bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypoalbuminemia as a predictor of acute kidney injury during colistin treatment
Authors: Giacobbe Daniele Roberto , di Masi Alessandra , Leboffe Loris , Del Bono Valerio , Rossi Marianna , Cappiello Dario , Coppo Erika , Marchese Anna , Casulli Annarita , Signori Alessio , Novelli Andrea , Perrone Katja , Principe Luigi , Bandera Alessandra , Vender Luca Enrico , Misin Andrea , Occhilupo Pierpaolo , Melone Marcello , Ascenzi Paolo , Gori Andrea , Luzzati Roberto , Viscoli Claudio , Di Bella Stefano 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis study aimed to assess the predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI) during colistin therapy in a cohort of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) due to colistin-susceptible Gram-negative bacteria, focusing on the role of serum albumin levels. The study consisted of two parts: (1) a multicentre retrospective clinical study to assess the predictors of AKI during colistin therapy, defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria; and (2) bioinformatic and biochemical characterization of the possible interaction between human serum albumin and colistin. Among the 170 patients included in the study, 71 (42%), 35 (21%), and 11 (6%) developed KDIGO stage 1 (K1-AKI), KDIGO stage 2 (K2-AKI), and KDIGO stage 3 (K3-AKI), respectively. In multivariable analyses, serum albumin <2.5 g/dL was independently associated with K1-AKI (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR] 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17–2.93, p = 0.009) and K2-AKI (sHR 2.37, 95% CI 1.15–4.87, p = 0.019). Bioinformatic and biochemical analyses provided additional information nurturing the discussion on how hypoalbuminemia favors development of AKI during colistin therapy. In conclusion, severe hypoalbuminemia independently predicted AKI during colistin therapy in a large cohort of patients with BSI due to colistin-susceptible Gram-negative bacteria. Further study is needed to clarify the underlying causal pathways.
Cortical signatures of wakeful somatosensory processing
Authors: Song Chenchen , Piscopo Denise M. , Niell Cristopher M. , Knöpfel Thomas 
Published: August 2018

AbstractSensory inputs carry critical information for the survival of an organism. In mice, tactile information conveyed by the whiskers is of high behavioural relevance, and is broadcasted across cortical areas beyond the primary somatosensory cortex. Mesoscopic voltage sensitive dye imaging (VSDI) of cortical population response to whisker stimulations has shown that seemingly ‘simple’ sensory stimuli can have extended impact on cortical circuit dynamics. Here we took advantage of genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) that allow for cell type-specific monitoring of population voltage dynamics in a chronic dual-hemisphere transcranial windowed mouse preparation to directly compare the cortex-wide broadcasting of sensory information in wakening (lightly anesthetized to sedated) and awake mice. Somatosensory-evoked cortex-wide dynamics is altered across brain states, with anatomically sequential hyperpolarising activity observed in the awake cortex. GEVI imaging revealed cortical activity maps with increased specificity, high spatial coverage, and at the timescale of cortical information processing.
Niche dissociated assembly drives insular lizard community organization
Authors: Harikrishnan Surendran , Vasudevan Karthikeyan 
Published: August 2018

AbstractInterspecific competition for resources leading to niche partitioning is considered as one of the major drivers of community assembly. Competitive niche partitioning is diagnosed from species co-occurrence, species abundance distributions (SADs), and body size distributions of species. For several decades, studies have explored these patterns for the relative significance of interspecific competition in shaping communities. We explored these patterns in a finite assemblage of insectivorous lizards in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, both at the level of archipelago and individual islands. Negative geographic co-occurrences occurred only between species pairs in islands separated by deep ocean channels. Ecologically similar species did not show positive co-occurrence in guild co-occurrence analyses, indicating that the negative geographical co-occurrences between species in islands were due to historical allopatry. Species abundance distribution was best explained by a Pareto distribution in both metacommunity and local communities. There was no predictable spacing of body sizes among co-existing species in local communities. The empirical data on insular lizard community on species co-occurrence, SADs, and body size ratios does not lend support to assortment of species in islands caused by niche subdivision. Such niche-dissociated assembly of species in islands might be an important factor in formation of biological communities, regardless of geographic scale.
