bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Direct quantitation of endogenous steroid sulfates in human urine by liquid chromatography‐electrospray tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Esquivel Argitxu , Alechaga Élida , Monfort Núria , Ventura Rosa 
Published: May 2018

AbstractA method based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for the direct quantitation of endogenous steroid sulfates has been developed to be able to evaluate these metabolites as biomarkers to detect the misuse of endogenous androgenic anabolic steroids in sports. For sample preparation, a mixed‐mode solid‐phase extraction was optimized to eliminate the glucuronide fraction in the washing step thus obtaining only the sulfate fraction. Chromatographic separation was optimized to achieve adequate resolution between isomers. The electrospray ionization and the product ion mass spectra of the sulfates were studied in order to obtain the most specific and selective transitions. The method was validated for quantitative purposes for 11 steroid sulfates obtaining satisfactory values for linearity, accuracy, and intra‐ and inter‐day precision (relative standard deviation better than 16.2%). Limits of quantitation ranged between 0.5 and 2 ng/mL. Extraction recoveries for sulfate metabolites were between 90 and 94%. Matrix effect ranged from 90 to 110% showing the absence of significant ion suppression/enhancement. Samples were found to be stable after 2 freeze/thaw cycles. The applicability of the method was checked by the analysis of 75 urine samples from healthy volunteers (54 males, 37 Caucasian and 17 Asian, and 21 Caucasian females) to evaluate the concentration levels of endogenous sulfate metabolites in basal conditions.
Genetic signals of artificial and natural dispersal linked to colonization of South America by non‐native Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Authors: Gomez‐Uchida Daniel , Cañas‐Rojas Diego , Riva‐Rossi Carla M. , Ciancio Javier E. , Pascual Miguel A. , Ernst Billy , Aedo Eduardo , Musleh Selim S. , Valenzuela‐Aguayo Francisca , Quinn Thomas P. , Seeb James E. , Seeb Lisa W. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractGenetics data have provided unprecedented insights into evolutionary aspects of colonization by non‐native populations. Yet, our understanding of how artificial (human‐mediated) and natural dispersal pathways of non‐native individuals influence genetic metrics, evolution of genetic structure, and admixture remains elusive. We capitalize on the widespread colonization of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in South America, mediated by both dispersal pathways, to address these issues using data from a panel of polymorphic SNPs. First, genetic diversity and the number of effective breeders (Nb) were higher among artificial than natural populations. Contemporary gene flow was common between adjacent artificial and natural and adjacent natural populations, but uncommon between geographically distant populations. Second, genetic structure revealed four distinct clusters throughout the Chinook salmon distributional range with varying levels of genetic connectivity. Isolation by distance resulted from weak differentiation between adjacent artificial and natural and between natural populations, with strong differentiation between distant Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean populations, which experienced strong genetic drift. Third, genetic mixture analyses revealed the presence of at least six donor geographic regions from North America, some of which likely hybridized as a result of multiple introductions. Relative propagule pressure or the proportion of Chinook salmon propagules introduced from various geographic regions according to government records significantly influenced genetic mixtures for two of three artificial populations. Our findings support a model of colonization in which high‐diversity artificial populations established first; some of these populations exhibited significant admixture resulting from propagule pressure. Low‐diversity natural populations were likely subsequently founded from a reduced number of individuals.
Benthic species of the Kerguelen Plateau show contrasting distribution shifts in response to environmental changes
Authors: Guillaumot Charlène , Fabri‐Ruiz Salomé , Martin Alexis , Eléaume Marc , Danis Bruno , Féral Jean‐Pierre , Saucède Thomas 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMarine life of the Southern Ocean has been facing environmental changes and the direct impact of human activities during the past decades. Benthic communities have particularly been affected by such changes although we only slowly understand the effect of environmental changes on species physiology, biogeography, and distribution. Species distribution models (SDM) can help explore species geographic responses to main environmental changes. In this work, we modeled the distribution of four echinoid species with contrasting ecological niches. Models developed for [2005–2012] were projected to different time periods, and the magnitude of distribution range shifts was assessed for recent‐past conditions [1955–1974] and for the future, under scenario RCP 8.5 for [2050–2099]. Our results suggest that species distribution shifts are expected to be more important in a near future compared to the past. The geographic response of species may vary between poleward shift, latitudinal reduction, and local extinction. Species with broad ecological niches and not limited by biogeographic barriers would be the least affected by environmental changes, in contrast to endemic species, restricted to coastal areas, which are predicted to be more sensitive.
