bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross sex hormone treatment is linked with a reversal of cerebral patterns associated with gender dysphoria to the baseline of cisgender controls
Authors: Kilpatrick Lisa A. , Holmberg Mats , Manzouri Amirhosein , Savic Ivanka 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTransgender persons experience incongruence between their gender identity and birth‐assigned sex. The resulting gender dysphoria (GD), is frequently treated with cross‐sex hormones. However, very little is known about how this treatment affects the brain of individuals with GD, nor do we know the neurobiology of GD. We recently suggested that disconnection of fronto‐parietal networks involved in own‐body self‐referential processing could be a plausible mechanism, and that the anatomical correlate could be a thickening of the mesial prefrontal and precuneus cortex, which is unrelated to sex. Here, we investigate how cross‐sex hormone treatment affects cerebral tissue in persons with GD, and how potential changes are related to self‐body perception. Longitudinal MRI measurements of cortical thickness (Cth) were carried out in 40 transgender men (TrM), 24 transgender women (TrW) and 19 controls. Cth increased in the mesial temporal and insular cortices with testosterone treatment in TrM, whereas anti‐androgen and oestrogen treatment in TrW caused widespread cortical thinning. However, after correction for treatment‐related changes in total grey and white matter volumes (increase with testosterone; decrease with anti‐androgen and oestrogen), significant Cth decreases were observed in the mesial prefrontal and parietal cortices, in both TrM and TrW (vs. controls) – regions showing greater pre‐treatment Cth than in controls. The own body – self congruence ratings increased with treatment, and correlated with a left parietal cortical thinning. These data confirm our hypothesis that GD may be associated with specific anatomical features in own‐body/self‐processing circuits that reverse to the pattern of cisgender controls after cross‐sex hormone treatment.
Platelets are important for the development of immune tolerance: Possible involvement of TGF‐β in the mechanism
Authors: Hotta Eri , Tamagawa‐Mineoka Risa , Katoh Norito 
Published: April 2019

AbstractPlatelets have diverse roles in immune processes in addition to their key functions in haemostasis and thrombosis. Some studies imply that platelets may be possibly related to the immune tolerance induction. However, the role of platelets in the development of immune tolerance is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of platelets in the development of regulatory mechanisms responsible for cutaneous inflammation using a mouse model of low zone tolerance (LZT). Mice were treated with 2,4,6‐trinitro‐1‐chlorobenzene (TNCB) 8 times every other day for tolerance induction with administration of anti‐platelet antibody or control antibody during the tolerance induction phase every 3 days. After the treatment for the tolerance induction, mice were sensitized and then challenged with TNCB. The contact hypersensitivity (CHS) was significantly decreased at 24 hours after challenge in the mice with LZT than in those without LZT. Platelet depletion via administration of anti‐platelet antibody reversed the inhibition of CHS and reduced the frequency of Foxp3+ Tregs in the inflamed skin and draining lymph nodes in mice with LZT. In addition, repeated low‐dose skin exposure resulted in elevated plasma levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1. Interestingly, platelet depletion reduced plasma TGF‐β1 levels of mice with LZT. Furthermore, the CHS response was reduced by administration of recombinant TGF‐β1 during platelet depletion in mice with LZT. Administration of anti‐TGF‐β antibody reversed the inhibition of the CHS responses. These results suggest that platelets are involved in the induction of immune tolerance via the release of TGF‐β1.
