bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The delivery of health improvement information during radiotherapy treatment: a survey of UK therapy radiographers
Authors: Pattinson Laura , Jessop Anne 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIntroductionThe burden of lifestyle-associated disease is increasing with a preventative approach to health becoming more of a focus. Within the oncology setting, the importance of supporting patients with positive lifestyle changes post treatment is included within the recently developed recovery package and the contribution of therapeutic radiographers will be significant in the implementation of this.MethodA 23-question survey tool was distributed via the online platform Survey Monkey. The questionnaire was promoted online through the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR). All members of the SCoR had access to the questionnaire to allow for assessment of health improvement provision nationally. Quantitative and qualitative data were acquired and analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences, descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.ResultsTherapy radiographers recognise importance of health promotion. Highest levels of provision were observed with smoking cessation and lowest levels of provision observed on the topic of exercise. Key barriers identified were staff responsibility and lack of knowledge and training of therapy radiographers.DiscussionHealth improvement is part of the role of the therapy radiographer and is delivered within UK radiotherapy departments; however, there is scope to increase delivery with the identification and overcoming of barriers to provision.
Loneliness of Homosexual Male Students: Parental Bonding Attitude as a Moderating Factor
Authors: Chen I-Chieh 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships of homosexual male students at the senior high school level and their loneliness using parental bonding attitude as a moderating factor. An amount of 127 homosexual male senior high school students in Taiwan is studied. The Pearson correlation analysis and the hierarchical regression analysis are adapted to examine two proposed hypotheses. Based on the results, homosexual male senior high school students in both hyper-masculine and feminine gender roles are found to feel loneliness, but levels of loneliness of those who possess hyper-masculine gender role are relatively lower than those in a feminine role. In addition, the levels of loneliness of homosexual male senior high school students could be negatively affected by parental bonding attitudes (Care). Recommendations and suggestions for parents as well as teachers of homosexual senior high school male students and future studies are underscored at the end of this article.
Eosinophil differentiation in the bone marrow is promoted by protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2
Authors: Xia L-x , Hua W , Jin Y , Tian B-p , Qiu Z-w , Zhang C , Che L-q , Zhou H-b , Wu Y-f , Huang H-q , Lan F , Ke Y-h , Lee J J , Li W , Ying S-m , Chen Z-h , Shen H-h 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSHP2 participates in multiple signaling events by mediating T-cell development and function, and regulates cytokine-dependent granulopoiesis. To explore whether and how SHP2 can regulate bone-marrow eosinophil differentiation, we investigate the contribution of SHP2 in the bone-marrow eosinophil development in allergic mice. Blockade of SHP2 function by SHP2 inhibitor PHPS-1 or conditional shp2 knockdown by adenovirus-inhibited bone-marrow-derived eosinophil differentiationin vitro, with no detectable effects on the apoptosis of eosinophils. Furthermore, SHP2 induced eosinophil differentiation via regulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Myeloid shp2 conditional knockout mice (LysMcreshp2flox/flox) failed to induce eosinophilia as well as airway hyper-responsiveness. The SHP2 inhibitor PHPS-1 also alleviated eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness, accompanied by significantly reduced levels of systemic eosinophils and eosinophil lineage-committed progenitors in allergic mice. We demonstrate that inhibition of eosinophil development is SHP2-dependent and SHP2 is sufficient to promote eosinophil formationin vivo. Our data reveal SHP2 as a critical regulator of eosinophil differentiation, and inhibition of SHP2 specifically in myeloid cells alleviates allergic airway inflammation.
Eiger-induced cell death relies on Rac1-dependent endocytosis
Authors: Ruan W , Srinivasan A , Lin S , Kara k-I , Barker P A 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSignaling via tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily members regulates cellular life and death decisions. A subset of mammalian TNFR proteins, most notably the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), induces cell death through a pathway that requires activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs). However the receptor-proximal signaling events that mediate this remain unclear. Drosophila express a single tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand termed Eiger (Egr) that activates JNK-dependent cell death. We have exploited this model to identify phylogenetically conserved signaling events that allow Egr to induce JNK activation and cell death in vivo. Here we report that Rac1, a small GTPase, is specifically required in Egr-mediated cell death. rac1 loss of function blocks Egr-induced cell death, whereas Rac1 overexpression enhances Egr-induced killing. We identify Vav as a GEF for Rac1 in this pathway and demonstrate that dLRRK functions as a negative regulator of Rac1 that normally acts to constrain Egr-induced death. Thus dLRRK loss of function increases Egr-induced cell death in the fly. We further show that Rac1-dependent entry of Egr into early endosomes is a crucial prerequisite for JNK activation and for cell death and show that this entry requires the activity of Rab21 and Rab7. These findings reveal novel regulatory mechanisms that allow Rac1 to contribute to Egr-induced JNK activation and cell death.
