bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of dietary and serum vitamin E with bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Shi Wen-qi , Liu Jun , Cao Yi , Zhu Ying-ying , Guan Ke , Chen Yu-ming 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPrevious studies have suggested that vitamin E (VE) may affect bone health, but the findings have been inconclusive. We examined the relationship between VE status (in both diet and serum) and bone mineral density (BMD) among Chinese adults. This community-based study included 3203 adults (2178 women and 1025 men) aged 40–75 years from Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China. General and dietary intake information were collected using structured questionnaire interviews. The serum α-tocopherol (TF) level was quantified by reversed-phase HPLC. The BMD of the whole body, the lumbar spine and left hip sites (total, neck, trochanter, intertrochanter and Ward’s triangle) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In women, the dietary intake of VE was significantly and positively associated with BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, intertrochanter and femur neck sites after adjusting for covariates (Ptrend: 0·001–0·017). Women in quartile 3 of VE intake typically had the highest BMD; the covariate-adjusted mean BMD were 2·5, 3·06, 3·41 and 3·54 % higher, respectively, in quartile 3 (v. 1) at the four above-mentioned sites. Similar positive associations were observed between cholesterol-adjusted serum α-TF levels and BMD at each of the studied bone sites (Ptrend: 0·001–0·022). The covariate-adjusted mean BMD were 1·24–4·83 % greater in quartile 4 (v. 1) in women. However, no significant associations were seen between the VE levels (dietary or serum) and the BMD at any site in men. In conclusion, greater consumption and higher serum levels of VE are associated with greater BMD in Chinese women but not in Chinese men.
DEMOCRACY AS A CONTESTED CONCEPT IN POST-WAR WESTERN EUROPE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF POLITICAL DEBATES IN FRANCE, WEST GERMANY, AND ITALY
Authors: CORDUWENER PEPIJN 
Published: October 2015

ABSTRACTThis article explores how political parties in France, West Germany, and Italy conceptualized democracy and challenged the conceptions of democracy of their political adversaries between the end of the 1940s and the early 1960s. It studies from a comparative perspective the different conceptions of democracy held by Christian democrat, Left-wing, and Gaullist political actors and shows how these diverged on key issues such as the economic system, foreign policy, the separation of powers, electoral systems, and the use of state institutions in the defence of democracy against anti-democratic forces. In this way, the article reveals how in the first fifteen years after the Second World War, government and opposition parties disputed each other's democratic credentials and political legitimacy, and it thereby reconsiders the claim that there existed a broad consensus on the meaning of democracy among political elites in post-war Western Europe. It is argued that these different conceptions of democracy only started to converge after they had clashed during political crises at the turn of the 1960s in all three states. This study thereby contributes to an enhanced understanding the formation of the post-war democratic order in Western Europe.
Live to cheat another day: bacterial dormancy facilitates the social exploitation of β-lactamases
Authors: Medaney Frances , Dimitriu Tatiana , Ellis Richard J , Raymond Ben 
Published: October 2015

