bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variability in phase and amplitude of diurnal rhythms is related to variation of mood in bipolar and borderline personality disorder
Authors: Carr O. , Saunders K. E. A. , Tsanas A. , Bilderbeck A. C. , Palmius N. , Geddes J. R. , Foster R. , Goodwin G. M. , De Vos M. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractVariable mood is an important feature of psychiatric disorders. However, its measurement and relationship to objective measureas of physiology and behaviour have rarely been studied. Smart-phones facilitate continuous personalized prospective monitoring of subjective experience and behavioural and physiological signals can be measured through wearable devices. Such passive data streams allow novel estimates of diurnal variability. Phase and amplitude of diurnal rhythms were quantified using new techniques that fitted sinusoids to heart rate (HR) and acceleration signals. We investigated mood and diurnal variation for four days in 20 outpatients with bipolar disorder (BD), 14 with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and 20 healthy controls (HC) using a smart-phone app, portable electrocardiogram (ECG), and actigraphy. Variability in negative affect, positive affect, and irritability was elevated in patient groups compared with HC. The study demonstrated convincing associations between variability in subjective mood and objective variability in diurnal physiology. For BPD there was a pattern of positive correlations between mood variability and variation in activity, sleep and HR. The findings suggest BPD is linked more than currently believed with a disorder of diurnal rhythm; in both BPD and BD reducing the variability of sleep phase may be a way to reduce variability of subjective mood.
Mitonuclear interactions may contribute to fitness of fungal hybrids
Authors: Giordano Luana , Sillo Fabiano , Garbelotto Matteo , Gonthier Paolo 
Published: January 2018

AbstractHybridization between species is being recognized as a major force in the rapid adaptive evolution of fungal plant pathogens. The first stages of interspecific hybridization necessarily involve nuclear-mitochondrial chimeras. In their 2001 publication, Olson and Stenlid reported that mitochondria control the virulence of first generation hybrids between the North American fungal pathogen Heterobasidion irregulare and its congeneric H. occidentale. By assessing saprobic ability and gene expression of H. irregulare × H. annosum sensu stricto hybrids and of their parental genotypes, we demonstrate that mitochondria also influence saprobic growth of hybrids. Moreover, gene expression data suggest that fungal fitness is modulated by an intimate interplay between nuclear genes and mitochondrial type, and is dependent on the specific mitonuclear combination.
Effect of secondary phase on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of magnesium alloy
Authors: Gao Shangyu , Chen Xianhua , Pan Fusheng , Song Kai , Zhao Chaoyue , Liu Lizi , Liu Xiaofang , Zhao Di 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe microstructure, electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of Mg-xZn and Mg-xSn (x = 3,5) alloys prepared under different rolling and heat treatment conditions were systematically investigated to understand the effect of secondary-phase orientation on the electromagnetic-shielding property of magnesium alloys. Alloys were rolled to form basal textures and then subjected to different durations of solid-solution treatment and aging to induce the precipitation of secondary-phase particles along a specific direction. Experimental results indicated that in Mg-Zn and Mg-Sn alloys, secondary phases precipitated along directions perpendicular and parallel to the basal plane, respectively. When the direction of the incident electromagnetic wave is perpendicular to the basal plane, precipitates in Mg-Sn alloy parallel to the basal plane improve SE. The increment in SE is mainly attributed to the improvement in the reflection and multiple reflection losses of incident electromagnetic waves, which are caused by increasing the amounts of precipitates with specific orientations. Mg-5Sn alloy subjected to 16 h of solution treatment at 480 °C and 60 h of artificial aging at 170 °C for 60 h exhibited the maximum value of 107–89 dB and maximum increment in SE of 13 dB at 1200 MHz.
