bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Simvastatin treatment boosts benefits of apoptotic cell infusion in murine lung fibrosis
Authors: Lee Ye-JI , Kim Meung-Joo , Yoon Young-So , Choi Youn-Hee , Kim Hee-Sun , Kang Jihee Lee 
Published: June 2017

AbstractA single early-phase infusion of apoptotic cells can inhibit bleomycin-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis; however, it is unknown whether these effects can be enhanced with additional infusions and/or statin treatment. Here, we investigated whether an increased frequency of apoptotic cell injection, with or without efferocytosis enhancer simvastatin, facilitates therapeutic efficacy. An additional injection of apoptotic cells during the intermediate phase (7 days post-bleomycin treatment) or simvastatin administration alone on days 7–13 post-treatment did not promote anti-fibrotic responses beyond those induced by a single early apoptotic cell infusion alone. Additional administration of apoptotic cells with simvastatin further enhanced the efferocytic ability of alveolar macrophages and PPARγ activity, and induced hepatocyte growth factor and interleukin-10 expression, in alveolar macrophages and lung tissue. Additional administration of apoptotic cells with simvastatin also reduced mRNA expression of bleomycin-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in isolated alveolar type II epithelial cells, fibrotic markers in fibroblasts, and hydroxyproline in lung tissue. Enhanced anti-EMT and anti-fibrotic efficacy was confirmed by immunofluorescence and trichrome staining of lung tissue. This suggests that additional administration of apoptotic cells with simvastatin during the intermediate phase of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis may boost the anti-fibrotic properties of early apoptotic cell infusion.
Oroxylin A suppresses the development and growth of colorectal cancer through reprogram of HIF1α-modulated fatty acid metabolism
Authors: Ni Ting , He Zihao , Dai Yuanyuan , Yao Jingyue , Guo Qinglong , Wei Libin 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe occurrence and progress of colon cancer are closely associated with obesity. Therefore, the lipid metabolism, especially fatty acid metabolism, is a significant section of energy homeostasis in colon cancer cells, and it affects many important cellular processes. Oroxylin A is one of the main bioactive flavonoids of Scutellariae radix, which has a strong anticancer effect but low toxicity to normal tissue. In previous studies, we have proved that oroxylin A reprogrammes metabolism of cancer cells by inhibiting glycolysis. Here, we further investigated the metabolism-modulating effects of oroxylin A on the fatty acid metabolism in colon cancer cells under hypoxia. We found that HIF1α upregulated adipophilin, fatty acid synthase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, and downregulated carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), resulting in the promoted lipid uptake and transport, increased de novo fatty acid synthesis and suppressed fatty acid oxidation. Oroxylin A inactivated HIF1α and reprogrammed fatty acid metabolism of HCT116 cells, decreasing intracellular fatty acid level and enhancing fatty acid oxidation. Furthermore, the rapid decrease of fatty acid level caused by oroxylin A inhibited the nuclear translocation of β-cantenin and inactivated the Wnt pathway, arousing cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. In vivo studies demonstrated that high-fat diet increased the incidence of colon cancer and accelerated tumor development. Importantly, besides the growth inhibitory effects on colon cancer xenograft, oroxylin A prevented carcinogenesis and delayed progress of primary colon cancer as well. Our studies enriched the metabolic regulatory mechanism of oroxylin A, and suggested that oroxylin A was a potent candidate for the treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer.
Myosin-dependent cell-cell communication controls synchronicity of division in acute and chronic stages of Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Frénal Karine , Jacot Damien , Hammoudi Pierre-Mehdi , Graindorge Arnault , Maco Bohumil , Soldati-Favre Dominique 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe obligate intracellular parasiteToxoplasma gondiipossesses a repertoire of 11 myosins. Three class XIV motors participate in motility, invasion and egress, whereas the class XXII myosin F is implicated in organelle positioning and inheritance of the apicoplast. Here we provide evidence that TgUNC acts as a chaperone dedicated to the folding, assembly and function of allToxoplasmamyosins. The conditional ablation ofTgUNCrecapitulates the phenome of the known myosins and uncovers two functions in parasite basal complex constriction and synchronized division within the parasitophorous vacuole. We identify myosin J and centrin 2 as essential for the constriction. We demonstrate the existence of an intravacuolar cell–cell communication ensuring synchronized division, a process dependent on myosin I. This connectivity contributes to the delayed death phenotype resulting from loss of the apicoplast. Cell–cell communication is lost in activated macrophages and during bradyzoite differentiation resulting in asynchronized, slow division in the cysts.
