bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on blood lipid and carotid intima-media thickness in children with growth hormone deficiency
Authors: Chen Ming , Gan Dongmei , Luo Yili , Rampersad Sharvan , Xu Lu , Yang Shaoling , Li Nan , Li Hong 
Published: December 2017

Abstract

Background
Reports on the association between growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and cardiovascular risk factors in children are limited. We aim to investigate the effect of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy on blood lipid and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in Chinese GHD children.

Methods
Ninety children, including sixty isolated GHD children and thirty healthy children, were enrolled. GHD children were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) according to the rhGH dose given: group A received 0.23 mg/kg/week and group B received 0.35 mg/kg/week for 12 months. The TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and cIMT at baseline and after treatment were measured.

Results
The height, weight, and height velocity improved significantly over 12 months of rhGH therapy in all GHD children. At baseline, GHD children in both the treatment groups showed significantly higher total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), cIMT, and lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) than healthy children (all P≤0.033). After the 12-month rhGH therapy, a significant decrease in the TC, TG, LDL-C, and cIMT, as well as a significant increase in the HDL-C (P≤0.046), was observed in the GHD children, with change in the group B being even more marked.

Conclusions
The RhGH replacement therapy in GHD children can improve both the blood lipid profile and carotid intima-media thickness, with higher-dose rhGH therapy showing superior effects.
Functional reduction in pollination through herbivore-induced pollinator limitation and its potential in mutualist communities
Authors: Glaum Paul , Kessler André 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPlant–pollinator interactions are complex because they are affected by both interactors’ phenotypes and external variables. Herbivory is one external variable that can have divergent effects on the individual and the population levels depending on specific phenotypic plastic responses of a plant to herbivory. In the wild tomato,Solanum peruvianum, herbivory limits pollinator visits, which reduces individual plant fitness due to herbivore-induced chemical defenses and signaling on pollinators (herbivore-induced pollinator limitation). We showed these herbivory-induced decreases in pollination to individual plants best match a Type II functional-response curve. We then developed a general model that shows these individual fitness reductions from herbivore-induced changes in plant metabolism can indirectly benefit overall populations and community resilience. These results introduce mechanisms of persistence in antagonized mutualistic communities that were previously found prone to extinction in theoretical models. Results also imply that emergent ecological dynamics of individual fitness reductions may be more complex than previously thought.
Mapping the ecological networks of microbial communities
Authors: Xiao Yandong , Angulo Marco Tulio , Friedman Jonathan , Waldor Matthew K. , Weiss Scott T. , Liu Yang-Yu 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMapping the ecological networks of microbial communities is a necessary step toward understanding their assembly rules and predicting their temporal behavior. However, existing methods require assuming a particular population dynamics model, which is not known a priori. Moreover, those methods require fitting longitudinal abundance data, which are often not informative enough for reliable inference. To overcome these limitations, here we develop a new method based on steady-state abundance data. Our method can infer the network topology and inter-taxa interaction types without assuming any particular population dynamics model. Additionally, when the population dynamics is assumed to follow the classic Generalized Lotka–Volterra model, our method can infer the inter-taxa interaction strengths and intrinsic growth rates. We systematically validate our method using simulated data, and then apply it to four experimental data sets. Our method represents a key step towards reliable modeling of complex, real-world microbial communities, such as the human gut microbiota.
Efficient dissolved organic carbon production and export in the oligotrophic ocean
Authors: Roshan Saeed , DeVries Timothy 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBiologically fixed carbon is transferred from the surface to deep ocean as sinking particles or dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC is estimated to account for ~20% of global export production, but the degree to which this varies regionally has not been assessed at a global scale. Here we present the first observationally based global-scale assessment of DOC production and export, obtained by combining an artificial neural network estimate of the global DOC distribution, and a data-constrained ocean circulation model. Our results demonstrate that the efficiency of DOC production and export varies more than threefold across oceanographic regions. DOC production and export display a pronounced peak in the oligotrophic subtropical oceans, where DOC accounts for roughly half of the total organic carbon export. These stratified nutrient-depleted regions are expected to expand with future warming, amplifying the role of DOC in the biological pump, and magnifying the need to improve DOC cycling in climate models.
