bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urbanization and the temporal patterns of social networks and group foraging behaviors
Authors: Jones Teri B. , Evans Julian C. , Morand‐Ferron Julie 
Published: April 2019

AbstractUrbanization causes dramatic and rapid changes to natural environments, which can lead the animals inhabiting these habitats to adjust their behavioral responses. For social animals, urbanized environments may alter group social dynamics through modification of the external environment (e.g., resource distribution). This might lead to changes in how individuals associate or engage in group behaviors, which could alter the stability and characteristics of social groups. However, the potential impacts of urban habitat use, and of habitat characteristics in general, on the nature and stability of social associations remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify social networks and dynamics of group foraging behaviors of black‐capped chickadees (N = 82, Poecile atricapillus), at four urban and four rural sites weekly throughout the nonbreeding season using feeders with radio frequency identification of individual birds. Because anthropogenic food sources in urban habitats (e.g., bird feeders) provide abundant and reliable resources, we predicted that social foraging associations may be of less value in urban groups, and thus would be less consistent than in rural groups. Additionally, decreased variability of food resources in urban habitats could lead to more predictable foraging patterns (group size, foraging duration, and the distribution of foraging events) in contrast to rural habitats. Networks were found to be highly consistent through time in both urban and rural habitats. No significant difference was found in the temporal clumping of foraging events between habitats. However, as predicted, the repeatability of the clumping of foraging events in time was significantly higher in urban than rural habitats. Our results suggest that individuals living in urban areas have more consistent foraging behaviors throughout the nonbreeding season, whereas rural individuals adjust their tactics due to less predictable foraging conditions. This first examination of habitat‐related differences in the characteristics and consistency of social networks along an urbanization gradient suggests that anthropic habitat use results in subtle modifications in social foraging patterns. Future studies should examine potential implications of these differences for variation in predation risk, energy intake, and information flow.
Crossing the Pillars of Hercules: Understanding transoceanic migrations of seabirds throughout their breeding range
Authors: Ramos Raül 
Published: April 2019

AbstractVariability in long‐distance migration strategies is still poorly understood due to the fact that individuals are often tracked from a single colony/population. Transoceanic migrations of Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) across the Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) have been tracked from several breeding colonies isolatedly, and factors related to the variability in phenological schedules among different populations remain, therefore, not well‐understood. Using light‐level geolocator data, I examined the autumn (postbreeding) and spring (prebreeding) migratory passage dates through SoG of four populations of Scopoli's shearwater spread along the longitudinal breeding range of the species. Additionally, I also estimated the at‐sea activity patterns (from immersion data) during both migratory passages, as well as the body size (from morphometric data) of the individuals of these populations. On average, Scopoli's shearwaters leave the Mediterranean (cross SoG) on 31 October ± 1.8 days on their autumn migrations and return on 03 March ± 1.6 days on their spring migrations. At the population level, there was a clear gradient in the timing of crossing SoG: birds from the westernmost populations (Murcia, SE Spain) were the first ones in leaving the Mediterranean while easternmost breeders (Paximada, Crete) were the last ones. In spring, only birds from the largest breeding population (Zembra, Tunisia) seemed to advance their return and crossed SoG significantly earlier than birds tracked at the remaining populations. In both passages, shearwaters from central and eastern populations spent more time flying than their conspecifics from the western Mediterranean. Scopoli's shearwater populations display a differential phenology and behavior in their migratory passages through SoG. The longitudinal gradient in body size already reported for the species could be an evolutionary response to an obvious trade‐off between sharing common wintering grounds in the Atlantic Ocean and the temporal constraints of restoring physiological condition in those grounds.OPEN RESEARCH BADGES

This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://hdl.handle.net/2445/128784.
