bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender and Regional Differences in Sleep Quality and Insomnia: A General Population-based Study in Hunan Province of China
Authors: Tang Jinsong , Liao Yanhui , Kelly Brian C. , Xie Liqin , Xiang Yu-Tao , Qi Chang , Pan Chen , Hao Wei , Liu Tieqiao , Zhang Fengyu , Chen Xiaogang 
Published: March 2017

AbstractInsomnia and the inability to sleep affect people’s health and well-being. However, its systematic estimates of prevalence and distribution in the general population in China are still lacking. A population-based cluster sampling survey was conducted in the rural and urban areas of Hunan, China. Subjects (n = 26,851) were sampled from the general population, with a follow-up using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for interview to assess quality of sleep and Insomnia (PSQI score >5). While the overall prevalence of insomnia was 26.6%, and little difference was found between males (26.3%) and females (27.0%); the mean PSQI score was 4.26 (±2.67), and significant higher in females (4.32 ± 2.70) than males (4.21 ± 2.64, p = 0.003). Individuals in the rural areas tended to report a higher PSQI score (4.45 ± 2.81) than urban residents did (4.18 ± 2.60) (p < 0.001) and the estimates of prevalence of insomnia was 29.4% in the rural areas, significant higher than 25.5% in the urban areas (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, older age, higher level of education, being unmarried, living in the rural area, cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking were associated with insomnia. Our study may provide important information for general and mental health research.
Loss of the EPH receptor B6 contributes to colorectal cancer metastasis
Authors: Mateo-Lozano Silvia , Bazzocco Sarah , Rodrigues Paulo , Mazzolini Rocco , Andretta Elena , Dopeso Higinio , Fernández Yolanda , del Llano Edgar , Bilic Josipa , Suárez-López Lucía , Macaya Irati , Cartón-García Fernando , Nieto Rocio , Jimenez-Flores Lizbeth M. , de Marcondes Priscila Guimarães , Nuñez Yaiza , Afonso Elsa , Cacci Karina , Hernández-Losa Javier , Landolfi Stefania , Abasolo Ibane , Ramón y Cajal Santiago , Mariadason John M. , Schwartz Simo , Matsui Toshimitsu , Arango Diego 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAlthough deregulation of EPHB signaling has been shown to be an important step in colorectal tumorigenesis, the role of EPHB6 in this process has not been investigated. We found here that manipulation of EPHB6 levels in colon cancer cell lines has no effect on their motility and growth on a solid substrate, soft agar or in a xenograft mouse model. We then used an EphB6 knockout mouse model to show that EphB6 inactivation does not efficiently initiate tumorigenesis in the intestinal tract. In addition, when intestinal tumors are initiated genetically or pharmacologically in EphB6+/+ and EphB6−/− mice, no differences were observed in animal survival, tumor multiplicity, size or histology, and proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells or tumor cells. However, reintroduction of EPHB6 into colon cancer cells significantly reduced the number of lung metastasis after tail-vein injection in immunodeficient mice, while EPHB6 knockdown in EPHB6-expressing cells increased their metastatic spread. Consistently, although EPHB6 protein expression in a series of 130 primary colorectal tumors was not associated with patient survival, EPHB6 expression was significantly lower in lymph node metastases compared to primary tumors. Our results indicate that the loss of EPHB6 contributes to the metastatic process of colorectal cancer.