Different milk diets have substantial effects on the jejunal mucosal immune system of pre-weaning calves, as demonstrated by whole transcriptome sequencing
Authors: Hammon H. M. , Frieten D. , Gerbert C. , Koch C. , Dusel G. , Weikard R. , Kühn C. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThere is increasing evidence that nutrition during early mammalian life has a strong influence on health and performance in later life. However, there are conflicting data concerning the appropriate milk diet. This discrepancy particularly applies to ruminants, a group of mammals that switch from monogastric status to rumination during weaning. Little is known regarding how the whole genome expression pattern in the juvenile ruminant gut is affected by alternative milk diets. Thus, we performed a next-generation-sequencing-based holistic whole transcriptome analysis of the jejunum in male pre-weaned German Holstein calves fed diets with restricted or unlimited access to milk during the first 8 weeks of life. Both groups were provided hay and concentratead libitum. The analysis of jejunal mucosa samples collected 80 days after birth and four weeks after the end of the feeding regimes revealed 275 differentially expressed loci. While the differentially expressed loci comprised 67 genes encoding proteins relevant to metabolism or metabolic adaptation, the most distinct difference between the two groups was the consistently lower activation of the immune system in calves that experienced restricted milk access compared to calves fed milkad libitum. In conclusion, different early life milk diets had significant prolonged effects on the intestinal immune system.
Interplay of bimolecular and Auger recombination in photoexcited carrier dynamics in silicon nanocrystal/silicon dioxide superlattices
Authors: Chlouba T. , Trojánek F. , Laube J. , Hiller D. , Gutsch S. , Zacharias M. , Malý P. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe report results of investigating carrier recombination in silicon nanocrystal/silicon dioxide superlattices. The superlattices prepared by nitrogen-free plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition contained layers of silicon nanocrystals. Femtosecond transient transmission optical spectroscopy was used to monitor carrier mechanisms in the samples. The three-particle Auger recombination was observed in accord with previous reports. However, under high pump intensities (high photoexcited carrier densities) the bimolecular process dominated the recombination. Detailed analysis of measured data and fitting procedure made it possible to follow and quantify the interplay between the two recombination processes. The bimolecular recombination was interpreted in terms of the trap-assisted Auger recombination.
Depletion of HDAC1, 7 and 8 by Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Confers Elimination of Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells in Combination with Gemcitabine
Authors: Cai Mao-Hua , Xu Xiao-Gang , Yan Shi-Li , Sun Ze , Ying Yin , Wang Bai-Kui , Tu Yue-Xing 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTrichostatin A (TSA) possess histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory potential, can reverse the deactivation of tumor suppressor genes and inhibit tumor cell proliferation. We evaluated the effect of TSA on HDAC expression, tumor cell proliferation, and cancer stem cells (CSCs) activities in pancreatic ductal adenocarnoma (PDAC) cells. The PDAC cell lines MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 were distinctly sensitive to TSA, with enhanced apoptosis, compared to SAHA. TSA or SAHA inhibited vimentin, HDACs 1, 7 and 8, upregulated E-cadherin mRNA and protein levels in the PDAC cells, and time-dependently downregulated Oct-4, Sox-2, and Nanog, as well as inhibited PDAC tumorsphere formation. TSA also induces accumulation of acetylated histones, while increasing histone 3 lysine 4 or 9 dimethylation levels in PDAC cells and enhancing the epigenetic activity of SAHA. The anti-CSCs effect of TSA was like that obtained by silencing HDAC-1 or 7 using siRNA, and enhances Gemcitabine activity. Our study highlights the molecular targetability of HDACs 1, 7, and 8, confirm their PDAC-CSCs maintaining role, and demonstrate that compared to SAHA, TSA modulates the epigenetically- mediated oncogenic activity of PDAC-CSCs, and potentiate Gemcitabine therapeutic activity, making a case for further exploration of TSA activity alone or in combination with Gemcitabine in PDAC therapy.
Population coding of grasp and laterality-related information in the macaque fronto-parietal network
Authors: Michaels Jonathan A. , Scherberger Hansjörg 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPreparing and executing grasping movements demands the coordination of sensory information across multiple scales. The position of an object, required hand shape, and which of our hands to extend must all be coordinated in parallel. The network formed by the macaque anterior intraparietal area (AIP) and hand area (F5) of the ventral premotor cortex is essential in the generation of grasping movements. Yet, the role of this circuit in hand selection is unclear. We recorded from 1342 single- and multi-units in AIP and F5 of two macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta) during a delayed grasping task in which monkeys were instructed by a visual cue to perform power or precision grips on a handle presented in five different orientations with either the left or right hand, as instructed by an auditory tone. In AIP, intended hand use (left vs. right) was only weakly represented during preparation, while hand use was robustly present in F5 during preparation. Interestingly, visual-centric handle orientation information dominated AIP, while F5 contained an additional body-centric frame during preparation and movement. Together, our results implicate F5 as a site of visuo-motor transformation and advocate a strong transition between hand-independent and hand-dependent representations in this parieto-frontal circuit.