Temperature-dependent excitonic superfluid plasma frequency evolution in an excitonic insulator, Ta2NiSe5
Authors: Seo Yu-Seong , Eom Man Jin , Kim Jun Sung , Kang Chang-Jong , Min Byung Il , Hwang Jungseek 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAn interesting van der Waals material, Ta2NiSe5 has been known one of strong excitonic insulator candidates since it has very small or zero bandgap and can have a strong exciton binding energy because of its quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure. Here we investigate a single crystal Ta2NiSe5 using optical spectroscopy. Ta2NiSe5 has quasi-one-dimensional chains along the a-axis. We have obtained anisotropic optical properties of a single crystal Ta2NiSe5 along the a- and c-axes. The measured a- and c-axis optical conductivities exhibit large anisotropic electronic and phononic properties. With regard to the a-axis optical conductivity, a sharp peak near 3050 cm−1 at 9 K, with a well-defined optical gap ($${{\boldsymbol{\Delta }}}_{{\boldsymbol{o}}{\boldsymbol{p}}}^{{\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{I}}}\,{\boldsymbol{\simeq }}$$ΔopEI≃ 1800 cm−1) and a strong temperature-dependence, is observed. With an increase in temperature, this peak broadens and the optical energy gap closes around ∼325 K ($${{\boldsymbol{T}}}_{{\boldsymbol{c}}}^{{\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{I}}}$$TcEI). The spectral weight redistribution with respect to the frequency and temperature indicates that the normalized optical energy gap $$({{\boldsymbol{\Delta }}}_{{\boldsymbol{o}}{\boldsymbol{p}}}^{{\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{I}}}({\boldsymbol{T}})/\,{{\boldsymbol{\Delta }}}_{{\boldsymbol{o}}{\boldsymbol{p}}}^{{\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{I}}}{\bf{(0)}})$$(ΔopEI(T)/ΔopEI(0)) is $${\bf{1}}{\boldsymbol{-}}{({\boldsymbol{T}}/{{\boldsymbol{T}}}_{{\boldsymbol{c}}}^{{\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{I}}})}^{{\bf{2}}}$$1−(T/TcEI)2. The temperature-dependent superfluid plasma frequency of the excitonic condensation in Ta2NiSe5 has been determined from measured optical data. Our study may pave new avenues in the future research on excitonic insulators.
Computer-Guided Surface Engineering for Enzyme Improvement
Authors: Wilding Matthew , Scott Colin , Warden Andrew C. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractProtein engineering strategies are often guided by our understanding of how the structure of a protein determines its function. However, our understanding is generally restricted to small regions of a protein, namely the active site and its immediate vicinity, while the remainder of the protein is something of an enigma. Studying highly homologous transaminases with strictly conserved active sites, but different substrate preferences and activities, we predict and experimentally validate that the surface of the protein far from the active site carries out a decisive role in substrate selectivity and catalytic efficiency. Using a unique molecular dynamics approach and novel trajectory analysis, we demonstrate the phenomenon of surface-directed ligand diffusion in this well-known protein family for the first time. Further, we identify the residues involved in directing substrate, design surface channel variants endowed for improved kinetic properties and establish a broadly applicable new approach for protein engineering.
Gemcitabine treatment promotes immunosuppressive microenvironment in pancreatic tumors by supporting the infiltration, growth, and polarization of macrophages
Authors: Deshmukh Sachin Kumar , Tyagi Nikhil , Khan Mohammad Aslam , Srivastava Sanjeev Kumar , Al-Ghadhban Ahmed , Dugger Kari , Carter James Elliot , Singh Seema , Singh Ajay Pratap 
Published: August 2018

AbstractChemotherapy-induced immunosuppression poses an additional challenge to its limited efficacy in pancreatic cancer (PC). Here we investigated the effect of gemcitabine on macrophages, which are the first line of immune-defense mechanisms. We observed an increased presence of macrophages in orthotopic human pancreatic tumor xenografts from mice treated with gemcitabine as compared to those from vehicle only-treated mice. Conditioned media from gemcitabine-treated PC cells (Gem-CM) promoted growth, migration and invasion of RAW264.7 macrophage. In addition, Gem-CM also induced upregulation of M2-polarized macrophage markers, arginase-1 and TGF-β1. Cytokine profiling of gemcitabine-treated PC cells identified IL-8 as the most differentially-expressed cytokine. Incubation of Gem-CM with IL-8 neutralizing antibody diminished its ability to induce growth, migration and invasion of RAW264.7 macrophages, but did not abrogate their M2 polarization. Together, our findings identify IL-8 as an important mediator in the gemcitabine-induced infiltration of macrophages within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment and suggest the requirement of additional mechanism(s) for macrophage polarization.