3D replicon distributions arise from stochastic initiation and domino-like DNA replication progression
Authors: Löb D. , Lengert N. , Chagin V. O. , Reinhart M. , Casas-Delucchi C. S. , Cardoso M. C. , Drossel B. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractDNA replication dynamics in cells from higher eukaryotes follows very complex but highly efficient mechanisms. However, the principles behind initiation of potential replication origins and emergence of typical patterns of nuclear replication sites remain unclear. Here, we propose a comprehensive model of DNA replication in human cells that is based on stochastic, proximity-induced replication initiation. Critical model features are: spontaneous stochastic firing of individual origins in euchromatin and facultative heterochromatin, inhibition of firing at distances below the size of chromatin loops and a domino-like effect by which replication forks induce firing of nearby origins. The model reproduces the empirical temporal and chromatin-related properties of DNA replication in human cells. We advance the one-dimensional DNA replication model to a spatial model by taking into account chromatin folding in the nucleus, and we are able to reproduce the spatial and temporal characteristics of the replication foci distribution throughout S-phase.
Omnivory in birds is a macroevolutionary sink
Authors: Burin Gustavo , Kissling W. Daniel , Guimarães Paulo R. , Şekercioğlu Çağan H. , Quental Tiago B. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractDiet is commonly assumed to affect the evolution of species, but few studies have directly tested its effect at macroevolutionary scales. Here we use Bayesian models of trait-dependent diversification and a comprehensive dietary database of all birds worldwide to assess speciation and extinction dynamics of avian dietary guilds (carnivores, frugivores, granivores, herbivores, insectivores, nectarivores, omnivores and piscivores). Our results suggest that omnivory is associated with higher extinction rates and lower speciation rates than other guilds, and that overall net diversification is negative. Trait-dependent models, dietary similarity and network analyses show that transitions into omnivory occur at higher rates than into any other guild. We suggest that omnivory acts as macroevolutionary sink, where its ephemeral nature is retrieved through transitions from other guilds rather than from omnivore speciation. We propose that these dynamics result from competition within and among dietary guilds, influenced by the deep-time availability and predictability of food resources.
A systematic analysis of the role of GGDEF-EAL domain proteins in virulence and motility in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola
Authors: Wei Chao , Jiang Wendi , Zhao Mengran , Ling Junjie , Zeng Xin , Deng Jun , Jin Dongli , Dow John Maxwell , Sun Wenxian 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe second messenger c-di-GMP is implicated in regulation of various aspects of the lifestyles and virulence of Gram-negative bacteria. Cyclic di-GMP is formed by diguanylate cyclases with a GGDEF domain and degraded by phosphodiesterases with either an EAL or HD-GYP domain. Proteins with tandem GGDEF-EAL domains occur in many bacteria, where they may be involved in c-di-GMP turnover or act as enzymatically-inactive c-di-GMP effectors. Here, we report a systematic study of the regulatory action of the eleven GGDEF-EAL proteins in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, an important rice pathogen causing bacterial leaf streak. Mutational analysis revealed that XOC_2335 and XOC_2393 positively regulate bacterial swimming motility, while XOC_2102, XOC_2393 and XOC_4190 negatively control sliding motility. The ΔXOC_2335/XOC_2393 mutant that had a higher intracellular c-di-GMP level than the wild type and the ΔXOC_4190 mutant exhibited reduced virulence to rice after pressure inoculation. In vitro purified XOC_4190 and XOC_2102 have little or no diguanylate cyclase or phosphodiesterase activity, which is consistent with unaltered c-di-GMP concentration in ΔXOC_4190. Nevertheless, both proteins can bind to c-di-GMP with high affinity, indicating a potential role as c-di-GMP effectors. Overall our findings advance understanding of c-di-GMP signaling and its links to virulence in an important rice pathogen.
