bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigational nanomedicines in 2016: a review of nanotherapeutics currently undergoing clinical trials
Authors: Caster Joseph M. , Patel Artish N. , Zhang Tian , Wang Andrew 
Published: June 2016

Nanomedicine is a relatively new field that is rapidly evolving. Formulation of drugs on the nanoscale imparts many physical and biological advantages. Such advantages can in turn translate into improved therapeutic efficacy and reduced toxicity. While approximately 50 nanotherapeutics have already entered clinical practice, a greater number of drugs are undergoing clinical investigation for a variety of indications. This review aims to examine all the nanoformulations that are currently undergoing clinical investigation and their outlook for ultimate clinical translation. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1416. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1416This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
Bioprocess monitoring: minimizing sample matrix effects for total protein quantification with bicinchoninic acid assay
Authors: Reichelt Wieland N , Waldschitz Daniel , Herwig Christoph , Neutsch Lukas 
Published: June 2016

AbstractDetermining total protein content is a routine operation in many laboratories. Despite substantial work on assay optimization interferences, the widely used bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay remains widely recognized for its robustness. Especially in the field of bioprocess engineering the inaccuracy caused by interfering substances remains hardly predictable and not well understood. Since the introduction of the assay, sample pre-treatment by trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation has been indicated as necessary and sufficient to minimize interferences. However, the sample matrix in cultivation media is not only highly complex but also dynamically changing over process time in terms of qualitative and quantitative composition. A significant misestimation of the total protein concentration of bioprocess samples is often observed when following standard work-up schemes such as TCA precipitation, indicating that this step alone is not an adequate means to avoid measurement bias. Here, we propose a modification of the BCA assay, which is less influenced by sample complexity. The dynamically changing sample matrix composition of bioprocessing samples impairs the conventional approach of compensating for interfering substances via a static offset. Hence, we evaluated the use of a correction factor based on an internal spike measurement for the respective samples. Using protein spikes, the accuracy of the BCA protein quantification could be improved fivefold, taking the BCA protein quantification to a level of accuracy comparable to other, more expensive methods. This will allow reducing expensive iterations in bioprocess development to due inaccurate total protein analytics.Graphical abstract
Health Behaviors and their Relationship with Disease Control in People Attending Genetic Clinics with a Family History of Breast or Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Anderson Annie S. , Caswell Stephen , Macleod Maureen , Steele Robert JC , Berg Jonathan , Dunlop Jacqueline , Stead Martine , Eadie Douglas , O'Carroll Ronan E. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe current work aimed to assess health behaviors, perceived risk and control over breast/colorectal cancer risk and views on lifestyle advice amongst attendees at cancer family history clinics. Participants attending the East of Scotland Genetics Service were invited to complete a questionnaire (demographic data, weight and height, health behaviors and psycho‐social measures of risk and perceived control) and to participate in an in‐depth interview. The questionnaire was completed by 237 (49 %) of attendees, ranging from 18 to 77 years (mean age 46 (±10) years). Reported smoking rates (11 %) were modest, most (54 %) had a BMI > 25 kg/m2, 55 % had low levels of physical activity, 58 % reported inappropriate alcohol intakes and 90 % had fiber intakes indicative of a low plant diet. Regression analysis indicated that belief in health professional control was associated with higher, and belief in fatalism with poorer health behavior. Qualitative findings highlighted doubts about the link between lifestyle and cancer, and few were familiar with the current evidence. Whilst lifestyle advice was considered interesting in general there was little appetite for non‐tailored guidance. In conclusion, current health behaviors are incongruent with cancer risk reduction guidance amongst patients who have actively sought advice on disease risk. There are some indications that lifestyle advice would be welcomed but endorsement requires a sensitive and flexible approach, and the acceptability of lifestyle interventions remains to be explored.