Abstract
The breakdown of antibiotics by β-lactamases may be cooperative, since resistant cells can detoxify their environment and facilitate the growth of susceptible neighbours. However, previous studies of this phenomenon have used artificial bacterial vectors or engineered bacteria to increase the secretion of β-lactamases from cells. Here, we investigated whether a broad-spectrum β-lactamase gene carried by a naturally occurring plasmid (pCT) is cooperative under a range of conditions. In ordinary batch culture on solid media, there was little or no evidence that resistant bacteria could protect susceptible cells from ampicillin, although resistant colonies could locally detoxify this growth medium. However, when susceptible cells were inoculated at high densities, late-appearing phenotypically susceptible bacteria grew in the vicinity of resistant colonies. We infer that persisters, cells that have survived antibiotics by undergoing a period of dormancy, founded these satellite colonies. The number of persister colonies was positively correlated with the density of resistant colonies and increased as antibiotic concentrations decreased. We argue that detoxification can be cooperative under a limited range of conditions: if the toxins are bacteriostatic rather than bacteridical; or if susceptible cells invade communities after resistant bacteria; or if dormancy allows susceptible cells to avoid bactericides. Resistance and tolerance were previously thought to be independent solutions for surviving antibiotics. Here, we show that these are interacting strategies: the presence of bacteria adopting one solution can have substantial effects on the fitness of their neighbours.
Pharmaceutical screen identifies novel target processes for activation of autophagy with a broad translational potential
Authors: Chauhan Santosh , Ahmed Zahra , Bradfute Steven B. , Arko-Mensah John , Mandell Michael A. , Won Choi Seong , Kimura Tomonori , Blanchet Fabien , Waller Anna , Mudd Michal H. , Jiang Shanya , Sklar Larry , Timmins Graham S. , Maphis Nicole , Bhaskar Kiran , Piguet Vincent , Deretic Vojo 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAutophagy is a conserved homeostatic process active in all human cells and affecting a spectrum of diseases. Here we use a pharmaceutical screen to discover new mechanisms for activation of autophagy. We identify a subset of pharmaceuticals inducing autophagic flux with effects in diverse cellular systems modelling specific stages of several human diseases such as HIV transmission and hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation in Alzheimer’s disease. One drug, flubendazole, is a potent inducer of autophagy initiation and flux by affecting acetylated and dynamic microtubules in a reciprocal way. Disruption of dynamic microtubules by flubendazole results in mTOR deactivation and dissociation from lysosomes leading to TFEB (transcription factor EB) nuclear translocation and activation of autophagy. By inducing microtubule acetylation, flubendazole activates JNK1 leading to Bcl-2 phosphorylation, causing release of Beclin1 from Bcl-2-Beclin1 complexes for autophagy induction, thus uncovering a new approach to inducing autophagic flux that may be applicable in disease treatment.
Direct observations of American eels migrating across the continental shelf to the Sargasso Sea
Authors: Béguer-Pon Mélanie , Castonguay Martin , Shan Shiliang , Benchetrit José , Dodson Julian J. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractSince inferring spawning areas from larval distributions in the Sargasso Sea a century ago, the oceanic migration of adult American eels has remained a mystery. No adult eel has ever been observed migrating in the open ocean or in the spawning area. Here, we track movements of maturing eels equipped with pop-up satellite archival tags from the Scotian Shelf (Canada) into the open ocean, with one individual migrating 2,400 km to the northern limit of the spawning site in the Sargasso Sea. The reconstructed routes suggest a migration in two phases: one over the continental shelf and along its edge in shallow waters; the second in deeper waters straight south towards the spawning area. This study is the first direct evidence of adult Anguilla migrating to the Sargasso Sea and represents an important step forward in the understanding of routes and migratory cues.
IRAK1 is a therapeutic target that drives breast cancer metastasis and resistance to paclitaxel
Authors: Wee Zhen Ning , Yatim Siti Maryam J. M. , Kohlbauer Vera K , Feng Min , Goh Jian Yuan , Bao Yi , Lee Puay Leng , Zhang Songjing , Wang Pan Pan , Lim Elgene , Tam Wai Leong , Cai Yu , Ditzel Henrik J , Hoon Dave S. B. , Tan Ern Yu , Yu Qiang 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMetastatic tumour recurrence due to failed treatments remains a major challenge of breast cancer clinical management. Here we report that interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) is overexpressed in a subset of breast cancers, in particular triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), where it acts to drive aggressive growth, metastasis and acquired resistance to paclitaxel treatment. We show that IRAK1 overexpression confers TNBC growth advantage through NF-κB-related cytokine secretion and metastatic TNBC cells exhibit gain of IRAK1 dependency, resulting in high susceptibility to genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of IRAK1. Importantly, paclitaxel treatment induces strong IRAK1 phosphorylation, an increase in inflammatory cytokine expression, enrichment of cancer stem cells and acquired resistance to paclitaxel treatment. Pharmacologic inhibition of IRAK1 is able to reverse paclitaxel resistance by triggering massive apoptosis at least in part through inhibiting p38-MCL1 pro-survival pathway. Our study thus demonstrates IRAK1 as a promising therapeutic target for TNBC metastasis and paclitaxel resistance.
Postsynaptic density levels of the NMDA receptor NR1 subunit and PSD-95 protein in prefrontal cortex from people with schizophrenia
Authors: Catts Vibeke Sørensen , Derminio Dominique Suzanne , Hahn Chang-Gyu , Weickert Cynthia Shannon 
Published: October 2015

Abstract
Background:
There is converging evidence of involvement of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hypofunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our group recently identified a decrease in total NR1 mRNA and protein expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in a case-control study of individuals with schizophrenia (n=37/group). The NR1 subunit is critical to NMDA receptor function at the postsynaptic density, a cellular structure rich in the scaffolding protein, PSD-95. The extent to which the NMDA receptor NR1 subunit is altered at the site of action, in the postsynaptic density, is not clear.

