bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fibromuscular dysplasia of the coronary arteries: a rare cause of death in infants and young children
Authors: Mogler Carolin , Springer Wolfgang , Gorenflo Matthias 
Published: May 2015

AbstractFibromuscular dysplasia is a common vascular disease, which mainly affects the renal arteries. In this study, we report the case of a 1-day-old infant who presented with severe left ventricular dysfunction immediately after birth, and subsequently died 3 days postnatally. At autopsy, an extensive myocardial infarction of the left ventricle and the septum was found, caused by an isolated fibromuscular dysplasia of left coronary artery.
Knowing our ‘ABCs’: self-reflection using cognitive-behavioural formulation of client–therapist interaction in work with a survivor of torture
Authors: Martin Faith , Khan Sobia 
Published: May 2015

AbstractSelf-reflection can aid therapist development, particularly interpersonal skills. It can be achieved through using cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques, for example, formulations of the therapist's cognitions and behaviours have been used to aid self-reflection. As interpersonal skills may be an area that benefits from self-reflection, an approach to formulating the interaction between client and therapist may be beneficial. This study reports the use of simple ‘antecedent-belief-consequence’ (ABC) formulations for the client and therapist to conceptualize their interaction. This description of a treatment failure focuses on cross-cultural work with a survivor of torture, where self-reflection may be particularly indicated to promote cultural competence and address the impact of the content on the therapist. ABC formulations for the client and therapist were completed and through this structured self-reflection, the therapist was able to identify the impact of her own beliefs on the process of therapy. This method identified areas for further development and generated hypotheses for how to continue therapy with this client. Using ABC formulations then may provide a useful and structured way to conduct self-reflection with explicit focus on the interaction between client and therapist.
RGD-modifided oncolytic adenovirus exhibited potent cytotoxic effect on CAR-negative bladder cancer-initiating cells
Authors: Yang Y , Xu H , Shen J , Yang Y , Wu S , Xiao J , Xu Y , Liu X-Y , Chu L 
Published: May 2015

AbstractCancer-initiating cell (CIC) is critical in cancer development, maintenance and recurrence. The reverse expression pattern of coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) and αν integrin in bladder cancer decreases the infection efficiency of adenovirus. We constructed Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified oncolytic adenovirus, carrying EGFP or TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene (OncoAd.RGD-hTERT-EGFP/TRAIL), and applied them to CAR-negative bladder cancer T24 cells and cancer-initiating T24 sphere cells. OncoAd.RGD-hTERT-EGFP had enhanced infection ability and cytotoxic effect on T24 cells and T24 sphere cells, but little cytoxicity on normal urothelial SV-HUC-1 cells compared with the unmodified virus OncoAd.hTERT-EGFP. Notably, OncoAd.RGD-hTERT-TRAIL induced apoptosis in T24 cells and T24 sphere cells. Furthermore, it completely inhibited xenograft initiation established by the oncolytic adenovirus-pretreated T24 sphere cells, and significantly suppressed tumor growth by intratumoral injection. These results provided a promising therapeutic strategy for CAR-negative bladder cancer through targeting CICs.
Exploring the quantum critical behaviour in a driven Tavis–Cummings circuit
Authors: Feng M. , Zhong Y.P. , Liu T. , Yan L.L. , Yang W.L. , Twamley J. , Wang H. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractQuantum phase transitions play an important role in many-body systems and have been a research focus in conventional condensed-matter physics over the past few decades. Artificial atoms, such as superconducting qubits that can be individually manipulated, provide a new paradigm of realising and exploring quantum phase transitions by engineering an on-chip quantum simulator. Here we demonstrate experimentally the quantum critical behaviour in a highly controllable superconducting circuit, consisting of four qubits coupled to a common resonator mode. By off-resonantly driving the system to renormalize the critical spin-field coupling strength, we have observed a four-qubit nonequilibrium quantum phase transition in a dynamical manner; that is, we sweep the critical coupling strength over time and monitor the four-qubit scaled moments for a signature of a structural change of the system’s eigenstates. Our observation of the nonequilibrium quantum phase transition, which is in good agreement with the driven Tavis–Cummings theory under decoherence, offers new experimental approaches towards exploring quantum phase transition-related science, such as scaling behaviours, parity breaking and long-range quantum correlations.
Exotic topological density waves in cold atomic Rydberg-dressed fermions
Authors: Li Xiaopeng , Sarma S Das 
Published: May 2015