Geography and island geomorphology shape fish assemblage structure on isolated coral reef systems
Authors: Bennett Scott , Halford Andrew R. , Choat J. Howard , Hobbs Jean‐Paul A. , Santana‐Garcon Julia , Ayling Anthony M. , Harvey Euan S. , Newman Stephen J. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWe quantify the relative importance of multi‐scale drivers of reef fish assemblage structure on isolated coral reefs at the intersection of the Indian and Indo‐Pacific biogeographical provinces. Large (>30 cm), functionally‐important and commonly targeted species of fish, were surveyed on the outer reef crest/front at 38 coral reef sites spread across three oceanic coral reef systems (i.e. Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Rowley Shoals), in the tropical Indian Ocean (c. 1.126 x 106 km2). The effects of coral cover, exposure, fishing pressure, lagoon size and geographical context, on observed patterns of fish assemblage structure were modelled using Multivariate Regression Trees. Reef fish assemblages were clearly separated in space with geographical location explaining ~53 % of the observed variation. Lagoon size, within each isolated reef system was an equally effective proxy for explaining fish assemblage structure. Among local‐scale variables, ‘distance from port’, a proxy for the influence of fishing, explained 5.2% of total variation and separated the four most isolated reefs from Cocos (Keeling) Island, from reefs with closer boating access. Other factors were not significant. Major divisions in assemblage structure were driven by sister taxa that displayed little geographical overlap between reef systems and low abundances of several species on Christmas Island corresponding to small lagoon habitats. Exclusion of geographical context from the analysis resulted in local processes explaining 47.3% of the variation, highlighting the importance of controlling for spatial correlation to understand the drivers of fish assemblage structure. Our results suggest reef fish assemblage structure on remote coral reef systems in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean reflects a biogeographical legacy of isolation between Indian and Pacific fish faunas and geomorphological variation within the region, more than local fishing pressure or reef condition. Our findings re‐emphasise the importance that historical processes play in structuring contemporary biotic communities.
Low ecological representation in the protected area network of China
Authors: Xu Haigen , Cao Mingchang , Wang Zhi , Wu Yi , Cao Yun , Wu Jun , Le Zhifang , Cui Peng , Ding Hui , Xu Wanggu , Peng Hua , Jiang Jianping , Wu Yuhu , Jiang Xuelong , Zhang Zhiyun , Rao Dingqi , Li Jianqiang , Lei Fumin , Xia Nianhe , Han Lianxian , Cao Wei , Wu Jiayu , Xia Xin , Li Yimin 
Published: May 2018

AbstractProtected areas are considered as an essential strategy to halt the decline of biodiversity. Ecological representation in protected areas is crucial for assessment on the progress toward conservation targets. Although China has established a large number of protected areas since the 1950s, ecological representation of protected areas is poorly understood. Here, we performed the complementarity analysis to evaluate ecological representation of protected areas in China. We used a database of the geographical distribution for 10,396 woody plant species, 2,305 fern species, 406 amphibian species, 460 reptile species, 1,364 bird species, and 590 mammal species from 2,376 counties across China. We identified complementary sets of counties for all species or threatened species of plant and vertebrate species using a complementarity algorithm. We evaluated ecological representation of 3,627 protected areas and discerned conservation gaps by comparing the distribution of protected areas with complementary sets. The results show that the spatially representative and complementary sites for biodiversity are poorly covered, and a fairly large proportion of protected areas is not designed to efficiently represent biodiversity at the national scale. Our methodology can serve as a generic framework for assessment on ecological representation of protected areas at the national scale.
