bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developing the liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry method for simultaneously quantifying five components in rat serums after oral administration of hawthorn aqueous extracts and its application to a pharmacokinetic study
Authors: Sun Fei , Zeng Lu , Li Jiaqi , Zhong Yongqi , Wu Xiangqin , Wang Kaiyang , Wang Shumei , Liang Shengwang 
Published: March 2022

Hawthorn, one of the widely‐used traditional Chinese medicines, has been used to treat dyspepsia, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease in the clinic. Our previous study revealed that gallic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, vitexin, and quercetin were active components of hawthorn. In this study, a simple, precise, and reliable liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of five components in rat serums. The separation was achieved on the Hypersil GOLD C18 column, and the mobile phases consisted of 0.1% acetic acid water and methanol at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The mass spectrometry data acquisition was performed on Q‐Extractive‐Orbitrap mass spectrometry with an electrospray ionization source in negative ion mode. The proposed liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry method was validated in terms of linearity, intra‐ and inter‐precision, accuracy, recoveries, matrix effects, and stability. Then this newly proposed liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study on rats after oral administration of hawthorn aqueous extracts. This study provided relevant information on the pharmacokinetics of active components of hawthorn and explained the underlying mechanism of their bioactivity.
Quantitative contribution of the Grain for Green Program to vegetation greening and its spatiotemporal variation across the Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Song Yi , Wang Yunqiang , Jin Long , Shi Weiyu , Aryal Jagannath , Comber Alexis 
Published: March 2022

AbstractA distinct greening trend is evident in Asia, especially on the Loess Plateau (LP) of China, which is driven by climate change and large‐scale land‐use‐related ecological projects, especially the 'Grain for Green Program' (GFGP). However, the specific contributions of the GFGP to vegetation greening and the variation of this greening on a large spatiotemporal scale are not yet clear. We used long‐time‐series normalized difference vegetation index datasets and climate datasets based on the double mass curve method to quantify the contributions of ecological projects and climate change to the greening trend on the LP. We found that the interannual fluctuation of vegetation change was likely related to the interannual fluctuation of climate, especially precipitation. The increasing trend of vegetation change after 2005 indicated that the GFGP, as a type of external disturbance, began to improve vegetation growth. The GFGP failed initially to make a positive contribution in the first few years because of the drought conditions in 1999 and 2005. The increased precipitation played a critical role in enhancing the output of the GFGP on the LP after 2005. Then, the contribution of the GFGP increased quickly until 2013, after which it remained stable and reached average values of 58.8% ± 19.34% and 31.7% ± 24.3% in the representative areas that conducted the GFGP and in other regions with a lower implementation intensity of the GFGP, respectively. Our results highlight the contribution the GFGP has made to spatiotemporal variation due to the spatial heterogeneity of the projects, their intensity and the effect of forest stand age.
Epidermal 1‐O‐acylceramides appear with the establishment of the water permeability barrier in mice and are produced by maturating keratinocytes
Authors: Rabionet Mariona , Bernard Pauline , Pichery Melanie , Marsching Christian , Bayerle Aline , Dworski Shaalee , Kamani Mustafa A. , Chitraju Chandramohan , Gluchowski Nina L. , Gabriel Katlyn R. , Asadi Abolfazl , Ebel Philipp , Hoekstra Menno , Dumas Sabrina , Ntambi James M. , Jacobsson Anders , Willecke Klaus , Medin Jeffrey A. , Jonca Nathalie , Sandhoff Roger 
Published: March 2022

Abstract1‐O‐Acylceramides (1‐OACs) have a fatty acid esterified to the 1‐hydroxyl of the sphingosine head group of the ceramide, and recently we identified these lipids as natural components of human and mouse epidermis. Here we show epidermal 1‐OACs arise shortly before birth during the establishment of the water permeability barrier in mice. Fractionation of human epidermis indicates 1‐OACs concentrate in the stratum corneum. During in vitro maturation into reconstructed human epidermis, human keratinocytes dramatically increase 1‐OAC levels indicating they are one source of epidermal 1‐OACs. In search of potential enzymes responsible for 1‐OAC synthesis in vivo, we analyzed mutant mice with deficiencies of ceramide synthases (Cers2, Cers3, or Cers4), diacylglycerol acyltransferases (Dgat1 or Dgat2), elongase of very long fatty acids 3 (Elovl3), lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (Lcat), stearoyl‐CoA desaturase 1 (Scd1), or acidic ceramidase (Asah1). Overall levels of 1‐OACs did not decrease in any mouse model. In Cers3 and Dgat2‐deficient epidermis they even increased in correlation with deficient skin barrier function. Dagt2 deficiency reshapes 1‐OAC synthesis with an increase in 1‐OACs with N‐linked non‐hydroxylated fatty acids and a 60% decrease compared to control in levels of 1‐OACs with N‐linked hydroxylated palmitate. As none of the single enzyme deficiencies we examined resulted in a lack of 1‐OACs, we conclude that either there is functional redundancy in forming 1‐OAC and more than one enzyme is involved, and/or an unknown acyltransferase of the epidermis performs the final step of 1‐OAC synthesis, the implications of which are discussed.
