bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Early astrocytosis in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease measured in vivo by multi-tracer positron emission tomography
Authors: Schöll Michael , Carter Stephen F. , Westman Eric , Rodriguez-Vieitez Elena , Almkvist Ove , Thordardottir Steinunn , Wall Anders , Graff Caroline , Långström Bengt , Nordberg Agneta 
Published: November 2015

AbstractStudying autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD), caused by gene mutations yielding nearly complete penetrance and a distinct age of symptom onset, allows investigation of presymptomatic pathological processes that can identify a therapeutic window for disease-modifying therapies. Astrocyte activation may occur in presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because reactive astrocytes surround β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in autopsy brain tissue. Positron emission tomography was performed to investigate fibrillar Aβ, astrocytosis and cerebral glucose metabolism with the radiotracers 11C-Pittsburgh compound-B (PIB), 11C-deuterium-L-deprenyl (DED) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) respectively in presymptomatic and symptomatic ADAD participants (n = 21), patients with mild cognitive impairment (n = 11) and sporadic AD (n = 7). Multivariate analysis using the combined data from all radiotracers clearly separated the different groups along the first and second principal components according to increased PIB retention/decreased FDG uptake (component 1) and increased DED binding (component 2). Presymptomatic ADAD mutation carriers showed significantly higher PIB retention than non-carriers in all brain regions except the hippocampus. DED binding was highest in presymptomatic ADAD mutation carriers. This suggests that non-fibrillar Aβ or early stage plaque depostion might interact with inflammatory responses indicating astrocytosis as an early contributory driving force in AD pathology. The novelty of this finding will be investigated in longitudinal follow-up studies.
Lysophosphatidic acid enhances survival of human CD34+ cells in ischemic conditions
Authors: Kostic Ivana , Fidalgo-Carvalho Isabel , Aday Sezin , Vazão Helena , Carvalheiro Tiago , Grãos Mário , Duarte António , Cardoso Carla , Gonçalves Lino , Carvalho Lina , Paiva Artur , Ferreira Lino 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSeveral clinical trials are exploring therapeutic effect of human CD34+ cells in ischemic diseases, including myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, most of the cells die few days after delivery. Herein we show that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-treated human umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells cultured under hypoxic and serum-deprived conditions present 2.2-fold and 1.3-fold higher survival relatively to non-treated cells and prostaglandin E2-treated cells, respectively. The pro-survival effect of LPA is concentration- and time-dependent and it is mediated by the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor γ (PPARγ) and downstream, by the activation of pro-survival ERK and Akt signaling pathways and the inhibition of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In hypoxia and serum-deprived culture conditions, LPA induces CD34+ cell proliferation without maintaining the their undifferentiating state and enhances IL-8, IL-6 and G-CSF secretion during the first 12 h compared to non-treated cells. LPA-treated CD34+ cells delivered in fibrin gels have enhanced survival and improved cardiac fractional shortening at 2 weeks on rat infarcted hearts as compared to hearts treated with placebo. We have developed a new platform to enhance the survival of CD34+ cells using a natural and cost-effective ligand and demonstrated its utility in the preservation of the functionality of the heart after infarction.
Exploring simvastatin, an antihyperlipidemic drug, as a potential topical antibacterial agent
Authors: Thangamani Shankar , Mohammad Haroon , Abushahba Mostafa F. N. , Hamed Maha I. , Sobreira Tiago J. P. , Hedrick Victoria E. , Paul Lake N. , Seleem Mohamed N. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe rapid rise of bacterial resistance to traditional antibiotics combined with the decline in discovery of novel antibacterial agents has created a global public health crisis. Repurposing existing drugs presents an alternative strategy to potentially expedite the discovery of new antimicrobial drugs. The present study demonstrates that simvastatin, an antihyperlipidemic drug exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against important Gram-positive (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) and Gram-negative pathogens (once the barrier imposed by the outer membrane was permeabilized). Proteomics and macromolecular synthesis analyses revealed that simvastatin inhibits multiple biosynthetic pathways and cellular processes in bacteria, including selective interference of bacterial protein synthesis. This property appears to assist in simvastatin’s ability to suppress production of key MRSA toxins (α-hemolysin and Panton-Valentine leucocidin) that impair healing of infected skin wounds. A murine MRSA skin infection experiment confirmed that simvastatin significantly reduces the bacterial burden and inflammatory cytokines in the infected wounds. Additionally, simvastatin exhibits excellent anti-biofilm activity against established staphylococcal biofilms and demonstrates the ability to be combined with topical antimicrobials currently used to treat MRSA skin infections. Collectively the present study lays the foundation for further investigation of repurposing simvastatin as a topical antibacterial agent to treat skin infections.
