bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cat and dog ownership during/after the first year of life and risk for sensitization and reported allergy symptoms at age 13
Authors: Al‐Tamprouri Chaifa , Malin Barman , Bill Hesselmar , Lennart Bråbäck , Anna Sandin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundAvoidance of pets as a strategy for preventing atopic diseases has been questioned. This study aimed to identify the risk of sensitization and allergic symptoms at age 13 in relation to dog‐ and cat‐keeping during and after the first year of life.MethodsThe study included all children born at Östersund Hospital in Northern Sweden between February 1996 and January 1997 (n = 1231). At inclusion, parents were asked to answer questionnaires about lifestyle, including cat‐ and dog‐keeping. Dog allergy, cat allergy, hay fever, and asthma were diagnosed based on parental reported allergic symptoms at 13 years of age (n = 834). The risks of sensitization or allergy in relation to dog‐ and cat‐keeping during and after the first year of life were analyzed with logistic regression. To adjust for reverse causation, all subjects that had reported avoidance of pets due to allergic symptoms of the child or allergy in the family (n = 177) were excluded.ResultsDog‐ or cat‐keeping during the first year of life reduced the risk of sensitization to dog or cat allergens, respectively, and to birch and to at least one of the 10 allergens tested. Cat‐keeping, both during and after the first year of life, reduced the risk of cat allergy and hay fever. Having a dog at home during the first year of life reduced the risk of dog and cat allergy, whereas dog‐keeping after the first year of life did not affect allergic symptoms.ConclusionsCat ownership, either during or after the first year of life, may be a strategy for preventing the development of cat allergy and hay fever later in life. Dog ownership reduced the risk of sensitization to dog and birch allergen, and also the risk of cat and dog allergy, but had no effect on hay fever.
Linc‐PINT acted as a tumor suppressor by sponging miR‐543 and miR‐576‐5p in esophageal cancer
Authors: Zhang Lingmin , Chen Jingxin , Wang Li , Chen Lin , Du ZhaoZhao , Zhu Lin , Cui Manli , Zhang Mingxin , Song Liping 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThis manuscript aimed to investigate linc‐PINT's role as a tumor suppressor and its downstream microRNAs (miRNAs) in esophageal cancer. Log‐rank, Cox, and nomogram were used for survival analysis. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression. Cell counting kit‐8 was used for proliferation tests. As for in vivo experiments, low expression of linc‐PINT was associated with better prognosis; besides, the nomogram indicated that linc‐PINT, miR‐543, and miR‐576‐5p served well in predicting the survival rate. As for the in vitro experiments, linc‐PINT could directly regulate miR‐543 and miR‐576‐5p to inhibit the proliferation of Eca‐109 cell line. In conclusion, linc‐PINT–miR‐543/miR‐576‐5p pathway could predict the prognosis and provide novel therapeutic targets for esophageal cancer.
Wnt11 preserves mitochondrial membrane potential and protects cardiomyocytes against hypoxia through paracrine signaling
Authors: Li Hong‐Xia , Lin Jia , Jiang Bin , Yang Xiang‐Jun 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe investigated the effect of Wnt11 on mitochondrial membrane integrity in cardiomyocytes (CMs) and the underlying mechanism of Wnt11‐mediated CM protection against hypoxic injury. A rat mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line that overexpresses Wnt11 (MSCWnt11) and a control cell line transduced with empty vector (MSCNull) were established to determine the cardioprotective role of Wnt11 in response to hypoxia. Mitochondrial membrane integrity in MSCWnt11 cells was assessed using fluorescence assays. The role of paracrine signaling mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (b‐FGF), and insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) in protecting CMs against hypoxia were investigated using cocultures of primary CMs from neonatal rats with conditioned medium (CdM) from MSCWnt11. MSCWnt11 cells exposed to hypoxia reduced lactate dehydrogenase release from CMs and increased CM survival under hypoxia. In addition, CMs cocultured with CdM that were exposed to hypoxia showed reduced CM apoptosis and necrosis. There was significantly higher VEGF and IGF‐1 release in the MSCWnt11 group compared with the MSCNull group, and the addition of anti‐VEGF and anti‐IGF‐1 antibodies inhibited secretion. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane integrity was maintained in the MSCWnt11 cell line. In conclusion, overexpression of Wnt11 in MSCs promotes IGF‐1 and VEGF release, thereby protecting CMs against hypoxia.