AbstractVersatile controllability of interactions in ultracold atomic and molecular gases has now reached an era where quantum correlations and unconventional many-body phases can be studied with no corresponding analogues in solid-state systems. Recent experiments in Rydberg atomic gases have achieved exquisite control over non-local interactions, allowing novel quantum phases unreachable with the usual local interactions in atomic systems. Here we study Rydberg-dressed atomic fermions in a three-dimensional optical lattice predicting the existence of hitherto unheard-of exotic mixed topological density wave phases. By varying the spatial range of the non-local interaction, we find various chiral density waves with spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, whose quasiparticles form three-dimensional quantum Hall and Weyl semimetal states. Remarkably, certain density waves even exhibit mixed topologies beyond the existing topological classification. Our results suggest gapless fermionic states could exhibit far richer topology than previously expected.
Microbe-dependent lymphatic migration of neutrophils modulates lymphocyte proliferation in lymph nodes
Authors: Hampton Henry R. , Bailey Jacqueline , Tomura Michio , Brink Robert , Chtanova Tatyana 
Published: May 2015

AbstractNeutrophil recruitment to the site of injury is an essential first step of an anti-bacterial response. However, little is known about the basis for and relevance of neutrophil migration from inflamed tissue into lymphoid organs. We established a photoconversion-based system to monitor the fate of neutrophils recruited to inflamed skin. While neutrophils are efficiently recruited to sites of both microbial and sterile lesions, subsequent re-localization to draining lymph nodes happens only when bacteria are present in the primary lesion. Skin egress of neutrophils occurs via lymphatic vessels and is dependent on CD11b and CXCR4 but not CCR7. Neutrophils are the predominant immune cell to migrate from inflamed skin into lymph nodes where they augment lymphocyte proliferation. Furthermore, inhibition of neutrophil migration from skin reduces T-cell proliferation in draining lymph nodes. Thus neutrophils mediate rapid cellular communication between the initial injury site and secondary lymphoid organs and modulate immune responsiveness.
Long-term decline in grassland productivity driven by increasing dryness
Authors: Brookshire E. N. J. , Weaver T. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIncreasing aridity and drought severity forecast for many land areas could reduce the land carbon (C) sink. However, with limited long-term direct measures, it is difficult to distinguish direct drying effects from counter effects of CO2 enrichment and nitrogen (N) deposition. Here, we document a >50% decline in production of a native C3 grassland over four decades and assign the forcing and timing to increasing aridity and specifically to declining late-summer rainfall. Analysis of C and N stable isotopes in biomass suggests that enhanced water use efficiency via CO2 enrichment may have slightly ameliorated the productivity decline but that changes in N had no effects. Identical declines in a long-term snow-addition experiment definitively identified increasing late-summer dryness as the cause. Our results demonstrate lasting consequences of recent climate change on grassland production and underscore the importance of understanding past climate–ecosystem coupling to predicting future responses to changing climate.
Delivery of a mucin domain enriched in cysteine residues strengthens the intestinal mucous barrier
Authors: Gouyer Valérie , Dubuquoy Laurent , Robbe-Masselot Catherine , Neut Christel , Singer Elisabeth , Plet Ségolène , Geboes Karel , Desreumaux Pierre , Gottrand Frédéric , Desseyn Jean-Luc 
Published: May 2015

AbstractA weakening of the gut mucous barrier permits an increase in the access of intestinal luminal contents to the epithelial cells, which will trigger the inflammatory response. In inflammatory bowel diseases, there is an inappropriate and ongoing activation of the immune system, possibly because the intestinal mucus is less protective against the endogenous microflora. General strategies aimed at improving the protection of the intestinal epithelium are still missing. We generated a transgenic mouse that secreted a molecule consisting of 12 consecutive copies of a mucin domain into its intestinal mucus, which is believed to modify the mucus layer by establishing reversible interactions. We showed that the mucus gel was more robust and that mucin O-glycosylation was altered. Notably, the gut epithelium of transgenic mice housed a greater abundance of beneficial Lactobacillus spp. These modifications were associated with a reduced susceptibility of transgenic mice to chemically induced colitis. Furthermore, transgenic mice cleared faster Citrobacter rodentium bacteria which were orally given and mice were more protected against bacterial translocation induced by gavage with adherent–invasive Escherichia coli. Our data show that delivering the mucin CYS domain into the gut lumen strengthens the intestinal mucus blanket which is impaired in inflammatory bowel diseases.
Exosomes derived from alcohol-treated hepatocytes horizontally transfer liver specific miRNA-122 and sensitize monocytes to LPS
Authors: Momen-Heravi Fatemeh , Bala Shashi , Kodys Karen , Szabo Gyongyi 
Published: May 2015