Reversed predator–prey cycles are driven by the amplitude of prey oscillations
Authors: van Velzen Ellen , Gaedke Ursula 
Published: May 2018

AbstractEcoevolutionary feedbacks in predator–prey systems have been shown to qualitatively alter predator–prey dynamics. As a striking example, defense–offense coevolution can reverse predator–prey cycles, so predator peaks precede prey peaks rather than vice versa. However, this has only rarely been shown in either model studies or empirical systems. Here, we investigate whether this rarity is a fundamental feature of reversed cycles by exploring under which conditions they should be found. For this, we first identify potential conditions and parameter ranges most likely to result in reversed cycles by developing a new measure, the effective prey biomass, which combines prey biomass with prey and predator traits, and represents the prey biomass as perceived by the predator. We show that predator dynamics always follow the dynamics of the effective prey biomass with a classic ¼‐phase lag. From this key insight, it follows that in reversed cycles (i.e., ¾‐lag), the dynamics of the actual and the effective prey biomass must be in antiphase with each other, that is, the effective prey biomass must be highest when actual prey biomass is lowest, and vice versa. Based on this, we predict that reversed cycles should be found mainly when oscillations in actual prey biomass are small and thus have limited impact on the dynamics of the effective prey biomass, which are mainly driven by trait changes. We then confirm this prediction using numerical simulations of a coevolutionary predator–prey system, varying the amplitude of the oscillations in prey biomass: Reversed cycles are consistently associated with regions of parameter space leading to small‐amplitude prey oscillations, offering a specific and highly testable prediction for conditions under which reversed cycles should occur in natural systems.
Variation of Carbon Based Materials on the Electropolymerization of Tyramine
Authors: Wilson Thomas A. , Musameh Mustafa , Kyratzis Ilias L. , Zhang Jie , Bond Alan M. , Hearn Milton T. W. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe electropolymerization of tyramine has been investigated using glassy carbon electrodes modified with six classes of carbon materials, namely carbon black, graphitized carbon, graphite, graphene oxide, chemical vapour deposition based multi‐walled carbon nanotubes and arc discharged based multi‐walled carbon nanotubes. These materials were characterized before and after electrodeposition of polytyramine (PT) by Raman spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. Previously, other groups have established that impurities present in carbon materials, can play a critical role in electrocatalytic activity. In this study, the presence of graphitic basal plane carbon, rather than metallic impurities, is believed to initiate the formation of a redox active PT film that mediates the oxidation of NADH. The importance of graphitic basal plane carbon was supported by examining the impact of the graphitization of carbon black over the range of 500 to 2000 °C. Graphitic basal plane carbon impurity was demonstrated to be highly active and important with respect to the electrodeposition of a PT film that possesses significant catalytic activity towards the oxidation of NADH.
A Comparison of a Nanostructured Enzymeless Au/Fe2O3/MWCNTs/GCE Electrode and a GOx Modified One in Electrocatalytic Detection of Glucose
Authors: Mohammadi Fatemeh , Vesali‐Naseh Masoud , Khodadadi Abbas Ali , Mortazavi Yadollah 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAcid functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (f‐MWCNTs) were decorated with Au and Fe2O3 nanoparticles (FeONPs) and deposited on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The resulting hybrid Au/Fe2O3/f‐MWCNTs/GCE electrode and the one further modified by glucose oxidase were compared for detection of glucose. FeONPs and Au were deposited on the f‐MWCNTs by sonication‐assisted precipitation and deposition‐precipitation methods, respectively. The morphology and structure of the samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. A uniform distribution of FeONPs with an average size of 5 nm increased the surface area of functionalized nanotubes from 39 to 50 m2/g. The electrocatalytic glucose detection on the modified electrodes was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0. The non‐enzymatic and enzymatic electrodes show sensitivity of 512.4 and 921.4 mA/mM.cm2 and detection limit of 1.7 and 0.9 mM, respectively. The enzymatic and enzymeless electrodes retained more than 70 % and 80 % of their cathodic faradic current after 70 days, respectively. The sensing mechanism of the non‐enzymatic biosensor is described through the reaction of glucose with iron (III) ions, while in the case of enzymatic electrode, glucose is oxidized by glucose oxidase.
