bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Doxorubicin alters the mitochondrial dynamics machinery and mitophagy in the liver of treated animals
Authors: Dirks‐Naylor Amie J. , Kouzi Samir A. , Bero Joseph D. , Phan Diep T. , Taylor Heather N. , Whitt Stephanie D. , Mabolo Raean 
Published: March 2014

AbstractDoxorubicin (Dox) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent, but known to cause cardiac and hepatic toxicity. Mechanisms of toxicity have not been clearly identified, but shown to involve oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, antioxidant supplementation has only shown modest protection from Dox‐induced toxicity in clinical trials. Therefore, further research is required to discern alternative mechanisms that may also play an important role in Dox‐induced toxicity. Thus, we aimed to investigate the role of mitochondrial fusion and fission in Dox‐induced hepatic toxicity, which has not yet been investigated. Six‐week‐old male F344 rats were injected IP with 20 mg/kg of Dox or saline. Once administered, both groups of animals were fasted with no food or water until sacrifice 24 h later. Dox decreased content of primary regulators of mitochondrial fusion (OPA1, MFN1, and MFN2) with no effect on regulators of fission (DRP1 and FIS1), thus shifting the balance favoring mitochondrial fission. Moreover, it was determined that mitochondrial fission was likely not coupled to cell proliferation or cytochrome c release leading to the activation of mitochondrial‐mediated apoptotic signaling. Rather, mitochondrial fission may be coupled to mitophagy and may be an adaptive response to protect against Dox‐induced hepatic toxicity. This is the first study to report the role of altered mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy machinery in Dox‐induced hepatic injury.
The determination of histopathological and biochemical effects of the rabbit knee joint injected dexketoprofen trometamol
Authors: Hacibeyoğlu Gülçin , Saritaş Tuba Berra , Saritaş Zülfikar Kadir , Korkmaz Musa , Sevimli Alper , Mehmetoğlu İdris , Otelcioğlu Şeref 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThis study was conducted to investigate possible histopathological effects and biochemical reflections of intra‐articular dexketoprofen trometamol. A total of 24 New Zealand rabbits were included in the study. Blood sampling was carried out from all animals on the first day, then they were randomly allocated either to the control group (Group C, n = 9) or the dexketoprofen trometamol group (Group D, n = 15). Group C underwent each two intra‐articular injections of saline, 0.25 mL into right and 0.50 mL into left knee. Group D was injected 0.25 mL (6.25 mg) dexketoprofen trometamol into the right knee and 0.50 mL (12.5 mg) into the left. The groups were divided randomly into three. Tissue and blood samples were collected from Groups C1 and D1 on the first day, C2 and D2 on the second day and C3 and D3 on the 10th day of the study. Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1β), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were studied. The histopathological examination of C and D groups did not present any deterioration. IL‐6 basal levels were significantly higher in Group D2 compared with C2 and C3 compared with D3. Basal TNF‐α levels were higher compared with day 1 in Group C1, and IL‐6 and CRP levels were higher in Group D3. Also, none of the increases in these values are supported by histopathological evaluation results. Consequently, we suppose that dexketoprofen trometamol does not cause histopathological deterioration in articular cartilage of rabbits, and the increases in biochemical parameters exclusively are not clinically significant.
Substrate scope and selectivity in offspring to an enzyme subjected to directed evolution
Authors: Blikstad Cecilia , Dahlström Käthe M. , Salminen Tiina A. , Widersten Mikael 
Published: March 2014

We have analyzed the effects of mutations inserted during directed evolution of a specialized enzyme, Escherichia coli S‐1,2‐propanediol oxidoreductase (FucO). The kinetic properties of evolved variants have been determined and the observed differences have been rationalized by modeling the tertiary structures of isolated variants and the wild‐type enzyme. The native substrate, S‐1,2‐propanediol, as well as phenylacetaldehyde and 2S‐3‐phenylpropane‐1,2‐diol, which are new substrates accepted by isolated variants, were docked into the active sites. The study provides a comprehensive picture of how acquired catalytic properties have arisen via an intermediate generalist enzyme, which had acquired a single mutation (L259V) in the active site. Further mutagenesis of this generalist resulted in a new specialist catalyst. We have also been able to relate the native enzyme activities to the evolved ones and linked the differences to individual amino acid residues important for activity and selectivity. F254 plays a dual role in the enzyme function. First, mutation of F254 into an isoleucine weakens the interactions with the coenzyme thereby increasing its dissociation rate from the active site and resulting in a four‐fold increase in turnover number with S‐1,2‐propanediol. Second, F254 is directly involved in binding of aryl‐substituted substrates via π–π interactions. On the other hand, N151 is critical in determining the substrate scope since the side chain amide group stabilizes binding of 1,2‐substituted diols and is apparently necessary for enzymatic activity with these substrates. Moreover, the side chain of N151 introduces steric hindrance, which prevents high activity with phenylacetaldehyde. Additionally, the hydroxyl group of T149 is required to maintain the catalytically important hydrogen bonding network.