Antiferromagnetic THz-frequency Josephson-like Oscillator Driven by Spin Current
Authors: Khymyn Roman , Lisenkov Ivan , Tiberkevich Vasyl , Ivanov Boris A. , Slavin Andrei 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe development of compact and tunable room temperature sources of coherent THz-frequency signals would open a way for numerous new applications. The existing approaches to THz-frequency generation based on superconductor Josephson junctions (JJ), free electron lasers, and quantum cascades require cryogenic temperatures or/and complex setups, preventing the miniaturization and wide use of these devices. We demonstrate theoretically that a bi-layer of a heavy metal (Pt) and a bi-axial antiferromagnetic (AFM) dielectric (NiO) can be a source of a coherent THz signal. A spin-current flowing from a DC-current-driven Pt layer and polarized along the hard AFM anisotropy axis excites a non-uniform in time precession of magnetizations sublattices in the AFM, due to the presence of a weak easy-plane AFM anisotropy. The frequency of the AFM oscillations varies in the range of 0.1–2.0 THz with the driving current in the Pt layer from 108 A/cm2 to 109 A/cm2. The THz-frequency signal from the AFM with the amplitude exceeding 1 V/cm is picked up by the inverse spin-Hall effect in Pt. The operation of a room-temperature AFM THz-frequency oscillator is similar to that of a cryogenic JJ oscillator, with the energy of the easy-plane magnetic anisotropy playing the role of the Josephson energy.
Data-Driven Discovery of Extravasation Pathway in Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Yadavalli S. , Jayaram S. , Manda S. S. , Madugundu A. K. , Nayakanti D. S. , Tan T. Z. , Bhat R. , Rangarajan A. , Chatterjee A. , Gowda H. , Thiery J. P. , Kumar P. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCirculating tumor cells (CTCs) play a crucial role in cancer dissemination and provide a promising source of blood-based markers. Understanding the spectrum of transcriptional profiles of CTCs and their corresponding regulatory mechanisms will allow for a more robust analysis of CTC phenotypes. The current challenge in CTC research is the acquisition of useful clinical information from the multitude of high-throughput studies. To gain a deeper understanding of CTC heterogeneity and identify genes, pathways and processes that are consistently affected across tumors, we mined the literature for gene expression profiles in CTCs. Through in silico analysis and the integration of CTC-specific genes, we found highly significant biological mechanisms and regulatory processes acting in CTCs across various cancers, with a particular enrichment of the leukocyte extravasation pathway. This pathway appears to play a pivotal role in the migration of CTCs to distant metastatic sites. We find that CTCs from multiple cancers express both epithelial and mesenchymal markers in varying amounts, which is suggestive of dynamic and hybrid states along the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) spectrum. Targeting the specific molecular nodes to monitor disease and therapeutic control of CTCs in real time will likely improve the clinical management of cancer progression and metastases.
Amyloid precursor protein modulates macrophage phenotype and diet-dependent weight gain
Authors: Puig Kendra L. , Brose Stephen A. , Zhou Xudong , Sens Mary A. , Combs Gerald F. , Jensen Michael D. , Golovko Mikhail Y. , Combs Colin K. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractIt is well known that mutations in the gene coding for amyloid precursor protein are responsible for autosomal dominant forms of Alzheimer’s disease. Proteolytic processing of the protein leads to a number of metabolites including the amyloid beta peptide. Although brain amyloid precursor protein expression and amyloid beta production are associated with the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease, it is clear that amyloid precursor protein is expressed in numerous cell types and tissues. Here we demonstrate that amyloid precursor protein is involved in regulating the phenotype of both adipocytes and peripheral macrophages and is required for high fat diet-dependent weight gain in mice. These data suggest that functions of this protein include modulation of the peripheral immune system and lipid metabolism. This biology may have relevance not only to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease but also diet-associated obesity.
Fluctuation in systolic blood pressure is a major systemic risk factor for development of primary open-angle glaucoma
Authors: Lee Na Young , Jung Younhea , Han Kyungdo , Park Chan Kee 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe evaluated the risk of development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in terms of variability in BP using a nationwide, population-based, 11-year longitudinal study using the Korean National Health Insurance Research Database. We included patients who underwent health care examinations more than twice between January 2002 and December 2006. We divided all subjects by the quartiles of variability in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and the difference between SBP and DBP. Of the total of 80,021 included subjects, 910 were diagnosed with POAG between January 2007 and December 2013. Both the Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank test data indicated that patients with higher-level BP variability developed POAG significantly more frequently than did patients with lower-level variability (P < 0.001). On multivariate Cox’s regression modeling including gender, age, sex, household income, smoking status, level of alcohol intake, extent of exercise, diabetes mellitus status, dyslipidemia status, SBP, and DBP; the hazard ratios among the highest and lowest quartiles of SD SBP and CV SBP were 1.256 and 1.238, respectively. Our findings suggest that subjects in the highest quartile of SBP variability were significantly more likely to develop POAG in our population-based sample of Korean adults.
