bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of long non-coding RNAs in the immature and mature rat anterior pituitary
Authors: Han Dong-Xu , Sun Xu-Lei , Fu Yao , Wang Chang-Jiang , Liu Jian-Bo , Jiang Hao , Gao Yan , Chen Cheng-Zhen , Yuan Bao , Zhang Jia-Bao 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMany long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified in several types of human pituitary adenomas and normal anterior pituitary, some of which are involved in the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas. However, a systematic analysis of lncRNAs expressed at different developmental stages of normal pituitary, particularly in rats, has not been performed. Therefore, we contrasted two cDNA libraries of immature (D15) and mature (D120) anterior pituitary in rat that were sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq Xten platform, and a total of 29,568,806,352 clean reads were identified. Notably, 7039 lncRNA transcripts corresponded to 4442 lncRNA genes, and 1181 lncRNA transcripts were significantly differentially expressed in D15 and D120. In addition, 6839 protein-coding genes (<100 kb upstream and downstream) were the nearest neighbors of 4074 lncRNA genes. An interaction network of lncRNAs and the follicle-stimulating hormone beta-subunit (FSHb) gene was constructed using the lncRNATargets platform, and three novel lncRNAs were obtained. Furthermore, we detected the expression of the novel lncRNAs and ten highly expressed lncRNAs that were randomly selected through quantitative PCR (qPCR). The rat anterior pituitary lncRNA content identified in this study provides a more in-depth understanding of the roles of these lncRNAs in hormone and reproduction development and regulation in mammals.
Cardiovascular disease progression in female Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats occurs via unique mechanisms compared to males
Authors: Lum-Naihe Kelly , Toedebusch Ryan , Mahmood Abuzar , Bajwa Jamal , Carmack Terry , Kumar Senthil A. , Ardhanari Sivakumar , DeMarco Vincent G. , Emter Craig A. , Pulakat Lakshmi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPopulation studies have shown that compared to diabetic men, diabetic women are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms underlying this gender disparity are unclear. Our studies in young murine models of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease show that diabetic male rats develop increased cardiac fibrosis and suppression of intracardiac anti-fibrotic cytokines, while premenopausal diabetic female rats do not. This protection from cardiac fibrosis in female rats can be an estrogen-related effect. However, diabetic female rats develop early subclinical myocardial deformation, cardiac hypertrophy via elevated expression of pro-hypertrophic miR-208a, myocardial damage, and suppression of cardio-reparative Angiotensin II receptor 2 (Agtr2). Diabetic rats of both sexes exhibit a reduction in cardiac capillary density. However, diabetic female rats have reduced expression of neuropilin 1 that attenuates cardiomyopathy compared to diabetic male rats. A combination of cardiac hypertrophy and reduced capillary density likely contributed to increased myocardial structural damage in diabetic female rats. We propose expansion of existing cardiac assessments in diabetic female patients to detect myocardial deformation, cardiac hypertrophy and capillary density via non-invasive imaging, as well as suggest miR-208a, AT2R and neuropilin 1 as potential therapeutic targets and mechanistic biomarkers for cardiac disease in females.
Photoreceptor metabolic reprogramming provides survival advantage in acute stress while causing chronic degeneration
Authors: Wubben Thomas J. , Pawar Mercy , Smith Andrew , Toolan Kevin , Hager Heather , Besirli Cagri G. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPhotoreceptor death is the root cause of vision loss in many retinal disorders, and there is an unmet need for neuroprotective modalities to improve photoreceptor survival. The biosynthetic requirement of photoreceptors is among the highest in the body, and to meet this demand, photoreceptors maintain their ability to perform aerobic glycolysis. This highly regulated form of glycolysis allows cells to efficiently budget their metabolic needs and may be a critical link between photoreceptor function and survival. Pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme 2 (PKM2) is a key regulator of aerobic glycolysis. In the present study, we characterized the effect of PKM2 deletion on baseline functioning and survival of photoreceptors over time by utilizing a photoreceptor-specific, PKM2 knockout mouse model. We found that upon PKM2 deletion, PKM1 is upregulated in the outer retina and there is increased expression of genes involved in glucose metabolism, which led to chronic degenerative changes in the outer retina of these mice. We also discovered that this metabolic reprogramming provided a survival advantage to photoreceptors in an experimental model of retinal detachment. This study strongly supports the hypothesis that reprogramming metabolism may be a novel therapeutic strategy for photoreceptor neuroprotection during acute stress.
Structure and Interactions of A Host Defense Antimicrobial Peptide Thanatin in Lipopolysaccharide Micelles Reveal Mechanism of Bacterial Cell Agglutination