Swelling Behavior of Lipophilic Polyelectrolyte Gels in Organic Solvents−Water or Sea Water Binary Mixtures
Authors: Wang Xinmeng , Sunaga Sokuro , Kokado Kenta , Sada Kazuki 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe recovery of crude oil and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) spilt in the environment is an intractable problem for environmental scientists. In this paper, a new lipophilic polyelectrolyte gel as an absorbent for various volatile chemical compounds is demonstrated. It is prepared by radical copolymerization of an acrylate monomer with an ionic group, tetraalkylammonium tetraarylborate, octadecyl acrylate, and a crosslinker, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, in the presence of a radial initiator. Investigation of the swelling behavior for the mixtures of water or aqueous salts reveals that the gel shows similar swelling behavior to those for pure organic solvents. On the other hand, the swelling degree in THF‐water mixture is lower than that of pure THF, because THF and water are miscible to each other, and the presence of a small amount of water in THF reduces the compatibility of the gel and THF. The salting‐out effect can separate the THF‐water mixture to form a biphasic system and recover the high swelling ability of the gel. The swelling behavior in the mixture of water‐organic solvents systems provides a new insight for designing VOC and oil absorbents in various environmental conditions, especially in hydrosphere such as seas and lakes.
Decarboxylation of Poly[N‐(acryloyloxy)phthalimide] as a Versatile Tool for Postpolymerization Modification
Authors: Frech Stefan , Molle Edgar , Hub Cornelius , Theato Patrick 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHerein the decarboxylation of poly[N‐(acryloyloxy)phthalimide] (PAP) for the synthesis of functionalized polymers is reported. PAP homopolymer and block copolymers are used as precursor polymers for the straightforward functionalization via decarboxylation and subsequent Michael‐type addition or nitroxide radical coupling (NRC).
SENP3‐mediated TIP60 deSUMOylation is required for DNA‐PKcs activity and DNA damage repair
Authors: Han Yang , Huang Xin , Cao Xiaoyu , Li Yuchen , Gao Lei , Jia Jin , Li Gang , Guo Hejiang , Liu Xiaochang , Zhao Hongling , Guan Hua , Zhou Pingkun , Gao Shanshan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe activation of DNA‐dependent kinase (DNA‐PKcs) upon DNA damage contains a cascade of reactions, covering acetylation by TIP60, binding with Ku70/80, and autophosphorylation. However, how cells regulate TIP60‐mediated acetylation of DNA‐PKcs and the following DNA‐PKcs activation upon DNA damage remains obscure. This present study reported that TIP60 is hyper‐SUMOylated in normal conditions, but upon irradiation‐induced DNA damage, small ubiquitin‐like modifier (SUMO)‐specific protease 3 (SENP3)‐mediated deSUMOylation of TIP60 promoted its interaction with DNA‐PKcs to form the TIP60‐DNA‐PKcs complex. We show that TIP60 SUMOylation is reduced quickly in response to DNA damage and the deSUMOylation of TIP60 by SENP3 is required for DNA‐PKcs acetylation and its autophosphorylation. Comet and γH2AX immunofluorescence assay showed that knockdown of SENP3 impaired DNA damage repair. Using the NHEJ report system, we found that knockdown of SENP3 affected the efficiency of NHEJ. Further exploration using clonogenic survival assay, cell viability assay and cytoflow assay suggested that leaking SENP3 increased the sensitivity of tumour cells to serval DNA damage treatment. Overall, our findings revealed a previously unidentified role of SENP3 in regulating DNA‐PKcs activity and DNA damage repair.