Autophagy upregulation as a possible mechanism of arsenic induced diabetes
Authors: Zeinvand-Lorestani Marzieh , Kalantari Heibatullah , Khodayar Mohammad Javad , Teimoori Ali , Saki Najmaldin , Ahangarpour Akram , Rahim Fakher , Alboghobeish Soheila 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe key features of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) caused by high fat diet (HFD) in combination with arsenic (As) exposure (pronounced glucose intolerance despite a significant decrease in insulin resistance) are different from those expected for T2DM. Autophagy has been considered as a possible link between insulin resistance and obesity. Therefore in this study, we utilized autophagy gene expression profiling via real-time RT-PCR array analysis in livers of NMRI mice exposed to an environmentally relevant and minimally cytotoxic concentration of arsenite (50 ppm) in drinking water while being fed with a HFD for 20 weeks. Out of 84 genes associated with autophagy under study, 21 genes were related to autophagy machinery components of which 13 genes were downregulated when HDF diet was applied. In this study, for the first time, it was shown that the exposure to arsenic in the livers of mice chronically fed with HFD along with increased oxidative stress resulted in the restoration of autophagy [upregulation of genes involved in the early phase of phagophore formation, phagophore expansion and autophagosome-lysosome linkage stages]. Considering the role of arsenic in the induction of autophagy; it can be argued that reduced insulin resistance in HFD − As induced diabetes may be mediated by autophagy upregulation.
Biological significance and prognostic relevance of peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in soft tissue sarcoma
Authors: Chan Jason Yongsheng , Zhang Zewen , Chew Winston , Tan Grace Fangmin , Lim Chloe Liwen , Zhou Lingyue , Goh Wei Lin , Poon Eileen , Somasundaram Nagavalli , Selvarajan Sathiyamoorthy , Sittampalam Kesavan , Chin Francis , Teh Jonathan , Tan Mann Hong , Soo Khee Chee , Teo Melissa , Farid Mohamad , Quek Richard 
Published: August 2018

AbstractPeripheral blood indices of systemic inflammation such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been shown to be prognostic in various cancers. We aim to investigate the clinical significance of these indices in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Seven hundred and twelve patients with available blood counts at diagnosis and/or metastatic relapse were retrospectively examined. An optimal cutoff for NLR-high (>2.5) in predicting overall survival (OS) was determined using receiver operating curve analyses. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox proportional models. Our results show that NLR was significantly higher in patients with distant metastasis at diagnosis (n = 183) compared to those without (n = 529) (median: 4.36 vs 2.85,p < 0.0001). Progression of localized disease at diagnosis to metastatic relapse within the same patients was associated with an interval increase in NLR (median: 3.21 vs 3.74,p = 0.0003). In multivariate analysis, NLR-high was the only consistent factor independently associated with both worse OS (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.10–2.13,p = 0.0112) and relapse-free survival (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.08–1.85,p = 0.0125) in localized disease, as well as OS (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.16–2.85,p = 0.0087) in metastatic/unresectable disease. In conclusion, high NLR is an independent marker of poor prognosis among patients with STS.
