Patent Arterial Duct

The arterial duct is a short vessel that connects the junction of the main and left pulmonary artery to the descending aorta just distal to the left subclavian artery. In foetal life, it is an essential vascular structure that allows oxygenated blood to bypass the pulmonary circulation, since the lungs are not involved in oxygenation and enter systemic circulation. Persistent patency of the arterial duct after 3 months of age in term infants is a common form of congenital cardiovascular abnormality representing 5–10% of all congenital heart defects. Also, persistent patency of the arterial duct is a common problem in very premature sick neonates, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and is attributed to immaturity of the duct and associated co-morbidities in this population

Saw-tooth cardiomyopathy

We present an unusual case of cardiomyopathy in a two month old male infant with a grade-I systolic murmur. Echocardiographic examination disclosed left ventricular (LV), dysplasia with saw-tooth like inwards myocardial projections extending from the lateral walls towards the LV cavity. There was mild LV systolic dysfunction with apical hypokinesia. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance demonstrated in detail these cross bridging muscular projections originating from the inferior interventricular septum and lateral LV wall, along with areas of hypokinesis at the LV septum and apex in a noncoronary distribution, without any late gadolinium enhancement. We have termed this condition saw-tooth cardiomyopathy because of the very characteristic appearance

COLD-PCR Amplification of Bisulfite-Converted DNA Allows the Enrichment and Sequencing of Rare Un-Methylated Genomic Regions

Aberrant hypo-methylation of DNA is evident in a range of human diseases including cancer and diabetes. Development of sensitive assays capable of detecting traces of un-methylated DNA within methylated samples can be useful in several situations. Here we describe a new approach, fast-COLD-MS-PCR, which amplifies preferentially un-methylated DNA sequences. By employing an appropriate denaturation temperature during PCR of bi-sulfite converted DNA, fast-COLD-MS-PCR enriches un-methylated DNA and enables differential melting analysis or bisulfite sequencing. Using methylation on the MGMT gene promoter as a model, it is shown that serial dilutions of controlled methylation samples lead to the reliable sequencing of un-methylated sequences down to 0.05% un-methylated-to-methylated DNA. Screening of clinical glioma tumor and infant blood samples demonstrated that the degree of enrichment of un-methylated over methylated DNA can be modulated by the choice of denaturation temperature, providing a convenient method for analysis of partially methylated DNA or for revealing and sequencing traces of un-methylated DNA. Fast-COLD-MS-PCR can be useful for the detection of loss of methylation/imprinting in cancer, diabetes or diet-related methylation changes

Evolution of deformation and breakage in sand studied using X-ray tomography

International audienceParticle breakage of a granular material can cause significant changes in its microstructure, which will govern its macroscopic behaviour; this explains why the mechanisms leading to particle breakage have been a common subject within several fields, including geomechanics. In this paper, X-ray computed micro-tomography is used, to obtain three-dimensional images of entire specimens of sand, during high-confinement triaxial compression tests. The acquired images are processed and measurements are made on breakage, local variations of porosity, volumetric strain, maximum shear strain and grading. The evolution and spatial distribution of quantified breakage and the resulting particle size distribution for the whole specimen and for specific areas are presented here for the first time and are further related to the localised shear and volumetric strains. Before peak stress is reached, compaction is the governing mechanism leading to breakage; neither compressive strains nor breakage are significantly localised and the total amount of breakage is rather low. Post peak, in areas where strains localise and breakage is present, a dilative volumetric behaviour is observed locally, as opposed to the overall compaction of the specimen. Some specimens exhibited a compaction around the shear band at the end of the test, but there was no additional breakage at that point. From the grading analysis, it is found that mainly the grains with diameter close to the mean diameter of the specimen are the ones that break, whereas the biggest grains that are present in the specimen remain intact

CD8+ T lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently it was shown that in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) tissue infiltrating CD₈₊T lymphocytes (TLs) are associated with breathlessness and physiological indices of disease severity, as well as that CD₈₊TLs recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) relate to those infiltrating lung tissue. Since BAL is a far less invasive technique than tissue biopsy to study mechanisms in IPF we further investigated the usefulness offered by this means by studying the relationship between BAL macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, CD₃₊, CD₄₊, CD₈₊, CD_8+/38+TLs and CD₄₊/CD₈₊ratio with breathlessness and physiological indices.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>27 IPF patients, 63 ± 9 years of age were examined. Cell counts were expressed as percentages of total cells and TLs were evaluated by flow cytometry. FEV₁, FVC, TLC, RV, <it>D</it>LCO, PaO₂, and PaCO₂were measured in all. Breathlessness was assessed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) chronic dyspnoea scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CD₈₊TLs correlated positively (r_s= 0.46, p = 0.02), while CD₄₊/CD₈₊ratio negatively (r_s= -0.54, p = 0.006) with the MRC grade. CD₈₊TLs correlated negatively with RV (r_s= -0.50, p = 0.017). CD_8+/38+TLs were negatively related to the FEV₁and FVC (r_s= -0.53, p = 0.03 and r_s= -0.59, p = 0.02, respectively). Neutrophils correlated positively with the MRC grade (r_s= 0.42, p = 0.03), and negatively with the <it>D</it>LCO (r_s= -0.54, p = 0.005), PaO₂(r_s= -0.44, p = 0.03), and PaCO₂(r_s= -0.52, p = 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>BAL CD₈₊TLs associations with physiological and clinical indices seem to indicate their implication in IPF pathogenesis, confirming our previous tissue study.</p

