bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protective effect of gallic acid on apoptosis of sperm and in vitro fertilization in adult male mice treated with cyclophosphamide
Authors: Mehraban Zahra , Ghaffari Novin Marefat , Golmohammadi Mohammad Ghasem , Sagha Mohsen , Pouriran Khashayar , Nazarian Hamid 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundAlteration of free radicals (reactive oxygen species) causes mammals' sperm damage. Gallic acid (GA) is known as an antioxidant which is effective against oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of GA on the sperm apoptosis and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in adult male mice treated with cyclophosphamide (CP).Materials and MethodsFollowing a pilot study to find the dose responses of GA, 40 adult male naval medical research institute (NMRI) mice (32 ± 3 g) were divided into five groups (n = 8): control, sham (normal saline, NS: 0.2 mL per day), CP (15 mg kg–1 per week; intraperitoneal, IP), GA (12.5 mg kg
–1 per day; IP), and GA+CP. After the treatment, sperm parameters were analyzed. The apoptosis of sperm was measured by Annexin‐PI staining method followed by flow cytometry detection. Fertility was assessed by IVF method among the groups.ResultsThe difference in sperm parameter and fertility rate between the control (% 80.05 ± 6.53) and cyclophosphomide groups (% 51.82 ± 10.78) was significant (P < .001) but GA plus CP (% 78.16 ± 5.71) restored the fertilization rate (P < .001).Also, a remarkable increase was noted regarding apoptotic sperm in CP group vs the control group. The comparison in the five groups shows that GA cotreatment was significantly effective in reducing the apoptosis rate caused by cyclophosphamide (P < .05).ConclusionIt was ultimately attained that GA has a potent antioxidant effect which could inhibit the detrimental effect of CP on the apoptosis and fertility rate of sperm in the mouse.
Effects of Ketoconazole, a CYP4F2 Inhibitor, and CYP4F2*3 Genetic Polymorphism on Pharmacokinetics of Vitamin K1
Authors: Park Jin‐Woo , Kim Kyoung‐Ah , Park Ji‐Young 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate whether cytochrome P450 (CYP)4F2 is involved in the exposure of vitamin K1 through a drug interaction study with ketoconazole, a CYP4F2 inhibitor, and a pharmacogenetic study with CYP4F2*3. Twenty‐one participants with different CYP4F2*3 polymorphisms were enrolled (8 for *1/*1, 7 for *1/*3, and 6 for *3/*3). All participants were treated twice daily for 5 days with 200 mg of ketoconazole or placebo. Finally, a single dose of 10 mg vitamin K1 was administered, plasma levels of vitamin K1 were measured, and its pharmacokinetics was assessed. Ketoconazole elevated the plasma levels of vitamin K1 and increased the average area under the concentration‐time curve (AUCinf) and peak concentration by 41% and 40%, respectively. CYP4F2*3 polymorphism also affected plasma levels of vitamin K1 and its pharmacokinetics in a gene dose–dependent manner. The average AUCinf value was 659.8 ng·h/mL for CYP4F2*1/*1, 878.1 ng·h/mL for CYP4F2*1/*3, and 1125.2 ng·h/mL for CYP4F2*3/*3 (P = .010). This study revealed that ketoconazole and CYP4F2*3 polymorphism substantially increased the exposure of vitamin K1 in humans. These findings provide a plausible explanation for variations in warfarin dose requirements resulting from interindividual variations in vitamin K1 exposure due to CYP4F2‐related drug interactions and genetic polymorphisms.
