bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Terminal complement pathway activation drives synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease models
Authors: Carpanini Sarah M. , Torvell Megan , Bevan Ryan J. , Byrne Robert A. J. , Daskoulidou Nikoleta , Saito Takashi , Saido Takaomi C. , Taylor Philip R. , Hughes Timothy R. , Zelek Wioleta M. , Morgan B. Paul 
Published: July 2022

AbstractComplement is involved in developmental synaptic pruning and pathological synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease. It is posited that C1 binding initiates complement activation on synapses; C3 fragments then tag them for microglial phagocytosis. However, the precise mechanisms of complement-mediated synaptic loss remain unclear, and the role of the lytic membrane attack complex (MAC) is unexplored. We here address several knowledge gaps: (i) is complement activated through to MAC at the synapse? (ii) does MAC contribute to synaptic loss? (iii) can MAC inhibition prevent synaptic loss? Novel methods were developed and optimised to quantify C1q, C3 fragments and MAC in total and regional brain homogenates and synaptoneurosomes from WT and AppNL−G−F Alzheimer’s disease model mouse brains at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. The impact on synapse loss of systemic treatment with a MAC blocking antibody and gene knockout of a MAC component was assessed in Alzheimer’s disease model mice. A significant increase in C1q, C3 fragments and MAC was observed in AppNL−G−F mice compared to controls, increasing with age and severity. Administration of anti-C7 antibody to AppNL−G−F mice modulated synapse loss, reflected by the density of dendritic spines in the vicinity of plaques. Constitutive knockout of C6 significantly reduced synapse loss in 3xTg-AD mice. We demonstrate that complement dysregulation occurs in Alzheimer’s disease mice involving the activation (C1q; C3b/iC3b) and terminal (MAC) pathways in brain areas associated with pathology. Inhibition or ablation of MAC formation reduced synapse loss in two Alzheimer’s disease mouse models, demonstrating that MAC formation is a driver of synapse loss. We suggest that MAC directly damages synapses, analogous to neuromuscular junction destruction in myasthenia gravis.
Surface-mediated high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of astaxanthin-loaded ultrathin graphene oxide film that inhibits the overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species
Authors: Chae Seon Yeong , Park Rowoon , Hong Suck Won 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Background
Astaxanthin (AST) is known as a powerful antioxidant that affects the removal of active oxygen and inhibits the production of lipid peroxide caused by ultraviolet light. However, it is easily decomposed by heat or light during production and storage because of the unsaturated compound nature with a structural double bond. The activity of AST can be reduced and lose its antioxidant capability. Graphene oxide (GO) is an ultrathin nanomaterial produced by oxidizing layered graphite. The chemical combination of AST with GO can improve the dispersion properties to maintain structural stability and antioxidant activity because of the tightly bonded functionalized GO surface.

Methods
Layered GO films were used as nanocarriers for the AST molecule, which was produced via flow-enabled self-assembly and subsequent controlled solution deposition of RGD peptide and AST molecules. Synthesis of the GO-AST complex was also carried out for the optimized concentration. The characterization of prepared materials was analyzed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscope (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy. Antioxidant activity was tested by 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. The antibacterial effect and antioxidant effects were monitored for the ultrathin GO/RGD/AST Film. Further, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects on L-929 fibroblasts.

Results

Cotreatment of GO-AST solution demonstrated a high antioxidant combined effect with a high ABTS and DPPH radicals scavenging activity. The GO/RGD/AST film was produced by the self-assembly process exhibited excellent antibacterial effects based on physicochemical damage against
E. coli
and
S. aureus
. In addition, the GO/RGD/AST film inhibited H
2
O
2
-induced intracellular ROS, suppressed the toxicity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cells, and restored it, thereby exhibiting strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Conclusion
As GO nanocarrier-assisted AST exerted promising antioxidant and antibacterial reactions, presented a new concept to expand basic research into the field of tissue engineering.
Biocompatibility evaluation of peo-treated magnesium alloy implants placed in rabbit femur condyle notches and paravertebral muscles
Authors: Kim Seong Ryoung , Lee Keon Mo , Kim Jin Hong , Choi Young Jin , Park Han Ick , Jung Hwa Chul , Roh Hyung Jin , Han Jee Hye Lo , Kim Joon Rae , Lee Bu-Kyu 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Background
Magnesium alloys have been receiving much attention for use in biodegradable metal implants because of their excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, their rapid breakdown and low bioactivity can cause the implant to lose mechanical integrity before the bone is completely healed. Moreover, hydrogen gas released during degradation can significantly delay the tissue regeneration process. To solve the instability of magnesium alloys, Zn and Ca can be added to improve the mechanical properties and biocompatibility. One other way to improve the mechanical properties of Mg is plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), which provides a dense, thick ceramic-like coating on the Mg surface. In this study, high-purity Mg was selected as the control, and Mg-1wt%Zn-0.1wt%Ca alloy and PEO-treated Mg-1wt%Zn-0.1wt%Ca alloy were selected as the test materials; the results of radiographic and histological analyses of their biocompatibility are reported herein.

