bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antennal transcriptome and odorant binding protein expression profiles of an invasive mealybug and its parasitoid
Authors: Nie X. P. , Li Q. L. , Xu C. , Li D. Z. , Zhang Z. , Wang M.‐Q. , Zhou A. M. , Li S. Q. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractOlfaction is fundamental to insect survival due to its roles in host location and interspecific communications. Here, we analysed the transcriptomes of odorant binding proteins (OBPs) from the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis and its endoparasitoid Aenasius bambawalei through RNA‐Seq. The antennal transcriptomes of P. solenopsis and A. bambawalei were assembled, and gene ontology (GO) annotation indicated that the relative abundance of transcripts associated with specific GO terms was highly similar between the two species. We obtained 12 putative odorant binding proteins (OBPs), four chemosensory proteins (CSPs), four odorant receptors (ORs), one gustatory receptor (GR) and one sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) from P. solenopsis. There were 54 putative OBPs, 226 ORs, 41 GRs and three SNMPs in A. bambawalei. PsolOBPs exhibited high expression in the third instar nymph and varied expression in female adults of P. solenopsis. Almost all candidate AbamOBPs were expressed at high levels in the sensory organs (antennae, heads and legs) of adult A. bambawalei of both sexes. Among them, AbamOBP31 exhibited an obvious female antennal‐specific expression pattern. AbamOBP1, AbamOBP23, AbamOBP24 and AbamOBP30 were expressed at high levels in male antenna. This study for the first time identified the chemosensory genes and determined their expression patterns in different tissues of the two species. Our results provide important molecular information for the exploration of chemosensory mechanisms in these two species.
Picking the Measuring Stick: The Role of Leaders in Social Comparisons
Authors: Sonpar Karan , Walsh Ian J. , Pazzaglia Federica , Eng Miranda , Dastmalchian Ali 
Published: June 2017

AbstractOrganizational members frequently evaluate how their abilities and standing compare with those of their colleagues. Although these comparisons can have a negative impact on organizations, little attention has been paid to the role of leaders in these processes. Drawing on interviews with individuals in leadership positions in business schools, we develop a framework to explain what triggers leaders’ attention to social comparisons among faculty and how they become involved in them. Central to this framework are leaders’ self‐schemas, which encompass their preferences about the criteria members should use in making comparisons. Leaders’ self‐schemas are activated by discrepancies between their own comparative judgements and those they perceive members to be making and impel them to act in ways consistent with their preferred bases of comparison. Our framework repositions social comparisons as a multi‐perspectival, political phenomenon in which leaders see themselves as playing a role in shaping members’ evaluations and workplace interactions.
Effect of an impaired oral stage on swallowing in patients with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Wakasugi Y. , Yamamoto T. , Oda C. , Murata M. , Tohara H. , Minakuchi S. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryWe investigated the swallowing function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using deteriorated tongue control because patients with PD frequently exhibit an impaired oral stage of swallowing and the tongue movement affects oral and pharyngeal stage. In total, 201 patients with PD (106 men, 95 women; mean age 70·6 ± 8·0 years; median Hoehn‐Yahr Stage III) were studied. The patients swallowed 10 mL of liquid barium under videofluorography, and their oral transit time (OTT) was measured. Based on 20 healthy controls (mean age 70·3 ± 7·8 years) with an OTT + 2 standard deviation (0·89 + 2 × 0·46) of 1·81 s, the patients with PD were divided into 167 patients with an OTT < 1·81 s and 34 patients with an OTT ≥ 1·81 s. Swallowing function was compared between the groups and assessed using logistic regression analysis. The following factors were significantly associated with oral stage impairment in both groups: tongue‐to‐palate contact, tongue root‐to‐posterior pharyngeal wall contact, premature spillage into the pharynx, aspiration and onset of swallowing reflex. Logistic regression analysis showed that tongue root‐to‐posterior pharyngeal wall contact, onset of swallowing reflex and aspiration were independent factors. PD patients with prolonged OTT displayed poor lingual control and decreased range of motion of the tongue due to bradykinesia and rigidity. Such problems in the oral stage affected the subsequent pharyngeal stage of swallowing with aspiration. Lingual movement in the oral stage thus appears to play an important role in the sequential movement of swallowing in PD.
