bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanical stress activates NMDA receptors in the absence of agonists
Authors: Maneshi Mohammad Mehdi , Maki Bruce , Gnanasambandam Radhakrishnan , Belin Sophie , Popescu Gabriela K. , Sachs Frederick , Hua Susan Z. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractWhile studying the physiological response of primary rat astrocytes to fluid shear stress in a model of traumatic brain injury (TBI), we found that shear stress induced Ca2+ entry. The influx was inhibited by MK-801, a specific pore blocker of N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) channels, and this occurred in the absence of agonists. Other NMDA open channel blockers ketamine and memantine showed a similar effect. The competitive glutamate antagonists AP5 and GluN2B-selective inhibitor ifenprodil reduced NMDA-activated currents, but had no effect on the mechanically induced Ca2+ influx. Extracellular Mg2+ at 2 mM did not significantly affect the shear induced Ca2+ influx, but at 10 mM it produced significant inhibition. Patch clamp experiments showed mechanical activation of NMDAR and inhibition by MK-801. The mechanical sensitivity of NMDARs may play a role in the normal physiology of fluid flow in the glymphatic system and it has obvious relevance to TBI.
Complex Roles of Solution Chemistry on Graphene Oxide Coagulation onto Titanium Dioxide: Batch Experiments, Spectroscopy Analysis and Theoretical Calculation
Authors: Yu Shujun , Wang Xiangxue , Zhang Rui , Yang Tongtong , Ai Yuejie , Wen Tao , Huang Wei , Hayat Tasawar , Alsaedi Ahmed , Wang Xiangke 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAlthough graphene oxide (GO) has been used in multidisciplinary areas due to its excellent physicochemical properties, its environmental behavior and fate are still largely unclear. In this study, batch experiments, spectroscopy analysis and theoretical calculations were addressed to promote a more comprehensive understanding toward the coagulation behavior of GO onto TiO2 under various environmental conditions (pH, co-existing ions, temperature, etc.). The results indicated that neutral pH was beneficial to the removal of GO due to the electrostatic interaction. The presence of cations accelerated GO coagulation significantly owing to the influence of electrical double layer compression. On the contrary, the presence of anions improved the stability of GO primarily because of electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance. Results of XRD, FTIR and XPS analysis indicated that the coagulation of GO on TiO2 was mainly dominated by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds, which were further evidenced by DFT calculations. The high binding energy further indicated the stability of GO + TiO2 system, suggesting that TiO2 can be used as an effective coagulant for the efficient elimination and coagulation of GO from aqueous solutions. These findings might likely lead to a better understanding of the migration and transformation of carbon nanomaterials in the natural environment.
Intrinsic Origins of Crack Generation in Ni-rich LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Layered Oxide Cathode Material
Authors: Lim Jin-Myoung , Hwang Taesoon , Kim Duho , Park Min-Sik , Cho Kyeongjae , Cho Maenghyo 
Published: January 2017

AbstractNi-rich LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 layered oxide cathodes have been highlighted for large-scale energy applications due to their high energy density. Although its specific capacity is enhanced at higher voltages as Ni ratio increases, its structural degradation due to phase transformations and lattice distortions during cycling becomes severe. For these reasons, we focused on the origins of crack generation from phase transformations and structural distortions in Ni-rich LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 using multiscale approaches, from first-principles to meso-scale phase-field model. Atomic-scale structure analysis demonstrated that opposite changes in the lattice parameters are observed until the inverse Li content x = 0.75; then, structure collapses due to complete extraction of Li from between transition metal layers. Combined-phase investigations represent the highest phase barrier and steepest chemical potential after x = 0.75, leading to phase transformations to highly Li-deficient phases with an inactive character. Abrupt phase transformations with heterogeneous structural collapse after x = 0.81 (~220 mAh g−1) were identified in the nanodomain. Further, meso-scale strain distributions show around 5% of anisotropic contraction with lower critical energy release rates, which cause not only micro-crack generations of secondary particles on the interfaces between the contracted primary particles, but also mechanical instability of primary particles from heterogeneous strain changes.
