bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of nicotine and its metabolites in placenta and umbilical cord
Authors: Paniagua‐González Lucía , Jiménez‐Morigosa Cristian , Lendoiro Elena , Concheiro Marta , Cruz Angelines , López‐Rivadulla Manuel , de Castro Ana 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTobacco exposure during pregnancy is associated with obstetric and fetal complications. We developed and validated a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method to determine nicotine, cotinine, and hydroxycotinine (OH‐cotinine) in placenta (PL) and umbilical cord (UC). Specimens were homogenized in water, followed by solid‐phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed using an Atlantis® HILIC Silica column. Detection was accomplished in electrospray in positive mode. Method validation included: linearity (5 to 1000 ng/g), accuracy (86.9 to 105.2% of target concentration in PL, and 89.1 to 105.0% in UC), imprecision (6.8 to 11.8% in PL, and 7.6 to 12.2% in UC), limits of detection (2 ng/g for cotinine and OH‐cotinine, and 5 ng/g for nicotine) and quantification (5 ng/g), selectivity (no endogenous or exogenous interferences), matrix effect (−34.1 to −84.5% in PL, %CV = 9.1–24.0%; −18.9 to −84.7% in UC, %CV = 10.2–23.9%), extraction efficiency (60.7 to 131.5% in PL, and 64.1 to 134.2% in UC), and stability 72 h in the autosampler (<11.5% loss in PL, and < 13% loss in UC). The method was applied to 14 PL and UC specimens from tobacco users during pregnancy. Cotinine (6.8–312.2 ng/g in PL; 6.7–342.3 ng/g in UC) was the predominant analyte, followed by OH‐cotinine (<LOQ‐80.2 ng/g in PL; <LOQ‐80.5 ng/g in UC) and nicotine (5.7–63.7 ng/g in PL; 5.1–63.3 ng/g in UC). This method will be applied to more than 150 specimens collected from a wide clinical study to evaluate the usefulness of maternal hair, meconium, placenta and umbilical cord compared to the maternal interview to detect in utero drug exposure.
Comparative transcriptional profiling analysis of the effect of heat waves during embryo incubation on the hatchlings of the Chinese soft‐shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)
Authors: Dang Wei , Lu Hongliang , Wu Qiong , Gao Yuan , Qi Qinqin , Fan Handong 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTemperature is one of most the important environmental factors that affect the ontogenesis of organisms. In this study, we incubated Chinese soft‐shelled turtle eggs at 28°C (control temperature, C treatment), a temperature with a 16°C cold shock and a 36°C heat shock twice per week (S treatment) or a ramp‐programmed temperature of 29 ± 9°C (with 12 hr (+) and 12 hr (−) every day) (F treatment). The incubation period, hatching success, hatchling weight, and locomotor performance were significantly different between the controls and the different heat treatment groups. The pathogen challenge results illustrated that hatchlings from the S treatment group were more resistant to bacterial infection, whereas hatchlings from the F treatment group were more vulnerable. We used RNA‐seq quantification analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of hatchlings in the S treatment group. Based on the functional annotation results for the DEGs, 9 genes were chosen to verify the RNA‐seq results. The background expression of DEGs was also analyzed for the three treatments, as was the regulation of the pathogen challenge. The results showed that 8 DEGs were related to the immune response after pathogen challenge and that temperature was an important factor in differential regulation of the immunity pathways.
