bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elastic fiber alterations and calcifications in calcific uremic arteriolopathy
Authors: Colboc Hester , Moguelet Philippe , Bazin Dominique , Letavernier Emmanuel , Sun Chenyu , Chessel Anatole , Carvalho Priscille , Lok Catherine , Dillies Anne-Sophie , Chaby Guillaume , Maillard Hervé , Kottler Diane , Goujon Elisa , Jurus Christine , Panaye Marine , Tang Ellie , Courville Philippe , Boury Antoine , Monfort Jean-Benoit , Chasset François , Senet Patricia , Schanne-Klein Marie-Claire 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCalcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) is a severely morbid disease, affecting mostly dialyzed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, associated with calcium deposits in the skin. Calcifications have been identified in ESRD patients without CUA, indicating that their presence is not specific to the disease. The objective of this retrospective multicenter study was to compare elastic fiber structure and skin calcifications in ESRD patients with CUA to those without CUA using innovative structural techniques. Fourteen ESRD patients with CUA were compared to 12 ESRD patients without CUA. Analyses of elastic fiber structure and skin calcifications using multiphoton microscopy followed by machine-learning analysis and field-emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray were performed. Elastic fibers specifically appeared fragmented in CUA. Quantitative analyses of multiphoton images showed that they were significantly straighter in ESRD patients with CUA than without CUA. Interstitial and vascular calcifications were observed in both groups of ESRD patients, but vascular calcifications specifically appeared massive and circumferential in CUA. Unlike interstitial calcifications, massive circumferential vascular calcifications and elastic fibers straightening appeared specific to CUA. The origins of such specific elastic fiber’s alteration are still to be explored and may involve relationships with ischemic vascular or inflammatory processes.
In-vivo detection of white adipose tissue browning: a multimodality imaging approach
Authors: Holmes Leah R. , Garside John C. , Frank Jonathan , Livingston Eric , Snyder Jonas , Abu Khalaf Nada , Yuan Hong , Branca Rosa T. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDetection and differentiation of brown fat in humans poses several challenges, as this tissue is sparse and often mixed with white adipose tissue. Non-invasive detection of beige fat represents an even greater challenge as this tissue is structurally and functionally more like white fat than brown fat. Here we used positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, computed tomography, xenon-enhanced computed tomography, and dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound, to non-invasively detect functional and structural changes associated with the browning process of inguinal white fat, induced in mice by chronic stimulation with the β3-adrenergic receptor agonist CL-316243. These studies reveal a very heterogeneous increase in baseline tissue radiodensity and xenon-enhanced radiodensity, indicative of both an increase in adipocytes water and protein content as well as tissue perfusion, mostly in regions that showed enhanced norepinephrine-stimulated perfusion before CL-316243 treatment. No statistically significant increase in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake or norepinephrine-stimulated tissue perfusion were observed in the mice after the CL-316243 treatment. The increase in tissue-water content and perfusion, along with the negligible increase in the tissue glucose uptake and norepinephrine-stimulated perfusion deserve more attention, especially considering the potential metabolic role that this tissue may play in whole body metabolism.
Effects of an open-label placebo intervention on reactions to social exclusion in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Stumpp Leonie , Jauch Melissa , Sezer Dilan , Gaab Jens , Greifeneder Rainer 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSocial exclusion, that is being left out by others, can have adverse consequences for individuals’ psychological well-being. Even short-term experiences of social exclusion strongly threaten basic psychological needs and cause so-called social pain. Prior research suggests an overlap between the experience of social and physical pain that, amongst others, is reflected by the effectiveness of physical pain treatments in alleviating social pain. Drawing upon these prior findings, we here explore whether open-label placebos, which have previously been found to be effective in reducing physical pain, can alleviate social pain following social exclusion. Seventy-four healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design: First, they either received an open-label placebo intervention or no treatment. Second, they either experienced inclusion or exclusion by their co-players in the interactive ball-tossing game Cyberball. We find that excluded participants in the open-label placebo condition experienced significantly less hurt feelings compared to those in the control condition (Cohen’s d = 0.77). There was no effect of treatment for need threat. The findings suggest new possibilities to alleviate social pain, which is of particular interest in the context of preventing destructive and maladaptive behaviors in situations where functional coping strategies are unavailable.