Anaerobic biodegradation and dewaterability of aerobic granular sludge
Authors: Jahn Lydia , Saracevic Ernis , Svardal Karl , Krampe Jörg 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDAlthough a growing number of full‐scale wastewater treatment plants have already been constructed and operated with aerobic granular sludge (AGS), only limited information is available about further post‐treatment, in particular about sludge stabilization and dewaterability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the biodegradation and methane yield of AGS by the use of anaerobic laboratory‐scale reactors operated under mesophilic conditions and hydraulic retention times of 25 and 40 days.RESULTSThe methane yield of AGS was ca 260 mL gVSS−1 (volatile suspended solids) and thus slightly increased compared to that of suspended activated sludge (SAS; 240 mL gVSS−1). A clear difference between the methane yield was found for separated pure granules (500 μm), which was ca 50% higher compared to that for SAS. VSS removal of AGS during anaerobic degradation was ca 52%. Dewaterability of AGS after anaerobic digestion was slightly lower compared to SAS. Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) extraction and fluorescence analysis showed tryptophan contents which were almost twice as high compared to the EPS extracted from SAS.CONCLUSIONSOverall, the anaerobic digestion of AGS was found to be a suitable stabilization strategy with the benefit of recovering energy in the form of methane. Further tests are needed to validate the decreased dewatering behaviour with full‐scale applications. The presented approach for tryptophan measurement allows the transfer of qualitative results from a fluorescence analysis into quantitative values and could be further adapted for identifying relevant EPS constituents. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Simultaneous separation, concentration and determination of trace fluoroquinolone antibiotics in environmental samples using a polymer aqueous two‐phase system coupled with HPLC
Authors: Sun Zhuo , Lu Yang , Zhu Lina , Liu Wei , Qu Yue , Lin Nan , Yu Ping 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDFluoroquinolone antibiotics and their metabolites can accumulate in soil and water. Trace amounts of fluoroquinolone antibiotic residues in the environment necessitate the pretreatment of samples prior to analysis. In this work, a polyoxyethylene cetyl ether (POELE20)–NaH2PO4 aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS) was combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate and determine trace quantities of ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NRF) and pefloxacin (PEF) in environmental samples.RESULTSSingle‐factor, multi‐factor, reproducibility and accuracy experiments were performed. The extraction efficiencies and enrichment factors for the three antibiotics were above 90 and 13.8%, respectively, under optimal conditions. The recovery efficiency of CIP was 92.08–99.50%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.60–6.34%, and the recovery efficiency of NRF and PEF was 93.40–99.30%, with RSD of 0.98–5.16%, when this method was applied to spiked water and soil samples. The RSDs of intra‐ and inter‐day analyses were 1.56–3.42 and 1.33–3.97%, respectively.CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrated that POELE20–NaH2PO4 ATPS coupled with HPLC was suitable for the simultaneous separation, concentration and determination of trace quantities of CIP, NRF and PEF in environmental samples. Moreover, this method can be applied for the determination of trace fluoroquinolone antibiotics in food samples. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Modeling sports‐related mild traumatic brain injury in animals—A systematic review
Authors: Hiskens Matthew I. , Angoa‐Pérez Mariana , Schneiders Anthony G. , Vella Rebecca K. , Fenning Andrew S. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractSports‐related head trauma has emerged as an important public health issue, as mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) may result in neurodegenerative disorders such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Research into mTBI and CTE pathophysiology are difficult to undertake in athletes, with observational trials and post‐mortem analysis the current mainstays. Thus, animal models play an important role in the study of mTBI, however, traditional animal models have focused on acute, severe injuries rather than the more typical mTBI's seen in sport injuries. Recently, a number of animal models have been developed that are both appropriately scaled and biomechanically relevant to the forces sustained by athletes. This review aimed to examine the literature for variables included in these animal models, and the resulting neurotrauma as evidenced by pathology and behavioral deficits. A systematic search of the literature was performed in multiple electronic databases. The inclusion criteria required mimicry of athlete mTBI conditions: freedom of head movement, lack of surgical alteration of the skull, and application of direct contact force. Studies were analyzed for variables including apparatus design features (impact force, change in animal head velocity, and kinetic energy transfer to the head), demonstrated pathology (phosphorylated tau, TDP‐43 aggregation, diffuse axonal injury, gliosis, cytokine inflammation response, and genetic integrity), and behavioral changes. These studies suggested that appropriate animal models can assist in understanding the pathological and functional outcomes of athlete mTBI, and could be used as a platform for future studies of diagnostic/prognostic markers and in the development of treatment interventions.
