bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Postnatal Evaluation of Cervical Ribs in Control Rats
Authors: Mukerji Pushkor , Glatt Christine , Gannon Shawn , Lewis Joseph M. 
Published: July 2017

BackgroundCervical ribs in rat fetuses have been widely reported to occur in controls as well as in response to various maternal chemical exposures. However, few evaluations of cervical ribs have been reported in rats postnatally. The available literature has indicated that the postnatal incidences of cervical ribs in control rats are no higher than in perinatal fetuses.MethodsIn a developmental toxicity study in rats conducted by the inhalation route, a control group of 44 time‐mated female rats was exposed to filtered air only from gestation day (GD) 6 to 20, and divided into two cohorts. For one cohort, fetuses were removed from dams by laparohysterectomy for skeletal evaluation on GD 21. The other cohort of dams was permitted to deliver, and adult offspring were euthanized on postnatal day 65 for a subsequent postnatal skeletal evaluation of cervical ribs.ResultsThe incidence of cervical ribs (mean percentage of affected fetuses or adults per litter) was observed to increase during postnatal development, from 1.0% on GD 21 to 12.7% on postnatal day 65. Further evaluation is ongoing to determine whether these observations were attributable to the inhalation exposure conditions used in this study.ConclusionThese results, while limited to the evaluation of one skeletal alteration in control rats, support the need for additional research into the area of postnatal development of skeletal abnormalities observed in developmental toxicity studies and the relevance of these skeletal observations to human risk assessment. Birth Defects Research 109:1301–1304, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Controlling localization of Escherichia coli populations using a two‐part synthetic motility circuit: An accelerator and brake
Authors: McKay Ryan , Hauk Pricila , Wu Hsuan‐Chen , Pottash Alex Eli , Shang Wu , Terrell Jessica , Payne Gregory F. , Bentley William E. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractProbiotics, whether taken as capsules or consumed in foods, have been regarded as safe for human use by regulatory agencies. Being living cells, they serve as “tunable” factories for the synthesis of a vast array of beneficial molecules. The idea of reprogramming probiotics to act as controllable factories, producing potential therapeutic molecules under user‐specified conditions, represents a new and powerful concept in drug synthesis and delivery. Probiotics that serve as drug delivery vehicles pose several challenges, one being targeting (as seen with nanoparticle approaches). Here, we employ synthetic biology to control swimming directionality in a process referred to as “pseudotaxis.” Escherichia coli, absent the motility regulator cheZ, swim sporadically, missing the traditional “run” in the run:tumble swimming paradigm. Upon introduction of cheZ in trans and its signal‐generated upregulation, engineered bacteria can be “programmed” to swim toward the source of the chemical cue. Here, engineered cells that encounter sufficient levels of the small signal molecule pyocyanin, produce an engineered CheZ and swim with programmed directionality. By incorporating a degradation tag at the C‐terminus of CheZ, the cells stop running when they exit spaces containing pyocyanin. That is, the engineered CheZ modified with a C‐terminal extension derived from the putative DNA‐binding transcriptional regulator YbaQ (RREERAAKKVA) is consumed by the ClpXP protease machine at a rate sufficient to “brake” the cells when pyocyanin levels are too low. Through this process, we demonstrate that over time, these engineered E. coli accumulate in pyocyanin‐rich locales. We suggest that such approaches may find utility in engineering probiotics so that their beneficial functions can be focused in areas of principal benefit.
