bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of a new hydrophobic coating film from stearic acid of buffalo fat
Authors: Soliman Hanaa M. , Zahran Hamdy A. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThis experiment involved the chemical conversion of pure stearic acid from buffalo adipose tissue to a waxy stearyl stearate, which was subsequently applied as a coating film to extend the shelf life of recently harvested fruits. Fat was extracted from minced adipose tissue using the dry rendering procedure, and it was then characterized. The extracted fat was hydrolyzed into a mixture of free fatty acids and glycerol. The supercritical CO2 extractor was used for stearic acid individual extraction in pure form from the free fatty acid mixture, and it was confirmed according to its melting point (69.2–70.0 °C), elemental analysis, GC–MS for esterified fatty acids. The isolated stearic acid was used for the synthesis of a new hydrophobic wax named stearyl stearate. The chemical structure of the prepared compound was established according to its elemental analysis and spectral data. The new hydrophobic wax was used as a coating film to enhance the shelf life of freshly harvested tomato fruits. Therefore, stearyl stearate solution (2.00% w/v diethyl ether) was used for tomato coating and compared to chitosan-coated tomatoes, where weight loss, pH, fruit firmness, ascorbic acid concentration, and total soluble solids were studied for a period of 15 days at 23 ± 1.0 °C and 65 ± 2.0% relative humidity. The results revealed that coating with stearyl stearate solution (2.00% w/v diethyl ether) could delay tomatoes’ ripening during the experiment condition. A sensory evaluation of the coated tomatoes was carried out and showed acceptable taste for the tomatoes that were coated with stearyl stearate. On the other hand, the acute oral toxicity of stearyl stearate using albino mice showed complete safety up to 25 g/kg mice weight.
Direct AKT activation in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes markedly increases interferon-γ (IFN-γ) for the regression of tumors resistant to PD-1 checkpoint blockade
Authors: Santinon François , Ezzahra Bennani Fatima , Bachais Meriem , Sarabia Pacis Alain , Rudd Christopher E. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPD-1 immune checkpoint blockade against inhibitory receptors such as receptor programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), has revolutionized cancer treatment. Effective immune reactivity against tumour antigens requires the infiltration and activation of tumour-infiltrating T-cells (TILs). In this context, ligation of the antigen-receptor complex (TCR) in combination with the co-receptor CD28 activates the intracellular mediator AKT (or PKB, protein kinase B) and its downstream targets. PD-1 inhibits the activation of AKT/PKB. Given this, we assessed whether the direct activation of AKT might be effective in activating the immune system to limit the growth of tumors that are resistant to PD-1 checkpoint blockade. We found that the small molecule activator of AKT (SC79) limited growth of a B16 tumor and an EMT-6 syngeneic breast tumor model that are poorly responsive to PD-1 immunotherapy. In the case of B16 tumors, direct AKT activation induced (i) a reduction of suppressor regulatory (Treg) TILs and (ii) an increase in effector CD8+ TILs. SC79 in vivo therapy caused a major increase in the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ TILs to express interferon-γ (IFN-γ). This effect on IFN-γ expression distinguished responsive from non-responsive anti-tumor responses and could be recapitulated ex vivo with human T-cells. In CD4+FoxP3+Treg TILs, AKT induced IFN-γ expression was accompanied by a loss of suppressor activity, the conversation to CD4+ helper Th1-like TILs and a marked reduction in phospho-SHP2. In CD8+ TILs, we observed an increase in the phospho-activation of PLC-γ. Further, the genetic deletion of the transcription factor T-bet (Tbx21) blocked the increased IFN-γ expression on all subsets while ablating the therapeutic benefits of SC79 on tumor growth. Our study shows that AKT activation therapy acts to induce IFN-γ on CD4 and CD8 TILs that is accompanied by the intra-tumoral conversation of suppressive Tregs into CD4+Th1-like T-cells and augmented CD8 responses.
