bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A critical role for the nuclear protein Akirin2 in the formation of mammalian muscle in vivo
Authors: Bosch Peter J. , Fuller Leah C. , Weiner Joshua A. 
Published: February 2019

SummaryEvolutionarily conserved Akirin nuclear proteins interact with chromatin remodeling complexes at gene enhancers and promoters, and have been reported to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Of the two mouse Akirin genes, Akirin2 is essential during embryonic development, with known in vivo roles in immune system function and the formation of the cerebral cortex. Here we demonstrate that Akirin2 is critical for mouse myogenesis, a tightly regulated developmental process through which myoblast precursors fuse to form mature skeletal muscle fibers. Loss of Akirin2 in somitic muscle precursor cells via Sim1‐Cre‐mediated excision of a conditional Akirin2 allele results in neonatal lethality. Mutant embryos exhibit a complete lack of forelimb, intercostal, and diaphragm muscles due to extensive apoptosis and loss of Pax3‐positive myoblasts. Severe skeletal defects, including craniofacial abnormalities, disrupted ossification, and rib fusions are also observed, attributable to lack of skeletal muscles as well as patchy Sim1‐Cre activity in the embryonic sclerotome. We further show that Akirin2 levels are tightly regulated during muscle cell differentiation in vitro, and that Akirin2 is required for the proper expression of muscle differentiation factors myogenin and myosin heavy chain. Our results implicate Akirin2 as a major regulator of mammalian muscle formation in vivo.
Test of the modified dual pathway model of eating disorders in individuals with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Rancourt Diana , Foster Nicole , Bollepalli Sureka , Fitterman‐Harris Hannah F. , Powers Margaret A. , Clements Mark , Smith Laura B. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractObjectiveAdolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) demonstrate high rates of disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) and may experience physiological and psychological vulnerabilities not currently included in established risk models of DEBs. This study examined associations among constructs included in the recently proposed T1D‐specific modified dual pathway model and examined age as a moderator of these associations.MethodParticipants included adolescents (n = 307; age M = 15.71, SD = 1.33), young adults (n = 313; age M = 21.20, SD = 2.10), and adults (n = 198; age M = 30.51, SD = 2.81) recruited via the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry. Data were collected from participants' medical records and from self‐report questionnaires assessing dietary regimen, dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, hunger/satiety, diabetes‐specific negative affect, and DEBs. Multiple group path modeling was used to test hypotheses.ResultsApproximately 31% of participants were at risk for an eating disorder. The original modified dual pathway model had poor model fit. The addition of three empirically defensible paths improved model fit. Diabetes‐specific dietary regimen, diabetes‐specific negative affect, and hunger/satiety disruption all were associated with DEBs. A fully varying multiple group model by age fit best; however, only the dietary restraint to DEBs pathway demonstrated a distinct pattern across age cohort, which attenuated from the adolescent to the adult cohort.DiscussionThis study provides preliminary support for associations proposed in the modified dual pathway model and suggests potential for intervening on disease‐specific risk factors of DEBs in a T1D population.
On the geography of activity: productivity but not temperature constrains discovery rates by ectotherm consumers
Authors: Kaspari Michael , de Beurs Kirsten 
Published: February 2019

AbstractConsumer activity—the rate that individuals move through and discover items in their environment—can constrain population interactions and ecosystem services. We introduce a model that assumes consumer activity is co‐limited by the abundance and velocity of consumers, which in turn are constrained by two global drivers: net primary productivity (NPP) and environmental temperature, respectively. We test it with data from a recent study showing how arthropod activity decreases with latitude and elevation. The maximum discovery rates (discoveries per day) of these ectotherms increased linearly with NPP and accounted for the observed latitudinal gradient in activity. The mean temperature of the warmest month in contrast had no consistent effect on activity. An ecosystem's NPP, which provides carbon to build individuals and sugars to fuel them, can thus be an important constraint on the activity of its ectotherm consumers.