Physicians' guideline adherence is associated with long‐term heart failure mortality in outpatients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: the QUALIFY international registry
Authors: Komajda Michel , Schöpe Jakob , Wagenpfeil Stefan , Tavazzi Luigi , Böhm Michael , Ponikowski Piotr , Anker Stefan D. , Filippatos Gerasimos S. , Cowie Martin R. ,   on behalf of the QUALIFY Investigators
Published: April 2019

BackgroundPhysicians' adherence to guideline‐recommended therapy is associated with short‐term clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, its impact on longer‐term outcomes is poorly documented. Here, we present results from the 18‐month follow‐up of the QUALIFY registry.Methods and resultsData at 18 months were available for 6118 ambulatory HFrEF patients from this international prospective observational survey. Adherence was measured as a continuous variable, ranging from 0 to 1, and was assessed for five classes of recommended HF medications and dosages. Most deaths were cardiovascular (CV) (228/394) and HF‐related (191/394) and the same was true for unplanned hospitalizations (1175 CV and 861 HF‐related hospitalizations, out of a total of 1541). According to univariable analysis, CV and HF deaths were significantly associated with physician adherence to guidelines. In multivariable analysis, HF death was associated with adherence level [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.99 per 0.1 unit adherence level increase; P = 0.034] as was composite of HF hospitalization or CV death (SHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94–0.99 per 0.1 unit adherence level increase; P = 0.043), whereas unplanned all‐cause, CV or HF hospitalizations were not (all‐cause: SHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.9–1.02; CV: SHR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.01; and HF: SHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.96–1.02 per 0.1 unit change in adherence score; P = 0.52, P = 0.2, and P = 0.4, respectively).ConclusionThese results suggest that physicians' adherence to guideline‐recommended HF therapies is associated with improved outcomes in HFrEF. Practical strategies should be established to improve physicians' adherence to guidelines.
Controls on the geotechnical response of sedimentary rocks to weathering
Authors: de Vilder S.J. , Brain M.J. , Rosser N.J. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWeathering reduces the strength of rocks and so is a key control on the stability of rock slopes. Recent research suggests that the geotechnical response of rocks to weathering varies with ambient stress conditions resulting from overburden loading and/or stress concentrations driven by near‐surface topography. In addition, the stress history experienced by the rock can influence the degree to which current weathering processes cause rock breakdown. To address the combined effect of these potential controls, we conducted a set of weathering experiments on two sedimentary lithologies in laboratory and field conditions. We firstly defined the baseline geotechnical behaviour of each lithology, characterising surface hardness and stress–strain behaviour in unconfined compression. Weathering significantly reduced intact rock strength, but this was not evident in measurements of surface hardness. The ambient compressive stress applied to samples throughout the experiments did not cause any observable differences in the geotechnical behaviour of the samples. We created a stress history effect in sub‐sets of samples by generating a population of microcracks that could be exploited by weathering processes. We also geometrically modified groups of samples to cause near‐surface stress concentrations that may allow greater weathering efficacy. However, even these pronounced sample modifications resulted in insignificant changes in geotechnical behaviour when compared to unmodified samples. The observed reduction in rock strength changed the nature of failure of the samples, which developed post‐peak strength and underwent multiple stages of brittle failure. Although weakened, these samples could sustain greater stress and strain following exceedance of peak strength. On this basis, the multi‐stage failure style exhibited by weaker weathered rock may permit smaller‐magnitude, higher‐frequency events to trigger fracture through intact rock bridges as well as influencing the characteristics of pre‐failure deformation. These findings are consistent with patterns of behaviour observed in field monitoring results. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gallbladder Dyskinesia Is Associated With an Impaired Postprandial Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 Response in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Koelfat Kiran V.K. , Plummer Mark P. , Schaap Frank G. , Lenicek Martin , Jansen Peter L.M. , Deane Adam M. , Olde Damink Steven W.M. 
