bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide association studies for 30 haematological and blood clinical-biochemical traits in Large White pigs reveal genomic regions affecting intermediate phenotypes
Authors: Bovo Samuele , Mazzoni Gianluca , Bertolini Francesca , Schiavo Giuseppina , Galimberti Giuliano , Gallo Maurizio , Dall’Olio Stefania , Fontanesi Luca 
Published: May 2019

AbstractHaematological and clinical-biochemical parameters are considered indicators of the physiological/health status of animals and might serve as intermediate phenotypes to link physiological aspects to production and disease resistance traits. The dissection of the genetic variability affecting these phenotypes might be useful to describe the resilience of the animals and to support the usefulness of the pig as animal model. Here, we analysed 15 haematological and 15 clinical-biochemical traits in 843 Italian Large White pigs, via three genome-wide association scan approaches (single-trait, multi-trait and Bayesian). We identified 52 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with 29 out of 30 analysed blood parameters, with the most significant QTL identified on porcine chromosome 14 for basophil count. Some QTL regions harbour genes that may be the obvious candidates: QTLs for cholesterol parameters identified genes (ADCY8,APOB,ATG5,CDKAL1,PCSK5,PRLandSOX6) that are directly involved in cholesterol metabolism; other QTLs highlighted genes encoding the enzymes being measured [ALT (known also as GPT) and AST (known also as GOT)]. Moreover, the multivariate approach strengthened the association results for several candidate genes. The obtained results can contribute to define new measurable phenotypes that could be applied in breeding programs as proxies for more complex traits.
Exploring cellular uptake, accumulation and mechanism of action of a cationic Ru-based nanosystem in human preclinical models of breast cancer
Authors: Piccolo Marialuisa , Misso Gabriella , Ferraro Maria Grazia , Riccardi Claudia , Capuozzo Antonella , Zarone Mayra Rachele , Maione Francesco , Trifuoggi Marco , Stiuso Paola , D’Errico Gerardino , Caraglia Michele , Paduano Luigi , Montesarchio Daniela , Irace Carlo , Santamaria Rita 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAccording to WHO, breast cancer incidence is increasing so that the search for novel chemotherapeutic options is nowadays an essential requirement to fight neoplasm subtypes. By exploring new effective metal-based chemotherapeutic strategies, many ruthenium complexes have been recently proposed as antitumour drugs, showing ability to impact on diverse cellular targets. In the framework of different molecular pathways leading to cell death in human models of breast cancer, here we demonstrate autophagy involvement behind the antiproliferative action of a ruthenium(III)-complex incorporated into a cationic nanosystem (HoThyRu/DOTAP), proved to be hitherto one of the most effective within the suite of nucleolipidic formulations we have developed for the in vivo transport of anticancer ruthenium(III)-based drugs. Indeed, evidences are implicating autophagy in both cancer development and therapy, and anticancer interventions endowed with the ability to trigger this biological response are currently considered attractive oncotherapeutic approaches. Moreover, crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy, regulated by finely tuned metallo-chemotherapeutics, may provide novel opportunities for future improvement of cancer treatment. Following this line, our in vitro and in vivo preclinical investigations suggest that an original strategy based on suitable formulations of ruthenium(III)-complexes, inducing sustained cell death, could open new opportunities for breast cancer treatment, including the highly aggressive triple-negative subtype.
Increased LIGHT expression and activation of non-canonical NF-κB are observed in gastric lesions of MyD88-deficient mice upon Helicobacter felis infection
Authors: Mejías-Luque Raquel , Lozano-Pope Ivonne , Wanisch Andreas , Heikenwälder Matthias , Gerhard Markus , Obonyo Marygorret 
Published: May 2019

AbstractHelicobacter pylori infection induces a number of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways contributing to gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis. Among those, NF-κB signaling plays a pivotal role during infection and malignant transformation of the gastric epithelium. However, deficiency of the adaptor molecule myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), which signals through NF-κB, led to an accelerated development of gastric pathology upon H. felis infection, but the mechanisms leading to this phenotype remained elusive. Non-canonical NF-κB signaling was shown to aggravate H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation via activation of the lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR). In the present study, we explored whether the exacerbated pathology observed in MyD88-deficient (Myd88−/−) mice was associated with aberrant activation of non-canonical NF-κB. Our results indicate that, in the absence of MyD88, H. felis infection enhances the activation of non-canonical NF-κB that is associated with increase in Cxcl9 and Icam1 gene expression and CD3+ lymphocyte recruitment. In addition, activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling was higher in Myd88−/− compared to wild type (WT) mice, indicating a link between MyD88 deficiency and STAT3 activation in response to H. felis infection. Thereby, MyD88 deficiency results in accelerated and aggravated gastric pathology induced by Helicobacter through activation of non-canonical NF-κB.
Identification of a novel strong promoter from the anhydrobiotic midge, Polypedilum vanderplanki, with conserved function in various insect cell lines
Authors: Miyata Yugo , Tokumoto Shoko , Sogame Yoichiro , Deviatiiarov Ruslan , Okada Jun , Cornette Richard , Gusev Oleg , Shagimardanova Elena , Sakurai Minoru , Kikawada Takahiro 
Published: May 2019