Comparison of Radial Artery Occlusion Following Transradial Access for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using Sheath-based versus Sheathless Technique
Authors: Mohsen Ala , Alqasrawi Musab , Shantha Ghanshyam Palamaner Subash , DeZorzi Chris , Panaich Sidakpal 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe compared the risk of radial artery occlusion (RAO) in patients undergoing coronary intervention with introducer sheath (SG) or without introducer sheath (SLG). 1251 consecutive patients, from 2 tertiary care center in Pennsylvania, USA, undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) between 2008–2013 formed the study cohort (SLG: 161 patients, SG: 1090 patients). Radial artery patency was assessed using plethysmography. The association between sheath use and RAO was assessed using unadjusted, adjusted and propensity macthed logistic regression analyses. Mean age: 65 years, men: 63%, diabetics: 37%. SG was associated with lower RAO at band removal [unadjusted (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.21–0.46), adjusted (OR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.05–0.20) and propensity matched (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.13–0.32)], at 24 hours [unadjusted (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12–0.34), adjusted (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.06–0.24) and propensity matched (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.07–0.25)] and 30 days [unadjusted (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.14–0.54), adjusted (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.10–0.50) and propensity matched (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.10–0.40)], compared to SLG. Sheath use during radial access for PCI is associated with less RAO. It is unclear if use of introducer sheath during radial access for PCI reduces incidence of RAO. In this prospective cohort study involving 1251 concecutive patients undergoing PCI via radial access between 2008–2013, we assessed the difference in incidence of RAO between the SG (n = 1090) and the SLG (n = 161 patients) groups. SG group experienced lower incidence of RAO at band removal, 24 hours and 30 days post PCI in the unadjusted, adjusted, and propensity matched analyses compared to the SLG group. In conclusion sheath use during radial access for PCI is associated with less RAO.
Impact of Body Mass Index on Oncological Outcomes of Prostate Cancer Patients after Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Yu Young Dong , Byun Seok-Soo , Lee Sang Eun , Hong Sung Kyu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObesity, often represented by higher body mass index (BMI), is not yet fully understood as a potential risk factor for poor clinical outcomes of prostate cancer (PCa) after radical prostatectomy (RP). This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between BMI and biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival in RP patients. This study retrospectively reviewed a total of 2.997 PCa patients who underwent RP between 2006 and 2017. The patients were stratified into three BMI groups according to the WHO recommendations for Asian men: normal weight (<23 kg/m2), overweight (≥23 to <27.5 kg/m2) and obese (≥27.5 kg/m2). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to evaluate the factors influencing the BCR rates including BMI. Multivariable Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to test the association of obesity with BCR-free survival. The final pathologic results showed obese patients had greater positive surgical margin rates (13.9%, p < 0.001), extraprostatic invasion (19.9%, p < 0.001), advanced pathological Gleason score (GS) ≥ 8 (50.8%, p = 0.017), and lymph node invasion (LNI) (14.5%, p = 0.021) than overweight and normal weight patients. According to Kaplan-Meier analyses, obese patients, especially with BMI ≥ 27.5, were more likely to have lower BCR-free-survival. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus, LNI status, pT, pathologic GS, extraprostatic invasion, margin positivity and obesity with BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2 were significantly associated with BCR-free survival after RP. Obesity (higher BMI) was significantly associated with BCR after RP. BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2 was an independent predictor of BCR-free survival.
Fast Na ion transport triggered by rapid ion exchange on local length scales
Authors: Lunghammer S. , Prutsch D. , Breuer S. , Rettenwander D. , Hanzu I. , Ma Q. , Tietz F. , Wilkening H. M. R. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe realization of green and economically friendly energy storage systems needs materials with outstanding properties. Future batteries based on Na as an abundant element take advantage of non-flammable ceramic electrolytes with very high conductivities. Na3Zr2(SiO4)2PO4-type superionic conductors are expected to pave the way for inherently safe and sustainable all-solid-state batteries. So far, only little information has been extracted from spectroscopic measurements to clarify the origins of fast ionic hopping on the atomic length scale. Here we combined broadband conductivity spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation to study Na ion dynamics from the µm to the angstrom length scale. Spin-lattice relaxation NMR revealed a very fast Na ion exchange process in Na3.4Sc0.4Zr1.6(SiO4)2PO4 that is characterized by an unprecedentedly high self-diffusion coefficient of 9 × 10−12 m2s−1 at −10 °C. Thus, well below ambient temperature the Na ions have access to elementary diffusion processes with a mean residence time τNMR of only 2 ns. The underlying asymmetric diffusion-induced NMR rate peak and the corresponding conductivity isotherms measured in the MHz range reveal correlated ionic motion. Obviously, local but extremely rapid Na+ jumps, involving especially the transition sites in Sc-NZSP, trigger long-range ion transport and push ionic conductivity up to 2 mS/cm at room temperature.