Decellularized amniotic membrane Scaffolds improve differentiation of iPSCs to functional hepatocyte‐like cells
Authors: Abazari Mohammad Foad , Soleimanifar Fatemeh , Enderami Seyed Ehsan , Nasiri Navid , Nejati Fatemeh , Mousavi Seyed Ahmad , Soleimani Masoud , Kiani Jafar , Ghoraeian Pegah , Kehtari Mousa 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHuman‐induced pluripotent stem cells‐derived hepatocyte‐like cells (hiPSCs‐HLCs) holds considerable promise for future clinical personalized therapy of liver disease. However, the low engraftment of these cells in the damaged liver microenvironment is still an obstacle for potential application. In this study, we explored the effectiveness of decellularized amniotic membrane (dAM) matrices for culturing of iPSCs and promoting their differentiation into HLCs. The DNA content assay and histological evaluation indicated that cellular and nuclear residues were efficiently eliminated and the AM extracellular matrix component was maintained during decelluarization. DAM matrices were developed as three‐dimensional scaffolds and hiPSCs were seeded into these scaffolds in defined induction media. In dAM scaffolds, hiPSCs‐HLCs gradually took a typical shape of hepatocytes (polygonal morphology). HiPSCs‐HLCs that were cultured into dAM scaffolds showed a higher level of hepatic markers than those cultured in tissue culture plates (TCPs). Moreover, functional activities in term of albumin and urea synthesis and CYP3A activity were significantly higher in dAM scaffolds than TCPs over the same differentiation period. Thus, based on our results, dAM scaffold might have a considerable potential in liver tissue engineering, because it can improve hepatic differentiation of hiPSCs which exhibited higher level of the hepatic marker and more stable metabolic functions.
Modeling of history‐dependent magnetization in the finite element method on the example of a postassembly rotor magnetizer
Authors: Bavendiek Gregor , Müller Fabian , Steentjes Simon , Hameyer Kay 
Published: August 2019

AbstractDemagnetization characteristics of permanent magnets play a central role for the design and optimization process of permanent magnet electrical machines and magnetic actuators. Currently, practical issues, such as loss of performance of electromagnetic energy conversion devices, due to demagnetization effects in permanent magnets or due to reduced servo‐dynamics in magnetic actuators, cannot be addressed by using conventional material models or are investigated by using rough approximations valid in restricted operation regions, if at all. This paper strives to integrate demagnetizing characteristics dependent on previous magnetizing field strength in the finite element method. The discussed examples are a magnetizer of a single permanent magnet and a spoke‐type permanent magnet rotor.
Temperature responses of nitrogen processes cannot be inferred from carbon turnover in a boreal Norway spruce forest
Authors: Herrmann Anke M. , Coucheney Elsa 
Published: August 2019

AbstractCold season processes contribute substantially to annual carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) budgets in boreal forest ecosystems, but little is known about how decomposition processes are affected at temperatures prevalent during wintertime. The aim of this study was to evaluate temperature responses of soil C and N processes and to test the hypothesis that there is a switch towards decomposing N‐rich material when soil temperatures drop to near 0°C. In the laboratory, soils from a boreal forest long‐term nutrient fertilization experiment were exposed to different temperatures varying from +2 to +15°C, and C mineralization, gross as well as net N mineralization/immobilization were estimated. Carbon mineralization declined exponentially as temperature decreased, whereas the response of N processes to temperature varied, with some indication that soil C and N processes are decoupled at low temperatures. We could only partially confirm that the decoupling between C and N processes at low temperature was due to a switch to N‐rich material, i.e., a change in the material undergoing decomposition. Overall, our results clearly showed that temperature responses of N processes cannot be inferred from C processes in boreal forest ecosystems, and that there is a need to improve our understanding of the relationship between the two across the range of temperatures experienced throughout the year. In particular, further research is required to establish and evaluate appropriate proxies for modelling the relationship of C and N processes at temperatures close to the freezing point.