Greater stem growth, woody allocation, and aboveground biomass in Paleotropical forests than in Neotropical forests
Authors: Taylor Philip G. , Cleveland Cory C. , Soper Fiona , Wieder William R. , Dobrowski Solomon Z. , Doughty Christopher E. , Townsend Alan R. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractForest dynamics and tree species composition vary substantially between Paleotropical and Neotropical forests, but these broad biogeographic regions are treated uniformly in many land models. To assess whether these regional differences translate into variation in productivity and carbon (C) storage, we compiled a database of climate, tree stem growth, litterfall, aboveground net primary production (ANPP), and aboveground biomass across tropical rainforest sites spanning 33 countries throughout Central and South America, Asia, and Australasia, but excluding Africa due to a paucity of available data. Though the sum of litterfall and stem growth (ANPP) did not differ between regions, both stem growth and the ratio of stem growth to litterfall were higher in Paleotropical forests compared to Neotropical forests across the full observed range of ANPP. Greater C allocation to woody growth likely explains the much larger aboveground biomass estimates in Paleotropical forests (~29%, or ~80 Mg DW/ha, greater than in the Neotropics). Climate was similar in Paleo‐ and Neotropical forests, thus the observed differences in C likely reflect differences in the evolutionary history of species and forest structure and function between regions. Our analysis suggests that Paleotropical forests, which can be dominated by tall‐statured Dipterocarpaceae species, may be disproportionate hotspots for aboveground C storage. Land models typically treat these distinct tropical forests with differential structures as a single functional unit, but our findings suggest that this may overlook critical biogeographic variation in C storage potential among regions.
The thioredoxin‐1 and glutathione/glutaredoxin‐1 systems redundantly fuel murine B‐cell development and responses
Authors: Muri Jonathan , Thut Helen , Heer Sebastian , Krueger Caroline C. , Bornkamm Georg W. , Bachmann Martin F. , Kopf Manfred 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAntioxidant systems maintain cellular redox homeostasis. The thioredoxin‐1 (Trx1) and the glutathione (GSH)/glutaredoxin‐1 (Grx1) systems are key players in preserving cytosolic redox balance. In fact, T lymphocytes critically rely on reducing equivalents from the Trx1 system for DNA biosynthesis during metabolic reprogramming upon activation. We here show that the Trx1 system is also indispensable for development and functionality of marginal zone (MZ) B cells and B1 cells in mice. In contrast, development of conventional B cells, follicular B‐cell homeostasis, germinal center reactions, and antibody responses are redundantly sustained by both antioxidant pathways. Proliferating B2 cells lacking Txnrd1 have increased glutathione (GSH) levels and upregulated cytosolic Grx1, which is barely detectable in expanding thymocytes. These results suggest that the redox capacity driving proliferation is more robust and flexible in B cells than in T cells, which may have profound implications for the therapy of B and T‐cell neoplasms.
Advances in catalytic conversion of methane and carbon dioxide to highly valuable products
Authors: Cai Xiaojiao , Hu Yun Hang 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTwo typical processes have been developed for the conversion of methane and carbon dioxide to higher valuable products: dry reforming of methane (DRM) and CO2‐oxidative coupling of methane (CO2‐OCM). Numerous articles reviewed progresses in either DRM or CO2‐OCM, but no one covers both processes. In this review article, we systematically evaluated progresses in both DRM and CO2‐OCM processes for conversion of methane and CO2 to highly valuable products. Critical issues, which are carbon deposition and high energy cost for DRM and the contradiction between large activity and high selectivity for CO2‐OCM, were emphasized. Strategies to develop effective catalysts were evaluated, including the enhancement of metal‐support interactions, the introduction of promotors, the formation of solid solutions, and the construction of core‐shell structures. Plasma and photocatalysis were discussed as new promising technologies for DRM and CO2‐OCM.