Reliability of surface electromyography measurements from the suprahyoid muscle complex
Authors: Kothari M. , Stubbs P. W. , Pedersen A. R. , Jensen J. , Nielsen J. F. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryAssessment of swallowing musculature using motor evoked potentials (MEPs) can be used to evaluate neural pathways. However, recording of the swallowing musculature is often invasive, uncomfortable and unrealistic in normal clinical practice. To investigate the possibility of using the suprahyoid muscle complex (SMC) using surface electromyography (sEMG) to assess changes to neural pathways by determining the reliability of measurements in healthy participants over days. Seventeen healthy participants were recruited. Measurements were performed twice with one week between sessions. Single‐pulse (at 120% and 140% of the resting motor threshold (rMT)) and paired‐pulse (2 ms and 15 ms paired pulse) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were used to elicit MEPs in the SMC which were recorded using sEMG. ≈50% of participants (range: 42–58%; depending on stimulus type/intensity) had significantly different MEP values between day 1 and day 2 for single‐pulse and paired‐pulse TMS. A large stimulus artefact resulted in MEP responses that could not be assessed in four participants. The assessment of the SMC using sEMG following TMS was poorly reliable for ≈50% of participants. Although using sEMG to assess swallowing musculature function is easier to perform clinically and more comfortable to patients than invasive measures, as the measurement of muscle activity using TMS is unreliable, the use of sEMG for this muscle group is not recommended and requires further research and development.
Effortful swallow with resistive electrical stimulation training improves pharyngeal constriction in patients post‐stroke with dysphagia
Authors: Kim H. , Park J.‐W. , Nam K. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of effortful swallow combined with surface electrical stimulation as a form of resistance training on pharyngeal constriction function in post‐stroke patients with dysphagia. Nineteen patients post‐stroke with dysphagia received 20 min effortful swallow training with resistive electrical stimulation for 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Electrical stimulation was applied on the infrahyoid area as resistance against hyoid elevation. Stimulation intensity was adjusted daily up to the maximum tolerable level of the participant. Blinded biomechanical measurements of the extent of hyoid elevation were taken and the pharyngeal constriction ratio (PCR) determined after training. The change of the PCR and the relationship between hyoid elevation and the PCR were evaluated. The post‐training PCR was significantly decreased compared to pre‐training PCR (P < 0·05). There was a high inverse correlation between the hyoid elevation and the PCR (r = −1·992, P < 0·05). Effortful swallow with resistive electrical stimulation training increases pharyngeal constriction. It can be used as a treatment to improve pharyngeal constriction in patients with dysphagia.
Dried blood spot sampling of nilotinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia: a comparison with venous blood sampling
Authors: Boons Christel C L M , Chahbouni Abdel , Schimmel Anneliene M , Wilhelm Abraham J , den Hartog Yvonne M , Janssen Jeroen J W M , Hendrikse N Harry , Hugtenburg Jacqueline G , Swart Eleonora L 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Objectives
To compare nilotinib concentrations obtained by venous blood sampling and dried blood spot (DBS) in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). It was investigated how to predict nilotinib plasma levels on the basis of DBS.

Methods
Forty duplicate DBS and venous blood samples were collected from 20 patients. Capillary blood was obtained by finger prick and spotted on DMPK-C Whatman sampling paper, simultaneously with venous blood sampling. Plasma concentrations were predicted from DBS concentrations using three methods: (1) individual and (2) mean haematocrit correction and (3) the bias between plasma and DBS concentrations. Results were compared using Deming regression and Bland–Altman analysis.

Key findings
Nilotinib plasma concentrations ranged from 376 to 2663 μg/l. DBS concentrations ranged from 144 to 1518 μg/l. The slope was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.61) with an intercept of −41.68 μg/l (95% CI, −93.78 to 10.42). Mean differences between calculated and measured plasma concentrations were −14.3% (method 1), −14.0% (method 2) and −0.6% (method 3); differences were within 20% of the mean in 73%, 85% and 80% of the samples, respectively. The slopes were respectively 0.96 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.06), 0.95 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.03) and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.91 to 1.09).

