bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Double‐stranded RNA‐dependent protein kinase signalling and paradigms of cardiometabolic syndrome
Authors: Kalra Jaspreet , Dhar Arti 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMetabolic syndrome (Met S) is a collection of the most severe cardiometabolic risk factors that encompasses raised fasting plasma glucose, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, obesity and hypertension. The precise mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of Met S remains unclear. More often oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis are implicated in its aetiology. Recently, double‐stranded RNA‐dependent protein kinase has been found to intersect at the cross‐road of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in several metabolic diseases. Therefore, an effort has been made in the present review to discuss the role of double‐stranded RNA‐dependent protein kinase and above‐mentioned mechanisms in the progression of Met S, along with its interlinking in major clinical manifestations of Met S such as hypertension and diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Landscape simplification weakens the association between terrestrial producer and consumer diversity in Europe
Authors: Dainese Matteo , Isaac Nick J. B. , Powney Gary D. , Bommarco Riccardo , Öckinger Erik , Kuussaari Mikko , Pöyry Juha , Benton Tim G. , Gabriel Doreen , Hodgson Jenny A. , Kunin William E. , Lindborg Regina , Sait Steven M. , Marini Lorenzo 
Published: December 2016

AbstractLand‐use change is one of the primary drivers of species loss, yet little is known about its effect on other components of biodiversity that may be at risk. Here, we ask whether, and to what extent, landscape simplification, measured as the percentage of arable land in the landscape, disrupts the functional and phylogenetic association between primary producers and consumers. Across seven European regions, we inferred the potential associations (functional and phylogenetic) between host plants and butterflies in 561 seminatural grasslands. Local plant diversity showed a strong bottom‐up effect on butterfly diversity in the most complex landscapes, but this effect disappeared in simple landscapes. The functional associations between plant and butterflies are, therefore, the results of processes that act not only locally but are also dependent on the surrounding landscape context. Similarly, landscape simplification reduced the phylogenetic congruence among host plants and butterflies indicating that closely related butterflies become more generalist in the resources used. These processes occurred without any detectable change in species richness of plants or butterflies along the gradient of arable land. The structural properties of ecosystems are experiencing substantial erosion, with potentially pervasive effects on ecosystem functions and future evolutionary trajectories. Loss of interacting species might trigger cascading extinction events and reduce the stability of trophic interactions, as well as influence the longer term resilience of ecosystem functions. This underscores a growing realization that species richness is a crude and insensitive metric and that both functional and phylogenetic associations, measured across multiple trophic levels, are likely to provide additional and deeper insights into the resilience of ecosystems and the functions they provide.
Gross primary production responses to warming, elevated CO2, and irrigation: quantifying the drivers of ecosystem physiology in a semiarid grassland
Authors: Ryan Edmund M. , Ogle Kiona , Peltier Drew , Walker Anthony P. , De Kauwe Martin G. , Medlyn Belinda E. , Williams David G. , Parton William , Asao Shinichi , Guenet Bertrand , Harper Anna B. , Lu Xingjie , Luus Kristina A. , Zaehle Sönke , Shu Shijie , Werner Christian , Xia Jianyang , Pendall Elise 
Published: December 2016

