bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum metabolomics analysis of patients with chikungunya and dengue mono/co-infections reveals distinct metabolite signatures in the three disease conditions
Authors: Shrinet Jatin , Shastri Jayanthi S. , Gaind Rajni , Bhavesh Neel Sarovar , Sunil Sujatha 
Published: November 2016

AbstractChikungunya and dengue are arboviral infections with overlapping clinical symptoms. A subset of chikungunya infection occurs also as co-infections with dengue, resulting in complications during diagnosis and patient management. The present study was undertaken to identify the global metabolome of patient sera infected with chikungunya as mono infections and with dengue as co-infections. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the metabolome of sera of three disease conditions, namely, chikungunya and dengue as mono-infections and when co-infected were ascertained and compared with healthy individuals. Further, the cohorts were analyzed on the basis of age, onset of fever and joint involvement. Here we show that many metabolites in the serum are significantly differentially regulated during chikungunya mono-infection as well as during chikungunya co-infection with dengue. We observed that glycine, serine, threonine, galactose and pyrimidine metabolisms are the most perturbed pathways in both mono and co-infection conditions. The affected pathways in our study correlate well with the clinical manifestation like fever, inflammation, energy deprivation and joint pain during the infections. These results may serve as a starting point for validations and identification of distinct biomolecules that could be exploited as biomarker candidates thereby helping in better patient management.
Novel synthetic (E)-2-methoxy-4-(3-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-1-en-1-yl) phenol inhibits arthritis by targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3
Authors: Son Dong Ju , Kim Dae Hwan , Nah Seong-Su , Park Mi Hee , Lee Hee Pom , Han Sang Bae , Venkatareddy Udumula , Gann Benjamin , Rodriguez Kevin , Burt Scott R. , Ham Young Wan , Jung Yu Yeon , Hong Jin Tae 
Published: November 2016

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a severely debilitating chronic autoimmune disease that leads to long-term joint damage. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-targeted small molecules have shown promise as therapeutic drugs for treating RA. We previously identified (E)-2,4-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butenal (BHPB), a tyrosine-fructose Maillard reaction product, as a small molecule with potent anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties, mediated through the inhibition of STAT3 activation. The aim of this study was to develop a novel BHPH derivative with improved anti-arthritic properties and drug-likeness. We designed and synthesised (E)-2-methoxy-4-(3-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-1-en-1-yl) phenol (MMPP), a novel synthetic BHPB analogue, and investigated its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activities in experimentally-induced RA. We showed that MMPP strongly inhibited pro-inflammatory responses by inhibiting in vitro STAT3 activation and its downstream signalling in murine macrophages and human synoviocytes from patients with RA. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MMPP exhibited potent anti-arthritic activity in a collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) mouse model in vivo. Collectively, our results suggest that MMPP has great potential for use in the treatment of RA.
A genomic island in Vibrio cholerae with VPI-1 site-specific recombination characteristics contains CRISPR-Cas and type VI secretion modules
Authors: Labbate Maurizio , Orata Fabini D. , Petty Nicola K. , Jayatilleke Nathasha D. , King William L. , Kirchberger Paul C. , Allen Chris , Mann Gulay , Mutreja Ankur , Thomson Nicholas R. , Boucher Yan , Charles Ian G. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCholera is a devastating diarrhoeal disease caused by certain strains of serogroup O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae. Mobile genetic elements such as genomic islands (GIs) have been pivotal in the evolution of O1/O139 V. cholerae. Perhaps the most important GI involved in cholera disease is the V. cholerae pathogenicity island 1 (VPI-1). This GI contains the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) gene cluster that is necessary for colonization of the human intestine as well as being the receptor for infection by the cholera-toxin bearing CTX phage. In this study, we report a GI (designated GIVchS12) from a non-O1/O139 strain of V. cholerae that is present in the same chromosomal location as VPI-1, contains an integrase gene with 94% nucleotide and 100% protein identity to the VPI-1 integrase, and attachment (att) sites 100% identical to those found in VPI-1. However, instead of TCP and the other accessory genes present in VPI-1, GIVchS12 contains a CRISPR-Cas element and a type VI secretion system (T6SS). GIs similar to GIVchS12 were identified in other V. cholerae genomes, also containing CRISPR-Cas elements and/or T6SS’s. This study highlights the diversity of GIs circulating in natural V. cholerae populations and identifies GIs with VPI-1 recombination characteristics as a propagator of CRISPR-Cas and T6SS modules.
