bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In Vitro/In VivoAssessment of Aripiprazole-Loaded Thiolated Arabinoxylan based Nanoparticles: An Innovative Approach for Targeted Schizophrenia Therapy
Authors: Sikander Mehwish , Tulain Ume Ruqia , Malik Nadia Shamshad , Mahmood Arshad , Erum Alia , Khan Muhammad Tariq , Safdar Asif 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study was conducted with the primary objective of improving the bioavailability of aripiprazole (APZ) through the development of nanoparticles using thiolated arabinoxylan (TAX) sourced from corn husk. TAX was synthesized via thiolation, employing thiourea as a thiol donor and hydrochloric acid as a catalyst. Characterization of TAX revealed a surface free thiol group content of 37.461 mmol/g, accompanied by an angle of repose measuring 0.393±0.035. Bulk density, tapped density, Hausner ratio, and Carr index fell within prescribed limits. Subsequently, APZ-loaded thiolated arabinoxylan based nanoparticles were fabricated using the ionotropic gelation method, with barium chloride serving as a cross-linker. Encapsulation efficiency was highest for formulation F4, at 97.1%±2.36. In vitro drug release demonstrated sustained release profiles at both pH 1.2 and pH 6.8, with F4 exhibiting the most favourable release kinetics. In vitro, characterization indicated that the optimized thiolated arabinoxylan based nanoparticle formulation had an average particle size of 211.1 nm with a Polydispersity Index (PDI) of 0.092 and a zeta potential of 0.621 mV. SEM imaging showed uniform, slightly spherical particles with minimal pores. DSC and TGA confirmed the conversion of APZ to amorphous states within the nanoparticles, enhancing solubility. Ex-vivo permeation studies exhibited favourable drug permeation. An In-vivo pharmacodynamics studies in a ketamine-induced schizophrenia rat model indicated the effectiveness of APZ loaded thiolated arabinoxylan based nanoparticles in behavioural tests, with no significant cataplectic effects observed. Acute oral toxicity assessments demonstrated the safety, with no mortality, no significant alterations in food and water consumption, or any histopathological abnormalities. In conclusion, these developed APZ-loaded thiolated arabinoxylan based nanoparticles hold promise for the effective treatment of schizophrenia without inducing toxic effects, showcasing their potential for clinical applications.
In-host evolution of classic to convergentKlebsiella pneumoniaesequence type 147 isolates and impact of associated capsular changes on different morphotypes
Authors: Sydow Katharina , Doğan Eyüp , Schwabe Michael , Heiden Stefan E. , Khan Muhammad Moman , Müller Justus U. , Bohnert Jürgen A. , Baecker Daniel , Schlüter Rabea , Schierack Peter , Eger Elias , Idelevich Evgeny A. , Becker Karsten , Schaufler Katharina 
Published: February 2024

AbstractKlebsiella pneumoniae, an important opportunistic pathogen, has long been categorized into two distinct pathotypes: the often multidrug-resistant classic (cKp) and the highly virulent hypervirulent (hvKp). However, a recent global trend has witnessed the emergence of convergent strains, seamlessly combining antimicrobial resistance with hypervirulence. Our study delved into a series ofK. pneumoniaeisolates sourced from the same patient, all belonging to the international, high-risk clonal lineage of sequence type 147. As reported in a previous study, these isolates exhibited diverse morphotypes on blood agar, ranging from small white to normal-sized white, grey, or grey and dry (g/d) colonies.Through an interplay of omics and phenotypic experiments, we unraveled the intricate mechanisms governing these distinct colony morphologies and their implications on bacterial virulence and resilience. While the earlier isolates demonstrated modest levels of resistance and virulence, their later counterparts showed significantly heightened levels, attributed to the acquisition of additional plasmids. Bioinformatics analysis unveiled a chromosomal insertion of a hybrid plasmid in one isolate, marking an unprecedented in-host microevolution from the classic to the convergent pathotype.All morphotypes exhibited positive insertion sequences around or within the K loci, with the grey or g/d phenotypes arising from impaired K loci. Despite lower serum resistance, these morphotypes demonstrated superior adhesion to human epithelial cells. Interestingly, while capsule-deficient strains are conventionally associated with decreased virulence, our isolates displayed high mortality rates in theGalleria mellonellainfection model.In conclusion, our findings not only provide unprecedented insights into in-host microevolution within a patient, transitioning from the classic to the convergent pathotype, but also contribute significantly to the understanding of the diverse morphotypes exhibited byK. pneumoniae.