NMR investigation of water diffusion in different biofilm structures
Authors: Herrling Maria P. , Weisbrodt Jessica , Kirkland Catherine M. , Williamson Nathan H. , Lackner Susanne , Codd Sarah L. , Seymour Joseph D. , Guthausen Gisela , Horn Harald 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMass transfer in biofilms is determined by diffusion. Different mostly invasive approaches have been used to measure diffusion coefficients in biofilms, however, data on heterogeneous biomass under realistic conditions is still missing. To non‐invasively elucidate fluid–structure interactions in complex multispecies biofilms pulsed field gradient‐nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG‐NMR) was applied to measure the water diffusion in five different types of biomass aggregates: one type of sludge flocs, two types of biofilm, and two types of granules. Data analysis is an important issue when measuring heterogeneous systems and is shown to significantly influence the interpretation and understanding of water diffusion. With respect to numerical reproducibility and physico‐chemical interpretation, different data processing methods were explored: (bi)‐exponential data analysis and theΓdistribution model. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient distribution in relation to relaxation was studied byD‐T2maps obtained by 2D inverse Laplace transform (2D ILT). The results show that the effective diffusion coefficients for all biofilm samples ranged from 0.36 to 0.96 relative to that of water. NMR diffusion was linked to biofilm structure (e.g., biomass density, organic and inorganic matter) as observed by magnetic resonance imaging and to traditional biofilm parameters: diffusion was most restricted in granules with compact structures, and fast diffusion was found in heterotrophic biofilms with fluffy structures. The effective diffusion coefficients in the biomass were found to be broadly distributed because of internal biomass heterogeneities, such as gas bubbles, precipitates, and locally changing biofilm densities. Thus, estimations based on biofilm bulk properties in multispecies systems can be overestimated and mean diffusion coefficients might not be sufficiently informative to describe mass transport in biofilms and the near bulk.
Bidirectional reporter assay using HAL promoter and TOPFLASH improves specificity in high‐throughput screening of Wnt inhibitors
Authors: Yamaguchi Kiyoshi , Zhu Chi , Ohsugi Tomoyuki , Yamaguchi Yuko , Ikenoue Tsuneo , Furukawa Yoichi 
Published: July 2017

AbstractConstitutive activation of Wnt signaling plays an important role in colorectal and liver tumorigenesis. Cell‐based assays using synthetic TCF/LEF (T‐cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor) reporters, as readouts of β‐catenin/TCF‐dependent transcriptional activity, have contributed greatly to the discovery of small molecules that modulate Wnt signaling. In the present study, we report a novel screening method, called a bidirectional dual reporter assay. Integrated transcriptome analysis identified a histidine ammonia‐lyase gene (HAL) that was negatively regulated by β‐catenin/TCF‐dependent transcriptional activity. We leveraged a promoter region of the HAL gene as another transcriptional readout of Wnt signaling. Cells stably expressing both an optimized HAL reporter and the TCF/LEF reporter enabled bidirectional reporter activities in response to Wnt signaling. Increased HAL reporter activity and decreased TCF/LEF reporter activity were observed simultaneously in the cells when β‐catenin/TCF7L2 was inhibited. Notably, this method could decrease the number of false positives observed when screening an inhibitor library compared with the conventional TCF/LEF assay. We found that Brefeldin A, a disruptor of the Golgi apparatus, inhibited the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway. The utility of our system could be expanded to examine other disease‐associated pathways beyond the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway.
Quantification of free fatty acids in human stratum corneum using tandem mass spectrometry and surrogate analyte approach
Authors: Dapic Irena , Kobetic Renata , Brkljacic Lidija , Kezic Sanja , Jakasa Ivone 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe free fatty acids (FFAs) are one of the major components of the lipids in the stratum corneum (SC), the uppermost layer of the skin. Relative composition of FFAs has been proposed as a biomarker of the skin barrier status in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Here, we developed an LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of a range of FFAs with long and very long chain length in the SC collected by adhesive tape (D‐Squame). The method, based on derivatization with 2‐bromo‐1‐methylpyridinium iodide and 3‐carbinol‐1‐methylpyridinium iodide, allowed highly sensitive detection and quantification of FFAs using multiple reaction monitoring. For the quantification, we applied a surrogate analyte approach and internal standardization using isotope labeled derivatives of FFAs. Adhesive tapes showed the presence of several FFAs, which are also present in the SC, a problem encountered in previous studies. Therefore, the levels of FFAs in the SC were corrected using C12:0, which was present on the adhesive tape, but not detected in the SC. The method was applied to SC samples from patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects. Quantification using multiple reaction monitoring allowed sufficient sensitivity to analyze FFAs of chain lengths C16–C28 in the SC collected on only one tape strip.