The taste response to ammonia in Drosophila
Authors: Delventhal R. , Menuz K. , Joseph R. , Park J. , Sun J. S. , Carlson J. R. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAmmonia is both a building block and a breakdown product of amino acids and is found widely in the environment. The odor of ammonia is attractive to many insects, including insect vectors of disease. The olfactory response of Drosophila to ammonia has been studied in some detail, but the taste response has received remarkably little attention. Here, we show that ammonia is a taste cue for Drosophila. Nearly all sensilla of the major taste organ of the Drosophila head house a neuron that responds to neutral solutions of ammonia. Ammonia is toxic at high levels to many organisms, and we find that it has a negative valence in two paradigms of taste behavior, one operating over hours and the other over seconds. Physiological and behavioral responses to ammonia depend at least in part on Gr66a+ bitter-sensing taste neurons, which activate a circuit that deters feeding. The Amt transporter, a critical component of olfactory responses to ammonia, is widely expressed in taste neurons but is not required for taste responses. This work establishes ammonia as an ecologically important taste cue in Drosophila, and shows that it can activate circuits that promote opposite behavioral outcomes via different sensory systems.
A new malaria vector mosquito in South Africa
Authors: Burke Ashley , Dandalo Leonard , Munhenga Givemore , Dahan-Moss Yael , Mbokazi Frans , Ngxongo Sifiso , Coetzee Maureen , Koekemoer Lizette , Brooke Basil 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSouth Africa aims to eliminate malaria within its borders by 2018. Despite well-coordinated provincial vector control programmes that are based on indoor residual insecticide spraying, low-level residual malaria transmission continues in the low-altitude border regions of the north-eastern sector of the country. In order to identify the underlying causes of residual transmission, an enhanced vector surveillance system has been implemented at selected sites in the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provinces. The collection periods for the data presented are March 2015 to April 2016 for Mpumalanga and January 2014 to December 2015 for KZN. The mosquito collection methods used included indoor and outdoor traps based on the use of traditional ceramic pots, modified plastic buckets and exit window traps (KZN only). All Anopheles funestus species group mosquitoes collected were identified to species and all females were screened for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. Two An. vaneedeni females, one from each surveillance site, tested positive for P. falciparum sporozoites. These are the first records of natural populations of An. vaneedeni being infective with P. falciparum. As both specimens were collected from outdoor-placed ceramic pots, these data show that An. vaneedeni likely contributes to residual malaria transmission in South Africa.
High efficiency quantum cascade laser frequency comb
Authors: Lu Quanyong , Wu Donghai , Slivken Steven , Razeghi Manijeh 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAn efficient mid-infrared frequency comb source is of great interest to high speed, high resolution spectroscopy and metrology. Here we demonstrate a mid-IR quantum cascade laser frequency comb with a high power output and narrow beatnote linewidth at room temperature. The active region was designed with a strong-coupling between the injector and the upper lasing level for high internal quantum efficiency and a broadband gain. The group velocity dispersion was engineered for efficient, broadband mode-locking via four wave mixing. The comb device exhibits a narrow intermode beatnote linewidth of 50.5 Hz and a maximum wall-plug efficiency of 6.5% covering a spectral coverage of 110 cm−1 at λ ~ 8 μm. The efficiency is improved by a factor of 6 compared with previous demonstrations. The high power efficiency and narrow beatnote linewidth will greatly expand the applications of quantum cascade laser frequency combs including high-precision remote sensing and spectroscopy.