Aims:
To extend our previous results by measuring levels of NR1 and PSD-95 protein in postsynaptic density-enriched fractions of prefrontal cortex from the same individuals in the case-control study noted above.

Methods:
Postsynaptic density-enriched fractions were isolated from fresh-frozen prefrontal cortex (BA10) and subjected to western blot analysis for NR1 and PSD-95.

Results:
We found a 20% decrease in NR1 protein (t(66)=−2.874, P=0.006) and a 30% decrease in PSD-95 protein (t(63)=−2.668, P=0.010) in postsynaptic density-enriched fractions from individuals with schizophrenia relative to unaffected controls.

Conclusions:
Individuals with schizophrenia have less NR1 protein, and therefore potentially fewer functional NMDA receptors, at the postsynaptic density. The associated decrease in PSD-95 protein at the postsynaptic density suggests that not only are glutamate receptors compromised in individuals with schizophrenia, but the overall spine architecture and downstream signaling supported by PSD-95 may also be deficient.
Iodine source apportionment in the Malawian diet
Authors: Watts M. J. , Joy E. J. M. , Young S. D. , Broadley M. R. , Chilimba A. D. C. , Gibson R. S. , Siyame E. W. P. , Kalimbira A. A. , Chilima B. , Ander E. L. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to characterise nutritional-I status in Malawi. Dietary-I intakes were assessed using new datasets of crop, fish, salt and water-I concentrations, while I status was assessed for 60 women living on each of calcareous and non-calcareous soils as defined by urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Iodine concentration in staple foods was low, with median concentrations of 0.01 mg kg−1 in maize grain, 0.008 mg kg−1 in roots and tubers, but 0.155 mg kg−1 in leafy vegetables. Freshwater fish is a good source of dietary-I with a median concentration of 0.51 mg kg−1. Mean Malawian dietary-Iodine intake from food, excluding salt, was just 7.8 μg d−1 compared to an adult requirement of 150 μg d−1. Despite low dietary-I intake from food, median UICs were 203 μg L−1 with only 12% defined as I deficient whilst 21% exhibited excessive I intake. Iodised salt is likely to be the main source of dietary I intake in Malawi; thus, I nutrition mainly depends on the usage and concentration of I in iodised salt. Drinking water could be a significant source of I in some areas, providing up to 108 μg d−1 based on consumption of 2 L d−1.
Body Fluid Interferon-γ Release Assay for Diagnosis of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhou Xiao-Xia , Liu Ya-Lan , Zhai Kan , Shi Huan-Zhong , Tong Zhao-Hui 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is difficult. In recent years, T-cell interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) are widely used in diagnosing tuberculosis. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of body fluid IGRAs in diagnosing EPTB. The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane bibliographies were searched for English language articles. 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of body fluid IGRAs for diagnosing EPTB were 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83–0.92] and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79–0.90), respectively. For the fluid T-SPOT.TB, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.88–0.95) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78–0.91), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of the fluid T-SPOT.TB was 46.99 (95% CI: 13.69–161.28) for tuberculosis pleurisy, 26.46 (95% CI: 11.38–61.56) for tuberculosis peritonitis and 97.86 (95% CI: 25.31–378.45) for tuberculosis meningitis. The application of T-SPOT. TB in the diagnosis of EPTB performed better in the body fluid than in the blood. The diagnostic values of the fluid T-SPOT.TB varied for different fluid categories. However, the utility of T-SPOT.TB was limited due to its suboptimal accuracy and higher cost compared with conventional tests.
Early aggregation preceding the nucleation of insulin amyloid fibrils as monitored by small angle X-ray scattering