Atypical phenotype of a patient with Bardet–Biedl syndrome type 4
Authors: Sloboda Natacha , Lambert Laetitia , Ciorna Viorica , Bruel Ange‐Line , Tran Mau‐Them Frédéric , Gomola Vladimir , Lemelle Jean‐Louis , Klein Olivier , Camoin‐Schweitzer Marie‐Christine , Magnavacca Marie , Legagneur Carole , Ezsto Marie‐Laure , Bonnet Céline , Philippe Christophe , Leheup Bruno 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundBardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by rod–cone dystrophy, truncal obesity, postaxial polydactyly, cognitive impairment, male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, complex female genitourinary malformations, and renal abnormalities. There is a large clinical and also genetic heterogeneity in BBS. Here, we report a patient with polydactyly, hyperechogenic kidneys increased in size with normal corticomedullary differentiation, anal imperforation, and malformation of genitals with presence of a genital tubercle with ventral urethral meatus associated with two unfused lateral genital swelling and absent urethral folds, in the context of 46, XY karyotype.MethodsKaryotype and solo exome sequencing were performed to look for a genetic etiology for the features described in our patient.ResultsWe identified a homozygous in‐frame deletion of exons 4 to 6 in the BBS4 gene (NM‐033028 (BBS4‐i001): c.[(157‐?)_(405 +?)del] p.(Ala53‐Trp135del), which is classified as pathogenic variant. This analysis allowed the molecular diagnosis of BBS type 4 in this patient.ConclusionComplex genital malformations are only reported in female BBS6 patients yet, and genital abnormalities and anal imperforation are not reported in male BBS4 patients to date. We discuss the possible hypotheses for this phenotype, including the phenotypic overlap between ciliopathies.
Analysis of X‐inactivation status in a Rett syndrome natural history study cohort
Authors: Fang Xiaolan , Butler Kameryn M. , Abidi Fatima , Gass Jennifer , Beisang Arthur , Feyma Timothy , Ryther Robin C. , Standridge Shannon , Heydemann Peter , Jones Mary , Haas Richard , Lieberman David N , Marsh Eric D. , Benke Tim A. , Skinner Steve , Neul Jeffrey L. , Percy Alan K. , Friez Michael J. , Caylor Raymond C. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundRett syndrome (RTT) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with pathogenic MECP2 variants. Because the MECP2 gene is subject to X‐chromosome inactivation (XCI), factors including MECP2 genotypic variation, tissue differences in XCI, and skewing of XCI all likely contribute to the clinical severity of individuals with RTT.MethodsWe analyzed the XCI patterns from blood samples of 320 individuals and their mothers. It includes individuals with RTT (n = 287) and other syndromes sharing overlapping phenotypes with RTT (such as CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder [CDD, n = 16]). XCI status in each proband/mother duo and the parental origin of the preferentially inactivated X chromosome were analyzed.ResultsThe average XCI ratio in probands was slightly increased compared to their unaffected mothers (73% vs. 69%, p = .0006). Among the duos with informative XCI data, the majority of individuals with classic RTT had their paternal allele preferentially inactivated (n = 180/220, 82%). In sharp contrast, individuals with CDD had their maternal allele preferentially inactivated (n = 10/12, 83%). Our data indicate a weak positive correlation between XCI skewing ratio and clinical severity scale (CSS) scores in classic RTT patients with maternal allele preferentially inactivated XCI (rs = 0.35, n = 40), but not in those with paternal allele preferentially inactivated XCI (rs = −0.06, n = 180). The most frequent MECP2 pathogenic variants were enriched in individuals with highly/moderately skewed XCI patterns, suggesting an association with higher levels of XCI skewing.ConclusionThese results extend our understanding of the pathogenesis of RTT and other syndromes with overlapping clinical features by providing insight into the both XCI and the preferential XCI of parental alleles.
Isoliquiritigenin Decreases Bone Resorption and Osteoclast Differentiation
Authors: Joyce Kaitlyn M. , Wong Carmen P. , Scriven Ian A. , Olson Dawn A. , Doerge Daniel R. , Branscum Adam J. , Sattgast Lara H. , Helferich William G. , Turner Russell T. , Iwaniec Urszula T. 