Effect of Soy‐Derived Phospholipid on the Autoxidation of Canola Oil in a Water/Oil Emulsion
Authors: Choe Jeesu , Choe Eunok 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe effects of addition of soy‐derived phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), or phosphatidylinositol (PI) and the contribution of their structural segment during iron‐catalyzed autoxidation of canola oil in a water/oil (W/O) (1:1, w/w) emulsion were studied by headspace oxygen consumption using gas chromatography and hydroperoxide production by the ferric thiocyanate method. The phospholipid content was monitored by high performance liquid chromatography. Addition of PC and PE significantly (p < 0.05) improved the oxidative stability of the oil in the emulsion by decelerating headspace oxygen consumption and hydroperoxide production, with the PC having higher antioxidant effect. All phospholipids were degraded during autoxidation of the emulsion, with higher sensitivities of the PE and PC than the PI. Among the structural segments, ethanolamine and phosphoric acid significantly contributed to the antioxidant activity, while inositol showed little effect. Linoleic acid and choline showed the highest antioxidant activity at 350 mg/kg. The results suggest that hydrogen donation and a physical barrier to oxygen contribute to the antioxidant activity of PE and PC in the W/O emulsion, respectively.
Comparison of electric field strength and spatial distribution of electroconvulsive therapy and magnetic seizure therapy in a realistic human head model
Authors: Lee W.H. , Lisanby S.H. , Laine A.F. , Peterchev A.V. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundThis study examines the strength and spatial distribution of the electric field induced in the brain by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and magnetic seizure therapy (MST).MethodsThe electric field induced by standard (bilateral, right unilateral, and bifrontal) and experimental (focal electrically administered seizure therapy and frontomedial) ECT electrode configurations as well as a circular MST coil configuration was simulated in an anatomically realistic finite element model of the human head. Maps of the electric field strength relative to an estimated neural activation threshold were used to evaluate the stimulation strength and focality in specific brain regions of interest for these ECT and MST paradigms and various stimulus current amplitudes.ResultsThe standard ECT configurations and current amplitude of 800–900 mA produced the strongest overall stimulation with median of 1.8–2.9 times neural activation threshold and more than 94% of the brain volume stimulated at suprathreshold level. All standard ECT electrode placements exposed the hippocampi to suprathreshold electric field, although there were differences across modalities with bilateral and right unilateral producing respectively the strongest and weakest hippocampal stimulation. MST stimulation is up to 9 times weaker compared to conventional ECT, resulting in direct activation of only 21% of the brain. Reducing the stimulus current amplitude can make ECT as focal as MST.ConclusionsThe relative differences in electric field strength may be a contributing factor for the cognitive sparing observed with right unilateral compared to bilateral ECT, and MST compared to right unilateral ECT. These simulations could help understand the mechanisms of seizure therapies and develop interventions with superior risk/benefit ratio.
Genome-wide significant loci for addiction and anxiety
Authors: Hodgson K. , Almasy L. , Knowles E.E.M. , Kent J.W. , Curran J.E. , Dyer T.D. , Göring H.H.H. , Olvera R.L. , Fox P.T. , Pearlson G.D. , Krystal J.H. , Duggirala R. , Blangero J. , Glahn D.C. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundPsychiatric comorbidity is common among individuals with addictive disorders, with patients frequently suffering from anxiety disorders. While the genetic architecture of comorbid addictive and anxiety disorders remains unclear, elucidating the genes involved could provide important insights into the underlying etiology.MethodsHere we examine a sample of 1284 Mexican-Americans from randomly selected extended pedigrees. Variance decomposition methods were used to examine the role of genetics in addiction phenotypes (lifetime history of alcohol dependence, drug dependence or chronic smoking) and various forms of clinically relevant anxiety. Genome-wide univariate and bivariate linkage scans were conducted to localize the chromosomal regions influencing these traits.ResultsAddiction phenotypes and anxiety were shown to be heritable and univariate genome-wide linkage scans revealed significant quantitative trait loci for drug dependence (14q13.2-q21.2, LOD = 3.322) and a broad anxiety phenotype (12q24.32-q24.33, LOD = 2.918). Significant positive genetic correlations were observed between anxiety and each of the addiction subtypes (ρg = 0.550–0.655) and further investigation with bivariate linkage analyses identified significant pleiotropic signals for alcohol dependence-anxiety (9q33.1-q33.2, LOD = 3.054) and drug dependence-anxiety (18p11.23-p11.22, LOD = 3.425).ConclusionsThis study confirms the shared genetic underpinnings of addiction and anxiety and identifies genomic loci involved in the etiology of these comorbid disorders. The linkage signal for anxiety on 12q24 spans the location of TMEM132D, an emerging gene of interest from previous GWAS of anxiety traits, whilst the bivariate linkage signal identified for anxiety-alcohol on 9q33 peak coincides with a region where rare CNVs have been associated with psychiatric disorders. Other signals identified implicate novel regions of the genome in addiction genetics.