AbstractDetermining whether the terrestrial biosphere will be a source or sink of carbon (C) under a future climate of elevated CO2 (eCO2) and warming requires accurate quantification of gross primary production (GPP), the largest flux of C in the global C cycle. We evaluated 6 years (2007–2012) of flux‐derived GPP data from the Prairie Heating and CO2 Enrichment (PHACE) experiment, situated in a grassland in Wyoming, USA. The GPP data were used to calibrate a light response model whose basic formulation has been successfully used in a variety of ecosystems. The model was extended by modeling maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax) and light‐use efficiency (Q) as functions of soil water, air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, vegetation greenness, and nitrogen at current and antecedent (past) timescales. The model fits the observed GPP well (R2 = 0.79), which was confirmed by other model performance checks that compared different variants of the model (e.g. with and without antecedent effects). Stimulation of cumulative 6‐year GPP by warming (29%, P = 0.02) and eCO2 (26%, P = 0.07) was primarily driven by enhanced C uptake during spring (129%, P = 0.001) and fall (124%, P = 0.001), respectively, which was consistent across years. Antecedent air temperature (Tairant) and vapor pressure deficit (VPDant) effects on Amax (over the past 3–4 days and 1–3 days, respectively) were the most significant predictors of temporal variability in GPP among most treatments. The importance of VPDant suggests that atmospheric drought is important for predicting GPP under current and future climate; we highlight the need for experimental studies to identify the mechanisms underlying such antecedent effects. Finally, posterior estimates of cumulative GPP under control and eCO2 treatments were tested as a benchmark against 12 terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs). The narrow uncertainties of these data‐driven GPP estimates suggest that they could be useful semi‐independent data streams for validating TBMs.
The global pyrogenic carbon cycle and its impact on the level of atmospheric CO2 over past and future centuries
Authors: Landry Jean‐Sébastien , Matthews H. Damon 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe incomplete combustion of vegetation and dead organic matter by landscape fires creates recalcitrant pyrogenic carbon (PyC), which could be consequential for the global carbon budget if changes in fire regime, climate, and atmospheric CO2 were to substantially affect gains and losses of PyC on land and in oceans. Here, we included global PyC cycling in a coupled climate–carbon model to assess the role of PyC in historical and future simulations, accounting for uncertainties through five sets of parameter estimates. We obtained year‐2000 global stocks of (Central estimate, likely uncertainty range in parentheses) 86 (11–154), 47 (2–64), and 1129 (90–5892) Pg C for terrestrial residual PyC (RPyC), marine dissolved PyC, and marine particulate PyC, respectively. PyC cycling decreased atmospheric CO2 only slightly between 1751 and 2000 (by 0.8 Pg C for the Central estimate) as PyC‐related fluxes changed little over the period. For 2000 to 2300, we combined Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 with stable or continuously increasing future fire frequencies. For the increasing future fire regime, the production of new RPyC generally outpaced the warming‐induced accelerated loss of existing RPyC, so that PyC cycling decreased atmospheric CO2 between 2000 and 2300 for most estimates (by 4–8 Pg C for Central). For the stable fire regime, however, PyC cycling usually increased atmospheric CO2 (by 1–9 Pg C for Central), and only the most extreme choice of parameters maximizing PyC production and minimizing PyC decomposition led to atmospheric CO2 decreases under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5 (by 5–8 Pg C). Our results suggest that PyC cycling will likely reduce the future increase in atmospheric CO2 if landscape fires become much more frequent; however, in the absence of a substantial increase in fire frequency, PyC cycling might contribute to, rather than mitigate, the future increase in atmospheric CO2.
Massive gastric juvenile‐type polyposis: a clinicopathological analysis of 22 cases
Authors: Gonzalez Raul S , Adsay Volkan , Graham Rondell P , Shroff Stuti G , Feely Michael M , Drage Michael G , Lewin David N , Swanson Eric A , Yantiss Rhonda K , Bağci Pelin , Krasinskas Alyssa M 
Published: December 2016

AimsMassive gastric polyposis is a rare entity that is often associated with juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features of 22 patients with abundant gastric juvenile‐type or hyperplastic‐like polyps.Methods and resultsThe study included 12 males and 10 females with a median age of 48 years (range: 13–79 years). Fourteen (64%) patients carried a diagnosis of JPS, and three had prior gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. Patients without known JPS presented at an older median age (60 years versus 40 years; P = 0.0068). Clinical symptoms included nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain; 23% of patients were asymptomatic. Eighteen cases showed complete or near‐complete carpeting of the gastric mucosa by innumerable polyps, ranging from a few millimetres to ~100 mm. Most polyps formed long, bulbous projections and had characteristic histological features, including a smooth outer contour, prominent stromal oedema, and widely spaced, often cystically dilated glands lined by foveolar epithelium; some polyps had less stroma and more hyperplastic foveolar epithelium. All had normal underlying or adjacent mucosa. Four (18%) cases harboured adenocarcinoma, and seven (32%) others showed dysplasia. SMAD4 immunohistochemical staining showed patchy loss in polyps from 19 of 20 cases tested. Five of six (84%) patients tested had a germline SMAD4 mutation.ConclusionsMassive gastric juvenile‐type polyposis can occur in patients with and without known JPS, and may mimic different conditions, such as other polyposis syndromes and Ménétrier disease. Pathologists play an important role in disease classification, as some patients lack a family or personal history of JPS, have few if any colonic polyps, and may not harbour diagnostic germline mutations.
Histological analysis of vasculopathy associated with pulmonary hypertension in combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: comparison with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or emphysema alone
Authors: Awano Nobuyasu , Inomata Minoru , Ikushima Soichiro , Yamada Daisuke , Hotta Masatoshi , Tsukuda Shunji , Kumasaka Toshio , Takemura Tamiko , Eishi Yoshinobu 
Published: December 2016

