bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of CD26‐deficiency on dipeptidyl peptidase 8 and 9 expression profiles in a mouse model of Crohn's disease
Authors: Buljevic Suncica , Detel Dijana , Pugel Ester P. , Varljen Jadranka 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe involvement of dipeptidyl peptidase (DP) IV/CD26 (DPP IV/CD26) family members in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD), an autoimmune inflammatory condition of the gut, is effected mainly through proteolytic cleavage of immunomodulatory substrates and DPP IV/CD26's costimulatory function. DP8 and DP9 are proteases with diverse functions including cell interactions, apoptosis, and immune response but their localization remains to be clarified. We assessed the impact of DPP IV/CD26 deficiency (CD26−/−) on the expression profiles of DP8 and DP9 by qPCR and immunodetection as well as quantified DP8/9 enzyme activity in distinctive phases of a chemically‐induced CD model in mice. CD26−/− did not affect colon DP8 mRNA expression, while the physiological concentration of DP8 protein is decreased in CD26−/− mice but rises in inflammation (P < 0.05). On the other hand, DP9 mRNA level is significantly increased in CD26−/− mice in inflammation as well as healing with the DP9 concentration being almost twofold increased (P < 0.05) in all experimental points in CD26−/− mice compared to wild‐type indicating the expected up‐regulation in CD26−/− conditions. Surprisingly, dominantly intracellular DP8 and DP9 were found in abundance in serum. DP8/9 activity is decreased in the inflamed colon, whereas its contribution to the overall serum DPP IV/CD26‐like activity is negligible, suggesting the importance of their extra‐enzymatic functions. To summarize, CD induction generated gene, protein and enzymatic changes of DP8 and DP9 so their involvement in inflammation development and/or healing process is implicated, especially in CD26−/−, and the question of their subcellular localization should be revised.
Protein kinase C activator bryostatin‐1 modulates proteasome function
Authors: Khan Tapan K. , Nelson Thomas J. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractProteasome activity in ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway plays a pivotal role in degradation and clearance of aggregated, oxidized, damaged, and misfolded unwanted proteins to control protein homeostasis or proteostasis. Proteasome activity decreases with cellular senescence, aging, and age‐related diseases. Therefore, enhancement of impaired proteasome function by molecular biological and/or pharmacological intervention is an active area of research. Bryostatin‐1, a naturally occurring macrocyclic lactone, activates PKC isozymes (specifically, ‐α and ‐ϵ) at sub‐nanomolar concentrations, but downregulates at higher concentrations. Here, we present bryostatin‐1 increased chymotrypsin‐like proteasome activity of 20S assembly at sub‐nanomolar to nanomolar concentrations (0.3‐30 nM). However, proteasome activity decreased at a micromolar concentration of bryostatin‐1 (AG08044 cultured skin: P < 0.005; differentiated SH‐SY5Y cells: P < 0.02). Modulation of proteasome function by bryostatin‐1 was studied in six dermal fibroblast primary cell lines developed both from freshly taken biopsies from healthy donors (n = 2) and obtained from well‐characterized cell repositories (n = 4; without any diseases). Bryostatin‐1 enhanced proteasome activity in cultured skin fibroblasts obtained from banked and freshly isolated skin fibroblasts from skin biopsies at the sub‐nanomolar concentration (P < 0.015). Modulation of proteasome function by bryostatin‐1 was confirmed in neuron‐like differentiated SH‐SY5Y cells. Direct additions of bryostatin‐1 into cell lysates prepared from neuron‐like differentiated SH‐SY5Y, Jurkat cells, and cultured skin fibroblasts were unable to increase proteasome activity indicating that bryostatin‐1 can only modulate proteasome activity when added to live cell culture systems. Standard PKC inhibitors blocked bryostatin‐1 induced proteasome activity modulation suggesting that enhancement of proteasome activity was mediated by PKC modulation.