Synthesis and preliminary PET imaging of 11C and 18F isotopologues of the ROS1/ALK inhibitor lorlatinib
Authors: Collier Thomas Lee , Normandin Marc D. , Stephenson Nickeisha A. , Livni Eli , Liang Steven H. , Wooten Dustin W. , Esfahani Shadi A. , Stabin Michael G. , Mahmood Umar , Chen Jianqing , Wang Wei , Maresca Kevin , Waterhouse Rikki N. , El Fakhri Georges , Richardson Paul , Vasdev Neil 
Published: June 2017

AbstractLorlatinib (PF-06463922) is a next-generation small-molecule inhibitor of the orphan receptor tyrosine kinase c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1), which has a kinase domain that is physiologically related to anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), and is undergoing Phase I/II clinical trial investigations for non-small cell lung cancers. An early goal is to measure the concentrations of this drug in brain tumour lesions of lung cancer patients, as penetration of the blood–brain barrier is important for optimal therapeutic outcomes. Here we prepare both 11C- and 18F-isotopologues of lorlatinib to determine the biodistribution and whole-body dosimetry assessments by positron emission tomography (PET). Non-traditional radiolabelling strategies are employed to enable an automated multistep 11C-labelling process and an iodonium ylide-based radiofluorination. Carbon-11-labelled lorlatinib is routinely prepared with good radiochemical yields and shows reasonable tumour uptake in rodents. PET imaging in non-human primates confirms that this radiotracer has high brain permeability.
Non-Ising and chiral ferroelectric domain walls revealed by nonlinear optical microscopy
Authors: Cherifi-Hertel Salia , Bulou Hervé , Hertel Riccardo , Taupier Grégory , Dorkenoo Kokou Dodzi , Andreas Christian , Guyonnet Jill , Gaponenko Iaroslav , Gallo Katia , Paruch Patrycja 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe properties of ferroelectric domain walls can significantly differ from those of their parent material. Elucidating their internal structure is essential for the design of advanced devices exploiting nanoscale ferroicity and such localized functional properties. Here, we probe the internal structure of 180° ferroelectric domain walls in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films and lithium tantalate bulk crystals by means of second-harmonic generation microscopy. In both systems, we detect a pronounced second-harmonic signal at the walls. Local polarimetry analysis of this signal combined with numerical modelling reveals the existence of a planar polarization within the walls, with Néel and Bloch-like configurations in PZT and lithium tantalate, respectively. Moreover, we find domain wall chirality reversal at line defects crossing lithium tantalate crystals. Our results demonstrate a clear deviation from the ideal Ising configuration that is traditionally expected in uniaxial ferroelectrics, corroborating recent theoretical predictions of a more complex, often chiral structure.
Circuit design for multi-body interactions in superconducting quantum annealing systems with applications to a scalable architecture
Authors: Chancellor N. , Zohren S. , Warburton P. A. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractQuantum annealing provides a way of solving optimization problems by encoding them as Ising spin models which are implemented using physical qubits. The solution of the optimization problem then corresponds to the ground state of the system. Quantum tunneling is harnessed to enable the system to move to the ground state in a potentially high non-convex energy landscape. A major difficulty in encoding optimization problems in physical quantum annealing devices is the fact that many real world optimization problems require interactions of higher connectivity, as well as multi-body terms beyond the limitations of the physical hardware. In this work we address the question of how to implement multi-body interactions using hardware which natively only provides two-body interactions. The main result is an efficient circuit design of such multi-body terms using superconducting flux qubits in which effective N-body interactions are implemented using N ancilla qubits and only two inductive couplers. It is then shown how this circuit can be used as the unit cell of a scalable architecture by applying it to a recently proposed embedding technique for constructing an architecture of logical qubits with arbitrary connectivity using physical qubits which have nearest-neighbor four-body interactions. It is further shown that this design is robust to non-linear effects in the coupling loops, as well as mismatches in some of the circuit parameters.