AimsTo evaluate pulmonary vasculopathy in an autopsy series of patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE), and compare these findings with those of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) alone and emphysema alone.Methods and resultsWe retrospectively analysed the clinical, radiological and pathological features of 26 patients with CPFE, 11 with IPF, and 23 with emphysema. We evaluated pulmonary vascular, venous–venular and arteriolar tissue changes in the fibrotic, emphysematous and relatively unaffected (preserved) areas by using the Heath–Edwards scoring system. We found moderate‐to‐severe vasculopathy in the CPFE group, but no significant differences in the fibrotic and emphysematous areas among the three groups. However, in the preserved area, the grading was significantly different among the three groups (P < 0.001), and vasculopathy in the CPFE group was the most severe. Although venous–venular and arteriolar changes in almost all fibrotic and emphysematous areas in the three groups showed no significant differences, there were significant differences in venous–venular (P = 0.004) and arteriolar (P < 0.001) changes in the preserved area among the three groups, which were most prevalent in the CPFE group. In the CPFE group, venous–venular changes and vasculopathy by Heath–Edwards grading were highest in the fibrotic area and lowest in the preserved area.ConclusionsThese results imply that pulmonary vasculopathy in patients with CPFE could occur in the whole lung tissue. This may explain the tendency for it to lead to the development of pulmonary hypertension in CPFE cases.
Quantitative Measurement of Communication Ability in Children with Angelman Syndrome
Authors: Grieco Joseph C. , Bahr Ruth H. , Schoenberg Mike R. , Conover Laura , Mackie Lauren N. , Weeber Edwin J. 
Published: December 2016

BackgroundAngelman syndrome is a rare disorder in which most individuals do not develop speech. Testing of communication ability using traditional neuropsychological measures reveals a performance level at or near the floor of the instrument resulting in an inability to detect change when experimental therapeutics are applied.MethodsNine individuals, with molecularly confirmed AS, ranging in age from 34 to 126 months, and a single healthy control child (age 16 months) were audio and video‐recorded while interacting with a licensed speech‐language pathologist in an attempt to elicit vocalization and non‐verbal communication. Thirty‐minute audio recordings were transcribed and categorized per the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development‐Revised and a phonetic inventory was created. Using video recordings, gestures were classified by function, either behavioral regulation or social interaction and further categorized as deictic or representational (i.e., behavioral regulation) and joint attention or shared engagement (i.e., social interaction).ResultsThe range of vocalizations produced by the children with AS was characteristic of children between 0–6 months and none of the children with AS used advanced forms of vocalizations. The mean frequency of reflexive vocalizations, control of phonation and expansion far exceeded the number of uses of canonical syllables, consistant with the characteristics of children around 12 months of age. Most vocalizations were either laughter or isolated vowels, only three children with AS produced consonant‐vowel combinations. Children with AS tended to use central and low vowels with few producing high vowels, suggesting the presence of childhood apraxia of speech.ConclusionOur results show the utilization of video‐recorded behavioral observations provides a feasible and reliable alternative for quantification of communication ability in this patient population and may be employed during future clinical studies of potential therapeutics.
Contribution of serum adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein levels to the presence of microalbuminuria in a Chinese hyperglycemic population
Authors: Hu Xiang , Ma Xiaojing , Luo Yuqi , Xu Yiting , Xiong Qin , Pan Xiaoping , Bao Yuqian , Jia Weiping 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAims/IntroductionIndividuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus are vulnerable to micro‐ and macrovascular complications in the presence of microalbuminuria. Adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein (A‐FABP) was proposed as an indicator for albuminuria in patients with diabetes. The present study aimed to explore the associations between serum A‐FABP levels and microalbuminuria in the hyperglycemic population.Materials and MethodsSerum A‐FABP levels were detected using sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Microalbuminuria was identified by urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR), when the value was between 30–300 mg/g. The participants were divided into the subgroups based on sex and the status of impaired glucose regulation or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.ResultsA total of 939 participants, consisting of 436 men and 503 women, were enrolled. Serum levels of A‐FABP were much higher in participants with microalbuminuria than those without microalbuminuria. This result held true for all subgroups (all P < 0.05). For Spearman's correlation analyses, serum A‐FABP levels showed a positive relationship with the UACR in men and women (both P < 0.01). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that serum A‐FABP levels were independently and positively correlated with UACR in both sexes (men: standardized β = 0.256, P < 0.001; women: standardized β = 0.155, P = 0.001). This relationship remained significant in every subgroup (all P < 0.01).ConclusionsFor hyperglycemic individuals, serum A‐FABP levels increased in the presence of microalbuminuria. Serum A‐FABP levels were identified as an independent factor positively associated with the UACR.
Trends in Prevalence of Dementia in French Farmers from Two Epidemiological Cohorts
Authors: Pérès Karine , Brayne Carol , Matharan Fanny , Grasset Leslie , Helmer Catherine , Letenneur Luc , Foubert‐Samier Alexandra , Baldi Isabelle , Tison François , Amieva Hélène , Dartigues Jean‐François 
Published: December 2016

