bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ecological consequences of anomalies in atmospheric moisture and snowpack
Authors: Johnston Aaron N. , Bruggeman Jason E. , Beers Aidan T. , Beever Erik A. , Christophersen Roger G. , Ransom Jason I. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAlthough increased frequency of extreme‐weather events is one of the most secure predictions associated with contemporary climate change, effects of such events on distribution and abundance of climate‐sensitive species remain poorly understood. Montane ecosystems may be especially sensitive to extreme weather because of complex abiotic and biotic interactions that propagate from climate‐driven reductions in snowpack. Snowpack not only protects subnivean biotas from extreme cold, but also influences forage availability through timing of melt‐off and water availability. We related relative abundances of an alpine mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps), to measures of weather and snowpack dynamics over an 8‐yr period that included before and after a year of record‐low snowpack in Washington, USA. We sought to (1) quantify any change in pika abundance associated with the snowpack anomaly and (2) identify aspects of weather and snowpack that influenced abundance of pikas. Pikas showed a 1‐yr lag response to the snowpack anomaly and exhibited marked declines in abundance at elevations below 1,400 m simultaneous with increased abundances at higher elevations. Atmospheric moisture, indexed by vapor pressure deficit (VPD), was especially important, evidenced by strong support for the top‐ranked model that included the interaction of VPD with snowpack duration. Notably, our novel application of VPD from gridded climate data for analyses of animal abundances shows strong potential for improving species distribution models because VPD represents an important aspect of weather that influences the physiology and habitat of biota. Pikas were apparently affected by cold stress without snowpack at mid elevations, whereas changes to forage associated with snowpack and VPD were influential at high and low elevations. Our results reveal context dependency in pika responses to weather and illustrate how snow drought can lead to rapid change in the abundance of subnivean animals.
Asynchrony in individual and subpopulation fecundity stabilizes reproductive output of an alpine plant population
Authors: Waddle Ellen , Piedrahita Lucas R. , Hall Elijah S. , Kendziorski Grace , Morris William F. , DeMarche Megan L. , Doak Daniel F. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractPopulation‐wide outcomes such as abundance, reproductive output, or mean survival can be stabilized by non‐synchronous variation in the performance of individuals or subpopulations. Such “portfolio effects” have been increasingly documented at the scale of subpopulations and are thought to play an important role in generating stability of population phenomena in the face of environmental variation. However, few studies quantify the strength and origin of portfolio effects at the finer scale of individuals. We used 16 yr of fruit production and climate data for an alpine plant to dissect the scale of portfolio effects in reproduction, as well as the contribution of individual traits including size and flowering time in driving reproductive output. Asynchrony in reproductive success substantially reduces variation in population‐level reproductive output, with approximately one‐fourth of this stabilizing effect arising from individual differences, mostly not those characterized by measured traits, and approximately three‐fourths from asynchrony across subpopulations. These results emphasize the different scales and causes of portfolio effects. The decomposition for portfolio effects we provide can facilitate similar breakdowns of the strength and causes of these effects in other systems.
Omega‐3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as an Adjunct to Non‐Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis
Authors: Stańdo Mirella , Lewkowicz Natalia 
Published: February 2019

Recently, a growing interest in products containing omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has emerged. It turned out that omega‐3 PUFAs have therapeutic, anti‐inflammatory, and protective properties in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, asthma, cardiovascular and periodontal diseases. Omega‐3 PUFAs inhibit the synthesis of pro‐inflammatory factors such as cytokines and eicosanoids. Moreover, omega‐3 PUFAs are enzymatically transformed into lipid mediators, i.a. resolvins and protectins possessing the properties to soothe the ongoing inflammatory process and minimize tissue damage as well as to increase tissue protection in acute inflammation. The use of omega‐3 PUFAs in the treatment of periodontitis may be beneficial due to controlling an inflammatory response against subgingival biofilm, reducing the level of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting osteoclast function. This, in turn, improves clinical parameters of periodontitis, such as bleeding on probing (BOP), periodontal probing depth (PD), and connective tissue attachment level (CAL). In this paper, the most important information about the mechanisms of omega‐3 PUFAs EPA and DHA action, and their sources in the daily diet are discussed. The recent literature regarding the effects of using omega‐3 PUFAs as a complementary and supportive element in the non‐surgical treatment of periodontitis are also reviewed.Practical Applications: Studies in humans and animals have suggested a beneficial therapeutic effect of omega‐3 fatty acids in the control of inflammation and periodontal tissue protection in periodontitis.The multidirectional action of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their role in periodontal inflammation are reviewed here.