Multicomponent determination of traditional Chinese medicine preparation yin‐zhi‐huang injection by LC–MS/MS for screening of its potential bioactive candidates using HepaRG cells
Authors: Rao Zhi , Zhang Fan , Zhang Xiao‐Yi , Zhang Guo‐Qiang , Ma Yan‐Rong , Zhou Yan , Qin Hong‐Yan , Wu Xin‐An , Wei Yu‐Hui 
Published: July 2017

AbstractYin‐zhi‐huang (YZH) injection is an injectable multiherbal prescription derived from the ancient Chinese medicine formula of Yin‐chen‐hao‐tang, which is widely used in the clinic for the treatment of jaundice and chronic liver diseases. To date, the systematic study of the components in this multiherbal prescription still lacks suitable analytical methods that are able to simultaneously detect a broad array of components at low concentrations. In this study, a new liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring mode was developed to determine multiple peaks in traditional Chinese medicine preparation YZH injection. This simple, selective and sensitive method enabled the quantification of 22 components with standard materials with a lower limit of quantification of 1.46–12.5 ng/mL in cell lysates. This method was successfully applied to celluar uptake and binding investigation of components in YZH injection. The results indicated that this strategy might be a useful approach for rapidly screening of the potential bioactive candidates from YZH injection, and the discovered candidates could be used to investigate the pharmacodynamics in further studies.
Opposing effects of low versus high concentrations of water soluble vitamins/dietary ingredients Vitamin C and niacin on colon cancer stem cells (CSCs)
Authors: Sen Utsav , Shenoy P Sudheer , Bose Bipasha 
Published: July 2017

AbstractColorectal cancer is one of the global causes of cancer deaths. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) inside the tumour niche responsible for metastasis and relapses, and hence need to be targeted for cancer therapeutics. Although dietary fibre and lifestyle changes have been recommended as measures for colorectal cancer prevention, no such recommendations are available for using water soluble vitamins as prophylaxis measure for colorectal cancers. High dose of Vitamin C has been proven to selectively kill colon cancer cells having BRAF and KRAS mutations by inducing oxidative stress. In this study, we show for the first time the opposing effects of the low and high dose of Vitamin C and vitamin B3 on colon CSCs isolated from HT‐29 and HCT‐15 colorectal carcinoma cell lines. At small doses, both of these vitamins exerted a cell proliferative effect only on CSCs, while there was no change in the proliferation status of non‐stem cancer cells and wild‐type (WT) populations. On the other hand, the death effects induced by high doses of Vitamin C and B3 were of the order of 50–60% and ∼30% on CSCs from HT‐29 and HCT15, respectively. Interestingly, the control fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3) was highly refractory all the tested concentrations of Vitamin C and B3, except for the highest dose – 10,000 μg of Vitamin C that induced only 15% of cell death. Hence, these results indicate the future scope of use of therapeutic doses of Vitamin C and B3 especially in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
Induction treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in an elderly patient with intramarrow injection/administration of cytarabine. Second case report
Authors: Islam Anwarul 
Published: July 2017

Key Clinical MessageWe show for the second time that intramarrow injection/administration of chemotherapeutic agents such as cytarabine (Ara‐C) can be used safely and effectively and is associated with no toxicity, promising antileukemic activity and possible improved survival.