Lineage-specific intersection of endothelin and GDNF signaling in enteric nervous system development
Authors: Poltavski Denise M. , Cunha Alexander T. , Tan Jaime , Sucov Henry M. , Makita Takako 
Published: February 2024

AbstractTwo major ligand-receptor signaling axes – endothelin Edn3 and its receptor Ednrb, and glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its receptor Ret – are required for migration of enteric nervous system (ENS) progenitors to the hindgut. Mutations in either component cause colonic aganglionosis, also called Hirschsprung disease. Here, we have used Wnt1Cre and Pax2Cre in mice to show that these driver lines label distinct ENS lineages during progenitor migration and in their terminal hindgut fates. Both Cre lines result in Hirschsprung disease when combined with conditionalEdnrbor conditionalRetalleles. In vitro explant assays and analysis of lineage-labeled mutant embryos show that GDNF but not Edn3 is a migration cue for cells of both lineages. Instead, Edn3-Ednrb function is required in both for GDNF responsiveness albeit in different ways: by expanding the Ret+population in the Pax2Cre lineage, and by supporting Ret function in Wnt1Cre-derived cells. Our results demonstrate that two distinct lineages of progenitors give rise to the ENS, and that these divergently utilize endothelin signaling to support migration to the hindgut.
Detection, isolation and characterisation of phage-host complexes using BONCAT and click chemistry
Authors: Hellwig P. , Dittrich A. , Heyer R. , Reichl U. , Benndorf D. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPhages are viruses that infect prokaryotes and can shape microbial communities by lysis, thus offering applications in various fields. However, challenges exist in sampling, isolation, and predicting host specificity of phages. A new workflow using biorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) and click chemistry (CC) allows combined analysis of phages and their hosts.Replication of phage λ inEscherichia coliwas selected as a model for workflow development. Specific labelling of phage λ proteins with the non-canonical amino acid 4-azido-L-homoalanine (AHA) during infection ofE. coliwas confirmed by LC-MS/MS. Subsequent tagging of AHA with fluorescent dyes via CC allowed the visualization of phages adsorbed to the cell surface by fluorescence microscopy. Flow cytometry enabled the automated detection of these fluorescent phage-host complexes. AHA-labeled phages were tagged with biotin for purification by affinity chromatography. The biotinylated phages could be purified and were infectious despite biotinylation after purification. Applying this assay approach to environmental samples would enable host screening without cultivation.A flexible and powerful workflow was established to detect and enrich phages and their hosts. In the future, fluorescence-activated cell sorting or biotin purification could be used to isolate phage-host complexes in microbial communities.
Parsing Brain Network Specialization: A Replication and Expansion of Wang et al. (2014)
Authors: Peterson Madeline , Floris Dorothea L. , Nielsen Jared A. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractOne organizing principle of the human brain is hemispheric specialization, or the dominance of a specific function or cognitive process in one hemisphere or the other. Previously, Wang et al. (2014) identified networks putatively associated with language and attention as being specialized to the left and right hemispheres, respectively; and a dual-specialization of the executive control network. However, it remains unknown which networks are specialized when specialization is examined within individuals using a higher resolution parcellation, as well as which connections are contributing the most to a given network’s specialization. In the present study, we estimated network specialization across three datasets using the autonomy index and a novel method of deconstructing network specialization. After examining the reliability of these methods as implemented on an individual level, we addressed two hypotheses. First, we hypothesized that the most specialized networks would include those associated with language, visuospatial attention, and executive control. Second, we hypothesized that within-network contributions to specialization would follow a within-between network gradient or a specialization gradient. We found that the majority of networks exhibited greater within-hemisphere connectivity than between-hemisphere connectivity. Among the most specialized networks were networks associated with language, attention, and executive control. Additionally, we found that the greatest network contributions were within-network, followed by those from specialized networks.Significance StatementHemispheric specialization is a characteristic of brain organization that describes when a function draws on one hemisphere of the brain more than the other. We sought to identify the most specialized brain networks within individuals, as well as which connections contribute the most to a given network’s specialization. Among the most specialized networks were those associated with language, attention, and executive control. Unexpectedly, we also identified networks associated with emotion/memory and theory of mind as highly specialized. Additionally, we found support for guiding principles of brain organization generally, such that within-network connections contributed most to a given network’s specialization followed by connections from other specialized networks. These results have implications for identifying potential variations of network contributions in individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Ramping cells in rodent mPFC encode time to past and future events via real Laplace transform
Authors: Cao Rui , Bright Ian M. , Howard Marc W. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn interval reproduction tasks, animals must remember the event starting the interval and anticipate the time of the planned response to terminate the interval. The interval reproduction task thus allows for studying both memory for the past and anticipation of the future. We analyzed previously published recordings from rodent mPFC (Henke et al., 2021) during an interval reproduction task and identified two cell groups by modeling their temporal receptive fields using hierarchical Bayesian models. The firing in the “past cells” group peaked at the start of the interval and relaxed exponentially back to baseline. The firing in the “future cells” group increased exponentially and peaked right before the planned action at the end of the interval. Contrary to the previous assumption that timing information in the brain has one or two time scales for a given interval, we found strong evidence for a continuous distribution of the exponential rate constants for both past and future cell populations. The real Laplace transformation of time predicts exponential firing with a continuous distribution of rate constants across the population. Therefore, the firing pattern of the past cells can be identified with the Laplace transform of time since the past event while the firing pattern of the future cells can be identified with the Laplace transform of time until the planned future event.
