bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential expression of junctional adhesion molecules in different stages of systemic sclerosis
Authors: Manetti Mirko , Guiducci Serena , Romano Eloisa , Rosa Irene , Ceccarelli Claudia , Mello Tommaso , Milia Anna Franca , Conforti Maria Letizia , Ibba‐Manneschi Lidia , Matucci‐Cerinic Marco 
Published: September 2012

AbstractObjectiveSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by early perivascular inflammation, microvascular endothelial cell (MVEC) activation/damage, and defective angiogenesis. Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) regulate leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation and ischemia‐reperfusion injury, vascular permeability, and angiogenesis. This study was undertaken to investigate the possible role of JAMs in SSc pathogenesis.MethodsJAM‐A and JAM‐C expression levels in skin biopsy samples from 25 SSc patients and 15 healthy subjects were investigated by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Subcellular localization of JAMs in cultured healthy dermal MVECs and SSc MVECs was assessed by confocal microscopy. Serum levels of soluble JAM‐A (sJAM‐A) and sJAM‐C in 64 SSc patients and 32 healthy subjects were examined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsIn control skin, constitutive JAM‐A expression was observed in MVECs and fibroblasts. In early‐stage SSc skin, JAM‐A expression was strongly increased in MVECs, fibroblasts, and perivascular inflammatory cells. In late‐stage SSc, JAM‐A expression was decreased compared with controls. JAM‐C was weakly expressed in control and late‐stage SSc skin, while it was strongly expressed in MVECs, fibroblasts, and inflammatory cells in early‐stage SSc. Surface expression of JAM‐A was higher in early‐stage SSc MVECs and increased in healthy MVECs stimulated with early‐stage SSc sera. JAM‐C was cytoplasmic in resting healthy MVECs, while it was recruited to the cell surface upon challenge with early‐stage SSc sera. Early‐stage SSc MVECs exhibited constitutive surface JAM‐C expression. In SSc, increased levels of sJAM‐A and sJAM‐C correlated with early disease and measures of vascular damage.ConclusionOur findings indicate that JAMs may participate in MVEC activation, inflammatory processes, and impaired angiogenesis in different stages of SSc.
Perylene Bisimide Dimer Aggregates: Fundamental Insights into Self‐Assembly by NMR and UV/Vis Spectroscopy
Authors: Shao Changzhun , Grüne Matthias , Stolte Matthias , Würthner Frank 
Published: September 2012

AbstractA novel perylene bisimide (PBI) dye bearing one solubilizing dialkoxybenzyl and one bulky 2,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl substituent was synthesized and its aggregation behavior was analyzed by NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy in various chloroform/methylcyclohexane (MCH) solvent mixtures. In the presence of no less than 10 vol % chloroform, exclusive self‐assembly of this PBI dye into π‐stacked dimers was unambiguously confirmed by means of both concentration‐dependent 1H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopic experiments. Based on ROESY NMR, a well‐defined π‐stacked dimer structure was determined and further corroborated by molecular modeling studies. By varying the solvent composition of chloroform and MCH, the solvent effects on the Gibbs free energy of PBI dimerization were elucidated and showed a pronounced nonlinearity between lower and higher MCH contents. This observation could be related to a further growth process of dimers into larger aggregates that occurs in the absence of chloroform, which is required to solvate the aromatic π surfaces. With the help of a single‐crystal structure analysis for a related PBI dye, a structural model could be derived for the extended aggregates that are still composed of defined π–π‐stacked PBI dimer entities.