More plant growth but less plant defence? First global gene expression data for plants grown in soil amended with biochar
Authors: Viger Maud , Hancock Robert D. , Miglietta Franco , Taylor Gail 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBiochar is a carbon (C)‐rich solid formed when biomass is used to produce bioenergy. This ‘black carbon’ has been suggested as a solution to climate change, potentially reducing global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases by 12%, as well as promoting increased crop growth. How biochar application to soil leads to better crop yields remains open to speculation. Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application. Statistically significant increases for Arabidopsis in leaf area (130%), rosette diameter (61%) and root length (100%) were observed with similar findings in lettuce, where biochar application also increased leaf cell expansion. For the first time, global gene expression arrays were used on biochar‐treated plants, enabling us to identify the growth‐promoting plant hormones, brassinosteroid and auxin, and their signalling molecules, as key to this growth stimulation, with limited impacts on genes controlling photosynthesis. In addition, genes for cell wall loosening were promoted as were those for increased activity in membrane transporters for sugar, nutrients and aquaporins for better water and nutrient uptake and movement of sugars for metabolism in the plant. Positive growth effects were accompanied by down‐regulation of a large suite of plant defence genes, including the jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathway, defensins and most categories of secondary metabolites. Such genes are critical for plant protection against insect and pathogen attack, as well as defence against stresses including drought. We propose a conceptual model to explain these effects in this biochar type, hypothesizing a role for additional K+ supply in biochar amended soils, leading to Ca2+ and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) –mediated signalling underpinning growth and defence signalling responses.
Offsetting high water demands with high productivity: Sorghum as a biofuel crop in a high irradiance arid ecosystem
Authors: Oikawa Patricia Y. , Jenerette G. Darrel , Grantz David A. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractHigh irradiance arid environments are promising, yet understudied, areas for biofuel production. We investigated the productivity and environmental trade‐offs of growing sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) as a biofuel feedstock in the low deserts of California (CA). Using a 5.3 ha experimental field in the Imperial Valley, CA, we measured aboveground biomass production and net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and H2O via eddy covariance over three growing periods between February and November 2012. Environmental conditions were extreme, with high irradiance, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and air temperature throughout the growing season. Air temperature peaked in August with a maximum of 45.7 °C. Sorghum produced an annual aboveground biomass yield of 43.7 Mg per hectare. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) was highest during the summer growth period and reached a maximum of −68 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1. Water use efficiency, or biomass water ratio (BWR), was high (4.0 g dry biomass kg−1 H2O) despite high seasonal evapotranspiration (1094 kg H2O m−2). The BWR of sorghum surpassed that of many C4 biofuel candidate crops in the United States, as well as that of alfalfa which is currently widely grown in the Imperial Valley. Sorghum also outperformed many US biofuel crops in terms of radiation use efficiency (RUE), achieving 1.5 g dry biomass MJ−1. We found no evidence of saturation of NEE at high levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (up to 2250 μmol m−2 s−1). In addition, we found no evidence that NEE was inhibited by either high VPD or air temperature during peak photosynthetic phases. The combination of high productivity, high BWR, and high RUE suggests that sorghum is well adapted to this extreme environment. The biomass production rates and efficiency metrics spanning three growing periods provide fundamental data for future Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), which are needed to assess the sustainability of this sorghum biofuel feedstock system.
Effects of music on complications during hemodialysis for chronic renal failure patients
Authors: Koca Kutlu Adalet , Eren Ayşe Gül 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe study was planned as a case‐control study to examine the effects of music on some of the complications experienced by chronic renal failure (CRF) patients during hemodialysis. A total of 60 patients (30 intervention and 30 control) diagnosed with end‐stage renal failure undergoing hemodialysis treatment participated in this study. The study was conducted in Manisa Merkez Efendi State Hospital Hemodialysis Unit and Manisa Özel Anemon Hemodialysis between April 2012 and July 2012. The intervention group listened 30 minutes in each session (12 total sessions) Turkish art music at the beginning of the third hour of their hemodialysis sessions. Patient Information Form and visual analog scale to assess pain, nausea, vomiting, and cramps during hemodialysis session were used. For the analysis of data, the number, percentage, chi‐square test, and significance test of independent group differences between two averages were conducted. According to the findings of the study, the average of the intervention and control group ages, respectively, was 50.86 ± 11.3 and 55.13 ± 9.68. The primary duration of hemodialysis treatment for both intervention and control groups was “1 year and above” (70.0%). The intervention group's pain and nausea scores were lower than the control group for all 12 sessions. The difference between the intervention and the control group's pain scores was significant (P < 0.05). However, in pain scores from the first session to 12th session, continuous decreasing trend was not observed. According to the results, music can be used as an independent nursing practice for reduction of complications for CRF patients receiving hemodialysis treatment.
