bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The nerve growth factor-delivered signals in prostate cancer and its associated microenvironment: when the dialogue replaces the monologue
Authors: Di Donato Marzia , Giovannelli Pia , Migliaccio Antimo , Castoria Gabriella 
Published: March 2023

AbstractProstate cancer (PC) represents the most diagnosed and the second most lethal cancer in men worldwide. Its development and progression occur in concert with alterations in the surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME), made up of stromal cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) that dynamically interact with epithelial PC cells affecting their growth and invasiveness. PC cells, in turn, can functionally sculpt the TME through the secretion of various factors, including neurotrophins. Among them, the nerve growth factor (NGF) that is released by both epithelial PC cells and carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) triggers the activation of various intracellular signaling cascades, thereby promoting the acquisition of a metastatic phenotype. After many years of investigation, it is indeed well established that aberrations and/or derangement of NGF signaling are involved not only in neurological disorders, but also in the pathogenesis of human proliferative diseases, including PC. Another key feature of cancer progression is the nerve outgrowth in TME and the concept of nerve dependence related to perineural invasion is currently emerging. NGF released by cancer cells can be a driver of tumor neurogenesis and nerves infiltrated in TME release neurotransmitters, which might stimulate the growth and sustainment of tumor cells.In this review, we aim to provide a snapshot of NGF action in the interactions between TME, nerves and PC cells. Understanding the molecular basis of this dialogue might expand the arsenal of therapeutic strategies against this widespread disease.
The role of microfinance institutions on women’s entrepreneurship development
Authors: Abebe Abraham , Kegne Meketaw 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis study investigates the role of microfinance services on women's entrepreneurship development in Assosa town. The study employed both descriptive and explanatory designs and a quantitative research approach. The study targeted 352 women clients of Assosa Woreda Microfinance Institution, and 165 samples were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed through the statistical package for social science (SPSS) 26 software. The findings from the descriptive mean analysis indicate that the microfinance institution financial and non-financial services offered were found unable to significantly empower disadvantaged and poor women by improving their livelihood and development of their business. The correlation result also indicated a positive and significant association between saving practice, access to credit, skill development training, and the development of women entrepreneurs. Finally, the regression result saving and the credit or loan services of the microfinance institution service have the most decisive influence on women's entrepreneurship development.
The usefulness of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio for diagnosis and assessment of COPD severity
Authors: Dimic-Janjic Sanja , Hoda Mir Alireza , Milenkovic Branislava , Kotur-Stevuljevic Jelena , Stjepanovic Mihailo , Gompelmann Daniela , Jankovic Jelena , Miljkovic Milica , Milin-Lazovic Jelena , Djurdjevic Natasa , Maric Dragana , Milivojevic Ivan , Popevic Spasoje 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Inflammation, oxidative stress and an imbalance between proteases and protease inhibitors are recognized pathophysiological features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in patients with COPD and to assess their relationship with lung function, symptom severity scores and recent acute exacerbations.

Methods
In this observational cohort study, serum levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in the peripheral blood of COPD patients with stable disease and healthy controls were determined, and their association with lung function (postbronchodilator spirometry, body plethysmography, single breath diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide), symptom severity scores (mMRC and CAT) and exacerbation history were assessed.

Results
COPD patients (n = 98) had significantly higher levels of serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and a higher MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio than healthy controls (n = 47) (p ≤ 0.001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for MMP-9, TIMP-1 and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio for COPD diagnosis were 0.974, 0.961 and 0.910, respectively (all p < 0.05). MMP-9 and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were both negatively correlated with FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, VC, and IC (all p < 0.05). For MMP-9, a positive correlation was found with RV/TLC% (p = 0.005), and a positive correlation was found for the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio with RV% and RV/TLC% (p = 0.013 and 0.002, respectively). Patients with COPD GOLD 3 and 4 presented greater MMP-9 levels and a greater MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio compared to GOLD 1 and 2 patients (p ≤ 0.001). No correlation between diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide and number of acute exacerbations in the previous year was found.