Digestion and nitrogen metabolism in beef cattle and in vitro rumen fermentation of autumn grass differing in fertilizer nitrogen application rate
Authors: O'Connor Alan , McGee Mark , Moloney Aidan , Boland Tommy , O'Kiely Padraig 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBeef cattle partition dietary nitrogen (N) into meat or excrete it mainly in faeces and urine, which can contribute significantly to water and air pollution. The effects of two inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates—15 (LN) or 80 (HN) kg N/ha—to Lolium perenne‐dominant swards in autumn, on herbage chemical composition, intake, digestion and N balance in beef cattle, and in vitro fermentation and methane production were studied. Four growing beef steers used in a 2 × 2 crossover design experiment were offered zero‐grazed grass harvested 21 days post‐N application between July and October. The same grasses were incubated in an eight‐vessel rumen simulation technique in a randomized complete block experiment. Grass dry‐matter (DM) concentration was 26 g/kg lower and crude protein (CP) concentration was 35 g/kg DM higher for HN compared to LN. There was no difference in herbage DM intake or in vivo DM digestibility between treatments. Nitrogen intake and the digestibility of N were higher for HN compared to LN. Total and urine N loss were 41 and 45 g/day greater, respectively, for HN compared to LN, but faecal N loss did not differ between treatments. The quantity of N retained and therefore N‐use efficiency did not differ between LN and HN (25% vs. 22%). In vitro rumen pH and ammonia‐N concentrations were higher for HN compared to LN, whereas volatile fatty acid concentrations and molar proportions did not differ between treatments. In vitro methane and total gas production were 0.9 mmol/day and 280 ml/day lower for HN than LN respectively. Under the particular conditions of this experiment, reducing fertilizer N application rate reduced total and urinary N excretion, which has potential environmental benefits; however, methane output measured in vitro was increased.
Blocking development of liver fibrosis augments hepatic progenitor cell‐derived liver regeneration in a mouse chronic liver injury model
Authors: Kitade Mitsuteru , Kaji Kosuke , Nishimura Norihisa , Seki Kenichiro , Nakanishi Keisuke , Tsuji Yuki , Sato Shinya , Saikawa Soichiro , Takaya Hiroaki , Kawaratani Hideto , Namisaki Tadashi , Moriya Kei , Mitoro Akira , Yoshiji Hitoshi 
Published: April 2019

AimThe roles of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) in regeneration of a diseased liver are unclear. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) contribute to liver fibrosis but are also a component of the HPC niche. Hepatic progenitor cells expand along with HSC activation and liver fibrosis. However, little is known about the interplay of liver fibrosis and HPC‐mediated liver regeneration. This study aimed to investigate HSCs and HPCs in liver regeneration.MethodsLiver injury in mice was induced with 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocollidine, and HPC expansion and fibrosis were assessed. An angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB) was administered to assess its effect on fibrosis and regeneration.ResultsTreatment with ARB attenuated fibrosis and expansion of α‐smooth muscle actin‐positive activated HSCs as indicated by increased liver weight and Ki‐67‐positive hepatocytes. Immunohistochemical staining suggested that HPC differentiation was shifted toward hepatocytes (HCs) when ARB treatment decreased HPC encapsulation by HSCs and extracellular matrix. Conditioned medium produced by culturing the human HSC LX‐2 line strongly augmented differentiation to biliary epithelial cells (BECs) but inhibited that to HCs. Activated HSCs expressed Jagged1, a NOTCH ligand, which plays a central role in differentiation of HPCs toward BECs.ConclusionsHepatic stellate cells, the HPC niche cells, control differentiation of HPCs, directing them toward BECs rather than HCs in a diseased liver model. Antifibrosis treatment with an ARB preferentially redirects HPC differentiation toward HCs by blocking the NOTCH pathway in the HPC niche, resulting in more efficient HPC‐mediated liver regeneration.
Preformed donor‐specific antibodies are associated with 90‐day mortality in living‐donor liver transplantation
Authors: Tamura Kei , Tohyama Taiji , Watanabe Jota , Nakamura Taro , Ueno Yoshitomo , Inoue Hitoshi , Honjo Masahiko , Sakamoto Katsunori , Takai Akihiro , Ogawa Kohei , Takada Yasutsugu 
Published: April 2019

AimThe impact of donor‐specific anti‐human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSAs) on living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between DSAs and short‐term outcomes in LDLT recipients, and to clarify the clinical impact of DSAs.MethodAnti‐HLA antibodies were screened in preoperative serum samples taken from 40 liver transplant recipients at Ehime University (Toon, Japan) between August 2001 and July 2015. Screening was carried out using the Flow‐PRA method, and DSAs were detected in anti‐HLA antibody‐positive recipients using the Luminex single‐antigen identification test. A mean fluorescence intensity of 1000 was used as the cut‐off for positivity. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical courses of patients who were DSA‐positive to elucidate early clinical manifestations in LDLT recipients.ResultsFifteen (12 female and 3 male) patients (38%) had anti‐HLA antibodies. Eight of the 15 anti‐HLA antibody‐positive patients were positive for DSAs, and all were women. The 90‐day survival rate of DSA‐positive patients (50%) was significantly lower than that of DSA‐negative patients (84.4%) (0.0112; Wilcoxon test). On univariate analysis, the DSA‐positive rate was significantly higher in the 90‐day mortality group. Postoperatively, the incidence of acute cellular rejection was higher in DSA‐positive than DSA‐negative patients. Thrombotic microangiopathy developed only in DSA‐positive patients. We found no relationship between DSA status and bile duct stricture.ConclusionPreformed DSAs could be associated with elevated 90‐day mortality in LDLT recipients. Further large‐scale studies are required to verify the risk associated with DSAs in LDLT.