A dual inhibition mechanism of herpesviral ICP47 arresting a conformationally thermostable TAP complex
Authors: Herbring Valentina , Bäucker Anja , Trowitzsch Simon , Tampé Robert 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAs a centerpiece of antigen processing, the ATP-binding cassette transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) became a main target for viral immune evasion. The herpesviral ICP47 inhibits TAP function, thereby suppressing an adaptive immune response. Here, we report on a thermostable ICP47-TAP complex, generated by fusion of different ICP47 fragments. These fusion complexes allowed us to determine the direction and positioning in the central cavity of TAP. ICP47-TAP fusion complexes are arrested in a stable conformation, as demonstrated by MHC I surface expression, melting temperature, and the mutual exclusion of herpesviral TAP inhibitors. We unveiled a conserved region next to the active domain of ICP47 as essential for the complete stabilization of the TAP complex. Binding of the active domain of ICP47 arrests TAP in an open inward facing conformation rendering the complex inaccessible for other viral factors. Based on our findings, we propose a dual interaction mechanism for ICP47. A per se destabilizing active domain inhibits the function of TAP, whereas a conserved C-terminal region additionally stabilizes the transporter. These new insights into the ICP47 inhibition mechanism can be applied for future structural analyses of the TAP complex.
Mesoscopic packing of disk-like building blocks in calcium silicate hydrate
Authors: Yu Zechuan , Zhou Ao , Lau Denvid 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAt 100-nanometer length scale, the mesoscopic structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) plays a critical role in determining the macroscopic material properties, such as porosity. In order to explore the mesoscopic structure of C-S-H, we employ two effective techniques, nanoindentation test and molecular dynamics simulation. Grid nanoindentation tests find different porosity of C-S-H in cement paste specimens prepared at varied water-to-cement (w/c) ratios. The w/c-ratio-induced porosity difference can be ascribed to the aspect ratio (diameter-to-thickness ratio) of disk-like C-S-H building blocks. The molecular dynamics simulation, with a mesoscopic C-S-H model, reveals 3 typical packing patterns and relates the packing density to the aspect ratio. Illustrated with disk-like C-S-H building blocks, this study provides a description of C-S-H structures in complement to spherical-particle C-S-H models at the sub-micron scale.
Giant suppression of phononic heat transport in a quantum magnet BiCu2PO6
Authors: Jeon Byung-Gu , Koteswararao B. , Park C. B. , Shu G. J. , Riggs S. C. , Moon E. G. , Chung S. B. , Chou F. C. , Kim Kee Hoon 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThermal transport of quantum magnets has elucidated the nature of low energy elementary excitations and complex interplay between those excited states via strong scattering of thermal carriers. BiCu2PO6 is a unique frustrated spin-ladder compound exhibiting highly anisotropic spin excitations that contain both itinerant and localized dispersion characters along the b- and a-axes respectively. Here, we investigate thermal conductivity κ of BiCu2PO6 under high magnetic fields (H) of up to 30 tesla. A dip-feature in κ, located at ~15 K at zero-H along all crystallographic directions, moves gradually toward lower temperature (T) with increasing H, thus resulting in giant suppression by a factor of ~30 near the critical magnetic field of Hc ≅ 23.5 tesla. The giant H- and T-dependent suppression of κ can be explained by the combined result of resonant scattering of phononic heat carriers with magnetic energy levels and increased phonon scattering due to enhanced spin fluctuation at Hc, unequivocally revealing the existence of strong spin-phonon coupling. Moreover, we find an experimental indication that the remaining magnetic heat transport along the b-axis becomes almost gapless at the magnetic quantum critical point realized at Hc.