Materials and method
Nineteen New Zealand white rabbits were used in the study. Rod-bars (Ø2.7 × 13.6 mm) were placed on both paravertebral muscles, and cannulated screws (Ø2.7x10mm) were placed on both femur condyle notches. Each animal was implanted in all four sites. X-rays were taken at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, micro-CT, and live-CT were taken at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. At weeks 4, 8, and 12, individuals representing each group were selected and sacrificed to prepare specimens for histopathological examination.

Result
The results confirm that in vivo, Mg-1wt%Zn-0.1wt%Ca alloy had higher corrosion resistance than high-purity Mg and safely degraded over time without causing possible side effects (foreign body or inflammatory reactions, etc.). In addition, PEO treatment of Mg-1wt%Zn-0.1wt%Ca alloy had a positive effect on fracture recovery by increasing the bonding area with bone.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that PEO treatment of Mg-1wt%Zn-0.1wt%Ca alloy can be a promising biomaterials in the field of various clinical situations such as orthopedic and maxillofacial surgerys.
Syntactic chunking reveals a core syntactic representation of multi-digit numbers, which is generative and automatic
Authors: Dotan Dror , Brutmann Nadin 
Published: July 2022

AbstractRepresenting the base-10 structure of numbers is a challenging cognitive ability, unique to humans, but it is yet unknown how precisely this is done. Here, we examined whether and how literate adults represent a number’s full syntactic structure. In 5 experiments, participants repeated number-word sequences and we systematically varied the order of words within each sequence. Repetition on grammatical sequences (e.g., two hundred ninety-seven) was better than on non-grammatical ones (hundred seven two ninety). We conclude that the participants represented the number’s full syntactic structure and used it to merge number words into chunks in short-term memory. Accuracy monotonously improved for sequences with increasingly longer grammatical segments, up to a limit of ~ 4 words per segment, irrespectively of the number of digits, and worsened thereafter. Namely, short chunks improved memorization, whereas oversized chunks disrupted memorization. This chunk size limit suggests that the chunks are not based on predefined structures, whose size limit is not expected to be so low, but are created ad hoc by a generative process, such as the hierarchical syntactic representation hypothesized in Michael McCloskey’s number-processing model. Chunking occurred even when it disrupted performance, as in the oversized chunks, and even when external cues for chunking were controlled for or were removed. We conclude that the above generative process operates automatically rather than voluntarily. To date, this is the most detailed account of the core representation of the syntactic structure of numbers—a critical aspect of numerical literacy and of the ability to read and write numbers.
One year clinical outcomes of Rutherford 6 chronic limb threatening ischemia patients undergoing lower limb endovascular revascularisation from Singapore
Authors: Lee Rui En , Patel Ankur , Soon Shereen Xue Yun , Chan Sze Ling , Yap Charyl Jia Qi , Chandramohan Sivanathan , Tay Luke Hsien Ts’ung , Chong Tze Tec , Tang Tjun Yip 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background
Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is widely used as a first-line revascularisation option in patients with chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI). This study aimed to evaluate the short-term endovascular revascularisation treatment outcomes of a cohort of Rutherford 6 (R6) CLTI patients, from a multi-ethnic Asian population in Singapore.
Patients with R6 CLTI who underwent endovascular revascularisation from June 2019 to February 2020 at Singapore General Hospital, a tertiary vascular centre in Singapore, were included and followed up for one year. Primary outcome measures included number and type of reinterventions required, 3-, 6- and 12-month mortality, 6- and 12-month amputation free survival (AFS), wound healing success and changes in Rutherford staging after 3, 6 and 12 months.

Results
Two hundred fifty-five procedures were performed on 86 patients, of whom 78 (90.7%) were diabetics, 54 (62.8%) had coronary artery disease (CAD) and 54 (62.8%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD). 42 patients (48.8%) required reintervention within 6 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of CAD was a significant independent predictor for reintervention. Mortality was 15.1%, 20.9% and 33.7% at 3, 6 and 12 months respectively. AFS was 64.0% and 49.4% at 6 and 12 months. Inability to ambulate, congestive heart failure (CHF), dysrhythmia and CKD were significant independent predictors of lower 12-month AFS.

