bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sustained delivery of the angiogenic QK peptide through the use of polyglutamate domains to control peptide release from bone graft materials
Authors: Pensa Nicholas W. , Curry Andrew S. , Reddy Michael S. , Bellis Susan L. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAngiogenesis plays a pivotal role in tissue regeneration following bone‐grafting procedures; however, nonautogenous graft materials typically lack critical angiogenic growth factors. While much research has focused on modifying grafts with angiogenic factors, controlled delivery of these molecules remains a challenge. The current study describes a method for sustained delivery of an angiogenic peptide from hydroxyapatite (HA), a common alloplast material. Specifically, VEGF‐derived “QK” peptides were synthesized with polyglutamate domains containing varying numbers of glutamates. The rate of peptide release from HA inversely correlated with glutamate number, with diglutamate‐QK (E2‐QK) released first, followed by tetraglutamate‐QK (E4‐QK), and finally, heptaglutamate‐QK (E7‐QK). By coating HA with a mixture of these peptides, termed, PGM‐QK (polyglutamate‐modified mixture), sequential peptide release was achieved, enabling gradient QK delivery. To evaluate bioactivity, HA disks were coated with PGM‐QK and then placed in fresh media for 6 days. Media containing the released peptides was collected at varying time intervals and placed on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cells were evaluated for activation of angiogenic signaling pathways (ERK and Akt) and cell migration. Results showed that QK peptides were continuously released over the 6‐day interval, and maintained their capacity to activate HUVECs. These findings point to a new approach for gradient delivery of an angiogenic stimulus.
Evaluation of polydimethylsiloxane‐based substrates for in vitro culture of human periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Yan Xiang‐Zhen , van den Beucken Jeroen J. J. P. , Yuan Chunxue , Jansen John A. , Yang Fang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPeriodontal ligament (PDL) cells are regarded as the cell type with the highest potential for periodontal regeneration. Biophysical cues of the culture substrate are increasingly identified as vital parameters to affect cell behavior. Compared to traditional tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates corroborate more closely the elastic modulus values of the physiological environment. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of PDMS‐based substrates with different stiffness on cellular responses of human PDL cells. PDMS substrates with different stiffness were fabricated by varying the ratio of base to curing component. The influence of PDMS substrates on PDL cell spreading and cytoskeletal morphologies, motility, proliferation, stemness gene expression, and osteogenic differentiation was evaluated and compared to that on conventional TCPS. PDL cells cultured on PDMS substrates exhibited a smaller cell size and more elongated morphology, with less spreading area, fewer focal adhesions, and faster migration than cells on TCPS. Compared to TCPS, PDMS substrates promoted the rapid in vitro expansion of PDL cells without interfering with their self‐renewal ability. In contrast, the osteogenic differentiation ability of PDL cells cultured on PDMS was lower in comparison to cells on TCPS. PDL cells on PDMS exhibited similar cell morphology, motility, proliferation, and self‐renewal gene expression. The stiffer PDMS substrate increased the osteogenic gene expression of PDL cells compared to the soft PDMS group in one donor. These data indicate that PDMS‐based substrates have the potential for the efficient PDL cell expansion.
Evaluation of topographical and chemical modified TiAl6V4 implant surfaces in a weight‐bearing intramedullary femur model in rabbit
Authors: Bretschneider Henriette , Mettelsiefen Jan , Rentsch Claudia , Gelinsky Michael , Link Helmut D. , Günther Klaus‐Peter , Lode Anja , Hofbauer Christine 
Published: August 2019

AbstractFor cementless total joint replacement implants, the biological response to physicochemical surface characteristics is crucial for their success that depends on fixation by newly formed bone. In this study, the surface of TiAl6V4 (Tilastan®) implants was modified by (a) corundum blasting, (b) corundum blasting followed by electrochemical calcium phosphate (CaP) deposition, and (c) titanium plasma spraying followed by electrochemical CaP deposition. All modifications resulted in a surface roughness suitable to enhance primary implant stabilization and to favor osteoblast adhesion and function; the thin, biomimetic CaP coating is characterized by fast resorbability and served as chemical cue to stimulate osteogenesis. After implantation in a full weight‐bearing rabbit intramedullary distal femur model, osseointegration was investigated after 3, 6, and 12 weeks. For all modifications, new bone formation, occurring from the endosteum of the femoral cortical bone, was observed in direct contact to the implant surface after 3 weeks. At the later time points, maturation of the woven bone into lamellar bone with clearly defined osteons was visible; the remodeling process was accelerated by the CaP coating. The ingrowth of newly formed bone into the pores of the titanium plasma sprayed surfaces indicates a strong interlock and finally implant fixation. Our findings indicate a positive impact of the tested surface modifications on osseointegration.