Sacrificial Reducing Agent Free Photo-Generation of Platinum Nano Particle over Carbon/TiO2 for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Authors: Badam Rajashekar , Vedarajan Raman , Okaya Kazuki , Matsutani Koichi , Matsumi Noriyoshi 
Published: November 2016

AbstractElectrocatalytic materials for oxygen reduction reaction, currently dominated by platinum/carbon catalyst is marred by drawbacks such as use of copious amount of Pt and use of “non-green” sacrificial reducing agent (SRA) during its synthesis. A single stroke remedy for these two problems has been achieved through an in-situ aqueous photoreduction void of even trace amounts of SRA with an enhanced activity. Reduction of PtCl62− salt to Pt nano particles on carbon substrate was achieved solely using solar spectrum as the source of energy and TiO2 as photocatalyst. Here, we demonstrate that this new procedure of photoreduction, decorates Pt over different types of conducting allotropes with the distribution and the particle size primarily depending on the conductivity of the allotrope. The Pt/C/TiO2 composite unveiled an ORR activity on par to the most efficient Pt based electrocatalyst prepared through the conventional sacrificial reducing agent aided preparation methods.
Cellulose nanofiber backboned Prussian blue nanoparticles as powerful adsorbents for the selective elimination of radioactive cesium
Authors: Vipin Adavan Kiliyankil , Fugetsu Bunshi , Sakata Ichiro , Isogai Akira , Endo Morinobu , Li Mingda , Dresselhaus Mildred S. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractOn 11 March 2011, the day of the unforgettable disaster of the 9 magnitude Tohoku earthquake and quickly followed by the devastating Tsunami, a damageable amount of radionuclides had dispersed from the Fukushima Daiichi’s damaged nuclear reactors. Decontamination of the dispersed radionuclides from seawater and soil, due to the huge amounts of coexisting ions with competitive functionalities, has been the topmost difficulty. Ferric hexacyanoferrate, also known as Prussian blue (PB), has been the most powerful material for selectively trapping the radioactive cesium ions; its high tendency to form stable colloids in water, however, has made PB to be impossible for the open-field radioactive cesium decontamination applications. A nano/nano combinatorial approach, as is described in this study, has provided an ultimate solution to this intrinsic colloid formation difficulty of PB. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were used to immobilize PB via the creation of CNF-backboned PB. The CNF-backboned PB (CNF/PB) was found to be highly tolerant to water and moreover, it gave a 139 mg/g capability and a million (106) order of magnitude distribution coefficient (Kd) for absorbing of the radioactive cesium ion. Field studies on soil and seawater decontaminations in Fukushima gave satisfactory results, demonstrating high capabilities of CNF/PB for practical applications.
Effects of behavioral patterns and network topology structures on Parrondo’s paradox
Authors: Ye Ye , Cheong Kang Hao , Cen Yu-wan , Xie Neng-gang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractA multi-agent Parrondo’s model based on complex networks is used in the current study. For Parrondo’s game A, the individual interaction can be categorized into five types of behavioral patterns: the Matthew effect, harmony, cooperation, poor-competition-rich-cooperation and a random mode. The parameter space of Parrondo’s paradox pertaining to each behavioral pattern, and the gradual change of the parameter space from a two-dimensional lattice to a random network and from a random network to a scale-free network was analyzed. The simulation results suggest that the size of the region of the parameter space that elicits Parrondo’s paradox is positively correlated with the heterogeneity of the degree distribution of the network. For two distinct sets of probability parameters, the microcosmic reasons underlying the occurrence of the paradox under the scale-free network are elaborated. Common interaction mechanisms of the asymmetric structure of game B, behavioral patterns and network topology are also revealed.
Sex-specific associations of low birth weight with adult-onset diabetes and measures of glucose homeostasis: Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health
Authors: Yarmolinsky James , Mueller Noel T , Duncan Bruce B , Chor Dóra , Bensenor Isabela M , Griep Rosane H , Appel Lawrence J , Barreto Sandhi M , Schmidt Maria Inês 
Published: November 2016

AbstractEmerging evidence suggests sex differences in the early origins of adult metabolic disease, but this has been little investigated in developing countries. We investigated sex-specific associations between low birth weight (LBW; <2.5 kg) and adult-onset diabetes in 12,525 participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Diabetes was defined by self-reported information and laboratory measurements. In confounder-adjusted analyses, LBW (vs. 2.5–4 kg) was associated with higher prevalence of diabetes in women (Prevalence Ratio (PR) 1.54, 95% CI: 1.32–1.79), not in men (PR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.91–1.25; Pheterogeneity = 0.003). The association was stronger among participants with maternal diabetes (PR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.35–1.91), than those without (PR 1.15, 95% CI: 0.99–1.32; Pheterogeneity = 0.03). When jointly stratified by sex and maternal diabetes, the association was observed for women with (PR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.37–2.29) and without (PR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20–1.75) maternal diabetes. In contrast, in men, LBW was associated with diabetes in participants with maternal diabetes (PR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15–1.83), but not in those without (PR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.74–1.14). These sex-specific findings extended to continuous measures of glucose homeostasis. LBW was associated with higher diabetes prevalence in Brazilian women, and in men with maternal diabetes, suggesting sex-specific intrauterine effects on adult metabolic health.
