bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urinary cortisol metabolites are reduced in MDR1 mutant dogs in a pilot targeted GC‐MS urinary steroid hormone metabolome analysis
Authors: Gramer Irina , Karakus Emre , Hartmann Michaela F. , Wudy Stefan A. , Bauer Natali , Moritz Andreas , Aktürk Zekeriya , Geyer Joachim 
Published: March 2022

AbstractP‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) is the gene product of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1, syn. ABCB1) that normally restricts the transfer of cortisol across the blood–brain barrier. In the absence of P‐gp, cortisol access to the hypothalamus is increased and, by feedback inhibition, this finally leads to lower endogenous plasma cortisol levels in dogs with homozygous nt230(del4) MDR1 mutation (MDR1−/− mutant dogs). While a previous study only focused on plasma cortisol levels, the present study used urinary steroid hormone metabolites to analyze cortisol metabolism in MDR1−/− mutant dogs. Morning void urine was collected from 23 MDR1−/− mutant and 16 MDR1+/+ normal dogs and was subjected to targeted GC‐MS steroid hormone metabolome analysis. Seven cortisol metabolites, cortisol itself, and 13 other steroid metabolites were detected. In general, all cortisol metabolites were lower in the urine of the MDR1−/− mutant dogs, with allo‐tetrahydro‐cortisol and β‐cortol reaching the level of significance. In addition, 11‐keto‐pregnanetriol levels were significantly lower in the urine of the MDR1−/− mutant dogs, indicating that also the 17alpha‐OH‐progesterone‐derived metabolism was altered. In conclusion, the present study provides the first steroid hormone metabolome analysis in the urine of MDR1−/− mutant dogs. Significant differences in the steroid metabolome of MDR1−/− mutant dogs point to a significant role of P‐gp for cortisol metabolism and excretion and so indirectly also for hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis regulation in dogs.
Convection volume, β2‐microglobulin and α1‐microglobulin reduction ratios, and body composition in pre‐dilution online haemodiafiltration
Authors: Mizuiri Sonoo , Nishizawa Yoshiko , Doi Toshiki , Okubo Aiko , Shigemoto Kenichiro , Usui Koji , Arita Michiko , Naito Takayuki , Doi Shigehiro , Masaki Takao 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAimThe effect of convection volume (CV) in patients on pre‐dilution online haemodiafiltration (Pre‐OL‐HDF) was evaluated.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, cross‐sectional study in 126 patients on Pre‐OL‐HDF. Dialysis conditions, laboratory data, and same day post‐dialysis body composition measurements using bioimpedance spectroscopy were assessed. Patients were divided into two groups according to their CV: ≥ median value and < median value. Linear regression analyses for reduction ratios (RRs) of β2‐microglobulin and α1‐microglobulin, and body composition, were conducted.ResultsAge, dialysis vintage, and CVs of the study patients were 64 ± 12 years, 81 (48–154) months, and 43.2 (38.5–55.9) L/session, respectively. The higher CV (≥ 43 L/session) group (n = 66) had significantly higher RRs of β2‐microglobulin and α1‐microglobulin, lean tissue index, body cell mass index, total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW) compared with the lower CV (< 43 L/session) group (n = 60, p < .01). Serum albumin and fat tissue index were not significantly different between the groups. CV/ECW, CV/TBW, and CV/ICW but not un‐adjusted CV, were significant determinants for β2‐microglobulin and α1‐microglobulin RRs (p < .05). Lean tissue and body cell mass indexes, but not the fat tissue index, showed significant associations with CV, and RRs of β2‐microglobulin and α1‐microglobulin (p < kb.05).ConclusionsAmong patients on Pre‐OL‐HDF, higher values in the lean tissue index and body cell mass index were observed in those with higher CV versus lower CV, and CV adjusted to body water may be useful to prescribe individualized conditions for Pre‐OL‐HDF.
Laser microirradiation as a versatile system for probing protein recruitment and protein–protein interactions at DNA lesions in plants
Authors: Nešpor Dadejová Martina , Franek Michal , Dvořáčková Martina 
Published: March 2022

Summary

Plant protoplasts are generated by treatment with digestion enzymes, producing plant cells devoid of the cell wall and competent for efficient polyethylene glycol mediated transformation. This way fluorescently tagged proteins can be introduced to the protoplasts creating an excellent system to probe the localization and function of uncharacterized plant proteins in vivo.