Temperature and parasite life-history are important modulators of the outcome ofTrypanosoma rangeli–Rhodnius prolixusinteractions
Authors: RODRIGUES JULIANA DE O. , LORENZO MARCELO G. , MARTINS-FILHO OLINDO A. , ELLIOT SIMON L. , GUARNERI ALESSANDRA A. 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARYTrypanosoma rangeliis a protozoan parasite, which does not cause disease in humans, although it can produce different levels of pathogenicity to triatomines, their invertebrate hosts. We tested whether infection imposed a temperature-dependent cost on triatomine fitness usingT. rangeliwith different life histories. Parasites cultured only in liver infusion tryptose medium (cultured) and parasites exposed to cyclical passages through mice and triatomines (passaged) were used. We held infected insects at four temperatures between 21 and 30 °C and measuredT. rangeligrowthin vitroat the same temperatures in parallel. Overall,T. rangeliinfection induced negative effects on insect fitness. In the case ofculturedinfection, parasite effects were temperature-dependent. Intermoult period, mortality rates and ecdysis success were affected in those insects exposed to lower temperatures (21 and 24 °C). Forpassaged-infected insects, the effects were independent of temperature, intermoult period being prolonged in all infected groups.Trypanosoma rangeliseem to be less tolerant to higher temperatures sincecultured-infected insects showed a reduction in the infection rates andpassaged-infected insects decreased the salivary gland infection rates in those insects submitted to 30 °C.In vitrogrowth ofT. rangeliwas consistent with these results.
Treatment with synthetic lipophilic tyrosyl ester controls Leishmania major infection by reducing parasite load in BALB/c mice
Authors: SGHAIER RABIAA M. , AISSA IMEN , ATTIA HANÈNE , BALI AYMEN , LEON MARTINEZ PABLO A. , MKANNEZ GHADA , GUERFALI FATMA Z. , GARGOURI YOUSSEF , LAOUINI DHAFER 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARYSynthesized lipophilic tyrosyl ester derivatives with increasing lipophilicity were effective against Leishmania (L.) major and Leishmania infantum species in vitro. These findings prompted us to test in vivo leishmanicidal properties of these molecules and their potential effect on the modulation of immune responses. The experimental BALB/c model of cutaneous leishmaniasis was used in this study. Mice were infected with L. major parasites and treated with three in vitro active tyrosyl esters derivatives.Among these tested tyrosylcaprate (TyC) compounds, only TyC10 exhibited an in vivo anti-leishmanial activity, when injected sub-cutaneously (s.c.). TyC10 treatment of L. major-infected BALB/c mice resulted in a decrease of lesion development and parasite load. TyC10 s.c. treatment of non-infected mice induced an imbalance in interferon γ/interleukin 4 (IFN-γ/IL-4) ratio cytokines towards a Th1 response. Our results indicate that TyC10 s.c. treatment improves lesions’ healing and parasite clearance and may act on the cytokine balance towards a Th1 protective response by decreasing IL-4 and increasing IFN-γ transcripts. TyC10 is worthy of further investigation to uncover its mechanism of action that could lead to consider this molecule as a potential drug candidate.