AbstractHepatocyte damage and inflammation in monocytes/macrophages are central to the pathogenesis of alcoholic hepatitis (AH). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate all of these processes. MiRNA-122 is abundantly expressed in hepatocytes while monocytes/macrophages have low levels. The role of exosomes in AH and possible cross talk between hepatocyte-derived exosomes and immune cells is not explored yet. Here, we show that the number of exosomes significantly increases in the sera of healthy individuals after alcohol binge drinking and in mice after binge or chronic alcohol consumption. Exosomes isolated from sera after alcohol consumption or from in vitro ethanol-treated hepatocytes contained miRNA-122. Exosomes derived from ethanol-treated Huh7.5 cells were taken up by the recipients THP1 monocytes and horizontally transferred a mature form of liver-specific miRNA-122. In vivo, liver mononuclear cells and Kupffer cells from alcohol-fed mice had increased miRNA-122 levels. In monocytes, miRNA-122 transferred via exosomes inhibited the HO-1 pathway and sensitized to LPS stimulation and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Finally, inflammatory effects of exosomes from ethanol-treated hepatocytes were prevented by using RNA interference via exosome-mediated delivery of a miRNA-122 inhibitor. These results demonstrate that first, exosomes mediate communication between hepatocytes and monocytes/macrophages and second, hepatocyte-derived miRNA-122 can reprogram monocytes inducing sensitization to LPS.
Rational design of metallic nanocavities for resonantly enhanced four-wave mixing
Authors: Almeida Euclides , Prior Yehiam 
Published: May 2015

AbstractOptimizing the shape of nanostructures and nano-antennas for specific optical properties has evolved to be a very fruitful activity. With modern fabrication tools a large variety of possibilities is available for shaping both nanoparticles and nanocavities; in particular nanocavities in thin metal films have emerged as attractive candidates for new metamaterials and strong linear and nonlinear optical systems. Here we rationally design metallic nanocavities to boost their Four-Wave Mixing response by resonating the optical plasmonic resonances with the incoming and generated beams. The linear and nonlinear optical responses as well as the propagation of the electric fields inside the cavities are derived from the solution of Maxwell’s equations by using the 3D finite-differences time domain method. The observed conversion-efficiency of near-infrared to visible light equals or surpasses that of BBO of equivalent thickness. Implications to further optimization for efficient and broadband ultrathin nonlinear optical materials are discussed.
Multiscale Modeling of Drug-induced Effects of ReDuNing Injection on Human Disease: From Drug Molecules to Clinical Symptoms of Disease
Authors: Luo Fang , Gu Jiangyong , Zhang Xinzhuang , Chen Lirong , Cao Liang , Li Na , Wang Zhenzhong , Xiao Wei , Xu Xiaojie 
Published: May 2015

AbstractReDuNing injection (RDN) is a patented traditional Chinese medicine and the components of it were proven to have antiviral and important anti-inflammatory activities. Several reports showed that RDN had potential effects in the treatment of influenza and pneumonia. Though there were several experimental reports about RDN, the experimental results were not enough and complete due to that it was difficult to predict and verify the effect of RDN for a large number of human diseases. Here we employed multiscale model by integrating molecular docking, network pharmacology and the clinical symptoms information of diseases and explored the interaction mechanism of RDN on human diseases. Meanwhile, we analyzed the relation among the drug molecules, target proteins, biological pathways, human diseases and the clinical symptoms about it. Then we predicted potential active ingredients of RDN, the potential target proteins, the key pathways and related diseases. These attempts may offer several new insights to understand the pharmacological properties of RDN and provide benefit for its new clinical applications and research.
An Integrated Metagenomics/Metaproteomics Investigation of the Microbial Communities and Enzymes in Solid-state Fermentation of Pu-erh tea
Authors: Zhao Ming , Zhang Dong-lian , Su Xiao-qin , Duan Shuang-mei , Wan Jin-qiong , Yuan Wen-xia , Liu Ben-ying , Ma Yan , Pan Ying-hong 
Published: May 2015