Antioxidant Activity of Spent Coffee Ground Extracts Toward Soybean Oil and Fish Oil
Authors: Hwang Hong‐Sik , Winkler‐Moser Jill K. , Kim Youngmok , Liu Sean X. 
Published: February 2019

Although studies have shown that spent coffee ground (SCG) extracts have antioxidant activity, no systematic study has been reported under actual storage conditions. The purpose of this study is to estimate the feasibility of practical application of SCG extracts as natural antioxidants for soybean oil and fish oil. An ethanol extract (EE), an acetone extract (AE), and polar compounds isolated from oil (PCO) are prepared and their activity is compared to a synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). EE shows the strongest radical scavenging activity for 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and the highest total phenolic content (TPC) followed by AE and then PCO. However, during storage of soybean oil and fish oil at 35 and 50 °C, AE has the strongest antioxidant activity as determined by peroxide value, conjugated diene value, p‐anisidine value, and headspace volatile analyses. In soybean oil, 0.25% AE has antioxidant activity that is equal to or better than 0.02% BHT. In fish oil, the antioxidant activity of 0.25% AE is inferior to that of 0.02% BHT. However, increased concentrations of AE show improved antioxidant activity. This study shows that SCG extracts can be practically used as natural antioxidants for vegetable oils and omega‐3 oils.Practical Application: Due to lack of information about the antioxidant activity of spent coffee ground (SCG) extracts, this study is specifically aimed and designed to provide information on their activity toward soybean oil and fish oil during actual storage. This study shows that 0.25% acetone extract has equal or better protective effects than BHT in soybean oil at 35 and 50 °C. The activity is further improved with increasing concentration. The activity of the acetone extract in fish oil is not as strong as in soybean oil, but higher concentrations further improve the antioxidant activity. In this study, it is clearly demonstrated that the SCG extracts can have practical use as natural antioxidants for vegetable oils and oils with high concentration of omega‐3 fatty acids.Among spent coffee ground (SCG) extracts, the acetone extract (AE) has the strongest antioxidant activity. In soybean oil, 0.25% AE has antioxidant activity that is equal to or better than 0.02% butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). This study shows that SCG extracts can be practically used as natural antioxidants for edible oils.
Development of a 450 nm Laser Irradiation Desorption Method for Fast Headspace Solid‐Phase Microextraction of Volatiles from Krill Oil (Euphausia superba)
Authors: Song Gongshuai , Zhang Mengna , Zhang Yanping , Wang Honghai , Chen Kang , Dai Zhiyuan , Shen Qing 
Published: February 2019

A laser irradiation desorption (LID) method is developed using a 450 nm blue semiconductor laser and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for analyzing the flavor of Antarctic krill oil (Euphausia superba). The experimental parameters of LID are optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), and the optima are obtained as follows; laser power (10 W), irradiation time (5 min), and sample volume (3 g). The results show that a total of 41 volatile molecular species are detected, including six alcohols, 10 aldehydes, five ketones, 14 hydrocarbons, and six other compounds. Compared with the conventional heating assisted desorption technique, the LID can release volatile molecular species with higher abundance in a considerably reduced extraction time from 30 to 5 min. Finally, the proposed method is validated in terms of sensitivity, precision, linearity, and recovery, which demonstrate its advantages of high efficiency and simplified procedure.Practical Applications: An LID method is developed using a 450 nm blue semiconductor laser for analyzing the flavor of Antarctic krill oil (E. superba). Compared with the conventional heating assisted desorption technique, the LID can release more volatile molecular species with higher abundance in a considerably shorter extraction time, and the intensive laser power does not induce the autoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It shows the advantages of a highly efficient, and simplified procedure.A laser irradiation desorption (LID) method is developed using a 450 nm blue semiconductor laser for analyzing the flavor of Antarctic krill oil (Euphausia superba).