Modulation of oncogenic miRNA biogenesis using functionalized polyamines
Authors: Staedel Cathy , Tran Thi Phuong Anh , Giraud Julie , Darfeuille Fabien , Di Giorgio Audrey , Tourasse Nicolas J. , Salin Franck , Uriac Philippe , Duca Maria 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMicroRNAs are key factors in the regulation of gene expression and their deregulation has been directly linked to various pathologies such as cancer. The use of small molecules to tackle the overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs has proved its efficacy and holds the promise for therapeutic applications. Here we describe the screening of a 640-compound library and the identification of polyamine derivatives interfering with in vitro Dicer-mediated processing of the oncogenic miR-372 precursor (pre-miR-372). The most active inhibitor is a spermine-amidine conjugate that binds to the pre-miR-372 with a KD of 0.15 µM, and inhibits its in vitro processing with a IC50 of 1.06 µM. The inhibition of miR-372 biogenesis was confirmed in gastric cancer cells overexpressing miR-372 and a specific inhibition of proliferation through de-repression of the tumor suppressor LATS2 protein, a miR-372 target, was observed. This compound modifies the expression of a small set of miRNAs and its selective biological activity has been confirmed in patient-derived ex vivo cultures of gastric carcinoma. Polyamine derivatives are promising starting materials for future studies about the inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about the application of functionalized polyamines as miRNAs interfering agents.
Ribosome Incorporation into Somatic Cells Promotes Lineage Transdifferentiation towards Multipotency
Authors: Ito Naofumi , Katoh Kaoru , Kushige Hiroko , Saito Yutaka , Umemoto Terumasa , Matsuzaki Yu , Kiyonari Hiroshi , Kobayashi Daiki , Soga Minami , Era Takumi , Araki Norie , Furuta Yasuhide , Suda Toshio , Kida Yasuyuki , Ohta Kunimasa 
Published: January 2018

AbstractRecently, we reported that bacterial incorporation induces cellular transdifferentiation of human fibroblasts. However, the bacterium-intrinsic cellular- transdifferentiation factor remained unknown. Here, we found that cellular transdifferentiation is caused by ribosomes. Ribosomes, isolated from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, induce the formation of embryoid body-like cell clusters. Numerous ribosomes are incorporated into both the cytoplasm and nucleus through trypsin-activated endocytosis, which leads to cell-cluster formation. Although ribosome-induced cell clusters (RICs) express several stemness markers and differentiate into derivatives of all three germ layers in heterogeneous cell populations, RICs fail to proliferate, alter the methylation states of pluripotent genes, or contribute to teratoma or chimera formation. However, RICs express markers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition without altering the cell cycle, despite their proliferation obstruction. These findings demonstrate that incorporation of ribosomes into host cells induces cell transdifferentiation and alters cellular plasticity.
Geophysical investigations unravel the vestiges of ancient meandering channels and their dynamics in tidal landscapes
Authors: Boaga Jacopo , Ghinassi Massimiliano , D’Alpaos Andrea , Deidda G. P. , Rodriguez G. , Cassiani Giorgio 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWhether or not one can detect relict signatures of the past imprinted in current landscapes is a question of the utmost theoretical and practical relevance for meandering tidal channels, owing to their influence on the morphodynamic evolution of tidal landscapes, a critically fragile environment, especially in face of expected climatic changes. Unravelling the sedimentary patterns of ancient channels is an expensive process that usually requires high resolution sediment coring. Here we use a novel inversion process of multi-frequency electromagnetic measurements to reveal the signature and characterize the dynamics of a salt-marsh paleo-meander in the Venice Lagoon. We show that the ancient meander migrated laterally while vertically aggrading, developing a peculiar bar geometry which is less common in analogous fluvial meanders. The observed point-bar dynamics and the associated architectural geometry are consistent with remote sensing and borehole data and contrast with current assessments of tidal meander morphodynamics mediated from classical fluvial theories. In addition, the proposed technique, rapid and non-invasive, bears important consequences for detecting buried stratal geometries and reconstructing the spatial distribution of ancient sedimentary bodies, providing quantitative data for the description of landscape evolution in time.