IPL-M1 interaction shapes pre-reflective social differentiation in the human action system: new insights from TBS and TMS combined
Authors: Ticini Luca F. , Dolk Thomas , Waszak Florian , Schütz-Bosbach Simone 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe conscious experience of being the author of our own actions is thought to be grounded in pre-reflective and low-level sensorimotor representations of the self as different from the other. It has been suggested that the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) is generally involved in self-other differentiation processes and in providing an explicit sense of action authorship. However, direct evidence for its causal and functional role in distinguishing self-related and other-related sensorimotor representations is lacking. The current study employed theta-burst stimulation (TBS) to condition left IPL’s activity before a social version of the rubber hand illusion led participants to illusorily attribute observed finger movements to their own body. We recorded motor evoked potentials to single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex (M1) as proxies of action authorship during action observation. The results showed that in a control condition (intermediate TBS over the left IPL) others’ actions facilitated whereas self-attributed movements inhibited the motor system. Critically, continuous TBS disrupted this mismatch between self and other representations. This outcome provides direct evidence for the IPL’s role in providing fundamental authorship signals for social differentiation in the human action system.
Dye-functionalized Sol-gel Matrix on Carbon Nanotubes for Refreshable and Flexible Gas Sensors
Authors: Kim Jeongsu , Yoo Haneul , Pham Ba Viet Anh , Shin Narae , Hong Seunghun 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe report a colorimetric dye-functionalized sol-gel matrix on carbon nanotubes for use as a refreshable and flexible gas sensor with humidity calibration. Here, we fabricated gas sensors by functionalizing dye molecules on the top of carbon nanotube networks via a sol-gel method. Using hybrid gas sensors with different dye molecules, we could selectively detect various hazardous gases, such as NH3, Cl2 and SO2 gases, via optical and electrical signals. The sensors exhibited rather large conductance changes of more than 50% following exposure to gas species with concentrations even under the permissible exposure limit. Significantly, we could refresh used gas sensors by simply exposing them to fresh N2 gas without any heat treatment. Additionally, our sensors can be bent to form versatile practical sensor devices, such as tube-shape sensors for ventilation tubes. This work shows a simple but powerful method for building refreshable and selective gas sensors for versatile industrial and academic applications.
The Springtime Influence of Natural Tropical Pacific Variability on the Surface Climate of the Ross Ice Shelf, West Antarctica: Implications for Ice Shelf Thinning
Authors: Clem Kyle R. , Orr Andrew , Pope James O. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObservational records starting in the 1950s show West Antarctica is amongst the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. Together with increased intrusions of warm circumpolar deep water (CDW) onto the continental shelf due to local wind forcing (the primary mechanism in recent decades), this has resulted in enhanced surface and basal melting of floating ice shelves and an associated acceleration and thinning of West Antarctic outlet glaciers, increasing the rate of global sea level rise. In this study, it is shown that during the austral spring season, significant surface warming across West Antarctica has shifted westward to the Ross Ice Shelf in recent decades in response to enhanced cyclonic circulation over the Ross Sea. These circulation changes are caused by a Rossby wave train forced by increasing sea surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific, which is tied to the springtime shift of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) to its negative phase after 1992. While the local wind trends enhance warm air advection and surface warming across the Ross Ice Shelf, the strong easterly component of the wind trends reduces the likelihood for intrusions of CDW onto the continental shelf in this region. This suggests that during spring there are competing mechanisms of surface and basal melting of the Ross Ice Shelf, both of which are closely tied to natural tropical Pacific decadal variability. Moreover, that the projected transition of the IPO back to its positive phase in the coming decade, though likely to reduce surface warming on the Ross Ice Shelf, could increase the risk of disintegration of Ross Sea ice shelves due to increased intrusions of CDW and enhanced basal melting.