Recent studies of docking and molecular dynamics simulation for liquid‐phase enantioseparations
Authors: Peluso Paola , Dessì Alessandro , Dallocchio Roberto , Mamane Victor , Cossu Sergio 
Published: February 2019

AbstractLiquid‐phase enantioseparations have been fruitfully applied in several fields of science. Various applications along with technical and theoretical advancements contributed to increase significantly the knowledge in this area. Nowadays, chromatographic techniques, in particular HPLC on chiral stationary phase, are considered as mature technologies. In the last thirty years, CE has been also recognized as one of the most versatile technique for analytical scale separation of enantiomers. Despite the huge number of papers published in these fields, understanding mechanistic details of the stereoselective interaction between selector and selectand is still an open issue, in particular for high‐molecular weight chiral selectors like polysaccharide derivatives. With the ever growing improvement of computer facilities, hardware and software, computational techniques have become a basic tool in enantioseparation science. In this field, molecular docking and dynamics simulations proved to be extremely adaptable to model and visualize at molecular level the spatial proximity of interacting molecules in order to predict retention, selectivity, enantiomer elution order, and profile noncovalent interaction patterns underlying the recognition process. On this basis, topics and trends in using docking and molecular dynamics as theoretical complement of experimental LC and CE chiral separations are described herein. The basic concepts of these computational strategies and seminal studies performed over time are presented, with a specific focus on literature published between 2015 and November 2018. A systematic compilation of all published literature has not been attempted.
Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage over 45 years in Carnation Creek, BC, a previously glaciated mountain catchment
Authors: Reid David A. , Hassan Marwan A. , Bird Steve , Hogan Dan 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe movement of sediment through mountain river networks remains difficult to predict, as processes beyond streamflow and particle size are responsible for the entrainment and transport of bedload sediment. In deglaciated catchments, additional complexity arises from glacial impacts on landscape organization. Research to date indicates that the quantity of sediment stored in the channel is an important component of sediment transport in systems which alternate between supply and transport limited states, but limited long‐term field data exist which can capture storage‐transfer dynamics over a timescale encompassing episodic supply typical of mountain streams. We use a 45‐year dataset with annual and decadal‐scale data on sediment storage, channel morphology, and wood loading to investigate the spatial and temporal organization of storage in Carnation Creek, a previously glaciated 11 km2 catchment on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.Sediment is supplied episodically to the channel, including additions from debris flows in the early 1980s just upstream of the studied channel region. Analyzing the spatial and temporal organization of sediment storage along 3.0 km of channel mainstem reveals a characteristic storage wavelength similar to the annual bedload particle travel distance. Over time, two scales of variation in storage are observed: small‐scale fluctuation of 3–10 years corresponding to local erosional and depositional processes, and larger scale response over 25–35 years related to supply of sediment from hillslopes. Complex relationships between storage and sediment transfer (i.e., annual change in storage) are identified, with decadal‐scale hysteresis present in storage‐transfer relations in sites influenced by hillslope sediment and logjams. We propose a conceptual model linking landscape organization to temporal variability in storage and to storage–export cycles. Collectively, our results reaffirm the importance of storage to sediment transport and channel morphology, and highlight the complexity of storage–transport interactions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role of c‐Met expression on prognosis of head and neck cancer: A literature review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Li Lei , Sun Zhijun , Huang Xin , Li Xiao , Sun Lihua , Zhang Lei , Zhang Xiaodan , Ye Longwei , Yuan Jie , Mao Limin , Li Guolin 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe prognostic role of c‐Met expression in patients with head and neck cancer were controversial among different studies. Thus, we performed a meta‐analysis to evaluate the relationships between c‐Met expression and survival and clinical parameters of head and neck cancer patients.Summary hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to analyze the correlations between c‐Met expression and overall survival (OS), and disease‐free survival (DFS). Furthermore, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were used to describe the relationships between c‐Met expression and different clinicopathological parameters.A total of 2417 patients from 19 studies were enrolled in the final analysis. The results showed that patients with higher c‐Met expression had a poor OS (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.20‐2.27) and DFS (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.99‐2.20). In addition, c‐Met expression was associated with the N classification of patients with head and neck cancer.These results suggested that c‐Met expression was a risk factor for head and neck cancer, and increased c‐Met expression would be a predictor of a poorer prognosis for the patients.
