bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of temperature on nickel uptake and elimination in Daphnia magna
Authors: Pereira Cecília M.S. , Blust Ronny , De Schamphelaere Karel A.C. 
Published: January 2019

Abstract

It is well known that temperature can affect the ecotoxicity of chemicals (including metals) to aquatic organisms. It was recently reported that nickel (Ni), a priority substance under the European Water Framework directive, showed decreasing chronic toxicity to Daphnia magna with increasing temperature, between 15 and 25 °C. We performed a toxicokinetic study to contribute to an increased mechanistic understanding of this effect. More specifically, we investigated the effect of temperature on Ni uptake and elimination in D. magna (in 4 clones) using an experimental design that included Ni exposures with different stable isotopic composition and using a one-compartment model for data analysis. Both Ni uptake and elimination were affected by temperature, and some clear interclonal differences were observed. On average (across all clones), however, a similar pattern of the effect of temperature was observed on both Ni uptake and elimination, that is, the uptake rate constant (ku) and elimination rate constant (ke) during 72 h of Ni exposure were lower at 25 than at 19 °C, by 2.6-fold and 1.6-fold, respectively, and they were similar at 19 and 15 °C. This pattern does not correspond to the effects of temperature on chronic Ni toxicity reported previously, suggesting that Ni compartmentalization and/or toxicodynamics may also be affected by temperature. The data gathered with our specific experimental design also allowed us to infer that 1) the ku was up-regulated over time, that is, the ku after 2 d of Ni exposure was significantly higher than the initial ku, by 1.5- to 2.3-fold, and 2) the ke decreased significantly when the external Ni exposure was stopped, by 1.2- to 1.9-fold. These 2 findings are in contrast with 2 commonly used assumptions in toxicokinetic models, that is, that ku is constant during exposure and ke is independent of external exposure. We suggest that future toxicokinetic studies consider these factors in their experimental designs and data analyses. Overall, our study contributes to the growing body of evidence that temperature affects toxicokinetics of metals (and chemicals in general), but at the same time we emphasize that knowledge of toxicokinetics alone is not necessarily sufficient to explain or predict temperature effects on (chronic) toxicity. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:784–793. © 2019 SETAC
Analysis of transcriptional response in zebrafish eleutheroembryos exposed to climbazole: Signaling pathways and potential biomarkers
Authors: Zhang Hui , Chen Zhi-Feng , Qi Zenghua , Yan Shi-Chao , Wei Wen-Wen , Liu Guoguang , Cai Zongwei 
Published: January 2019