The Fall of Sleep K-Complex in Alzheimer Disease
Authors: De Gennaro Luigi , Gorgoni Maurizio , Reda Flaminia , Lauri Giulia , Truglia Ilaria , Cordone Susanna , Scarpelli Serena , Mangiaruga Anastasia , D’atri Aurora , Lacidogna Giordano , Ferrara Michele , Marra Camillo , Rossini Paolo Maria 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAlthough a slowing of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during wakefulness and –to some extent- sleep of Alzheimer disease (AD) patients (i.e., increased slow-frequency activity) was documented, recent findings in healthy elderly show a decreased 0.6–1 Hz slow wave activity (SWA) during NREM, which was associated to β-amyloid deposition and impaired hippocampal memory consolidation. We hypothesize that the apparent contradiction may be explained by the partial overlap between 0.6–1 Hz EEG activity and K-Complex (KC). According to this view, we studied both frontal KCs and SWA in 20 AD patients and 20 healthy age-matched controls (HC) during nightly sleep, under the hypothesis that KCs better discriminate patients from healthy elderly than ≤1 Hz SWA. A drastic decrease of KC density during stage 2 NREM was found in AD compared to HC. Patients show more than 40% reduction of the KC density, allowing a correct classification of 80%. On the other hand, ≤1 Hz SWA of AD patients is slightly (not significantly) higher in most cortical areas compared to HC. Although no significant changes of ≤1 Hz SWA are detectable over frontal areas in AD, KC density decreases over the same location, and its decrease is related to the cognitive decline.
Host plant species determines symbiotic bacterial community mediating suppression of plant defenses
Authors: Chung Seung Ho , Scully Erin D. , Peiffer Michelle , Geib Scott M. , Rosa Cristina , Hoover Kelli , Felton Gary W. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractHerbivore associated bacteria are vital mediators of plant and insect interactions. Host plants play an important role in shaping the gut bacterial community of insects. Colorado potato beetles (CPB;Leptinotarsa decemlineata) use severalSolanumplants as hosts in their natural environment. We previously showed that symbiotic gut bacteria from CPB larvae suppressed jasmonate (JA)-induced defenses in tomato. However, little is known about how changes in the bacterial community may be involved in the manipulation of induced defenses in wild and cultivatedSolanumplants of CPB. Here, we examined suppression of JA-mediated defense in wild and cultivated hosts of CPB by chemical elicitors and their symbiotic bacteria. Furthermore, we investigated associations between the gut bacterial community and suppression of plant defenses using 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symbiotic bacteria decreased plant defenses in allSolanumhosts and there were different gut bacterial communities in CPB fed on different host plants. When larvae were reared on different hosts, defense suppression differed among host plants. These results demonstrate that host plants influence herbivore gut bacterial communities and consequently affect the herbivore’s ability to manipulate JA-mediated plant defenses. Thus, the presence of symbiotic bacteria that suppress plant defenses might help CPB adapt to host plants.
Carbon monoxide pollution aggravates ischemic heart failure through oxidative stress pathway
Authors: Reboul Cyril , Boissière Julien , André Lucas , Meyer Gregory , Bideaux Patrice , Fouret Gilles , Feillet-Coudray Christine , Obert Philippe , Lacampagne Alain , Thireau Jérôme , Cazorla Olivier , Richard Sylvain 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRisk of hospital readmission and cardiac mortality increases with atmospheric pollution for patients with heart failure. The underlying mechanisms are unclear. Carbon monoxide (CO) a ubiquitous environmental pollutant could be involved. We explored the effect of daily exposure of CO relevant to urban pollution on post-myocardial infarcted animals. Rats with ischemic heart failure were exposed 4 weeks to daily peaks of CO mimicking urban exposure or to standard filtered air. CO exposure worsened cardiac contractile dysfunction evaluated by echocardiography and at the cardiomyocyte level. In line with clinical reports, the animals exposed to CO also exhibited a severe arrhythmogenic phenotype with numerous sustained ventricular tachycardias as monitored by surface telemetric electrocardiograms. CO did not affect cardiac β–adrenergic responsiveness. Instead, mitochondrial dysfunction was exacerbated leading to additional oxidative stress and Ca2+ cycling alterations. This was reversed following acute antioxidant treatment of cardiomyocytes with N-acetylcysteine confirming involvement of CO-induced oxidative stress. Exposure to daily peaks of CO pollution aggravated cardiac dysfunction in rats with ischemic heart failure by specifically targeting mitochondria and generating ROS-dependent alterations. This pathway may contribute to the high sensibility and vulnerability of individuals with cardiac disease to environmental outdoor air quality.