POSITIVELY RESPONSIVE COLLECTIVE CHOICE RULES AND MAJORITY RULE: A GENERALIZATION OF MAY'S THEOREM TO MANY ALTERNATIVES
Authors: Horan Sean , Osborne Martin J. , Sanver M. Remzi 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMay's theorem shows that if the set of alternatives contains two members, an anonymous and neutral collective choice rule is positively responsive if and only if it is majority rule. We show that if the set of alternatives contains three or more alternatives only the rule that assigns to every problem its strict Condorcet winner satisfies the three conditions plus Nash's version of “independence of irrelevant alternatives” for the domain of problems that have strict Condorcet winners. We show also that no rule satisfies the four conditions for domains that are more than slightly larger.
FERTILITY SHOCKS AND EQUILIBRIUM MARRIAGE‐RATE DYNAMICS
Authors: Knowles John , Vandenbroucke Guillaume 
Published: April 2019

AbstractFemale marriage probabilities were 50% higher in France in the years after World War 1, despite a large drop in the sex ratio. We develop a model of marital matching in which composition effects in the singles pool affect postdisruption matching rates. When calibrated to French data from World War 1, this mechanism explains 2/3 of the postwar rise in female marriage probabilities as the result of better composition of the pool of single men. We conclude that endogeneity issues make the sex ratio a potentially unreliable indicator of female marriage prospects.
The role of Langerhans cells in pathologies of the skin
Authors: Rajesh Aarthi , Wise Lyn , Hibma Merilyn 
Published: April 2019

AbstractLangerhans cells (LCs) are epidermal immune cells of myeloid origin. Although these cells were primarily thought to play a defensive role in the skin, evidence now indicates a diverse range of LC‐mediated effects including the relay of viral antigens in herpes simplex infection, recruitment of eosinophils in atopic dermatitis and promotion of a Th17 response in Candida infection. LCs may have a protective or suppressive function in pathologies of the skin, with differing functions being driven by the skin milieu. Understanding LC function will help guide the development of interventions that modulate these cells for therapeutic benefit.
How reliable is the statistical evidence for limiting saturated fat intake? A fresh look at the influential Hooper meta‐analysis
Authors: Thornley Simon , Schofield Grant , Zinn Caryn , Henderson George 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundEvidence from meta‐analyses has been influential in deciding whether or not limiting saturated fat intake reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Recently, random effects analyses have been criticised for exaggerating the influence of publication bias and an alternative proposed which obviates this issue: ‘inverse‐variance heterogeneity’.AimsWe re‐analysed the influential Hooper meta‐analysis that supports limiting saturated fat intake to decide whether or not the results of the study were sensitive to the method used.MethodsInverse‐variance heterogeneity analysis of this summary study was carried out, and the results contrasted with standard methods. Publication bias was also considered.ResultsInverse variance heterogeneity analysis of the Hooper combined cardiovascular disease end point results returned a pooled relative risk of 0.93 (95% confidence interval: 0.74–1.16). This finding contrasts with the traditional random effects analysis with the corresponding statistic of 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.72–0.96). Egger tests, funnel and Doi plots along with recently published suppressed trial results suggest that publication bias is present.ConclusionsThis study questions the use of the Hooper study as evidence to support limiting saturated fat intake. Our re‐analysis, together with concordant results from other meta‐analyses of trials indicate that routine advice to reduce saturated fat intake in people with (or at risk for) cardiovascular disease be reconsidered.