Targeted deletion of β1‐syntrophin causes a loss of Kir4.1 from Müller cell endfeet in mouse retina
Authors: Rao Shreyas B. , Katoozi Shirin , Skauli Nadia , Froehner Stanley C. , Ottersen Ole Petter , Adams Marvin E. , Amiry‐Moghaddam Mahmood 
Published: February 2019

AbstractProper function of the retina depends heavily on a specialized form of retinal glia called Müller cells. These cells carry out important homeostatic functions that are contingent on their polarized nature. Specifically, the Müller cell endfeet that contact retinal microvessels and the corpus vitreum show a tenfold higher concentration of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel Kir4.1 than other Müller cell plasma membrane domains. This highly selective enrichment of Kir4.1 allows K+ to be siphoned through endfoot membranes in a special form of spatial buffering. Here, we show that Kir4.1 is enriched in endfoot membranes through an interaction with β1‐syntrophin. Targeted disruption of this syntrophin caused a loss of Kir4.1 from Müller cell endfeet without affecting the total level of Kir4.1 expression in the retina. Targeted disruption of α1‐syntrophin had no effect on Kir4.1 localization. Our findings show that the Kir4.1 aggregation that forms the basis for K+ siphoning depends on a specific syntrophin isoform that colocalizes with Kir4.1 in Müller endfoot membranes.
Could We Be Marsupials? Very Premature Babies and Artificial Wombs
Authors: Davis Dena S. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIt is often pointed out that one cannot be “a little bit pregnant,” but pregnancy’s borders are no longer so crisp. At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, scientists have created an artificial womb in which “extremely premature” lambs were nurtured for four weeks, enough to make them ready to meet the world. The goal is to advance this technology until it is available for very premature human infants. At present, we put preemies into neonatal intensive care units, which are extremely stressful for the babies and their families, and the things we do to try to support them often cause serious damage. If successful, the artificial womb could be a terrific technology. The implications are remarkable. Would humans become somewhat like marsupials? Now, one is either born or not. Would this technology create a new, intermediate stage? What would this mean ethically and legally?
Requests for PAD and the Assessment of Capacity
Authors: Strouse Thomas B. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractI was asked to evaluate M by her medical oncologist, Dr. T. As a psychiatrist, I was to perform the duties of a mental health specialist in the care of this fifty‐eight‐year‐old woman with metastatic breast cancer who had requested physician aid in dying. Dr. T had no specific concerns, but she was adhering to the letter of the law by referring the patient to me—a “mental health specialist”—because, according to the patient’s medical history, there was “evidence of a mental disorder.” That evidence was comprised of depression treated in the remote past.Some years before California passed its End of Life Options Act in 2015, M had begun talking with Dr. T about the circumstances under which she might no longer want to be alive and might even choose to take active steps to end her life. She had fairly specific and durable criteria for knowing “when the time had come.” In our interview, she asserted very clearly that the time had not come but that, with the law now active, she hoped to have access to a lethal prescription in case it did.
The Strange Tale of Three Identical Strangers: Cinematic Lessons in Bioethics
Authors: Moore Bryanna , Garrett Jeremy R. , McNolty Leslie Ann , Murano Maria Cristina 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTim Wardle’s 2018 documentary film Three Identical Strangers is an exploration of identity, family, and loss. It’s also about nature versus nurture and the boundaries of ethically permissible research, particularly research involving children. The film tells the story of identical triplets who were separated soon after birth in 1961. A different family adopted each boy, without being told that their son had two identical brothers. The adoption agency responsible for finding the families was collaborating with a group of researchers working on a study about … something. Three Identical Strangers details the boys’ fight to obtain information about the study and for closure. But while the film may have received rave reviews, it left us feeling uneasy. We came away with two sets of questions, one having to do with the story that the film documents and the second with the ethics of filmmaking itself.
Deep Ethical Learning: Taking the Interplay of Human and Artificial Intelligence Seriously
Authors: Ho Anita 
Published: February 2019

AbstractFrom predicting medical conditions to administering health behavior interventions, artificial intelligence technologies are being developed to enhance patient care and outcomes. However, as Mélanie Terrasse and coauthors caution in an article in this issue of the Hastings Center Report, an overreliance on virtual technologies may depersonalize medical interactions and erode therapeutic relationships. The increasing expectation that patients will be actively engaged in their own care, regardless of the patients’ desire, technological literacy, and economic means, may also violate patients’ autonomy and exacerbate access. Moreover, since AI design is both a technical and social process, algorithms may mirror human biases, calling into question the vision of AI technologies surpassing human judgment and avoiding prejudices in decision‐making. The best answer to these problems is to develop AI health technologies as part of a culture of health care quality improvement, responding to existing needs while being proactive about potential technical and ethical problems that can arise from the technologies’ design and implementation.