Structure, molecular dynamics simulation, and docking studies of Dictyostelium discoideum and human STRAPs
Authors: Kumar Rakesh , Saran Shweta 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe Serine Threonine kinase Receptor Associated Protein (STRAP) is a WD40 containing protein that provides a platform for protein interactions during cell proliferation and development. Overexpression and misregulation of STRAP contributes to various carcinomas that are now recognized as therapeutic targets especially for colorectal and lung cancers. The present study was undertaken to find an effective drug against this molecule using a simple system like Dictyostelium discoideum; which shares close homology to humans. Using techniques like structural modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and molecular docking, we found similar structure and dynamic behaviors in both, except for the presence of dissimilar numbers of β‐sheets and loop segments. We identified a novel and potential drug targeted to STRAP. The results obtained allow us to use Dictyostelium as a model system for further in vivo studies. Finally, the results of protein‐protein interactions using molecular docking and essential dynamics studies show STRAP to participate in TGF‐β signaling in humans. Further, we show some structural units that govern the interaction of TGFβ‐RI with STRAP and Smad7 proteins in TGF‐β signaling pathway. In conclusion, we propose that D. discoideum can be used for enhancing our knowledge about STRAP protein.
Downregulation of ARID4A and ARID4B promote tumor progression and directly regulated by microRNA‐30d in patient with prostate cancer
Authors: Liang Ying‐Ke , Han Zhao‐Dong , Lu Jian‐Ming , Liu Ze‐Zhen , Zhuo Yang‐Jia , Zhu Xue‐Jin , Chen Jun‐Xu , Ye Jian‐Heng , Liang Yu‐Xiang , He Hui‐Chan , Zhong Wei‐De 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAT‐rich interaction domain 4A (ARID4A) and AT‐rich interaction domain 4B (ARID4B), which are both the AT‐rich interaction domain (ARID) family, have been reported to be oncogene or tumor suppressor gene in various human malignances, but there is no involvement about their functions in prostate cancer (PCa). Our previous study has reported that microRNA‐30d (miR‐30d) expression can predicted poor clinical prognosis in PCa, however, the underlying mechanisms of miR‐30d have not been fully described. The aim of our study is to investigate the expression relevance between miR‐30d and ARID4A or ARID4B, and examine the clinical significance and biological function of ARID4A and AIRD4B in PCa. In this study, both ARID4A and ARID4B were identified as the target genes of miR‐30d. In addition, the mRNA expression of miR‐30d in PCa tissues were significantly negative correlated with ARID4A (Pearson correlation coefficient = −0.313, P = 0.001) and ARID4B (Pearson correlation coefficient = −0.349, P < 0.001), while there was a positive correlation between ARID4A and ARID4B (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.865, P < 0.001). Moreover, both ARID4A and ARID4B were significantly downregulated in PCa tissues with high Gleason scores (P = 0.005, P = 0.033), PSA failure (P = 0.012, P = 0.05) and short biochemical recurrent‐free survival (P = 0.033, P = 0.031). Furthermore, the knockout expression of ARID4A and ARID4B promoted PCa cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. In conclusion, our results indicated that ARID4A and ARID4B may serve as tumor suppressor in PCa progression, suggesting that they might be the potential therapeutic targets in prostate cancer.
β‐adrenergic receptors and cardiac progenitor cell biology: What is the real connection?
Authors: Pagano Francesca , Frati Giacomo , Chimenti Isotta 
Published: May 2018

AbstractResident cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) isolated from small animal models may not always be representative of their human counterparts, especially when significant differences in isolation protocols are considered. Nonetheless, multiple evidences support an important role of β‐adrenergic signaling in human CPC survival and commitment, which will need appropriate consideration for future developments of human CPCs as regenerative medicine tools.