Calcination does not remove all carbon from colloidal nanocrystal assemblies
Authors: Mohapatra Pratyasha , Shaw Santosh , Mendivelso-Perez Deyny , Bobbitt Jonathan M. , Silva Tiago F. , Naab Fabian , Yuan Bin , Tian Xinchun , Smith Emily A. , Cademartiri Ludovico 
Published: December 2017

AbstractRemoving organics from hybrid nanostructures is a crucial step in many bottom-up materials fabrication approaches. It is usually assumed that calcination is an effective solution to this problem, especially for thin films. This assumption has led to its application in thousands of papers. We here show that this general assumption is incorrect by using a relevant and highly controlled model system consisting of thin films of ligand-capped ZrO2 nanocrystals. After calcination at 800 °C for 12 h, while Raman spectroscopy fails to detect the ligands after calcination, elastic backscattering spectrometry characterization demonstrates that ~18% of the original carbon atoms are still present in the film. By comparison plasma processing successfully removes the ligands. Our growth kinetic analysis shows that the calcined materials have significantly different interfacial properties than the plasma-processed counterparts. Calcination is not a reliable strategy for the production of single-phase all-inorganic materials from colloidal nanoparticles.
Sporadic low-velocity volumes spatially correlate with shallow very low frequency earthquake clusters
Authors: Tonegawa Takashi , Araki Eiichiro , Kimura Toshinori , Nakamura Takeshi , Nakano Masaru , Suzuki Kensuke 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA low-velocity zone (LVZ) has been detected by seismic exploration surveys within the Nankai accretionary prism toe off the Kii Peninsula, southwestern Japan, and is considered to be a mechanically weak volume at depth. Such mechanical heterogeneities potentially influence seismic and tsunamigenic slips on megathrust earthquakes in the subduction zone. However, the spatial distribution of the LVZ along the trough-parallel direction is still elusive. Here we show sporadic LVZs in the prism toe from one-dimensional shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles obtained at 49 cabled ocean bottom stations, which were estimated by a nonlinear inversion technique, simulated annealing, using the displacement–pressure ratios of the Rayleigh wave. The estimated distribution of LVZs along the trough widely correlates with the epicentres of shallow very low frequency earthquakes (sVLFEs), which suggests that sVLFEs are activated in the sporadically distributed low-velocity and mechanically weak volumes where fluids significantly reduce the shear strength of faults.
Oestrogen Receptor-α binds the FOXP3 promoter and modulates regulatory T-cell function in human cervical cancer
Authors: Adurthi Sreenivas , Kumar Mahesh M. , Vinodkumar H. S. , Mukherjee Geetashree , Krishnamurthy H. , Acharya K. Kshitish , Bafna U. D. , Uma Devi K. , Abhishekh B. , Krishna Sudhir , Parchure A. , Alka Murali , Jayshree R. S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractOestrogen controls Foxp3 expression in regulatory T cells (Treg cells) via a mechanism thought to involve oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), but the molecular basis and functional impact of ERα signalling in Treg cells remain unclear. We report that ERα ligand oestradiol (E2) is significantly increased in human cervical cancer (CxCa) tissues and tumour-infiltrating Treg cells (CD4+CD25hiCD127low), whereas blocking ERα with the antagonist ICI 182,780 abolishes FOXP3 expression and impairs the function of CxCa infiltrating Treg cells. Using a novel approach of co-immunoprecipitation with antibodies to E2 for capture, we identified binding of E2:ERα complexes to FOXP3 protein in CxCa-derived Treg cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses of male blood Treg cells revealed ERα occupancy at the FOXP3 promoter and conserved non-coding DNA elements 2 and 3. Accordingly, computational analyses of the enriched regions uncovered eight putative oestrogen response elements predicted to form a loop that can activate the FOXP3 promoter. Together, these data suggest that E2-mediated ERα signalling is critical for the sustenance of FOXP3 expression and Treg cell function in human CxCa via direct interaction of ERα with FOXP3 promoter. Overall, our work gives a molecular insight into ERα signalling and highlights a fundamental role of E2 in controlling human Treg cell physiology.
