bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical significance of serum cortisol levels following surgery for congenital heart disease
Authors: Teagarden Alicia M. , Mastropietro Christopher W. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractObjectiveUse of hydrocortisone to treat refractory haemodynamic instability in patients recovering from surgery for congenital heart disease is common practice at many centres. We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between total serum cortisol concentrations and haemodynamic response to this therapy.Material and methodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients <21 years who underwent cardiac surgery from 2011 to 2013, received hydrocortisone within 72 hours postoperatively, and had total serum cortisol measurements contemporaneous with its administration. Favourable responders were defined as patients in whom, at 24 hours after hydrocortisone initiation, either (1) systolic blood pressure was increased or unchanged and vasoactive-inotrope score was decreased or (2) systolic blood pressure increased by ⩾10% of baseline and vasoactive-inotrope score was unchanged. Variables were compared using t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests as appropriate.ResultsIn total, 24 patients were reviewed, with a median age of 1.4 months and range of 0.1–232 months. Among them, 14 (58%) patients responded favourably to hydrocortisone. At 24 hours, the median change in vasoactive-inotrope score was −18% in favourable responders and +31% in those who did not respond favourably, p=0.001. The mean pre-hydrocortisone total serum cortisol in favourable responders was 17.4±10.9 µg/dl compared with 46.1±44.7 µg/dl in those who did not respond favourably, p=0.03.ConclusionTotal serum cortisol obtained before initiation of hydrocortisone was significantly lower in patients who responded favourably to this therapy. Total serum cortisol may therefore be helpful in identifying children recovering from cardiac surgery who may or may not haemodynamically improve with hydrocortisone.
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Adult Version in Patients with Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Conditions: Symptom Levels and Relationship to Emotional Distress
Authors: Løvstad M. , Sigurdardottir S. , Andersson S. , Grane V.A. , Moberget T. , Stubberud J. , Solbakk A.K. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractObjectives:The present study explored the level of self-and informant reported executive functioning in daily living using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) in a large sample comprising healthy adults and patient cohorts with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. The relationship to neuropsychological test performance and self-reported emotional distress was explored, as well as the applicability of U.S. normative data.Methods:Scores on the self- and informant reported BRIEF-A are presented, along with scores on standardized cognitive tests, and on rating scales of self-reported emotional distress in a Norwegian healthy comparison group (n=115), patients with severe traumatic brain injury (n=125), focal frontal lobe damage (n=29), focal cerebellar lesion (n=24), Parkinson’s disease (n=42), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n=34), type II bipolar disorder (n=21), and borderline personality disorder (n=18).Results:Strong associations were observed between the BRIEF-A and emotional distress in both the healthy group and in neurological groups, while no or weak relationships with IQ and performance-based tests of executive function were seen. The relationship between BRIEF-A and emotional distress was weaker in the neuropsychiatric patient groups, despite high symptom load in both domains. Healthy participants tended to have BRIEF-A scores 1/2–3/4SDbelow the U.S. normative mean ofTscore=50.Conclusions:The study demonstrates the need to interpret BRIEF-A results within a broad differential diagnostic context, where measures of psychological distress are included in addition to neuropsychological tests. Uncertainty about the appropriateness of U.S. normative data in non-U.S. countries adds to the need for interpretive caution. (JINS, 2016,22, 682–694)
The Najaf Ḥawzah Curriculum
Authors: MOTTAHEDEH ROY P. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractNajaf has been the cradle of Shī῾ī learning for many centuries. According to Najaf tradition, it has been so ever since the prominent scholar Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī, called shaykh al-tā'ifa or “senior scholar of the the sect”, migrated there shortly after the Saljuq conquest of Baghdad in 447/1055.We have very little information about the teaching system and curriculum in Najaf before the nineteenth century. In this essay, I will try to present the basic elements of a Najaf ḥawza education as they exist in contemporary Iraq and compare it with a Najaf curriculum of 1913. Quite remarkably, the curriculum, teaching methods and patronage networks have been remarkably stable over the last century. Politics and reform movements have, however, had their effects on the curriculum too, as I shall explain in the course of this essay.