Innervation of Rat and Human Dura Mater and Pericranial Tissues in the Parieto‐Temporal Region by Meningeal Afferents
Authors: Schueler Markus , Neuhuber Winfried L. , De Col Roberto , Messlinger Karl 
Published: March 2014

ObjectiveTo reinvestigate the innervation pattern of the dura mater of rat and human middle cranial fossa, the morpho‐functional substrate of headache generation, and adjacent extracranial tissues with neuronal in vitro tracing.BackgroundThis study was initiated by recent structural and functional findings of meningeal afferent fibers which innervate the cranial dura mater and may project to extracranial tissues.MethodsAnterograde and retrograde neuronal in vitro tracing was made in formaldehyde fixed hemisected rat and human skulls. The fluorescent tracer DiI was applied to proximally cut meningeal nerves in rat and to distal branches of the spinosus nerve in human calvaria lined by dura mater. After several weeks, the dura mater and deep extracranial tissues were examined with fluorescence microscopy.ResultsIn addition to a network of meningeal nerve fibers, several fiber bundles were observed, leaving the skull through emissary canals and fissures to innervate the pericranial temporal, parietal, and occipital periosteum. Traced fibers were seen spreading into deep layers of the temporal and upper neck muscles. Retrograde neuronal tracing revealed labeled cell bodies exclusively in the mandibular and maxillary division of the rat trigeminal ganglion, and centrally projecting fibers were identified in the spinal trigeminal tract. Electron microscopy of the cross‐sected spinosus nerve showed myelinated and unmyelinated axons with similar numbers in human and rat.ConclusionsWe conclude that a proportion of meningeal afferents innervates extracranial tissues like periosteum and pericranial muscles via collaterals projecting through the skull. These afferents may be nociceptive, some may subserve proprioceptive functions. The finding of extracranial projections of meningeal afferents may be important for our understanding of extracranial impacts on headache generation and therapy.
CGRP and VIP Levels as Predictors of Efficacy of Onabotulinumtoxin Type A in Chronic Migraine
Authors: Cernuda‐Morollón Eva , Martínez‐Camblor Pablo , Ramón César , Larrosa Davinia , Serrano‐Pertierra Esther , Pascual Julio 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundOnabotulinumtoxin type A (onabotA) has shown efficacy in chronic migraine (CM). Its precise mechanism of action, however, is unknown.ObjectiveTo analyze a potential relationship between calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels and response to onabotA in CM.MethodsAdult patients with CM were recruited. Matched healthy subjects with no headache history served as controls. CGRP and VIP levels were determined in samples obtained from the right antecubital vein by ELISA outside of a migraine attack and having taken no symptomatic medication prior to treatment with onabotA. OnabotA was administered according to the PREEMPT protocol every 12 weeks for at least two treatment cycles. A patient was considered as a moderate responder when both: (1) moderate‐severe headache episodes were reduced by between 33 and 66%; (2) subjective benefit in a visual scale of 0‐100 was recorded by the patient of between 33‐66%. Patients were considered as excellent responders when both items improved >66%. Those without improvement of at least one‐third in the two items were considered as nonresponders.ResultsWe assessed plasma samples from 81 patients with CM and 33 healthy controls. CGRP and VIP levels were significantly increased in CM population vs controls. CGRP and, to a lesser degree, VIP levels were significantly increased in responders vs nonresponders. For CGRP, a threshold of 72 pg/mL positively correlated with 95% of nonresponders. The probability of being a responder to onabotA was 28 times higher in patients with a CGRP level above the threshold of 72 pg/mL. Even though the sensitivity for the calculated threshold for VIP was poor, the probability that CM patients with low CGRP levels will respond to onabotA was significantly higher in those patients with high VIP levels.ConclusionsInterictal CGRP and, to a lesser degree, VIP levels measured in peripheral blood are of great help in predicting response to onabotA.