Short-term impacts of floods on enteric infectious disease in Qingdao, China, 2005–2011
Authors: ZHANG F. , LIU Z. , GAO L. , ZHANG C. , JIANG B. 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARYThe current study aimed to examine the relationship between floods and the three enteric infectious diseases, namely bacillary dysentery (BD), hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) and other infectious diarrhoea (OID) in Qingdao, China. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of floods on BD, HFMD and OID were calculated using a quasi-Poisson generalized linear model, adjusting for daily average temperature, daily average relative humidity, and seasonal and long-term temporal trends. Two separate models within two different periods were designed. Model 1 for the summer period showed that floods were positively associated with BD for 4- to 12-day lags, with the greatest effects for 7-day (RR 1·41, 95% CI 1·22–1·62) and 11-day (RR 1·42, 95% CI 1·22–1·64) lags. Similar findings were found in model 2 for the whole study period for 5- to 12-day lags. However, HFMD and OID were not significantly associated with floods in both models. Results from this study will provide insight into the health risks associated with floods and may help inform public health precautionary measures for such disasters.
Estimating the risk of acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand by age, ethnicity and deprivation
Authors: GURNEY J. K. , STANLEY J. , BAKER M. G. , WILSON N. J. , SARFATI D. 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARYIn New Zealand, efforts to control acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and its sequelae have focused on school-age children in the poorest socioeconomic areas; however, it is unclear whether this approach is optimal given the strong association with demographic risk factors other than deprivation, especially ethnicity. The aim of this study was to estimate the stratum-specific risk of ARF by key sociodemographic characteristics. We used hospitalization and disease notification data to identify new cases of ARF between 2010 and 2013, and used population count data from the 2013 New Zealand Census as our denominator. Poisson logistic regression methods were used to estimate stratum-specific risk of ARF development. The likelihood of ARF development varied considerably by age, ethnicity and deprivation strata: while risk was greatest in Māori and Pacific children aged 10–14 years residing in the most extreme deprivation, both of these ethnic groups experienced elevated risk across a wide age range and across deprivation levels. Interventions that target populations based on deprivation will include the highest-risk strata, but they will also (a) include groups with very low risk of ARF, such as non-Māori/non-Pacific children; and (b) exclude groups with moderate risk of ARF, such as Māori and Pacific individuals living outside high deprivation areas.
Emerging LED Technologies for Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Aswani Kavita K. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractFluorescence microscopy has employed mercury arc lamps for decades because of their high power and broad spectrum. Fluorophores and filter sets have been developed around the peaks of the spectrum offered by these lamps. When LEDs first entered the fluorescence microscopy arena, prices were high and output was low, but in recent years there have been significant advancements in LED capabilities for microscopy. This article aims to educate users of fluorescence microscopy about the benefits of LEDs compared to conventional mercury arc lamps.
Systemic TLR2 agonist exposure regulates hematopoietic stem cells via cell-autonomous and cell-non-autonomous mechanisms
Authors: Herman A C , Monlish D A , Romine M P , Bhatt S T , Zippel S , Schuettpelz L G 
Published: June 2016

AbstractToll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is a member of the TLR family of receptors that play a central role in innate immunity. In addition to regulating effector immune cells, where it recognizes a wide variety of pathogen-associated and nonpathogen-associated endogenous ligands, TLR2 is expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Its role in HSCs, however, is not well understood. Furthermore, augmented TLR2 signaling is associated with myelodysplastic syndrome, an HSC disorder characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and a high risk of transformation to leukemia, suggesting that aberrant signaling through this receptor may have clinically significant effects on HSCs. Herein, we show that systemic exposure of mice to a TLR2 agonist leads to an expansion of bone marrow and spleen phenotypic HSCs and progenitors, but a loss of HSC self-renewal capacity. Treatment of chimeric animals shows that these effects are largely cell non-autonomous, with a minor contribution from cell-autonomous TLR2 signaling, and are in part mediated by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor-α. Together, these data suggest that TLR2 ligand exposure influences HSC cycling and function via unique mechanisms from TLR4, and support an important role for TLR2 in the regulation of HSCs.