The Preconditions to Becoming a Judge (Yarġuči) in Mongol Iran
Authors: VÁSÁRY ISTVÁN 
Published: April 2016

AbstractDespite the existence of some general overviews, the institution of the Mongol tribunals has not been studied in a satisfactory way. A great deal of details are unclear and the functioning of the whole legal procedure is shrouded in obscurity. The present paper makes an attempt to elucidate an aspect of the historical development of this Turco-Mongolian institution in Ilkhanid Iran, one of the Chingisid uluses, namely what were the preconditions and prescriptions of being appointed to the rank of a Mongol judge? The focal point will be the three charters of appointment (or yarlik samples) presented by Muḥammad ibn Hindūshāh Nakhchivānī (ca. 679/1280 – after 768/1366), in his Dastūr al-kātib fī tacyīn al-marātib (“Guidelines of the Secretary for Defining the Echelons”), a manual of Ilkhanid and Jalayirid administration, accomplished in the 1360s.
Dynamics of microbial community composition and soil organic carbon mineralization in soil following addition of pyrogenic and fresh organic matter
Authors: Whitman Thea , Pepe-Ranney Charles , Enders Akio , Koechli Chantal , Campbell Ashley , Buckley Daniel H , Lehmann Johannes 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) additions to soils can have large impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling. As the soil microbial community drives SOC fluxes, understanding how PyOM additions affect soil microbes is essential to understanding how PyOM affects SOC. We studied SOC dynamics and surveyed soil bacterial communities after OM additions in a field experiment. We produced and mixed in either 350 °C corn stover PyOM or an equivalent initial amount of dried corn stover to a Typic Fragiudept soil. Stover increased SOC-derived and total CO2 fluxes (up to 6x), and caused rapid and persistent changes in bacterial community composition over 82 days. In contrast, PyOM only temporarily increased total soil CO2 fluxes (up to 2x) and caused fewer changes in bacterial community composition. Of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that increased in response to PyOM additions, 70% also responded to stover additions. These OTUs likely thrive on easily mineralizable carbon (C) that is found both in stover and, to a lesser extent, in PyOM. In contrast, we also identified unique PyOM responders, which may respond to substrates such as polyaromatic C. In particular, members of Gemmatimonadetes tended to increase in relative abundance in response to PyOM but not to fresh organic matter. We identify taxa to target for future investigations of the mechanistic underpinnings of ecological phenomena associated with PyOM additions to soil.
Transcriptional response of Prochlorococcus to co-culture with a marine Alteromonas: differences between strains and the involvement of putative infochemicals
Authors: Aharonovich Dikla , Sher Daniel 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Interactions between marine microorganisms may determine the dynamics of microbial communities. Here, we show that two strains of the globally abundant marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, MED4 and MIT9313, which belong to two different ecotypes, differ markedly in their response to co-culture with a marine heterotrophic bacterium, Alteromonas macleodii strain HOT1A3. HOT1A3 enhanced the growth of MIT9313 at low cell densities, yet inhibited it at a higher concentration, whereas it had no effect on MED4 growth. The early transcriptomic responses of Prochlorococcus cells after 20 h in co-culture showed no evidence of nutrient starvation, whereas the expression of genes involved in photosynthesis, protein synthesis and stress responses typically decreased in MED4 and increased in MIT313. Differential expression of genes involved in outer membrane modification, efflux transporters and, in MIT9313, lanthipeptides (prochlorosins) suggests that Prochlorococcus mount a specific response to the presence of the heterotroph in the cultures. Intriguingly, many of the differentially-expressed genes encoded short proteins, including two new families of co-culture responsive genes: CCRG-1, which is found across the Prochlorococcus lineage and CCRG-2, which contains a sequence motif involved in the export of prochlorosins and other bacteriocin-like peptides, and are indeed released from the cells into the media.