Predicting Patterns of Regulatory Behavior in the Still‐Face Paradigm at 3 Months
Authors: Barbosa Miguel , Beeghly Marjorie , Gonçalves Joana L. , Moreira João , Tronick Edward , Fuertes Marina 
Published: April 2019

The current study addressed two aims: (1) to describe different patterns of infant regulatory behavior during the Face‐to‐Face Still‐Face (FFSF) paradigm at 3 months of age and (2) to identify specific, independent predictors of these patterns from an a priori set of demographic, infant (e.g., temperament), and maternal (e.g., sensitivity) variables. Analyses were based on data collected for 121 mother–infant dyads assessed longitudinally in the newborn period and again at 3 months. In the newborn period, infants’ neurobehavior was evaluated using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) and mothers reported on their caregiving confidence and their newborns’ irritability and alertness. At 3 months, mothers reported on their infant's temperament, and mother–infant interactions were videotaped during free play and the FFSF. Three patterns of infant regulatory behavior were observed. The most common was a Social‐Positive Oriented Pattern, followed by a Distressed‐Inconsolable Pattern, and a Self‐Comfort Oriented Pattern. Results of multinomial logistic regression indicated that categorical assignment was not associated with demographic or infant characteristics, but rather with dyadic regulatory processes in which maternal reparatory sensitivity played a crucial role.
The convergent validity of a Dutch Screening tool for Dysphagia (Signaleringslijst Verslikken) for people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
Authors: van Timmeren Dinette E. A. , Deddens Annelies , van Schrojenstein Lantman‐de Valk Henny M. J. , van der Schans Cees P. , Krijnen Wim P. , Waninge Aly , van der Putten Annette A. J. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundDysphagia is potentially life‐threatening and highly prevalent in people with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (SPIMD). The “Signaleringslijst Verslikken” (SV) is a frequently used Dutch screening tool to detect dysphagia. The aim was to examine the convergent validity of the SV for people with SPIMD.MethodDirect support staff completed the SV, with speech and language therapists scoring a validated tool, the Dysphagia Disorders Survey (DDS), for 41 persons with SPIMD, aged ≥50 years. The results were compared for agreement using the McNemar's Test.ResultsThe proportion of agreement was 0.59 (95% CI 0.43–0.72). The SV did not detect dysphagia in 17 participants (44%) who were assessed as having dysphagia according to the DDS. The difference in proportion of detection of dysphagia between the two methods was significant (p < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe results suggest that the convergent validity of the SV is insufficient: the SV is not sensitive for detecting dysphagia in people with SPIMD.
Identifying temporal and spatial patterns of diatom community change in the tropical Andes over the last c. 150 years
Authors: Benito Xavier , Feitl Melina G. , Fritz Sherilyn C. , Mosquera Pablo V. , Schneider Tobias , Hampel Henrietta , Quevedo Luis , Steinitz‐Kannan Miriam 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAimLakes in the Ecuadorean Andes span different altitudinal and climatic regions, from inter Andean plateau to the high‐elevation páramo, which differ in their historical evolution in the several centuries since the pioneering Humboldt expeditions. Here, we evaluate temporal and spatial patterns of change in diatom assemblages between historical (palaeolimnological) and modern times.LocationEcuadorean AndesMethodsWe compared historical (pre‐1850) and modern (2017) diatom assemblages from 21 lakes and determined the relative role of environmental (water chemistry and climate) and spatial factors (distance‐based Moran's eigenvectors maps) on both assemblages using non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) with environmental fitting. In addition, we used redundancy analysis (RDA) with variance partitioning to estimate the historical (measured using downcore assemblage composition) effects on modern diatom assemblages and identified diatom species that contributed most to dissimilarity between the two times.ResultsDiatom changes between the two time points were limited across the group of lakes, as indicated by the NMDS ordination. Variance partitioning indicated that modern diatom assemblages were affected by environmental and spatial effects, but with non‐significant effects of past diatom species composition. Ordination results showed that variables related to elevation and water chemistry affected both modern and historical diatom assemblages. Diatom species with the best fit on NMDS axes (i.e. >70%) were influenced by elevation and climatic variables. The most distinctive change between the two time periods was the higher relative abundance of planktic diatom species in top‐core assemblages of some lakes, but in a highly variable fashion across gradients of increased elevation and water depth.Main conclusionsLandscape palaeolimnological analyses of varied Ecuadorean Andean lakes demonstrate both environmental and spatial controls on diatom metacommunities. The multi‐faceted ecological control of the altitudinal gradient on both historic and contemporary diatom assemblages suggests species sorting and dispersal constraints operating at centennial time‐scale. Although a few individual lakes show substantive change between the 1850s and today, the majority of lakes do not, and the analysis suggests the resilience of lakes at a regional scale. We emphasize the potential of diatom palaeolimnological approaches in biogeography to test ecologically relevant hypotheses of the mechanisms driving recent limnological change in high‐elevation tropical lakes.