Published: April 2019

Critical illness is associated with a disturbed regulation of gastrointestinal hormones resulting in functional and metabolic anomalies. Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) is an ileum‐derived metabolic hormone induced by bile salts upon gallbladder emptying after enteral nutrient stimulation. Our aim was to study the nutrient‐stimulated FGF19 response in 24 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with 12 healthy controls. All subjects received intraduodenal high‐lipid nutrient infusion for 120 minutes. Blood was collected every 30 minutes until 1 hour after infusion, and gallbladder emptying was studied by ultrasound. Serum levels of bile salts and FGF19 were assessed. ICU patients had significantly higher fasting bile salt serum levels compared with controls, whereas FGF19 serum levels were similar. In both groups, nutrient infusion elicited substantial bile salt elevations (P < 0.001), peaking at 90 minutes, albeit with a significantly lower peak in the ICU patients (P = 0.029). In controls, FGF19 was significantly elevated relative to baseline from 120 minutes onward (P < 0.001). In ICU patients, the FGF19 response was blunted, as reflected by significantly lower FGF19 elevations at 120, 150, and 180 minutes (P < 0.05) and significantly lower area under the curve (AUC) values compared with controls (P < 0.001). Gallbladder dysmotility was associated with the impaired FGF19 response in critical illness. The gallbladder ejection fraction correlated positively with FGF19 AUC values (ρ = +0.34, P = 0.045). In 10 of 24 ICU patients, gallbladder emptying was disturbed. These patients had significantly lower FGF19 AUC values (P < 0.001). Gallbladder emptying and the FGF19 response were respectively disturbed or absent in patients receiving norepinephrine. Conclusion: The nutrient‐stimulated FGF19 response is impaired in ICU patients, which is mechanistically linked to gallbladder dysmotility in critical illness. This may contribute to disturbed liver metabolism in these patients and has potential as a nutritional biomarker.
Screening of Three Transition Metal‐Mediated Reactions Compatible with DNA‐Encoded Chemical Libraries
Authors: Favalli Nicholas , Bassi Gabriele , Zanetti Tania , Scheuermann Jörg , Neri Dario 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe construction of DNA‐encoded chemical libraries (DECLs) crucially relies on the availability of chemical reactions, which are DNA‐compatible and which exhibit high conversion rates for a large number of diverse substrates. In this work, we present our optimization and validation procedures for three copper and palladium‐catalyzed reactions (Suzuki cross‐coupling, Sonogashira cross‐coupling, and copper(I)‐catalyzed alkyne‐azide cycloaddition (CuAAC)), which have been successfully used by our group for the construction of large encoded libraries.
A population‐based study of the relationship between endometrial thickness and prevalence of breast mass in postmenopausal women
Authors: Li Hao , Ran Liang , Wu He , Xu Zhou , Wu Kai‐Nan , Kong Ling‐Quan 
Published: March 2019

AbstractObjectivesTo determine the relationship between endometrial thickness and the prevalence of breast mass in postmenopausal women.MethodsThe prevalence of breast mass was investigated in 6759 postmenopausal women (≥60 years) with different endometrial thicknesses who underwent breast and transvaginal ultrasonography from January 2015 to June 2017. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to obtain odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for breast mass in postmenopausal women with increased endometrial thickness after adjusting for age, height, and body mass index.ResultsCompared with a baseline endometrial thickness of less than 3 mm, the prevalence of breast mass increased in patients with endometrial thickness ≥3–4.9 mm (OR 1.077; 95% CI, 0.868–1.338), ≥5–9.9 mm (OR 1.910; 95% CI, 1.189–3.067), and ≥10 mm (OR 3.546; 95% CI, 1.458–8.620) (Ptrend=0.0026). In subgroup analysis, correlations between endometrial thickness and prevalence of breast mass with malignant possibility (BI‐RADS ≥3) were similar and remained significant (Ptrend=0.035).ConclusionPostmenopausal women with endometrial thickness greater than or equal to 5 mm have a significantly increased prevalence of breast mass and breast mass with malignant possibility (BI‐RADS ≥3). Breast cancer screening for postmenopausal women with increased endometrial thickness should be given greater attention.