Profile of upregulated inflammatory proteins in sera of Myasthenia Gravis patients
Authors: Molin Carl Johan , Westerberg Elisabet , Punga Anna Rostedt 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThis study describes specific patterns of elevated inflammatory proteins in clinical subtypes of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. MG is a chronic, autoimmune neuromuscular disease with antibodies most commonly targeting the acetylcholine receptors (AChRab), which causes fluctuating skeletal muscle fatigue. MG pathophysiology includes a strong component of inflammation, and a large proportion of patients with early onset MG additionally present thymus hyperplasia. Due to the fluctuating nature and heterogeneity of the disease, there is a great need for objective biomarkers as well as novel potential inflammatory targets. We examined the sera of 45 MG patients (40 AChRab seropositive and 5 AChRab seronegative), investigating 92 proteins associated with inflammation. Eleven of the analysed proteins were significantly elevated compared to healthy controls, out of which the three most significant were: matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP-10; p = 0.0004), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α; p = 0.0017) and extracellular newly identified receptor for advanced glycation end-products binding protein (EN-RAGE) (also known as protein S100-A12; p = 0.0054). Further, levels of MMP-10, C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) differed between early and late onset MG. These novel targets provide valuable additional insight into the systemic inflammatory response in MG.
Elucidating the genetic basis of an oligogenic birth defect using whole genome sequence data in a non-model organism, Bubalus bubalis
Authors: Whitacre Lynsey K. , Hoff Jesse L. , Schnabel Robert D. , Albarella Sara , Ciotola Francesca , Peretti Vincenzo , Strozzi Francesco , Ferrandi Chiara , Ramunno Luigi , Sonstegard Tad S. , Williams John L. , Taylor Jeremy F. , Decker Jared E. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRecent strong selection for dairy traits in water buffalo has been associated with higher levels of inbreeding, leading to an increase in the prevalence of genetic diseases such as transverse hemimelia (TH), a congenital developmental abnormality characterized by absence of a variable distal portion of the hindlimbs. Limited genomic resources available for water buffalo required an original approach to identify genetic variants associated with the disease. The genomes of 4 bilateral and 7 unilateral affected cases and 14 controls were sequenced. A concordance analysis of SNPs and INDELs requiring homozygosity unique to all unilateral and bilateral cases revealed two genes, WNT7A and SMARCA4, known to play a role in embryonic hindlimb development. Additionally, SNP alleles in NOTCH1 and RARB were homozygous exclusively in the bilateral cases, suggesting an oligogenic mode of inheritance. Homozygosity mapping by whole genome de novo assembly also supported oligogenic inheritance; implicating 13 genes involved in hindlimb development in bilateral cases and 11 in unilateral cases. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) predicted additional modifier genes. Although our data show a complex inheritance of TH, we predict that homozygous variants in WNT7A and SMARCA4 are necessary for expression of TH and selection against these variants should eradicate TH.
Spatio-temporal patterns of stream methane and carbon dioxide emissions in a hemiboreal catchment in Southwest Sweden
Authors: Natchimuthu Sivakiruthika , Wallin Marcus B. , Klemedtsson Leif , Bastviken David 
Published: January 2017

AbstractGlobal stream and river greenhouse gas emissions seem to be as large as the oceanic C uptake. However, stream and river emissions are uncertain until both spatial and temporal variability have been quantified. Here we investigated in detail the stream CH4 and CO2 emissions within a hemiboreal catchment in Southwest Sweden primarily covered by coniferous forest. Gas transfer velocities (k600), CH4 and CO2 concentrations were measured with multiple methods. Our data supported modelling approaches accounting for various stream slopes, water velocities and discharge. The results revealed large but partially predictable spatio-temporal variabilities in k600, dissolved gas concentrations, and emissions. The variability in CO2 emission was best explained by the variability in k, while dissolved CH4 concentrations explained most of the variability in CH4 emission, having implications for future measurements. There were disproportionately large emissions from high slope stream reaches including waterfalls, and from high discharge events. In the catchment, stream reaches with low slope and time periods of moderate discharge dominated (90% of area and 69% of time). Measurements in these stream areas and time periods only accounted for <36% of the total estimated emissions. Hence, not accounting for local or episodic high emissions can lead to substantially underestimated emissions.
