bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The tiered-evaluation of the effects of transgenic cry1c rice on Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, a main predator of Nilaparvata lugens
Authors: Han Yu , Ma Fugang , Nawaz Muhammad , Wang Yu , Cai Wanlun , Zhao Jing , He Yueping , Hua Hongxia , Zou Yulan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractT1C-19, a newly developed transgenic cry1C rice line, expresses cry1C under the control of the maize ubiquitin promoter, and is highly resistant to lepidopteran pests of rice. Cyrtorhinus lividipennis is the major predator of the eggs and young nymphs of Nilaparvata lugens, which is the main non-target sap-sucking insect pest of Bt rice. C. lividipennis may be exposed to Cry1C protein, thus biosafety evaluations of transgenic cry1C rice on C. lividipennis should be conducted before the commercialization of T1C-19. In the current study, we tested the direct toxicity of elevated doses of Cry1C to C. lividipennis, effects of T1C-19 on the life-table parameters of C. lividipennis via preying planthoppers, and effects of T1C-19 on the population density and dynamics in rice fields. No detrimental effects on development, survival, female ratio and body weight of C. lividipennis were caused by direct exposure to elevated doses of the Cry1C protein or prey-mediated exposure to realistic doses of the protein. The population density and dynamics did not significantly differ between C. lividipennis in T1C-19 and non-transgenic rice fields. Thus, transgenic cry1C rice had no negative effects on C. lividipennis. This is the first report of the effects of transgenic cry1C rice on C. lividipennis.
ALD5, PAD1, ATF1 and ATF2 facilitate the catabolism of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Adeboye Peter Temitope , Bettiga Maurizio , Olsson Lisbeth 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to catabolize phenolic compounds remains to be fully elucidated. Conversion of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid by S. cerevisiae under aerobic conditions was previously reported. A conversion pathway was also proposed. In the present study, possible enzymes involved in the reported conversion were investigated. Aldehyde dehydrogenase Ald5, phenylacrylic acid decarboxylase Pad1, and alcohol acetyltransferases Atf1 and Atf2, were hypothesised to be involved. Corresponding genes for the four enzymes were overexpressed in a S. cerevisiae strain named APT_1. The ability of APT_1 to tolerate and convert the three phenolic compounds was tested. APT_1 was also compared to strains B_CALD heterologously expressing coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas, and an ald5Δ strain, all previously reported. APT_1 exhibited the fastest conversion of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid. Using the intermediates and conversion products of each compound, the catabolic route of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid in S. cerevisiae was studied in greater detail.
FocusHeuristics – expression-data-driven network optimization and disease gene prediction
Authors: Ernst Mathias , Du Yang , Warsow Gregor , Hamed Mohamed , Endlich Nicole , Endlich Karlhans , Murua Escobar Hugo , Sklarz Lisa-Madeleine , Sender Sina , Junghanß Christian , Möller Steffen , Fuellen Georg , Struckmann Stephan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTo identify genes contributing to disease phenotypes remains a challenge for bioinformatics. Static knowledge on biological networks is often combined with the dynamics observed in gene expression levels over disease development, to find markers for diagnostics and therapy, and also putative disease-modulatory drug targets and drugs. The basis of current methods ranges from a focus on expression-levels (Limma) to concentrating on network characteristics (PageRank, HITS/Authority Score), and both (DeMAND, Local Radiality). We present an integrative approach (the FocusHeuristics) that is thoroughly evaluated based on public expression data and molecular disease characteristics provided by DisGeNet. The FocusHeuristics combines three scores, i.e. the log fold change and another two, based on the sum and difference of log fold changes of genes/proteins linked in a network. A gene is kept when one of the scores to which it contributes is above a threshold. Our FocusHeuristics is both, a predictor for gene-disease-association and a bioinformatics method to reduce biological networks to their disease-relevant parts, by highlighting the dynamics observed in expression data. The FocusHeuristics is slightly, but significantly better than other methods by its more successful identification of disease-associated genes measured by AUC, and it delivers mechanistic explanations for its choice of genes.