Floating Oscillator-Embedded Triboelectric Generator for Versatile Mechanical Energy Harvesting
Authors: Seol Myeong-Lok , Han Jin-Woo , Jeon Seung-Bae , Meyyappan M. , Choi Yang-Kyu 
Published: November 2015

AbstractA versatile vibration energy harvesting platform based on a triboelectricity is proposed and analyzed. External mechanical vibration repeats an oscillating motion of a polymer-coated metal oscillator floating inside a surrounding tube. Continuous sidewall friction at the contact interface of the oscillator induces current between the inner oscillator electrode and the outer tube electrode to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical energy. The floating oscillator-embedded triboelectric generator (FO-TEG) is applicable for both impulse excitation and sinusoidal vibration which universally exist in usual environment. For the impulse excitation, the generated current sustains and slowly decays by the residual oscillation of the floating oscillator. For the sinusoidal vibration, the output energy can be maximized by resonance oscillation. The operating frequency range can be simply optimized with high degree of freedom to satisfy various application requirements. In addition, the excellent immunity against ambient humidity is experimentally demonstrated, which stems from the inherently packaged structure of FO-TEG. The prototype device provides a peak-to-peak open-circuit voltage of 157 V and instantaneous short-circuit current of 4.6 μA, within sub-10 Hz of operating frequency. To visually demonstrate the energy harvesting behavior of FO-TEG, lighting of an array of LEDs is demonstrated using artificial vibration and human running.
Anti-proliferative activity and cell cycle arrest induced by evodiamine on paclitaxel-sensitive and -resistant human ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Zhong Zhang-Feng , Tan Wen , Wang Sheng-Peng , Qiang Wen-An , Wang Yi-Tao 
Published: November 2015

AbstractChemo-resistance is the main factor for poor prognosis in human ovarian epithelial cancer. Active constituents derived from Chinese medicine with anti-cancer potential might circumvent this obstacle. In our present study, evodiamine (EVO) derived from Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth suppressed the proliferation of human epithelial ovarian cancer, A2780 and the related paclitaxel-resistant cell lines and did not cause cytotoxicity, as confirmed by the significant decline of clone formation and the representative alterations of CFDA-SE fluorescence. Meanwhile, EVO induced cell cycle arrest in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This disturbance might be mediated by the cooperation of Cyclin B1 and Cdc2, including the up-regulation of Cyclin B1, p27 and p21 and activation failure of Cdc2 and pRb. MAPK signaling pathway regulation also assisted in this process. Furthermore, chemo-sensitivity potential was enhanced as indicated in A2780/PTXR cells by the down-regulation of MDR-1 expression, accompanied by MDR-1 function suppression. Taken together, we confirmed initially that EVO exerted an anti-proliferative effect on human epithelial ovarian cancer cells, A2780/WT and A2780/PTXR, induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and improved chemo-resistance. Overall, we found that EVO significantly suppressed malignant proliferation in human epithelial ovarian cancer, thus proving to be a potential anti-cancer agent in the future.