Conclusions
Plasma concentrations of nilotinib could be predicted on the basis of DBS. DBS sampling to assess nilotinib concentrations in CML patients seems a suitable alternative for venous sampling.
Asn194Lys mutation in RVG29 peptide increases GFP transgene delivery by endocytosis to neuroblastoma and astrocyte cells
Authors: Villa-Cedillo Sheila Adela , Rodríguez-Rocha Humberto , Zavala-Flores Laura Mireya , Montes-de-Oca-Luna Roberto , García-García Aracely , Loera-Arias Maria de Jesus , Saucedo-Cárdenas Odila 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Objectives
A cell-penetrating peptide-based delivery system could target specific types of cells for therapeutic genes delivery. To increase the gene delivery efficiency into neuronal phenotype cells, we introduced an Asn194Lys mutation to RVG29 peptide derived from rabies virus glycoprotein and added a nuclear localization signal to enhance its nuclear import.

Methods
Mutant RVG or wild-type RVG peptide, a karyophilic peptide (KP) and a plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein (pGL) were bound by electrostatic charges to form four different kinds of RVG complexes. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the gene transfection efficiency into astrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), SH-SY5Y, HeLa and NIH/3T3 cells. The cellular uptake mechanism of RVG29 complexes was examined using endocytosis inhibitors.

Key findings
The mRVG29 peptide has the ability to enhance the nuclear import of plasmids. The Asn194Lys mutation in RVG29 peptide of the pGL-mRVG29 complex and the addition of KP to the pGL-RVG29-KP complex increased the capacity to deliver DNA by endocytosis in astrocytes and SH-SY5Y cells.

Conclusions
The complexes pGL-mRVG29 and pGL-RVG29-KP have specificity for transfecting astrocytes and SH-SY5Y cells. The karyophilic capacity of this new mRVG peptide render it promising candidate to act as gene delivery vector into the brain cells.
Proinflammatory effects and mechanisms of calprotectin on human gingival fibroblasts
Authors: Gao H. , Hou J. , Meng H. , Zhang X. , Zheng Y. , Peng L. 
Published: June 2017

Background and ObjectiveCalprotectin (S100A8/A9) is a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9 and is associated with multiple inflammatory diseases, including Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. Levels of calprotectin are elevated in the gingival crevicular fluid of patients with periodontitis; however, the effects of calprotectin on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) remain unknown. This study investigated the proinflammatory activity of calprotectin on HGFs and the functional receptors and signaling pathways engaged by calprotectin.Material and methodsHGFs were stimulated by equimolar concentrations of S100A8 and/or S100A9, and the expression levels of interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐8 were detected using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. The calprotectin receptors were identified by pre‐incubating HGFs with the toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4 inhibitor or the antibody targeting the advanced glycation end product receptor (RAGE). The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and signaling pathways were also investigated by treating HGFs with ROS inhibitor or specific pathway inhibitors, respectively.ResultsS100A9 and S100A8/A9 significantly upregulated IL‐6 and IL‐8 expression, which was inhibited upon treatment with the TLR4 inhibitor TAK242. Pretreatment with RAGE‐blocking antibodies did not affect cytokine expression. Additionally, S100A9 promoted the production of IL‐6 and IL‐8 from HGFs via different signaling pathways. IL‐6 expression was upregulated via the NF‐κB, c‐Jun amino‐terminal kinase (JNK) 1/2 and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, and IL‐8 expression was upregulated via NF‐κB, p38, JNK1/2 and extracellular‐regulated kinase 1/2 MAPK pathways. The release of both cytokines was dependent upon the production of ROS.ConclusionOur findings suggest that calprotectin exerts proinflammatory effects on HGFs via the S100A9 subunit and TLR4‐mediated NF‐κB and MAPK signaling pathways.