Scutellaria baicalensis targets the hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α and enhances cisplatin efficacy in ovarian cancer
Authors: Hussain Imran , Waheed Sana , Ahmad Kashif A. , Pirog John E. , Syed Viqar 
Published: May 2018

AbstractHypoxia‐inducible factor‐1alpha (HIF‐1α) is aberrantly upregulated in tumors and implicated in angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Therefore, developing treatments that target HIF‐1α may be a viable therapeutic approach. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Scutellaria baicalensis (SB) is used for the treatment of cancer but the anti‐cancer mechanisms are not known. We examined the effects of SB on HIF‐1α expression in ovarian cancer (OC) cell lines grown under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. SB treatment attenuated HIF‐1α expression in cancer cell lines. Treatment of cells with cycloheximide (CHX) reduced HIF‐1α levels similar to cells treated with SB. Furthermore, SB‐induced HIF‐1α inhibition was abrogated by the proteasomal inhibitor MG132 and a lysosome inhibitor, chloroquine. Activation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK seen in OC cells was reduced with SB. Pretreatment of cells with LY294002 (phosphoinositide 3‐kinase inhibitor) and PD98059 (mitogen‐activated protein kinase inhibitor) reduced HIF‐1α expression comparable to SB‐treated cells. SB potentiated the anti‐growth effects of cisplatin on OC cells by attenuating the expression of HIF‐1α, ABCG1, and ABCG2. Taken together, the findings suggest that targeting HIF‐1α with SB could be an effective treatment strategy for cancer and SB can improve the sensitivity of cancer cells to cisplatin, which is a major challenge in therapy for ovarian tumors.
Clinical value of jointly detection pleural fluid Midkine, pleural fluid adenosine deaminase, and pleural fluid carbohydrate antigen 125 in the identification of nonsmall cell lung cancer‐associated malignant pleural effusion
Authors: Zhang Fan , Wang Junjun , Zheng Xiaoyong , Hu Lijuan , Chen Jie , Jiang Feng , Wang Yumin 
Published: May 2018

BackgroundMidkine (MK) level has been shown to be elevated in serum of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the diagnostic value of MK in pleural effusion in NSCLC has not been well validated and established.MethodsSamples of NSCLC‐associated malignant pleural effusions (MPE) and benign effusions (BPE) were collected. The pleural fluid MK (pMK), pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (pADA), pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH), pleural fluid glucose (pGLU), pleural fluid ferritin (pFER), pleural fluid CA199 (pCA199), pleural fluid CA125 (pCA125), pleural effusion white cell count (pWBC), and pleural effusion red cell count (pRBC) were analyzed, and the clinical data of each group were collected for statistical analysis.ResultThe level of pMK, pCA125, pMK + pCA125, and pMK + pCA125 + pADA in the MPE was significantly higher than the BPE group (P = .003, .000, .000, .000). The pADA level in the BPE was significantly higher than the MPE group (P = .003). It showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.816) of jointly detection pMK, pCA125, and pADA was significantly higher than other markers for the diagnosis of MPE. Therefore, joint detection of pMK + pCA125 + pADA suggested that the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC was 82.54%, 74.19% at the cutoff 0.47 and diagnostic performance was higher than others.ConclusionJoint detection of pMK + pCA125 + pADA can be used as a good indicator for the identification of MPE of NSCLC.
The promise of stem cell markers in the diagnosis and therapy of epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Mohajertehran Farnaz , Sahebkar Amirhossein , Zare Reza , Mohtasham Nooshin 
Published: May 2018

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of head and neck cancer. Epithelial dysplasia is often initiated in the cells and cell nuclei adjacent to the epithelial cell membrane. Reduced cell–cell adhesions enable cancer cells to detach from the tumor and disseminate to other organs. The mutations in epithelial dysplasia markers such as E‐cadherin and epithelial cell adhesion molecules (CD326) can lead to proliferation, growth and survival of the tumor cells and persistence of numerous malignancies that play a key role in epithelial dysplasia of OSCC. Accordingly, these genes can be considered prognostic markers or potential therapeutic targets for the tailored management of patients with OSCC. The gene expression profile of OSCC stem cells indicates a differential pattern that facilitates establishing a cell signature. Owing to the highly tumorigenic behavior of cancer stem cells and the role of these cells in tumor differentiation, treatment resistance, relapse, and metastasis, we reviewed the role of stem cell markers in epithelial dysplasia and OSCC.