Authors: Chatani Eri , Inoue Rintaro , Imamura Hiroshi , Sugiyama Masaaki , Kato Minoru , Yamamoto Masahide , Nishida Koji , Kanaya Toshiji 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe nucleation event of amyloid fibrils is one of the most crucial processes that dictate the timing and rate of the pathology of diseases; however, information regarding how protein molecules associate to produce fibril nuclei is currently limited. In order to explore this issue in more detail, we performed time-resolved small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements on insulin fibrillation, in combination with additional multidirectional analyses of thioflavin T fluorescence, FTIR spectroscopy, light scattering and light transmittance, during the fibrillation process of bovine insulin. SAXS monitoring revealed that insulin molecules associated into rod-like prefibrillar aggregates in the very early stage of the reaction. After the formation of these early aggregates, they appeared to further coalesce mutually to form larger clusters and the SAXS profiles subsequently showed the further time evolution of conformational development towards mature amyloid fibrils. Distinct types of structural units in terms of shape in a nano-scale order, cross-β content and thioflavin T fluorescence intensity were observed in a manner that was dependent on the fibrillation pathways. These results suggest the presence of diverse substructures that characterize various fibrillation pathways and eventually, manifest polymorphisms in mature amyloid fibrils.
Complementarity among plant growth promoting traits in rhizospheric bacterial communities promotes plant growth
Authors: Singh Mangal , Awasthi Ashutosh , Soni Sumit K. , Singh Rakshapal , Verma Rajesh K. , Kalra Alok 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAn assessment of roles of rhizospheric microbial diversity in plant growth is helpful in understanding plant-microbe interactions. Using random combinations of rhizospheric bacterial species at different richness levels, we analysed the contribution of species richness, compositions, interactions and identity on soil microbial respiration and plant biomass. We showed that bacterial inoculation in plant rhizosphere enhanced microbial respiration and plant biomass with complementary relationships among bacterial species. Plant growth was found to increase linearly with inoculation of rhizospheric bacterial communities with increasing levels of species or plant growth promoting trait diversity. However, inoculation of diverse bacterial communities having single plant growth promoting trait, i.e., nitrogen fixation could not enhance plant growth over inoculation of single bacteria. Our results indicate that bacterial diversity in rhizosphere affect ecosystem functioning through complementary relationship among plant growth promoting traits and may play significant roles in delivering microbial services to plants.
Encrypted Three-dimensional Dynamic Imaging using Snapshot Time-of-flight Compressed Ultrafast Photography
Authors: Liang Jinyang , Gao Liang , Hai Pengfei , Li Chiye , Wang Lihong V. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractCompressed ultrafast photography (CUP), a computational imaging technique, is synchronized with short-pulsed laser illumination to enable dynamic three-dimensional (3D) imaging. By leveraging the time-of-flight (ToF) information of pulsed light backscattered by the object, ToF-CUP can reconstruct a volumetric image from a single camera snapshot. In addition, the approach unites the encryption of depth data with the compressed acquisition of 3D data in a single snapshot measurement, thereby allowing efficient and secure data storage and transmission. We demonstrated high-speed 3D videography of moving objects at up to 75 volumes per second. The ToF-CUP camera was applied to track the 3D position of a live comet goldfish. We have also imaged a moving object obscured by a scattering medium.
Poly-L-ornithine promotes preferred differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells via ERK signalling pathway
Authors: Ge Hongfei , Tan Liang , Wu Pengfei , Yin Yi , Liu Xin , Meng Hui , Cui Gaoyu , Wu Nan , Lin Jiangkai , Hu Rong , Feng Hua 
Published: October 2015