Protective Effect of 17β-Estradiol Upon Hippocampal Spine Density and Cognitive Function in an Animal Model of Vascular Dementia
Authors: Zhu Ying , Zhang Quanguang , Zhang Wenli , Li Ning , Dai Yongxin , Tu Jingyi , Yang Fang , Brann Darrell W. , Wang Ruimin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe current study examined whether the steroid hormone, 17β-estradiol (E2) can exert long-lasting beneficial effects upon axonal health, synaptic plasticity, dementia-related amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein expression, and hippocampal-dependent cognitive function in an animal model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and vascular dementia (VaD). Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and VaD was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. Low dose E2 administered for the first 3-months after BCCAO exerted long-lasting beneficial effects, including significant neuroprotection of hippocampal CA1 neurons and preservation of hippocampal-dependent cognitive function when examined at 6-months after BCCAO. E2 treatment also prevented BCCAO-induced damage to hippocampal myelin sheaths and oligodendrocytes, enhanced expression of the synaptic proteins synaptophysin and PSD95 in the hippocampus, and prevented BCCAO-induced loss of total and mushroom dendritic spines in the hippocampal CA1 region. Furthermore, E2-treatment also reduced BCCAO induction of dementia-related proteins expression such as p-tau (PHF1), total ubiquitin, and Aβ1-42, when examined at 6 m after BCCAO. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that low-dose E2 replacement might be a potentially promising therapeutic modality to attenuate or block negative neurological consequences of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and VaD.
Risk of Pleural Recurrence in Early Stage Lung Cancer Patients after Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Ting , Luo Lili , Zhou Qinghua 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPercutaneous transthoracic needle biopsies (PTNB) are widely used for the diagnosis of a peripheral pulmonary nodules, but the risk of pleural recurrence in lung cancer patients remains undetermined. Our meta-analysis aims to answer the question whether PTNB strategy increases the risk of recurrence. PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched from inception to January 9, 2016. A total of 1242 patients from 5 studies were included. The results showed that PTNB does not increase risk of total recurrence (Odds Ratio,0.78; 95% CI, 0.53 to 1.15) or pleural recurrence (Odds Ratio,1.58; 95% CI, 0.41 to 6.12) compared with non-PTNB strategies in early stage lung cancer patients. Subgroup analysis showed that PTNB was associated with increased pleural recurrence (Odds Ratio, 10.76; 95% CI, 2.92 to 39.70) in patients with sub-pleural lesions but not in patients without sub-pleural lesions (Odds Ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.24 to 3.89). In conclusion, PTNB should not be recommended in lung cancer patients with sub-pleural lesions. However, PTNB is recommendable to use in other patients without sub-pleural lesions to whom pathological diagnosis is necessary, especially in patients with relevant comorbidities.
A new primitive Neornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of Patagonia with gut contents
Authors: Salgado Leonardo , Canudo José I. , Garrido Alberto C. , Moreno-Azanza Miguel , Martínez Leandro C. A. , Coria Rodolfo A. , Gasca José M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe describe a new species of an ornithischian dinosaur, Isaberrysaura mollensis gen. et sp. nov. The specimen, consisting in an almost complete skull and incomplete postcranium was collected from the marine-deltaic deposits of the Los Molles Formation (Toarcian-Bajocian), being the first reported dinosaur for this unit, one of the oldest from Neuquén Basin, and the first neornithischian dinosaur known from the Jurassic of South America. Despite showing a general stegosaurian appearance, the extensive phylogenetic analysis carried out depicts Isaberrysaura mollensis gen. et sp. nov. as a basal ornithopod, suggesting that both Thyreophora and neornithischians could have achieved significant convergent features. The specimen was preserved articulated and with some of its gut content place in the middle-posterior part of the thoracic cavity. Such stomach content was identified as seeds, most of them belonging to the Cycadales group. This finding reveals a possible and unexpected role of this ornithischian species as seed-dispersal agent.
Focal adhesion kinase activity is required for actomyosin contractility-based invasion of cells into dense 3D matrices
Authors: Mierke Claudia T. , Fischer Tony , Puder Stefanie , Kunschmann Tom , Soetje Birga , Ziegler Wolfgang H. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe focal adhesion kinase (FAK) regulates the dynamics of integrin-based cell adhesions important for motility. FAK’s activity regulation is involved in stress-sensing and focal-adhesion turnover. The effect of FAK on 3D migration and cellular mechanics is unclear. We analyzed FAK knock-out mouse embryonic fibroblasts and cells expressing a kinase-dead FAK mutant, R454-FAK, in comparison to FAK wild-type cells. FAK knock-out and FAKR454/R454cells invade dense 3D matrices less efficiently. These results are supported by FAK knock-down in wild-type fibroblasts and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells showing reduced invasiveness. Pharmacological interventions indicate that in 3D matrices, cells deficient in FAK or kinase-activity behave similarly to wild-type cells treated with inhibitors of Src-activity or actomyosin-contractility. Using magnetic tweezers experiments, FAKR454/R454cells are shown to be softer and exhibit impaired adhesion to fibronectin and collagen, which is consistent with their reduced 3D invasiveness. In line with this, FAKR454/R454cells cannot contract the matrix in contrast to FAK wild-type cells. Finally, our findings demonstrate that active FAK facilitates 3D matrix invasion through increased cellular stiffness and transmission of actomyosin-dependent contractile force in dense 3D extracellular matrices.
Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate honey bee foraging reveals limited flower use despite high floral availability
Authors: de Vere Natasha , Jones Laura E. , Gilmore Tegan , Moscrop Jake , Lowe Abigail , Smith Dan , Hegarty Matthew J. , Creer Simon , Ford Col R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractUnderstanding which flowers honey bees (Apis mellifera) use for forage can help us to provide suitable plants for healthy honey bee colonies. Accordingly, honey DNA metabarcoding provides a valuable tool for investigating pollen and nectar collection. We investigated early season (April and May) floral choice by honey bees provided with a very high diversity of flowering plants within the National Botanic Garden of Wales. There was a close correspondence between the phenology of flowering and the detection of plants within the honey. Within the study area there were 437 genera of plants in flower during April and May, but only 11% of these were used. Thirty-nine plant taxa were recorded from three hives but only ten at greater than 1%. All three colonies used the same core set of native or near-native plants, typically found in hedgerows and woodlands. The major plants were supplemented with a range of horticultural species, with more variation in plant choice between the honey bee colonies. We conclude that during the spring, honey bees need access to native hedgerows and woodlands to provide major plants for foraging. Gardens provide supplementary flowers that may increase the nutritional diversity of the honey bee diet.
Mechanisms of Chinese Medicine Xinmailong’s protection against heart failure in pressure-overloaded mice and cultured cardiomyocytes
Authors: Qi Jianyong , Yu Juan , Tan Yafang , Chen Renshan , Xu Wen , Chen Yanfen , Lu Jun , Liu Qin , Wu Jiashin , Gu Weiwang , Zhang Minzhou 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPatients with heart failure (HF) have high mortality and mobility. Xinmailong (XML) injection, a Chinese Medicine, is clinically effective in treating HF. However, the mechanism of XML’s effectiveness on HF was unclear, and thus, was the target of the present study. We created a mouse model of pressure-overload-induced HF with transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery and compared among 4 study groups: SHAM (n = 10), TAC (n = 12), MET (metoprolol, positive drug treatment, n = 7) and XML (XML treatment, n = 14). Dynamic changes in cardiac structure and function were evaluated with echocardiography in vivo. In addition, H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes were cultured in vitro and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, AKT, GSK3β and protein expression of GATA4 in nucleus were detected with Western blot experiment. The results showed that XML reduced diastolic thickness of left ventricular posterior wall, increased ejection fraction and fraction shortening, so as to inhibit HF at 2 weeks after TAC. Moreover, XML inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, AKT and GSK3β, subsequently inhibiting protein expression of GATA4 in nucleus (P < 0.001). Together, our data demonstrated that XML inhibited the TAC-induced HF via inactivating the ERK1/2, AKT/GSK3β, and GATA4 signaling pathway.
Association of fronto-temporal function with cognitive ability in schizophrenia
Authors: Pu Shenghong , Nakagome Kazuyuki , Itakura Masashi , Iwata Masaaki , Nagata Izumi , Kaneko Koichi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDeficits in neuropsychological performance are common in schizophrenia, but their relationship with the fronto-temporal functional abnormalities associated with this condition remains unclear. We explored the relationship between neuropsychological performance as measured using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire theory of mind (ToM) subscale and fronto-temporal function in 23 patients with schizophrenia and 23 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs), using 52-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Regional hemodynamic changes were significantly smaller in the schizophrenia group than in the HCs group in the ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior part of the temporal cortex (VLPFC/aTC) and dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar cortex (DLPFC/FPC) regions. To dissect the effect of variance in BACS cognitive domains from the relationship between ToM function and fronto-temporal function, we performed additional partial correlation analyses between ToM and NIRS data, using BACS composite score as a control variable. The correlation between ToM and NIRS data remained significant only in the DLPFC/FPC region. This finding is important to models of recovery, as it suggests that intervention programs focusing on enhancing fronto-temporal function may have a greater impact on social and occupational outcomes than traditional rehabilitation programs focusing on neuropsychological performance.