Application of chemometric approach for development and validation of high performance liquid chromatography method for estimation of ropinirole hydrochloride
Authors: Fatima Saman , Beg Sarwar , Samim Mohammed , Ahmad Farhan J. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA systematic Quality by Design approach was employed for developing an isocratic reversed‐phase liquid chromatographic technique for the estimation of ropinirole hydrochloride in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations. LiChrospher RP 18‐5 Endcapped column (25 cm × 4.6 mm id) at ambient temperature (25 ± 2°C) was used for the chromatographic separation of the drug. The screening of factors influencing chromatographic separation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient was performed employing fractional factorial design to identify the influential factors. Optimization of the selected factors was carried out using central composite design for selecting the optimum chomatographic conditions. The mobile phase employed was constituted of Solvent A/Solvent B (65:35 v/v) (Solvent A [methanol/0.05 M ammonium acetate buffer, pH 7, 80:20 v/v] and Solvent B [high performance liquid chromatography grade water]) and used at 0.6 mL/min flow rate, while UV detection was performed at 250 nm. Linearity was achieved in the drug concentration range 5–100 µg/mL (R2 = 0.9998) with limits of detection and quantification of 1.02 and 3.09 µg/mL, respectively. Method validation was performed as per ICH guidelines followed by forced degradation studies, which indicated good specificity of the developed method for detecting ropinirole hydrochloride and its possible degradation products in the bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations.
Arid ecosystem resilience to total petroleum hydrocarbons disturbance: A case‐study from the State of Kuwait associated with the Second Gulf War
Authors: Abdullah Meshal M. , Assi Amjad T. , Abdullah Mansour T. , Feagin Rusty A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe world's largest hydrocarbon disturbance occurred in the deserts and offshore waters of Kuwait during the Second Gulf War in 1990–1991. In this research, remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques were utilized to explore how native desert vegetation has recovered from hydrocarbon contamination after the Second Gulf War. By using RS techniques, change detection analysis was conducted to understand the changes about the coverage and extent of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination and vegetation recovery. These changes were traced from 1991 until the hydrocarbon was no longer visible on the ground surface in 1998. GIS spatial analysis was conducted to determine the major ecosystem factors that influenced the vegetation recovery along with the removal of hydrocarbon disturbance. According to the results, autogenic recovery occurred at both sites within a few years and that desert native vegetation was found to have the ability to adapt and recover from hydrocarbon pollution. Native vegetation recovered across 31% of the TPH‐contaminated areas at Umm Gudair and 34% at Wadi Al Batin. The changes in TPH contamination were significantly correlated with the soil type, vegetation type, geological substrates, geomorphological features, and annual precipitation. The vegetation recovery of dominant desert communities in the study area was influenced by soil type, geomorphological feature, and TPH‐contaminated areas. Interestingly, the results showed that these desert communities can recover in areas contaminated by TPH at a higher rate than noncontaminated sites in the study area. Such a study can provide important inputs to the restoration and revegetation programs in arid landscapes.
Vitamin D Deficiency Attenuates Acute Alcohol‐Induced Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Mice
Authors: Hu Chun‐Qiu , Xu Meng , Yang Bing‐Bing , Liu Xiao‐Jing , Bo Qing‐Li , Zhang Cheng , Xu De‐Xiang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractVitamin D deficiency has been frequently reported in chronic liver disease. However, its influence on hepatic lipid accumulation in alcoholic liver disease remains unclear. The present study investigated the effects of vitamin D deficiency on acute alcohol‐induced hepatic lipid metabolism in mice. Mice were fed with vitamin D deficient diet, in which vitamin D was depleted for 12 weeks to establish an animal model of vitamin D deficiency. Some mice were administered a single gavage of alcohol (4 g/kg bodyweight) before they were euthanized. Results show that feeding mice with vitamin D deficient diet did not induce hepatic lipid accumulation. In contrast, vitamin D deficiency markedly reduced alcohol‐induced triacylglycerol (TAG) content and prevented hepatic lipid accumulation. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency significantly attenuated alcohol‐induced sterol‐regulated element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐1c activation, which regulates genes for hepatic fatty acid (FA) and TAG synthesis, and the expression of its target genes fatty acid synthase (Fasn) and acetyl‐coenzyme‐ A carboxylase (Acc). In addition, vitamin D deficiency alleviated alcohol‐induced downregulation of hepatic nuclear peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)α, which governs FA transport and β‐oxidation, and the expression of Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (Cpt)‐1α, cytochrome P450, family 4, subfamily a, polypeptide (Cyp4a)10, and Cyp4a14, which are key enzymes for hepatic fatty acids β‐oxidation and ω‐oxidation. Taken together, these results suggest that vitamin D deficiency is not a direct risk factor for hepatic lipid accumulation. Vitamin D deficiency alleviates acute alcohol‐induced hepatic lipid accumulation through inhibiting hepatic de novo fatty acid syntheses and promoting fatty acid β‐oxidation and ω‐oxidation.