Evaluation of the diagnostic potential of antibodies to beta2-glycoprotein 1 domain 1 in Chinese patients with antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Zhang Shulan , Wu Ziyan , Chen Si , Li Jing , Wen Xiaoting , Li Liubing , Zhang Wen , Zhao Jiuliang , Zhang Fengchun , Li Yongzhe 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIn this study, we evaluated the clinical performance of anti-β2-glycoprotein 1 domain 1 antibodies (aβ2GP1-D1) in the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Sera from 229 subjects were tested, including 35 patients with primary APS, 51 patients with APS associated to other diseases, 30 patients with non-APS thrombosis, 32 patients with non-APS pregnancy-related morbidity, 42 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 39 healthy controls (HC). Serum IgG aβ2GP1-D1, IgG/IgM anti-cardiolipin (aCL) and IgG/IgM aβ2GP1 were measured by a chemiluminescence assay. The levels of IgG aβ2GP1-D1 were significantly increased in patients with APS, compared with disease controls and HCs (p < 0.001). Significant correlation was identified between IgG aβ2GP1-D1 and IgG aβ2GP1 (p < 0.0001), indicating IgG aβ2GP1-D1 were the predominant domain-specific antibodies in IgG aβ2GP1 family. Importantly, aβ2GP1-D1, but not aβ2GP1 non-D1, was significantly correlated with thrombotic events. Interestingly, no significant correlation between IgG aβ2GP1-D1 and obstetric complications was observed. Additionally, significantly higher levels of IgG aβ2GP1-D1 were found in patients with triple aPL positivity, compared with patients with double and single aPL positivity. Our findings suggest a potential role of IgG aβ2GP1-D1 in identifying APS patients with high risk of thrombosis, shedding insight on the introduction of IgG aβ2GP1-D1 in China.
82-kDa choline acetyltransferase and SATB1 localize to β-amyloid induced matrix attachment regions
Authors: Winick-Ng Warren , Caetano Fabiana A. , Winick-Ng Jennifer , Morey Trevor M. , Heit Bryan , Rylett R. Jane 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe M-transcript of human choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) produces an 82-kDa protein (82-kDa ChAT) that concentrates in nuclei of cholinergic neurons. We assessed the effects of acute exposure to oligomeric amyloid-β1–42 (Aβ1–42) on 82-kDa ChAT disposition in SH-SY5Y neural cells, finding that acute exposure to Aβ1–42 results in increased association of 82-kDa ChAT with chromatin and formation of 82-kDa ChAT aggregates in nuclei. When measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq), we identified that Aβ1–42 -exposure increases 82-kDa ChAT association with gene promoters and introns. The Aβ1–42 -induced 82-kDa ChAT aggregates co-localize with special AT-rich binding protein 1 (SATB1), which anchors DNA to scaffolding/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs). SATB1 had a similar genomic association as 82-kDa ChAT, with both proteins associating with synapse and cell stress genes. After Aβ1–42 -exposure, both SATB1 and 82-kDa ChAT are enriched at the same S/MAR on the APP gene, with 82-kDa ChAT expression attenuating an increase in an isoform-specific APP mRNA transcript. Finally, 82-kDa ChAT and SATB1 have patterned genomic association at regions enriched with S/MAR binding motifs. These results demonstrate that 82-kDa ChAT and SATB1 play critical roles in the response of neural cells to acute Aβ -exposure.
Metformin Protects Against Cisplatin-Induced Tubular Cell Apoptosis and Acute Kidney Injury via AMPKα-regulated Autophagy Induction
Authors: Li Jianzhong , Gui Yuan , Ren Jiafa , Liu Xin , Feng Ye , Zeng Zhifeng , He Weichun , Yang Junwei , Dai Chunsun 
Published: April 2016

AbstractMetformin, one of the most common prescriptions for patients with type 2 diabetes, is reported to protect the kidney from gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. However, the role and mechanisms for metformin in preventing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity remains largely unknown. In this study, a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin was employed to induce acute kidney injury (AKI) in CD1 mice. The mice exhibited severe kidney dysfunction and histological damage at day 2 after cisplatin injection. Pretreatment of metformin could markedly attenuate cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury, tubular cell apoptosis and inflammatory cell accumulation in the kidneys. Additionally, pretreatment of metformin could enhance both AMPKα phosphorylation and autophagy induction in the kidneys after cisplatin injection. In cultured NRK-52E cells, a rat kidney tubular cell line, metformin could stimulate AMPKα phosphorylation, induce autophagy and inhibit cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis. Blockade of either AMPKα activation or autophagy induction could largely abolish the protective effect of metformin in cisplatin-induced cell death. Together, this study demonstrated that metformin may protect against cisplatin-induced tubular cell apoptosis and AKI through stimulating AMPKα activation and autophagy induction in the tubular cells.
Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists Decrease Cancer Risk in Asthma Patients
Authors: Tsai Ming-Ju , Wu Ping-Hsun , Sheu Chau-Chyun , Hsu Ya-Ling , Chang Wei-An , Hung Jen-Yu , Yang Chih-Jen , Yang Yi-Hsin , Kuo Po-Lin , Huang Ming-Shyan 
Published: April 2016

AbstractPrevious in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the potential of using cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) for chemoprevention, but this has not been investigated in any clinical setting. We therefore investigated the chemopreventive effect of LTRAs in a nationwide population-based study. From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we enrolled adults with newly-diagnosed asthma between 2001 and 2011. Among these patients, each LTRA user was matched with five randomly-selected LTRA non-users by sex, age, asthma diagnostic year and modified Charlson Comorbidity Index score. We considered the development of cancer as the outcome. Totally, 4185 LTRA users and 20925 LTRA non-users were identified. LTRA users had a significantly lower cancer incidence rate than LTRA non-users did. Multivariable Cox regression analyses adjusting for baseline characteristics and comorbidities showed LTRA use was an independent protecting factor (hazard ratio = 0.31 [95% CI: 0.24–0.39]), and cancer risk decreased progressively with higher cumulative dose of LTRAs. In conclusion, this study revealed that the LTRA use decreased cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner in asthma patients. The chemopreventive effect of LTRAs deserves further study.
Concentration Dependent Ion-Protein Interaction Patterns Underlying Protein Oligomerization Behaviours
Authors: Batoulis Helena , Schmidt Thomas H. , Weber Pascal , Schloetel Jan-Gero , Kandt Christian , Lang Thorsten 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSalts and proteins comprise two of the basic molecular components of biological materials. Kosmotropic/chaotropic co-solvation and matching ion water affinities explain basic ionic effects on protein aggregation observed in simple solutions. However, it is unclear how these theories apply to proteins in complex biological environments and what the underlying ionic binding patterns are. Using the positive ion Ca2+ and the negatively charged membrane protein SNAP25, we studied ion effects on protein oligomerization in solution, in native membranes and in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We find that concentration-dependent ion-induced protein oligomerization is a fundamental chemico-physical principle applying not only to soluble but also to membrane-anchored proteins in their native environment. Oligomerization is driven by the interaction of Ca2+ ions with the carboxylate groups of aspartate and glutamate. From low up to middle concentrations, salt bridges between Ca2+ ions and two or more protein residues lead to increasingly larger oligomers, while at high concentrations oligomers disperse due to overcharging effects. The insights provide a conceptual framework at the interface of physics, chemistry and biology to explain binding of ions to charged protein surfaces on an atomistic scale, as occurring during protein solubilisation, aggregation and oligomerization both in simple solutions and membrane systems.
Modulation of electronic properties from stacking orders and spin-orbit coupling for 3R-type MoS2
Authors: Fan Xiaofeng , Zheng W. T. , Kuo Jer-Lai , Singh David J. , Sun C.Q. , Zhu W. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractTwo-dimensional crystals stacked by van der Waals coupling, such as twisted graphene and coupled graphene-BN layers with unusual phenomena have been a focus of research recently. As a typical representative, with the modulation of structural symmetry, stacking orders and spin-orbit coupling, transitional metal dichalcogenides have shown a lot of fascinating properties. Here we reveal the effect of stacking orders with spin-orbit coupling on the electronic properties of few-layer 3R-type MoS2 by first principles methods. We analyze the splitting of states at the top of valence band and the bottom of conduction band, following the change of stacking order. We find that regardless of stacking orders and layers’ number, the spin-up and spin-down channels are evidently separated and can be as a basis for the valley dependent spin polarization. With a model Hamiltonian about the layer’s coupling, the band splitting can be effectively analyzed by the coupling parameters. It is found that the stacking sequences, such as abc and abca, have the stronger nearest-neighbor coupling which imply the popular of periodic abc stacking sequence in natural growth of MoS2.