AbstractLarvae of the African midge Polypedilum vanderplanki (Diptera: Chironomidae) show a form of extreme desiccation tolerance known as anhydrobiosis. The cell line Pv11 was recently established from the species, and these cells can also survive under desiccated conditions, and proliferate normally after rehydration. Here we report the identification of a new promoter, 121, which has strong constitutive transcriptional activity in Pv11 cells and promotes effective expression of exogenous genes. Using a luciferase reporter assay, this strong transcriptional activity was shown to be conserved in cell lines from various insect species, including S2 (Drosophila melanogaster, Diptera), SaPe-4 (Sarcophaga peregrina, Diptera), Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda, Lepidoptera) and Tc81 (Tribolium castaneum, Coleoptera) cells. In conjunction with an appropriate selection maker gene, the 121 promoter was able to confer zeocin resistance on SaPe-4 cells and allowed the establishment of stable SaPe-4 cell lines expressing the fluorescent protein AcGFP1; this is the first report of heterologous gene expression in this cell line. These results show the 121 promoter to be a versatile tool for exogenous gene expression in a wide range of insect cell lines, particularly useful to those from non-model insect species.
Emulating the early phases of human tooth development in vitro
Authors: Rosowski Jennifer , Bräunig Julia , Amler Anna-Klara , Strietzel Frank P. , Lauster Roland , Rosowski Mark 
Published: May 2019

AbstractFunctional in vitro models emulating the physiological processes of human organ formation are invaluable for future research and the development of regenerative therapies. Here, a developmentally inspired approach is pursued to reproduce fundamental steps of human tooth organogenesis in vitro using human dental pulp cells. Similar to the in vivo situation of tooth initiating mesenchymal condensation, a 3D self-organizing culture was pursued resulting in an organoid of the size of a human tooth germ with odontogenic marker expression. Furthermore, the model is capable of epithelial invagination into the condensed mesenchyme, mimicking the reciprocal tissue interactions of human tooth development. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis revealed activation of well-studied as well as rather less investigated signaling pathways implicated in human tooth organogenesis, such as the Notch signaling. Early condensation in vitro revealed a shift to the TGFß signal transduction pathway and a decreased RhoA small GTPase activity, connected to the remodeling of the cytoskeleton and actin-mediated mechanotransduction. Therefore, this in vitro model of tooth development provides a valuable model to study basic human developmental mechanisms.
Optical properties of metamaterial split ring nematic colloids
Authors: Pusovnik Anja , Aplinc Jure , Ravnik Miha 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe fabrication of 3D bulk metamaterials, optical materials with sub-wavelength building blocks, is an open challenge, along with the tuning of their optical properties, such as transmissivity or exit polarization where a possible approach is to embed liquid crystalline materials into metamaterials and use their tunable birefringence. In this work, we explore using numerical modelling the photonic properties of a composite of split ring resonator colloidal particles, dispersed in nematic liquid crystal, which was optimised to enable self-assembly fully. Specifically, using generalised FDTD simulations for light propagation in birefringent profiles, we demonstrate the photonic response of single particles, 2D and 3D colloidal crystals. The material transmittance is shown to exhibit clear resonant behaviour with the resonances tunable with the birefringence in the order of ~5%. Electric and magnetic field modes emergent on the particles are shown, as affected by the surrounding nematic birefringence, both the in the slit region of the split ring resonator (SRR) particles as well as around the particles. Observed photonic response is further explained by introducing basic equivalent LC circuits. Finally, this work is aimed at developing soft and fluid metamaterials, which exhibit optical anisotropy in the photonic response as a potent mechanism for controlling the flow of light at wavelength and even sub-wavelength scales.
Specific targeting of PKCδ suppresses osteoclast differentiation by accelerating proteolysis of membrane-bound macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor
Authors: Kim Mi Yeong , Lee Kyunghee , Shin Hong-In , Jeong Daewon 
Published: May 2019