Conclusions
COPD patients have elevated serum levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio. COPD patients have an imbalance between MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in favor of a pro-proteolytic environment, which overall indicates the importance of the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio as a potential biomarker for COPD diagnosis and severity.
Core species and interactions prominent in fish-associated microbiome dynamics
Authors: Yajima Daii , Fujita Hiroaki , Hayashi Ibuki , Shima Genta , Suzuki Kenta , Toju Hirokazu 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundIn aquatic ecosystems, the health and performance of fish depend greatly on the dynamics of microbial community structure in the background environment. Nonetheless, finding microbes with profound impacts on fish’s performance out of thousands of candidate species remains a major challenge.MethodsWe examined whether time-series analyses of microbial population dynamics could illuminate core components and structure of fish-associated microbiomes in the background (environmental) water. By targeting eel-aquaculture-tank microbiomes as model systems, we reconstructed the population dynamics of the 9605 bacterial and 303 archaeal species/strains across 128 days.ResultsDue to the remarkable increase/decrease of constituent microbial population densities, the taxonomic compositions of the microbiome changed drastically through time. We then found that some specific microbial taxa showed a positive relationship with eels’ activity levels even after excluding confounding effects of environmental parameters (pH and dissolved oxygen level) on population dynamics. In particular, a vitamin-B12-producing bacteria,Cetobacterium somerae, consistently showed strong positive associations with eels’ activity levels across the replicate time series of the five aquaculture tanks analyzed. Network theoretical and metabolic modeling analyses further suggested that the highlighted bacterium and some other closely-associated bacteria formed “core microbiomes” with potentially positive impacts on eels.ConclusionsOverall, these results suggest that the integration of microbiology, ecological theory, and network science allows us to explore core species and interactions embedded within complex dynamics of fish-associated microbiomes.
Progress in biomechanical stimuli on the cell-encapsulated hydrogels for cartilage tissue regeneration
Authors: Taheri Shiva , Ghazali Hanieh Sadat , Ghazali Zahra Sadat , Bhattacharyya Amitava , Noh Insup 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Background
Worldwide, many people suffer from knee injuries and articular cartilage damage every year, which causes pain and reduces productivity, life quality, and daily routines. Medication is currently primarily used to relieve symptoms and not to ameliorate cartilage degeneration. As the natural healing capacity of cartilage damage is limited due to a lack of vascularization, common surgical methods are used to repair cartilage tissue, but they cannot prevent massive damage followed by injury.

Main body
Functional tissue engineering has recently attracted attention for the repair of cartilage damage using a combination of cells, scaffolds (constructs), biochemical factors, and biomechanical stimuli. As cyclic biomechanical loading is the key factor in maintaining the chondrocyte phenotype, many studies have evaluated the effect of biomechanical stimulation on chondrogenesis. The characteristics of hydrogels, such as their mechanical properties, water content, and cell encapsulation, make them ideal for tissue-engineered scaffolds. Induced cell signaling (biochemical and biomechanical factors) and encapsulation of cells in hydrogels as a construct are discussed for biomechanical stimulation-based tissue regeneration, and several notable studies on the effect of biomechanical stimulation on encapsulated cells within hydrogels are discussed for cartilage regeneration.

Conclusion
Induction of biochemical and biomechanical signaling on the encapsulated cells in hydrogels are important factors for biomechanical stimulation-based cartilage regeneration.
Wormian bone types: investigating their appearance, correlation to sex, population affinity, and clinical syndromes
Authors: Ogut Eren , Yildirim Fatos Belgin 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
The types of Wormian bones may play a role in population affinity and differential diagnosis of several clinical syndromes. This study investigates the distribution of types in adult skulls, their correlation to sex, population affinity, and several impairments based on the literature. One hundred ten adult Turkish skulls, 80 (72.7%) males and 30 (27.2%) females, were investigated according to type, frequency, location, and sex. Horizontal and vertical diameters and distances from the mastoid process (MP) were measured with a digital caliper. SPSS 25 was used for all statistical analyses.