We implement the method of laser microirradiation to generate DNA lesions in Arabidopsis thaliana, which enables monitoring the recruitment and dynamics of the DNA repair factors as well as bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay to test transient, conditional interactions of proteins directly at sites of DNA damage.

We demonstrate that laser microirradiation in protoplasts yields a physiological cellular response to DNA lesions, based on proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) redistribution in the nucleus and show that factors involved in DNA repair, such as MRE11 or PCNA are recruited to induced DNA lesions.

This technique is relatively easy to adopt by other laboratories and extends the current toolkit of methods aimed to understand the details of DNA damage response in plants. The presented method is fast, flexible and facilitates work with different mutant backgrounds or even different species, extending the utility of the system.
Global and National Declines in Life Expectancy: An End‐of‐2021 Assessment
Authors: Heuveline Patrick 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTimely, high‐quality mortality data have allowed for assessments of the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on life expectancies in upper‐middle‐ and high‐income countries. Extant data, though imperfect, suggest that the bulk of the pandemic‐induced mortality might have occurred elsewhere. This article reports on changes in life expectancies around the world as far as they can be estimated from the evidence available at the end of 2021. The global life expectancy appears to have declined by 0.92 years between 2019 and 2020 and by another 0.72 years between 2020 and 2021, but the decline seems to have ended during the last quarter of 2021. Uncertainty about its exact size aside, this represents the first decline in global life expectancy since 1950, the first year for which a global estimate is available from the United Nations. Annual declines in life expectancy (from a 12‐month period to the next) appear to have exceeded two years at some point before the end of 2021 in at least 50 countries. Since 1950, annual declines of that magnitude had only been observed on rare occasions, such as Cambodia in the 1970s, Rwanda in the 1990s, and possibly some sub‐Saharan African nations at the peak of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic.
Persistence of parental‐reported asthma at early ages: A longitudinal twin study
Authors: Slob Elise Margaretha Adriana , Longo Cristina , Vijverberg Susanne J. H. , Beijsterveldt Toos C. E. M. van , Bartels Meike , Hottenga Jouke Jan , Pijnenburg Mariëlle W. , Koppelman Gerard H. , Maitland‐van der Zee Anke‐Hilse , Dolan Conor V. , Boomsma Dorret I. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundCurrently, we cannot predict whether a pre‐school child with asthma‐like symptoms will have asthma at school age. Whether genetic information can help in this prediction depends on the role of genetic factors in persistence of pre‐school to school‐age asthma. We examined to what extent genetic and environmental factors contribute to persistence of asthma‐like symptoms at ages 3 to asthma at age 7 using a bivariate genetic model for longitudinal twin data.MethodsWe performed a cohort study in monozygotic and dizygotic twins from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR, n = 21,541 twin pairs). Bivariate genetic models were fitted to longitudinal data on asthma‐like symptoms reported by parents at age 3 and 7 years to estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors.ResultsBivariate genetic modeling showed a correlation on the liability scale between asthma‐like symptoms at age 3 and asthma at age 7 of 0.746 and the contribution of genetics was estimated to be 0.917. The genetic analyses indicated a substantial influence of genetic factors on asthma‐like symptoms at ages 3 and 7 (heritability 80% and 90%, respectively); hence, contribution of environmental factors was low. Persistence was explained by a high (rg = 0.807) genetic correlation.ConclusionParental‐reported asthma‐like symptoms at age 3 and asthma at age 7 are highly heritably. The phenotype of asthma‐like symptoms at age 3 and 7 was highly correlated and mainly due to heritable factors, indicating high persistence of asthma development over ages 3 and 7.
A Partnership for the Ages
Authors: Dees Richard H. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBurke suggests that we should view society as a partnership between the past, the present, and the future. I defend this idea by outlining how we can understand the interests of the past and future people and the obligations that they have towards each other. I argue that we have forward‐looking obligations to leave the world a decent place and backward‐looking obligations to respect the legacy of the past. The latter obligation requires an understanding of the role that traditions and meta‐traditions should (and should not) play in tying together societies—especially national societies—over time.
Inventory control in production–inventory systems with random yield and rework: The unit‐tracking approach
Authors: Berling Peter , Sonntag Danja R. 
Published: March 2022