Electrostatic Field Invisibility Cloak
Authors: Lan Chuwen , Yang Yuping , Geng Zhaoxin , Li Bo , Zhou Ji 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe invisibility cloak has been drawing much attention due to its new concept for manipulating many physical fields, from oscillating wave fields (electromagnetic, acoustic and elastic) to static magnetic fields, dc electric fields and diffusive fields. Here, an electrostatic field invisibility cloak has been theoretically investigated and experimentally demonstrated to perfectly hide two dimensional objects without disturbing their external electrostatic fields. The desired cloaking effect has been achieved via both cancelling technology and transformation optics (TO). This study demonstrates a novel way for manipulating electrostatic fields, which shows promise for a wide range of potential applications.
miR-23a binds to p53 and enhances its association with miR-128 promoter
Authors: Li Jincheng , Aung Lynn Htet Htet , Long Bo , Qin Danian , An Shejuan , Li Peifeng 
Published: November 2015

AbstractApoptosis plays an important role in cardiac pathology, but the molecular mechanism by which apoptosis regulated remains largely elusive. Here, we report that miR-23a promotes the apoptotic effect of p53 in cardiomyocytes. Our results showed that miR-23a promotes apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. In exploring the molecular mechanism by which miR-23a promotes apoptosis, we found that it sensitized the effect of p53 on miR-128 regulation. It promoted the association of p53 to the promoter region of miR-128 and enhanced the transcriptional activation of p53 on miR-128 expression. miR-128 can downregulate prohibitin expression and subsequently promote apoptosis. Our data provides novel evidence revealing that miR-23a can stimulate transcriptional activity of p53.
Reduced grazing pressure delivers production and environmental benefits for the typical steppe of north China
Authors: Zhang Yingjun , Huang Ding , Badgery Warwick B. , Kemp David R. , Chen Wenqing , Wang Xiaoya , Liu Nan 
Published: November 2015

AbstractDegradation by overgrazing is common in many areas of the world and optimising grassland functions depends upon finding suitable grazing tactics. This four-year study on the northern China steppe investigated combinations of rest, moderate or heavy grazing pressure early in the summer growing season, then moderate or heavy grazing in the mid and late season. Results showed that moderate grazing pressure (~550 sheep equivalent (SE) grazing days ha−1 year−1) gave the optimal balance between maintaining a productive and diverse grassland, a profitable livestock system and greenhouse gas mitigation. Further analyses identified that more conservative stocking (~400 SE grazing days ha−1 year−1) maintained a desirable Leymus chinensis composition and achieved a higher live weight gain of sheep. Early summer rest best maintained a desirable grassland composition, but had few other benefits and reduced incomes. These findings demonstrate that reducing grazing pressure to half the current district stocking rates can deliver improved ecosystem services (lower greenhouse gases and improved grassland composition) while sustaining herder incomes.
Rolling Circle Translation of Circular RNA in Living Human Cells
Authors: Abe Naoko , Matsumoto Ken , Nishihara Mizuki , Nakano Yukiko , Shibata Aya , Maruyama Hideto , Shuto Satoshi , Matsuda Akira , Yoshida Minoru , Ito Yoshihiro , Abe Hiroshi 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWe recently reported that circular RNA is efficiently translated by a rolling circle amplification (RCA) mechanism in a cell-free Escherichia coli translation system. Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs composed of exonic sequences are abundant in human cells. However, whether these circular RNAs can be translated into proteins within cells remains unclear. In this study, we prepared circular RNAs with an infinite open reading frame and tested their translation in eukaryotic systems. Circular RNAs were translated into long proteins in rabbit reticulocyte lysate in the absence of any particular element for internal ribosome entry, a poly-A tail, or a cap structure. The translation systems in eukaryote can accept much simpler RNA as a template for protein synthesis by cyclisation. Here, we demonstrated that the circular RNA is efficiently translated in living human cells to produce abundant protein product by RCA mechanism. These findings suggest that translation of exonic circular RNAs present in human cells is more probable than previously thought.
Highly efficient hyperentanglement concentration with two steps assisted by quantum swap gates
Authors: Ren Bao-Cang , Long Gui Lu 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWe present a two-step hyperentanglement concentration protocol (hyper-ECP) for polarization-spatial hyperentangled Bell states based on the high-capacity character of hyperentanglement resorting to the swap gates, which is used to obtain maximally hyperentangled states from partially hyperentangled pure states in long-distance quantum communication. The swap gate, which is constructed with the giant optical circular birefringence (GOCB) of a diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center embedded in a photonic crystal cavity, can be used to transfer the information in one degree of freedom (DOF) between photon systems. By transferring the useful information between hyperentangled photon pairs, more photon pairs in maximally hyperentangled state can be obtained in our hyper-ECP and the success probability of the hyper-ECP is greatly improved. Moreover, we show that the high-fidelity quantum gate operations can be achieved by mapping the infidelities to heralded losses even in the weak coupling regime.