Integrated analysis of flow, form, and function for river management and design testing
Authors: Lane Belize A. , Pasternack Gregory B. , Sandoval Solis Samuel 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe extent and timing of many river ecosystem functions is controlled by the interplay of streamflow dynamics with the river corridor shape and structure. However, most river management studies evaluate the role of either flow or form without regard to their dynamic interactions. This study develops an integrated modelling approach to assess changes in ecosystem functions resulting from different river flow and form configurations. Moreover, it investigates the role of temporal variability in such flow–form–function trade‐offs. The use of synthetic, archetypal channel forms in lieu of high‐resolution topographic data reduces time and financial requirements, overcomes site‐specific topographic features, and allows for evaluation of any morphological structure of interest. In an application to California's Mediterranean‐montane streams, the interacting roles of channel form, water year type, and hydrologic impairment were evaluated across a suite of ecosystem functions related to hydrogeomorphic processes and aquatic habitat. Channel form acted as the dominant control on hydrogeomorphic processes, whereas water year type controlled salmonid habitat functions. Streamflow alteration for hydropower increased redd dewatering risk and altered aquatic habitat availability. Study results highlight critical trade‐offs in ecosystem function performance and emphasize the significance of spatio‐temporal diversity of flow and form at multiple scales for maintaining river ecosystem integrity. The proposed approach is broadly applicable and extensible to other systems and ecosystem functions, where findings can be used to inform river management and design testing.
Pulmonary artery hypertension following coronary artery bypass grafting: a case report
Authors: Robinson Renana , Weinstein Jean Marc , Cafri Carlos , Avriel Avital 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPost‐operative pulmonary complications in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery are mostly reversible. We report a patient who developed pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) post‐CABG and did not have pulmonary hypertension prior to surgery. PAH Group 1 was diagnosed after right and left heart catheterization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only reported case of a patient developing PAH post‐CABG surgery. This could be explained by immunological and/or haemostatic changes triggered by cardiopulmonary bypass. We hope that as more knowledge is gained regarding the pathophysiology of PAH, cases like these could be better understood.
NCR+ ILC3 maintain larger STAT4 reservoir via T‐BET to regulate type 1 features upon IL‐23 stimulation in mice
Authors: Mikami Yohei , Scarno Gianluca , Zitti Beatrice , Shih Han‐Yu , Kanno Yuka , Santoni Angela , O'Shea John J , Sciumè Giuseppe 
Published: March 2018

AbstractInnate lymphoid cells (ILCs) producing IL‐22 and/or IL‐17, designated as ILC3, comprise a heterogeneous subset of cells involved in regulation of gut barrier homeostasis and inflammation. Exogenous environmental cues in conjunction with regulated expression of endogenous factors are key determinants of plasticity of ILC3 toward the type 1 fate. Herein, by using mouse models and transcriptomic approaches, we defined at the molecular level, initial events driving ILC3 expressing natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCR+ ILC3) to acquire type 1 features. We observed that NCR+ ILC3 exhibited high basal expression of the signal‐dependent transcription factor STAT4 due to T‐BET, leading to predisposed potential for the type 1 response. We found that the prototypical inducer of type 3 response, IL‐23, played a predominant role over IL‐12 by accessing STAT4 and preferentially inducing its phosphorylation in ILC3 expressing T‐BET. The early effector program driven by IL‐23 was characterized by the expression of IL‐22, followed by a production of IFN‐γ, which relies on STAT4, T‐BET and required chromatin remodeling of the Ifng locus. Altogether, our findings shed light on a feed‐forward mechanism involving STAT4 and T‐BET that modulates the outcome of IL‐23 signaling in ILC3.