Long‐term interest rates under negative interest rate policy: Analysis of Japanese government bond and swap markets
Authors: Ito Takayasu 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMarket segmentation is observed in the Japanese government bond (JGB) and swap markets of 2‐, 3‐, 4‐, 5‐, 7‐, and 10‐year maturities under negative interest rate policy regime. This also means that the arbitrage between the JGB and swap markets does not work in these maturities. After the Bank of Japan introduces a yield curve control policy under negative interest rate policy, market segmentation is observed only in the JGB and swap markets of 7‐ and 10‐year maturities. In the maturities of 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, the JGB yield and the swap rate co‐move. The market function recovers and arbitrage works between the JGB and swap markets in these maturities.
The effects of hyperuricemia on the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells are implicated in the elevated risk of osteopenia and vascular calcification in gout: An in vivo and in vitro analysis
Authors: Yan Bing , Liu Dongmei , Zhu Jie , Pang Xiaoling 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundIn this study, we established both an animal model and a cellular model of hyperuricemia (HUC). Subsequently, we treated these models with allopurinol (ALLO) to study the effect of uric acid (UA) and ALLO on the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC).MethodsWestern Blot, immunohistochemistry assay, and real‐time polymerase chain reaction were conducted to measure the changes in the expression of differentiation‐related factors in osteoblasts and VSMCs in HUC and HUC+ALLO groups. MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and flow cytometry were utilized to observe the changes in the proliferation of osteoblasts in HUC and HUC+ALLO groups. Von Kossa staining was performed along with calcium content measurement to investigate the effect of HUC/ALLLO on vascular calcification.ResultsIn this study, the levels of Wnt3a and differentiation‐related factors, including Runx2, Sp7, Ibsp, Bglap, Dmp1, and Col1a1, were all evidently decreased in HUC rats, while the presence of ALLO increased the levels of above factors. In addition, the viability of osteoblasts was reduced while their apoptosis was elevated in the HUC group, and ALLO treatment reduced the apoptosis and increased the viability of osteoblasts to a certain extent. Moreover, HUC elevated the levels of Wnt3a, Runx2, Sp7, Bglap, Col1a1, SM22a, and Acta2 in VSMCs of HUC rats, leading to greatly increased calcium content and obvious vascular calcification. In contrary, ALLO treatment reduced the effect of HUC. Furthermore, the effect of UA and ALLO on osteoblasts and VSMCs was also validated in cellular models treated with monosodium urate (MSU) crystals or MSU+ALLO.ConclusionsHUC can suppress the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts while promoting the differentiation of VSMCs both in vivo and in vitro. The treatment by ALLO exhibited a therapeutic effect on HUC by promoting the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts while reducing vascular calcification.