Redirection of pyruvate flux toward desired metabolic pathways through substrate channeling between pyruvate kinase and pyruvate-converting enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Kim Sujin , Bae Sang-Jeong , Hahn Ji-Sook 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSpatial organization of metabolic enzymes allows substrate channeling, which accelerates processing of intermediates. Here, we investigated the effect of substrate channeling on the flux partitioning at a metabolic branch point, focusing on pyruvate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As a platform strain for the channeling of pyruvate flux, PYK1-Coh-Myc strain was constructed in which PYK1 gene encoding pyruvate kinase is tagged with cohesin domain. By using high-affinity cohesin-dockerin interaction, the pyruvate-forming enzyme Pyk1 was tethered to heterologous pyruvate-converting enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase and α-acetolactate synthase, to produce lactic acid and 2,3-butanediol, respectively. Pyruvate flux was successfully redirected toward desired pathways, with a concomitant decrease in ethanol production even without genetic attenuation of the ethanol-producing pathway. This pyruvate channeling strategy led to an improvement of 2,3-butanediol production by 38%, while showing a limitation in improving lactic acid production due to a reduced activity of lactate dehydrogenase by dockerin tagging.
A Novel SRP Recognition Sequence in the Homeostatic Control Region of Heat Shock Transcription Factor σ32
Authors: Miyazaki Ryoji , Yura Takashi , Suzuki Takehiro , Dohmae Naoshi , Mori Hiroyuki , Akiyama Yoshinori 
Published: April 2016

AbstractHeat shock response (HSR) generally plays a major role in sustaining protein homeostasis. In Escherichia coli, the activity and amount of the dedicated transcription factor σ32 transiently increase upon heat shock. The initial induction is followed by chaperone-mediated negative feedback to inactivate and degrade σ32. Previous work reported that signal recognition particle (SRP)-dependent targeting of σ32 to the membrane is essential for feedback control, though how SRP recognizes σ32 remained unknown. Extensive photo- and disulfide cross-linking studies in vivo now reveal that the highly conserved regulatory region of σ32 that lacks a consecutive hydrophobic stretch interacts with the signal peptide-binding site of Ffh (the protein subunit of SRP). Importantly, the σ32–Ffh interaction observed was significantly affected by mutations in this region that compromise the feedback regulation, but not by deleting the DnaK/DnaJ chaperones. Homeostatic regulation of HSR thus requires a novel type of SRP recognition mechanism.
Deletion and low expression of NFKBIA are associated with poor prognosis in lower-grade glioma patients
Authors: Kinker Gabriela Sarti , Thomas Andrew Maltez , Carvalho Vinicius Jardim , Lima Felipe Prata , Fujita André 
Published: April 2016

AbstractLower-grade gliomas (LGGs), which are uniformly fatal in young adults, are classified as grades II-III tumors according to their histological features. The NFκB transcription factor, a crucial player in cancer initiation and progression, is inactivated in the cytoplasm by inhibitory proteins (IκBs) that have been shown to exert tumor-suppressor activity. Therefore, using The Cancer Genome Atlas copy number alteration and RNA-Seq data from 398 patients, we evaluated the association between the expression and dosage of NFKBIA, which encodes IκBα, and the overall malignancy of LGGs. Deletion and low expression of NFKBIA were associated with enhanced tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in LGGs. Accordingly, the dosage and expression of NFKBIA were independent prognostic factors for 5-year survival (dosage: P = 0.016; expression: P = 0.002) and 5-year recurrence-free survival (dosage: P = 0.009; expression: P = 0.005). Moreover, gene set enrichment analyses and co-expression network analyses indicated a role for NFKBIA in the negative regulation of cell proliferation, possibly through the modulation of downstream NFκB activation. Overall, the present findings reveal the prognostic value of NFKBIA in LGGs, reinforcing the relevance of NFκB signaling in the development and progression of gliomas.