mTOR Signaling pathway as a master regulator of memory CD8+ T‐cells, Th17, and NK cells development and their functional properties
Authors: Rostamzadeh Davood , Yousefi Mehdi , Haghshenas Mohammad Reza , Ahmadi Majid , Dolati Sanam , Babaloo Zohreh 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a member of the evolutionary phosphatidylinositol kinase‐related kinases (PIKKs). mTOR plays a pivotal role in the regulation of diverse aspects of cellular physiology such as body metabolism, cell growth, protein synthesis, cell size, autophagy, and cell differentiation. Immunologically, mTOR has a fundamental part in controlling and shaping diverse functions of innate and adaptive immune cells, in particular, T‐cell subsets differentiation, survival, and metabolic reprogramming to ultimately regulate the fate of diverse immune cell types. Researchers report that rapamycin, a selective mTOR inhibitor, and immunosuppressive agent, has surprising immunostimulatory effects on inducing both quantitative and qualitative aspects of virus‐specific memory CD8+ T‐cells differentiation and homeostasis in a T‐cell‐intrinsic manner. The mTOR signaling pathway also plays a critical role in dictating the outcome of regulatory T cells (Treg), T helper 17 (Th17) cells, and natural killer (NK) cells proliferation and maturation, as well as the effector functions and cytotoxic properties of NK cells. Manipulation of mTOR activity is a critical therapeutic approach for pharmacological agents that seek to inhibit mTOR. This approach should enhance specific memory CD8
+ T‐cells responses and induce fully functional effector properties of NK cells to provoke their antitumor and antiviral activities.
The oncogenic roles of TRPM ion channels in cancer
Authors: Wong Kah Keng , Banham Alison H. , Yaacob Nik Soriani , Nur Husna Siti Muhamad 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTransient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are a diverse family of ion channels present in multiple types of tissues. They function as gatekeepers for responses to sensory stimuli including temperature, vision, taste, and pain through their activities in conducting ion fluxes. The TRPM (melastatin) subfamily consists of eight members (i.e., TRPM1–8), which collectively regulate fluxes of various types of cations such as K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+. Growing evidence in the past two decades indicates that TRPM ion channels, their isoforms, or long noncoding RNAs encoded within the locus may be oncogenes involved in the regulation of cancer cell growth, proliferation, autophagy, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and their significant association with poor clinical outcomes of cancer patients. In this review, we describe and discuss recent findings implicating TRPM channels in different malignancies, their functions, mechanisms, and signaling pathways involved in cancers, as well as summarizing their normal physiological functions and the availability of ion channel pharmacological inhibitors.