Inducing differentiation of human urine‐derived stem cells into hepatocyte‐like cells by coculturing with human hepatocyte L02 cells
Authors: Zhou Ming , Shen Liangliang , Qiao Yinggu , Sun Zhenxiao 
Published: August 2019

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the possibility of inducing differentiation of human urine‐derived stem cells (hUSCs) into hepatocyte‐like cells by coculturing with human hepatocyte L02 cells in vitro.MethodsHUSCs were isolated from fresh urine samples collected from healthy adult volunteers by centrifugation. Cells were observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope, and proliferative activity was determined by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Stem cell surface markers were detected by flow cytometry. HUSCs were induced to differentiate into hepatocyte‐like cells by coculturing with human hepatocyte L02 cells, which were confirmed by cellular morphology, messenger RNA expression of albumin (ALB), α‐fetoprotein (AFP) and hepatocyte cytochrome P450 (CYP450) analyzed with quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and the expression of glycogen detected by glycogen staining kits at 5, 10, and 15 days after coculturing.ResultsHUSCs from urine were successfully isolated and cultured in vitro. At passages 3, the growth curve of hUSCs was S‐shaped with good proliferation activity. Mesenchymal stem cell surface markers CD44 and CD90 were detected positive by flow cytometry. CD31 for endothelial cells and CD34 for hematopoietic stem cell markers were not detected. HUSCs gained the cellular morphology and function of hepatocyte cells including higher expression of several hepatocyte‐specific genes such as ALB and some CYP450, lower expression of AFP and positive glycogen expression (P <
.05) in coculturing with human hepatocyte L02 cells for 10‐15d.ConclusionsHUSCs can be induced to differentiate into hepatocyte‐like cells by coculturing with human hepatocyte L02 cells for a certain number of days.
Overexpression of circular RNA circ‐CDC45 facilitates glioma cell progression by sponging miR‐516b and miR‐527 and predicts an adverse prognosis
Authors: Liu Jie , Hou Kuiyuan , Ji Hang , Mi Shan , Yu Guangna , Hu Shaoshan , Wang Jianjiao 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGlioma (GM) is a highly lethal human cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as an imperative factor in oncogenesis. We aimed to investigate the biological functions and mechanisms of circ‐CDC45 in GM. circ‐CDC45 expression in GM specimens and cell lines was measured by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Fisher's exact test and Kaplan‐Meier curves further analyzed its clinical implications. A gain/loss‐of‐function study was conducted to investigate the role of circ‐CDC45 in GM. Additionally, luciferase reporter and rescue assays were performed to unravel the mechanisms of circ‐CDC45. High circ‐CDC45 expression was found in GM specimens and cells, which was tightly related to a larger tumor size, higher world health organization (WHO) stages, and worse survival for patients with GM. Functionally, manipulation of circ‐CDC45 expression strongly affected cell growth, apoptosis, migration and invasion, which suggests the oncogenic function of circ‐CDC45 in GM oncogenesis. Stepwise mechanism studies indicated that circ‐CDC45 sponged and regulated the expression of miR‐516b and miR‐527 to promote cell growth and invasion. Briefly, the regulatory network of circ‐CDC45/miR‐516b/miR‐527 plays a pivotal role in GM tumorigenesis and may act as a potential target for GM treatment.
Hypoxia alters the release and size distribution of extracellular vesicles in pancreatic cancer cells to support their adaptive survival
Authors: Patton Mary C. , Zubair Haseeb , Khan Mohammad Aslam , Singh Seema , Singh Ajay P. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPancreatic tumors are highly desmoplastic and poorly‐vascularized, and therefore must develop adaptive mechanisms to sustain their survival under hypoxic condition. Extracellular vesicles (EV) play vital roles in pancreatic tumor pathobiology by facilitating intercellular communication. Here we studied the effect of hypoxia on the release of EVs and examined their role in adaptive survival of pancreatic cancer (PC) cells. Hypoxia promoted the release of EV in PC cell lines, MiaPaCa and AsPC1, wherein former exhibited a far greater induction. Moreover, a time‐dependent, measurable and significant increase was recorded for small EV (SEV) in both the cell lines with only minimal induction observed for medium (MEV) and large EVs (LEV). Similarly, noticeable changes in size distribution of SEV were also recorded with a shift toward smaller average size under extreme hypoxia. Thrombospondin (apoptotic bodies marker) was exclusively detected on LEVs, while Arf6 (microvesicles marker) was mostly present on MEV with some expression in LEV as well. However, CD9 and CD63 (exosome markers) were expressed in both SEV and MEVs with a decreased expression recorded under hypoxia. Among all subfractions, SEV was the most bioactive in promoting the survival of hypoxic PC cells and hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α stabilization was involved in heightened EV release under hypoxia and for their potency to promote hypoxic cell survival. Altogether, our findings provide a novel mechanism for the adaptive hypoxic survival of PC cells and should serve as the basis for future investigations on broader functional implications of EV.