Synthesis of Pt/K2CO3/MgAlOx–reduced graphene oxide hybrids as promising NOx storage–reduction catalysts with superior catalytic performance
Authors: Mei Xueyi , Yan Qinghua , Lu Peng , Wang Junya , Cui Yuhan , Nie Yu , Umar Ahmad , Wang Qiang 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPt/K2CO3/MgAlOx–reduced graphene oxide (Pt/K/MgAlOx–rGO) hybrids were synthesized, characterized and tested as a promising NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalyst. Mg–Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were grown on rGO via in situ hydrothermal crystallization. The structure and morphology of samples were thoroughly characterized using various techniques. Isothermal NOx adsorption tests indicated that MgAlOx–rGO hybrid exhibited better NOx trapping performance than MgAlOx, from 0.44 to 0.61 mmol · g−1, which can be attributed to the enhanced particle dispersion and stabilization. In addition, a series of MgAlOx–rGO loaded with 2 wt% Pt and different loadings (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) of K2CO3 (denoted as Pt/K/MgAlOx–rGO) were obtained by sequential impregnation. The influence of 5% H2O on the NOx storage capacity of MgAlOx–rGO loaded with 2 wt% Pt and 10% K2CO3 (2Pt/10 K/MgAlOx–rGO) catalyst was also evaluated. In all, the 2Pt/10 K/MgAlOx–rGO catalyst not only exhibited high thermal stability and NOx storage capacity of 1.12 mmol · g−1, but also possessed excellent H2O resistance and lean–rich cycling performance, with an overall 78.4% of NOx removal. This work provided a new scheme for the preparation of highly dispersed MgAlOx–rGO hybrid based NSR catalysts.
RNA splicing in human disease and in the clinic
Authors: Baralle Diana , Buratti Emanuele 
Published: February 2017

Defects at the level of the pre-mRNA splicing process represent a major cause of human disease. Approximately 15–50% of all human disease mutations have been shown to alter functioning of basic and auxiliary splicing elements. These elements are required to ensure proper processing of pre-mRNA splicing molecules, with their disruption leading to misprocessing of the pre-mRNA molecule and disease. The splicing process is a complex process, with much still to be uncovered before we are able to accurately predict whether a reported genomic sequence variant (GV) represents a splicing-associated disease mutation or a harmless polymorphism. Furthermore, even when a mutation is correctly identified as affecting the splicing process, there still remains the difficulty of providing an exact evaluation of the potential impact on disease onset, severity and duration. In this review, we provide a brief overview of splicing diagnostic methodologies, from in silico bioinformatics approaches to wet lab in vitro and in vivo systems to evaluate splicing efficiencies. In particular, we provide an overview of how the latest developments in high-throughput sequencing can be applied to the clinic, and are already changing clinical approaches.
Adiposity Indexes as Phenotype-Specific Markers of Preclinical Metabolic Alterations and Cardiovascular Risk in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mario Fernanda , Graff Scheila , Spritzer Poli 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition in women of reproductive age. 2 PCOS phenotypes (classic and ovulatory) are currently recognized as the most prevalent, with important differences in terms of cardiometabolic features. We studied the performance of different adiposity indexes to predict preclinical metabolic alterations and cardiovascular risk in 234 women with PCOS (173 with classic and 61 with ovulatory PCOS) and 129 controls. Performance of waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, conicity index, lipid accumulation product, and visceral adiposity index was assessed based on HOMA-IR ≥ 3.8 as reference standard for screening preclinical metabolic alterations and cardiovascular risk factors in each group. Lipid accumulation product had the best accuracy for classic PCOS, and visceral adiposity index had the best accuracy for ovulatory PCOS. By applying the cutoff point of lipid accumulation product<34, we identified a subgroup of patients without cardiometabolic alterations (P<0.05) in the group with classic PCOS, a population at higher risk for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose tolerance. In ovulatory PCOS, visceral adiposity index ≥ 1.32 was capable of detecting women with significantly higher blood pressure and less favorable glycemic and lipid variables as compared to ovulatory PCOS with lower visceral adiposity index (P<0.05). These results suggest LAP ≥ 34 as the best marker for classic PCOS, and VAI ≥ 1.32 for ovulatory PCOS women. Both indexes can be easily calculated with measures obtained in routine clinical practice and may be useful to detect cardiometabolic risk and secure early interventions.