Authors: Sinha Sheetal , Zheng Liangzhen , Mu Yuguang , Ng Wun Jern , Bhattacharjya Surajit 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHost defense cationic Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) can kill microorganisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi using various modes of action. The negatively charged bacterial membranes serve as a key target for many AMPs. Bacterial cell death by membrane permeabilization has been well perceived. A number of cationic AMPs kill bacteria by cell agglutination which is a distinctly different mode of action compared to membrane pore formation. However, mechanism of cell agglutinating AMPs is poorly understood. The outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the cell-wall peptidoglycans are targeted by AMPs as a key step in agglutination process. Here, we report the first atomic-resolution structure of thanatin, a cell agglutinating AMP, in complex with LPS micelle by solution NMR. The structure of thanatin in complex with LPS, revealed four stranded antiparallel β-sheet in a ‘head-tail’ dimeric topology. By contrast, thanatin in free solution assumed an antiparallel β-hairpin conformation. Dimeric structure of thanatin displayed higher hydrophobicity and cationicity with sites of LPS interactions. MD simulations and biophysical interactions analyses provided mode of LPS recognition and perturbation of LPS micelle structures. Mechanistic insights of bacterial cell agglutination obtained in this study can be utilized to develop antibiotics of alternative mode of action.
Dysregulation of Mir-196b in Head and Neck Cancers Leads to Pleiotropic Effects in the Tumor Cells and Surrounding Stromal Fibroblasts
Authors: Álvarez-Teijeiro Saúl , Menéndez Sofía T. , Villaronga M. Ángeles , Rodrigo Juan P. , Manterola Lorea , de Villalaín Lucas , de Vicente Juan C. , Alonso-Durán Laura , Fernández M. Pilar , Lawrie Charles H. , García-Pedrero Juana M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe miR-196 family members have been found dysregulated in different cancers. Therefore, they have been proposed as promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This study is the first to investigate the role of miR-196b in the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), and also the impact on the surrounding tumor microenvironment. Increased miR-196b levels were detected in 95% of primary tumors and precancerous lesions, although no significant differences were observed between non-progressing versus progressing dysplasias. Furthermore, increased levels of both miR-196a and miR-196b were successfully detected in saliva samples from HNSCC patients. The functional consequences of altered miR-196 expression were investigated in both HNSCC cell lines and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) by transfection with specific pre-miR precursors. Results showed that both miR-196a and miR-196b elicit cell-specific responses in target genes and downstream regulatory pathways, and have a distinctive impact on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. These data reveal the early occurrence and prevalence of miR-196b dysregulation in HNSCC tumorigenesis, suggesting its utility for early diagnosis and/or disease surveillance and also as a non-invasive biomarker in saliva. The pleiotropic effects of miR-196a/b in HNSCC cell subpopulations and surrounding CAFs may complicate a possible therapeutic application.
Broadband absorption and enhanced photothermal conversion property of octopod-like Ag@Ag2S core@shell structures with gradually varying shell thickness
Authors: Jiang Qian , Zeng Wenxia , Zhang Canying , Meng Zhaoguo , Wu Jiawei , Zhu Qunzhi , Wu Daxiong , Zhu Haitao 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPhotothermal conversion materials have promising applications in many fields and therefore they have attracted tremendous attention. However, the multi-functionalization of a single nanostructure to meet the requirements of multiple photothermal applications is still a challenge. The difficulty is that most nanostructures have specific absoprtion band and are not flexible to different demands. In the current work, we reported the synthesis and multi-band photothermal conversion of Ag@Ag2S core@shell structures with gradually varying shell thickness. We synthesized the core@shell structures through the sulfidation of Ag nanocubes by taking the advantage of their spatially different reactivity. The resulting core@shell structures show an octopod-like mopgorlogy with a Ag2S bulge sitting at each corner of the Ag nanocubes. The thickness of the Ag2S shell gradually increases from the central surface towards the corners of the structure. The synthesized core@shell structures show a broad band absorption spectrum from 300 to 1100 nm. Enhanced photothermal conversion effect is observed under the illuminations of 635, 808, and 1064 nm lasers. The results indicate that the octopod-like Ag@Ag2S core@shell structures have characteristics of multi-band photothermal conversion. The current work might provide a guidance for the design and synthesis of multifunctional photothermal conversion materials.
Design of LPF with UW stopband and sharp roll‐off rate using transfer function analysis
Authors: Vaezi A. , Geran Gharakhili F. 
Published: December 2017