Recent remote sensing applications for hydro and morphodynamic monitoring and modelling
Authors: Entwistle Neil , Heritage George , Milan David 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIt is not new to recognize that data from remote sensing platforms is transforming the way we characterize and analyse our environment. The ability to collect continuous data spanning spatial scales now allows geomorphological research in a data rich environment and this special issue [coming just eight years after the 2010 special issue of Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (ESPL) associated with the remote sensing of rivers] highlights the considerable research effort being made to exploit this information, for studies of geomorphic form and process. The 2010 special issue on the remote sensing of rivers noted that fluvial remote sensing articles made up some 14% of the total river related articles in ESPL. A similar review of articles up to 2017 reveals that this figure has increased to around 25% with a recent proliferation of articles utilizing satellite‐based data and structure from motion photogrammetry derived data. It is interesting to note, however that many studies published to date are proof of concept, concentrating on confirming the accuracy of the remotely sensed data at the expense of generating new insights and ideas on fluvial form and function. Data is becoming ever more precise and researchers should now be concentrating on analysing these early data sets to develop increased geomorphic insight, to challenge existing paradigms and to advance geomorphic science. The prospect of this occurring is increased by the fact that many of the new remote sensed platforms allow accurate spatial data to be collected cheaply and efficiently, reducing the need for substantial research funding to advance river science. Fluvial geomorphologists have never before been in such a liberated position. As techniques and analytical skills continue to improve it is inevitable that the prediction that remotely sensed data will revolutionize our understanding of geomorphological form and process will prove true, altering our ideas on the very nature of system functioning in the process. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Toward improving photosynthesis in cassava: Characterizing photosynthetic limitations in four current African cultivars
Authors: De Souza Amanda P. , Long Stephen P. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDespite the vast importance of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) for smallholder farmers in Africa, yields per unit land area have not increased over the past 55 years. Genetic engineering or breeding for increased photosynthetic efficiency may represent a new approach. This requires the understanding of limitations to photosynthesis within existing germplasm. Here, leaf photosynthetic gas exchange, leaf carbon and nitrogen content, and nonstructural carbohydrates content and growth were analyzed in four high‐yielding and farm‐preferred African cultivars: two landraces (TME 7, TME 419) and two improved lines (TMS 98/0581 and TMS 30572). Surprisingly, the two landraces had, on average, 18% higher light‐saturating leaf CO2 uptake (Asat) than the improved lines due to higher maximum apparent carboxylation rates of Rubisco carboxylation (Vcmax) and regeneration of ribulose‐1,5‐biphosphate expressed as electron transport rate (Jmax). TME 419 also showed a greater intrinsic water use efficiency. Except for the cultivar TMS 30572, photosynthesis in cassava showed a triose phosphate utilization (TPU) limitation at high intercellular [CO2]. The capacity for TPU in the leaf would not limit photosynthesis rates under current conditions, but without modification would be a barrier to increasing photosynthetic efficiency to levels predicted possible in this crop. The lower capacity of the lines improved through breeding, may perhaps reflect the predominant need, until now, in cassava breeding for improved disease and pest resistance. However, the availability today of equipment for high‐throughput screening of photosynthetic capacity provides a means to select for maintenance or improvement of photosynthetic capacity while also selecting for pest and disease resistance.
Guava leaf extract suppresses osteoarthritis progression in a rat anterior cruciate ligament transection model
Authors: Kawasaki Keiko , Fushimi Takashi , Nakamura Junji , Ota Noriyasu 
Published: March 2018

AbstractGuava leaf extract and ellagic acid, one of its polyphenolic components, inhibit the activity of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 5 (ADAMTS‐5), which is associated with aggrecan degeneration during the early stage of osteoarthritis (OA). To investigate the efficacy of guava leaf extract for preventing OA, we examined the effect of its dietary intake on cartilage destruction in anterior cruciate ligament‐transected (ACLT) rats. Rats were randomly assigned to four groups: ACLT control rats fed with control diet, ACLT rats fed with diet containing 0.2% guava leaf extract, ACLT rats fed with diet containing 0.5% guava leaf extract, and sham‐operated rats fed with control diet. Mankin's scores, an index of cartilage damage, were higher in rats that underwent ACLT. Guava leaf extract treatment dose‐dependently led to lower Mankin's scores and higher concentrations of ellagic acid in the serum and synovial membrane. Ellagic acid levels in the synovial membrane negatively correlated with cartilage destruction scores. These results suggest that dietary guava leaf extract suppresses OA progression in ACLT rats through ellagic acid‐mediated inhibition of early joint destruction.