This paper considers a single‐stage make‐to‐stock production–inventory system under random demand and random yield, where defective units are reworked. We examine how to set cost‐minimizing production/order quantities in such imperfect systems, which is challenging because a random yield implies an uncertain arrival time of outstanding units and the possibility of them crossing each other in the pipeline. To determine the order/production quantity in each period, we extend the unit‐tracking/decomposition approach, taking into account the possibility of order‐crossing, which is new to the literature and relevant to other planning problems. The extended unit‐tracking/decomposition approach allows us to determine the optimal base‐stock level and to formulate the exact and an approximate expression of the per‐period cost of a base‐stock policy. The same approach is also used to develop a state‐dependent ordering policy. The numerical study reveals that our state‐dependent policy can reduce inventory‐related costs compared to the base‐stock policy by up to 6% and compared to an existing approach from the literature by up to 4.5%. From a managerial perspective, the most interesting finding is that a high mean production yield does not necessarily lead to lower expected inventory‐related costs. This counterintuitive finding, which can be observed for the most commonly used yield model, is driven by an increased probability that all the units in a batch are either of good or unacceptable quality.
Biological control of plant diseases – What has been achieved and what is the direction?
Authors: Collinge David B. , Jensen Dan Funck , Rabiey Mojgan , Sarrocco Sabrina , Shaw Michael W. , Shaw Richard H. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe global sustainability agenda is increasing the demand for reduction in inputs into agricultural production while maintaining profitable yield of quality products. Plant diseases are a major constraint for both yield and product quality, but often tools for their control are ineffective or lacking. Biological control using antagonistic microorganisms has long been a subject of research resulting in a wide range of products that are now available and marketed in specific territories around the world. These preparations are often niche products with narrow uses. The research effort is intense both to develop new biological control agents (BCAs) and to obtain knowledge of the mechanisms underlying biological disease control. The prospects for biological control are promising. As a minimum, BCAs supplement other sustainable disease management practices such as disease resistance, and present opportunities for controlling diseases for which other approaches are ineffective or unavailable. We can realistically expect increasing use of BCAs to control crop diseases in ways that will benefit the environment. This review paper arose from a webinar held by the British Society for Plant Pathology as part of the International Year of Plant Heath (IYPH2020), at which many of the 300 participants posed or discussed interesting questions. This review is based on that input and the panel members at the webinar are all included as co‐authors in this review.
The Racialized Dimensions of Contemporary Immigration and Border Enforcement Policies and Practices
Authors: Martínez Daniel E. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractImmigration policies in the United States have not been explicitly race‐based since the mid‐20th Century. Nevertheless, the effects of contemporary US immigration enforcement practices are highly racialized. The further development of a “race conscious” approach in public policy and administration will help expand our understanding of the racialized dimensions of these policies and practices. Specifically, I call attention to how current approaches to immigration control disproportionately negatively affect non‐White immigrants from the so‐called “Global South,” contribute to racialization processes, and perpetuate racial inequality in the United States. Examples include the ways that undocumented immigration status is leading to the emergence of a new “underclass” in the United States, the separation and dissolution of Latino families through mass deportation, and the systematic criminalization of non‐White undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Validation and Assessment of a Tool to Measure Psychosocial Readiness to Use Modern Contraceptives among Women in Tigray, Ethiopia
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth J. , Hinson Laura , Berhe Hailemariam , Berhane Kesete , Warholak Terri , Equar Awala , Hailu Desta , Abraha Atsbaha 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSocial norms, beliefs, and attitudes around modern contraception (MC) use can influence the decision to take up a method, but susceptibility to these factors varies between individuals. The effect of psychosocial readiness to use MC at the individual level is not established for women in Ethiopia. Data from 349 women were used for validity and reliability testing of a 12‐item MC psychosocial readiness scale. A rating‐scale Rasch model tested for unidimensionality, rating scale functioning, and construct and content validity. Multiple linear regression assessed the effect of respondent characteristics on MC psychosocial readiness scores. The psychometric properties of the univariate MC psychosocial readiness scale were satisfactory after the stepwise removal of two items. Prior MC use, socioeconomic status, geographic zone, and education were significantly associated with increased endorsement of MC psychosocial readiness. The 10‐item scale measures the extent of endorsement of MC psychosocial readiness for childbearing women in Tigray, Ethiopia. Further research should qualitatively explore the identified influence of education on MC psychosocial readiness.
Evolution of pathological findings in surveillance biopsies of lung transplant recipients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: Wein Alexander N. , Liu Jing , Lin Chieh‐Yu 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundPrevious reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) following lung transplantation generally described a grim prognosis, but these were anecdotal case series of symptomatic patients. A systematic study of the outcomes and pathology of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in a large cohort of lung transplant patients is lacking.MethodsTo determine the histopathologic evolution of COVID‐19 in lung transplant recipients, we identified all patients who underwent surveillance transbronchial biopsies at our institution, tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, and had multiple pathology specimens available for evaluation. Histology was reviewed and immunofluorescence for SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid protein was performed.ResultsTen patients met inclusion criteria. Half (5/10) had incidental diagnosis on routine respiratory pathogen testing at the time of transbronchial biopsy. Six patients were hospitalized, with three requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. One patient died. Two specimens showed new onset International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Grade A2 rejection at or following diagnosis. One patient developed bronchiolitis obliterans 111 days following diagnosis and 1 year post transplant. Two patients had organizing pneumonia at diagnosis and three patients showed evolving lung injury following diagnosis. The SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid protein was detected in a subset of samples at diagnosis and up to 111 days following diagnosis.ConclusionsOverall, the pathology of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in lung transplant patients is varied, ranging from no pathologic alterations to organizing pneumonia and lung injury. The pathology findings did not necessarily correlate with clinical acuity, as one patient admitted to the ICU had normal pathology. These findings may be generalizable to non‐transplant patients and require more follow‐up regarding long‐term outcomes.
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Diverse roles of MYB transcription factors in regulating secondary metabolite biosynthesis, shoot development, and stress responses in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)
Authors: Li Penghui , Xia Enhua , Fu Jiamin , Xu Yujie , Zhao Xuecheng , Tong Wei , Tang Qian , Tadege Million , Fernie Alisdair R. , Zhao Jian 
Published: March 2022