Floquet topological insulators for sound
Authors: Fleury Romain , Khanikaev Alexander B , Alù Andrea 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe unique conduction properties of condensed matter systems with topological order have recently inspired a quest for the similar effects in classical wave phenomena. Acoustic topological insulators, in particular, hold the promise to revolutionize our ability to control sound, allowing for large isolation in the bulk and broadband one-way transport along their edges, with topological immunity against structural defects and disorder. So far, these fascinating properties have been obtained relying on moving media, which may introduce noise and absorption losses, hindering the practical potential of topological acoustics. Here we overcome these limitations by modulating in time the acoustic properties of a lattice of resonators, introducing the concept of acoustic Floquet topological insulators. We show that acoustic waves provide a fertile ground to apply the anomalous physics of Floquet topological insulators, and demonstrate their relevance for a wide range of acoustic applications, including broadband acoustic isolation and topologically protected, nonreciprocal acoustic emitters.
Pairing in a dry Fermi sea
Authors: Maier T. A , Staar P. , Mishra V. , Chatterjee U. , Campuzano J. C. , Scalapino D. J. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIn the traditional Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, the amplitude for the propagation of a pair of electrons with momentum k and −k has a log singularity as the temperature decreases. This so-called Cooper instability arises from the presence of an electron Fermi sea. It means that an attractive interaction, no matter how weak, will eventually lead to a pairing instability. However, in the pseudogap regime of the cuprate superconductors, where parts of the Fermi surface are destroyed, this log singularity is suppressed, raising the question of how pairing occurs in the absence of a Fermi sea. Here we report Hubbard model numerical results and the analysis of angular-resolved photoemission experiments on a cuprate superconductor. In contrast to the traditional theory, we find that in the pseudogap regime the pairing instability arises from an increase in the strength of the spin–fluctuation pairing interaction as the temperature decreases rather than the Cooper log instability.
High-field plasma acceleration in a high-ionization-potential gas
Authors: Corde S. , Adli E. , Allen J. M. , An W. , Clarke C. I. , Clausse B. , Clayton C. E. , Delahaye J. P. , Frederico J. , Gessner S. , Green S. Z. , Hogan M. J. , Joshi C. , Litos M. , Lu W. , Marsh K. A. , Mori W. B. , Vafaei-Najafabadi N. , Walz D. , Yakimenko V. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractPlasma accelerators driven by particle beams are a very promising future accelerator technology as they can sustain high accelerating fields over long distances with high energy efficiency. They rely on the excitation of a plasma wave in the wake of a drive beam. To generate the plasma, a neutral gas can be field-ionized by the head of the drive beam, in which case the distance of acceleration and energy gain can be strongly limited by head erosion. Here we overcome this limit and demonstrate that electrons in the tail of a drive beam can be accelerated by up to 27 GeV in a high-ionization-potential gas (argon), boosting their initial 20.35 GeV energy by 130%. Particle-in-cell simulations show that the argon plasma is sustaining very high electric fields, of ∼150 GV m−1, over ∼20 cm. The results open new possibilities for the design of particle beam drivers and plasma sources.
Microbial interactions lead to rapid micro-scale successions on model marine particles
Authors: Datta Manoshi S. , Sliwerska Elzbieta , Gore Jeff , Polz Martin F. , Cordero Otto X. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIn the ocean, organic particles harbour diverse bacterial communities, which collectively digest and recycle essential nutrients. Traits like motility and exo-enzyme production allow individual taxa to colonize and exploit particle resources, but it remains unclear how community dynamics emerge from these individual traits. Here we track the taxon and trait dynamics of bacteria attached to model marine particles and demonstrate that particle-attached communities undergo rapid, reproducible successions driven by ecological interactions. Motile, particle-degrading taxa are selected for during early successional stages. However, this selective pressure is later relaxed when secondary consumers invade, which are unable to use the particle resource but, instead, rely on carbon from primary degraders. This creates a trophic chain that shifts community metabolism away from the particle substrate. These results suggest that primary successions may shape particle-attached bacterial communities in the ocean and that rapid community-wide metabolic shifts could limit rates of marine particle degradation.