Abstract

Climbazole is an antifungal active ingredient used in personal care products. After application this chemical reaches the aquatic environment and may pose a risk to fish. In the present study, we measured the transcriptional effects of essential genes related to a wide range of signaling pathways on zebrafish eleutheroembryos exposed to climbazole at environmentally relevant and predicted worst-case environmental concentrations, and explored the potential biomarkers via partial least squares discriminant analysis. Transcription analysis covering up to 73 genes revealed significant down-regulation of circadian rhythm- and steroidogenesis-related genes in zebrafish embryos and larvae after exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of climbazole. This topical antifungal agent also modulated the transcripts of genes involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, oocyte maturation, and sexual differentiation at predicted worst-case environmental concentrations. In addition, mprα, igf3, nr1d1, nr1d2b, cyp19a1a, vtg1, il-1β, and il-8 were chosen as potential biomarkers in embryonic zebrafish following exposure to climbazole. These findings can help us understand the remarkable transcriptional response to climbazole in the early life stage of zebrafish. Future research should elucidate whether the transcriptional modulation translates into metabolic phenotypes associated with the corresponding signaling pathways. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:794–805. © 2019 SETAC
Abstract
Regulation of transcriptional response in zebrafish eleutheroembryos exposed to climbazole.
Unexpected response with palliative conventional therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after anti‐programmed death‐1 progression
Authors: Denaro Nerina , Merlano Marco Carlo 
Published: January 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe application of anti‐programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) therapies for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has found promising results. It is the first “second‐line therapy” in this setting to impact on prognosis. The studies demonstrated overall response rates in the range of 20%. Therefore, HNSCC showed 60%‐80% progression at first evaluation with better overall survival, suggesting regained efficacy of treatments given thereafter.MethodsWe report three clinical cases treated with anti‐PD‐1 after platinum‐based chemotherapy.ResultsOur case reports achieved an unforeseen response to conventional therapies supporting the hypothesis of restored responses to conventional therapies after immunotherapy.ConclusionsWe believe that the inhibition of the PD‐1/PD‐ligand 1 checkpoint may synergize with both chemotherapy or radiotherapy through immunologic interplay, reversing the HNSCC‐induced immune suppression.
Modeling of maximum endurance time for one‐handed carrying tasks
Authors: Li Kai Way , Peng Lu , Yi Cannan 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe objective of this study was to establish models to predict maximum endurance time (MET) for one‐handed carrying tasks. A one‐handed carrying experiment, under three loads and two walking speeds, was performed. The participant carried a dumbbell on the side using either dominant or nondominant hand. His or her arm was straight‐down. The MET values were collected. Both power and exponential functions were adopted in establishing simplified MET models considering the relative force (fMVC) applied. The simplified models were further expanded to full models where body weight and walking speed were also included. It was found that the power models provided better estimates than the exponential models when the fMVC was lower than approximately 0.17 for both the simplified and full models. Considering the effects of the walking speed, the full models are recommended when the fMVC is 0.3 or lower.
Laparoscopic radical surgery produces a good prognosis in an elderly patient with small Wilms’ tumor
Authors: Ota Yuya , Naiki Taku , Nakagawa Motoo , Naiki‐Ito Aya , Hamamoto Shuzo , Etani Toshiki , Iida Keitaro , Nozaki Satoshi , Ando Ryosuke , Kawai Noriyasu , Yasui Takahiro 
Published: January 2019

IntroductionRenal nephroblastoma, also known as Wilms’ tumor, is the most common malignant renal tumor to affect children. Although rare in adults, nephroblastoma in adults is often found in its advanced stages and has a poorer prognosis than cases occurring in childhood. No report has described the efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in small diameter renal tumors in elderly patients.Case presentationHere, we report a very rare case of 71‐year‐old woman with asymptomatic small nephroblastoma removed by laparoscopic radical nephrectomy.ConclusionThe patient refused additional treatments but shows no sign of recurrence 15 months after surgery. These findings support, therefore, that laparoscopic surgery may be effective for small nephroblastoma in elderly patients refusing other treatment modalities.
Monetary policy, housing rents, and inflation dynamics
Authors: Dias Daniel A. , Duarte João B. 
Published: January 2019

SummaryIn this paper we study the effect of monetary policy shocks on housing rents. Our main finding is that, in contrast to house prices, housing rents increase in response to contractionary monetary policy shocks. We also find that, after a contractionary monetary policy shock, rental vacancies and the homeownership rate decline. This combination of results suggests that monetary policy may affect housing tenure decisions (own versus rent). In addition, we show that, with the exception of the shelter component, all other main components of the consumer price index (CPI) either decline in response to a contractionary monetary policy shock or are not responsive. These findings motivated us to study the statistical properties of alternative measures of inflation that exclude the shelter component. We find that measures of inflation that exclude shelter have most of the statistical properties of the widely used measures of inflation, such as the CPI and the price index for personal consumption expenditures, but have higher standard deviations and react more to monetary policy shocks. Finally, we show that the response of housing rents accounts for a large proportion of the “price puzzle” found in the literature.
Effect of mitomycin C on X‐ray repair cross complementing group 1 expression and consequent cytotoxicity regulation in human gastric cancer cells
Authors: Tung Shui‐Yi , Lin Chien‐Tsong , Chen Cheng‐Nan , Huang Wen‐Shih 
Published: January 2019

AbstractGastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer and ranks as the second leading cause of cancer‐related deaths across the world. The combination therapy of surgery with chemotherapeutic drugs, that is, mitomycin C (MMC), is becoming a major strategy for patients with advanced gastric cancer. However, drug resistance is a major factor that limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy, which ultimately leads to the failure of cancer chemotherapy. X‐ray repair cross complementing group 1 (XRCC1), a scaffold protein of the base excision repair process, has been implicated in the development of tumor chemoresistance. Thus, this study aimed to explore whether XRCC1 expression could be regulated, its role in gastric AGS cancer cells treated with MMC, and the underlying mechanism. The results of this study demonstrate that XRCC1 expression could be upregulated in AGS cells treated with MMC, and this upregulation could subsequently reduce the cytotoxicity of MMC in AGS cells. Furthermore, MMC‐upregulated XRCC1 expression was regulated by MAPK signaling through activating the transcription factor Sp1. These results indicate the role of XRCC1 in the development of drug resistance to MMC in gastric AGS cells. Elucidating the mechanism concerning the MAPKs and transcription factor Sp1 may provide another notion for the development of a clinical chemotherapy strategy for gastric cancers in the future.
A meta‐analysis on correlations of OX40L variants with atherosclerotic disorders
Authors: Wang Xiaoxu , Luan Yaxin , Zhang Chengsen 
Published: January 2019

AbstractBackgroundThis meta‐analysis was conducted to analyze the correlations of OX40 ligand (OX40L) variants with atherosclerotic cardio‐cerebral vascular diseases (ASCVD).MethodsSystematic literature research was conducted in PubMed, Medline, and Embase. All statistical analyses were conducted with Review Manager.ResultsTotally eighteen studies were enrolled for analyses. Although no any significant correlations between OX40L variants and ASCVD were detected in overall analyses. Further subgroup analyses by ethnicity revealed that rs1234314 variant was significantly associated with ASCVD in East Asians (dominant model: P = 0.03, odds ratios [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01‐1.31; allele model: P = 0.04, OR = 1.10, 95%CI, 1.00‐1.20). When we stratified eligible studies by type of disease, positive results were observed for rs17568 variant in subjects with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (allele model: P = 0.04, OR = 0.81, 95%CI, 0.65‐0.99), for rs1234314 variant in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) (dominant model: P = 0.04, OR = 1.16, 95%CI, 1.00‐1.35), for rs3850641 variant in subjects with CAD (recessive model: P = 0.02, OR = 1.42, 95%CI, 1.05‐1.90) and myocardial infarction (MI) (recessive model: P = 0.03, OR = 1.49, 95%CI, 1.05‐2.11).ConclusionsOur findings suggested that rs17568, rs1234314, and rs3850641 variants might serve as genetic biomarkers of certain types of CAD.
Long noncoding RNA LINC00339 promotes renal tubular epithelial pyroptosis by regulating the miR‐22‐3p/NLRP3 axis in calcium oxalate–induced kidney stone
Authors: Song Zhengyao , Zhang Yangyang , Gong Binbin , Xu Hanjiang , Hao Zongyao , Liang Chaozhao 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 339 (LINC00339) in regulating renal tubular epithelial pyroptosis in kidney stones and to explore the underlying mechanism. The human renal proximal tubular epithelial (HK‐2) cells were treated with calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) for 72 hours to establish the cell model of renal tubular injury. Relative expression of LINC00339 and miR‐22‐3p was measured by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Expression of pyroptosis‐related molecules was measured by Western blot analysis (NLRP3, ASC, and cleaved caspase‐1 p10) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (interleukin‐1β [IL‐1β] and IL‐18). Pyroptosis was also determined by lactate dehydrogenase release and active caspase‐1‐propidium iodide double staining. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to verify whether miR‐22‐3p could bind to LINC00339 or NLRP3. We observed increased LINC00339, decreased miR‐22‐3p, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and enhanced cell pyroptosis in COM‐treated HK‐2 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of both LINC00339 and NLRP3 activated NLRP3 inflammasome and promoted pyroptosis in COM‐treated HK‐2 cells, whereas miR‐22‐3p mimic and NLRP3 knockdown exerted the opposite effects. Mechanically, LINC00339 functioned as a competitive endogenous RNA by sponging miR‐22‐3p to facilitate NLRP3 expression. In conclusion, lncRNA LINC00339 promotes cell pyroptosis by sponging miR‐22‐3p to regulate NLRP3 expression in COM‐treated HK‐2 cells.
On the spouse‐loving variant of the Oberwolfach problem
Authors: Bolohan Noah , Buchanan Iona , Burgess Andrea , Šajna Mateja , Van Snick Ryan 
Published: January 2019

