017. Cytological specimens were classified using the Bethesta method on a liquid based preparation. We used the Hybrid Capture 2 system to define HPV DNA. Biopsies were performed on all patients under colposcopy.ResultsThree hundred and seventy‐five patients had HPV types 16/18 and 169 had non‐HPV‐16/18 oncogenic types. Of the 169 patients who had non‐HPV‐16/18 oncogenic types, 151 (89%) had no dysplasia, 16 (9.4%) had CIN 1, and 2 (1.1%) had CIN 2/CIN 3.ConclusionFor the patients who had cervical cytology negative/non‐HPV‐16/18 positive, we detected that 1.1% of these women had CIN 2‐3. For this reason, by chasing the algorithm recommended by guidelines, gynecologists take risk missing a diagnosis of CIN 2 plus lesion in 1.1% of patients.
Evaluation of nuclear chromatin using grayscale intensity and thresholded percentage area in liquid‐based cervical cytology
Authors: Lee Hyekyung , Han Myungein , Yoo Taejo , Jung Chanho , Son Hyun‐Jin , Cho Migyung 
Published: February 2018

ObjectivesDevelopment of computerized image analysis techniques has opened up the possibility for the quantitative analysis of nuclear chromatin in pathology. We hypothesized that the features extracted from digital images could be used to determine specific cytomorphological findings for nuclear chromatin that may be applicable for establishing a medical diagnosis.MethodsThree parameters were evaluated from nuclear chromatin images obtained from the liquid‐based cervical cytology samples of patients with biopsy‐proven high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL), and compared between non‐neoplastic squamous epithelia and dysplastic epithelia groups: (1) standard deviation (SD) of the grayscale intensity; (2) difference between the maximum and minimum grayscale intensity (M‐M); and (3) thresholded area percentage. Each parameter was evaluated at the mean, mean‐1SD, and mean‐2SD thresholding intensity levels.ResultsBetween the mean and mean‐1SD levels, the thresholded nuclear chromatin pattern was most similar to the chromatin granularity of the unthresholded grayscale images. The SD of the gray intensity and the thresholded area percentage differed significantly between the non‐neoplastic squamous epithelia and dysplastic epithelia of HGSIL images at all three thresholding intensity levels (mean, mean‐1SD, and mean‐2SD). However, the M‐M significantly differed between the two sample types for only two of the thresholding intensity levels (mean‐1SD and mean‐2SD).ConclusionsThe digital parameters SD and M‐M of the grayscale intensity, along with the thresholded area percentage could be useful in automated cytological evaluations. Further studies are needed to identify more valuable parameters for clinical application.
Trajectories of frontal brain activity and socio‐emotional development in children
Authors: Poole Kristie L. , Santesso Diane L. , Van Lieshout Ryan J. , Schmidt Louis A. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAsymmetric frontal brain activity is thought to reflect individual differences in approach‐ and avoidance‐oriented motivation and emotional experience. Using a prospective longitudinal design, the authors investigated whether trajectories of frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry in children (Mage = 6.39 years at enrollment) predicted subjective, behavioral, and autonomic indices of socioemotional processes. Resting frontal EEG activity was measured across four separate repeated assessments spanning approximately 2 years. Children's EEG asymmetry across assessments was best characterized by two trajectories: a stable right frontal asymmetry class (48.65%), and a stable left frontal asymmetry class (51.35%). At visit 4, children in the stable right frontal asymmetry displayed more avoidance‐related tendencies and children in the stable left frontal asymmetry class exhibited more approach‐related tendencies across social, emotional, and autonomic measures. These findings suggest that developmental patterns of resting frontal brain activity across the early school years may underlie approach‐ and avoidance‐related motivation and predict socio‐emotional processes in some children.