Bafilomycin A1 induces caspase-independent cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via targeting of autophagy and MAPK pathways
Authors: Yan Yumei , Jiang Ke , Liu Peng , Zhang Xianbin , Dong Xin , Gao Jingchun , Liu Quentin , Barr Martin P. , Zhang Quan , Hou Xiukun , Meng Songshu , Gong Peng 
Published: November 2016

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is refractory to chemotherapies, necessitating novel effective agents. The lysosome inhibitor Bafilomycin A1 (BafA1) at high concentrations displays cytotoxicity in a variety of cancers. Here we show that BafA1 at nanomolar concentrations suppresses HCC cell growth in both 2 dimensional (2D) and 3D cultures. BafA1 induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase and triggered Cyclin D1 turnover in HCC cells in a dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1B (DYRK1B) dependent manner. Notably, BafA1 induced caspase-independent cell death in HCC cells by impairing autophagy flux as demonstrated by elevated LC3 conversion and p62/SQSTM1 levels. Moreover, genetic ablation of LC3 significantly attenuated BafA1-induced cytotoxicity of HCC cells. We further demonstrate that pharmacological down-regulation or genetic depletion of p38 MAPK decreased BafA1-induced cell death via abolishment of BafA1-induced upregulation of Puma. Notably, knockdown of Puma impaired BafA1-induced HCC cell death, and overexpression of Puma enhanced BafA1-mediated HCC cell death, suggesting a role for Puma in BafA1-mediated cytotoxicity. Interestingly, pharmacological inhibition of JNK with SP600125 enhanced BafA1-mediated cytotoxicity both in vitro and in xenografts derived from HCC cells. Taken together, our data suggest that BafA1 may offer potential as an effective therapy for HCC.
Ligand-mediated changes in conformational dynamics of NpmA: implications for ribosomal interactions
Authors: Husain Nilofer , Tulsian Nikhil Kumar , Chien Wang Loo , Suresh Sushant , Anand Ganesh Srinivasan , Sivaraman J. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAminoglycosides are broad-spectrum antibiotics that bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit (30S) of bacteria and disrupt protein translation. NpmA, a structurally well-characterized methyltransferase identified in an E. coli clinical isolate, catalyzes methylation of 30S at A1408 of the 16S rRNA and confers aminoglycoside resistance. Using sucrose cushion centrifugation and isothermal titration calorimetry, we first confirmed the binding between NpmA and 30S. Next, we performed amide Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDXMS) of apo NpmA and in the presence and absence of SAM/SAH. We observed that ligand binding resulted in time-dependent differences in deuterium exchange not only at the ligand-binding pocket (D25–D55 and A86–E112) but also in distal regions (F62-F82 and Y113-S144) of NpmA. These results provide insights into methylation group donor cofactor-mediated allostery in NpmA in the ligand-bound states, which could not be observed in the static endpoint crystal structures. We predict that the two distal sites in NpmA form part of the allosteric sites that importantly are part of the main 16S rRNA binding interface. Thus HDXMS helped uncover allosteric communication relays that couple SAM/SAH binding sites with the ribosome-binding site. This highlights how HDXMS together with X-ray crystallography can provide important allosteric insights in protein-ligand complexes.