Pulsation-limited oxygen diffusion in the tumour microenvironment
Authors: Milotti Edoardo , Stella Sabrina , Chignola Roberto 
Published: January 2017

AbstractHypoxia is central to tumour evolution, growth, invasion and metastasis. Mathematical models of hypoxia based on reaction-diffusion equations provide seemingly incomplete descriptions as they fail to predict the measured oxygen concentrations in the tumour microenvironment. In an attempt to explain the discrepancies, we consider both the inhomogeneous distribution of oxygen-consuming cells in solid tumours and the dynamics of blood flow in the tumour microcirculation. We find that the low-frequency oscillations play an important role in the establishment of tumour hypoxia. The oscillations interact with consumption to inhibit oxygen diffusion in the microenvironment. This suggests that alpha-blockers–a class of drugs used to treat hypertension and stress disorders, and known to lower or even abolish low-frequency oscillations of arterial blood flow –may act as adjuvant drugs in the radiotherapy of solid tumours by enhancing the oxygen effect.
miRNA and mRNA expression analysis reveals potential sex-biased miRNA expression
Authors: Guo Li , Zhang Qiang , Ma Xiao , Wang Jun , Liang Tingming 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRecent studies suggest that mRNAs may be differentially expressed between males and females. This study aimed to perform expression analysis of mRNA and its main regulatory molecule, microRNA (miRNA), to discuss the potential sex-specific expression patterns using abnormal expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Generally, deregulated miRNAs and mRNAs had consistent expression between males and females, but some miRNAs may be oppositely expressed in specific diseases: up-regulated in one group and down-regulated in another. Studies of miRNA gene families and clusters further confirmed that these sequence or location related miRNAs might have opposing expression between sexes. The specific miRNA might have greater expression divergence across different groups, suggesting flexible expression across different individuals, especially in tumor samples. The typical analysis regardless of the sex will ignore or balance these sex-specific deregulated miRNAs. Compared with flexible miRNAs, their targets of mRNAs showed relative stable expression between males and females. These relevant results provide new insights into miRNA-mRNA interaction and sex difference.
Sex-related difference in human white matter volumes studied: Inspection of the corpus callosum and other white matter by VBM
Authors: Shiino Akihiko , Chen Yen-wei , Tanigaki Kenji , Yamada Atsushi , Vigers Piers , Watanabe Toshiyuki , Tooyama Ikuo , Akiguchi Ichiro 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIt has been contended that any observed difference of the corpus callosum (CC) size between men and women is not sex-related but brain-size-related. A recent report, however, showed that the midsagittal CC area was significantly larger in women in 37 brain-size-matched pairs of normal young adults. Since this constituted strong evidence of sexual dimorphism and was obtained from publicly available data in OASIS, we examined volume differences within the CC and in other white matter using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). We created a three-dimensional region of interest of the CC and measured its volume. The VBM statistics were analyzed by permutation test and threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) with the significance levels at FWER < 0.05. The CC volume was significantly larger in women in the same 37 brain-size-matched pairs. We found that the CC genu was the subregion showing the most significant sex-related difference. We also found that white matter in the bilateral anterior frontal regions and the left lateral white matter near to Broca’s area were larger in women, whereas there were no significant larger regions in men. Since we used brain-size-matched subjects, our results gave strong volumetric evidence of localized sexual dimorphism of white matter.