Engineering of many-body Majorana states in a topological insulator/s-wave superconductor heterostructure
Authors: Hung Hsiang-Hsuan , Wu Jiansheng , Sun Kuei , Chiu Ching-Kai 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe study a vortex chain in a thin film of a topological insulator with proximity-induced superconductivity—a promising platform to realize Majorana zero modes (MZMs)—by modeling it as a two-leg Majorana ladder. While each pair of MZMs hybridizes through vortex tunneling, we hereby show that MZMs can be stabilized on the ends of the ladder with the presence of tilted external magnetic field and four-Majorana interaction. Furthermore, a fruitful phase diagram is obtained by controlling the direction of magnetic field and the thickness of the sample. We reveal many-body Majorana states and interaction-induced topological phase transitions and also identify trivial-superconducting and commensurate/incommensurate charge-density-wave states in the phase diagram.
Interval Optimization Model Considering Terrestrial Ecological Impacts for Water Rights Transfer from Agriculture to Industry in Ningxia, China
Authors: Sun Lian , Li Chunhui , Cai Yanpeng , Wang Xuan 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn this study, an interval optimization model is developed to maximize the benefits of a water rights transfer system that comprises industry and agriculture sectors in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China. The model is subjected to a number of constraints including water saving potential from agriculture and ecological groundwater levels. Ecological groundwater levels serve as performance indicators of terrestrial ecology. The interval method is applied to present the uncertainty of parameters in the model. Two scenarios regarding dual industrial development targets (planned and unplanned ones) are used to investigate the difference in potential benefits of water rights transfer. Runoff of the Yellow River as the source of water rights fluctuates significantly in different years. Thus, compensation fees for agriculture are calculated to reflect the influence of differences in the runoff. Results show that there are more available water rights to transfer for industrial development. The benefits are considerable but unbalanced between buyers and sellers. The government should establish a water market that is freer and promote the interest of agriculture and farmers. Though there has been some success of water rights transfer, the ecological impacts and the relationship between sellers and buyers require additional studies.
Neural Process of the Preference Cross-category Transfer Effect: Evidence from an Event-related Potential Study
Authors: Ma Qingguo , Zhang Linanzi , Pei Guanxiong , Abdeljelil H’meidatt 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn business practice, companies prefer to find highly attractive commercial spokesmen to represent and promote their products and brands. This study mainly focused on the investigation of whether female facial attractiveness influenced the preference attitudes of male subjects toward a no-named and unfamiliar logo and determined the underlying reasons via neuroscientific methods. We designed two ERP (event-related potential) experiments. Experiment 1 comprised a formal experiment with facial stimuli. The purpose of experiment 2 was to confirm whether the logos that were used did not present a significant difference for the subjects. According to the behavioural results of experiment 1, when other conditions were not significantly different, the preference degree of the logos correlated with attractive female faces was increased compared with the logos correlated with unattractive faces. Reasons to explain these behavioural phenomena were identified via ERP measures, and preference cross-category transfer mainly caused the results. Additionally, the preference developed associated with emotion. This study is the first to report a novel concept referred to as the “Preference Cross-Category Transfer Effect”. Moreover, a three-phase neural process of the face evaluation subsequently explained how the cross-category transfer of preference occurred and influenced subject preference attitude toward brand logos.