Raman mapping of 4‐MeV C and Si channeling implantation of 6H‐SiC
Authors: Flessa Aikaterini , Ntemou Eleni , Kokkoris Michael , Liarokapis Efthymios , Gloginjić Marko , Petrović Srdjan , Erich Marko , Fazinić Stjepko , Karlušić Marko , Tomić Kristina 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA 6H‐SiC single crystal implanted in channeling mode by 4‐MeV C+3 and Si+3 ions at various doping levels has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro‐Raman spectroscopy in order to study the lattice distortions inflicted by the impinging ions. C ions create zones of strongly damaged regions, parallel to the front face of the wafer with width increasing with the amount of doping. As expected, Si has induced considerably more lattice distortions than C, and more than one order of magnitude less doping induces apparently the same effect as C. Despite the large laser spot size compared with the boundaries of the distorted regions, micro‐Raman data provided results agreeing with the SEM pictures and the Monte Carlo calculations using the SRIM‐2013 software. From the evolution of the crystalline peaks in the Raman spectra obtained across the damaged area, one can conclude that the impinging ions do not accommodate as defects in the lattice but mostly displace the ions breaking the bonds and destroying the long range order. The spatial correlation model that takes into consideration the intensity variation at the laser spot and the anticipated from Monte Carlo calculations for the collision events can reproduce the trend of the strong transversal optical phonon width indicating nanocrystallites of a few nanometers size in the most damaged area.
Estimating hazard ratios from published Kaplan‐Meier survival curves: A methods validation study
Authors: Saluja Ronak , Cheng Sierra , delos Santos Keemo Althea , Chan Kelvin K.W. 
Published: May 2019

ObjectiveVarious statistical methods have been developed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) from published Kaplan‐Meier (KM) curves for the purpose of performing meta‐analyses. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability, accuracy, and precision of four commonly used methods by Guyot, Williamson, Parmar, and Hoyle and Henley.DesignPivotal randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in oncology were identified from the pan‐Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) database (primary analysis) and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) drug approvals page (secondary analysis) between January 2012 and May 2016. Two reviewers independently reconstructed HRs using each method on KM curves extracted from each trial and compared them with reported HRs (gold standard). Bland‐Altman plots and summary statistics were calculated to assess accuracy and precision of these methods. Interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). These four methods were also applied to KM curves of different structures (ie, flat versus steep curves).ResultsA total of 118 KM curves (55 RCTs) and 77 KM curves (46 RCTs) were extracted from pCODR and FDA, respectively. In the primary analysis, the Guyot method was the most accurate with the lowest mean error (0.0094; 95% CI, −0.0012‐0.020). All four methods had excellent interrater reliability. The Guyot method showed the smallest bias and greatest precision on the Bland‐Altman plots. The Guyot method was consistently superior in both the secondary and all sensitivity analyses.ConclusionIn the absence of reported HRs, we recommend that researchers consider the Guyot method to reconstruct HRs from KM curves when performing aggregate data meta‐analyses.
Quantifying indium with ion chromatography in hydro‐ and biohydrometallurgical leaching solutions
Authors: Ashworth Charlotte , Weller Christian , Frisch Gero 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA methodology has been developed to chromatographically quantify indium in polymetallic (bio)hydrometallurgical processing solutions using the Dionex IonPac CS5A column and pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylic acid eluent. Cu(II) and In(III) could be separated by elevating the column temperature to 45°C. The comparatively low stability constant of the In‐eluent complex (log K2 = 3.8) required typical leaching samples to be diluted in the eluent rather than acid or water to overcome ligand competition between components of the sample solution and the eluent. The methodology was applied to leachates from (bio)hydrometallurgical processing of oxidic flue dust residues and sulfidic zinc ores, where both are promising candidates for the recovery of indium from low grade ores and metallurgical wastes. Indium, ferrous iron, ferric iron, copper, zinc, nickel, and manganese concentrations could be simultaneously quantified. The method was found suitable for samples containing at least 0.25 mg/L indium and an iron to indium ratio of up to 100:1.