Species associations overwhelm abiotic conditions to dictate the structure and function of wood‐decay fungal communities
Authors: Maynard Daniel S. , Covey Kristofer R. , Crowther Thomas W. , Sokol Noah W. , Morrison Eric W. , Frey Serita D. , van Diepen Linda T. A. , Bradford Mark A. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractEnvironmental conditions exert strong controls on the activity of saprotrophic microbes, yet abiotic factors often fail to adequately predict wood decomposition rates across broad spatial scales. Given that species interactions can have significant positive and negative effects on wood‐decay fungal activity, one possibility is that biotic processes serve as the primary controls on community function, with abiotic controls emerging only after species associations are accounted for. Here we explore this hypothesis in a factorial field warming‐ and nitrogen‐addition experiment by examining relationships among wood decomposition rates, fungal activity, and fungal community structure. We show that functional outcomes and community structure are largely unrelated to abiotic conditions, with microsite and plot‐level abiotic variables explaining at most 19% of the total variability in decomposition and fungal activity, and 2% of the variability in richness and evenness. In contrast, taxonomic richness, evenness, and species associations (i.e., co‐occurrence patterns) exhibited strong relationships with community function, accounting for 52% of the variation in decomposition rates and 73% in fungal activity. A greater proportion of positive vs. negative species associations in a community was linked to strong declines in decomposition rates and richness. Evenness emerged as a key mediator between richness and function, with highly even communities exhibiting a positive richness–function relationship and uneven communities exhibiting a negative or null response. These results suggest that community‐assembly processes and species interactions are important controls on the function of wood‐decay fungal communities, ultimately overwhelming substantial differences in abiotic conditions.
Plant responses to fertilization experiments in lowland, species‐rich, tropical forests
Authors: Wright S. Joseph , Turner Benjamin L. , Yavitt Joseph B. , Harms Kyle E. , Kaspari Michael , Tanner Edmund V. J. , Bujan Jelena , Griffin Eric A. , Mayor Jordan R. , Pasquini Sarah C. , Sheldrake Merlin , Garcia Milton N. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe present a meta‐analysis of plant responses to fertilization experiments conducted in lowland, species‐rich, tropical forests. We also update a key result and present the first species‐level analyses of tree growth rates for a 15‐yr factorial nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) experiment conducted in central Panama. The update concerns community‐level tree growth rates, which responded significantly to the addition of N and K together after 10 yr of fertilization but not after 15 yr. Our experimental soils are infertile for the region, and species whose regional distributions are strongly associated with low soil P availability dominate the local tree flora. Under these circumstances, we expect muted responses to fertilization, and we predicted species associated with low‐P soils would respond most slowly. The data did not support this prediction, species‐level tree growth responses to P addition were unrelated to species‐level soil P associations. The meta‐analysis demonstrated that nutrient limitation is widespread in lowland tropical forests and evaluated two directional hypotheses concerning plant responses to N addition and to P addition. The meta‐analysis supported the hypothesis that tree (or biomass) growth rate responses to fertilization are weaker in old growth forests and stronger in secondary forests, where rapid biomass accumulation provides a nutrient sink. The meta‐analysis found no support for the long‐standing hypothesis that plant responses are stronger for P addition and weaker for N addition. We do not advocate discarding the latter hypothesis. There are only 14 fertilization experiments from lowland, species‐rich, tropical forests, 13 of the 14 experiments added nutrients for five or fewer years, and responses vary widely among experiments. Potential fertilization responses should be muted when the species present are well adapted to nutrient‐poor soils, as is the case in our experiment, and when pest pressure increases with fertilization, as it does in our experiment. The statistical power and especially the duration of fertilization experiments conducted in old growth, tropical forests might be insufficient to detect the slow, modest growth responses that are to be expected.
Left ventricular chamber geometry in cardiomyopathies: insights from a computerized anatomical study
Authors: Juliani Paulo Sérgio , Das‐Neves‐Pereira João‐Carlos , Monteiro Rosangela , Correia Aristides Tadeu , Moreira Luiz Felipe Pinho , Jatene Fabio Biscegli 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAimsSome authors have hypothesized that left ventricular chamber dilatation in ischaemic and idiopathic cardiomyopathies results in spherical transformation. Aiming to characterize how this transformation occurs, a study was performed by comparing normal and dilated specimens regarding sphericity and proportionality in left heart chambers. It is important to provide data for the development of therapeutic strategies in these diseases.Methods and resultsAn anatomical study was performed by comparing normal (n = 10), ischaemic (n = 15), and idiopathic (n = 18) dilated human cardiomyopathic specimens regarding left ventricular chambers and their segmental proportionality to normal hearts. It was performed by capturing and processing images with proper software in three different levels of left ventricular chamber (basal, equatorial, and apical). These obtained data were analysed based on sphericity and proportionality by two dedicated indexes. Spherical shape: Calculated segmental indexes showed that dilated specimens were not spherical because they were smaller than as expected for a spherical shape (all values were <70% of a perfect sphere). Proportionality: There was no difference between basal index perimeters among groups, but apical index was lower in dilated specimens than in normal hearts, and so dilatation was not proportional to normal hearts.ConclusionsLeft ventricular chambers of anatomical specimens with dilated cardiomyopathies did not display a spherical shape and were not proportional to normal hearts.