Three-dimensional (3D) culture of adult murine colon as an in vitro model of cryptosporidiosis: Proof of concept
Authors: Baydoun Martha , Vanneste Sadia Benamrouz , Creusy Colette , Guyot Karine , Gantois Nausicaa , Chabe Magali , Delaire Baptiste , Mouray Anthony , Baydoun Atallah , Forzy Gerard , Chieux Vincent , Gosset Pierre , Senez Vincent , Viscogliosi Eric , Follet Jérôme , Certad Gabriela 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCryptosporidium parvum is a major cause of diarrheal illness and was recently potentially associated with digestive carcinogenesis. Despite its impact on human health, Cryptosporidium pathogenesis remains poorly known, mainly due to the lack of a long-term culture method for this parasite. Thus, the aim of the present study was to develop a three-dimensional (3D) culture model from adult murine colon allowing biological investigations of the host-parasite interactions in an in vivo-like environment and, in particular, the development of parasite-induced neoplasia. Colonic explants were cultured and preserved ex vivo for 35 days and co-culturing was performed with C. parvum. Strikingly, the resulting system allowed the reproduction of neoplastic lesions in vitro at 27 days post-infection (PI), providing new evidence of the role of the parasite in the induction of carcinogenesis. This promising model could facilitate the study of host-pathogen interactions and the investigation of the process involved in Cryptosporidium-induced cell transformation.
Metabolic profiling of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos by NMR spectroscopy reveals multifaceted toxicity of β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA)
Authors: Roy Upasana , Conklin Laura , Schiller Jürgen , Matysik Jörg , Berry John P. , Alia A. 
Published: December 2017

Abstractβ-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been linked to several interrelated neurodegenerative diseases. Despite considerable research, specific contributions of BMAA toxicity to neurodegenerative diseases remain to be fully resolved. In the present study, we utilized state-of-the-art high-resolution magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS NMR), applied to intact zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos, as a model of vertebrate development, to elucidate changes in metabolic profiles associated with BMAA exposure. Complemented by several alternative analytical approaches (i.e., in vivo visualization and in vitro assay), HRMAS NMR identified robust and dose-dependent effect of BMAA on several relevant metabolic pathways suggesting a multifaceted toxicity of BMAA including: (1) localized production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), in the developing brain, consistent with excitotoxicity; (2) decreased protective capacity against excitotoxicity and oxidative stress including reduced taurine and glutathione; (3) inhibition of several developmentally stereotypical energetic and metabolic transitions, i.e., metabolic reprogramming; and (4) inhibition of lipid biosynthetic pathways. Matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry further identified specific effects on phospholipids linked to both neural development and neurodegeneration. Taken together, a unified model of the neurodevelopmental toxicity of BMAA in the zebrafish embryo is presented in relation to the potential contribution of BMAA to neurodegenerative disease.
Individual differences in empathy are associated with apathy-motivation
Authors: Lockwood Patricia L. , Ang Yuen-Siang , Husain Masud , Crockett Molly J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractEmpathy - the capacity to understand and resonate with the experiences of other people - is considered an essential aspect of social cognition. However, although empathy is often thought to be automatic, recent theories have argued that there is a key role for motivation in modulating empathic experiences. Here we administered self-report measures of empathy and apathy-motivation to a large sample of healthy people (n = 378) to test whether people who are more empathic are also more motivated. We then sought to replicate our findings in an independent sample (n = 198) that also completed a behavioural task to measure state affective empathy and emotion recognition. Cognitive empathy was associated with higher levels of motivation generally across behavioural, social and emotional domains. In contrast, affective empathy was associated with lower levels of behavioural motivation, but higher levels of emotional motivation. Factor analyses showed that empathy and apathy are distinct constructs, but that affective empathy and emotional motivation are underpinned by the same latent factor. These results have potentially important clinical applications for disorders associated with reduced empathy and motivation as well as the understanding of these processes in healthy people.