Reactivity of the Sterically Demanding Siloxanediol Mes2Si(OH)(μ‐O)Si(OH)Mes2 Towards Water and Ether Molecules
Authors: Roesch Philipp , Warzok Ulrike , Enke Martin , Müller Robert , Schattenberg Caspar , Schalley Christoph A. , Kaupp Martin , Braun Thomas , Wittwer Philipp 
Published: July 2017

AbstractA series of isotopologues of the siloxanediol Mes2Si(OH)(μ‐O)Si(OH)Mes2 (3 a) (Mes=2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl) were synthesized by reactions of the corresponding disiloxane precursors Mes2Si(μ‐O)2SiMes2 (2 a), Mes2Si(μ‐17O)2SiMes2 (2 b) or Mes2Si(μ‐18O)2SiMes2 (2 c) with an excess of H2O, H217O or H218O. NMR and IR signal assignments for the siloxanediols in benzene are supported by quantum‐chemical calculations, which indicate small energy differences between trans and cis conformers, the latter of which exhibits an intramolecular hydrogen bond. 1H NMR as well as IR data suggest the presence of a mixture of both conformers in C6D6. Hydrogen‐bonded adducts of Mes2Si(OH)(μ‐O)Si(OH)Mes2 with ethers such as diethylether, dimethoxyethane or dioxane were observed in the solid state, where they form polymeric chain‐like structures. The latter appear to be stable only in the crystal. 17O{1H} NMR and IR data in THF solution suggest an interaction of 3 a with at least one THF molecule, whereas diethylether appears not to interact. Water adducts form neither in solution nor in the solid state as indicated by NMR and ATR IR data. 17O{1H} NMR and ESI‐MS experiments illustrate the remarkably high stability of the siloxanediols towards water and show no evidence for intra‐ or intermolecular oxygen‐exchange reactions. In marked contrast, a stepwise exchange of all three oxygen atoms‐including the one in the Si‐O‐Si bridge‐occurred in the gas phase, when [Mes2Si(18OH)(μ‐18O)Si(18O)Mes2]− was treated with H2O in the hexapole of an ESI FT‐ICR mass spectrometer. The scrambling between the bridging and the other oxygen atoms likely proceeds through cyclic Si2O2 intermediates.
Investigation of wax deposit ‘sloughing’ from paraffinic mixtures in pipe flow
Authors: Sinha Chandni , Mehrotra Anil K. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDeposit ‘sloughing’ from ‘waxy’ crude oils has been described in the literature as a possible mechanism, leading to partial or complete dislodging of the deposit from the pipe wall due to changes in flow parameters. A bench‐scale flow loop apparatus was used to investigate ‘sloughing’ with prepared single‐phase ‘waxy’ mixtures of a multicomponent paraffinic wax dissolved in a multicomponent solvent. Experiments were performed to study the changes in the deposit‐layer thickness due to step increments in the ‘waxy’ mixture flow rate, the mixture temperature, and the coolant temperature. It was observed that the deposit‐layer thickness decreased with an increase in each of the three parameters; however, a complete or sudden dislodging of the deposit‐layer did not occur in any of the experiments. A steady‐state heat‐transfer model was used to predict the variation in the deposit mass or thickness due to changes in the selected parameters. In each case, the step‐wise decrease in the deposit thickness, as observed experimentally, was predicted to be caused by changes in the thermal resistance and/or thermal driving force.
Kinetics of simultaneous HDS of DBT and 4‐MDBT/4,6‐DMDBT over CoMoP/γ‐Al2O3catalysts
Authors: Ali Syed A. , Bdwi Emad A. S. , Hossain Mohammad M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractA series of CoMo/γ‐Al2O3 catalysts were prepared with an addition of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 % phosphorus pentaoxide to investigate the influence of phosphorus addition on the simultaneous hydrodesulphurization (HDS) of refractory sulphur compounds. Two sets of HDS experiments were carried out using sulphur bearing model compounds: (i) DBT (dibenzothiophene) with 4‐MDBT (4‐methyl dibenzothiophene) and (ii) DBT (dibenzothiophene) with 4,6‐DMDBT (4,6‐dimethyl dibenzothiophene). The Langmuir‐Hinshelwood mechanism based kinetics model was developed from the experimental conversion and product distribution data for simultaneous HDS of the two sulphur compounds via direct desulphurization (DDS) and hydrogenation (HYD) routes. The kinetic model fits the experimental data quite adequately for all the species. The HDS rate for DBT was found to be approximately 2 and 7 times higher than that estimated for 4‐MDBT and 4,6‐DMDBT, respectively. Enhancement of HDS rate by P addition was observed up to 0.01 g/g (1.0 wt%) P2O5 while a higher amount of P is not advantageous. A marginal preference towards HYD pathway was observed for the HDS of 4,6‐DMDBT while the DDS route was predominant during the HDS of DBT and 4‐MDBT.The trends in values of the rate constants estimated by the Langmuir‐Hinshelwood kinetic model compared well with pseudo‐first rate constants.