Natural course of cerebral and spinal cavernous malformations: a complete ten-year follow-up study
Authors: Santos Alejandro N. , Rauschenbach Laurèl , Gull Hanah H. , Olbrich Angelina , Dinger Thiemo F. , Darkwah Oppong Marvin , Rieß Christoph , Chen Bixia , Lenkeit Annika , Schmidt Börge , Li Yan , Jabbarli Ramazan , Wrede Karsten H. , Siegel Adrian , Sure Ulrich , Dammann Philipp 
Published: September 2023

AbstractKnowledge of the bleeding risk and the long-term outcome of conservatively treated patients with cavernous malformations (CM) is poor. In this work, we studied the occurrence of CM-associated hemorrhage over a 10-year period and investigated risk factors for bleeding. Our institutional database was screened for patients with cerebral (CCM) or intramedullary spinal cord (ISCM) CM admitted between 2003 and 2021. Patients who underwent surgery and patients without completed follow-up were excluded. Analyses were performed to identify risk factors and to determine the cumulative risk for hemorrhage. A total of 91 CM patients were included. Adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis identified bleeding at diagnosis (p = 0.039) and CM localization to the spine (p = 0.010) as predictors for (re)hemorrhage. Both risk factors remained independent predictors through Cox regression analysis (p = 0.049; p = 0.016). The cumulative 10-year risk of bleeding was 30% for the whole cohort, 39% for patients with bleeding at diagnosis and 67% for ISCM. During an untreated 10-year follow-up, the probability of hemorrhage increased over time, especially in cases with bleeding at presentation and spinal cord localization. The intensity of such increase may decline throughout time but remains considerably high. These findings may indicate a rather aggressive course in patients with ISCM and may endorse early surgical treatment.
A 3D adrenocortical carcinoma tumor platform for preclinical modeling of drug response and matrix metalloproteinase activity
Authors: Dedhia Priya H. , Sivakumar Hemamylammal , Rodriguez Marco A. , Nairon Kylie G. , Zent Joshua M. , Zheng Xuguang , Jones Katie , Popova Liudmila V. , Leight Jennifer L. , Skardal Aleksander 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAdrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) has a poor prognosis, and no new drugs have been identified in decades. The absence of drug development can partly be attributed to a lack of preclinical models. Both animal models and 2D cell cultures of ACC fail to accurately mimic the disease, as animal physiology is inherently different than humans, and 2D cultures fail to represent the crucial 3D architecture. Organoids and other small 3D in vitro models of tissues or tumors can model certain complexities of human in vivo biology; however, this technology has largely yet to be applied to ACC. In this study, we describe the generation of 3D tumor constructs from an established ACC cell line, NCI-H295R. NCI-H295R cells were encapsulated to generate 3D ACC constructs. Tumor constructs were assessed for biomarker expression, viability, proliferation, and cortisol production. In addition, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) functionality was assessed directly using fluorogenic MMP-sensitive biosensors and through infusion of NCI-H295R cells into a metastasis-on-a-chip microfluidic device platform. ACC tumor constructs showed expression of biomarkers associated with ACC, including SF-1, Melan A, and inhibin α. Treatment of ACC tumor constructs with chemotherapeutics demonstrated decreased drug sensitivity compared to 2D cell culture. Since most tumor cells migrate through tissue using MMPs to break down extracellular matrix, we validated the utility of ACC tumor constructs by integrating fluorogenic MMP-sensitive peptide biosensors within the tumor constructs. Lastly, in our metastasis-on-a-chip device, NCI-H295R cells successfully engrafted in a downstream lung cell line-based construct, but invasion distance into the lung construct was decreased by MMP inhibition. These studies, which would not be possible using 2D cell cultures, demonstrated that NCI-H295R cells secreted active MMPs that are used for invasion in 3D. This work represents the first evidence of a 3D tumor constructs platform for ACC that can be deployed for future mechanistic studies as well as development of new targets for intervention and therapies.