Inhibition of C298S mutant of human aldose reductase for antidiabetic applications: Evidence from in silico elementary mode analysis of biological network model
Authors: Khan Saif , Bhardwaj Tulika , Somvanshi Pallavi , Mandal Raju K. , Dar Sajad A. , Jawed Arshad , Wahid Mohd , Akhter Naseem , Lohani Mohtashim , Alouffi S. , Haque Shafiul 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHuman aldose reductase (hAR) is the key enzyme in sorbitol pathway of glucose utilization and is implicated in the etiology of secondary complications of diabetes, such as, cardiovascular complications, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and cataract genesis. It reduces glucose to sorbitol in the presence of NADPH and the major cause of diabetes complications could be the change in the osmotic pressure due to the accumulation of sorbitol. An activated form of hAR (activated hAR or ahAR) poses a potential obstacle in the development of diabetes drugs as hAR‐inhibitors are ineffective against ahAR. The therapeutic efficacy of such drugs is compromised when a large fraction of the enzyme (hAR) undergoes conversion to the activated ahAR form as has been observed in the diabetic tissues. In the present study, attempts have been made to employ systems biology strategies to identify the elementary nodes of human polyol metabolic pathway, responsible for normal metabolic states, followed by the identification of natural potent inhibitors of the activated form of hAR represented by the mutant C298S for possible antidiabetic applications. Quantum Mechanical Molecular Mechanical docking strategy was used to determine the probable inhibitors of ahAR. Rosmarinic acid was found as the most potent natural ahAR inhibitor and warrants for experimental validation in the near future.
Mineralogical investigations using XRD, XRF, and Raman spectroscopy in a combined approach
Authors: Secchi Maria , Zanatta Marco , Borovin Evgeny , Bortolotti Mauro , Kumar Arun , Giarola Marco , Sanson Andrea , Orberger Beate , Daldosso Nicola , Gialanella Stefano , Mariotto Gino , Montagna Maurizio , Lutterotti Luca 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe identification of mineralogical phases in drill cores is one of the most challenging tasks in the mining activity in view of an efficient metal extraction. This process requires the analytical characterization of large volumes of material to obtain a complete set of data in a minimum of time. None of the commonly used methods in mineralogical analyses, such as IR‐based techniques, X‐rays fluorescence, and hyperspectral imaging, is capable to provide a fully satisfactory response for several reasons, the main one being the complexity of the ores. Moreover, the characterization is often conducted in remote laboratories and only on selected samples to limit the time waste. A possible alternative solution requires a multianalytical approach exploiting on‐field techniques. This strategy is currently being developed within SOLSA, a joint EU H2020 project, and consists of an automatic expert system coupling sonic drilling, imaging, profilometer, hyperspectral cameras, and a combination of Raman spectroscopy, X‐rays fluorescence, and X‐rays diffraction. In this work, the principles on which this cooperative approach is based are discussed, with application to two specific test samples, showing the potential and novelty of the method. In particular, a case is considered in which the sample characterization by the separate use of a single technique fails, whereas the combination of the three analyses (Raman spectroscopy, X‐rays fluorescence, and X‐rays diffraction) works even if the system is very complex.