Information properties of morphologically complex words modulate brain activity during word reading
Authors: Hakala Tero , Hultén Annika , Lehtonen Minna , Lagus Krista , Salmelin Riitta 
Published: March 2018

AbstractNeuroimaging studies of the reading process point to functionally distinct stages in word recognition. Yet, current understanding of the operations linked to those various stages is mainly descriptive in nature. Approaches developed in the field of computational linguistics may offer a more quantitative approach for understanding brain dynamics. Our aim was to evaluate whether a statistical model of morphology, with well‐defined computational principles, can capture the neural dynamics of reading, using the concept of surprisal from information theory as the common measure. The Morfessor model, created for unsupervised discovery of morphemes, is based on the minimum description length principle and attempts to find optimal units of representation for complex words. In a word recognition task, we correlated brain responses to word surprisal values derived from Morfessor and from other psycholinguistic variables that have been linked with various levels of linguistic abstraction. The magnetoencephalography data analysis focused on spatially, temporally and functionally distinct components of cortical activation observed in reading tasks. The early occipital and occipito‐temporal responses were correlated with parameters relating to visual complexity and orthographic properties, whereas the later bilateral superior temporal activation was correlated with whole‐word based and morphological models. The results show that the word processing costs estimated by the statistical Morfessor model are relevant for brain dynamics of reading during late processing stages.
Age‐related changes in the ease of dynamical transitions in human brain activity
Authors: Ezaki Takahiro , Sakaki Michiko , Watanabe Takamitsu , Masuda Naoki 
Published: March 2018

AbstractExecutive functions, a set of cognitive processes that enable flexible behavioral control, are known to decay with aging. Because such complex mental functions are considered to rely on the dynamic coordination of functionally different neural systems, the age‐related decline in executive functions should be underpinned by alteration of large‐scale neural dynamics. However, the effects of age on brain dynamics have not been firmly formulated. Here, we investigate such age‐related changes in brain dynamics by applying “energy landscape analysis” to publicly available functional magnetic resonance imaging data from healthy younger and older human adults. We quantified the ease of dynamical transitions between different major patterns of brain activity, and estimated it for the default mode network (DMN) and the cingulo‐opercular network (CON) separately. We found that the two age groups shared qualitatively the same trajectories of brain dynamics in both the DMN and CON. However, in both of networks, the ease of transitions was significantly smaller in the older than the younger group. Moreover, the ease of transitions was associated with the performance in executive function tasks in a doubly dissociated manner: for the younger adults, the ability of executive functions was mainly correlated with the ease of transitions in the CON, whereas that for the older adults was specifically associated with the ease of transitions in the DMN. These results provide direct biological evidence for age‐related changes in macroscopic brain dynamics and suggest that such neural dynamics play key roles when individuals carry out cognitively demanding tasks.
Major prognostic factors for recurrence and survival independent of the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition staging system in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with multimodality therapy
Authors: Xu Melody J. , Lazar Ann A. , Garsa Adam A. , Arron Sarah T. , Ryan William R. , El‐Sayed Ivan H. , George Jonathan R. , Algazi Alain P. , Heaton Chase M. , Ha Patrick K. , Yom Sue S. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess changes resulting from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) eighth edition for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and evaluate pertinent excluded factors.MethodsIn 101 patients receiving surgery and postoperative radiation, recurrence and survival were estimated by cumulative incidence and Kaplan‐Meier method. Time‐to‐event analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards and Fine‐Gray competing risks regression models.ResultsThe 2‐year locoregional recurrence, overall survival (OS), and cause‐specific mortality rates were 25%, 72%, and 13%, respectively. The AJCC eighth edition upstaged T classification in 50% of patients and overall stage in 39%. In multivariate analysis, immunosuppression and in‐transit metastasis were associated with locoregional recurrence. Older age and in‐transit metastasis were associated with worse OS. In univariate analysis (limited by number of events), cause‐specific mortality was associated with positive margin, in‐transit metastasis, and the seventh edition dichotomized T classification and overall stage.ConclusionIn‐transit metastasis was significantly associated with locoregional recurrence, OS, and cause‐specific mortality. Efforts should be made to define in‐transit metastasis in the staging system.
Indications for and outcomes of therapeutic plasma exchange after cardiac transplantation: A single center retrospective study
Authors: Onwuemene Oluwatoyosi A. , Grambow Steven C. , Patel Chetan B. , Mentz Robert J. , Milano Carmelo A. , Rogers Joseph G. , Metjian Ara D. , Arepally Gowthami M. , Ortel Thomas L. 