Repeated episodes of postictal hypoxia are a mechanism for interictal cognitive impairments
Authors: Villa Bianca R. , Bhatt Dhyey , Wolff Marshal D. , Addo-Osafo Kwaku , Epp Jonathan R. , Teskey G. Campbell 
Published: September 2023

AbstractComorbidities during the period between seizures present a significant challenge for individuals with epilepsy. Despite their clinical relevance, the pathophysiology of the interictal symptomatology is largely unknown. Postictal severe hypoxia (PIH) in those brain regions participating in the seizure has been indicated as a mechanism underlying several negative postictal manifestations. It is unknown how repeated episodes of PIH affect interictal symptoms in epilepsy. Using a rat model, we observed that repeated seizures consistently induced episodes of PIH that become increasingly severe with each seizure occurrence. Additionally, recurrent seizure activity led to decreased levels of oxygen in the hippocampus during the interictal period. However, these reductions were prevented when we repeatedly blocked PIH using either the COX-inhibitor acetaminophen or the L-type calcium channel antagonist nifedipine. Moreover, we found that interictal cognitive deficits caused by seizures were completely alleviated by repeated attenuation of PIH events. Lastly, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the observed pathological outcomes during the interictal period. These findings provide evidence that seizure-induced hypoxia may play a crucial role in several aspects of epilepsy. Consequently, developing and implementing treatments that specifically target and prevent PIH could potentially offer significant benefits for individuals with refractory epilepsy.
A study of the required sustainability-driven institutional and behavioural mechanisms to tackle the anticipated implications of agricultural water price shocks: a system dynamics approach
Authors: Momeni Marzieh , Razavi Vahid , Zahedi Sina , Momeni Farshad , Behzadian Kourosh , Dolatabadi Neda 
Published: September 2023

AbstractEconomic policies for managing agricultural water use are often complicated by the challenge of using water prices as an efficient economic tool when other non-economic concerns are involved in the decision-making process. This study aims to analyse the impact of water pricing policies on preserving agricultural water resources in Iran. This study applies a system dynamics approach to simulate the system performance and behaviour of stakeholders and the economic implications. Our finding shows that water pricing policies will likely fail due to low water price elasticity and if there are lack of institutional and physical infrastructure, alternative professions, manufacturing technology, education, and training opportunities. The results also illustrate how agricultural water price increase (AWPI) fails to reduce water consumption in the absence of an adequate institutional arrangement. Also, it shows how the lack of advanced institutional infrastructure in the presence of physical infrastructure enhances pervasive overuse and destructive competition among stakeholders by increasing the area under cultivation. In the discussion, the paper portrays a way out of the decision-making body by following AWPI effects on water conservation in the agricultural sector as the most significant water consumer. It investigates the absence and subsequent presence of specific institutional conditions and evaluates training and enhancing farmers' skills and alternative career source with higher income and technology as the architecture of good environmental governance. Finally, it concludes that a series of inclusive measures must be considered to increase the elasticity of the water price. These measures must stimulate farmers towards pursuing the goals of global sustainable development and enhancing social welfare.
Different effects of menopausal hormone therapy on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease based on the route of estrogen administration
Authors: Kim Sung Eun , Min Ji-Song , Lee Saemi , Lee Dong-Yun , Choi DooSeok 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe effects of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were compared based on the route of estrogen administration. The study included 368 postmenopausal women who received MHT for 12 months. Patients were divided into transdermal (n = 75) and oral (n = 293) groups based on the estrogen route. Changes in the prevalence of NAFLD were compared between the two groups before and after 12 months of MHT. In addition, differences in the progression of NAFLD after MHT based on the dose of estrogen and type of progestogen were evaluated in the oral group. After MHT, the prevalence of NAFLD decreased from 24 to 17.3% in the transdermal group but increased from 25.3 to 29.4% in the oral group. Little or no change was found in clinical characteristics and laboratory tests in the transdermal group during MHT. However, serum levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased and triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly in the oral group. Furthermore, changes in the prevalence of NAFLD were not significantly different based on the dose of estrogen or type of progestogen. Our findings indicate that transdermal estrogen can be beneficial in terms of NAFLD progression.