Characterizing directional dynamics of semantic prediction based on inter-regional temporal generalization
Authors: Mamashli Fahimeh , Khan Sheraz , Hatamimajoumerd Elaheh , Jas Mainak , Uluç Işıl , Lankinen Kaisu , Obleser Jonas , Friederici Angela D. , Maess Burkhard , Ahveninen Jyrki 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe event-related potential/field component N400(m) has been widely used as a neural index for semantic prediction. It has long been hypothesized that feedback information from inferior frontal areas plays a critical role in generating the N400. However, due to limitations in causal connectivity estimation, direct testing of this hypothesis has remained difficult. Here, magnetoencephalography (MEG) data was obtained during a classic N400 paradigm where the semantic predictability of a fixed target noun was manipulated in simple German sentences. To estimate causality, we implemented a novel approach based on machine learning and temporal generalization to estimate the effect of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) on temporal areas. In this method, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is trained on each time point of the neural activity in IFG to classify less predicted (LP) and highly predicted (HP) nouns and then tested on all time points of superior/middle temporal sub- regions activity (and vice versa, to establish spatio-temporal evidence for or against causality). The decoding accuracy was significantly above chance level when the classifier was trained on IFG activity and tested on future activity in superior and middle temporal gyrus (STG/MTG). The results present new evidence for a model predictive speech comprehension where predictive IFG activity is fed back to shape subsequent activity in STG/MTG, implying a feedback mechanism in N400 generation. In combination with the also observed strong feedforward effect from left STG/MTG to IFG, our findings provide evidence of dynamic feedback and feedforward influences between IFG and temporal areas during N400 generation.
Different subregions of monkey lateral prefrontal cortex respond to abstract sequences and their components
Authors: Rodriguez Nadira Yusif , Ahuja Aarit , Basu Debaleena , McKim Theresa H. , Desrochers Theresa M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractSequential information permeates daily activities, such as when watching for the correct series of buildings to determine when to get off the bus or train. These sequences include periodicity (the spacing of the buildings), the identity of the stimuli (the kind of house), and higher-order more abstract rules that may not depend on the exact stimulus (e.g. house, house, house, business).Previously, we found that the posterior fundus of area 46 in the monkey lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) responds to rule changes in such abstract visual sequences. However, it is unknown if this region responds to other components of the sequence, i.e., image periodicity and identity, in isolation. Further, it is unknown if this region dissociates from other, more ventral LPFC subregions that have been associated with sequences and their components. To address these questions, we used awake functional magnetic resonance imaging in three male macaque monkeys during two no-report visual tasks. One task contained abstract visual sequences, and the other contained no visual sequences but maintained the same image periodicity and identities.We found the fundus of area 46 responded only to abstract sequence rule violations. In contrast, the ventral bank of area 46 responded to changes in image periodicity and identity, but not changes in the abstract sequence. These results suggest a functional specialization within anatomical substructures of LPFC to signal different kinds of stimulus regularities. This specialization may provide key scaffolding to identify abstract patterns and construct complex models of the world for daily living.Significance StatementDaily tasks, such as a bus commute, require tracking or monitoring your place (same, same, same, different building) until your stop. Sequence components such as rule, periodicity (timing), and item identity are involved in this process. While prior work located responses to sequence rule changes to area 46 of monkey lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) using awake monkey fMRI, less was known about other components. We found that LPFC subregions differentiated between sequence components. Area 46 posterior fundus responded to abstract visual sequence rule changes, but not to changes in image periodicity or identity. The converse was true for the more ventral, adjacent shoulder region. These results suggest that interactions between adjacent LPFC subregions provide key scaffolding for complex daily behaviors.