Membrane potential synchrony of neurons in anterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in generation of neuropathic pain
Authors: Chen Zhiyu , Shen Xiaolu , Huang La , Wu Hai , Zhang Mazhong 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe pathophysiology of neuropathic pain generation has not been fully investigated. Previous studies have primarily focused on changes in the properties of single neurons in the brain after nerve injury; however, little is known concerning the role of neuron-to-neuron connections in neuropathic pain pathogenesis. Synaptic transmission potentiation in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been confirmed to be responsible for the formation of neuropathic pain. Thus, analysis of interneuronal connections in the ACC is an important approach for understanding the mechanism of neuropathic pain since it provides information on the potency of synaptic transmission. Here, we recorded membrane potentials from pairs of ACC neurons in anaesthetised rats and found that cross-correlations between pairs of ACC neurons significantly increased after surgery for chronic constriction injury (CCI). Moreover, CCI surgery could also enhance the power spectrum density of lower and higher-frequency membrane oscillations while having no effect on middle-frequency oscillations. The activation of membrane potential synchrony and power spectrum was reversed by the electrical synapse blocker mefloquine and pain behaviour was simultaneously alleviated. Our results may indicate that activation of membrane potential synchrony contributes to generation of neuropathic pain.
Role of Quzhou Fructus Aurantii Extract in Preventing and Treating Acute Lung Injury and Inflammation
Authors: Li Lili , Zhang Sheng , Xin Yanfei , Sun Junying , Xie Feng , Yang Lin , Chen Zhiqin , Chen Hao , Liu Fang , Xuan Yaoxian , You Zhenqiang 
Published: January 2018

AbstractQuzhou Fructus Aurantii (QFA) is an authentic herb of local varieties in Zhejiang, China, which is usually used to treat gastrointestinal illnesses, but its effects on respiratory inflammation have not been reported yet. In our study, the anti-inflammatory activity of QFA extract (QFAE) was evaluated on copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O)-induced transgenic neutrophil fluorescent zebrafish model. QFAE showed a significant effect of anti-inflammation in CuSO4·5H2O-induced zebrafish by reducing the neutrophil number in the inflammatory site. We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of QFAE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) mice models and RAW 264.7 cells. QFAE had an anti-inflammatory effect on reducing total cells, neutrophils, and macrophages in BALF and attenuated alveolus collapse, neutrophils infiltration, lung W/D ratio, myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein expression and other pulmonary histological changes in lung tissues, as well as hematological changes. Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF, IL-6, IFN-γ, MCP-1, and IL-12p70, were decreased, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was increased after treatment with QFAE both in vivo and in vitro. In summary, our results suggested that QFAE had apparent anti-inflammatory effects on CuSO4·5H2O-induced zebrafish, LPS-induced ALI mice, and RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, QFAE may be a therapeutic drug to treat ALI/ARDS and other respiratory inflammations.
SOX2 activation predicts prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Chung Ji Hyun , Jung Hae Rim , Jung Ah Ra , Lee Young Chan , Kong Moonkyoo , Lee Ju-Seog , Eun Young-Gyu 
Published: January 2018

AbstractSOX2 copy number and mRNA expression were analysed to examine the clinical significance of SOX2 activation in HNSCC. Gene expression signatures reflecting SOX2 activation were identified in an HNSCC cohort. Patients with HNSCC were classified into two subgroups according to the gene expression signature: SOX2-high and SOX2-low. The clinical significance of SOX2 activation was further validated in two independent cohorts. Moreover, clinical significance of SOX2 activation in response to radiotherapy was assessed in patients with HNSCC. The relationship between SOX2 activation and radiotherapy was validated in an in vitro experiment. Patients in the SOX2-high subgroup had a better prognosis than patients in the SOX2-low subgroup in all three patient cohorts. Results of multivariate regression analysis showed that SOX2 signature was an independent predictor of the overall survival of patients with HNSCC (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.92; P = 0.01). Interestingly, SOX2 activation was a predictor of therapy outcomes in patients receiving radiotherapy. Moreover, SOX2 overexpression enhanced the effect of radiotherapy in HNSCC cell lines. SOX2 activation is associated with improved prognosis of patients with HNSCC and might be used to predict which patients might benefit from radiotherapy.