A novel microstrip lowpass filter with outstanding features is designed, simulated, fabricated and analysed. The proposed structure has the capability to improve frequency response in transition band and remove the 13th unwanted harmonics in the stopband. The proposed design comprises many resonators and cell attenuators. It features an UW stopband, high suppression factor and high sharp roll‐off. To adjust the cut‐off frequency, the transfer function and LC equivalent circuit of the main resonator are calculated. Results show that cut‐off frequency and relative bandwidth of stopband of the filter are 2 GHz and 171%, respectively. Also, insertion loss <0.11 dB and return loss more than 18 dB have obtained for filter form DC to 2 GHz. The fabricated filter reaches a high figure of merit of 72,093.
Gain‐scheduled constrained state feedback control of DC–DC buck power converter
Authors: Tarczewski Tomasz , Niewiara Łukasz J. , Skiwski Michał , Grzesiak Lech M. 
Published: December 2017

A gain‐scheduled constrained state feedback controller (SFC) for a SiC MOSFET direct current (DC)–DC buck power converter with a non‐synchronous control strategy is presented. First, the synthesis process of a gain‐scheduled SFC for a control system with a state‐dependent parameter is proposed. Next, constraints of important states and control variables are a posteriori introduced into control algorithm to provide satisfactory dynamic behaviour and safe operation of the plant. The boundary values of control signals which provide permissible values of the future state‐space variables are derived from the models of power converters that take into account two modes of operation (i.e. charging and discharging mode). The novelty of the proposed approach lies in efficient control algorithm that utilises the gain‐scheduled SFC with the parameter‐dependent constraint handling method. The designed control algorithm is extensively tested through simulation and experiments at a switching frequency of 36 kHz. The proposed solution is further compared with a conventional cascade control structure based on two proportional integral controllers for voltage and current loops as well as with a non‐constrained state feedback control structure to illustrate its performance and low computational complexity.
Multi‐binding biotinylated iron oxide nanoparticles as a promising versatile material for magnetic biomedical applications
Authors: Du Yimeng , Pong Philip W.T. 
Published: December 2017

The tetrameric streptavidin and avidin both have four sites that can specifically bind with biotin. Taking advantage of this high affinity binding, it is possible to realise multi‐binding of biotinylated nanoparticles to avidin or streptavidin molecules. The iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been actively investigated in biomedical applications. In this work, biotinylated IONPs (biotin‐IONPs) with around 10.5 nm magnetic core size were synthesised. They exhibited long‐term hydrophilic stability, and the activity of the biotin content was verified by avidin‐horseradish peroxidase induced chromogenic experiment. These biotin‐IONPs were then studied as magnetic labels in substrate‐based and substrate‐free magnetic bio‐labelling scheme of alpha‐fetoprotein. The multi‐binding ability of these biotin‐IONPs with streptavidin functionalised detection antibody (streptavidin‐detection antibody) was proved both on microplate well surfaces and in solution. Consequently, biotin‐IONPs are promising magnetic label materials for the improvement of magnetic biodetection. In addition, the avidin‐induced biotin‐IONP assemblies were produced in MilliQ water solution and in water‐in‐oil microemulsion system. In summary, based on their multi‐binding nature, the biotin‐IONPs can be considered as a versatile material to improve the sensitivity of magnetic biodetection and to be further built into assemblies for future biomedical applications such as magnetic resonance imaging and target drug delivery.
Efficiency of radial transport of ices in protoplanetary disks probed with infrared observations: the case of CO2
Authors: Bosman Arthur D. , Tielens Alexander G. G. M. , van Dishoeck Ewine F. 
Published: December 2017