Published: March 2018

IntroductionLimited data are available describing indications for and outcomes of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in cardiac transplantation.MethodsIn a retrospective study of patients who underwent cardiac transplantation at Duke University Medical Center from 2010 to 2014, we reviewed 3 TPE treatment patterns: a Single TPE procedure within 24 h of transplant; Multiple TPE procedures initiated within 24 h of transplant; and 1 or more TPE procedures beginning >24 h post‐transplant. Primary and secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and TPE survival (TS), respectively.ResultsOf 313 patients meeting study criteria, 109 (35%) underwent TPE. TPE was initiated in 82 patients within 24 h, 40 (37%) receiving a single procedure (Single TPE), and 42 (38%) multiple procedures (Multiple TPE). Twenty‐seven (25%) began TPE >24 h after transplant (Delayed TPE). The most common TPE indication was elevated/positive panel reactive or human leukocyte antigen antibodies (32%). With a median follow‐up of 49 months, the non‐TPE treated and Single TPE cohorts had similar OS (HR 1.08 [CI, 0.54, 2.14], P = .84), while the Multiple and Delayed TPE cohorts had worse OS (HR 2.62 [CI, 1.53, 4.49] and HR 1.98 [CI, 1.02, 3.83], respectively). The Multiple and Delayed TPE cohorts also had worse TS (HR 2.59 [CI, 1.31, 5.14] and HR 3.18 [CI, 1.56, 6.50], respectively). Infection rates did not differ between groups but was independently associated with OS (HR 2.31 [CI, 1.50, 3.54]).ConclusionsTPE is an important therapeutic modality in cardiac transplant patients. Prospective studies are needed to better define TPE's different roles in this patient population.
Oxidation‐assisted structural elucidation of compounds containing a tertiary amine side chain using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry
Authors: Shamai Yamin Tamar , Prihed Hagit , Shifrovitch Avital , Dagan Shai , Weissberg Avi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA novel analytical technique for the structural elucidation of compounds bearing a tertiary amine side chain via “in vial” instantaneous oxidation and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) was developed. A series of lidocaine homologs and benzimidazole derivatives with a major/single amine representative base peak in both their EI‐MS and ESI‐MS/MS spectra were subjected to oxidation by a 0.1% solution of hydrogen peroxide (including several 16O/18O exchange experiments), followed by LC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis. The N‐oxide counterparts promoted extensive fragmentation with complete coverage of all parts of the molecule, enabling detailed structural elucidation and unambiguous identification of the unoxidized analytes at low nanogram per milliliter levels.
MALDI‐MS argininyl bufadienolide esters fingerprint from parotoid gland secretions of Rhinella arenarum: Age, gender, and seasonal variation
Authors: Petroselli Gabriela , Raices Marilina , Jungblut Lucas D. , Pozzi Andrea G. , Erra‐Balsells Rosa 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn many amphibians, the granular glands can be grouped in special regions forming macroglands. This is the case of toads, characterized by the presence of a pair of parotoid macroglands, strategically located to give protection by poison release in case of attacks. The product secreted consists of a wide variety of chemical compounds including proteins, peptides, biogenic amines, toxic steroidal bufadienolides, and various alkaloids, depending on the species. In this work, using Rhinella arenarum, we have performed, for the first time, the matrix assisted‐ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry characterization of the components of the secretion used as crude material, just suspended in MeOH (or MeCN). The crude sample as a whole (whole suspension) was spotted on the matrix assisted‐ultraviolet laser desorption plate for analysis. Electrospray ionization‐Orbitrap was used for cross‐checking experiments. The pattern of signals obtained at m/z ranges 600 to 800 and 1200 to 1600 could be assigned as the argininyl bufadienolide esters fingerprint characteristic of female and male. Variation patterns for gender (female, male), age (non‐reproductive, reproductive), and season (non‐reproductive, reproductive) are described.