Results
A total of 58 (52.72%) Wormian bones were identified from 110 skulls, 38 (65.5%) males and 20 (34.5%) females. The types of Wormian bones revealed significant differences between being on the right, left, or center (p = 0.012). The most frequent type was type 6 (n = 14, 24.1%) in males and type 7 (n = 8, 13.8%) in females. The most frequent type was type 7 in the lambdoid suture and type 8 in the parietomastoid suture.

Conclusions
The present study revealed significant differences regarding the asymmetric distribution of Wormian bones and unilateral asymmetrical types in Turkish skulls. Several factors could contribute to this, including underlying clinical syndrome, deficiencies in embryological development, and population affinity.
An overview on the nutritional and bioactive components of green seaweeds
Authors: Xu Jingxiang , Liao Wei , Liu Yuning , Guo Yuling , Jiang Shiyue , Zhao Chao 
Published: March 2023

AbstractGreen seaweed, as the most abundant species of macroseaweeds, is an important marine biological resource. It is a rich source of several amino acids, fatty acids, and dietary fibers, as well as polysaccharides, polyphenols, pigments, and other active substances, which have crucial roles in various biological processes such as antioxidant activity, immunoregulation, and anti-inflammatory response. In recent years, attention to marine resources has accelerated the exploration and utilization of green seaweeds for greater economic value. This paper elaborates on the main nutrients and active substances present in different green seaweeds and provides a review of their biological activities and their applications for high-value utilization.
Graphical abstract
Germline- and Somatic-Inactivating FLCN Variants in Parathyroid Cancer and Atypical Parathyroid Tumors
Authors: Jha Smita , Welch James , Tora Rana , Lack Justin , Warner Andrew , del Rivero Jaydira , Sadowski Samira M , Nilubol Naris , Schmidt Laura S , Linehan W Marston , Weinstein Lee S , Simonds William F , Agarwal Sunita K 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Context
Parathyroid cancer (PC) is a rare endocrine neoplasm with high mortality. While surgery is the treatment for patients with the disease, recurrence rates are high, and patients usually succumb to severe hypercalcemia. There is no effective systemic therapy for the disease.

Objective
To investigate for novel genes causing parathyroid cancer.

Methods
We analyzed the germline DNA of 17 patients with “sporadic” PC and 3 with atypical parathyroid tumors (APTs) who did not have germline CDC73 or MEN1 pathogenic variants. Sequencing of available tumor tissue from 14 patients with PC and 2 with APT was also performed (including 2 patients with no available germline DNA). In addition, sporadic parathyroid adenomas from 74 patients were analyzed for FLCN variants.

Results
We identified germline FLCN variants in 3 unrelated patients with PC. The 2 frameshift variants have been described in patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome, while the pathogenicity of the missense variant c.124G &gt; C (p.G42R) has not been definitively established. Functional analysis of the missense variant showed a potential effect on posttranslational modification. All 3 patients with germline FLCN variants were noted to have renal cysts and 2 had lung cysts, features associated with BHD syndrome. Somatic FLCN variants were identified in tumors from 2 (1 APT) of 16 patients with PC/APT and in none of the 74 sporadic parathyroid adenomas. No second hits in FLCN were noted on sequencing; however, loss of heterozygosity at the locus was demonstrated in 2 of 3 patients with the identified germline FLCN variant.

Conclusion
The finding of FLCN variants associated with PC may provide the foundation for the development of therapy for this malignancy.
Specialist Perspectives on Delivering High-Quality Telemedicine for Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Survey Study
Authors: Zupa Margaret F , Alexopoulos Anastasia-Stefania , Esteve Lucy , Rosland Ann-Marie 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Background
Recent recommendations guiding appropriate use of telemedicine for endocrinology care have largely relied on expert opinion due to limited evidence on factors that increase quality of telemedicine care. In this study, we assessed the perspectives of front-line specialists on factors and strategies perceived to increase quality of diabetes care delivered via telemedicine after more than 2 years of widespread use.