Recovery of the gut microbiome following enteric infection and persistence of antimicrobial resistance genes in specific microbial hosts
Authors: Hansen Zoe A. , Vasco Karla , Rudrik James T. , Scribner Kim T. , Zhang Lixin , Manning Shannon D. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractEnteric pathogens cause widespread foodborne illness and are increasingly resistant to important antibiotics yet their ecological impact on the gut microbiome and resistome is not fully understood. Herein, shotgun metagenome sequencing was applied to stool DNA from 60 patients (cases) during an enteric bacterial infection and after recovery (follow-ups). Overall, the case samples harbored more antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) with greater resistome diversity than the follow-up samples (p < 0.001), while follow-ups had more diverse gut microbiota (p < 0.001). Although cases were primarily defined by genera Escherichia, Salmonella, and Shigella along with ARGs for multi-compound and multidrug resistance, follow-ups had a greater abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla and resistance genes for tetracyclines, macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins, and aminoglycosides. A host-tracking analysis revealed that Escherichia was the primary bacterial host of ARGs in both cases and follow-ups, with a greater abundance occurring during infection. Eleven distinct extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes were identified during infection, with some detectable upon recovery, highlighting the potential for gene transfer within the community. Because of the increasing incidence of disease caused by foodborne pathogens and their role in harboring and transferring resistance determinants, this study enhances our understanding of how enteric infections impact human gut ecology.
Exploration of CviR-mediated quorum sensing inhibitors from Cladosporium spp. against Chromobacterium violaceum through computational studies
Authors: Murali Mahadevamurthy , Ahmed Faiyaz , Gowtham Hittanahallikoppal Gajendramurthy , Aribisala Jamiu Olaseni , Abdulsalam Rukayat Abiola , Shati Ali A. , Alfaifi Mohammad Y. , Sayyed R. Z. , Sabiu Saheed , Amruthesh Kestur Nagaraj 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAn opportunistic human pathogenic bacterium, Chromobacterium violaceum resists the potency of most antibiotics by exploiting the quorum sensing system within their community to control virulence factor expression. Therefore, blocking the quorum sensing mechanism could help to treat several infectious caused by this organism. The quorum sensing receptor (CviR) of C. violaceum was used as a model target in the current investigation to identify potentially novel quorum sensing inhibitors from Cladosporium spp. through in silico computational approaches. The molecular docking results confirmed the anti-quorum sensing potential of bioactive compounds from Cladosporium spp. through binding to CviR with varying docking scores between – 5.2 and – 9.5 kcal/mol. Relative to the positive control [Azithromycin (– 7.4 kcal/mol)], the top six metabolites of Cladosporium spp. had higher docking scores and were generally greater than – 8.5 kcal/mol. The thermodynamic stability and binding affinity refinement of top-ranked CviR inhibitors were further studied through a 160 ns molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The Post-MD simulation analysis confirmed the top-ranked compounds' affinity, stability, and biomolecular interactions with CviR at 50 ns, 100 ns, and 160 ns with Coniochaetone K of the Cladosporium spp. having the highest binding free energy (– 30.87 kcal/mol) and best interactions (two consistent hydrogen bond contact) following the 160 ns simulation. The predicted pharmacokinetics properties of top selected compounds point to their drug likeliness, potentiating their chance as a possible drug candidate. Overall, the top-ranked compounds from Cladosporium spp., especially Coniochaetone K, could be identified as potential C. violaceum CviR inhibitors. The development of these compounds as broad-spectrum antibacterial medicines is thus possible in the future following the completion of further preclinical and clinical research.