SIRT1 inhibits gastric cancer proliferation and metastasis via STAT3/MMP‐13 signaling
Authors: Zhang Shu , Yang Yang , Huang Shuling , Deng Chao , Zhou Siqi , Yang Jie , Cao Yu , Xu Lei , Yuan Yue , Yang Jun , Chen Guangxia , Zhou Lin , Lv Ying , Wang Lei , Zou Xiaoping 
Published: February 2019

AbstractGastric cancer prognoses are persistently poor due to cancer's penchant to metastasize. As a crucial regulator of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) signaling, sirtuin 1's (SIRT1) function in gastric cancer has not been well understood. Here, we report upregulated expression of SIRT1 in tissues isolated from gastric cancer patients. However, we show that the depletion of SIRT1‐mediated enhanced cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, and resulted in the enrichment of phosphorylated STAT3, acetylated STAT3, and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP‐13) in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Additionally, we demonstrate that small interfering RNAs targeting the production of STAT3, AG490, and CL‐821983 in cancer cells depleted of SIRT1 reduce metastasis. Our findings indicate that MMP‐13 expression is associated with lymph node metastasis and poor survival outcomes in gastric cancer patients. In vivo models also showed that depleted SIRT1 promoted gastric cancer growth via the STAT3/MMP‐13 axis. In conclusion, SIRT1 depletion encourages gastric cancer progression through the activation of STAT3/MMP‐13 signaling, suggesting that SIRT1 may function as a tumor suppressor. We postulate that the upregulation of SIRT1 in gastric cancer patients may be the result of a feedback mechanism that aims to oppose the damaging effects of STAT3 signaling. As such, SIRT1 activators could potentially serve as preventive and therapeutic treatments for metastatic gastric cancer.
Connexin 26 and 43 play a role in regulating proinflammatory events in the epidermis
Authors: García‐Vega Laura , O'Shaughnessy Erin M. , Jan Afnan , Bartholomew Chris , Martin Patricia E. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractDysregulation of Connexin (CX) expression and function is associated with a range of chronic inflammatory conditions including psoriasis and nonhealing wounds. To mimic a proinflammatory environment, HaCaT cells, a model human keratinocyte cell line, were challenged with 10 µg/ml peptidoglycan (PGN) isolated from Staphylococcus aureus for 15 min to 24 hr in the presence or absence of CX blockers and/or following CX26, CX43, PANX1 and TLR2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown (KD). Expression levels of IL‐6, IL‐8, CX26, CX43, PANX1, TLR2 and Ki67 were assessed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis and/or immunocytochemistry. Nuclear factor kappa β (NF‐κβ) was blocked with BAY 11‐7082, CX‐channel function was determined by adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) release assays. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay monitored IL6 release following PGN challenge in the presence or absence of siRNA or blockers of CX or purinergic signalling. Exposure to PGN induced IL‐6, IL‐8, CX26 and TLR2 gene expression but it did not influence CX43, PANX1 or Ki67 messenger RNA expression levels. CX43 protein levels were reduced following 24 hr PGN exposure. PGN‐induced CX26 and IL‐6 expression were also aborted by TLR2‐KD and inhibition of NF‐κβ. ATP and IL‐6 release were stimulated following 15 min and 1–24 hr challenge with PGN, respectively. Release of both agents was inhibited by coincubation with CX‐channel blockers, CX26‐, CX43‐ and TLR2‐KD. The IL‐6 response was also reduced by purinergic blockers. CX‐signalling plays a role in the innate immune response in the epidermis. PGN is detected by TLR2, which via NF‐κβ, directly activates CX26 and IL‐6 expression. CX43 and CX26 maintain proinflammatory signalling by permitting ATP release, however, PANX1 does not participate.
Upstream regulators of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase and their role in diseases
Authors: Wang Dandan , Zhou Weijie , Chen Jingyu , Wei Wei 
Published: February 2019

AbstractPhosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K), a crucial signaling molecule, is regulated by various upstream regulators. Traditionally, receptor tyrosine kinases and G protein‐coupled receptor are regarded as its principle upstream regulators; however, recent reports have indicated that spleen tyrosine kinase, β‐arrestin2, Janus kinase, and RAS can also perform this role. Dysregulation of PI3K is common in the progression of various diseases, including, but not limited to, tumors, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and acute myelogenous leukemia. The aim of this review is to provide a perspective on PI3K‐related diseases examining both the classical and nonclassical upstream regulators of PI3K in detail.