Methods
Adult diabetes specialists in 2 academic health systems who recently used video-based telemedicine to provide diabetes care were invited to participate in an online survey study between March and April 2022. Likert-style questions, followed by related open-ended questions, assessed perspectives on availability of key resources, factors affecting quality, and anticipated benefits from telemedicine for diabetes.

Results
Response rate was 52% (56/111). More than half (54%) of participants reported better overall quality of diabetes care with face-to-face care vs telemedicine. Participants reported clinical data supporting high-quality care, such as home blood glucose readings and vital signs, were often not available with telemedicine. Patient factors, including comorbidities and communication barriers, reduced anticipated benefit from telemedicine, while geographic and mobility barriers increased expected benefit. Providers described multiple health care setting resources that could promote high-quality telemedicine diabetes care, including greater support for sharing patient-generated health data and coordinating multidisciplinary care.

Conclusions
After 2 years of sustained use, diabetes specialists identified telemedicine as an important way to enhance access to care. However, specialists identified additional supports needed to increase appropriate use and delivery of high-quality telemedicine care for patients with complex clinical needs.
Neuraxial Use Among Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty Patients With Multiple Sclerosis or Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: Illescas Alex , Zhong Haoyan , Liu Jiabin , Cozowicz Crispiana , Poeran Jashvant , Memtsoudis Stavros G. 
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND:
Surgical patients with preexisting neurological diseases create greater challenges to perioperative management, and choice of anesthetic is often complicated. We investigated neuraxial anesthesia use in total knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA/THA) recipients with multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis compared to the general population.

METHODS:
We retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing a TKA/THA with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis (Premier Health Database, 2006–2019). The primary outcome was neuraxial anesthesia use in multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis patients compared to the general population. Secondary outcomes were length of stay, intensive care unit admission, and mechanical ventilation. We measured the association between the aforementioned subgroups and neuraxial anesthesia use. Subsequently, subgroup-specific associations between neuraxial anesthesia and secondary outcomes were measured. We report odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS:
Among 2,184,193 TKA/THAs, 7559 and 3176 had a multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis diagnosis, respectively. Compared to the general population, neuraxial anesthesia use was lower in multiple sclerosis patients (OR, 0.61; CI, 0.57–0.65; P < .0001) and no different in myasthenia gravis patients (OR, 1.05; CI, 0.96–1.14; P = .304). Multiple sclerosis patients administered neuraxial anesthesia (compared to those without neuraxial anesthesia) had lower odds of prolonged length of stay (OR, 0.63; CI, 0.53–0.76; P < .0001) mirroring neuraxial anesthesia benefits seen in the general population.