Understanding the effect of emulsifiers on bread aeration during breadmaking
Authors: Garzón Raquel , Hernando Isabel , Llorca Empar , Rosell Cristina M 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDMuch research has been done to explain the action of emulsifiers during breadmaking, but there is still plenty unknown to elucidate their functionality despite their diverse chemical structure. The aim of the present study was to provide some light on the role of emulsifiers on air incorporation into the dough and gas bubbles progress during baking and their relationship with bread features. Emulsifiers like diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides (DATEM), sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL), distilled monoglyceride (DMG‐45 and DMG‐75), lecithin and polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (PGEF) were tested in very hydrated doughs.RESULTSEmulsifiers increase the maximum dough volume during proofing. Emulsifiers increase the number of bubbles incorporated during mixing, observing higher number of bubbles, particularly with PGEF. Major changes in dough occurred at 70 K when bubble size augmented, becoming more heterogeneous. DMG‐75 produced the biggest bubbles. As a consequence, emulsifiers tend to increase the number of gas cells with lower size in the bread crumb, but led to greater crumb firmness, which suggested different interactions between emulsifiers and gluten, affecting protein polymerization during baking.CONCLUSIONThe progress of the bubbles during baking allowed the differentiation of emulsifiers, which could explain their performance in breadmaking. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Gold lotion from citrus peel extract ameliorates imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like dermatitis in murine
Authors: Lin Chi‐Chien , Wu Jung‐Ju , Pan Yi‐Gen , Chao Ya‐Hsuan , Lin Fang‐Chu , Lee Ying‐Ray , Chu Ching‐Liang 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDGold lotion (GL), a natural mixed product made from the peels of six citrus fruits, has recently been identified as possessing anti‐oxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. GL has been used to protect skin against UV‐induced damage, but its activity against psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin disease caused by dysregulation between immune cells and keratinocytes, is not known. We therefore evaluated the effect of GL on imiquimod (IMQ)‐induced psoriasis‐like inflammation in mice.RESULTSGL treatment significantly attenuated IMQ‐induced psoriasis‐like symptoms in mice. The inflammatory cytokines upregulated by IMQ in skin lesions were also inhibited by feeding GL. In addition, GL treatment reduced the infiltration of CD4+ T cells/neutrophils in skin lesions and the percentage of IL‐17‐/IL‐22‐producing T cells in lymph nodes. Furthermore, GL impaired IMQ‐induced type I interferon production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in vitro.CONCLUSIONOur results indicate GL can act to suppress the initiation of psoriasis and strongly suggest that GL may have potential to be applied to the treatment of psoriasis. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Simultaneous analysis of multiple urinary biomarkers for the evaluation of oxidative stress by automated online in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction coupled with negative/positive ion‐switching mode liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Saito Akihiro , Hamano Mariko , Kataoka Hiroyuki 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis study described an automated online method for the simultaneous determination of 8‐isoprostane, 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine, and 3‐nitro‐l‐tyrosine in human urine. The method involves in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction using a Carboxen 1006 PLOT capillary column as an extraction device, followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using a CX column and detection in the negative/positive switching ion‐mode by multiple reaction monitoring. Using their stable isotope‐labeled internal standards, each of these oxidative stress biomarkers showed good linearity from 0.02 to 2.0 ng/mL. Their detection limits (S/N = 3) were 3.4–21.5 pg/mL, and their intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (relative standard deviations) were >3.9 and 6.5% (n = 5), respectively. This method was applied successfully to the analysis of urine samples, without any other pretreatment and interference peaks.
Reducing soil loss using surface application of stem juices
Authors: Wei Xia , Huang Chihua , Wei Ning , Zhao Hengce , Wang Tao 
Published: April 2018

AbstractControlling soil erosion is essential in maintaining and sustaining soil and water resources. Soil amendment is recognized to be an efficient approach for erosion limit. So far, very few studies quantified the effectiveness of plant stem juice, a natural by‐product from fibre extraction, as a soil amendment. The purpose of the research was to assess the effect of corn stem juice (CSJ) and grape stem juice (GSJ) on soil aggregation (mean weight diameter [MWD] and water stable aggregate), soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, runoff, and soil loss using a sequence of simulated rains at 60 min 50 mm hr−1, 20 min 25 mm hr−1, 10 min 75 mm hr−1, and 10 min 100 mm hr−1. Both CSJ and GSJ were uniformly applied on the 3 air‐dried soil surface of 0.96‐m2 soil boxes with 2 L of, respectively, 25% and 50% stem juice solution. All stem juice treatments increased soil MWD, water stable aggregate, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen but reduced runoff and soil loss. CSJ was more effective than GSJ. As for instance, as compared with the control, CSJ increased MWD by 170%, and soil loss decreased from 82% to 95%, whereas GSJ increased MWD by 109–131% and reduced soil loss by 27–36% during the 60 min 50 mm hr−1 rain. The stronger effect of CSJ might have been caused by higher carbon and nutrient contents than those from GSJ. The results also pointed to temporary benefits of stem juice applications, which pointed to the need of reapplying CSJ after a period or targeting application during critical period for soil conservation.