Saliva metabolome alterations after acute stress
Authors: Morgan Liat , Birkler Rune Isak Dupont , Shaham-Niv Shira , Dong Yonghui , Wachsman Tal , Carmi Lior , Yakobson Boris , Adler-Abramovich Lihi , Cohen Hagit , Zohar Joseph , Bateson Melissa , Gazit Ehud 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMajor stress has systemic effects on the body that can have adverse consequences for physical and mental health. However, the molecular basis of these damaging effects remains incompletely understood. Here we use a longitudinal approach to characterise the acute systemic impact of major psychological stress in a pig model. We perform untargeted metabolomics on non-invasively obtained saliva samples from pigs before and 24 h after transfer to the novel physical and social environment of a slaughterhouse. The main molecular changes occurring include decreases in amino acids, B-vitamins, and amino acid-derived metabolites synthesized in B-vitamin-dependent reactions, as well as yet-unidentified metabolite features. Decreased levels of several of the identified metabolites are implicated in the pathology of human psychological disorders and neurodegenerative disease, suggesting a possible neuroprotective function. Our results provide a fingerprint of the acute effect of psychological stress on the metabolome and suggest candidate biomarkers with potential roles in stress-related disorders.
Study on crack evolutional behavior of rocks in triaxial compression based on colony growth dynamics model
Authors: Deng Naifu , Qiao Lan , Li Qingwen , Hao Jiawang , Wei Mengxi , Zhang Qinglong 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe crack propagation behavior of rock during compression involves complex mechanisms. Describing the growth behavior of a large number of cracks with conventional mechanical models is a major challenge. Therefore, in this work, we propose a new method to describe crack growth behavior by considering crack bodies as free voxels that can expand and coalesce within a rock sample according to certain rules. Specifically, we first propose a crack growth model that quantitatively describes the crack growth ratio and crack growth rate, which are integrally related to the loading rate, internal friction angle, cohesion, initial porosity, and confining stress. Second, to avoid the complex analytical process of the traditional mechanical model in solving the propagation directions of multiple cracks, we introduce a method for determining the crack growth directions of shearing failure based on the colony growth assumption. This method defines the crack propagation direction as a synthetic vector of the inertial direction, the attractive direction, the Coulomb direction, and the edge direction. Moreover, a new mathematical description method of fracture energy and plastic energy is proposed to calculate the crack growth at each time step. The simulation results show that our crack growth model for shearing failure agrees well with the experimental results and explains the fracture behavior and transformation law of cracks to some extent.
MicroRNA-874 targets phosphomevalonate kinase and inhibits cancer cell growth via the mevalonate pathway
Authors: Aersilan Alimasi , Hashimoto Naoko , Yamagata Kazuyuki , Yokoyama Masataka , Nakayama Akitoshi , Shi Xiaoyan , Nagano Hidekazu , Sakuma Ikki , Nohata Nijiro , Kinoshita Takashi , Seki Naohiko , Rahmutulla Bahityar , Kaneda Atsushi , Zhahara Siti Nurul , Gong Yingbo , Nishimura Motoi , Kawauchi Shoichiro , Kawakami Eiryo , Tanaka Tomoaki 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe microRNA (miR) miR-874, a potential tumour suppressor, causes cell death via target gene suppression in various cancer types. Mevalonate pathway inhibition also causes cell death in breast cancer. However, the relationship between the mevalonate pathway and miR-874-induced apoptosis or its association with the tumour suppressor p53 has not been elucidated. We identified phosphomevalonate kinase (PMVK), a key mevalonate pathway enzyme, and sterol regulatory element-binding factor 2 (SREBF2), the master cholesterol biosynthesis regulator, as direct miR‑874 targets. Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed a significant miR-874-mediated downregulation of PMVK and SREBF2 gene expression and p53 pathway enrichment. Luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-874 directly regulated PMVK and SREBF2. miR-874-induced apoptosis was p53 dependent, and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that miR-874 transfection resulted in apoptosis and p53 pathway activation. Downregulation of PMVK expression also caused cell cycle arrest and p53 pathway activation, which was rescued by geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) supplementation. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database indicated a negative correlation between miR-874 and PMVK expression and between miR-874 and SREBF2 expression. These findings suggest that miR-874 suppresses the mevalonate pathway by targeting SREBF2 and PMVK, resulting in GGPP depletion, which activates the p53 pathway and promotes cycle arrest or apoptosis.