Tannic Acid‐Inspired Star‐Like Macromolecules via Temporally Controlled Multi‐Step Potential Electrolysis
Authors: Zaborniak Izabela , Chmielarz Paweł , Wolski Karol , Grzes´ Gabriela , Isse Abdirisak A. , Gennaro Armando , Zapotoczny Szczepan , Sobkowiak Andrzej 
Published: May 2019

AbstractInspired by tea stains, a plant polyphenolic‐based macroinitiator is prepared for the first time by partial modification of tannic acid (TA) with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. In accordance with the “grafting from” methodology, a naturally occurring star‐like polymer with a polar gallotannin core and a hydrophobic poly(n‐butyl acrylate) side arms is synthesized via a simplified electrochemically mediated ATRP (seATRP), utilizing multiple‐step potential electrolysis. To investigate the kinetics of the electrochemical catalytic process triggered by reduction of Cu(II) or Fe(III) catalytic complex in the presence of the multifunctional initiator, cyclic voltammetry measurements are conducted. The naturally derived tannin macromolecule shows narrow MWDs (Đ = 1.57). Moreover, solvolysis of the star polymer to cleave the side arms and characterize them indicates that all chains grow to the same length (homopolymers with Mw/Mn <1.17), which confirms the well‐controlled seATRP. The structure of the obtained TA‐based systems is characterized microscopically (AFM) and spectroscopically (1H NMR, FT‐IR). Atomic force microscopy measurements precisely determine the diameters of the obtained star polymers (19.7 ± 3.3 nm). These new star polymers may find biomedical applications as drug delivery systems and antifouling or antimicrobial coatings.
Extemporaneous Preparation of Injectable and Enzymatically Degradable 3D Cell Culture Matrices from an Animal‐Component‐Free Recombinant Protein Based on Human Collagen Type I
Authors: Kamata Hiroyuki , Ashikari‐Hada Satoko , Mori Yusuke , Azuma Akihiko , Hata Ken‐ichiro 
Published: May 2019

AbstractInjectable hydrogels are considered important to realize safe and effective minimally invasive therapy. Although animal‐derived natural polymers are well studied, they typically lack injectability and fail to eliminate the potential risks of immunogenic reactions or unknown pathogen contamination. Despite extensive research activities to explore ideal injectable hydrogels, such state‐of‐the‐art technology remains inaccessible to non‐specialists. In this article, the design of a new injectable hydrogel platform that can be extemporaneously prepared from commercially available animal‐component‐free materials is described. The hydrogels can be prepared simply by mixing mutually reactive aqueous solutions without necessitating specialized knowledge or equipment. Their solidification time can be adjusted by choosing proper buffer conditions from immediate to an extended period of time, that is, few or several tens of minutes depending on the concentration of polymeric components, which not only provides injectability, but enables 3D encapsulation of cells. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells can be encapsulated and cultured in the hydrogels at least for 2 weeks by traditional cell culture techniques, and retrieved by collagenase digestion with cell viability of approximately 80%. This hydrogel platform accelerates future cell‐related research activities.
High‐sensitivity detection and quantification of CHCl3 vapors in various gas environments based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy
Authors: Mohebbifar Mohammad Reza 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn this study, the quality factor and cell constant vs acoustic resonator sizes in the first radial and longitudinal modes were calculated using our homemade simulation. Based on these simulations a photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy system was designed, optimized, and finally fabricated as a high‐sensitivity gas sensor. The subsequent experiments have been done to online monitoring of the trichloromethane (CHCl3) vapors trace. The sensitivity of system for detection of CHCl3 vapors was measured 488 ppb. Corresponding PA signal for different concentrations of CHCl3 vapors is determined in the presence of N2, synthetic air, He, and Ar in various gas environments. It is shown that the effect of buffer gas and the relevant pressures are substantiated to achieve the minimum detectable concentration. In other words, using heavier gases at the same experimental conditions lead to detection of the lower concentrations. When the buffer gas of system was He, the lowest PA signal was recorded. This faint signal of He is due to vibrational‐translational processes of He, thermodynamic and acoustic properties of system such as cell constant, quality factor, speed of sound, thermal diffusion, thermal boundary layer, and viscous boundary layer for He. These properties for various buffer gases were calculated and discussed.