AbstractWe prove that , the complete graph of even order with a 1‐factor duplicated, admits a decomposition into 2‐factors, each a disjoint union of cycles of length if and only if , except possibly when is odd and . In addition, we show that admits a decomposition into 2‐factors, each a disjoint union of cycles of lengths , whenever are all even.
Presence of fragmented QRS is associated with increased epicardial adipose tissue thickness in hypertensive patients
Authors: Bekar Lütfü , Kalçık Macit , Çelik Oğuzhan , Alp Çağlar , Yetim Mucahit , Doğan Tolga , Ekinözü İsmail , Karaarslan Osman , Çamkıran Volkan , Karavelioğlu Yusuf , Gölbaşı Zehra 
Published: January 2019

AbstractBackgroundEpicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a cardiometabolic risk factor, and its possible relationship with hypertension has been reported previously. Fragmented QRS (fQRS) detected on electrocardiography (ECG) has been demonstrated to be a marker of myocardial fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the thickness of EAT, and presence of fQRS in hypertensive patients.MethodsConsecutive patients who were diagnosed with hypertension were included in the study. ECG and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were performed to all patients. fQRS was defined as additional R′ wave or notching/splitting of S wave in two contiguous ECG leads. Thickness of EAT was measured by TTE.ResultsThis study enrolled 69 hypertensive patients with fQRS on ECG and 45 hypertensive patients without fQRS as the control group. Age (P = .869), and gender distribution (P = .751) were similar in both groups. Left atrial diameter (P = .012), interventricular septal thickness (P < .001), posterior wall thickness (P < .001), left ventricular ejection fraction (P = .009), left ventricular mass (P = .006), left ventricular mass ındex (P = .014), left ventricular hypertrophy (P = .003), and EAT thickness (P < .001) were found to be significantly increased in patients with fQRS. In multivariate analysis, among these variables only EAT was observed to be an independent predictor of fQRS (odds ratio:3.306 [95% confidence interval, 0.030‐0.118], P = .001).ConclusionA significant association exists between the presence of fQRS and EAT thickness in hypertensive patients. The presence of fQRS, just as EAT thickness, may be used as a cardiometabolic risk factor in hypertensive patients.
Automated techniques for blood vessels segmentation through fundus retinal images: A review
Authors: Akbar Shahzad , Sharif Muhammad , Akram Muhammad Usman , Saba Tanzila , Mahmood Toqeer , Kolivand Mahyar 
Published: January 2019