Abstractc-Fms is the macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) receptor, and intracellular signalling via the M-CSF/c-Fms axis mediates both innate immunity and bone remodelling. M-CSF-induced transient proteolytic degradation of c-Fms modulates various biological functions, and protein kinase C (PKC) signalling is activated during this proteolytic process via an unknown mechanism. Notably, the role of specific PKC isoforms involved in c-Fms degradation during osteoclast differentiation is not known. Here, we observed that inactivation of PKCδ by the biochemical inhibitor rottlerin, a cell permeable peptide inhibitor, and short hairpin (sh) RNA suppresses osteoclast differentiation triggered by treatment with M-CSF and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand. Interestingly, inhibition of PKCδ by either inhibitor or gene silencing of PKCδ accelerated M-CSF-induced proteolytic degradation of membrane-bound c-Fms via both the lysosomal pathway and regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIPping), but did not affect c-fms expression at the mRNA level. Degradation of c-Fms induced by PKCδ inactivation subsequently inhibited M-CSF-induced osteoclastogenic signals, such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and Akt. Furthermore, mice administered PKCδ inhibitors into the calvaria periosteum exhibited a decrease in both osteoclast formation on the calvarial bone surface and the calvarial bone marrow cavity, which reflects osteoclastic bone resorption activity. These data suggest that M-CSF-induced PKCδ activation maintains membrane-anchored c-Fms and allows the sequential cellular events of osteoclastogenic signalling, osteoclast formation, and osteoclastic bone resorption.
Thymoquinone therapy remediates elevated brain tissue inflammatory mediators induced by chronic administration of food preservatives
Authors: Hamdan Ahmed Mohsen , Al-Gayyar Mohammed M. , Shams Mohamed E. E. , Alshaman Udai Salamh , Prabahar Kousalya , Bagalagel Alaa , Diri Reem , Noor Ahmad O. , Almasri Diena 
Published: May 2019

AbstractContinuous exposure to preservatives such as nitrite salts has deleterious effects on different organs. Meanwhile, Nigella sativa oil can remediate such organ dysfunction. Here, we studied the effect of consumption of thymoquinone (TQ); the main component of Nigella sativa oil on the brain damage induced by sodium nitrite. Forty adult male rats were daily given oral gavage of sodium nitrite (80 mg/kg) with or without thymoquinone (50 mg/kg). Oxidative stress, cytokines of inflammation, fibrotic elements and apoptotic markers in brain tissue were measured. Exposure to sodium nitrite (SN) resulted in increased levels of malondialdehyde, TGF-β, c-reactive protein, NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β and caspase-3 associated with reduced levels of glutathione, cytochrome c oxidase, Nrf2 and IL-10. However, exposure of rats’ brain tissues to thymoquinone resulted ameliorated all these effects. In conclusion, thymoquinone remediates sodium nitrite-induced brain impairment through several mechanisms including attenuation of oxidative stress, retrieving the reduced concentration of glutathione, blocks elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, restores cytochrome c oxidase activity, and reducing the apoptosis markers in the brain tissues of rats.
Passivation of aluminum current collectors in non-aqueous carbonate solutions containing sodium or potassium hexafluorophosphate salts
Authors: Konarov Aishuak , Kim Hee Jae , Yashiro Hitoshi , Myung Seung-Taek 
Published: May 2019

The AlF3 layer on the surface of aluminum foil is stable up to 5 V vs. Na+/Na or K+/K.
In situ synthesis of high dielectric constant GNPs/PBO nanocomposites with enhanced thermostability
Authors: Chen Yi , Kong Zhen , Chen Wenqi , Xiao Lv , Yuan Yong , Li Zhongquan , Zhuang Qixin 
Published: May 2019

Graphite nanoparticles (GNPs) were introduced into poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) matrix to produce composites via in situ polymerisation. Films of various composites were fabricated through the solution casting method in methanesulfonic acid (MSA) with the help of two sand core plates. The interlayer spacing of GNPs increased slightly confirmed by XRD as a result of an expanding effect caused by continuously formed PBO chains between the graphene nanosheets of GNPs during polymerisation. Also, due to the uniform dispersion of GNPs into PBO matrix, composite films exhibited an improved tensile strength (258 MPa, 72% higher than that of pure PBO) with 5 wt% loading of GNPs fillers. The initial decomposition temperature of the composite is ∼630°C. Besides, benefitting from the interfacial polarisation in this conductive filler/polymer system, the dielectric constant of the composites with 10 wt% loading of GNPs reached 6.96, which were over two times higher than that of pristine PBO polymer (2.91).
Ultra‐high step‐up two‐input DC–DC converter with lower switching losses
Authors: Mohseni Parham , Hossein Hosseini Seyed , Maalandish Mohammad , Sabahi Mehran 
Published: May 2019