Conclusions
PTA for R6 CLTI patients was associated with relatively high mortality and reintervention rates at one year. CAD was an independent predictor of reintervention. More research is required to help risk stratify which CLTI patients would benefit from an endovascular-first approach versus conservative treatment or an immediate major lower extremity amputation policy.
From HIV to COVID-19, Molecular mechanisms of pathogens’ trade-off and persistence in the community, potential targets for new drug development
Authors: AbdelMassih Antoine , Sedky Abrar , Shalaby Ahmed , Shalaby AlAmira-Fawzia , Yasser Alia , Mohyeldin Aya , Amin Basma , Saleheen Basma , Osman Dina , Samuel Elaria , Abdelfatah Emmy , Albustami Eveen , ElGhamry Farida , Khaled Habiba , Amr Hana , Gaber Hanya , Makhlouf Ismail , Abdeldayem Janna , El-Beialy Jana Waleed , Milad Karim , El Sharkawi Laila , Abosenna Lina , Safi Madonna G. , AbdelKareem Mariam , Gaber Marwa , Elkady Mirna , Ihab Mohamed , AbdelRaouf Nora , Khaled Rawan , Shalata Reem , Mahgoub Rudayna , Jamal Sarah , El Hawary Seif El-Din , ElRashidy Shady , El Shorbagy Sherouk , Gerges Tony , Kassem Yara , Magdy Yasmeen , Omar Yasmin , Shokry Yasmine , Kamel Aya , Hozaien Rafeef , El-Husseiny Nadine , El Shershaby Meryam 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background
On the staggering emergence of the Omicron variant, numerous questions arose about the evolution of virulence and transmissibility in microbes.

Main body of the abstract
The trade-off hypothesis has long speculated the exchange of virulence for the sake of superior transmissibility in a wide array of pathogens. While this certainly applies to the case of the Omicron variant, along with influenza virus, various reports have been allocated for an array of pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and tuberculosis (TB). The latter abide to another form of trade-off, the invasion–persistence trade-off. In this study, we aim to explore the molecular mechanisms and mutations of different obligate intracellular pathogens that attenuated their more morbid characters, virulence in acute infections and invasion in chronic infections.

Short conclusion
Recognizing the mutations that attenuate the most morbid characters of pathogens such as virulence or persistence can help in tailoring new therapies for such pathogens. Targeting macrophage tropism of HIV by carbohydrate-binding agents, or targeting the TMPRSS2 receptors to prevent pulmonary infiltrates of COVID-19 is an example of how important is to recognize such genetic mechanisms.
Effect of simultaneous application of positional release technique and Maitland mobilization technique on sciatica: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Abdelhaleem Mahmoud Diab , Abdallah Ehab Ali , Neamat Allah Neama Hamed , Zaitoon Zeezee Mostafa , Zahran Samah Saad , Abdelhay Mohamed Ibrahim 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background
Low back pain (LBP) associated with sciatica is considered the primary cause of seeking medical and physical therapy advice. Treating sciatica symptoms is the main goal in the physical therapy practice, and the literature supports the use of manual therapy techniques in management of patients with sciatica.

Objectives
This study aimed to assess the effect of simultaneous application of positional release technique and grade-4 Maitland mobilization technique on sciatic nerve sensory nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in patients with LBP associated with sciatica.

Methods
A randomized controlled trial was performed among 50 patients (mean age 41.86 ± 7.90) diagnosed with LBP with sciatica. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental “group A, n = 25” and control “group B, n = 25.” Patients were tested twice, before and after a 6-week period, during which group A received a traditional physical therapy program along with piriformis muscle positional release technique and grade-4 Maitland mobilization technique, while group B received a traditional physical therapy program along with a sham mobilization technique.

Results
Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the sciatic nerve sensory NCV in the post-test condition compared with the pre-test in group A with no significant difference (p > 0.05) in group B.