AbstractRetina is the interior part of human's eye, has a vital role in vision. The digital image captured by fundus camera is very useful to analyze the abnormalities in retina especially in retinal blood vessels. To get information of blood vessels through fundus retinal image, a precise and accurate vessels segmentation image is required. This segmented blood vessel image is most beneficial to detect retinal diseases. Many automated techniques are widely used for retinal vessels segmentation which is a primary element of computerized diagnostic systems for retinal diseases. The automatic vessels segmentation may lead to more challenging task in the presence of lesions and abnormalities. This paper briefly describes the various publicly available retinal image databases and various machine learning techniques. State of the art exhibited that researchers have proposed several vessel segmentation methods based on supervised and supervised techniques and evaluated their results mostly on publicly datasets such as digital retinal images for vessel extraction and structured analysis of the retina. A comprehensive review of existing supervised and unsupervised vessel segmentation techniques or algorithms is presented which describes the philosophy of each algorithm. This review will be useful for readers in their future research.
The effect of different ratios of nano‐sized hydroxyapatite fillers on the micro‐tensile bond strength of an adhesive resin
Authors: Kavrik Fevzi , Kucukyilmaz Ebru 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the micro‐tensile bond strength (μTBS) of dentin bonding agents containing different ratios of nano‐sized hydroxyapatite fillers (HA). X‐ray diffraction analysis was used for characterization, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was used to determine the HA particle size after that HA were mixed a bonding agents without filler. Dentin bonding agents were divided into four groups according to addition of different ratios of nano‐sized hydroxyapatite fillers as 2% HA, 5% HA, 7% HA, and no‐filler control group. The teeth (n = 32) were sectioned with a low‐speed diamond blade under water cooling to expose the mid‐coronal dentin. Following the bonding application, restorations were applied incrementally. Each tooth was cut on the x and y axis, and each specimen was fixed to a testing device and stressed until failure occurred. The debonded specimens were examined under 250× magnification without a coating layer at 2.00 kV using a SEM to determine failure patterns. μTBS data were analyzed using a anova and Tukey's post hoc test. The failure mode data were analyzed using the Chi‐Square test. The maximum mean value of μTBS was in the 7% HA group, while the minimum mean value of μTBS was observed in the control group. 7% HA group was statistically significant and higher than other groups while there were no significant differences between the control, 2% HA, and 5% HA groups. According to SEM analysis, fracture analysis revealed that the mixed fracture type was seen more often than the other fracture types. The particle size and amount of HA fillers added to the adhesive resin seem to affect the success of the bond strength to the dentin. Adding different ratio nano‐sized HA fillers to the adhesive resin contributed positively to the immediate μTBS values in the dentin.
Imaging human keratinocytes grown on electrospun mats by scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Sokolova Anastasiia I. , Pavlova Elizaveta R. , Khramova Yuliya V. , Klinov Dmitry V. , Shaitan Konstantin V. , Bagrov Dmitry V. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractDrying is a critical step in preparing cell samples for examination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The two commonly used drying procedures are the critical point drying (CPD) and the chemical drying using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS drying). Here we compared the application of these procedures for the drying of HaCaT human keratinocyte cells grown on electrospun nylon mats. Both drying procedures allowed us to obtain images of the cells and characterize the microvilli on the cell surface. After HMDS drying the membrane was less damaged than after CPD. Both drying procedures could be used to investigate contact guidance–the substrate‐induced changes in cell shape. The aspect ratio of HaCaT cells grown on the aligned and random mats was 4.2 ± 2.8 and 1.5 ± 0.3, respectively.
Dentine tubule disinfection by different irrigation protocols
Authors: Morago Ana , Ruiz‐Linares Matilde , Ferrer‐Luque Carmen María , Baca Pilar , Rodríguez Archilla Alberto , Arias‐Moliz María Teresa 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test the antimicrobial activity and the smear layer removal of different irrigation protocols—sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), NaOCl followed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and NaOCl combined with etidronic acid (HEBP)—against infected dentine tubules during root canal preparation. Single rooted premolars contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis were chemomechanically prepared. Depending on the irrigation protocols, the roots were divided into the following groups: (1) distilled water during and after instrumentation; (2) 2.5% NaOCl during and after instrumentation; (3) 2.5% NaOCl/9% HEBP during and after instrumentation; and (4) 2.5% NaOCl during instrumentation followed by 17% EDTA after instrumentation. The percentage of dead cells and the biovolume in infected dentine tubules were measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy and the live/dead technique. Smear layer removal on root canal wall surfaces was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy. Results were compared through parametric tests (p < .05). The groups NaOCl, NaOCl/HEBP, and NaOCl+EDTA exerted the highest antimicrobial activity (p > .05), followed by the group irrigated with water. All the irrigation protocols—including water—significantly reduced the bacteria biovolume. No dentine tubules free of smear layer were found in the positive control or the 2.5% NaOCl group. With NaOCl/HEBP and NaOCl+EDTA, respectively, 90.41% ± 7.33 and 76.54% ± 15.30 of dentine tubules were free of smear layer (p = .01). NaOCl/HEBP and NaOCl+EDTA exerted an important antimicrobial activity against bacteria inside dentine tubules, lowering the bacteria biovolume and eliminating a high amount of the smear layer, particularly in the NaOCl/HEBP group.