Using Quantum Confinement to Uniquely Identify Devices
Authors: Roberts J. , Bagci I. E. , Zawawi M. A. M. , Sexton J. , Hulbert N. , Noori Y. J. , Young M. P. , Woodhead C. S. , Missous M. , Migliorato M. A. , Roedig U. , Young R. J. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractModern technology unintentionally provides resources that enable the trust of everyday interactions to be undermined. Some authentication schemes address this issue using devices that give a unique output in response to a challenge. These signatures are generated by hard-to-predict physical responses derived from structural characteristics, which lend themselves to two different architectures, known as unique objects (UNOs) and physically unclonable functions (PUFs). The classical design of UNOs and PUFs limits their size and, in some cases, their security. Here we show that quantum confinement lends itself to the provision of unique identities at the nanoscale, by using fluctuations in tunnelling measurements through quantum wells in resonant tunnelling diodes (RTDs). This provides an uncomplicated measurement of identity without conventional resource limitations whilst providing robust security. The confined energy levels are highly sensitive to the specific nanostructure within each RTD, resulting in a distinct tunnelling spectrum for every device, as they contain a unique and unpredictable structure that is presently impossible to clone. This new class of authentication device operates with minimal resources in simple electronic structures above room temperature.
Basal Lamina Mimetic Nanofibrous Peptide Networks for Skeletal Myogenesis
Authors: Yasa I. Ceren , Gunduz Nuray , Kilinc Murat , Guler Mustafa O. , Tekinay Ayse B. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractExtracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for the coordination and regulation of cell adhesion, recruitment, differentiation and death. Therefore, equilibrium between cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and matrix-associated signals are important for the normal functioning of cells, as well as for regeneration. In this work, we describe importance of adhesive signals for myoblast cells’ growth and differentiation by generating a novel ECM mimetic peptide nanofiber scaffold system. We show that not only structure but also composition of bioactive signals are important for cell adhesion, growth and differentiation by mimicking the compositional and structural properties of native skeletal muscle basal lamina. We conjugated laminin-derived integrin binding peptide sequence, “IKVAV” and fibronectin-derived well known adhesive sequence, “RGD”, into peptide nanostructures to provide adhesive and myogenic cues on a nanofibrous morphology. The myogenic and adhesive signals exhibited a synergistic effect on model myoblasts, C2C12 cells. Our results showed that self-assembled peptide nanofibers presenting laminin derived epitopes support adhesion, growth and proliferation of the cells and significantly promote the expression of skeletal muscle-specific marker genes. The functional peptide nanofibers used in this study present a biocompatible and biodegradable microenvironment, which is capable of supporting the growth and differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes.
Fibrosis is a common outcome following total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Abdul Nicole , Dixon David , Walker Andrew , Horabin Joanna , Smith Nick , Weir David J. , Brewster Nigel T. , Deehan David J. , Mann Derek A. , Borthwick Lee A. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractTotal knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most successful orthopaedic procedures that alleviates pain and restores function in patients with degenerative knee joint diseases. Arthrofibrosis, abnormal scarring in which dense fibrous tissue prevents normal range of motion, develops in ~3–10% of TKA patients. No prophylactic intervention is available and treatment is restricted to aggressive physiotherapy or revision surgery. Tissue was collected from patients undergoing primary (n = 30) or revision (n = 27) TKA. Revision patients were stratified as non-arthrofibrotic and arthrofibrotic. Tissue was macroscopically and histologically compared to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of arthrofibrosis. Macroscopically, tissue from primary TKA presents as homogenous, fatty tissue whereas tissue from revision TKA presents as dense, pigmented tissue. Histologically, there was dramatic tissue remodelling, increased collagen deposition and increased (myo)fibroblast staining in tissue from revision TKA. Significantly, tissue architecture was similar between revision patients regardless of clinically diagnosis. There are significant differences in architecture and composition of tissue from revision TKA over primary TKA. Surprisingly, whether revision TKA were clinically diagnosed as arthrofibrotic or non-arthrofibrotic there were still significant differences in fibrotic markers compared to primary TKA suggesting an ongoing fibrotic process in all revision knees.