Specimen mammography for intraoperative margin assessment in breast conserving surgery: a meta-analysis
Authors: Lin Chen , Wang Kai-yue , Chen Hai-lang , Xu Yu-hua , Pan Tao , Chen Yi-ding 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn breast conserving surgery (BCS), specimen mammography is one of the most widely used intraoperative methods of assessing margin status. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of specimen mammography. Literature databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched prior to Jun 2022. A total of 1967 patients were included from 20 studies. A pooled analysis, heterogeneity testing, threshold effect testing, publication bias analysis, and subgroup analyses were performed from extracted data. The pooled weighted values were a sensitivity of 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.63), a specificity of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78–0.90), a diagnostic odds ratio of 7 (95% CI, 4–12), and a pooled positive likelihood ratio of 3.7 (95% CI 2.6–5.5). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.75 (95% CI 0.71–0.78). In the subgroup analysis, the pooled specificity in the positive margin defined as tumor at margin subgroup was lower than the other positive margin definition subgroup (0.82 [95% CI: 0.71, 0.92] vs. 0.87 [95% CI: 0.80, 0.94], p = 0.01). Our findings indicated that specimen mammography was an accurate intraoperative imaging technique for margin assessment in BCS.
Overexpression of VEGF in dermal fibroblast cells accelerates the angiogenesis and wound healing function: in vitro and in vivo studies
Authors: Shams Forough , Moravvej Hamideh , Hosseinzadeh Simzar , Mostafavi Ebrahim , Bayat Hadi , Kazemi Bahram , Bandehpour Mojgan , Rostami Elnaz , Rahimpour Azam , Moosavian Hamidreza 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFibroblasts are the main cells of connective tissue and have pivotal roles in the proliferative and maturation phases of wound healing. These cells can secrete various cytokines, growth factors, and collagen. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a unique factor in the migration process of fibroblast cells through induces wound healing cascade components such as angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and epithelialization. This study aimed to create VEGF165 overexpressing fibroblast cells to evaluate angiogenesis function in wound healing. In vitro, a novel recombinant expression vector, pcDNA3.1(-)-VEGF, was produced and transfected into the fibroblast cells. Following selecting fibroblast cells with hygromycin, recombinant cells were investigated in terms of VEGF expression by quantifying and qualifying methods. Mechanical, physical, and survival properties of polyurethane-cellulose acetate (PU-CA) scaffold were investigated. Finally, in vivo, the angiogenic potential was evaluated in four groups containing control, PU-CA, PU-CA with fibroblast cells, and VEGF-expressing cells on days 0, 2, 5, 12 and 15. Wound biopsies were harvested and the healing process was histopathologically evaluated on different days. qRT-PCR showed VEGF overexpression (sevenfold) in genetically-manipulated cells compared to fibroblast cells. Recombinant VEGF expression was also confirmed by western blotting. Manipulated fibroblast cells represented more angiogenesis than other groups on the second day after surgery, which was also confirmed by the antiCD31 antibody. The percentage of wound closure area on day 5 in genetically-manipulated Hu02 and Hu02 groups showed a significant reduction of wound area compared to other groups. These findings indicate that overexpression of VEGF165 in fibroblast cells results in enhanced angiogenesis and formation of granulated tissue in the early stage of the healing process, which can show its therapeutic potential in patients with impaired wound healing and also provide functional support for gene therapy.