A second generation SNP and SSR integrated linkage map and QTL mapping for the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis
Authors: Qiu Gao-Feng , Xiong Liang-Wei , Han Zhi-Ke , Liu Zhi-Qiang , Feng Jian-Bin , Wu Xu-Gan , Yan Yin-Long , Shen Hong , Huang Long , Chen Li 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe Chinese mitten crabEriocheir sinensisis the most economically important cultivated crab species in China, and its genome has a high number of chromosomes (2n = 146). To obtain sufficient markers for construction of a dense genetic map for this species, we employed the recently developed specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) method for large-scale SNPs screening and genotyping in a F1 full-sib family of 149 individuals. SLAF-seq generated 127,677 polymorphic SNP markers, of which 20,803 valid markers were assigned into five segregation types and were used together with previous SSR markers for linkage map construction. The final integrated genetic map included 17,680 SNP and 629 SSR markers on the 73 linkage groups (LG), and spanned 14,894.9 cM with an average marker interval of 0.81 cM. QTL mapping localized three significant growth-related QTL to a 1.2 cM region in LG53 as well as 146 sex-linked markers in LG48. Genome-wide QTL-association analysis further identified four growth-related QTL genes named LNX2, PAK2, FMRFamide and octopamine receptors. These genes are involved in a variety of different signaling pathways including cell proliferation and growth. The map and SNP markers described here will be a valuable resource for theE. sinensisgenome project and selective breeding programs.
Feature selection and classification of urinary mRNA microarray data by iterative random forest to diagnose renal fibrosis: a two-stage study
Authors: Zhou Le-Ting , Cao Yu-Han , Lv Lin-Li , Ma Kun-Ling , Chen Ping-Sheng , Ni Hai-Feng , Lei Xiang-Dong , Liu Bi-Cheng 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRenal fibrosis is a common pathological pathway of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, kidney function parameters are suboptimal for detecting early fibrosis, and therefore, novel biomarkers are urgently needed. We designed a 2-stage study and constructed a targeted microarray to detect urinary mRNAs of CKD patients with renal biopsy and healthy participants. We analysed the microarray data by an iterative random forest method to select candidate biomarkers and produce a more accurate classifier of renal fibrosis. Seventy-six and 49 participants were enrolled into stage I and stage II studies, respectively. By the iterative random forest method, we identified a four-mRNA signature in urinary sediment, including TGFβ1, MMP9, TIMP2, and vimentin, as important features of tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF). All four mRNAs significantly correlated with TIF scores and discriminated TIF with high sensitivity, which was further validated in the stage-II study. The combined classifiers showed excellent sensitivity and outperformed serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate measurements in diagnosing TIF. Another four mRNAs significantly correlated with glomerulosclerosis. These findings showed that urinary mRNAs can serve as sensitive biomarkers of renal fibrosis, and the random forest classifier containing urinary mRNAs showed favourable performance in diagnosing early renal fibrosis.
CTCF interacts with the lytic HSV-1 genome to promote viral transcription
Authors: Lang Fengchao , Li Xin , Vladimirova Olga , Hu Benxia , Chen Guijun , Xiao Yu , Singh Vikrant , Lu Danfeng , Li Lihong , Han Hongbo , Wickramasinghe J. M. A. S. P. , Smith Sheryl T. , Zheng Chunfu , Li Qihan , Lieberman Paul M. , Fraser Nigel W. , Zhou Jumin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractCTCF is an essential chromatin regulator implicated in important nuclear processes including in nuclear organization and transcription. Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous human pathogen, which enters productive infection in human epithelial and many other cell types. CTCF is known to bind several sites in the HSV-1 genome during latency and reactivation, but its function has not been defined. Here, we report that CTCF interacts extensively with the HSV-1 DNA during lytic infection by ChIP-seq, and its knockdown results in the reduction of viral transcription, viral genome copy number and virus yield. CTCF knockdown led to increased H3K9me3 and H3K27me3, and a reduction of RNA pol II occupancy on viral genes. Importantly, ChIP-seq analysis revealed that there is a higher level of CTD Ser2P modified RNA Pol II near CTCF peaks relative to the Ser5P form in the viral genome. Consistent with this, CTCF knockdown reduced the Ser2P but increased Ser5P modified forms of RNA Pol II on viral genes. These results suggest that CTCF promotes HSV-1 lytic transcription by facilitating the elongation of RNA Pol II and preventing silenced chromatin on the viral genome.