Polyclonal and monoclonal B lymphocytes response in HCV‐infected patients treated with direct‐acting antiviral agents
Authors: Schiavinato A. , Zanetto A. , Pantano G. , Tosato F. , Nabergoj M. , Fogar P. , Piva E. , Gambato M. , Franceschet E. , Floreani A. , Farinati F. , Burra P. , Russo F. P. , Plebani M. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryHepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection can be associated with extrahepatic manifestations such as mixed cryoglobulinaemia and lymphoproliferative disorders that are endowed with increased rates of morbidity and all‐cause mortality. In this study, we used flow cytometry to evaluate the effect of interferon‐free antiviral treatment on peripheral blood lymphocytes in HCV‐infected patients with or without associated lymphoproliferative disorders. Flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed at baseline and at the end of treatment. In HCV‐infected patients with lymphoproliferative disorders, we evaluated immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain κ/λ ratio variations as a measure of monoclonal B‐cell response to antiviral therapy. Healthy volunteers were enrolled as controls. A total of 29 patients were included, nine with and 20 without lymphoproliferative disorders. Sustained virological response was achieved in 29 of 29 patients. We observed a significant reduction in the B‐cell compartment (39% global reduction) in eight of nine HCV‐infected patients with lymphoproliferative disorders after viral clearance. We recognized the same trend, even if less pronounced, in HCV‐infected patients without lymphoproliferative disorders (9% global reduction). Among HCV‐infected patients with lymphoproliferative disorders, three showed an improvement/normalization of the immunoglobulin light chain ratio, whereas in the remaining six patients monoclonal B cells persisted to be clonally restricted even 1 year after the end of treatment. Our data show that DAAs treatment can be effective in reducing the frequency of pathological B cells in the peripheral blood of HCV‐infected patients affected by HCV‐associated lymphoproliferative disorders; however, monoclonal populations can persist after viral eradication.
Dietary analysis of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from faecal samples and overlap with fisheries in Erimo, Japan
Authors: Hui Tabitha C. Y. , Morita Yuka , Kobayashi Yumi , Mitani Yoko , Miyashita Kazushi 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe number of harbour seals in Japan has been rebounding since protection began in the mid‐1980s. With the increase in seal numbers, increased conflict with fisheries has occurred through depredation and the belief that seals compete with fisheries for prey. However, competition can only be determined if the prey species and quantities seals consume over time are known. We studied the diet of harbour seals in Erimo, site of the largest population of harbour seals in Japan, from 2011 to 2012 and assessed the degree of prey overlap with local fisheries. We used both hard parts and DNA techniques to identify prey items in seal scats, and compared these results to local fisheries data. A total of 46 prey occurrences was detected by both methods, of which 17 matched between techniques at least to the family level. Hard parts methods identified five incidences of prey undetected by DNA methods in five scats (one incidence per scat). DNA methods identified 24 additional prey occurrences in 13 scats, for which no hard part evidence for that prey had been found. This more than doubled the total number of prey occurrences across the 15 scats compared. Overall, the most frequently occurring harbour seal prey were walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), sculpins and snailfishes. In contrast, the top three groups targeted by fisheries were codfishes, salmon and invertebrates. Many species common in the harbour seal's diet such as snailfishes and blennies were not targeted by fisheries. Fishes such as greenlings, sculpins, rockfishes and Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) were common in the diet of harbour seals, but made up a very small proportion of fisheries catches in Erimo. The importance of other prey species varied between seasons. Sculpins, greenlings and forage fishes were the top three prey groups for harbour seals in spring by percent modified frequency of occurrence, whereas the most important target groups by percentage mass caught by fisheries were codfishes, cephalopods and other invertebrates. Sculpins and rockfishes remained as important prey items for harbour seals in summer and autumn, in addition to codfishes, snailfishes and blennies. In contrast, the main groups caught by fisheries in summer were other fishes, particularly Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata) and various species of sharks and eels, and invertebrates. By autumn, Erimo fisheries had focussed on catching salmon. Salmon were taken by harbour seals as well during this period, but at a relatively lower frequency compared to other prey groups. The results of our study show that although harbour seals consumed several of the prey species targeted by fisheries, the relative importance of these species to seals and fisheries and the seasons in which they were targeted were different.