Identification of human miR‐1839‐5p by small RNA‐seq, a miRNA enriched in neoplastic tissues
Authors: Martínez‐Saucedo Mirna , Bárcenas‐Gómez Yolanda , Baeza‐Capetillo Patricia , Dedden Mark , Aguirre‐Hernandez Jesus , Téllez‐Camacho Samara A. , Sánchez‐Urbina Rocío , Aquino‐Jarquin Guillermo , Granados‐Riveron Javier T. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundMicroRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression through destabilization or translational inhibition of cytoplasmic transcripts or by transcriptional regulation through binding to genomic DNA. Although miRNAs are globally down‐regulated in cancer, some are overexpressed in neoplastic tissues, playing key roles in tumorigenesis (oncomiRs), sometimes behaving as effective cancer markers.MethodsUsing total RNA from human uterus adenocarcinoma and non‐neoplastic uterus, we conducted a small RNA‐sequencing experiment followed by prediction of novel miRNAs using MirDeep* software. Synteny analysis and whole genome alignments were performed using BLAST. We also evaluated expression by a reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in normal tissues of the FSD2 gene, which spans the human miR‐1839‐5p gene in the opposite direction.ResultsMirDeep* analysis predicted a miRNA not previously annotated in databases, identical to and likely the orthologue of mouse miR‐1839‐5p. Whole‐genome local alignments of this miRNA revealed a single perfect hit that is indeed syntenic to mouse miR‐1839‐5p. Alignments with other mammalian orthologues showed considerable conservation. We validated the prediction via a stem‐loop RT‐PCR assay, also employed to screen RNA samples from several additional normal and cancer tissues, showing increased expression in neoplastic tissues compared to their respective non neoplastic counterparts. Human heart tissue expresses both miR‐1839‐5p and FSD2.ConclusionsHuman tissues express an orthologue of mouse miR‐1839‐5p and, given its expression pattern, we suggest that this miRNA could be explored as a potential oncomiR or cancer marker. Also, according to the genomic organization of miR‐1839‐5p and FSD2, perfect complementarity exists between the two elements, making possible miRNA‐directed cleavage in human cardiac tissue.
In vivo evaluation of human patellar tendon microstructure and microcirculation with diffusion MRI
Authors: Wengler Kenneth , Fukuda Takeshi , Tank Dharmesh , Komatsu David E. , Paulus Megan , Huang Mingqian , Gould Elaine S. , Schweitzer Mark E. , He Xiang 
Published: August 2019

BackgroundPatellar tendon (PT) microstructure integrity and microcirculation status play a crucial role in the progression of tendinopathy and tendon repair.PurposeTo assess the feasibility and robustness of stimulated‐echo based diffusion‐weighted MRI with readout‐segmented echo‐planar imaging (ste‐RS‐EPI) for noninvasive assessment of microstructure and microcirculation of human PT.Study TypeProspective.SubjectsFifteen healthy volunteers.Field Strength/SequencePT diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) were acquired with an ste‐RS‐EPI protocol on a 3T MRI scanner.AssessmentSubjects were positioned with their PT at the magic angle. DTI‐derived parameters including axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were estimated with b‐values of 0 and 800 s/mm2 and 12 diffusion directions. IVIM‐derived parameters, f
p, D* × f
p, V
b, and D* × V
b were assessed in the central‐third and the outer‐two thirds of the PT with b‐values of 0, 20, 30, 60, 80, 120, 200, 400, and 600 s/mm2 in three orthogonal directions.Statistical TestsPaired t‐tests were used to evaluate differences in IVIM parameters between the central‐third and outer‐two thirds regions of the patellar tendon. Paired t‐tests and within‐subject coefficient of variation were used to assess the intra‐ and intersession reproducibility of PT DTI and IVIM parameters.ResultsDTI parameters for healthy PT were 1.54 ± 0.09 × 10‐3 mm2/s, 1.01 ± 0.05 × 10‐3 mm2/s, 1.18 ± 0.06 × 10‐3 mm2/s, and 0.30 ± 0.04 for AD, RD, MD, and FA, respectively. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) IVIM parameters f
p and D* × f
p were observed in the outer‐two thirds (6.1% ± 2.4% and 95.2 ± 49.6, respectively) compared with the central‐third (3.8% ± 2.3% and 48.6 ± 35.2, respectively) of the PT.Data ConclusionDiffusion MRI of PT with an ste‐RS‐EPI protocol is clinically feasible. Both DTI‐ and IVIM‐derived parameters of the PT demonstrated good test–retest reproducibility and interrater reliability.Level of Evidence: 2Technical Efficacy: Stage 1J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:780–790.