Abnormally wide eustachian tubes involving the sphenoid bone: A collection
Authors: Falkenberg‐Jensen Benedicte , Heimdal Ketil R. , Høgevold Hans Erik , Jablonski Greg E. , Due‐Tønnessen Bernt J. , Hopp Einar 
Published: April 2018

ObjectivesTo present nine patients with an abnormal widened bony Eustachian tube running anteriorly in the skull base through the sphenoid bone.MethodsPatients with a particular anomaly in the bony Eustachian tube incidentally found on CT examinations were registered consecutively over a period of four years.ResultsNine patients had the anomaly, eight unilaterally and one bilaterally. All our patients had additional anomalies involving the outer, middle, and/or inner ear.ConclusionThe consequences of this anomaly remain unknown, but the presence of the widened, bony ET should increase the awareness for complex temporal bone deformities and vice versa.Level of Evidence4.
Cytidine‐5'‐Diphosphocholine Protects the Liver From Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Preserving Mitochondrial Function and Reducing Oxidative Stress
Authors: Zazueta Cecilia , Buelna‐Chontal Mabel , Macías‐López Arturo , Román‐Anguiano Nadia G. , González‐Pacheco Héctor , Pavón Natalia , Springall Rashidi , Aranda‐Frausto Alberto , Bojalil Rafael , Silva‐Palacios Alejandro , Velázquez‐Espejel Rodrigo , Galvan Arzate Sonia , Correa Francisco 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Cytidine‐5'‐diphosphocholine (CDP‐choline) participates as an intermediary in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, an essential component of cellular membranes. Citicoline treatment has shown beneficial effects in cerebral ischemia, but its potential to diminish reperfusion damage in liver has not been explored. In this work, we evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of citicoline and its possible association with inflammatory/oxidative stress and mitochondrial function because they are the main cellular features of reperfusion damage. Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rat livers was performed with the Pringle's maneuver, clamping the 3 elements of the pedicle (hepatic artery, portal vein, and biliary tract) for 30 minutes and then removing the clamp to allow hepatic reperfusion for 60 minutes. The I/R + citicoline group received the compound before I/R. Liver injury was evaluated by measuring aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase as well as lactic acid levels in serum; proinflammatory cytokines, proresolving lipid mediators, and nuclear factor kappa B content were determined as indicators of the inflammatory response. Antioxidant effects were evaluated by measuring markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant molecules. Oxygen consumption and the activities of the respiratory chain were used to monitor mitochondrial function. CDP‐choline reduced aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as lactic acid levels in blood samples from reperfused rats. Diminution in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and increase in the proresolving lipid mediator resolvin D1 were also observed in the I/R+citicoline group, in comparison with the I/R group. Oxidative/nitroxidative stress in hepatic mitochondria concurred with deregulation of oxidative phosphorylation, which was associated with the loss of complex III and complex IV activities. In conclusion, CDP‐choline attenuates liver damage caused by ischemia and reperfusion by reducing oxidative stress and maintaining mitochondrial function. Liver Transplantation XX XX‐XX 2018 AASLD.