Vegetative propagation capacity of invasive alligator weed through small stolon fragments under different treatments
Authors: Peng Xuemei , Li Haiyan , Yang Yunfei , Zhi Heng , Li Chengcheng , Guo Jian 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe ability to propagate via small diaspores is crucial for the invasion of a clone plant that does not reproduce sexually in its introduced range. We investigated the effects of node and internode adjacent mode, fragment type, burial orientation and position of the node in relation to the soil surface on the sprouting and growth of alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Martius) Griseb.). All the factors had effects and interaction effects on the sprouting rate and growth. As a whole fragment in all treatments, the fragments with basal node buried upward on the soil surface, exhibited the best above-ground growth and root growth. The one-node fragment with basal node buried downward above the soil surface and upward under the soil surface significantly decreased the above-ground growth and root growth compared to that of the two-node fragment. Therefore, the one-node fragments were more affected by environmental conditions than the two-node fragments. The results indicated that reducing the number of nodes of a fragment and burying the node under the soil or orienting it downward above the soil surface could be applied to control the invasion of alligator weed.
Second order optical nonlinearity of graphene due to electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole effects
Authors: Cheng J. L. , Vermeulen N. , Sipe J. E. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe present a practical scheme to separate the contributions of the electric quadrupole-like and the magnetic dipole-like effects to the forbidden second order optical nonlinear response of graphene, and give analytic expressions for the second order optical conductivities, calculated from the independent particle approximation, with relaxation described in a phenomenological way. We predict strong second order nonlinear effects, including second harmonic generation, photon drag, and difference frequency generation. We discuss in detail the controllability of these effects by tuning the chemical potential, taking advantage of the dominant role played by interband optical transitions in the response.
OM-85 is an immunomodulator of interferon-β production and inflammasome activity
Authors: Dang A. T. , Pasquali C. , Ludigs K. , Guarda G. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe inflammasome–IL-1 axis and type I interferons (IFNs) have been shown to exert protective effects upon respiratory tract infections. Conversely, IL-1 has also been implicated in inflammatory airway pathologies such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OM-85 is a bacterial extract with proved efficacy against COPD and recurrent respiratory tract infections, a cause of co-morbidity in asthmatic patients. We therefore asked whether OM-85 affects the above-mentioned innate immune pathways. Here we show that OM-85 induced interferon-β through the Toll-like receptor adaptors Trif and MyD88 in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Moreover, it exerted a dual role on IL-1 production; on the one hand, it upregulated proIL-1β and proIL-1α levels in a MyD88-dependent manner without activating the inflammasome. On the other hand, it repressed IL-1β secretion induced by alum, a well-known NLRP3 activator. In vivo, OM-85 diminished the recruitment of inflammatory cells in response to peritoneal alum challenge. Our findings therefore suggest that OM-85 favors a protective primed state, while dampening inflammasome activation in specific conditions. Taken together, these data bring new insights into the mechanisms of OM-85 action on innate immune pathways and suggest potential explanations for its efficacy in the treatment of virus-induced airway diseases.
Developmental Sex Differences in the Metabolism of Cardiolipin in Mouse Cerebral Cortex Mitochondria
Authors: Acaz-Fonseca Estefanía , Ortiz-Rodriguez Ana , Lopez-Rodriguez Ana B. , Garcia-Segura Luis M. , Astiz Mariana 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCardiolipin (CL) is a mitochondrial-specific phospholipid. CL content and acyl chain composition are crucial for energy production. Given that estradiol induces CL synthesis in neurons, we aimed to assess CL metabolism in the cerebral cortex (CC) of male and female mice during early postnatal life, when sex steroids induce sex-dimorphic maturation of the brain. Despite the fact that total amount of CL was similar, its fatty acid composition differed between males and females at birth. In males, CL was more mature (lower saturation ratio) and the expression of the enzymes involved in synthetic and remodeling pathways was higher, compared to females. Importantly, the sex differences found in CL metabolism were due to the testosterone peak that male mice experience perinatally. These changes were associated with a higher expression of UCP-2 and its activators in the CC of males. Overall, our results suggest that the perinatal testosterone surge in male mice regulates CL biosynthesis and remodeling in the CC, inducing a sex-dimorphic fatty acid composition. In male’s CC, CL is more susceptible to peroxidation, likely explaining the testosterone-dependent induction of neuroprotective molecules such as UCP-2. These differences may account for the sex-dependent mitochondrial susceptibility after perinatal hypoxia/ischemia.