AbstractNeural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) replacement therapies are the most attractive strategies to restore an injured brain. Key challenges of such therapies are enriching NSPCs and directing them differentiation into specific neural cell types. Here, three biomaterial substrates Poly-L-ornithine (PO), Poly-L-lysine (PLL) and fibronectin (FN) were investigated for their effects on proliferation and differentiation of rat NSPCs and the underlying mechanisms were also explored. The results showed PO significantly increased NSPCs proliferation and induced preferred differentiation, compared with PLL and FN. Checking protein markers of several neural cell subtypes, it is showed PO significantly induced NSPCs expressing Doublecortin (DCX) and Olig2, one for neuroblasts and young neurons and the other for young oligodendrocytes. It is suggested the ERK signaling pathway was involving in this process because an ERK antagonist U0126 could inhibit PO’s effects mentioned above, as well as an ERK pathway agonist Ceramide C6 could enhance them. Given that both neurons and oligodendrocytes are the most vulnerable cells in many neurological diseases, PO-induced preferred differentiation into neurons and oligodendrocytes is a potential paradigm for NSPCs-based therapies.
Security of Semi-Device-Independent Random Number Expansion Protocols
Authors: Li Dan-Dan , Wen Qiao-Yan , Wang Yu-Kun , Zhou Yu-Qian , Gao Fei 
Published: October 2015

AbstractSemi-device-independent random number expansion (SDI-RNE) protocols require some truly random numbers to generate fresh ones, with making no assumptions on the internal working of quantum devices except for the dimension of the Hilbert space. The generated randomness is certified by non-classical correlation in the prepare-and-measure test. Until now, the analytical relations between the amount of the generated randomness and the degree of non-classical correlation, which are crucial for evaluating the security of SDI-RNE protocols, are not clear under both the ideal condition and the practical one. In the paper, first, we give the analytical relation between the above two factors under the ideal condition. As well, we derive the analytical relation under the practical conditions, where devices’ behavior is not independent and identical in each round and there exists deviation in estimating the non-classical behavior of devices. Furthermore, we choose a different randomness extractor (i.e., two-universal random function) and give the security proof.
A correlativity study of plasma APL1β28 and clusterin levels with MMSE/MoCA/CASI in aMCI patients
Authors: Meng Ying , Li Huiying , Hua Rui , Wang Huali , Lu Jian , Yu Xin , Zhang Chen 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAmnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a sub-clinical condition characterized by memory deficits that are not severe enough to affect daily functioning. Here we investigated two potential biomarkers found in the cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients, APLP1-derived Aβ-like peptides 28 (APL1β28) and clusterin plasma levels, in terms of their relationship to cognitive function, as reflected in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Cognitive Assessment Screening Instrument (CASI) in aMCI patients. Forty-seven aMCI patients and thirty-five age- and gender-matched healthy adult controls were recruited for this study. Using the ELISA method, we found that the mean concentrations of both APL1β28 and clusterin were not significantly different between the control and aMCI groups. The APL1β28 levels were positively correlated with clusterin and that both were negatively correlated with the MMSE scores of the aMCI patients. Clusterin levels were negatively correlated with the MoCA and CASI scores of the aMCI patients. Using multivariate analysis, the correlation between clusterin and MMSE/MoCA/CASI was independent of other AD risk factors including age, education, sex, body mass index and ApoE genotype. The data presented here demonstrate that plasma clusterin levels reflect cognitive function in aMCI patients.
Genome survey and high-density genetic map construction provide genomic and genetic resources for the Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei
Authors: Yu Yang , Zhang Xiaojun , Yuan Jianbo , Li Fuhua , Chen Xiaohan , Zhao Yongzhen , Huang Long , Zheng Hongkun , Xiang Jianhai 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is the dominant crustacean species in global seafood mariculture. Understanding the genome and genetic architecture is useful for deciphering complex traits and accelerating the breeding program in shrimp. In this study, a genome survey was conducted and a high-density linkage map was constructed using a next-generation sequencing approach. The genome survey was used to identify preliminary genome characteristics and to generate a rough reference for linkage map construction. De novo SNP discovery resulted in 25,140 polymorphic markers. A total of 6,359 high-quality markers were selected for linkage map construction based on marker coverage among individuals and read depths. For the linkage map, a total of 6,146 markers spanning 4,271.43 cM were mapped to 44 sex-averaged linkage groups, with an average marker distance of 0.7 cM. An integration analysis linked 5,885 genome scaffolds and 1,504 BAC clones to the linkage map. Based on the high-density linkage map, several QTLs for body weight and body length were detected. This high-density genetic linkage map reveals basic genomic architecture and will be useful for comparative genomics research, genome assembly and genetic improvement of L. vannamei and other penaeid shrimp species.