Non-linear Equation using Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels to Predict Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure
Authors: Fukuda Hiroki , Suwa Hideaki , Nakano Atsushi , Sakamoto Mari , Imazu Miki , Hasegawa Takuya , Takahama Hiroyuki , Amaki Makoto , Kanzaki Hideaki , Anzai Toshihisa , Mochizuki Naoki , Ishii Akira , Asanuma Hiroshi , Asakura Masanori , Washio Takashi , Kitakaze Masafumi 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBrain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is the most effective predictor of outcomes in chronic heart failure (CHF). This study sought to determine the qualitative relationship between the BNP levels at discharge and on the day of cardiovascular events in CHF patients. We devised a mathematical probabilistic model between the BNP levels at discharge (y) and on the day (t) of cardiovascular events after discharge for 113 CHF patients (Protocol I). We then prospectively evaluated this model on another set of 60 CHF patients who were readmitted (Protocol II). P(t|y) was the probability of cardiovascular events occurring after >t, the probability on t was given as p(t|y) = −dP(t|y)/dt, and p(t|y) = pP(t|y) = αyβP(t|y), along with p = αyβ (α and β were constant); the solution was p(t|y) = αyβ exp(−αyβt). We fitted this equation to the data set of Protocol I using the maximum likelihood principle, and we obtained the model p(t|y) = 0.000485y0.24788 exp(−0.000485y0.24788t). The cardiovascular event-free rate was computed as P(t) = 1/60Σi=1,…,60 exp(−0.000485yi0.24788t), based on this model and the BNP levels yi in a data set of Protocol II. We confirmed no difference between this model-based result and the actual event-free rate. In conclusion, the BNP levels showed a non-linear relationship with the day of occurrence of cardiovascular events in CHF patients.
Scalable Synthesis of Ag Networks with Optimized Sub-monolayer Au-Pd Nanoparticle Covering for Highly Enhanced SERS Detection and Catalysis
Authors: Li Tianyu , Vongehr Sascha , Tang Shaochun , Dai Yuming , Huang Xiao , Meng Xiangkang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractHighly porous tri-metallic AgxAuyPdz networks with a sub-monolayer bimetallic Au-Pd nanoparticle coating were synthesized via a designed galvanic replacement reaction of Ag nanosponges suspended in mixed solutions of HAuCl4 and K2PdCl4. The resulting networks’ ligaments have a rough surface with bimetallic nanoparticles and nanopores due to removal of Ag. The surface morphology and composition are adjustable by the temperature and mixed solutions’ concentration. Very low combined Au and Pd atomic percentage (1−x) where x is atomic percentage of Ag leads to sub-monolayer nanoparticle coverings allowing a large number of active boundaries, nanopores, and metal-metal interfaces to be accessible. Optimization of the Au/Pd atomic ratio y/z obtains large surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection sensitivity (at y/z = 5.06) and a higher catalytic activity (at y/z = 3.55) toward reduction reactions as benchmarked with 4-nitrophenol than for most bimetallic catalysts. Subsequent optimization of x (at fixed y/z) further increases the catalytic activity to obtain a superior tri-metallic catalyst, which is mainly attributed to the synergy of several aspects including the large porosity, increased surface roughness, accessible interfaces, and hydrogen absorption capacity of nanosized Pd. This work provides a new concept for scalable synthesis and performance optimization of tri-metallic nanostructures.
Terahertz molecular resonance of cancer DNA
Authors: Cheon Hwayeong , Yang Hee-jin , Lee Sang-Hun , Kim Young A , Son Joo-Hiuk 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCarcinogenesis involves the chemical and structural alteration of biomolecules in cells. Aberrant methylation of DNA is a well-known carcinogenic mechanism and a common chemical modification of DNA. Terahertz waves can directly observe changes in DNA because the characteristic energies lie in the same frequency region. In addition, terahertz energy levels are not high enough to damage DNA by ionization. Here, we present terahertz molecular resonance fingerprints of DNA methylation in cancer DNA. Methylated cytidine, a nucleoside, has terahertz characteristic energies that give rise to the molecular resonance of methylation in DNA. Molecular resonance is monitored in aqueous solutions of genomic DNA from cancer cell lines using a terahertz time-domain spectroscopic technique. Resonance signals can be quantified to identify the types of cancer cells with a certain degree of DNA methylation. These measurements reveal the existence of molecular resonance fingerprints of cancer DNAs in the terahertz region, which can be utilized for the early diagnosis of cancer cells at the molecular level.