The Altered Supramolecular Structure of Dopamine D2 Receptors in Disc1-deficient Mice
Authors: Onishi Taichi , Sakamoto Hirokazu , Namiki Shigeyuki , Hirose Kenzo 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDisc1is a susceptibility gene for psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. It has been suggested that excess transmission through dopamine type 2 receptors (D2Rs) in the striatum is an underlying mechanism of pathogenesis. In this study, we used super-resolution microscopy to study the distribution of D2Rs at the nanoscale in mice lacking exons 2 and 3 ofDisc1(Disc1-deficient mice). We found that D2Rs in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of wild-type mice form nanoclusters (~ 20,000 nm2), and thatDisc1-deficient mice have larger and more D2R nanoclusters than wild-type mice. Interestingly, administration of clozapine reduced the size and spatial distribution of the nanoclusters only inDisc1-deficient mice. Moreover, we observed that medium spiny neurons in the NAc ofDisc1-deficient mice had reduced spine density on their dendrites than did wild-type mice, and this was also reversed by clozapine administration. The altered D2R nanoclusters might be morphological representations of the altered dopaminergic transmission in disease states such as schizophrenia.
Optimizing OCT acquisition parameters for assessments of vitreous haze for application in uveitis
Authors: Montesano G. , Way C. M. , Ometto G. , Ibrahim H. , Jones P. R. , Carmichael R. , Liu X. , Aslam T. , Keane P. A. , Crabb D. P. , Denniston A. K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDetection and evaluation of inflammatory activity in uveitis is essential to the management of the condition, and yet continues to be largely dependent on subjective clinical measures. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurement of vitreous activity is an alternative to clinical vitreous haze scoring and has passed a number of early validation studies. In this study we aimed to evaluate the impact of ‘operator factors’ on the variability of the technique as part of the validation process, and to help evaluate its suitability for ‘real world’ use. Vitreous haze index was calculated as a ratio between the reflectivity of the vitreous and of the outer retina in each scan. Different scanning conditions were tested and their effect on the measurement is reported. Our results show that the ‘quantitative imaging’ technique of OCT-measured vitreous activity had good reliability in normal subjects under a range of ‘real world’ conditions, such as when the operator changes the averaging value. The technique was however vulnerable to highly inaccurate focussing or abnormal downward displacement of the image. OCT-based quantification of vitreous activity is a promising alternative to current subjective clinical estimates, with sufficient ‘tolerance’ to be used in routine clinical practice as well as clinical trials.
Ischemia Reperfusion Injury after Gradual versus Rapid Flow Restoration for Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Rats
Authors: Xu Wan-wan , Zhang Ying-ying , Su Juan , Liu Ao-fei , Wang Kai , Li Chen , Liu Yun-e , Zhang Yi-qun , Lv Jin , Jiang Wei-jian 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIschemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an important cause of adverse prognosis after recanalization in patients with acute occlusion of major intracranial artery (AOMIA). Here, we provided data indicating that gradual flow restoration (GFR) would be superior to rapid flow restoration (RFR) in alleviating cerebral IRIs in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. A total of 94 MCAO rats with 15, 30 and 60-minute occlusion were randomly assigned to receive either GFR or RFR intervention. There were significant differences between GFR and RFR group in mean neurological severity score (1.02 versus 1.28; p < 0.05), median infarct ratio (0.016 versus 0.12; p < 0.001), median neuronal apoptosis ratio (1.81 versus 14.46; p < 0.001), and mean histopathological abnormality score (0.92 versus 1.66; p < 0.001). In addition, these differences were mainly distributed in 30-minute and 60-minute occlusion rats, not in 15-minute occlusion rats. These results indicated that GFR rather than RFR could effectively alleviate cerebral IRIs in MCAO rats, especially in rats with longer occlusion duration, suggesting that GFR may be particularly applicable to AOMIA patients who are presented to neurointerventionalists in the later-time of recanalization therapy window.