Context.Radial transport of icy solid material from the cold outer disk to the warm inner disk is thought to be important for planet formation. However, the efficiency at which this happens is currently unconstrained. Efficient radial transport of icy dust grains could significantly alter the composition of the gas in the inner disk, enhancing the gas-phase abundances of the major ice constituents such as H2O and CO2.Aim.Our aim is to model the gaseous CO2abundance in the inner disk and use this to probe the efficiency of icy dust transport in a viscous disk. From the model predictions, infrared CO2spectra are simulated and features that could be tracers of icy CO2, and thus dust, radial transport efficiency are investigated.Methods.We have developed a 1D viscous disk model that includes gas accretion and gas diffusion as well as a description for grain growth and grain transport. Sublimation and freeze-out of CO2and H2O has been included as well as a parametrisation of the CO2chemistry. The thermo-chemical code DALI was used to model the mid-infrared spectrum of CO2, as can be observed with JWST-MIRI.Results.CO2ice sublimating at the iceline increases the gaseous CO2abundance to levels equal to the CO2ice abundance of ~10−5, which is three orders of magnitude more than the gaseous CO2abundances of ~10−8observed bySpitzer. Grain growth and radial drift increase the rate at which CO2is transported over the iceline and thus the gaseous CO2abundance, further exacerbating the problem. In the case without radial drift, a CO2destruction rate of at least 10−11s−1or a destruction timescale of at most 1000 yr is needed to reconcile model prediction with observations. This rate is at least two orders of magnitude higher than the fastest destruction rate included in chemical databases. A range of potential physical mechanisms to explain the low observed CO2abundances are discussed.Conclusions.We conclude that transport processes in disks can have profound effects on the abundances of species in the inner disk such as CO2. The discrepancy between our model and observations either suggests frequent shocks in the inner 10 AU that destroy CO2, or that the abundant midplane CO2is hidden from our view by an optically thick column of low abundance CO2due to strong UV and/or X-rays in the surface layers. Modelling and observations of other molecules, such as CH4or NH3, can give further handles on the rate of mass transport.
Levels, Correlates, and Predictors of Stress and Caregiver Burden among Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Nigeria
Authors: Adegoke Samuel , Omole Kehinde , Mbada Chidozie , Adedeji Ganiyu , Adeyemi Olanrewaju , Omole John 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCerebral palsy (CP) is a major cause of physical disability in childhood. Caregivers are often subjected to both stress and burden due to prolonged care. This article assesses levels, correlates, and predictive factors of stress and caregiver burden among primary caregivers of children with CP. A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary hospitals within the Osun State, Nigeria. Two hundred and nine caregivers were interviewed with both the Parental Stress Scale and Caregiver Difficulty Scale to assess for stress and burden of caregivers, respectively. Data were collected and analyzed using Statistical Program for Social Sciences for Windows version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States) with alpha set at p < 0.05. Two hundred and nine children with CP aged 12 months to 12 years were seen during the 6-month period. Mothers constituted 87.1% of the total caregivers. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) stress seen in caregivers was 44.8 ± 10.1, while the mean (SD) caregiver burden was 45.2 ± 13.4. Both these scores were above the minimum score of 42, which signifies high psychosocial stress and burden. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess associations between clinical and sociodemographic and each of stress and caregivers' burden. Severity of CP and level of education were the most important predictors of stress, while severity of CP, level of education, and male child were the most important predictors of caregivers' burden. Caregivers' burden and stress are known to result in negative outcomes. Identifying factors that can predict caregivers' burden and stress could help develop an early intervention strategy to minimize these negative effects while promoting caregivers' psychosocial well-being.
Depressionswissen – Deutsche Übersetzung und Testung der Depression Literacy Scale
Authors: Freitag Simone , Stolzenburg Susanne , Schomerus Georg , Schmidt Silke 
Published: December 2017

Zusammenfassung
Ziel der Studie Übersetzung und psychometrische Testung einer Skala zum Depressionswissen.
Methodik Übersetzung der Depression Literacy Scale von Griffith et al. (2004) ins Deutsche und Testung der Skala in einer Stichprobe von 229 Menschen mit depressivem Syndrom.
Ergebnisse Im Durchschnitt war die Stichprobe 49,4 Jahre alt und es wurden 51 % der 22 Fragen richtig beantwortet. Die Skala zeigte eine zufriedenstellende interne Konsistenz. Die erstmalige Anwendung der übersetzten Skala D-Lit German konnte signifikante Unterschiede im Depressionswissen in Subgruppenanalysen zu Geschlecht, Alter und Schulbildung aufzeigen. So berichteten Frauen, jüngere Personen und Personen mit höherem Schulabschluss höhere Werte auf der Depressionskompetenzskala.
Schlussfolgerung Die Übersetzung der Skala zur Depressionskompetenz (D-Lit German) resultierte in einem leicht verständlichen und gut beantwortbaren Fragebogen. Vor allem Items, die sich auf therapeutische und medikamentöse Behandlungsansätze bezogen, waren jedoch schwerer zu beantworten. Insgesamt erwies sich die D-Lit-Skala als reliables und ökonomisches Instrument zur Erfassung des Depressionswissens. Zukünftige Studien sollten Depressionswissen als Prädiktor zur Untersuchung von Inanspruchnahme und Hilfesuchverhalten einbeziehen.
Wie beeinflussen psychosoziale Risiken den Erfolg von Patientenschulungen in der Pädiatrie?
Authors: Menrath Ingo , Ernst Gundula , Mönkemöller Kirsten , Lehmann Christine , Eberding Angela , Müller-Godeffroy Esther , Szczepanski Rüdiger , Lange Karin , Staab Doris , Thyen Ute ,   on behalf of the ModuS Study group
Published: December 2017