Mode engineering for realistic quantum-enhanced interferometry
Authors: Jachura Michał , Chrapkiewicz Radosław , Demkowicz-Dobrzański Rafał , Wasilewski Wojciech , Banaszek Konrad 
Published: April 2016

AbstractQuantum metrology overcomes standard precision limits by exploiting collective quantum superpositions of physical systems used for sensing, with the prominent example of non-classical multiphoton states improving interferometric techniques. Practical quantum-enhanced interferometry is, however, vulnerable to imperfections such as partial distinguishability of interfering photons. Here we introduce a method where appropriate design of the modal structure of input photons can alleviate deleterious effects caused by another, experimentally inaccessible degree of freedom. This result is accompanied by a laboratory demonstration that a suitable choice of spatial modes combined with position-resolved coincidence detection restores entanglement-enhanced precision in the full operating range of a realistic two-photon Mach–Zehnder interferometer, specifically around a point which otherwise does not even attain the shot-noise limit due to the presence of residual distinguishing information in the spectral degree of freedom. Our method highlights the potential of engineering multimode physical systems in metrologic applications.
Improvement of surface ECG recording in adult zebrafish reveals that the value of this model exceeds our expectation
Authors: Liu Chi Chi , Li Li , Lam Yun Wah , Siu Chung Wah , Cheng Shuk Han 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe adult zebrafish has been used to model the electrocardiogram (ECG) for human cardiovascular studies. Nonetheless huge variations are observed among studies probably because of the lack of a reliable and reproducible recording method. In our study, an adult zebrafish surface ECG recording technique was improved using a multi-electrode method and by pre-opening the pericardial sac. A convenient ECG data analysis method without wavelet transform was also established. Intraperitoneal injection of KCl in zebrafish induced an arrhythmia similar to that of humans, and the arrhythmia was partially rescued by calcium gluconate. Amputation and cryoinjury of the zebrafish heart induced ST segment depression and affected QRS duration after injury. Only cryoinjury decelerated the heart rate. Different changes were also observed in the QT interval during heart regeneration in these two injury models. We also characterized the electrocardiophysiology of breakdance zebrafish mutant with a prolonged QT interval, that has not been well described in previous studies. Our study provided a reliable and reproducible means to record zebrafish ECG and analyse data. The detailed characterization of the cardiac electrophysiology of zebrafish and its mutant revealed that the potential of the zebrafish in modeling the human cardiovascular system exceeds expectations.
Maternal fructose drives placental uric acid production leading to adverse fetal outcomes
Authors: Asghar Zeenat A. , Thompson Alysha , Chi Maggie , Cusumano Andrew , Scheaffer Suzanne , Al-Hammadi Noor , Saben Jessica L. , Moley Kelle H. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractMaternal metabolic diseases increase offspring risk for low birth weight and cardiometabolic diseases in adulthood. Excess fructose consumption may confer metabolic risks for both women and their offspring. However, the direct consequences of fructose intake per se are unknown. We assessed the impact of a maternal high-fructose diet on the fetal-placental unit in mice in the absence of metabolic syndrome and determined the association between maternal serum fructose and placental uric acid levels in humans. In mice, maternal fructose consumption led to placental inefficiency, fetal growth restriction, elevated fetal serum glucose and triglyceride levels. In the placenta, fructose induced de novo uric acid synthesis by activating the activities of the enzymes AMP deaminase and xanthine oxidase. Moreover, the placentas had increased lipids and altered expression of genes that control oxidative stress. Treatment of mothers with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol reduced placental uric acid levels, prevented placental inefficiency and improved fetal weights and serum triglycerides. Finally, in 18 women delivering at term, maternal serum fructose levels significantly correlated with placental uric acid levels. These findings suggest that in mice, excess maternal fructose consumption impairs placental function via a xanthine oxidase/uric acid-dependent mechanism and similar effects may occur in humans.