Conclusion
Simultaneous application of the piriformis muscle positional release technique and grade-4 Maitland mobilization technique on lower lumbar spine may improve sciatic nerve function in patients with LBP associated with sciatica.
The New Opioid Novel
Authors: Huehls Mitchum 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
“The New Opioid Novel” explores a collection of contemporary US fiction published in the 2010s that tackles the current opioid crisis. Differentiating these new opioid novels from earlier opioid literature, opioid memoirs, and other contemporary drug literature, this essay identifies three distinct modalities of the new opioid novel, paying particular attention to the ways these texts think through the causality of the opioid epidemic. First, some texts (novels from Julie Bunton, Brian Allen Carr, Cheryl Reed, and Jennifer Weiner), which read like detective fiction, take an epistemological approach, framing opioid use as a problem or mystery to be solved. A second set of texts pursues a more ontological approach. These novels (Nico Walker's Cherry and Michael Henson's Maggie Boylan and Tommy Perdue), which read like existential fiction, sidestep the problem of causality to imagine opioids as just another part of the world we've all been thrown into. Finally, a more phenomenologically oriented set of texts (Carter Sickels's The Evening Hour and Robert Gipe's Trampoline and Weedeater) works past the problem of our ontological thrownness to explore new ways of living with and within the opioid epidemic. These three categories provide a heuristic framework for approaching other new opioid novels not treated here.
Carlota’s Hum
Authors: Perez Alana , Fernandez Pamela 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
This archive fiction recounts an insurrection led by Carlota in Cuba. Lázaro E. Cosme’s Voces Negras: Desde la plantación holds a chapter detailing the legend of Carlota of the Triunvirato sugar mill in the province of Matanzas, Cuba. The author uses these short four pages to guide her fictional retelling of this historical moment. Other scenes illuminate the ways Black women of the nineteenth century were deeply connected to the nature surrounding them, emphasizing the unique relationship Black and Brown women have had with the land through natural healing scenes and also referencing nature-based Yoruba and Cuban Santería practices. Additionally, other records of this legend explain that Carlota only had eyes for another enslaved woman, Fermina. Therefore, the author attempts to push queer imaginations of the two women, beyond the Atlantic and onto Caribbean land.
Limitations of mouse models for sickle cell disease conferred by their human globin transgene configurations
Authors: Woodard Kaitly J. , Doerfler Phillip A. , Mayberry Kalin D. , Sharma Akshay , Levine Rachel , Yen Jonathan , Valentine Virginia , Palmer Lance E. , Valentine Marc , Weiss Mitchell J. 
Published: July 2022

ABSTRACT
We characterized the human β-like globin transgenes in two mouse models of sickle cell disease (SCD) and tested a genome-editing strategy to induce red blood cell fetal hemoglobin (HbF; α2γ2). Berkeley SCD mice contain four to 22 randomly arranged, fragmented copies of three human transgenes (HBA1, HBG2-HBG1-HBD-HBBS and a mini-locus control region) integrated into a single site of mouse chromosome 1. Cas9 disruption of the BCL11A repressor binding motif in the γ-globin gene (HBG1 and HBG2; HBG) promoters of Berkeley mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) caused extensive death from multiple double-strand DNA breaks. Long-range sequencing of Townes SCD mice verified that the endogenous Hbb genes were replaced by single-copy segments of human HBG1 and HBBS including proximal but not some distal gene-regulatory elements. Townes mouse HSCs were viable after Cas9 disruption of the HBG1 BCL11A binding motif but failed to induce HbF to therapeutic levels, contrasting with human HSCs. Our findings provide practical information on the genomic structures of two common mouse SCD models, illustrate their limitations for analyzing therapies to induce HbF and confirm the importance of distal DNA elements in human globin regulation.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Καρλ Πόπερ: Ανάλυση, κριτική και αποδόμηση της μαρξικής θεωρίας – μια περιεκτική ανάλυση της ποπεριανής επίθεσης προς τον «προφήτη» Μαρξ
Authors: Μαρκαντωνάτου Θεοδώρα Ελισάβετ 
Published: July 2022