SUMMARYTea (Camellia sinensis) is concocted from tea plant shoot tips that produce catechins, caffeine, theanine, and terpenoids, which collectively determine the rich flavors and health benefits of the infusion. However, little is known about the integrated regulation of shoot tip development and characteristic secondary metabolite biosynthesis in tea plants. Here, we demonstrate that MYB transcription factors (TFs) play key and yet diverse roles in regulating leaf and stem development, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and environmental stress responses in tea plants. By integrating transcriptomic and metabolic profiling data in different tissues at a series of developmental stages or under various stress conditions, alongside biochemical and genetic analyses, we predicted the MYB TFs involved in regulating shoot development (CsMYB2, 98, 107, and 221), epidermal cell initiation (CsMYB184, 41, 139, and 219), stomatal initiation (CsMYB113 and 153), and the biosynthesis of flavonoids (including catechins, anthocyanins, and flavonols; CsMYB8 and 99), caffeine (CsMYB85 and 86), theanine (CsMYB9 and 49), carotenoids (CsMYB110), mono‐/sesquiterpenoid volatiles (CsMYB68, 147, 148, and 193), lignin (CsMYB164 and 192), and indolic compounds (CsMYB139, 162, and 198), as well as the MYB TFs that are likely involved in hormone signaling‐mediated environmental stress and defense responses. We characterized the functions of some key MYBs in regulating flavonoid and carotenoid biosynthesis for tea quality and flavor. This study provides a cross‐family analysis of MYBs in tea alongside new insights into the coordinated regulation of tea plant shoot development and secondary metabolism, paving the way towards understanding of tea quality trait formation and genetic improvement of quality tea plants.
Novel insights into the dissemination route of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) based on genomics
Authors: Huang Xiao , Ni Zhaojun , Shi Ting , Tao Ryutaro , Yang Qin , Luo Changguo , Li Yongping , Li Hantao , Gao Haidong , Zhou Xiangyang , Xu Lei , Gao Zhihong 
Published: March 2022