Phase contrast cell detection using multilevel classification
Authors: Essa Ehab , Xie Xianghua 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a fully automated learning‐based approach for detecting cells in time‐lapse phase contrast images. The proposed system combines 2 machine learning approaches to achieve bottom‐up image segmentation. We apply pixel‐wise classification using random forests (RF) classifiers to determine the potential location of the cells. Each pixel is classified into 4 categories (cell, mitotic cell, halo effect, and background noise). Various image features are extracted at different scales to train the RF classifier. The resulting probability map is partitioned using the k‐means algorithm to form potential cell regions. These regions are expanded into the neighboring areas to recover some missing or broken cell regions. To validate the cell regions, another machine learning method based on the bag‐of‐features and spatial pyramid encoding is proposed. The result of the second classifier can be a validated cell, a merged cell, or a noncell. In the case that the cell region is classified as a merged cell, it is split by using the seeded watershed method. The proposed method is demonstrated on several phase contrast image datasets, ie, U2OS, HeLa, and NIH 3T3. In comparison to state‐of‐the‐art cell detection techniques, the proposed method shows improved performance, particularly in dealing with noise interference and drastic shape variations.
Self‐Assembled DNA Nanostructures for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Song Linlin , Jiang Qiao , Wang Zhen‐Gang , Ding Baoquan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDNA has been demonstrated to be a promising engineering material for the fabrication of pre‐designed nanostructures and nanodevices, which feature structural programmability, spatial addressability, dynamic mechanics, and biocompatibility. Here, we review the recent progress in the design, construction and biomedical applications of DNA nanostructures, particularly imaging probes and drug delivery carriers. We discuss several key points for in vivo biomedical applications of DNA‐based delivery systems, such as the cost and safety issues. In the end, we explore the challenges and opportunities of DNA nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine.
Employee‐Driven Sustainability Performance Assessment in Public Organisations
Authors: Coutinho Vera , Domingues Ana Rita , Caeiro Sandra , Painho Marco , Antunes Paula , Santos Rui , Videira Nuno , Walker Richard M. , Huisingh Donald , Ramos Tomás B. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractOrganisations are increasingly adopting sustainability performance assessment tools. However, these formal organisational sustainability assessments are typically managed and prepared by technical staff. There is a lack of research on approaches that enable a stakeholder‐driven performance assessment. This paper develops a framework of informal/complementary stakeholder‐driven sustainability performance assessment, from the perspective of employee voluntary collaboration. The framework composes a checklist of questions covering the main sustainability domains: perceptions, individual practices, and voluntary monitoring indicators. In an exploratory case study in a public organisation, the checklist was evaluated by employees in a participatory workshop. The evaluation criteria of understanding and usefulness were rated more positively than reliability. This paper shows a novel way of integrating employee inputs for informal sustainability assessment and supports the importance of empowering public organisations, thereby increasing their understanding of sustainability management frameworks. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Cytological features of the Warthin‐like variant of salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Authors: Hang Jen‐Fan , Shum Chung H. , Ali Syed Z. , Bishop Justin A. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWarthin‐like mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a recently proposed variant of musoepidermoid carcinoma. Histologically, it is characterized by its close resemblance to Warthin tumor, including dense lymphocytic infiltration, flattened intermediate epithelium resembling squamous metaplasia, and cystic change. Given its histologic similarity to Warthin tumor, confirmatory testing for MAML2 rearrangement is often required for this diagnosis. Here we present the first cytologic reports of two 53‐year‐old female patients with parotid masses. In both cases, the fine needle aspirations showed fragments of bland epithelium with a squamous appearance, mucinous cyst content, and focal lymphocytic background. Neither frank keratinization nor mucinous cells were identified in the smears. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study confirmed MAML2 rearrangement on the resection specimens in both. Other cytologic differential diagnoses, including Warthin tumor with metaplasia, lymphadenoma, and lymphoepithelial cyst, were briefly discussed.