Integrative molecular analyses define correlates of high B7-H3 expression in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Shi Xiaolei , Day Abderrahman , Bergom Hannah E. , Tape Sydney , Baca Sylvan C. , Sychev Zoi E. , Larson Gabrianne , Bozicevich Asha , Drake Justin M. , Zorko Nicholas , Wang Jinhua , Ryan Charles J. , Antonarakis Emmanuel S. , Hwang Justin 
Published: November 2022

AbstractB7-H3 (CD276) is an immune checkpoint overexpressed in prostate cancer with minimal expression in normal tissues and associated with poor prognosis, making it an excellent therapy target. We interrogated B7-H3 expression and its regulation in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We found greater expression of B7-H3 transcript relative to other immunotherapy targets (CTLA-4, PD-L1/2), including in tumors that lacked expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Enzalutamide-resistant mCRPC cells demonstrated increased amounts of B7-H3, and this was associated with resistance signaling pathways. Using a machine-learning algorithm, the gene network of B7-H3 was strongly correlated with androgen receptor (AR) and AR co-factor (HOXB13, FOXA1) networks. In mCRPC samples, the B7-H3 promoter and distal enhancer regions exhibited enhanced transcriptional activity and were directly bound by AR and its co-factors. Altogether, our study characterizes molecular profiles and epigenetic regulation of B7-H3-expressing mCRPC tumors, which informs optimal precision-oncology approaches for mCRPC patients.
Covid-19 vaccination and menstrual cycle length in the Apple Women’s Health Study
Authors: Gibson Elizabeth A. , Li Huichu , Fruh Victoria , Gabra Malaika , Asokan Gowtham , Jukic Anne Marie Z. , Baird Donna D. , Curry Christine L. , Fischer-Colbrie Tyler , Onnela Jukka-Pekka , Williams Michelle A. , Hauser Russ , Coull Brent A. , Mahalingaiah Shruthi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractCOVID-19 vaccination may be associated with change in menstrual cycle length following vaccination. We estimated covariate-adjusted differences in mean cycle length (MCL), measured in days, between pre-vaccination cycles, vaccination cycles, and post-vaccination cycles within vaccinated participants who met eligibility criteria in the Apple Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal mobile-application-based cohort of people in the U.S. with manually logged menstrual cycles. A total of 9652 participants (8486 vaccinated; 1166 unvaccinated) contributed 128,094 cycles (median = 10 cycles per participant; inter-quartile range: 4–22). Fifty-five percent of vaccinated participants received Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, 37% received Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, and 8% received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J) vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a small increase in MCL for cycles in which participants received the first dose (0.50 days, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.78) and cycles in which participants received the second dose (0.39 days, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.67) of mRNA vaccines compared with pre-vaccination cycles. Cycles in which the single dose of J&J was administered were, on average, 1.26 days longer (95% CI: 0.45, 2.07) than pre-vaccination cycles. Post-vaccination cycles returned to average pre-vaccination length. Estimated follicular phase vaccination was associated with increased MCL in cycles in which participants received the first dose (0.97 days, 95% CI: 0.53, 1.42) or the second dose (1.43 days, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.80) of mRNA vaccines or the J&J dose (2.27 days, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.50), compared with pre-vaccination cycles. Menstrual cycle change following COVID-19 vaccination appears small and temporary and should not discourage individuals from becoming vaccinated.
Self-supervised machine learning for live cell imagery segmentation
Authors: Robitaille Michael C. , Byers Jeff M. , Christodoulides Joseph A. , Raphael Marc P. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSegmenting single cells is a necessary process for extracting quantitative data from biological microscopy imagery. The past decade has seen the advent of machine learning (ML) methods to aid in this process, the overwhelming majority of which fall under supervised learning (SL) which requires vast libraries of pre-processed, human-annotated labels to train the ML algorithms. Such SL pre-processing is labor intensive, can introduce bias, varies between end-users, and has yet to be shown capable of robust models to be effectively utilized throughout the greater cell biology community. Here, to address this pre-processing problem, we offer a self-supervised learning (SSL) approach that utilizes cellular motion between consecutive images to self-train a ML classifier, enabling cell and background segmentation without the need for adjustable parameters or curated imagery. By leveraging motion, we achieve accurate segmentation that trains itself directly on end-user data, is independent of optical modality, outperforms contemporary SL methods, and does so in a completely automated fashion—thus eliminating end-user variability and bias. To the best of our knowledge, this SSL algorithm represents a first of its kind effort and has appealing features that make it an ideal segmentation tool candidate for the broader cell biology research community.