AbstractMicrobial enzymes during solid-state fermentation (SSF), which play important roles in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical and environmental fields, remain relatively unknown. In this work, the microbial communities and enzymes in SSF of Pu-erh tea, a well-known traditional Chinese tea, were investigated by integrated metagenomics/metaproteomics approach. The dominant bacteria and fungi were identified as Proteobacteria (48.42%) and Aspergillus (94.98%), through pyrosequencing-based analyses of the bacterial 16S and fungal 18S rRNA genes, respectively. In total, 335 proteins with at least two unique peptides were identified and classified into 28 Biological Processes and 35 Molecular Function categories using a metaproteomics analysis. The integration of metagenomics and metaproteomics data demonstrated that Aspergillus was dominant fungus and major host of identified proteins (50.45%). Enzymes involved in the degradation of the plant cell wall were identified and associated with the soft-rotting of tea leaves. Peroxiredoxins, catalase and peroxidases were associated with the oxidation of catechins. In conclusion, this work greatly advances our understanding of the SSF of Pu-erh tea and provides a powerful tool for studying SSF mechanisms, especially in relation to the microbial communities present.
A new gender-specific model for skin autofluorescence risk stratification
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad S. , Damanhouri Zoheir A. , Kimhofer Torben , Mosli Hala H. , Holmes Elaine 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAdvanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are believed to play a significant role in the pathophysiology of a variety of diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Non-invasive skin autofluorescence (SAF) measurement serves as a proxy for tissue accumulation of AGEs. We assessed reference SAF and skin reflectance (SR) values in a Saudi population (n = 1,999) and evaluated the existing risk stratification scale. The mean SAF of the study cohort was 2.06 (SD = 0.57) arbitrary units (AU), which is considerably higher than the values reported for other populations. We show a previously unreported and significant difference in SAF values between men and women, with median (range) values of 1.77 AU (0.79–4.84 AU) and 2.20 AU (0.75–4.59 AU) respectively (p-value « 0.01). Age, presence of diabetes and BMI were the most influential variables in determining SAF values in men, whilst in female participants, SR was also highly correlated with SAF. Diabetes, hypertension and obesity all showed strong association with SAF, particularly when gender differences were taken into account. We propose an adjusted, gender-specific disease risk stratification scheme for Middle Eastern populations. SAF is a potentially valuable clinical screening tool for cardiovascular risk assessment but risk scores should take gender and ethnicity into consideration for accurate diagnosis.
Chronic inflammation aggravates metabolic disorders of hepatic fatty acids in high-fat diet-induced obese mice
Authors: Zhao Lei , Zhong Shan , Qu Haiyang , Xie Yunxia , Cao Zhennan , Li Qing , Yang Ping , Varghese Zac , Moorhead John F. , Chen Yaxi , Ruan Xiong Z. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases with increasing body mass index (BMI). However, approximately 40–50% of obese adults do not develop hepatic steatosis. The level of inflammatory biomarkers is higher in obese subjects with NAFLD compared to BMI-matched subjects without hepatic steatosis. We used a casein injection in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice to induce inflammatory stress. Although mice on a HFD exhibited apparent phenotypes of obesity and hyperlipidemia regardless of exposure to casein injection, only the HFD+Casein mice showed increased hepatic vacuolar degeneration accompanied with elevated inflammatory cytokines in the liver and serum, compared to mice on a normal chow diet. The expression of genes related to hepatic fatty acid synthesis and oxidation were upregulated in the HFD-only mice. The casein injection further increased baseline levels of lipogenic genes and decreased the levels of oxidative genes in HFD-only mice. Inflammatory stress induced both oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in HFD-fed mice livers. We conclude that chronic inflammation precedes hepatic steatosis by disrupting the balance between fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in the livers of HFD-fed obese mice. This mechanism may operate in obese individuals with chronic inflammation, thus making them more prone to NAFLD.
Lung microbiota across age and disease stage in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Coburn Bryan , Wang Pauline W. , Diaz Caballero Julio , Clark Shawn T. , Brahma Vijaya , Donaldson Sylva , Zhang Yu , Surendra Anu , Gong Yunchen , Elizabeth Tullis D. , Yau Yvonne C. W. , Waters Valerie J. , Hwang David M. , Guttman David S. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractUnderstanding the significance of bacterial species that colonize and persist in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways requires a detailed examination of bacterial community structure across a broad range of age and disease stage. We used 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to characterize the lung microbiota in 269 CF patients spanning a 60 year age range, including 76 pediatric samples from patients of age 4–17 and a broad cross-section of disease status to identify features of bacterial community structure and their relationship to disease stage and age. The CF lung microbiota shows significant inter-individual variability in community structure, composition and diversity. The core microbiota consists of five genera - Streptococcus, Prevotella, Rothia, Veillonella and Actinomyces. CF-associated pathogens such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Stenotrophomonas and Achromobacter are less prevalent than core genera, but have a strong tendency to dominate the bacterial community when present. Community diversity and lung function are greatest in patients less than 10 years of age and lower in older age groups, plateauing at approximately age 25. Lower community diversity correlates with worse lung function in a multivariate regression model. Infection by Pseudomonas correlates with age-associated trends in community diversity and lung function.
Oblongifolin C inhibits metastasis by up-regulating keratin 18 and tubulins
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Lao Yuanzhi , Xu Naihan , Xi Zhichao , Wu Man , Wang Hua , Li Xiyi , Tan Hongsheng , Sun Menghong , Xu Hongxi 
Published: May 2015