Bi‐embeddability spectra and bases of spectra
Authors: Fokina Ekaterina , Rossegger Dino , San Mauro Luca 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe study degree spectra of structures with respect to the bi‐embeddability relation. The bi‐embeddability spectrum of a structure is the family of Turing degrees of its bi‐embeddable copies. To facilitate our study we introduce the notions of bi‐embeddable triviality and basis of a spectrum. Using bi‐embeddable triviality we show that several known families of degrees are bi‐embeddability spectra of structures. We then characterize the bi‐embeddability spectra of linear orderings and study bases of bi‐embeddability spectra of strongly locally finite graphs.
Activation of EGFR‐KLF4 positive feedback loop results in acquired resistance to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Pang Lijun , Xu Lin , Yuan Chunwang , Li Xiuhui , Zhang Xiangying , Wang Wenjing , Guo Xianghua , Ouyang Yabo , Qiao Luxin , Wang Zhenchang , Liu Kai 
Published: August 2019

AbstractSorafenib is the standard first‐line systemic chemotherapeutic drugs for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but acquired resistance to sorafenib is frequently observed in clinical practice. In this study, we first produced three sorafenib resistance (SR) HCC cell lines by using two human HCC cell lines (Hep3B and Huh7) and a human primary HCC cell line. We identified that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Kruppel‐like factor 4 (KLF4) are dramatically increased in the three SR HCC cell lines. Either inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity of EGFR with Erlotinib/Icotinib or inhibition of KLF4 expression with short hairpin RNA recovered the response of three SR HCC cell lines to sorafenib, suggesting the critical roles of EGFR tyrosine kinase and KLF4 on inducing SR. Luciferase activity and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays further determined that KLF4 promoted EGFR expression through inducing its transcription by directly binding to its promoter. EGFR, conversely, could also promote KLF4 expression through inducing its transcription by binding to its promoter in a tyrosine kinase‐dependent manner, suggesting that a positive feedback loop formed by EGFR and KLF4 further amplifies their effects on inducing SR. Up to now, our findings that KLF4 induces the development of SR and it cooperates with EGFR to form a positive feedback loop to amplify their SR‐inducing abilities have rarely been reported. Our findings bear possible implications for the improvement of the efficacy of sorafenib in HCC.
Segmentation of dental cone‐beam CT scans affected by metal artifacts using a mixed‐scale dense convolutional neural network
Authors: Minnema Jordi , van Eijnatten Maureen , Hendriksen Allard A. , Liberton Niels , Pelt Daniël M. , Batenburg Kees Joost , Forouzanfar Tymour , Wolff Jan 
Published: August 2019

PurposeIn order to attain anatomical models, surgical guides and implants for computer‐assisted surgery, accurate segmentation of bony structures in cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans is required. However, this image segmentation step is often impeded by metal artifacts. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a mixed‐scale dense convolutional neural network (MS‐D network) for bone segmentation in CBCT scans affected by metal artifacts.MethodTraining data were acquired from 20 dental CBCT scans affected by metal artifacts. An experienced medical engineer segmented the bony structures in all CBCT scans using global thresholding and manually removed all remaining noise and metal artifacts. The resulting gold standard segmentations were used to train an MS‐D network comprising 100 convolutional layers using far fewer trainable parameters than alternative convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. The bone segmentation performance of the MS‐D network was evaluated using a leave‐2‐out scheme and compared with a clinical snake evolution algorithm and two state‐of‐the‐art CNN architectures (U‐Net and ResNet). All segmented CBCT scans were subsequently converted into standard tessellation language (STL) models and geometrically compared with the gold standard.ResultsCBCT scans segmented using the MS‐D network, U‐Net, ResNet and the snake evolution algorithm demonstrated mean Dice similarity coefficients of 0.87 ± 0.06, 0.87 ± 0.07, 0.86 ± 0.05, and 0.78 ± 0.07, respectively. The STL models acquired using the MS‐D network, U‐Net, ResNet and the snake evolution algorithm demonstrated mean absolute deviations of 0.44 mm ± 0.13 mm, 0.43 mm ± 0.16 mm, 0.40 mm ± 0.12 mm and 0.57 mm ± 0.22 mm, respectively. In contrast to the MS‐D network, the ResNet introduced wave‐like artifacts in the STL models, whereas the U‐Net incorrectly labeled background voxels as bone around the vertebrae in 4 of the 9 CBCT scans containing vertebrae.ConclusionThe MS‐D network was able to accurately segment bony structures in CBCT scans affected by metal artifacts.