Acute exposure of ozone induced pulmonary injury and the protective role of vitamin E through the Nrf2 pathway in Balb/c mice
Authors: Zhu Yuqing , Li Jinquan , Wu Zhuo , Lu Yu , You Huihui , Li Rui , Li Baizhan , Yang Xu , Duan Liju 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Ozone (O3) in the lower atmosphere is generally derived from various sources of human activity. It has become a major air pollutant in China and has been shown to adversely affect the health of humans and animals. We undertook a study to ascertain the molecular mechanism of ozone induced lung injury in mice and tried to demonstrate the protective mechanism of vitamin E. In this study, mice were exposed to clean air and three different concentrations of ozone. Oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde) and Th cytokines in the lung, serum IgE, as well as histopathological examination and the airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) test were used to reflect inflammation and damage to the lungs of ozone-exposed mice. We then chose an effective concentration of ozone and combined treatment with vitamin E (VE) to explore the underlying mechanism of ozone-induced lung damage. The results of immunological and inflammatory biomarkers (total-immunoglobulin (Ig) E and Th cytokines) as well as histopathological examination and AHR assessment supported the notion that high doses of ozone (&gt;0.5 ppm) could induce inflammation and lung injury in mice and that this induction was counteracted by concurrent administration of VE. The elimination of oxidative stress, the reduced Th2 responses and Ig production, and the relief of lung damage were proposed to explain the molecular mechanism of ozone induced lung injury. We also showed that VE, an antioxidant that enhanced the expression of Nrf2 and up-regulated the antioxidant genes HO-1 and NQO1, could decrease the levels of oxidative stress and alleviate ozone-induced lung injury.
Chemical dispersants can suppress the activity of natural oil-degrading microorganisms
Authors: Kleindienst Sara , Seidel Michael , Ziervogel Kai , Grim Sharon , Loftis Kathy , Harrison Sarah , Malkin Sairah Y. , Perkins Matthew J. , Field Jennifer , Sogin Mitchell L. , Dittmar Thorsten , Passow Uta , Medeiros Patricia M. , Joye Samantha B. 
Published: November 2015

Significance
Oil spills are a significant source of hydrocarbon inputs into the ocean. In response to oil spills, chemical dispersants are applied to the oil-contaminated seawater to disperse surface slicks into smaller droplets that are presumed to be more bioavailable to microorganisms. We provide evidence that chemical dispersants applied to either deep water or surface water from the Gulf of Mexico did not stimulate oil biodegradation. Direct measurement of alkane and aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation rates revealed either suppression or no stimulation of oil biodegradation in the presence of dispersants. However, dispersants affected microbial community composition and enriched bacterial populations with the ability to use dispersant-derived compounds as growth substrates, while oil-alone amendments enriched for natural hydrocarbon degraders.
Amphetamine activates Rho GTPase signaling to mediate dopamine transporter internalization and acute behavioral effects of amphetamine
Authors: Wheeler David S. , Underhill Suzanne M. , Stolz Donna B. , Murdoch Geoffrey H. , Thiels Edda , Romero Guillermo , Amara Susan G. 
Published: November 2015

Significance
The dopamine transporter (DAT), a major target for psychostimulant drugs, including cocaine and amphetamines, clears extracellular dopamine and restricts the temporal and spatial extent of neurotransmitter signaling. This study examines the mechanism through which amphetamines trigger internalization of DAT and demonstrates that amphetamine activates the small GTPases, Rho and Rac. Rho activation triggers endocytosis of DAT by a dynamin-dependent, clathrin-independent pathway. Intriguingly, amphetamine must enter the cell to have these effects, and it also increases cAMP, which in turn inactivates Rho and limits carrier internalization. Consistent with these observations, the activation of receptors that couple to protein kinase A in dopamine neurons also antagonizes the behavioral effects of amphetamine in mice, suggesting new pathways to target to disrupt amphetamine action.