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment in older people across generations.DesignTwo prospective cohort studies (Personnes Agées QUID (PAQUID), Aging Multidisciplinary Investigation (AMI)).SettingBaseline data from two subsamples of older farmers in southwestern France.ParticipantsPAQUID (n = 595) and AMI (n = 906) participants aged 65 and older living at home at baseline (1988 PAQUID, 2008 AMI).MeasurementsTwo methods were used to diagnose dementia: a clinical consensus diagnosis and a computer‐assisted taxonomy approach (cognitive impairment with disability (CIWD)) using Mini‐Mental State Examination and instrumental activity of daily living scores. Crude and standardized prevalences (using PAQUID age‐sex structure) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and logistic regression was used to explore confounding.ResultsThe prevalence of consensus diagnosis of dementia was higher in AMI in 2008 than in PAQUID in 1988 (12.0% vs 5.7%, P < .001), whereas the reverse was observed for CIWD (14.8% vs 23.8%, P < .001), confirmed by logistic regressions (odds ratio (OR)AMIvsPAQUID = 2.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.52–4.12; ORAMIvs.PAQUID = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.42–0.87, respectively). Educational level increased and management of vascular risk factors improved over the study period, and health and living conditions improved globally.ConclusionThese findings suggest global cognitive and functional improvement in old farmers (the prevalence of CIWD decreased by 40% over 20 years) and simultaneously a marked change in the subjective boundary between dementia and nondementia according to clinicians.
Distribution of Corticotrophin‐Releasing Factor Type 1 Receptor‐Like Immunoreactivity in the Rat Pituitary
Authors: Mano‐Otagiri A. , Nemoto T. , Yamauchi N. , Kakinuma Y. , Shibasaki T. 
Published: December 2016