Cryo EM structures map a post vaccination polyclonal antibody response to canine parvovirus
Authors: Hartmann Samantha R. , Charnesky Andrew J. , Früh Simon P. , López-Astacio Robert A. , Weichert Wendy S. , DiNunno Nadia , Cho Sung Hung , Bator Carol M. , Parrish Colin R. , Hafenstein Susan L. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCanine parvovirus (CPV) is an important pathogen that emerged by cross-species transmission to cause severe disease in dogs. To understand the host immune response to vaccination, sera from dogs immunized with parvovirus are obtained, the polyclonal antibodies are purified and used to solve the high resolution cryo EM structures of the polyclonal Fab-virus complexes. We use a custom software, Icosahedral Subparticle Extraction and Correlated Classification (ISECC) to perform subparticle analysis and reconstruct polyclonal Fab-virus complexes from two different dogs eight and twelve weeks post vaccination. In the resulting polyclonal Fab-virus complexes there are a total of five distinct Fabs identified. In both cases, any of the five antibodies identified would interfere with receptor binding. This polyclonal mapping approach identifies a specific, limited immune response to the live vaccine virus and allows us to investigate the binding of multiple different antibodies or ligands to virus capsids.
Hydration makes a difference! How to tune protein complexes between liquid–liquid and liquid–solid phase separation
Authors: Ramos Sashary , Kamps Janine , Pezzotti Simone , Winklhofer Konstanze F. , Tatzelt Jörg , Havenith Martina 
Published: September 2023

THz calorimetry can unravel the role of solvent in the formation of a protein condensate via liquid–liquid and liquid–solid phase separation.
Progressive dilation dense residual fusion network for single‐image deraining
Authors: Kong Xiaolin , Gao Tao , Chen Ting , Zhang Jing 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRain removal is very important for many applications in computer vision, and it is a challenging problem due to its ill‐posed nature, especially for single‐image deraining. In order to remove rain streaks more thoroughly, as well as to retain more details, a progressive dilation dense residual fusion network is proposed. The entire network is designed in a cascade manner with multiple fusion blocks. The fusion block consists of a dilation dense residual block (DDRB) and a dense residual feature fusion block (DRFFB), where DDRB is created for feature extraction and DRFFB is mainly designed for feature fusion operation. Meanwhile, detail compensation memory mechanism (DCMM) is leveraged between each of two cascade modules to retain more background details. Compared with previous state‐of‐the‐art methods, extensive experiments show that the proposed method can achieve better results, in terms of rain streaks removal and background details preservation. Furthermore, the authors’ network also shows its superiority for image noise removal.
Miniaturised single‐layer bandpass filters using triple and quad‐mode patch resonators
Authors: Gong Ke , Ma Sensen , Fan Chunfeng , Sun Jintu , Han Jiahui , Liu Yan , Liu Qing 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe authors propose miniaturised single‐layer bandpass filters (BPFs) by utilising a kind of new triple‐ and quad‐mode patch resonators. The triple‐mode resonator consists of a shortened square patch and a loaded metallic via at the centre. Characteristics of the new resonator are studied based on the mode analysis, and the first three resonant modes can be controlled well by changing the length of four via arms and the width of the open slot. Thus, a three‐pole BPF can be designed with the new triple‐mode patch resonator. To realise higher‐order filter, two triple‐mode patch resonators are cascaded to design a six‐pole BPF. Moreover, an inter‐digital slot‐line is further etched on the triple‐mode patch resonator to achieve a new resonant mode, and a quad‐mode patch resonator is achieved without increasing its size. A miniaturised four‐pole BPF is implemented using the quad‐mode patch resonator. For the demonstration, three‐pole triple‐mode, six‐pole triple‐mode and four‐pole quad‐mode patch filters are designed, fabricated and measured. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.