A New Mussel‐Inspired Polydopamine Sensitizer for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells: Controlled Synthesis and Charge Transfer
Authors: Nam Hye Jin , Kim Boeun , Ko Min Jae , Jin Mingshi , Kim Ji Man , Jung Duk‐Young 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThe efficient electron injection by direct dye‐to‐TiO2 charge transfer and strong adhesion of mussel‐inspired synthetic polydopamine (PDA) dyes with TiO2 electrode is demonstrated. Spontaneous self‐polymerization of dopamine using dip‐coating (DC) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in basic buffer solution were applied to TiO2 layers under a nitrogen atmosphere, which offers a facile and reliable synthetic pathway to make the PDA dyes, PDA‐DC and PDA‐CV, with conformal surface and perform an efficient dye‐to‐TiO2 charge transfer. Both synthetic methods led to excellent photovoltaic results and the PDA‐DC dye exhibited larger current density and efficiency values than those in the PDA‐CV dye. Under simulated AM 1.5 G solar light (100 mW cm−2), a PDA‐DC dye exhibited a short circuit current density of 5.50 mW cm−2, corresponding to an overall power conversion efficiency of 1.2 %, which is almost 10 times that of the dopamine dye‐sensitized solar cell. The PDA dyes showed strong adhesion with the nanocrystalline TiO2 electrodes and the interface engineering of a dye‐adsorbed TiO2 surface through the control of the coating methods, reaction times and solution concentration maximized the overall conversion efficiency, resulting in a remarkably high efficiency.
Analogue portable electrooculogram real‐time signal processor
Authors: Fricke Kyle , Sobot Robert , Dounavis Anestis 
Published: September 2012

AbstractWe present an analogue signal‐processing circuit suitable for applications in a portable, wearable, non‐invasive electrooculogram‐based human–computer interface. Behavioural model and preliminary experimental results confirm that the proposed circuit, while operating in real time, correctly detects and decodes signals generated by the subject's eye movements. The total power consumption is measured at 145 mW (excluding the RF link) with a 3 V power supply voltage, and the unit size is approximately 5 cm × 3 cm printed circuit board. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mouse models of DNA polymerases
Authors: Menezes Miriam R. , Sweasy Joann B. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn 1956, Arthur Kornberg discovered the mechanism of the biological synthesis of DNA and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1959 for this contribution, which included the isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I. Now there are 15 known DNA polymerases in mammalian cells that belong to four different families. These DNA polymerases function in many different cellular processes including DNA replication, DNA repair, and damage tolerance. Several biochemical and cell biological studies have provoked a further investigation of DNA polymerase function using mouse models in which polymerase genes have been altered using gene‐targeting techniques. The phenotypes of mice harboring mutant alleles reveal the prominent role of DNA polymerases in embryogenesis, prevention of premature aging, and cancer suppression.
Identification of the V600D mutation in Exon 15 of the BRAF oncogene in congenital, benign langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Kansal Rina , Quintanilla‐Martinez Leticia , Datta Vivekananda , Lopategui Jean , Garshfield Gary , Nathwani Bharat N. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractLangerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a well‐known but rare disease that may occur at any age with markedly variable clinical features: self‐regressive, localized, multiorgan, aggressive, or fatal outcome. Congenital LCH is rare and often clinically benign. While LCH is characterized by a clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, its etiology is unknown. Although BRAF V600E mutations were recently identified as a recurrent genetic alteration in LCH cases, the clinical significance of this mutation within the heterogeneous spectrum of LCH is also currently unknown. We studied a cutaneous, benign form of congenital LCH that occurred in a newborn male, without recurrence for 8 years. Histopathologically, the skin lesion excised after birth showed the typical cytologic and immunophenotypic features of LCH. Sequencing analysis of Exon 15 of the BRAF gene revealed the V600D mutation, with an allelic abundance of 25–30%, corresponding to the LCH cells being hemizygous for the mutant allele. BRAF V600E‐specific polymerase chain reaction was negative. Our report is the first to identify the rare, variant BRAF V600D mutation in LCH, and provides support for constitutively activated BRAF oncogene‐induced cell senescence as a mechanism of regression in congenital, benign LCH. Further, our clinicopathologic findings provide proof for the first time that the V600D mutation can also occur in the absence of ultraviolet light, and can occur in a clinically benign proliferation, similar to the V600E mutation. Additional clinicopathologic studies in larger numbers of LCH patients may be valuable to ascertain the pathophysiologic role of BRAF mutations in LCH. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Time limited immunomodulatory functions of transplanted neural precursor cells