Η παρούσα εργασία εστιάζει στην οπτική του αυστριακού φιλοσόφου Καρλ Πόπερ και συγκεκριμένα στις μαρξικές θεωρίες περί του καπιταλιστικού οικονομικού συστήματος και της σοσιαλιστικής σύστασης μιας κοινωνίας, όπως αυτές παρουσιάζονται στον δεύτερο τόμο του έργου "Η Ανοιχτή Κοινωνία και Οι εχθροί της". Οι ποπεριανές καταβολές, σε συνδυασμό με ένα ψηφιδωτό μαρξικών αλλά και μαρξιστικών απόψεων, συνθέτουν μια εικόνα κατανόησης του μαρξικού σύμπαντος, με ενδεικτικές τις προβλέψεις – συλλογισμούς, τις αδυναμίες, αλλά και την διορατικότητα του Μαρξ. Η απλότητα, η πρακτικότητα και η ευστοχία, όσον αφορά την ποπεριανή σύλληψη και αποτύπωση των μαρξικών ιδεών, ξεκαθαρίζουν αφενός για ποιούς λόγους απέτυχε η πραγματοποίηση της «προφητείας» εν τη γενέσει της και αφετέρου δίνουν ένα αδρό περίγραμμα της εποχής του Πόπερ, με τον οικονομικό παρεμβατισμό να αντικαθιστά όχι μόνο το «ασθενές», «ανεπαρκές» καπιταλιστικό σύστημα, αλλά και το «αναγκαίο» σοσιαλιστικό. Εν γένει, η προσφορά του Πόπερ στην κατανόηση του μαρξικού έργου κρίνεται απαράμιλλη, εφόσον ο ίδιος φρόντισε όχι μόνο να προβεί σε ανάλυση και αξιολόγησή του, αλλά και σε συμπλήρωση και διαλεύκανση ελλιπών ή σύνθετων σημείων.
Φαντασία, Ουτοπία και ο «Τελευταίος άνθρωπος»
Authors: Χαμηλοθώρης Δημήτρης 
Published: July 2022

Το κείμενο αυτό αποτελεί μια σύντομη παρουσίαση της θεωρίας του Χέρμπερτ Μαρκούζε, σχετικά με το επαναστατικό υπόστρωμα που εντοπίζει στην πολιτιστική και πολιτική δράση της «μαύρης κοινότητας». Μέσω της επιστράτευσης της μαρξιστικής και της φροϋδικής θεωρίας, ο Μαρκούζε βάλλει κατά ορισμένων αρχών, οι οποίες συνδράμουν στη νομιμοποίηση της συστημικής βίας, της διατήρησης κοινωνικό-οικονομικών ανισοτήτων, αλλά και τη χειραγώγηση του υποκειμένου εντός της φιλελεύθερης κοινωνίας. Κλίνοντας προς τον σουρεαλιστικό άναρχο-μαρξισμό, ο Μαρκούζε αναπτύσσει την ιδέα μιας αισθητικής και πολιτιστικής επανάστασης, οραματιζόμενος τη δημιουργία μιας νέας γλωσσικής, ηθικής και πολιτικής βάσης που θα καταστήσει το υποκείμενο χειραφετημένο και ολοκληρωμένο.
A multi-faceted approach improves inpatient diabetes care at a tertiary hospital
Authors: Mallik Ritwika , Claydon Anne , Bennett-Richards Phillip , Chowdhury Tahseen A , Huda Mohammed SB 
Published: July 2022

Background/Aims The results of the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit in 2013 showed that the Royal London Hospital had performed worse than the national average in several domains. The aim of this study was to improve inpatient diabetes care at the Royal London Hospital. Methods A multi-faceted intervention was designed via a Commission for Quality and Innovation workstream which spanned from April 2014 to March 2016. The National Diabetes Inpatient Audit results of 2013, 2016 and 2019 were compared to look at the outcomes and analyse the changes brought about by the intervention. Results There were statistically significant improvements in medication errors, prescription errors, glucose management errors and insulin errors in 2016 and 2019 as compared to 2013. More inpatients with diabetes were visited by the diabetes team, received foot assessment and patient feedback improved in both 2016 and 2019 as compared to 2013. Conclusions A multi-faceted approach led to significant improvements in patient outcomes and experience, resulting in Royal London Hospital performing well above the national average in the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit in 2016 and 2019. This simple consultant-led multidisciplinary approach could be replicated in other hospitals in UK facing similar challenges.
Blue band nonlinear optics and photodarkening in silica microdevices
Authors: Tian Ke , Yu Jibo , Lei Fuchuan , Ward Jonathan , Li Angzhen , Wang Pengfei , Nic Chormaic Síle 
Published: July 2022

There are extensive studies to date on optical nonlinearities in microcavities at the near and mid-IR wavelengths. Pushing this research into the visible region is equally valuable. Here, we demonstrate a directly pumped, blue band Kerr frequency comb and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) at 462 nm in a silica nanofiber-coupled whispering gallery microcavity system. Notably, due to the high optical intensities achieved, photodarkening is unavoidable and can quickly degrade the optical quality of both the coupling optical nanofiber and the microcavity, even at very low pump powers. Nonetheless, stable hyperparametric oscillation and SRS are demonstrated in the presence of photodarkening by taking advantage of in-situ thermal bleaching. This work highlights the challenges of silica-based, short wavelength nonlinear optics in high-quality, small mode volume devices and gives an effective method to overcome this apparent limitation, thus providing a baseline for optics research in the blue region for any optical devices fabricated from silica.