CONCLUSIONS:
Neuraxial anesthesia use was lower in surgical patients with multiple sclerosis compared to the general population but no different in those with myasthenia gravis. Neuraxial use was associated with lower odds of prolonged length of stay.
Hoboes, Wheat, and Climate Precarity, 1870–1922
Authors: Suits Robert 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article explores the role of early migrant workers (“harvest hands” or “hoboes”) in the American wheat industry. It argues that the constant threat of drought and other climatic disasters created a state of climate precarity for workers. In the variable climate of the Great Plains, these disasters could not be forecast, and employers instead shunted climatic risk onto impoverished migrants, whose contracts were ad hoc, informal, and could be made, completed, or broken in a matter of hours. It compiles data from over ten thousand newspapers in the Great Plains to show not only how harvest hand employment varied with the climate but also how climatic instability often only became apparent as harvest hands arrived in the state. This made it virtually impossible for employers to plan ahead for labor, as the demand for harvest hands could vary dramatically even from year to year. Though government and union action pointed the way to possible alternative systems, they never emerged. Ultimately, the hobo-wheat complex was an emergent property of climate and industrial capitalism, unplanned by any group or authority, made by the choices of each.
Natural Partners
Authors: Frens-String Joshua 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article examines how Chilean nitrate fertilizer producers and their international marketing agents persuaded farmers in the US South to use nitrogen-rich mineral fertilizers mined from the Atacama Desert, even as cheaper synthetic fertilizers flooded agricultural markets in the early decades of the twentieth century. At the same time, it explores how agricultural experts working in the United States on behalf of Chile's nitrate industry (and increasingly the Chilean government itself) articulated not just connections between nitrogen and soil vitality but also underscored the importance of other mineral “impurities” to healthy plant development. Working in the US Cotton Belt in particular, many of these agents promoted a vision of pan-American ecological and economic interdependence, and through their racialized depictions of agricultural knowledge, they sought to convince US farmers of the unique “all-natural” attributes of Chilean nitrates. In reconstructing this history, the article reveals the far-reaching impact that Chilean fertilizers had on the modernization of US agriculture and advocates for a transnational approach to understanding that process in the early twentieth century. It also traces how the exchange of agricultural commodities and knowledge between Chile and the United States contributed to the emergence of intensive agriculture and what observers would later call the “green revolution.”
A proinsulin-dependent interaction between ENPL-1 and ASNA-1 in neurons is required to maintain insulin secretion in C. elegans
Authors: Podraza-Farhanieh Agnieszka , Raj Dorota , Kao Gautam , Naredi Peter 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACT
Neuropeptides, including insulin, are important regulators of physiological functions of the organisms. Trafficking through the Golgi is crucial for the regulation of secretion of insulin-like peptides. ASNA-1 (TRC40) and ENPL-1 (GRP94) are conserved insulin secretion regulators in Caenorhabditis elegans (and mammals), and mouse Grp94 mutants display type 2 diabetes. ENPL-1/GRP94 binds proinsulin and regulates proinsulin levels in C. elegans and mammalian cells. Here, we have found that ASNA-1 and ENPL-1 cooperate to regulate insulin secretion in worms via a physical interaction that is independent of the insulin-binding site of ENPL-1. The interaction occurs in DAF-28/insulin-expressing neurons and is sensitive to changes in DAF-28 pro-peptide levels. Consistently, ASNA-1 acted in neurons to promote DAF-28/insulin secretion. The chaperone form of ASNA-1 was likely the interaction partner of ENPL-1. Loss of asna-1 disrupted Golgi trafficking pathways. ASNA-1 localization to the Golgi was affected in enpl-1 mutants and ENPL-1 overexpression partially bypassed the ASNA-1 requirement. Taken together, we find a functional interaction between ENPL-1 and ASNA-1 that is necessary to maintain proper insulin secretion in C. elegans and provides insights into how their loss might cause diabetes in mammals.
Aversive memory conditioning induces fluoxetine-dependent anxiety-like states in the crabNeohelice granulata
Authors: Maza Francisco Javier , Urbano Francisco José , Delorenzi Alejandro 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTThe interactions between memory processes and emotions are complex. Our previous investigations in the crab Neohelice led to an adaptation of the affective extension of sometimes opponent processes (AESOP) model. The model proposes that emotions generate separate emotive memory traces, and that the unfolding of emotional responses is a crucial component of the behavioral expression of reactivated memories. Here, we show that an aversive conditioning, that used changes in an innate escape response to an aversive visual stimulus, induced an emotional behavior that endured beyond the stimuli: the aversive memory training built an anxiety-like state evaluated in a dark/light plus-maze. We found that, after the training session, crabs displayed aversion to maze light areas, and an increased time immobilized in the dark zones of the maze, an anxiety-like behavior induced by stressors or physiological conditions in other crustaceans. The training-dependent anxiety-like behavior was blocked by pretraining administration of fluoxetine, suggesting an underlying serotonin-dependent phenomenon. We hypothesize that this training-induced anxiety-like state generates a separate emotive memory trace that is reinstated and crucial for the modulation of memory expression once the memory is reactivated.