Effects of allyl isothiocyanate on insulin resistance, oxidative stress status, and transcription factors in high‐fat diet/streptozotocin‐induced type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats
Authors: Sahin Nurhan , Orhan Cemal , Erten Fusun , Tuzcu Mehmet , Defo Deeh Patrick B. , Ozercan Ibrahim H. , Juturu Vijaya , Kazim Sahin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractAllyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a dietary phytochemical found in some cruciferous vegetables, is commonly used as an antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant agent. In the present study, we investigated the effects of AITC on insulin resistance and transcription factors in a diabetic rat model. A total of 42 Wistar rats were divided into six groups and orally treated for 12 weeks as follows: (i) control; (ii) AITC (100 mg/kg body weight [BW]); (iii) high fat diet (HFD); (iv) HFD + AITC (100 mg/kg BW); (v) HFD + streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg BW); and (vi) HFD + STZ + AITC. Administration of AITC reduced blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and creatinine levels, but increased (P < 0.001) total antioxidant capacity. In AITC‐treated rats, the glucose transporter‐2, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma, p‐insulin receptor substrate‐1, and nuclear factor erythroid‐derived 2 in the liver and kidney were increased while nuclear factor‐kappa B was downregulated (P < 0.05). In conclusion, AITC possesses antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anti‐inflammatory activities in HFD/STZ‐induced T2DM in rats. These findings may further justify the importance of AITC in phytomedicine.
Thermogenic flux induced by lignoceric acid in peroxisomes isolated from HepG2 cells and from X‐adrenoleukodystrophy and control fibroblasts
Authors: Petroni Anna , Paroni Rita , Aloisi Anna Maria , Blasevich Milena , Haman Nabil , Fessas Dimitrios 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThis work analyzes the thermogenic flux induced by the very long‐chain fatty acid (VLCFA) lignoceric acid (C24:0) in isolated peroxisomes.Specific metabolic alterations of peroxisomes are related to a variety of disorders, the most frequent one being the neurodegenerative inherited disease X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X‐ALD). A peroxisomal transport protein is mutated in this disorder. Due to reduced catabolism and enhanced fatty acid (FA) elongation, VLCFA accumulates in plasma and in all tissues, contributing to the clinical manifestations of this disorder. During peroxisomal metabolism, heat is produced but it is considered lost. Instead, it is a form of energy that could play a role in molecular mechanisms of this pathology and other neurodegenerative disorders.The thermogenic flux induced by lignoceric acid (C24:0) was estimated by isothermal titration calorimetry in peroxisomes isolated from HepG2 cells and from fibroblasts obtained from patients with X‐ALD and healthy subjects.Heat flux induced by lignoceric acid in HepG2 peroxisomes was exothermic, indicating normal peroxisomal metabolism. In X‐ALD peroxisomes the heat flux was endothermic, indicating the requirement of heat/energy, possibly for cellular metabolism. In fibroblasts from healthy subjects, the effect was less pronounced than in HepG2, a kind of cell known to have greater FA metabolism than fibroblasts.Our hypothesis is that heat is not lost but it could act as an activator, for example on the heat‐sensitive pathway related to TRVP2 receptors. To investigate this hypothesis we focused on peroxisomal metabolism, considering that impaired heat generation could contribute to the development of peroxisomal neurodegenerative disorders.