An innovative application of super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic separation

© 2017, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. In the last decades, iron oxide nanoparticle application has taken root in several technological fields, such as magnetic separation of biomolecules, biosensors, bio-fuel production, nano-devices and nano-adsorption. Various approaches can be found for the magnetic nanoparticle manufacturing. Among them a new technology to manufacture core-cell super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), based on a vapour composition using single ion precursors, like cyclodextrines, has been recently developed. In this paper, we present the synthesis of functionalized SPIONs as well as the modelling for an innovative application of this magnetic nanotechnology. It consists on the use of SPIONs to trap target organic or inorganic molecules in a continuous-flow apparatus. SPIONs with proper ligands are immobilized on a magnetic surface. On that surface, the solution containing target molecules is circulated. We modelled the magnetic properties of the magnetic surface and SPIONs as well as the velocity of liquid needed in order to avoid removal of nanoparticles by the solution flow

A review of recent studies on the life history and ecology of European cephalopods with emphasis on species with the greatest commercial fishery and culture potential.

With the depletion of many commercial fish stocks and an increasing demand for marine protein for human consumption, cephalopods have become more important as a fishery resource. In EU waters, cephalopod stocks are not routinely assessed and exploitation of these species by large-scale fisheries is largely unregulated. For sustainable exploitation, adequate assessment and scientifically-supported management strategies are needed. However, there is still a lack of data on stock status and inadequate knowledge of the life history and ecology of these species. The present review examined more than 200 scientific articles, on life history and ecology of European cephalopods, published since 2013. It describes recent contributions to knowledge in the context of previously identified research priorities, along with recent advances towards sustainable fishing and aquaculture. It also identifies outstanding knowledge gaps. While some priority areas, such as the development of the species identification guides and evaluation of climate change impacts on cephalopods, have seen significant advances, other challenges remain for the future. These include monitoring of the life history traits and fishery status for the main commercially exploited species in the area, implementation of improved species identification methods during scientific surveys and fisheries monitoring, development of tools to identify stock units, and the study of the environmental and anthropogenic impacts on the stocks of cephalopods inhabiting European waters.S

The PurR regulon in Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655

The PurR transcription factor plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation of purine metabolism in enterobacteria. Here, we elucidate the role of PurR under exogenous adenine stimulation at the genome-scale using high-resolution chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)–chip and gene expression data obtained under in vivo conditions. Analysis of microarray data revealed that adenine stimulation led to changes in transcript level of about 10% of Escherichia coli genes, including the purine biosynthesis pathway. The E. coli strain lacking the purR gene showed that a total of 56 genes are affected by the deletion. From the ChIP–chip analysis, we determined that over 73% of genes directly regulated by PurR were enriched in the biosynthesis, utilization and transport of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, and 20% of them were functionally unknown. Compared to the functional diversity of the regulon of the other general transcription factors in E. coli, the functions and size of the PurR regulon are limited

Stochastic Drift in Mitochondrial DNA Point Mutations: A Novel Perspective Ex Silico

The mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (mFRTA) implicates Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-induced mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a major cause of aging. However, fifty years after its inception, several of its premises are intensely debated. Much of this uncertainty is due to the large range of values in the reported experimental data, for example on oxidative damage and mutational burden in mtDNA. This is in part due to limitations with available measurement technologies. Here we show that sample preparations in some assays necessitating high dilution of DNA (single molecule level) may introduce significant statistical variability. Adding to this complexity is the intrinsically stochastic nature of cellular processes, which manifests in cells from the same tissue harboring varying mutation load. In conjunction, these random elements make the determination of the underlying mutation dynamics extremely challenging. Our in silico stochastic study reveals the effect of coupling the experimental variability and the intrinsic stochasticity of aging process in some of the reported experimental data. We also show that the stochastic nature of a de novo point mutation generated during embryonic development is a major contributor of different mutation burdens in the individuals of mouse population. Analysis of simulation results leads to several new insights on the relevance of mutation stochasticity in the context of dividing tissues and the plausibility of ROS ”vicious cycle” hypothesis