Ethical Use of Social Media Data: Beyond the Clinical Context
Authors: Hammack Catherine M. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIn “Social Media, e‐Health, and Medical Ethics,” in this issue of the Hastings Center Report, Mélanie Terrasse, Moti Gorin, and Dominic Sisti address and suggest recommendations for several ethical issues central to the systematic ethical analysis of the effects of social media on clinical practice, health services research, and public health. The topic is as timely as it is important: social media data collected by device and web applications are constantly increasing and might have both individual and public health benefits. The authors focus their analysis primarily on the health care context. Yet the implications of the intersection of social media data and research warrant focused consideration, as even the most thorough ethical analysis in the clinical context is not necessarily directly applicable in the research context. While many ethical issues are present in both settings, the research context poses new challenges and calls for consideration of distinct factors. In particular, because the legal framework is less protective in research, critical ethical analysis of the research‐specific issues and considerations is essential to the ethical conduct of research using social media data as well as to the design and operation of social media device and web applications themselves.
Radiation‐induced sarcoma after radiation therapy for prostate adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wakabayashi Kohei , Konishi Kenta , Komatsu Tetsuya , Ishiba Ryo , Ota Naofumi , Ito Toshiki , Aki Ryota , Tsuchida Takashi , Miyake Hideaki , Nakamura Katsumasa 
Published: February 2019

IntroductionRadiation therapy is widely used for prostate cancer, but radiation‐induced sarcomas have been rarely reported.Case presentationA 77‐year‐old Japanese male was diagnosed with prostate cancer and received a combined androgen blockade and radiation therapy (total dose of 76 Gy). Five years after the radiation therapy, testicular pain and dysuria appeared. Computed tomography showed a soft tissue dense mass with invasion to the right subpubic ramus and prostate, mainly to the perineum. A needle biopsy revealed the pathological features of high‐grade sarcoma. The patient was diagnosed with radiation‐induced sarcoma based on the cancer's occurrence in the vicinity of the radiation field.ConclusionAlthough irradiation is one of the important treatments for prostate cancer, the risk of radiation‐induced malignancy should be considered.
The Prerna Girls’ Education Initiative in India: Scaling Literacy to Reach for the Sky
Authors: Sahni Urvashi 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis department focuses on literacy leaders, including school and instructional leaders, teachers, and external partners, who are working to improve outcomes for adolescent and adult learners in a wide range of education settings. Columns investigate the challenges and complexities inherent in such work and share lessons learned, impactful strategies and approaches, and promising pathways forward.
Nanocurcumin: A novel strategy in treating ankylosing spondylitis by modulating Th17 cells frequency and function
Authors: Hajialilo Mehrzad , Dolati Sanam , Abdolmohammadi‐Vahid Samaneh , Ahmadi Majid , Kamrani Amin , Eghbal‐Fard Shadi , Ghassembaglou Arezou , Valizadeh Amir , Shenas Mohammad Hossein Musavi , Aghebati‐Maleki Leili , Kafil Hossein Samadi , Mehdizadeh Amir , Yousefi Mehdi 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic rheumatic disease which mainly affects the axial skeleton and sacroiliac joints. T‐helper 17 (Th17) cells have been reportedly involved in AS pathogenesis. Nanocurcumin is considered to be beneficial, as an anti‐inflammatory compound, in AS patients treatment. In this study, Th17‐related immunological parameters were evaluated in AS patients. Transcription factors messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level, cytokines, and related microRNAs (miRNAs) were measured by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, Th17 frequency and cytokines secretion were evaluated by flow cytometry and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay tests, respectively. The frequency of Th17 was higher in AS patients. Gained data from nanocurcumin group also demonstrated that retinoic acid‐related orphan receptor γ (RORγt) and interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased (P = 0.0001 and 0.0006, respectively), as the decrease also happened in Th17‐associated miRNAs including miR‐141, miR‐155, and miR‐200 (
P = 0.04,
P = 0.02, and
P < 0.0001, respectively). Posttreatment data of miR‐155 and miR‐200 in the nanocurcumin and placebo groups also showed a higher expression level in the placebo group compared with nanocurcumin‐treated patients. Some clinical symptoms of AS patients were also improved at the end of the treatment process. The results of this study showed the potential ability of nanocurcumin to regulate Th17 cells activity in AS patients. This study provided further evidence on the function and underlying mechanism of nanocurcumin helping better treatment of AS.