Authors: Fainstein Nina , Einstein Ofira , Cohen Mikhal E. , Brill Livnat , Lavon Iris , Ben‐Hur Tamir 
Published: September 2012

AbstractFetal neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) possess powerful immunomodulatory properties which enable them to protect the brain from immune‐mediated injury. A major issue in developing neural stem/precursor cell (NPC) therapy for chronic neuroinflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis is whether cells maintain their immune‐regulatory properties for prolonged periods of time. Therefore, we studied time‐associated changes in NPC immunomodulatory properties. We examined whether intracerebrally‐transplanted NPCs are able to inhibit early versus delayed induction of autoimmune brain inflammation and whether allogeneic NPC grafts continuously inhibit host rejection responses. In two experimental designs, intraventricular fetal NPC grafts attenuated clinically and pathologically brain inflammation during early EAE relapse but failed to inhibit the disease relapse if induced at a delayed time point. In correlation, long‐term cultured neural precursors lost their capacity to inhibit immune cell proliferation in vitro. Loss of NPC immune functions was associated with transition into a quiescent undifferentiated state. Also, allogeneic fetal NPC grafts elicited a strong immune reaction of T cell and microglial infiltration and were rejected from the host brain. We conclude that long‐term functional changes in transplanted neural precursor cells lead to loss of their therapeutic immune‐regulatory properties, and render allogeneic grafts vulnerable to immunologic rejection. Thus, the immunomodulatory effects of neural precursor cell transplantation are limited in time. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Inhibition of PRC2 histone methyltransferase activity increases TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis sensitivity in human colon cancer cells
Authors: Benoit Yannick D. , Laursen Kristian B. , Witherspoon Mavee S. , Lipkin Steven M. , Gudas Lorraine J. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractColorectal cancer is ranked among the top leading causes of cancer death in industrialized populations. Polycomb group proteins, including Suz12 and Ezh2, are epigenetic regulatory proteins that act as transcriptional repressors of many differentiation‐associated genes and are overexpressed in a large subset of colorectal cancers. Retinoic acid (RA) acts as a negative regulator of PcG actions in stem cells, but has shown limited therapeutic potential in some solid tumors, including colorectal cancer, in part because of retinoic acid receptor β silencing. Through treatment with RA, Suz12 shRNA knockdown, or Ezh2 pharmacological inhibition with 3‐deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), we increased TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cell lines. This increased apoptosis in human colon cancer cells after RA or DZNep treatment was associated with a ∼2.5‐fold increase in TNFRSF10B (DR5) transcript levels and a 42% reduction in the H3K27me3 epigenetic mark at the TNFRSF10B promoter after DZNep addition. Taken together, our findings indicate that pharmacological inhibition of Polycomb repressive complex 2 histone methyltransferase activity may constitute a new epigenetic therapeutic strategy to overcome RA non‐responsiveness in a subset of colorectal tumors by increasing TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis sensitivity. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 764–772, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pacemakers in the upper urinary tract
Authors: Di Benedetto Antonina , Arena Salvatore , Nicotina Piero Antonio , Mucciardi Giuseppe , Galì Alessandro , Magno Carlo 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackgroundPacemakers in upper urinary tract (UUT) are still under study.AimWe reviewed the role of some cells that seem to be involved in the propulsion of urinary bolus from UUT to the bladder. Materials & MethodsWe focuses on evaluating studies on the mechanisms by which the UUT propels urine to the bladder via pacemaker cells.ResultsElectric active pacemaker cells generate pyeloureteric autorhythmicity driving adjacent smooth muscle cells (SMCs); it emphasizes the role of the interstitial cells of Cajal‐like cells (ICC‐LCs) localized in the UUT. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are now thought to cooperate in conducting and amplifying pacemaker activity in the UUT. These cells produce electrical slow‐wave potentials and determine the propagation of peristaltic activity. Identification of ICC‐LCs is facilitated by use of c‐kit antibodies. Contraction waves arising from the UUT and the propagation of these waves may require the direct involvement of ICC‐LCs, as c‐kit immunoreactivity appears developmentally at the same time as coordinated unidirectional peristaltic contraction. ICC‐LCs observed in the UUT have morphological features similar to those of c‐kitpositive ICCs in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to gastrointestinal motility, ICCs may also play a significant role in the propagation, coordination, and modulation of ureteropelvic peristalsis.DiscussionAlterations in ICC‐LCs are closely associated with a variety of motility disorders and many congenital urological diseases of the UUT such as primary obstructive megaureter, congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction, and vesicoureteral reflux.ConclusionThese observations open the way for further investigations of this cell type. Neurourol. Urodynam. 32: 349–353, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clonal evolution of high‐grade serous ovarian carcinoma from primary to recurrent disease
Authors: Castellarin Mauro , Milne Katy , Zeng Thomas , Tse Kane , Mayo Michael , Zhao Yongjun , Webb John R , Watson Peter H , Nelson Brad H , Holt Robert A 
Published: September 2012

AbstractHigh‐grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and fatal form of ovarian cancer. While most tumours are highly sensitive to cytoreductive surgery and platinum‐ and taxane‐based chemotherapy, the majority of patients experience recurrence of treatment‐resistant tumours. The clonal origin and mutational adaptations associated with recurrent disease are poorly understood. We performed whole exome sequencing on tumour cells harvested from ascites at three time points (primary, first recurrence, and second recurrence) for three HGSC patients receiving standard treatment. Somatic point mutations and small insertions and deletions were identified by comparison to constitutional DNA. The clonal structure and evolution of tumours were inferred from patterns of mutant allele frequencies. TP53 mutations were predominant in all patients at all time points, consistent with the known founder role of this gene. Tumours from all three patients also harboured mutations associated with cell cycle checkpoint function and Golgi vesicle trafficking. There was convergence of germline and somatic variants within the DNA repair, ECM, cell cycle control, and Golgi vesicle pathways. The vast majority of somatic variants found in recurrent tumours were present in primary tumours. Our findings highlight both known and novel pathways that are commonly mutated in HGSC. Moreover, they provide the first evidence at single nucleotide resolution that recurrent HGSC arises from multiple clones present in the primary tumour with negligible accumulation of new mutations during standard treatment.
PLA‐based nanoparticles with tunable hydrophobicity and degradation kinetics
Authors: Yu Yingchun , Ferrari Raffaele , Lattuada Marco , Storti Giuseppe , Morbidelli Massimo , Moscatelli Davide 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn this work, the preparation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)‐based degradable nanoparticles (NPs) with tunable hydrophobicity and degradation kinetics via starved emulsion free‐radical polymerization is studied. The synthesis of macromonomers, constituted of a tunable number of lactic acid units functionalized with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), has been performed via bulk ring opening polymerization (ROP) of L, L‐lactide catalyzed with 2‐ethylhexanoic acid tin (II) salt. Macromonomers were characterized through SEC, NMR, and FTIR and are subsequently polymerized through monomer‐starved semi‐batch emulsion polymerization (MSSEP). The effect on the polymerization process of various emulsifiers on the final diameter and particle size distribution has been studied. The resulting PLA‐based NPs are characterized by a narrow size distribution and a small particle size, down to 25 nm. Finally, a degradation study of selected NPs has been carried out to verify their degradability in aqueous media. It has been demonstrated the complete degradability of these PLA‐based NPs which occurs upon the hydrolysis of the PLA pendant chains leaving poly‐HEMA chains, which, being hydrophilic causes the NPs to dissolve in the aqueous suspension. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
The effect of histatin 5, adsorbed on PMMA and hydroxyapatite, on Candida albicans colonization