Activation of non-canonical WNT signaling in human visceral adipose tissue contributes to local and systemic inflammation
Authors: Zuriaga María A. , Fuster José J. , Farb Melissa G. , MacLauchlan Susan , Bretón-Romero Rosa , Karki Shakun , Hess Donald T. , Apovian Caroline M. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Gokce Noyan , Walsh Kenneth 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe accumulation of visceral adiposity is strongly associated with systemic inflammation and increased cardiometabolic risk. WNT5A, a non-canonical WNT ligand, has been shown to promote adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in animal studies. Among other non-canonical pathways, WNT5A activates planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling. The current study investigated the potential contribution of non-canonical WNT5A/PCP signaling to visceral adipose tissue (VAT) inflammation and associated metabolic dysfunction in individuals with obesity. VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) samples obtained from subjects undergoing bariatric surgery were analyzed by qRT-PCR for expression of WNT/PCP genes. In vitro experiments were conducted with preadipocytes isolated from VAT and SAT biopsies. The expression of 23 out of 33 PCP genes was enriched in VAT compared to SAT. Strong positive expression correlations of individual PCP genes were observed in VAT. WNT5A expression in VAT, but not in SAT, correlated with indexes of JNK signaling activity, IL6, waist-to-hip ratio and hsCRP. In vitro, WNT5A promoted the expression of IL6 in human preadipocytes. In conclusion, elevated non-canonical WNT5A signaling in VAT contributes to the exacerbated IL-6 production in this depot and the low-grade systemic inflammation typically associated with visceral adiposity.
Bullying incidences identification within an immersive environment using HD EEG-based analysis: A Swarm Decomposition and Deep Learning approach
Authors: Baltatzis Vasileios , Bintsi Kyriaki-Margarita , Apostolidis Georgios K. , Hadjileontiadis Leontios J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBullying is an everlasting phenomenon and the first, yet difficult, step towards the solution is its detection. Conventional approaches for bullying incidence identification include questionnaires, conversations and psychological tests. Here, unlike the conventional approaches, two experiments are proposed that involve visual stimuli with cases of bullying- and non-bullying- related ones, set within a 2D (simple video preview) and a Virtual Reality (VR) (immersive video preview) context. In both experimental settings, brain activity is recorded using high density (HD) (256 channels) electroencephalogram (EEG), and analyzed to identify the bullying stimuli type (bullying/non-bullying) and context (2D/VR). The proposed classification analysis uses a convolutional neural network (CNN), applying deep learning on the oscillatory modes (OCMs) embedded within the raw HD EEG data. The extraction of OCMs from the HD EEG data is achieved with swarm decomposition (SWD), which efficiently accounts for the non-stationarity and noise contamination of the raw HD EEG data. Experimental results from 17 subjects indicate that the new SWD/CNN approach achieves high discrimination accuracy (AUC = 0.987 between bullying/non-bullying stimuli type; AUC = 0.975, between bullying/non-bullying stimuli type and 2D/VR context), paving the way for better understanding of how brain’s responses could act as indicators of bullying experience within immersive environments.
Ultra-bright γ-ray emission and dense positron production from two laser-driven colliding foils
Authors: Li Han-Zhen , Yu Tong-Pu , Liu Jin-Jin , Yin Yan , Zhu Xing-Long , Capdessus Remi , Pegoraro Francesco , Sheng Zheng-Ming , McKenna Paul , Shao Fu-Qiu 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMatter can be transferred into energy and the opposite transformation is also possible by use of high-power lasers. A laser pulse in plasma can convert its energy intoγ-rays and thene−e+pairs via the multi-photon Breit-Wheeler process. Production of dense positrons at GeV energies is very challenging since extremely high laser intensity ~1024 Wcm−2is required. Here we propose an all-optical scheme for ultra-brightγ-ray emission and dense positron production with lasers at intensity of 1022–23 Wcm−2. By irradiating two colliding elliptically-polarized lasers onto two diamondlike carbon foils, electrons in the focal region of one foil are rapidly accelerated by the laser radiation pressure and interact with the other intense laser pulse which penetrates through the second foil due to relativistically induced foil transparency. This symmetric configuration enables efficient Compton back-scattering and results in ultra-brightγ-photon emission with brightness of ~1025photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%BW at 15 MeV and intensity of 5 × 1023 Wcm−2. Our first three-dimensional simulation with quantum-electrodynamics incorporated shows that a GeV positron beam with density of 2.5 × 1022cm−3and flux of 1.6 × 1010/shot is achieved. Collective effects of the pair plasma may be also triggered, offering a window on investigating laboratory astrophysics at PW laser facilities.