Parallel imaging and convolutional neural network combined fast MR image reconstruction: Applications in low‐latency accelerated real‐time imaging
Authors: Zhou Ziwu , Han Fei , Ghodrati Vahid , Gao Yu , Yin Wotao , Yang Yingli , Hu Peng 
Published: May 2019

PurposeTo develop and evaluate a parallel imaging and convolutional neural network combined image reconstruction framework for low‐latency and high‐quality accelerated real‐time MR imaging.MethodsConventional Parallel Imaging reconstruction resolved as gradient descent steps was compacted as network layers and interleaved with convolutional layers in a general convolutional neural network. All parameters of the network were determined during the offline training process, and applied to unseen data once learned. The proposed network was first evaluated for real‐time cardiac imaging at 1.5 T and real‐time abdominal imaging at 0.35 T, using threefold to fivefold retrospective undersampling for cardiac imaging and threefold retrospective undersampling for abdominal imaging. Then, prospective undersampling with fourfold acceleration was performed on cardiac imaging to compare the proposed method with standard clinically available GRAPPA method and the state‐of‐the‐art L1‐ESPIRiT method.ResultsBoth retrospective and prospective evaluations confirmed that the proposed network was able to images with a lower noise level and reduced aliasing artifacts in comparison with the single‐coil based and L1‐ESPIRiT reconstructions for cardiac imaging at 1.5 T, and the GRAPPA and L1‐ESPIRiT reconstructions for abdominal imaging at 0.35 T. Using the proposed method, each frame can be reconstructed in less than 100 ms, suggesting its clinical compatibility.ConclusionThe proposed Parallel Imaging and convolutional neural network combined reconstruction framework is a promising technique that allows low‐latency and high‐quality real‐time MR imaging.
Acentriolar microtubule organization centers and Ran‐mediated microtubule formation pathways are both required in porcine oocytes
Authors: Kim Yong‐Han , Lee In‐Won , Jo Yu‐Jin , Kim Nam‐Hyung , Namgoong Suk 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMammalian oocytes lack centrioles but can generate bipolar spindles using several different mechanisms. For example, mouse oocytes have acentriolar microtubule organization centers (MTOCs) that contain many components of the centrosome, and which initiate microtubule polymerization. On the contrary, human oocytes lack MTOCs and the Ran‐mediated mechanisms may be responsible for spindle assembly. Complete knowledge of the different mechanisms of spindle assembly is lacking in various mammalian oocytes. In this study, we demonstrate that both MTOC‐ and Ran‐mediated microtubule nucleation are required for functional meiotic metaphase I spindle generation in porcine oocytes. Acentriolar MTOC components, including Cep192 and pericentrin, were absent in the germinal vesicle and germinal vesicle breakdown stages. However, they start to colocalize to the spindle microtubules, but are absent in the meiotic spindle poles. Knockdown of Cep192 or inhibition of Polo‐like kinase 1 activity impaired the recruitment of Cep192 and pericentrin to the spindles, impaired microtubule assembly, and decreased the polar body extrusion rate. When the RanGTP gradient was perturbed by the expression of dominant negative or constitutively active Ran mutants, severe defects in microtubule nucleation and cytokinesis were observed, and the localization of MTOC materials in the spindles was abolished. These results demonstrate that the stepwise involvement of MTOC‐ and Ran‐mediated microtubule assembly is crucial for the formation of meiotic spindles in porcine oocytes, indicating the diversity of spindle formation mechanisms among mammalian oocytes.