Published: March 2022

ScopeA dose‐ranging study is performed using young estrogen‐depleted rats to determine whether dietary isoliquiritigenin (ILQ) alters bone metabolism and if the effects are associated with estrogen receptor signaling.Methods and ResultsSix‐week‐old rats (ovariectomized at 4 weeks of age) are fed diets containing 0, 100, 250, or 750 ppm ILQ (n = 5/treatment) for 7 days. Gene expression in femur and uterus, blood markers of bone turnover, body composition, and uterine weight and epithelial cell height are determined. Because ILQ lowers bone resorption, the effect of ILQ on in vitro differentiation of osteoclasts from bone marrow of mice is assessed. Treatment resulted in a dose‐dependent increases in serum ILQ but no changes in serum osteocalcin, a marker of global bone formation. Contrastingly, ILQ administration results in reduced serum CTX‐1, a marker of global bone resorption, and reduces tartrate resistant acid phosphatase expression in osteoclast culture. ILQ treatment and endogenous estrogen production had limited overlap on gene expression in femur and uterus. However, uterine epithelial cell hyperplasia is observed in two of five animals treated with 750 ppm.ConclusionsIn conclusion, dietary ILQ reduces bone resorption in vivo and osteoclast differentiation in vitro, by mechanisms likely differing from actions of ovarian hormones.
Design of subminiature microstrip antenna for GPS using perturbation effect
Authors: Choi Yoon‐Seon , Choi Dong‐Su , Kim Wan‐Ki , Eun Chang‐Soo , Woo Jong‐Myung 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSubminiature GPSL1band (center frequency: 1575 MHz, wavelength []: 190 mm) microstrip antenna suitable for mounting in small electronic devices is proposed in this paper. The newly proposed antenna was transformed from the basicλ/2 microstrip patch antenna to aλ/4 microstrip antenna. To apply the perturbation theory, the width of the radiating element on the feeding point with strong magnetic field energy was narrowed. In addition, the open end of the radiating element with strong electric field energy was folded down in a “王” shape to reduce the antenna size. The size of the designed subminiature microstrip antenna is 10 mm (0.05) × 9.5 mm (0.05) × 8.5 mm (0.04). For impedance matching, the position of the feeding point and the gap between the feeding line and the short stub were adjusted. The fabricated antenna obtained of −17 dB at the center frequency of 1575 MHz. While the size of the ground plane was 48 mm (0.25λ) × 50 mm (0.26λ), the omnidirectional radiation characteristics for both in thexz‐plane andxy‐plane with average gain of −0.3 and −1.7 dBi, respectively. A size reduction ratio of 98.9% was secured from the results compared to the basicλ/2 microstrip patch antenna.
A semi‐supervised learning method of latent features based on convolutional neural networks for CT metal artifact reduction
Authors: Shi Zaifeng , Wang Ning , Kong Fanning , Cao Huaisheng , Cao Qingjie 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPurposeX‐ray computed tomography (CT) has become a convenient and efficient clinical medical technique. However, in the presence of metal implants, CT images may be corrupted by metal artifacts. The metal artifact reduction (MAR) methods based on deep learning are mostly supervised methods trained with labeled synthetic‐artifact CT images. However, this causes the neural network to be biased toward learning specific synthetic‐artifact patterns and leads to a poor generalization for unlabeled real‐artifact CT images. In this study, a semi‐supervised learning method of latent features based on convolutional neural networks (SLF‐CNN) is developed to remove metal artifacts while ensuring a good generalization ability for real‐artifact CT images.MethodsThe proposed semi‐supervised method extracts CT image features in alternate iterations of a synthetic‐artifact learning stage and a real‐artifact learning stage. In the synthetic‐artifact learning stage, SLF‐CNN is fed with paired synthetic‐artifact CT images and is constrained using mean‐squared‐error (MSE) loss and perceptual loss in a supervised learning fashion. In the real‐artifact learning stage, the network weight is updated by minimizing the error between the pseudo‐ground truths and the predicted latent features. The feature level pseudo‐ground truths are obtained by modeling latent features using the Gaussian process. The overall framework of SLF‐CNN adopts an encoder–decoder structure. The encoder is composed of artifact information collection groups to map the input artifact‐affected synthetic‐artifact CT images and real‐artifact CT images into latent features. The decoder is composed of stacked ResNeXt blocks and is responsible for decoding latent features with high‐level semantic information to reconstruct artifact‐free CT images. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through contrast experiments and ablation experiments.ResultsThe contrast experimental results indicate that the artifact‐free CT images obtained by SLF‐CNN have good metrics values, which are close to or better than those of typical supervised MAR methods. The metal artifacts in artifact‐affected CT images are eliminated and the tissue structure details are preserved using SLF‐CNN. The ablation experiment shows that adding real‐artifact CT images greatly improves the generalization ability of the network.ConclusionsThe proposed semi‐supervised learning method of latent features for MAR effectively suppresses metal artifacts and improves the generalization ability of the network.
Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia: A 4‐year single‐center experience in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Hakami Tahir 
Published: March 2022

AbstractObjectivesUnderstanding how local “psychiatry clinic” characteristics shape research findings is essential for applying research into evolution, outcomes, and costs of mental health. However, a paucity of “psychiatry clinics” details has implications for the interpretation and utilization of this research.MethodsWe reviewed data of 746 patients with new‐onset schizophrenia on antipsychotic monotherapy seen over four years in an “adult psychiatry clinic” at Jazan Health, Saudi Arabia. Protocol‐driven interviews and investigations were recorded prospectively and extracted from the medical records for the study. Summary statistics and logistic regression analyses were applied to assess patients' characteristics and outcomes.ResultsThe median patient age was 32 (IQR 27‐39) years. Of patients, 589 (79.0%) were male, and 679 (91.0%) had a low‐level education. The median follow‐up duration was 51.4 (IQR 27.4‐96.3) weeks. The most used initial antipsychotic drugs were olanzapine (48.8%), haloperidol (13.9%), and aripiprazole (11.3%). The numbers of patients who retained the initial drug at 24 and 52 weeks were 539 (72.3%) and 325 (43.6%), respectively. The initial drug was changed in 246 (33.0%) patients. The median time to initial drug change was 43.9 (IQR 14.8‐85.0) weeks. The logistic regression demonstrated that male sex (P < 0.004), young adult age group (P < 0.027), predominant positive symptoms (P < 0.021), treatment with haloperidol (P < 0.024), and khat use (P < 0.006) were significant factors for drug change.ConclusionsThis clinical records study demonstrated substantial individual variations in characteristics and in responding to initial antipsychotic medication. Insight into these findings will facilitate the planning for comprehensive research programs.
Proteomics and UHPLC‐DAD‐Q/Orbitrap‐MS used to identify impurities in andrographolide
Authors: Deng Shuangbing , Zhang Yawen , Chen Juan , Wang Jiaojiao , Luo Jiayi , Fang Li , Liu Difa , Lv Xiang , Qian Dong , Zhou Jing , Xie Yuanyuan , Ma Hongyue 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIntroductionAndrographolide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is a semidiurnal diterpene lactone with significant antipyretic, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory and anticancer activities. A large amount of andrographolide API could only be obtained by extraction from Andrographis paniculata. Therefore, there may be related compounds, plant proteins and other impurities in andrographolide API.ObjectiveIn order to improve the safety of andrographolide related preparations, it was necessary to clarify the impurities and improve the quality standard of andrographolide API.MethodsThe related compounds were identified by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detector quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐DAD‐Q/Orbitrap‐MS), and the residual proteins were determined by ultrafiltration combined with proteomics. The proteomics method included protein extraction, content determination, digestion, desalination and nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC–MS/MS) analysis. Then, MS results were compared with Andrographis paniculata protein database by Peaks Studio.ResultsThe results showed that 32 related compounds were putatively identified, of which 30 impurities were identified for the first time. Seven residual proteins together with 11 highly suspected proteins were uniquely identified, including the T1UNN5_ANDPA protein with the highest intensity.ConclusionsThis study will provide useful information on the composition of andrographolide API, which is important for the quality control and clinical safety assurance of API and related prescriptions. Reasonable guidance will also be provided on the necessity of ultrafiltration in the production process of related injections.