AbstractTumor metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related patient death. In this study, we performed a wound healing migration screen to search for a metastatic inhibitor within our library of natural compounds. We found that oblongifolin C (OC), a natural compound extracted from Garcinia yunnanensis Hu, is an effective inhibitor of metastasis in human esophageal squamous carcinoma Eca109 cells. The transwell migration and matrigel invasion assay results also showed that OC inhibits the migration of Eca109 cells and HepG2 cells. OC can increase the expression of tubulin, indicating that OC inhibits metastasis via tubulin aggregation. In addition, the Western blotting, real-time PCR and immunostaining results indicated that OC increases the expression of keratin18. Furthermore, the knockdown of keratin 18 by small interfering RNAs inhibited the expression of tubulin and increased the metastasis of cancer cells, suggesting that keratin 18 is the upstream signal of tubulin and plays a vital role in metastasis. A subsequent study in a tail vein injection metastasis model showed that OC can significantly inhibit pulmonary metastasis, as revealed by immunohistochemistry staining. Taken together, our results suggest that OC inhibits metastasis through the induction of the expression of keratin 18 and may be useful in cancer therapy.
Inherently Stealthy and Highly Tumor-Selective Gold Nanoraspberries for Photothermal Cancer Therapy
Authors: Gandra Naveen , Portz Christopher , Nergiz Saide Z. , Fales Andrew , Vo-Dinh Tuan , Singamaneni Srikanth 
Published: May 2015

AbstractOwing to their unique optical properties such as large absorption and scattering cross section and large enhancement of electromagnetic field at the surface, plasmonic nanostructures have received extensive attention as a highly promising class of materials for nano-oncology. Most of the existing plasmonic nanostructures require extensive post-synthesis treatments and biofunctionalization routines to mitigate their cytotoxicity and/or make them tumor-specific. Here, we report one-pot synthesis of a novel class of plasmonic nanostructures, namely, gold nanoraspberries (GRBs) with tunable size and localized surface plasmon resonance by using a naturally abundant polysaccharide, chitosan, which acts as a template and capping agent. Significantly, the GRBs, which do not require any further biofunctionalization, exhibit excellent selectivity to tumor cells, thus enabling locoregional therapy at the cellular level. We demonstrate the tumor-selectivity of GRBs by photothermal ablation of tumor cells selectively from their co-culture with normal cells. The simple, scalable and tumor-selective nature of GRBs makes them excellent candidates for translational plasmonics-based nanomedicine.