Immunoglubolin dynamics and cancer prevalence in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)
Authors: Ujvari Beata , Hamede Rodrigo , Peck Sarah , Pemberton David , Jones Menna , Belov Katherine , Madsen Thomas 
Published: April 2016

AbstractImmunoglobulins such as IgG and IgM have been shown to induce anti-tumour cytotoxic activity. In the present study we therefore explore total serum IgG and IgM expression dynamics in 23 known-aged Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) of which 9 where affected by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). DFTD is clonally transmissible cancer that has caused massive declines in devil numbers. Our analyses revealed that IgM and IgG expression levels as well as IgM/IgG ratios decreased with increasing devil age. Neither age, sex, IgM nor IgG expression levels affected devil DFTD status in our analyses. However, devils with increased IgM relative to IgG expression levels had significantly lower DFTD prevalence. Our results therefore suggest that IgM/IgG ratios may play an important role in determining devil susceptibility to DFTD. We consequently propose that our findings warrant further studies to elucidate the underpinning(s) of devil IgM/IgG ratios and DFTD status.
Targeting EZH2-mediated methylation of H3K27 inhibits proliferation and migration of Synovial Sarcoma in vitro
Authors: Shen Jacson K. , Cote Gregory M. , Gao Yan , Choy Edwin , Mankin Henry J. , Hornicek Francis J. , Duan Zhenfeng 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSynovial sarcoma is an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma genetically defined by the fusion oncogene SS18-SSX. It is hypothesized that either SS18-SSX disrupts SWI/SNF complex inhibition of the polycomb complex 2 (PRC2) methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homologue 2 (EZH2), or that SS18-SSX is able to directly recruit PRC2 to aberrantly silence target genes. This is of potential therapeutic value as several EZH2 small molecule inhibitors are entering early phase clinical trials. In this study, we first confirmed EZH2 expression in the 76% of human synovial sarcoma samples. We subsequently investigated EZH2 as a therapeutic target in synovial sarcomain vitro. Knockdown of EZH2 by shRNA or siRNA resulted in inhibition of cell growth and migration across a series of synovial sarcoma cell lines. The EZH2 selective small-molecule inhibitor EPZ005687 similarly suppressed cell proliferation and migration. These data support the hypothesis that targeting EZH2 may be a promising therapeutic strategy in the treatment of synovial sarcoma; clinical trials are initiating enrollment currently.
Cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition by forest soil bacteria proceeds by the action of structurally variable enzymatic systems
Authors: López-Mondéjar Rubén , Zühlke Daniela , Becher Dörte , Riedel Katharina , Baldrian Petr 
Published: April 2016

AbstractEvidence shows that bacteria contribute actively to the decomposition of cellulose and hemicellulose in forest soil; however, their role in this process is still unclear. Here we performed the screening and identification of bacteria showing potential cellulolytic activity from litter and organic soil of a temperate oak forest. The genomes of three cellulolytic isolates previously described as abundant in this ecosystem were sequenced and their proteomes were characterized during the growth on plant biomass and on microcrystalline cellulose. Pedobacter and Mucilaginibacter showed complex enzymatic systems containing highly diverse carbohydrate-active enzymes for the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, which were functionally redundant for endoglucanases, β-glucosidases, endoxylanases, β-xylosidases, mannosidases and carbohydrate-binding modules. Luteibacter did not express any glycosyl hydrolases traditionally recognized as cellulases. Instead, cellulose decomposition was likely performed by an expressed GH23 family protein containing a cellulose-binding domain. Interestingly, the presence of plant lignocellulose as well as crystalline cellulose both trigger the production of a wide set of hydrolytic proteins including cellulases, hemicellulases and other glycosyl hydrolases. Our findings highlight the extensive and unexplored structural diversity of enzymatic systems in cellulolytic soil bacteria and indicate the roles of multiple abundant bacterial taxa in the decomposition of cellulose and other plant polysaccharides.
Pumping Electron-Positron Pairs from a Well Potential
Authors: Wang Qiang , Liu Jie , Fu Li-bin 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIn the presence of very deep well potential, electrons will spontaneously occupy the empty embedded bound states and electron-positron pairs are created by means of a non-perturbative tunneling process. In this work, by slowly oscillating the width or depth, the population transfer channels are opened and closed periodically. We find and clearly show that by the non-synchronous ejections of particles, the saturation of pair number in a static super-critical well can be broken and electrons and positrons can be pumped inexhaustibly from vacuum with a constant production rate. In the adiabatic limit, final pair number after a single cycle has quantized values as a function of the upper boundary of the oscillating and the critical upper boundaries indicate the diving points of the bound states.