Respiratory motion corrected 4D flow using golden radial phase encoding
Authors: Kolbitsch Christoph , Bastkowski Rene , Schäffter Tobias , Prieto Vasquez Claudia , Weiss Kilian , Maintz David , Giese Daniel 
Published: August 2019

PurposeTo minimize respiratory motion artifacts while achieving predictable scan times with 100% scan efficiency for thoracic 4D flow MRI.MethodsA 4D flow sequence with golden radial phase encoding (GRPE) was acquired in 9 healthy volunteers covering the heart, aorta, and venae cavae. Scan time was 15 min, and data were acquired without motion gating during acquisition. Data were retrospectively re‐binned into respiratory and cardiac phases based on respiratory self‐navigation and the electrocardiograph signals, respectively. Nonrigid respiratory motion fields were extracted and corrected for during the k‐t SENSE reconstruction. A respiratory‐motion corrected (GRPE‐MOCO) and a free‐breathing (GRPE‐UNCORR) 4D flow dataset was reconstructed using 100% of the acquired data. For comparison, a respiratory gated Cartesian 4D flow acquisition (CART‐REF) covering the aorta was acquired. Stroke volumes and peak flows were compared. Additionally, an internal flow validation based on mass conservation was performed on the GRPE‐MOCO and GRPE‐UNCORR. Statistically significant differences were analyzed using a paired Wilcoxon test.ResultsStroke volumes and peak flows in the aorta between GRPE‐MOCO and the CART‐REF showed a mean difference of −1.5 ± 10.3 mL (P > 0.05) and 25.2 ± 55.9 mL/s (P > 0.05), respectively. Peak flow in the GRPE‐UNCORR data was significantly different compared with CART‐REF (P < 0.05). GRPE‐MOCO showed higher accuracy for internal consistency analysis than GRPE‐UNCORR.ConclusionThe proposed 4D flow sequence allows a straight‐forward planning by covering the entire thorax and ensures a predictable scan time independent of cardiac cycle variations and breathing patterns.
Evidence of small‐fiber neuropathy in neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Barnett Carolina , Alon Tayir , Abraham Alon , Kim Raymond H. , McCuaig Jeanna M. , Kongkham Paul , Maurice Catherine , Suppiah Suganth , Zadeh Gelareh , Bril Vera 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIntroductionLarge‐fiber neuropathy is rare in neurofibromatosis type 1, but small‐fiber neuropathy has not been studied.MethodsPatients with neurofibromatosis type 1 underwent nerve conduction studies for large‐fiber assessment. Small‐fiber tests included quantitative thermal thresholds, laser Doppler flare imaging, intraepidermal nerve fiber density, and corneal nerve fiber length.ResultsOf the 52 patients enrolled, 31 (60%) were female and the mean age was 33.0 ± 12.3 years. Four (8%) patients had abnormal nerve conduction studies. Small‐fiber tests were frequently abnormal: thermal thresholds in 7 (13%); laser Doppler flare imaging in 10 (19%); intraepidermal nerve fiber density in 11 (22%); and corneal nerve fiber length in 27 (52%). The mean corneal nerve fiber length was below normative level (10.1 ± 2.7 mm/mm3).DiscussionSmall‐fiber neuropathy may be common in neurofibromatosis type 1, and should be investigated in symptomatic patients.