Risk factors and potential protective factors of pregnancy‐induced hypertension in China: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Zhuang Caixia , Gao Jinsong , Liu Juntao , Wang Xietong , He Jing , Sun Jingxia , Liu Xiaowei , Liao Shixiu 
Published: April 2019

AbstractA cross‐sectional study was conducted to the reported factors and assesses possible protective factors for pregnancy‐induced hypertension (PIH) in China. The data of pregnant women who delivered between October 2016 and September 2017 were collected from a birth registry. The primary outcome was the occurrence of PIH. Secondary outcomes were delivery before 34 gestational weeks and other adverse obstetric outcomes of PIH. Among the 99 535 women enrolled, 5731 women (5.8%) developed PIH. BMI had a positive correlation with the primary and two secondary outcomes (adjusted OR = 2.05, 2.56, 1.87, respectively, for overweight; adjusted OR = 4.44, 3.90, and 2.63, respectively, for obesity). Otherwise, calcium supplementation during pregnancy was a potential protective factor for those outcomes (adjusted OR = 0.87, 0.14, and 0.44, respectively). These results provide a basis for PIH prevention strategy in the Chinese public health sector. Calcium supplementation and lowering the BMI might have the potential benefit on reducing the prevalence of PIH in selected women.
Anti‐human CD9 antibody Fab fragment impairs the internalization of extracellular vesicles and the nuclear transfer of their cargo proteins
Authors: Santos Mark F. , Rappa Germana , Karbanová Jana , Vanier Cheryl , Morimoto Chikao , Corbeil Denis , Lorico Aurelio 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe intercellular communication mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) has gained international interest during the last decade. Interfering with the mechanisms regulating this cellular process might find application particularly in oncology where cancer cell‐derived EVs play a role in tumour microenvironment transformation. Although several mechanisms were ascribed to explain the internalization of EVs, little is our knowledge about the fate of their cargos, which are crucial to mediate their function. We recently demonstrated a new intracellular pathway in which a fraction of endocytosed EV‐associated proteins is transported into the nucleoplasm of the host cell via a subpopulation of late endosomes penetrating into the nucleoplasmic reticulum. Silencing tetraspanin CD9 both in EVs and recipient cells strongly decreased the endocytosis of EVs and abolished the nuclear transfer of their cargos. Here, we investigated whether monovalent Fab fragments derived from 5H9 anti‐CD9 monoclonal antibody (referred hereafter as CD9 Fab) interfered with these cellular processes. To monitor the intracellular transport of proteins, we used fluorescent EVs containing CD9‐green fluorescent protein fusion protein and various melanoma cell lines and bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells as recipient cells. Interestingly, CD9 Fab considerably reduced EV uptake and the nuclear transfer of their proteins in all examined cells. In contrast, the divalent CD9 antibody stimulated both events. By impeding intercellular communication in the tumour microenvironment, CD9 Fab‐mediated inhibition of EV uptake, combined with direct targeting of cancerous cells could lead to the development of novel anti‐melanoma therapeutic strategies.