Evaluation von lieferengpassinduzierten Arzneimittelumstellungen in 59 deutschen Krankenhäusern – eine Multicenterstudie
Authors: Kellermann Anita , Fischer Martina , Bernard Rudolf , Berndt Georg , Brüggmann Jörg , Müller Markus , Tydecks Eva , Gnadt Mirjam , Lipowsky Cornelia , Dombert Wolfgang , Reh Jürgen , Mitzner Karen , Nusser-Rothermundt Elfriede , Krammer Birgit , Friedrich Klaus , Riedel Rainer 
Published: February 2017

Zusammenfassung
Zielsetzung Lieferengpässe bzw. die Nichtlieferfähigkeit von Arzneimitteln durch pharmazeutische Unternehmen haben sich in den letzten Jahren zunehmend auch in Deutschland manifestiert. Dadurch kommt es zu immer mehr ungeplanten Arzneimittelumstellungen aufgrund eines Lieferengpasses (AaL) in deutschen Krankenhausapotheken. Ziel dieser Studie ist die Evaluation der Arzneimittelversorgungssituation in den versorgten Krankenhäusern.
Methodik Dokumentation der durchgeführten (un-)geplanten Arzneimittelumstellungen (AU) für ein Jahr im Rahmen einer prospektiven Multicenterstudie in 13 deutschen Krankenhausapotheken, die 59 Klinken (entspricht 4,2 % der Plankrankenhäuser und Hochschulkliniken, Basis 2013) versorgen. Die AaL wurden nach Anzahl und Art der Arzneimittelumstellungen analysiert.
Ergebnisse Im Beobachtungszeitrum 2013 wurden 1048 AU gemeldet. Davon waren 331 (31,6 %) ungeplante AaL. 717 (68,4 %) AU wurden aufgrund von Arzneimittel-Strategie-Entscheidungen geplant durchgeführt. 239 nicht lieferfähige Handelspräparate lösten in den 13 teilnehmenden Krankenhausapotheken 331 AaL aus. 127 (38,4 %) dieser AaL erfolgten im ersten Halbjahr und 204 (61,6 %) AaL im zweiten Halbjahr.
Schlussfolgerung 31,6 % der AU waren durch einen Lieferengpass bedingt und mussten ungeplant zur Sicherstellung der Patientenversorgung erfolgen. Mit einem Anteil von 61,6 % der AaL im zweiten Halbjahr zeigt sich eine deutliche Verschärfung der Lieferengpasssituation im Jahresverlauf. AU führen zu zusätzlichen Prozessänderungen, einem erhöhten Arbeitsaufwand im Klinikalltag und bedingen ein vermeidbares Fehlerrisiko. Demzufolge sollten im Interesse der Patientensicherheit auch geplante AU mit Bedacht durchgeführt werden, um so bewährte Prozessabläufe in der Patientenroutineversorgung zu gewährleisten. Da nur die Arzneimittelengpässe dokumentiert wurden, die in einer AU resultierten, ist davon auszugehen, dass die Zahl der tatsächlich nicht lieferfähigen Arzneimittel wesentlich höher liegt. Auffallend ist der Umfang der nichtlieferfähigen generischen Arzneimittel mit 84,2 % der AaL.
The big stuck in state capability
Authors: Andrews Matt , Pritchett Lant , Woolcock Michael 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Many developing countries and organizations within them are mired in a “big stuck,” or what we will call a “capability trap”: they cannot perform the tasks asked of them, and doing the same thing day after day is not improving the situation; indeed, it is usually only making things worse. We offer examples of this in the current chapter and use empirics to show that most governments seem especially prone to continued failure, even after decades of efforts to build state capability. We argue that this (and other) evidence suggests the need for deep reflection on past efforts to build state capability, and perhaps even dramatic changes to the way this is done in the future. This discussion lays a foundation for the rest of the book, which offers a diagnosis of the causes of “capability traps” in development and a strategy to escape such traps, using problem-driven iterative adaptation (PDIA).