Negative charge and membrane-tethered viral 3B cooperate to recruit viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase 3D
pol
Authors: Dubankova Anna , Humpolickova Jana , Klima Martin , Boura Evzen 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMost single stranded plus RNA viruses hijack phosphatidylinositol 4-kinases (PI4Ks) to generate membranes highly enriched in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI4P). These membranous compartments known as webs, replication factories or replication organelles are essential for viral replication because they provide protection from the innate intracellular immune response while serving as platforms for viral replication. Using purified recombinant proteins and biomimetic model membranes we show that the nonstructural viral 3A protein is sufficient to promote membrane hyper-phosphorylation given the proper intracellular cofactors (PI4KB and ACBD3). However, our bio-mimetic in vitro reconstitution assay revealed that rather than the presence of PI4P specifically, negative charge alone is sufficient for the recruitment of 3Dpol enzymes to the surface of the lipid bilayer. Additionally, we show that membrane tethered viral 3B protein (also known as Vpg) works in combination with the negative charge to increase the efficiency of membrane recruitment of 3Dpol.
Serotype and virulence genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from mink and its pathogenesis in mice and mink
Authors: Jian-li Wang , Yuan-yuan Shang , Shou-yu Guo , Fei-fei Diao , Jia-yu Yu , Xue-hua Wei , Yong-feng Zhao , Shi-jin Jiang , Zhi-jing Xie 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn the study, 15 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from the mink experiencing respiratory distress in mideastern Shandong province, China, and the prevalence of K. pneumoniae in the sampled mink was 11.9% (15/126). Fourteen (93.33%) of the 15 K. pneumoniae isolates were identified as serotype K2 and hypermucoviscosity phenotype. The 12 virulence-associated genes of the K. pneumoniae isolates were tested. The prevalence of the wabG gene for the isolates were 100% (15/15), the ureA gene 100% (15/15), the rmpA gene 93.33% (14/15), the aerobactin gene 93.33% (14/15), the uge gene 93.33% (14/15), the IucB gene 80% (12/15) and the ybtA gene 13.33% (2/15). But the other five genes, fim, iroNB, wcaG, alls and kfuBC, gave a negative PCR reaction in the 15 isolates, respectively. The animal experiments using K. pneumoniae-SD-12 and K. pneumoniae-SD-21 demonstrated that the serotype K2 was high virulence for mice and mink. These finding implied there exist potential threat that K. pneumoniae pathogens could transmit to human, especially the fur animal farm workers and residents lived near the fur animal farms. Therefore, the etiology and epidemiological surveillance of K. pneumoniae in mink should be strengthened for people’s public health.
A new high-pressure form of Mg2SiO4 highlighting diffusionless phase transitions of olivine
Authors: Tomioka Naotaka , Okuchi Takuo 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHigh-pressure polymorphism of olivine (α-phase of Mg2SiO4) is of particular interest for geophysicists aiming to understand the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s interior because of olivine’s prominent abundance in the upper mantle. Therefore, natural and synthetic olivine polymorphs have been actively studied in the past half century. Here, we report a new high-pressure polymorph, the ε*-phase, which was discovered in a heavily shocked meteorite. It occurs as nanoscale lamellae and has a topotaxial relationship with the host ringwoodite (γ-phase of Mg2SiO4). Olivine in the host rock entrapped in a shock-induced melt vein initially transformed into polycrystalline ringwoodite through a nucleation and growth mechanism. The ringwoodite grains then coherently converted into the ε*-phase by shear transformation during subsequent pressure release. This intermediate metastable phase can be formed by all Mg2SiO4 polymorphs via a shear transformation mechanism. Here, we propose high-pressure transformations of olivine that are enhanced by diffusionless processes, not only in shocked meteorites but also in thick and cold lithosphere subducting into the deep Earth.