Thermal Conductance of the 2D MoS2/h-BN and graphene/h-BN Interfaces
Authors: Liu Yi , Ong Zhun-Yong , Wu Jing , Zhao Yunshan , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Chi Dongzhi , Zhang Gang , Thong John T. L. , Qiu Cheng-Wei , Hippalgaonkar Kedar 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTwo-dimensional (2D) materials and their corresponding van der Waals heterostructures have drawn tremendous interest due to their extraordinary electrical and optoelectronic properties. Insulating 2D hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with an atomically smooth surface has been widely used as a passivation layer to improve carrier transport for other 2D materials, especially for Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs). However, heat flow at the interface between TMDCs and h-BN, which will play an important role in thermal management of various electronic and optoelectronic devices, is not yet understood. In this paper, for the first time, the interface thermal conductance (G) at the MoS2/h-BN interface is measured by Raman spectroscopy, and the room-temperature value is (17.0 ± 0.4) MW · m−2K−1. For comparison, G between graphene and h-BN is also measured, with a value of (52.2 ± 2.1) MW · m−2K−1. Non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) calculations, from which the phonon transmission spectrum can be obtained, show that the lower G at the MoS2/h-BN interface is due to the weaker cross-plane transmission of phonon modes compared to graphene/h-BN. This study demonstrates that the MoS2/h-BN interface limits cross-plane heat dissipation, and thereby could impact the design and applications of 2D devices while considering critical thermal management.
Prognostic factors of palatal mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a retrospective analysis based on a double-center study
Authors: Xu Wenguang , Wang Yufeng , Qi Xiaofeng , Xie Junqi , Wei Zheng , Yin Xiteng , Wang Zhiyong , Meng Jian , Han Wei 
Published: March 2017

AbstractMucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the palate is a common malignancy of minor salivary glands. This study was designed to identify the prognostic factors for MEC of the palate. The medical records of patients diagnosed with MEC of the palate who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Nanjing Stomatological Hospital and the Department of Stomatology at Central Hospital of Xuzhou were retrospectively studied. The prognostic factors were determined using a Cox proportional hazards model. Furthermore, the expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers CD44, CD133, Nanog and Sox2 were detected in neoplastic samples of these patients by immunohistochemistry. As a result, both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis proved a high histological grade and an advanced tumor stage as negative prognostic factors for overall survival. By immunohistochemistry staining and survival analysis, a combination of CD44/CD133/SOX2 was found to have the strongest prognostic value for palatal MEC patients. In conclusion, the proposed nomogram which include histological grade and tumor stage along with cancer stem cell markers provides a more accurate long-term prediction for palatal MEC patients.
Effect of age on pro-inflammatory miRNAs contained in mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles
Authors: Fafián-Labora J. , Lesende-Rodriguez I. , Fernández-Pernas P. , Sangiao-Alvarellos S. , Monserrat L. , Arntz O. J. , van de Loo F. A. J. , Mateos J. , Arufe M. C. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractStem cells possess significant age-dependent differences in their immune-response profile. These differences were analysed by Next-Generation Sequencing of six age groups from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. A total of 9,628 genes presenting differential expression between age groups were grouped into metabolic pathways. We focused our research on young, pre-pubertal and adult groups, which presented the highest amount of differentially expressed genes related to inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signalling pathways compared with the newborn group, which was used as a control. Extracellular vesicles extracted from each group were characterized by nanoparticle tracking and flow cytometry analysis, and several micro-RNAs were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction because of their relationship with the pathway of interest. Since miR-21-5p showed the highest statistically significant expression in extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells of the pre-pubertal group, we conducted a functional experiment inhibiting its expression and investigating the modulation of Toll-Like Receptor 4 and their link to damage-associated molecular patterns. Together, these results indicate for the first time that mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles have significant age-dependent differences in their immune profiles.