Scales of recruitment variability in warming waters: Comparing native and introduced oysters in Hood Canal, Washington, USA
Authors: Valdez Stephanie R. , Ruesink Jennifer L. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe effect of climate change on natural oyster recruitment has the potential to disrupt many of the ecosystem services oysters provide. Due to the temperature‐sensitivity of reproduction, oyster recruitment may shift as water temperatures rise. A biological imprint of climate change was revealed in a multi‐decadal time series of recruitment of non‐native Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the main stem of Hood Canal, Washington, USA, extracted from historic fishery documents. Water in July and August warmed significantly from 1945 to 1995 (0.028 ± 0.004°C per year [±SE]) and accounted for an increase in Pacific oyster recruitment (7% per year, 0.028 ± 0.006 spat per year on log scale [±SE]); recruitment also strongly tracked inter‐annual variability in summer water temperature. Methods used to collect historical data were repeated in 2013–2015 when recruitment of both Pacific oysters and native Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) were recorded in main stem and lower Hood Canal. Both historic and modern data show large variation within and between years for temperature as well as recruitment. The modern data add information regarding spatial variation, in that recruitment patterns in the two regions of Hood Canal were decoupled. As temperatures continue to increase, non‐native Pacific oysters are likely to be favored over Olympia oysters, which recruit earlier at lower temperatures and presently contribute less than half of total oyster recruits. Future recruitment, however, may be limited by environmental factors other than temperature, a point indicated particularly in Hood Canal where many subtidal species already respond strongly to gradients in dissolved oxygen.
Sex‐specific affinity for redox‐active metals influences antioxidant responses of Callinectes amnicola (blue crab) populations in littoral and open water habitats of a tropical coastal lagoon
Authors: Jerome Fisayo Christie , Hassan Adesola A , Chukwuka Azubuike Victor 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe critical role of ecological preferences and opportunity in determining contaminant uptake and adaptive responses of sexes in the wild is still poorly understood. This ecological relationship was investigated by measuring metal bioaccumulation and antioxidant activity in male and female blue crab populations from open water habitat and the littoral/inter‐tidal zone of the Lagos Lagoon. A total of 741 samples of blue crab (littoral zone: 263 females, 137 males; open water zone, 230 females, 111 males) was collected monthly over 24 months (January 2010–January 2012) from each site and the measurements of morphometric features (wet weight, carapace length, carapace width) were recorded; condition index, metal (redox active: Cu, Zn, redox inactive: Pb, Cd) concentration in tissues (gills, hepatopancreas, gonads and muscle) and antioxidant activity (superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and malondialdehyde) were measured for each sex. Monthly sediment samples for both habitats were also analysed for metals using standard methods. Female crabs were significantly larger (p < .05) with a better condition index than the male crabs across sites and seasons, while higher oxidative damage was recorded in male crabs in the littoral zone compared to the open water zone. The results show that there was a negative association between antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation; a negative relationship between concentrations of redox‐inactive metals (Pb and Cd) and antioxidant activity in male crab tissues; and a positive relationship between uptake of a redox‐active metal (Cu) and antioxidant activity in female crab tissues. Although these trends suggest sex‐specific toxicity, they also associate redox‐inactive metals with the downregulation of antioxidant activity and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the higher condition index of females corroborates the possibility of sex‐specific toxicity, while the larger‐sized females compared to males suggests size‐sexual dimorphism in the blue crab populations. The site‐specific oxidative damage between sexes may be attributed to the different complexity of both habitats, which affords different ecological opportunities for the sexes.
First record of vertical rhizomes in the seagrass Zostera marina (Novigrad Sea, Croatia)
Authors: Mokos Melita , Schultz Stewart T. , Zubak Ivana , Kruschel Claudia 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe report the first record of vertical rhizome growth in the temperate seagrass Zostera marina. In a population of Z. marina occurring on subtidal sand in the Novigrad Sea (Croatia), an area subject to episodic high sediment transport, collected plants of Z. marina showed vertical rhizomes with shorter and narrower inter‐nodes (mean length = 3.4 ± 1.5 SD mm, mean width = 1.9 ± 0.3 SD mm) than those recorded for horizontal rhizomes (mean length = 9.0 ± 3.5 SD mm, mean width = 2.8 ± 0.4 SD mm). Out of a sample of 1130 rhizome fragments, 288 (25.5%) were vertical. Repeated moderate burial events may have stimulated the production of vertical rhizomes, and the ability of Z. marina to produce vertical rhizomes may enable it to withstand moderate burial in this highly dynamic environment.