Identification of a queen primer pheromone in higher termites
Authors: Dolejšová Klára , Křivánek Jan , Štáfková Jitka , Horáček Natan , Havlíčková Jana , Roy Virginie , Kalinová Blanka , Roy Amit , Kyjaková Pavlína , Hanus Robert 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIt is long established that queens of social insects, including termites, maintain their reproductive dominance with queen primer pheromones (QPPs). Yet, the QPP chemistry has only been elucidated in a single species of lower termites. By contrast, the most diversified termite family Termitidae (higher termites), comprising over 70% of termite species, has so far resisted all attempts at QPP identification. Here, we show that the queen- and egg-specific sesquiterpene (3R,6E)-nerolidol acts as the QPP in the higher termite Embiratermes neotenicus. This species has a polygynous breeding system, in which the primary queen is replaced by multiple neotenic queens of parthenogenetic origin. We demonstrate that (3R,6E)-nerolidol suppresses the development of these parthenogenetic queens and thus mimics the presence of mature queen(s). It acts as an airborne signal and may be used to optimize the number of queens, thus being the key regulatory element in the special breeding system of E. neotenicus.
Hidden magnetic texture in the pseudogap phase of high-Tc YBa2Cu3O6.6
Authors: Bounoua Dalila , Sidis Yvan , Loew Toshinao , Bourdarot Frédéric , Boehm Martin , Steffens Paul , Mangin-Thro Lucile , Balédent Victor , Bourges Philippe 
Published: November 2022

AbstractDespite decades of intense research, the enigmatic pseudo-gap (PG) phase of superconducting cuprates remains unsolved. In the last 15 years, various symmetry breaking states were discovered in the PG phase, including an intra-unit cell (IUC) magnetism, which preserves the lattice translational (LT) symmetry but breaks the time-reversal and parity symmetries, and an additional incipient charge density wave breaking the LT symmetry. However, none of these states can (alone) account for the partial gapping of the Fermi surface. Here we report a hidden LT-breaking magnetism using polarized neutron diffraction. Our measurements reveal magnetic correlations, in two different underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.6 single crystals that set in at the PG onset temperature with (i) a planar propagation wave vector (π, 0) ≡ (0, π), yielding a doubling or quadrupling of the magnetic unit cell and (ii) magnetic moments mainly pointing perpendicular to the CuO2 layers. The LT-breaking magnetism is at short-range suggesting the formation of clusters of 5–6 unit cells. Together with the previously reported IUC magnetism, it yields a hidden magnetic texture of the CuO2 unit cells hosting loop currents, forming large supercells that may be helpful for elucidating the PG puzzle.
Sources, sinks, and cycling of dissolved organic copper binding ligands in the ocean
Authors: Ruacho Angel , Richon Camille , Whitby Hannah , Bundy Randelle M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractOrganic Cu-binding ligands have a fundamental influence on Cu distributions in the global ocean and they complex >99% of the dissolved Cu in seawater. Cu-binding ligands however, represent a large diversity of compounds with distinct sources, sinks and chemical properties. This heterogeneity makes the organic Cu-binding ligand pool difficult to study at the global scale. In this review, we provide an overview of the diversity of compounds that compose the marine Cu-ligand pool, and their dominant sources and sinks. We also summarize the most common analytical methods to measure ligands in marine water column samples. Generally, ligands are classified according to their conditional binding strength to Cu. However, the lack of a common definition for Cu ligand categories has previously complicated data intercomparison. To address this, we provide a general classification for Cu-binding ligands according to their binding strength and discuss emerging patterns in organic Cu-binding ligand distributions in the ocean according to this classification. To date, there is no global biogeochemical model that explicitly represents Cu ligands. We provide estimates of organic Cu-binding ligand fluxes at key interfaces as first order estimates and a first step for future modeling efforts focused on Cu and Cu-binding ligands.