Bufexamac ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice by targeting LTA4H
Authors: Xiao Qiang , Dong Ningning , Yao Xue , Wu Dang , Lu Yanli , Mao Fei , Zhu Jin , Li Jian , Huang Jin , Chen Aifang , Huang Lu , Wang Xuehai , Yang Guangxiao , He Guangyuan , Xu Yong , Lu Weiqiang 
Published: April 2016

AbstractNeutrophils play an important role in the occurrence and development of acute lung injury (ALI). Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a hydrolysis product of epoxide leukotriene A4 (LTA4) catalyzed by LTA4 hydrolase (LTA4H), is one of the most potent chemoattractants for neutrophil. Bufexamac is a drug widely used as an anti-inflammatory agent on the skin, however, the mechanism of action is still not fully understood. In this study, we found bufexamac was capable of specifically inhibiting LTA4H enzymatic activity and revealed the mode of interaction of bufexamac and LTA4H using X-ray crystallography. Moreover, bufexamac significantly prevented the production of LTB4 in neutrophil and inhibited the fMLP-induced neutrophil migration through inhibition of LTA4H. Finally, bufexamac significantly attenuated lung inflammation as reflected by reduced LTB4 levels and weakened neutrophil infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from a lipopolysaccharide-induced ALI mouse model. In summary, our study indicates that bufexamac acts as an inhibitor of LTB4 biosynthesis and may have potential clinical applications for the treatment of ALI.
Purification, gene cloning, and characterization of γ-butyrobetainyl CoA synthetase fromAgrobacteriumsp. 525a
Authors: Fujimitsu Hiroshi , Matsumoto Akira , Takubo Sayaka , Fukui Akiko , Okada Kazuma , Mohamed Ahmed Isam A , Arima Jiro , Mori Nobuhiro 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe report is the first of purification, overproduction, and characterization of a unique γ-butyrobetainyl CoA synthetase from soil-isolated Agrobacterium sp. 525a. The primary structure of the enzyme shares 70–95% identity with those of ATP-dependent microbial acyl-CoA synthetases of the Rhizobiaceae family. As distinctive characteristics of the enzyme of this study, ADP was released in the catalytic reaction process, whereas many acyl CoA synthetases are annotated as an AMP-forming enzyme. The apparent Km values for γ-butyrobetaine, CoA, and ATP were, respectively, 0.69, 0.02, and 0.24 mM.
A shock at the radio relic position in Abell 115
Authors: Botteon A. , Gastaldello F. , Brunetti G. , Dallacasa D. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
We analysed a deep Chandra observation (334 ks) of the galaxy cluster Abell 115 and detected a shock cospatial with the radio relic. The X-ray surface brightness profile across the shock region presents a discontinuity, corresponding to a density compression factor $\mathcal {C}=2.0\pm 0.1$, leading to a Mach number $\mathcal {M}=1.7\pm 0.1$ ($\mathcal {M}=1.4{\rm -}2$ including systematics). Temperatures measured in the upstream and downstream regions are consistent with what expected for such a shock: $T_{\rm u}=4.3^{+1.0}_{-0.6}\:\rm {keV}$ and $T_{\rm d}=7.9^{+1.4}_{-1.1}\:\rm {keV}$, respectively, implying a Mach number $\mathcal {M}=1.8^{+0.5}_{-0.4}$. So far, only few other shocks discovered in galaxy clusters are consistently detected from both density and temperature jumps. The spatial coincidence between this discontinuity and the radio relic edge strongly supports the view that shocks play a crucial role in powering these synchrotron sources. We suggest that the relic is originated by shock re-acceleration of relativistic electrons rather than acceleration from the thermal pool. The position and curvature of the shock and the associated relic are consistent with an off-axis merger with unequal mass ratio where the shock is expected to bend around the core of the less massive cluster.