Comparative morphology and transcriptome analysis reveals distinct functions of the primary and secondary laticifer cells in the rubber tree
Authors: Tan Deguan , Hu Xiaowen , Fu Lili , Kumpeangkeaw Anuwat , Ding Zehong , Sun Xuepiao , Zhang Jiaming 
Published: June 2017

AbstractLaticifers are highly specialized cells that synthesize and store natural rubber. Rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensisMuell. Arg.) contain both primary and secondary laticifers. Morphological and functional differences between the two types of laticifers are largely unknown, but such information is important for breeding and cultivation practices. Morphological comparison using paraffin sections revealed only distribution differences: the primary laticifers were distributed randomly, while the secondary laticifers were distributed in concentric rings. Using isolated laticifer networks, the primary laticifers were shown to develop via intrusive “budding” and formed necklace-like morphology, while the secondary laticifers developed straight and smooth cell walls. Comparative transcriptome analysis indicated that genes involved in cell wall modification, such as pectin esterase, lignin metabolic enzymes, and expansins, were highly up-regulated in the primary laticifers and correspond to its necklace-like morphology. Genes involved in defense against biotic stresses and rubber biosynthesis were highly up-regulated in the primary laticifers, whereas genes involved in abiotic stresses and dormancy were up-regulated in the secondary laticifers, suggesting that the primary laticifers are more adequately prepared to defend against biotic stresses, while the secondary laticifers are more adequately prepared to defend against abiotic stresses. Therefore, the two types of laticifers are morphologically and functionally distinct.
Real-time imaging of intestinal bacterial β-glucuronidase activity by hydrolysis of a fluorescent probe
Authors: Chen Michael , Cheng Kai-Wen , Chen Yi-Jou , Wang Chang-Hung , Cheng Ta-Chun , Chang Kuo-Chien , Kao An-Pei , Chuang Kuo-Hsiang 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIntestinal bacterial β-glucuronidase (βG) hydrolyzes glucuronidated metabolites to their toxic form in intestines, resulting in intestinal damage. The development of a method to inhibit βG is thus important but has been limited by the difficulty of directly assessing enzyme activity in live animals. Here, we utilized a fluorescent probe, fluorescein di-β-D-glucuronide (FDGlcU), to non-invasively image the intestinal bacterial βG activity in nude mice. In vitro cell-based assays showed that the detection limit is 104 colony-forming units/well of βG-expressing bacteria, and that 7.81 ng/mL of FDGlcU is enough to generate significant fluorescent signal. In whole-body optical images of nude mice, the maximum fluorescence signal for βG activity in intestines was detected 3 hours after gavage with FDGlcU. Following pretreatment with a bacterial βG inhibitor, the fluorescence signal was significantly reduced in abdomens and excised intestines images. For a 4-day antibiotic treatment to deplete intestinal bacteria, the FDGlcU-based images showed that the βG activity was decreased by 8.5-fold on day 4 and then gradually increased after treatment stopped. The results suggested that FDGlcU-based imaging revealed the in vitro and in vivo activity of intestinal bacterial βG, which would facilitate pharmacodynamic studies of specific bacterial βG inhibitors in animal studies.
Aldose reductase inhibitor increases doxorubicin-sensitivity of colon cancer cells and decreases cardiotoxicity
Authors: Sonowal Himangshu , Pal Pabitra B. , Wen Jian-Jun , Awasthi Sanjay , Ramana Kota V. , Srivastava Satish K. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractAnthracycline drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX) and daunorubicin remain some of the most active wide-spectrum and cost-effective drugs in cancer therapy. However, colorectal cancer (CRC) cells are inherently resistant to anthracyclines which at higher doses cause cardiotoxicity. Our recent studies indicate that aldose reductase (AR) inhibitors such as fidarestat inhibit CRC growth in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that treatment of CRC cells with fidarestat increases the efficacy of DOX-induced death in HT-29 and SW480 cells and in nude mice xenografts. AR inhibition also results in higher intracellular accumulation of DOX and decreases the expression of drug transporter proteins MDR1, MRP1, and ABCG2. Further, fidarestat also inhibits DOX–induced increase in troponin-I and various inflammatory markers in the serum and heart and restores cardiac function in mice. These results suggest that fidarestat could be used as adjuvant therapy to enhance DOX sensitivity of CRC cells and to reduce DOX-associated cardiotoxicity.