Macrophage colony‐stimulating factor pretreatment of bone marrow progenitor cells regulates osteoclast differentiation based upon the stage of myeloid development
Authors: Yang Xuehui , Pande Shivangi , Scott Cameron , Friesel Robert 
Published: February 2019

AbstractOsteoclasts (OCs) are large, multinucleated bone resorbing cells originating from the bone marrow myeloid lineage, and share a common progenitor with macrophages and dendritic cells. Bone marrow cells (BMCs) are a common source for in vitro osteoclastogenesis assays but are a highly heterogeneous mixture of cells. Protocols for in vitro osteoclastogenesis vary considerably thus hindering interpretation and comparison of results between studies. Macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) pretreatment is commonly used to expand OC progenitors (OCPs) in BMC cultures before in vitro differentiation. However, the failure of osteoclastogenesis of M‐CSF primed bone marrow myeloid blasts has been reported. In this study, we used a simple method of differential adherence to plastic to enrich OCP from mouse BMCs. We found that M‐CSF pretreatment of plastic‐adherent BMCs (adBMCs) increased the number of CD11b‐F4/80+ macrophages and decreased the number of CD11b+ monocytes resulting in decreased OC formation. M‐CSF pretreatment of purified c‐Kit+ progenitors weakly inhibited OC formation, whereas M‐CSF pretreatment of purified c‐Kit‐CD11b+ progenitors promoted the formation of large OC. M‐CSF pretreatment increased the proliferation of both purified c‐Kit+ and c‐Kit‐CD11b+ cells and increased the percentage of CD11b‐F4/80+ cells from c‐Kit+ progenitors. In addition, M‐CSF pretreatment increased the percentage of CD11b+ F4/80− cells from purified c‐Kit‐CD11b+ cells. M‐CSF pretreatment increased the percentage of CD14 + CD16 + intermediate monocytes and subsequent OC formation from human 2adBMCs, and increased OC formation of purified CD14 + cells. Together, these results indicate that in vitro OCP expansion in the presence of M‐CSF and bone marrow stromal cells is dependent upon the developmental stage of myeloid cells, in which M‐CSF favors macrophage differentiation of multipotent progenitors, promotes monocyte maturation and supports differentiation of late‐stage OCP cells.
Circulating lncRNA ITSN1‐2 is upregulated, and its high expression correlates with increased disease severity, elevated inflammation, and poor survival in sepsis patients
Authors: Zeng Qingwei , Wu Jingdong , Yang Shijiang 
Published: February 2019

BackgroundThis study aimed to assess the correlation of long noncoding (lnc) RNA intersectin (ITSN) 1‐2 expression with disease risk, severity, inflammation, and survival in sepsis patients.MethodsThree hundred and nine intensive care unit (ICU)‐treated sepsis patients and 300 healthy controls were consecutively recruited in this study. Blood samples were collected from all sepsis patients within 24 hours after admitted to ICU and from healthy controls at the time of health screening, and the expression of lncRNA ITSN1‐2 in plasma was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Disease severity was assessed by physicians using acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score on day 1 after ICU admission. Additionally, the plasma inflammatory cytokines (including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), interleukin 1β (IL‐1β), IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, and IL‐17) were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.ResultslncRNA ITSN1‐2 was highly expressed in sepsis patients compared to healthy controls and could differentiate sepsis patients from healthy controls with area under the curve (AUC) 0.777 (95% CI: 0.740‐0.813). lncRNA ITSN1‐2 expression was positively correlated with APACHE II score, C‐reactive protein (CRP), TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐8 levels, but negatively correlated with IL‐10 level. In addition, lncRNA ITSN1‐2 was highly expressed in non‐survivors compared to survivors and could distinguish survivors from non‐survivors in sepsis patients with AUC 0.654 (95% CI: 0.581‐0.726).ConclusionCirculating lncRNA ITSN1‐2 is upregulated, and its high expression associates with increased disease severity and inflammation as well as poor prognosis in sepsis patients.