Authors: Vukosavljevic D. , Custodio W. , Del Bel Cury A. A. , Siqueira W. L. 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTThe limited number of treatments for oral candidiasis resulted in the emergence of azole‐resistant Candida albicans strains, thus enforcing the need for novel antifungal treatments. Although histatin 5 (H5) demonstrates antifungal activity, its inhibitory effect when adhered to hydroxyapatite and Polymetylmethacrylate (PMMA) surfaces, resembling conditions of the in vivo pellicle, remains unexplored. The objective of this in vitro study was to determine whether surface‐adhered H5 inhibits the colonization of C. albicans on hydroxyapatite and/or PMMA. The C. albicans assay involved developing a mono‐protein pellicle (either H5 or albumin) on hydroxyapatite and PMMA discs, introducing C. albicans and counting the number of adhered cells, throughout time, using scanning electron microscopy. A negative binomial statistical model and the Tukey–Kramer test were used for statistical analysis, with p < 0.01 indicating significance. H5‐coated PMMA had significantly reduced number of cells compared to albumin‐coated PMMA at 30, 90 and 1440 min (p < 0.0001), with the number of cells decreasing significantly in 90 and 1440 min (p < 0.0001). Similarly, H5‐coated hydroxyapatite had significantly fewer cells compared to the albumin‐coated surface at 90 and 1440 min (p < 0.0001), with the number of cells decreasing significantly at 30, 90 and 1440 min (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, C. albicans colonization was most inhibited by PMMA and hydroxyapatite‐adhered H5 after 1440 min, illustrating the time‐dependent effect of H5. In addition, yeast cells colonized albumin‐coated PMMA, while dense hyphal networks formed on albumin‐coated hydroxyapatite, suggesting that C. albicans morphology is influenced by the surface available for albumin adhesion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Erratum to: Identification of functional differences between recombinant human α and β cardiac myosin motors
Authors: Deacon John C. , Bloemink Marieke J. , Rezavandi Heresh , Geeves Michael A. , Leinwand Leslie A. 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
The myosin isoform composition of the heart is dynamic in health and disease and has been shown to affect contractile velocity and force generation. While different mammalian species express different proportions of α and β myosin heavy chain, healthy human heart ventricles express these isoforms in a ratio of about 1:9 (α:β) while failing human ventricles express no detectable α-myosin. We report here fast-kinetic analysis of recombinant human α and β myosin heavy chain motor domains. This represents the first such analysis of any human muscle myosin motor and the first of α-myosin from any species. Our findings reveal substantial isoform differences in individual kinetic parameters, overall contractile character, and predicted cycle times. For these parameters, α-subfragment 1 (S1) is far more similar to adult fast skeletal muscle myosin isoforms than to the slow β isoform despite 91% sequence identity between the motor domains of α- and β-myosin. Among the features that differentiate α- from β-S1: the ATP hydrolysis step of α-S1 is ~ten-fold faster than β-S1, α-S1 exhibits ~five-fold weaker actin affinity than β-S1, and actin·α-S1 exhibits rapid ADP release, which is >ten-fold faster than ADP release for β-S1. Overall, the cycle times are ten-fold faster for α-S1 but the portion of time each myosin spends tightly bound to actin (the duty ratio) is similar. Sequence analysis points to regions that might underlie the basis for this finding.
Development of novel microsatellite markers for effective applications in Anthurium cultivar identification
Authors: Wang Jau-Yueh , Chuang Keng-Chang 
Published: September 2012

AbstractAnthurium andraeanumis one of the most economically important floral crops and potted flowers marketed worldwide. Microsatellite markers are currently the preferred molecular marker owing to the many desirable attributes, including hypervariability, codominance, and amenability to high-throughput genotyping; however, there are few polymorphic molecular markers available for Anthurium. The object of this study was to develop and characterize novel microsatellite markers using the Araceae sequences in GenBank of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to contribute to molecular identification for cultivar protection. Using 1,579 Araceae expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and the related nucleotide sequences, 100 candidates contained simple sequence repeat (SSR) motifs that were suitable for primer design. Furthermore, 100 pairs of SSR primers were screened against a set of 28 diverse genotypes representing 24 cultivars that included four registration cultivars which were bred from the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and 20 commercial cultivars, appended with three hybrid progeny and a mutant line. From the selected six polymorphic SSR loci, 52 alleles were amplified and 27 distinct genotypes were found, except for ‘Tropical’ and its mutant, with a mean number of eight alleles per locus. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.86 to 0.93. Based on these results, we proposed a key identification set using four microsatellite markers that is sufficient to discriminate among 24 cultivars. Because the Anthurium microsatellite markers developed in this study are primarily from expressed sequence tags or related genomic sequences, they can be used for cultivar identification and, accordingly, contribute to genetic evaluations in breeding programs.