Focused Ultrasound Modulates Dopamine in a Mesolimbic Reward Circuit
Authors: Olaitan Greatness O. , Ganesana Mallikarjunarao , Strohman Andrew , Lynch Wendy J. , Legon Wynn , Jill Venton B. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in reward and motivation. Dysfunction in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway has been linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including addiction. Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has demonstrated effects on brain activity, but how LIFU affects dopamine neurotransmission is not known. Here, we applied three different intensities (6.5, 13, and 26 W/cm2Isppa) of 2-minute LIFU to the prelimbic region (PLC) and measured dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Two minutes of LIFU sonication at 13 W/cm2to the PLC significantly reduced dopamine release by ∼ 50% for up to 2 hours. However, double the intensity (26 W/cm2) resulted in less inhibition (∼30%), and half the intensity (6.5 W/cm2) did not result in any inhibition of dopamine. Anatomical controls applying LIFU to the primary somatosensory cortex did not change NAc core dopamine, and applying LIFU to the PLC did not affect dopamine release in the caudate or NAc shell. Histological evaluations showed no evidence of cell damage or death. Modeling of temperature rise demonstrates a maximum temperature change of 0.5°C with 13 W/cm2, suggesting that modulation is not due to thermal mechanisms. These studies show that LIFU at a moderate intensity provides a noninvasive, high spatial resolution means to modulate specific mesolimbic circuits that could be used in future studies to target and repair pathways that are dysfunctional in addiction and other psychiatric diseases.
Cost-benefit Tradeoff Mediates the Rule- to Memory-based Processing Transition during Practice
Authors: Yang Guochun , Jiang Jiefeng 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPractice not only improves task performance but also changes task execution from rule-to memory-based processing by incorporating experiences from practice. However,howandwhenthis change occurs is unclear. We test the hypothesis that strategy transitions in task learning can result from decision-making guided by cost-benefit analysis. Participants learn two task sequences and are then queried about the task type at a cued sequence and position. Behavioral improvement with practice can be accounted for by a computational model implementing cost-benefit analysis, and the model-predicted strategy transition points align with the observed behavioral slowing. Model comparisons using behavioral data show that strategy transitions are better explained by a cost-benefit analysis across alternative strategies rather than solely on memory strength. Model-guided fMRI findings suggest that the brain encodes a decision variable reflecting the cost-benefit analysis and that different strategy representations are double-dissociated. Further analyses reveal that strategy transitions are associated with activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and increased pattern separation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Together, these findings support cost-benefit analysis as a mechanism of practice-induced strategy shift.
DORSAL RAPHE NUCLEUS CONTROLS MOTIVATIONAL STATE TRANSITIONS IN MONKEYS
Authors: Priestley Luke , Chiew Mark , Shahdloo Mo , Mahmoodi Ali , Cheng Xinghao , Cleveland Robin , Rushworth Matthew , Khalighinejad Nima 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACTThe dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is an important source of serotonin in the brain but fundamental aspects of its function remain elusive. Here, we present a combination of minimally invasive recording and disruption studies to show that DRN brings about changes in motivation states. We use recently developed methods for identifying temporal patterns in behaviour to show that monkeys change their motivation depending on the availability of rewards in the environment. Distinctive patterns of DRN activity occur when monkeys transition between a high motivation state occupied when rewards are abundant, to a low motivation state engendered by reward scarcity. Disrupting DRN diminishes sensitivity to the reward environment and perturbs transitions in motivational states.
Localization and function of key axonemal microtubule inner proteins and dynein docking complex members reveal extensive diversity among vertebrate motile cilia
Authors: Lu Hao , Twan Wang Kyaw , Ikawa Yayoi , Khare Vani Prem , Mukherjee Ishita , Chua Kai Xin , Chakrabarti Saikat , Hamada Hiroshi , Roy Sudipto 
Published: February 2024

AbstractVertebrate motile cilia are broadly classified as (9+2) or (9+0), based on the presence or absence of the central pair apparatus, respectively. Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analyses of (9+2) cilia have uncovered an elaborate axonemal protein composition; whether these features are relevant to (9+0) cilia remain unclear. We previously demonstrated that Cfap53, a key microtubule inner protein (MIP) as well as centriolar-satellites component, is essential for motility of (9+0), but not (9+2) cilia. Here, we show that in (9+2) cilia, Cfap53 functions redundantly with a paralogous MIP, Mns1. Mns1 localizes to ciliary axonemes, and combined loss of both proteins in zebrafish and mice, caused severe loss of outer dynein arms (ODAs) of (9+2) cilia, significantly affecting their motility. Moreover, using immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate that while Mns1 can self-associate and interact with Cfap53, Cfap53 is unable to self-associate. Finally, we show that multiple additional dynein interacting proteins, such as the ODA docking complex (ODA-DC) members, show strikingly distinct localization patterns between various motile cilia-types. Our findings clarify how paralogous MIPs, Cfap53 and Mns1, function in regulating motility of (9+2) versus (9+0) cilia, and establish that localization pattern of other key motility proteins also differ between these cilia-types, further emphasizing extensive structural variations among these organelles.