Evidence for the impact of BAG3 on electrophysiological activity of primary culture of neonatal cardiomyocytes
Authors: Tahrir Farzaneh G. , Gordon Jennifer , Feldman Arthur M. , Cheung Joseph , Khalili Kamel , Mohseni Ahooyi Taha 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHomeostasis of proteins involved in contractility of individual cardiomyocytes and those coupling adjacent cells is of critical importance as any abnormalities in cardiac electrical conduction may result in cardiac irregular activity and heart failure. Bcl2‐associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is a stress‐induced protein whose role in stabilizing myofibril proteins as well as protein quality control pathways, especially in the cardiac tissue, has captured much attention. Mutations of BAG3 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac complications such as dilated cardiomyopathy. In this study, we have used an in vitro model of neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes to investigate potential impacts of BAG3 on electrophysiological activity by employing the microelectrode array (MEA) technology. Our MEA data showed that BAG3 plays an important role in the cardiac signal generation as reduced levels of BAG3 led to lower signal frequency and amplitude. Our analysis also revealed that BAG3 is essential to the signal propagation throughout the myocardium, as the MEA data‐based conduction velocity, connectivity degree, activation time, and synchrony were adversely affected by BAG3 knockdown. Moreover, BAG3 deficiency was demonstrated to be connected with the emergence of independently beating clusters of cardiomyocytes. On the other hand, BAG3 overexpression improved the activity of cardiomyocytes in terms of electrical signal amplitude and connectivity degree. Overall, by providing more in‐depth analyses and characterization of electrophysiological parameters, this study reveals that BAG3 is of critical importance for electrical activity of neonatal cardiomyocytes.
Prediction of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma survival based on the expression of 15 lncRNAs
Authors: Zhang Boxin , Wang Haihui , Guo Ziyan , Zhang Xinhai 
Published: March 2019

AbstractRecent evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential regulators of many cancer‐related processes, including cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. There is thus a reason to believe that the detection of lncRNAs may be useful as a diagnostic and prognostic strategy for cancer detection, however, at present no effective genome‐wide tests are available for clinical use, constraining the use of such a strategy. In this study, we performed a comprehensive assessment of lncRNAs expressed in samples in the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cohort available in The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A risk score (RS) model was constructed based on the expression data of these 15 lncRNAs in the validation data set of HNSCC patients and was subsequently validated in validation data set and the entire data set. We were able to stratify patients into high‐ and low‐risk categories, using our lncRNA expression panel to determine an RS, with significant differences in overall survival (OS) between these two groups in our test set (median survival, 1.863 vs. 5.484 years; log‐rank test, p < 0.001). We were able to confirm the predictive value of our 15‐lncRNA signature using both a validation data set and a full data set, finding our signature to be reproducible and effective as a means of predicting HNSCC patient OS. Through the multivariate Cox regression and stratified analyses, we were further able to confirm that the predictive value of this RS was independent of other predictive factors such as clinicopathological parameters. The Gene set enrichment analysis revealed potential functional roles for these 15 lncRNAs in tumor progression. Our findings indicate that an RS established based on a panel of lncRNA expression signatures can effectively predict OS and facilitate patient stratification in HNSCC.
Overexpression of TRIM26 suppresses the proliferation, metastasis, and glycolysis in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells
Authors: Wang Kefeng , Chai Linyan , Qiu Zhengguo , Zhang Yundong , Gao Haiyan , Zhang Xiaozhi 
Published: March 2019

AbstractPapillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the common subtype of thyroid cancer, which is a common endocrine malignancy. Tripartite motif 26 (TRIM26) has been found to act as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. However, the functional roles of TRIM26 in PTC remain unknown. In this study, we examined the TRIM26 expression in PTC and evaluated the effects of TRIM26 on proliferation, metastasis, and glycolysis in PTC cells. The results proved that TRIM26 was significantly downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. TRIM26 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in PTC cells. TRIM26 overexpression also suppressed the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition process. Besides, overexpression of TRIM26 caused significant decrease in glucose uptake and lactate production in PTC cells. Further investigations revealed that TRIM26 overexpression inhibited the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway. Treatment with an activator (740Y‐P) of the PI3K/AKT pathway reversed the antitumor effects of TRIM26 on PTC cells. These findings provided evidence that TRIM26 acted as a tumor suppressor in PTC.