Laparoendoscopic single‐site versus conventional laparoscopic pyeloplasty: A matched pair analysis
Authors: Naitoh Yasuyuki , Kawauchi Akihiro , Yamada Yasuhiro , Fujihara Atsuko , Hongo Fumiya , Kamoi Kazumi , Okihara Koji , Miki Tsuneharu 
Published: March 2014

ObjectiveTo compare the outcomes of laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty versus those of conventional laparoscopic pyeloplasty.MethodsA total of 26 laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty cases carried out in University Hospital: Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, from 2008 to 2013 were compared with a control group of 26 age‐matched laparoscopic pyeloplasty cases carried out during the same study period.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 20.4 years (range 1–56 years). Laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty was carried out on the right in nine cases and on the left in 17 cases. The operative time was 246 ± 68 min. Regarding the 14 pediatric patients, the mean age was 7.1 years (range 1–14 years). The operative time was 243 ± 49 min. As for the 12 adult patients, the mean age was 35.8 years (range 16–56 years). The operative time was 248 ± 86 min. The mean operative time of the control group in age‐matched laparoscopic pyeloplasty was 239 ± 51 min. Times were 229 ± 54 min for the pediatric patients and 253 ± 45 min for the adult patients. There was no significant difference in the operative time between the control group and the laparoendoscopic single‐site group for both adults and children. Blood loss was minimal, and no intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed in the 26 laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty cases.ConclusionThe present findings suggest that laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty can be used in both pediatric and adult patients, offering a superior cosmetic outcome than conventional laparoscopic pyeloplasty, and a lower degree of postoperative pain. A large‐scale prospective, randomized study is required to confirm these findings, and to define the future role of laparoendoscopic single‐site pyeloplasty.
1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 in combination with transforming growth factor‐β increases the frequency of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells through preferential expansion and usage of interleukin‐2
Authors: Chambers Emma S. , Suwannasaen Duangchan , Mann Elizabeth H. , Urry Zoe , Richards David F. , Lertmemongkolchai Ganjana , Hawrylowicz Catherine M. 
Published: March 2014

SummaryA high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency exists worldwide, which is associated with an increased incidence and severity of a range of immune‐mediated diseases. This has resulted in considerable interest in the immunodulatory functions of vitamin D. The active form of vitamin D, 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], has been shown to increase the frequency of Foxp3+ CD4+ T regulatory (Treg) cells when present at high concentrations or under strong T‐cell stimulation in culture. Supporting evidence exists in vivo for a positive association between serum 25(OH)D and Foxp3+ Treg cell numbers in humans. The aim of this work was to identify the cytokine milieu required in vitro to promote Foxp3+ Treg cells in cultures containing 1,25(OH)2D3 at more moderate concentrations (10−7 m). Stimulation of human CD4+ T cells with a combination of 1,25(OH)2D3 and transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) greatly increased the frequency of Foxp3+ Treg cells, which is proposed to result from the preferential expansion of Foxp3+ Treg cells, as compared with the Foxp3− effector T cells, in culture. The differential effect on proliferation may result from enhanced availability and usage of interleukin‐2 by the Foxp3+ Treg cells compared with Foxp3− effector T cells. In summary, modulation of the cytokine environment to one high in TGF‐β in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3 (10−7 m) significantly increased Foxp3+ Treg cell frequency. These data provide additional evidence for the important immunomodulatory properties of 1,25(OH)2D3 that exist and may help to control inflammatory diseases.
Health promotion strategies for families with adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS
Authors: Peu M.D. 
Published: March 2014

PurposeThis paper aims to explore and describe health promotion strategies for adolescents orphaned by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well as the evaluation thereof.Introduction and BackgroundAmong the Sub‐Saharan countries, such as Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho, South Africa is rated as fourth in the list of countries with the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS.MethodThe study employed phenomenological qualitative design. The population consisted of the purposively selected health promoters working in the Hammanskraal region, directly and indirectly involved with families with adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Following the focus group interviews, data were analysed using the seven steps of Colaizzi.ResultsFour categories and eight subcategories were concluded as the strategies for adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS as well as the evaluation thereof. The main categories identified were: the door‐to‐door outcome, workshop outputs, statistical data and community projects.DiscussionIt is evident that the health promotion strategies informed by the four themes will be implemented. The outcomes may raise an awareness in the community, support families and provide statistics on the impact of HIV and AIDS on families.Study LimitationsThe study was limited to one subdistrict and to health promoters in a rural area, therefore the results cannot be generalized to all other subdistricts including health promoters, especially those in urban areas.ConclusionThe successful evaluation programme will pin out the strong points and challenges while assisting in improving the quality of work provided in the communities.Implication for nursing and health policyContinuing professional and practice development are required to maintain the standard of health care in South Africa. Therefore the policymakers need to include relevant information regarding health promotion strategies in reducing the statistics of people living with HIV and AIDS.