Transformer capacitance matrix computation using 3D boundary element method and adaptive cross approximation
Authors: Drandić Ana , Trkulja Bojan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn this paper, a solver based on a 3D boundary element method (BEM) is presented and verified on a transformer geometry. Using a triangular surface mesh of a winding, the unknown charge distribution is found from known potentials of surfaces using the integral equation approach and point matching. The capacitance matrix is calculated from known potentials in nodes of the system. The application of BEM and point‐matching results in a fully populated system matrix. Therefore, a matrix reduction technique adaptive cross approximation (ACA) is employed in order to reduce the CPU time and memory requirements. Both the accuracy of the direct and the accuracy of the ACA approach are benchmarked against the results obtained using the professional finite element method (FEM)‐based software.
Wind speed forecasting based on wavelet transformation and recurrent neural network
Authors: Pradhan Prangya Parimita , Subudhi Bidyadhar 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWith the increase in power demand, renewable energy resources such as wind energy have been developed as one of the fastest growing energy sources. However, the wind power generation system depends on the availability of wind flow. The intermittence nature of wind speed is the most serious concern in wind energy application into the existing power system. Hence, wind speed forecasting approaches are proposed in order to deal with these problems. In this paper, a hybrid model of wind speed forecasting is developed. The proposed hybrid model consists of two steps: the first one is decomposition of wind speed sample data by wavelet technique, and the second step uses these decomposed data to estimate wind speed through recurrent wavelet neural network (RWNN). To validate the proposed model, it is compared with the conventional recurrent neural network (RNN) prediction structure. The obtained results based on real data provide the effectiveness of the proposed model in terms of mean absolute error and the rate of convergence parameter.
Characterization of a new efficient low molecular weight Bacillus subtilis NRC16 levansucrase and its levan
Authors: Salama Bassem M. , Helmy Wafaa A. , Ragab Tamer I. M. , Ali Mamdouh M. , Taie Hanan A. A. , Esawy Mona A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractScreening of 18 bacterial honey isolates revealed that all the isolates were levansucrase producers. The most potent isolate that achieved the highest activity (45.66 U/ml) was identified as Bacillus subtilis NRC based on morphological examination and 16S rRNA. The results recorded the necessity of starch (5 g/L), baker's yeast (12.5 g/L), and AlCl3 (5 mM) in improvement of the enzyme productivity. The Bacillus subtilis levansucrase was eluted as a single protein in one purification step. The enzyme molecular weight was (14 kDa). It showed its optimum activity at 45°C and could retain 60% of its activity after incubation at 50°C for 2 h. Its optimum activity was obtained at pH 8.2 and the enzyme showed great pH stability in both acidic and alkaline ranges. Unlike, most levansucrases all tested metals had an adverse effect in enzyme activity. The enzyme had antioxidant activities and were characterized as spherical micro‐ and nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy. The effect of growth conditions and medium composition in levan structure and its fibrinolytic activity was evaluated.
Expression of plasma membrane H+‐ATPase in cluster roots of white lupin under phosphorus deficiency
Authors: Stein Sophie , Faust Franziska , Jung Stephan , Schubert Sven 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIt was previously shown that plasma membrane (PM) H+‐ATPases of active cluster roots are acclimated to phosphorus (P) deficiency. In the present study, we followed the question whether the qualitative acclimation of PM H+‐ATPase is based on isoform‐specific expression. Therefore, three different PM H+‐ATPase isoforms (LHA1–LHA3) were investigated at the transcriptional level. Our data indicate that LHA1 may play a key role in the qualitative acclimation of PM H+‐ATPase in cluster roots to P deficiency.