Corticotrophin‐releasing factor (CRF) regulates the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis response to stress through its type 1 receptor (CRF1) in the corticotrophs of the anterior pituitary. Although CRF1 mRNA expression has been confirmed in the rat pituitary, the distribution pattern of CRF1 protein in the pituitary has not been reported. Therefore, we generated an antiserum against the amino acid fragment corresponding to the 177–188 sequence of the first extracellular loop of the rat CRF1. Using the antiserum, CRF1‐like immunoreactivity (CRF1‐LI) was detected in the anterior lobe cells of the rat pituitary where some of them expressed intense signals. CRF1‐LI also appeared in the intermediate lobe cells and on the fibre‐like elements of the posterior lobe of the pituitary. Dual immunofluorescence labelling showed that corticotrophs exhibited the highest percentage of CRF1 (male: 27.1 ± 3.0%, female: 18.0 ± 3.0%), followed by lactotrophs (male: 6.7 ± 3.0%, female: 12.1 ± 1.3%), gonadotrophs (male: 2.6 ± 1.0%, female: 7.5 ± 0.5%), thyrotrophs (male: 2.9 ± 0.1%, female: 5.3 ± 1.2%) and somatotrophs (male: 1.1 ± 0.3%, female: 1.2 ± 0.5%). The percentage of CRF1‐LI‐positive cells that were corticotrophs was significantly higher in male rats than in female rats, whereas CRF1‐LI‐positive lactotrophs and gonadotrophs were significantly higher in female rats than in male rats. Almost all of the melanotrophs were positive for CRF1 in the intermediate lobe (98.9 ± 0.2%). CRF1‐LI and the percentage of CRF1‐LI in corticotrophs were decreased in the anterior pituitary, and the distribution patterns were altered from a diffuse to punctate one by adrenalectomy; the changes were restored by treatment with dexamethasone (100 μg/kg bw). These results suggest that CRF1 is involved in the modulation of the functions of the pituitary; moreover, protein expression and the distribution patterns of CRF1 are regulated by glucocorticoids in the rat anterior pituitary.
VARIATIONS IN PETROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF UPPER PALAEOZOIC MIXED CARBONATE AND NON‐CARBONATE DEPOSITS, SPITSBERGEN, SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO
Authors: Jafarian E. , Kleipool L.M. , Scheibner C. , Blomeier D.P.G. , Reijmer J.J.G. 
Published: December 2016

The Late Carboniferous – Early Permian Gipsdalen Group and the Early to Late Permian Templefjorden Group are known hydrocarbon plays in the Arctic region, e.g. on the Finnmark Platform, Loppa High and Sverdrup Basin. Time‐equivalent deposits crop out on the island of Spitsbergen and consist of mixed carbonate and non‐carbonate (primarily siliciclastic, siliceous, organic‐carbon rich and clayey) sediments deposited in continental to deep‐marine settings.In rock samples (n = 73) collected from five outcrop locations on Spitsbergen, thin‐section analysis showed the presence of ten microfacies types ranging from claystones and spiculitic cherts to rudstones and dolostones. Petrophysical and textural properties of the samples were measured to evaluate the link with the acoustic (P‐ and S‐wave) velocities of these generally tight rocks, which have an average porosity of about 2%.Variations in acoustic velocity measurements primarily depend on variations in mineralogical composition (silica versus carbonate) and, to a lesser extent, on variations in porosity and bulk density. Pore networks in the sediments are dominated by microporosity and (micro)cracks, followed by interparticle porosity. Recrystallization effects and pore shape variations show a lesser effect on the P‐wave velocity. Clay content does not exceed 12.7% and also has a secondary impact on the acoustic velocities.Defining which textural and physical parameters control the acoustic properties of these carbonate and non‐carbonate sedimentary rocks will help with the interpretation of the seismic response of equivalent deposits in the subsurface.
Monitoring cell‐specific neutral lipid accumulation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae) with Nile Red staining – a new method for FlowCAM
Authors: Natunen Katariina , Seppälä Jukka , Koivula Riikka‐Juulia , Pellinen Jukka 
Published: December 2016

With the fluorescent stain Nile Red (NR), phytoplankton lipid accumulation can be monitored quickly and in situ. In the light of recent results in phytoplankton diversity research, there is also a need for cell‐ and species‐specific lipid measurement techniques. The objective of this work was to investigate whether cell‐specific phytoplankton lipid accumulation could be monitored with the image‐based particle analyzer FlowCAM™ and NR staining. Applying Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a model species, we compared the FlowCAM method to two established lipid quantification methods: spectrofluorometric NR fluorescence measurement and total lipid analysis by gas chromatography. The experiment was carried out in batch cultures under nitrogen limitation to induce lipid accumulation. We showed significant correlation between the three different lipid quantification methods confirming the applicability of the novel FlowCAM method in cell‐specific and near real‐time lipid quantification. Furthermore, with the method described here, the lipid content of taxonomically distinguished cells can eventually be measured from multispecies cultures, opening several new possibilities to study species‐specific responses to stress conditions and the complementarity effect.