Systematic Review and Cumulative Analysis of the Combination of Mitomycin C plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for Non–Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Deng Tuo , Liu Bing , Duan Xiaolu , Zhang Tao , Cai Chao , Zeng Guohua 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis systematic review and cumulative analysis aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of the combination of intravesical mitomycin C (MMC) plus bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients. A comprehensive literature search using Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI and VIP databases was performed to identify studies applying intravesical MMC plus BCG therapy on NMIBC patients up to June 2016. Summarized unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the efficacy and safety of the combination therapy. A total of 25 studies containing 2749 NMIBC patients were included in this systematic review. Compared with BCG monotherapy, the combination therapy could significantly reduce the tumor recurrence rate (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44–0.94, P = 0.02) and cancer-specific mortality (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34–0.87, P = 0.01), without more toxicities (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.17–1.94, P = 0.37). The combination therapy could also lead to significant lower tumor recurrence rate than MMC monotherapy (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.24–0.69, P = 0.0009). Our study indicates that the combination of MMC plus BCG instillation is an effective and safe adjuvant treatment for NMIBC patients.
Electric-field assisted 3D-fibrous bioceramic-based scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration: Fabrication, characterization, and in vitro cellular activities
Authors: Kim Minseong , Yun Hui-suk , Kim Geun Hyung 
Published: June 2017

AbstractNano/microfibrous structure can induce high cellular activities because of the topological similarity of the extracellular matrix, and thus, are widely used in various tissue regenerative materials. However, the fabrication of a bioceramic (high weight percent)-based 3D microfibrous structure is extremely difficult because of the low process-ability of bioceramics. In addition, three-dimensional (3D) microfibrous structure can induce more realistic cellular behavior when compared to that of 2D fibrous structure. Hence, the requirement of a 3D fibrous ceramic-based structure is an important issue in bioceramic scaffolds. In this study, a bioceramic (α-TCP)-based scaffold in which the weight fraction of the ceramic exceeded 70% was fabricated using an electrohydrodynamic printing (EHDP) process. The fabricated ceramic structure consisted of layer-by-layered struts entangled with polycaprolactone microfibers and the bioceramic phase. Various processing conditions (such as applied electric field, flow rate, nozzle size, and weight fraction of the bioceramic) were manipulated to obtain an optimal processing window. A 3D printed porous structure was used as a control, which had pore geometry similar to that of a structure fabricated using the EHDP process. Various physical and cellular activities using preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) helped confirm that the newly designed bioceramic scaffold demonstrated significantly high metabolic activity and mineralization.
Functional dissection of human targets for KSHV-encoded miRNAs using network analysis
Authors: Wang Yu , Lin Yun , Guo Yanzhi , Pu Xuemei , Li Menglong 
Published: June 2017

AbstractKaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman’s disease, etc. In this study, we firstly systematically constructed the KSHV-encoded miRNA-regulated co-expressed protein-protein interaction network (CePPIN), which display the biological knowledge regarding the mechanism of miRNA-regulated KSHV pathogenesis. Then, we investigated the topological parameters for the proteins in CePPIN, especially for those miRNA targets and we found that cellular target genes of KSHV-encoded miRNAs tend to be hubs and bottlenecks in the network. Then the GO and KEGG pathway analysis suggests that miRNA targets are involved in various cellular processes mostly related to immune regulate and cell cycle. Enrichment analysis was also performed to identify the six important functional modules which are proven to be highly related to KSHV pathogenesis. Finally, difference analysis of common targets and specific targets shows that two kinds of targets are different in terms of both topological properties and enriched functions, thus we can extrapolate that the functions of KSHV-encoded miRNAs can be also classified into two generic groups, one can act as functional mimics of some oncogenic human miRNAs which contribute to tumorigenesis and the other can contribute to maintaining viral survival.