In this study, a novel isolated ultra‐high step‐up two‐input DC–DC converter with low‐voltage stress across semiconductors is presented. In the proposed converter, outputs are isolated from the inputs by a high‐frequency transformer and the leakage inductance of the transformer is used to soft switching (zero‐current switching) of the power switches when they are turned‐on and alleviate the reverse recovery problems of the diodes. This converter can be operated as an interleaved single‐input converter with a 180° phase shift. The converter benefits from the advantages of both the conventional boost converter and diode‐capacitor voltage multiplier (VM) stages. The primary side of the transformer consists of two‐input cells based on the conventional boost converter and the secondary side consists of diode‐capacitor VM stages which are used to increase the voltage gain and decrease the nominal voltage stress across semiconductors. To confirm the converter performance, the mathematical analysis and simulation result are presented, in addition, the comparison between the proposed converter and other converters which are presented in recent studies is presented. An experimental prototype 410 V/280 W of the converter with 40 and 45 V input voltages is provided to illustrate the correct operation of the presented converter.
Modelling and control of DC–DC Ćuk converter with and voltage multiplier cells for PV applications
Authors: Miguel Klein Faistel Tiago , Henrique Illa Font Carlos , Andrade António Manuel Santos Spencer , Lúcio da Silva Martins Mário 
Published: May 2019

This study proposes the modelling and control of a Ćuk converter with reduced redundant power processing and voltage multiplier for photovoltaic (PV) applications. The converter makes use of a perturb & observe algorithm to extract the maximum power of a single PV panel. The proposed converter is derived from the association of the and voltage multiplier cells in order to achieve the high step‐up voltage gain. This association allows a high‐voltage gain, low‐voltage and current stresses on the semiconductors. Experimental results are presented to validate the proposal a prototype with the input of 37.4 V, output voltage of 400 V and rated input power of 200 W.
Galactic Cosmic Ray induced absorbed dose rate in deep space – Accounting for detector size, shape, material, as well as for the solar modulation
Authors: Banjac Saša , Berger Lars , Burmeister Sönke , Guo Jingnan , Heber Bernd , Herbst Konstantin , Wimmer-Schweingruber Robert 
Published: May 2019

Depending on the radiation field, the absorbed dose rate can depend significantly upon the size of the detectors or the phantom used in the models. In deep space (interplanetary medium) the radiation field is on avarage dominated by Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) nuclei. Here, the deep space dose rate that a typical small silicon slab detector measures is compared to a larger phantom corresponding to an ICRU sphere with a 15 cm radius composed of water. To separate and understand respective effects from the composition, size and shape differences in the detectors, this comparison is implemented in several steps. For each phantom, the absorbed dose rate due to GCR nuclei up toZ= 28, as a function of solar modulation conditions, is calculated.The main components of the GCR flux are protons, followed by helium nuclei and electrons, withZ> 2 nuclei accounting for approximately 1% of the total number of particles. Among the light nuclei withZ> 2, most abundant ones are C, N and O. In this study, we use the GEANT4 model to calculate the absorbed dose (energy deposited as ionization, divided by mass) due to the GCR flux provided by the Badhwar-O’Neill 2010 (BON-10) model. Furthermore, we investigate how the determined absorbed dose rate changes throughout the solar cycle by varying the GCR models from solar minimum to solar maximum conditions. The developed model is validated against the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) microdosimeter measurements. In our current approach, we do not consider the effects of shielding, which will always be present under realistic scenarios.A second goal of this study is to quantify the contribution of eachZ= 1, …, 28 GCR nuclei to absorbed dose rate, in relation to the phantom characteristics. For eachZwe determine the most relevant energy range in the GCR spectra for absorbed dose rate estimations. Furthermore, we calculate a solar modulation dependent conversion factor to convert absorbed dose rate measured in silicon to absorbed dose rate in water. This information will improve our understanding of the radiation environment due to GCR in the near-Earth deep space and also benefit further modeling efforts by limiting the number and energy range of primary particle species that have to be considered.
Schwarzkümmel: Medizin-Tipp aus der Bibel
Authors: Vlachojannis Julia , Chrubasik-Hausmann Sigrun 
Published: May 2019