Knowledge‐based automated planning for oropharyngeal cancer
Authors: Babier Aaron , Boutilier Justin J. , McNiven Andrea L. , Chan Timothy C.Y. 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to automatically generate radiation therapy plans for oropharynx patients by combining knowledge‐based planning (KBP) predictions with an inverse optimization (IO) pipeline.MethodsWe developed two KBP approaches, the bagging query (BQ) method and the generalized principal component analysis‐based (gPCA) method, to predict achievable dose–volume histograms (DVHs). These approaches generalize existing methods by predicting physically feasible organ‐at‐risk (OAR) and target DVHs in sites with multiple targets. Using leave‐one‐out cross validation, we applied both models to a large dataset of 217 oropharynx patients. The predicted DVHs were input into an IO pipeline that generated treatment plans (BQ and gPCA plans) via an intermediate step that estimated objective function weights for an inverse planning model. The KBP predictions were compared to the clinical DVHs for benchmarking. To assess the complete pipeline, we compared the BQ and gPCA plans to both the predictions and clinical plans. To isolate the effect of the KBP predictions, we put clinical DVHs through the IO pipeline to produce clinical inverse optimized (CIO) plans. This approach also allowed us to estimate the complexity of the clinical plans. The BQ and gPCA plans were benchmarked against the CIO plans using DVH differences and clinical planning criteria. Iso‐complexity plans (relative to CIO) were also generated and evaluated.ResultsThe BQ method tended to predict that less dose is delivered than what was observed in the clinical plans while the gPCA predictions were more similar to clinical DVHs. Both populations of KBP predictions were reproduced with inverse plans to within a median DVH difference of 3 Gy. Clinical planning criteria for OARs were satisfied most frequently by the BQ plans (74.4%), by 6.3% points more than the clinical plans. Meanwhile, target criteria were satisfied most frequently by the gPCA plans (90.2%), and by 21.2% points more than clinical plans. However, once the complexity of the plans was constrained to that of the CIO plans, the performance of the BQ plans degraded significantly. In contrast, the gPCA plans still satisfied more clinical criteria than both the clinical and CIO plans, with the most notable improvement being in target criteria.ConclusionOur automated pipeline can successfully use DVH predictions to generate high‐quality plans without human intervention. Between the two KBP methods, gPCA plans tend to achieve comparable performance as clinical plans, even when controlling for plan complexity, whereas BQ plans tended to underperform.
Motion‐compensated image reconstruction vs postreconstruction correction in respiratory‐binned SPECT with standard and reduced‐dose acquisitions
Authors: Song Chao , Yang Yongyi , Qi Wenyuan , Wernick Miles N. , Pretorius P. Hendrik , King Michael A. 
Published: April 2018

PurposeCardiac perfusion images in single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can suffer from respiratory motion blur. We investigated a reconstruction approach for correcting respiratory motion in respiratory‐binned acquisitions and assessed the benefit of this approach in both standard dose and reduced dose.MethodsWe modeled the acquired data from different respiratory bins by a joint probability distribution which was parameterized with respect to a common reference bin. The acquired data from all the respiratory bins were then utilized simultaneously for determining the source distribution in the reference bin using maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation. We evaluated this approach with simulated imaging data and ten sets of clinical acquisitions, and compared it with a postreconstruction motion correction approach developed previously. We quantified the accuracy of the reconstruction results both at standard dose and with imaging dose reduced by 50% and 75%, respectively.ResultsThe proposed motion‐compensated reconstruction (MCR) approach led to improved reconstruction of the myocardium in terms of both noise level and LV wall resolution. Compared to traditional acquisition (without motion correction), the proposed approach reduced the mean squared error of the image intensity in the myocardium by 27.59%, 20.59%, and 12.05% at full, half‐, and quarter dose, respectively; the LV resolution, quantified by the full width at half‐maximum (FWHM), was improved by 17.34%, 14.35%, and 12.95% at full, half‐, and quarter dose, respectively; in addition, the proposed approach also improved the perfusion defect detectability at both full dose and reduced dose. Furthermore, with motion correction, the reconstruction results obtained at half‐dose were comparable to that obtained at full dose without correction. Similar improvements were also demonstrated in the clinical acquisitions at different dose levels.ConclusionsRespiratory motion correction in perfusion SPECT can improve the reconstruction of the myocardium at both standard and reduced dose. At half‐dose, the results obtained with motion correction are comparable to that of traditional reconstruction obtained at full dose. MCR can be more accurate than postreconstruction correction.