SUMMARYJapanese apricot (Prunus mume) is an attractive fruit tree originating from China, and its cultivation history dates back 7000 years. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic relationship of Japanese apricots in different regions of China and Japan. The analyses of the genetic variation between wild and cultivated populations improved our understanding of the general mechanisms of domestication and improvement. A total of 146 accessions of Japanese apricot from different geographic locations were sequenced. The genetic diversity of wild and domesticated accessions (3.60 × 10−3 and 3.51 × 10−3, respectively) from China was high, and the effect of artificial selection pressure on domesticated accessions was small; however, the genetic diversity of artificially bred accessions decreased significantly (2.68 × 10−3) compared to domesticated accessions, which had an obvious improvement bottleneck effect. The chloroplast genome results showed that 41 haplotypes were detected, and Japanese apricots from the Yunnan region had the most haplotypes and the highest genetic diversity. The results revealed the dissemination route of Japanese apricot, not only along the Yangtze River basin system (from southwest China to Hunan, Jiangxi, and Anhui, and finally to the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai areas). Additionally, we discovered a second route for Japanese apricot dispersion, which was mostly in the Pearl River basin system, from southwest China to Libo of Guizhou and then to the Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan areas. This also showed that Japanese‐bred accessions originated from Zhejiang, China. In addition, selective sweep analysis showed that most of the high‐impact single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in genes related to glucose metabolism, aromatic compound metabolism, flowering time, dormancy, and resistance to abiotic stress during the domestication and improvement of Japanese apricot.
Ageing and exercise‐induced motor unit remodelling
Authors: Jones Eleanor J. , Chiou Shin‐Yi , Atherton Philip J. , Phillips Bethan E. , Piasecki Mathew 
Published: March 2022

AbstractA motor unit (MU) comprises the neuron cell body, its corresponding axon and each of the muscle fibres it innervates. Many studies highlight age‐related reductions in the number of MUs, yet the ability of a MU to undergo remodelling and to expand to rescue denervated muscle fibres is also a defining feature of MU plasticity. Remodelling of MUs involves two coordinated processes: (i) axonal sprouting and new branching growth from adjacent surviving neurons, and (ii) the formation of key structures around the neuromuscular junction to resume muscle–nerve communication. These processes rely on neurotrophins and coordinated signalling in muscle–nerve interactions. To date, several neurotrophins have attracted focus in animal models, including brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and insulin‐like growth factors I and II. Exercise in older age has demonstrated benefits in multiple physiological systems including skeletal muscle, yet evidence suggests this may also extend to peripheral MU remodelling. There is, however, a lack of research in humans due to methodological limitations which are easily surmountable in animal models. To improve mechanistic insight of the effects of exercise on MU remodelling with advancing age, future research should focus on combining methodological approaches to explore thein vivophysiological function of the MU alongside alterations of the localised molecular environment.image