ZusammenfassungIn zusammenführenden Studien senkte Schwarzkümmel das Gewicht, den erhöhten Nüchtern-Blutzucker und das glykierte Hämoglobin (HbA1c) und erhöhte die Ansprechbarkeit auf Insulin. Die Blutfette und der Blutdruck nahmen ab. Jetzt müssen Studien mit einem beweisenden Studiendesign die Wirkgrößen bei Typ-2-Diabetes, Hyperlipidämie und Bluthochdruck bestätigen und prüfen, ob Zubereitungen aus Schwarzkümmel das kardiovaskuläre Risiko senken. Vielversprechend sind die Ergebnisse der Studien bei Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis, Hashimoto-Thyreoiditis und Vitiligo, die Wirksamkeit bei Autoimmunerkrankungen demonstrieren. Studien bei Patienten mit Asthma bronchiale, Heuschnupfen und atopischem Ekzem weisen auf eine antiasthmatische und antiallergische Wirkung des Schwarzkümmel-Wirkstoffs hin. Durch die antibakterielle Wirkung lassen sich Antibiotika einsparen. Die Studienlage bei Nierensteinen, Organerkrankungen und toxischer Organschädigung, Arthrose, Kindern mit epileptischen Anfällen, Dyspepsie, klimakterischen Beschwerden, rezidivierender Mastalgie und neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen ist unzureichend. Die Tagesdosis beträgt bis zu 3 g Samen oder Samenöl. Die Verträglichkeit ist gut. Wechselwirkungen mit anderen Medikamenten sind nicht ausreichend untersucht.
Gesundheitskompetenz und Selbstmedikation
Authors: Kraft Karin 
Published: May 2019

ZusammenfassungSeit über zwei Jahrzehnten haben Gesundheitspolitiker aufgrund der Annahme, dass die Bevölkerung der Industrienationen im Allgemeinen über eine gute Gesundheitskompetenz verfügt, viele Bereiche des Gesundheitswesens, insbesondere Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung, dem freien Markt überlassen. Die in den letzten Jahren durchgeführten wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen haben allerdings ergeben, dass diese Annahme für einen großen Teil der Bevölkerung nicht zutrifft. Die Gesundheitskompetenz beim Umgang mit Medikamenten („medication literacy“) ist Teil der allgemeinen Gesundheitskompetenz. Während aber schon einige Untersuchungen zu rezeptpflichtigen Arzneimitteln existieren, sind zur politisch gewollten Selbstmedikation mit nicht rezeptpflichtigen Arzneimitteln im Zusammenhang mit der Gesundheitskompetenz im internationalen Schrifttum bislang so gut wie keine Publikationen aufzufinden. Es besteht deshalb nicht nur in Deutschland wegen des hohen Umsatzes von nicht rezeptpflichtigen Arzneimitteln und eines vermutlich ebenfalls hohen zusätzlichen Umsatzes bei Nahrungsergänzungsmitteln ein großer Forschungsbedarf.
Granulomatöse Dermatitis bei einem 5 Monate alten Mädchen mit Omenn-Syndrom (atypisches SCID)
Authors: Bleuel R. , Zink A. , Biedermann T. , Hauck F. 
Published: May 2019

ZusammenfassungIn der Dermatologie sehen wir auch pädiatrische Patienten mit Syndromen im Rahmen hereditärer schwerer Immundefekte. Die unverzügliche Diagnosestellung und Überweisung in spezialisierte Zentren ist entscheidend für die Prognose. Wir beschreiben ein bei Diagnosestellung 5 Monate altes Mädchen mit Omenn-Syndrom bei atypischem schwerem kombinierten Immundefekt (SCID). Klinisch führend waren eine Dermatitis, eine chronische, antibiotikaresistente Atemwegsinfektion und eine chronisch entzündliche Darmerkrankung. Laborchemisch bestand in der Routinediagnostik eine milde Lymphozytopenie mit Eosinophilie und erhöhtem Serum-IgE. Nach Anbindung an das nationale Versorgungsprojekt Translate-NAMSE wurde in der immunologischen Spezialdiagnostik ein atypischer Tlow Blow NK + SCID, verursacht durch eine hypomorphe homozygote IL7RA-Mutation, diagnostiziert und eine kurative haploidente allogene hämatopoietische Stammzelltransplantation eingeleitet.