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Modulare Patientenschulungen sind bei chronisch kranken Kindern wirksam. Wenig ist über den Einfluss von sozioökonomischem Status (SoS), Migrationshintergrund (MH) und psychischen Auffälligkeiten der Kinder und ihrer Familien bekannt.
Frage Beeinflussen SoS, MH oder psychische Auffälligkeiten den Erfolg von Patientenschulungen (Krankheitswissen, gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität (LQ) und Lebenszufriedenheit des Kindes und die elterliche Krankheitsbelastung)?
Methoden Unterschiedlich chronisch kranke Kinder und ihre Eltern nahmen an Patientenschulungen teil. Vor bzw. 6 Wochen nach der Schulung wurden mit standardisierten Fragebögen SoS, MH, psychische Auffälligkeiten der Kinder, Krankheitswissen der Kinder und Eltern, gesundheitsbezogene LQ bzw. Lebenszufriedenheit der Kinder und elterliche Krankheitsbelastungen erfasst. Mit Varianz- und Regressionsanalysen wurde der Einfluss von SoS, MH und psychischen Auffälligkeiten auf den Schulungseffekt untersucht.
Ergebnisse 398 Kinder (durchschnittlich 10,2 Jahre) und ihre Eltern nahmen an den Schulungen teil. SoS, MH und psychische Auffälligkeiten hatten keinen Einfluss auf die Verbesserungen des Krankheitswissens, der kindlichen gesundheitsbezogenen LQ und Lebenszufriedenheit sowie der elterlichen Belastung. In den Verlaufsuntersuchungen gingen ein niedriger SoS, ein MH und psychische Auffälligkeiten mit niedrigerem Wissen, niedrigerer gesundheitsbezogener LQ bzw. Lebenszufriedenheit des Kindes und erhöhter elterlicher Belastung einher.
Diskussion Benachteiligte Familien und Kinder mit Verhaltensauffälligkeiten profitieren von Patientenschulungen, jedoch benötigen sie angesichts spezifischer Bedarfe einen erhöhten Schulungsumfang.
NGLview–interactive molecular graphics for Jupyter notebooks
Authors: Nguyen Hai , Case David A , Rose Alexander S 
Published: December 2017

Abstract

Summary
NGLview is a Jupyter/IPython widget to interactively view molecular structures as well as trajectories from molecular dynamics simulations. Fast and scalable molecular graphics are provided through the NGL Viewer. The widget supports showing data from the file-system, online data bases and from objects of many popular analysis libraries including mdanalysis, mdtraj, pytraj, rdkit and more.

Availability and implementation
The source code is freely available under the MIT license at https://github.com/arose/nglview. Python packages are available from PyPI and bioconda. NGLview uses Python on the server-side and JavaScript on the client. The integration with Jupyter is done through the ipywidgets package. The NGL Viewer is embedded client-side to provide WebGL accelerated molecular graphics.
Decay of HIV DNA in the Reservoir and the Impact of Short Treatment Interruption in Kenyan Infants
Authors: Pankau Mark D , Wamalwa Dalton , Benki-Nugent Sarah , Tapia Kenneth , Ngugi Evelyn , Langat Agnes , Otieno Vincent , Moraa Helen , Maleche-Obimbo Elizabeth , Overbaugh Julie , John-Stewart Grace C , Lehman Dara A 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
We compared change in HIV reservoir DNA following continued antiretroviral therapy (ART) vs short treatment interruption (TI) in early ART-treated Kenyan infants. While HIV DNA in the reservoir decayed with continued ART, HIV DNA levels were similar to pre-TI HIV DNA reservoir levels in most children after short TI.