Caracterización fisicoquímica del yeso natural de Mauritania

Gypsum from "Nderhamcha", a region in Mauritania, has been studied through three techniques: thermo-gravimetry, thermo-differential analysis, and X ray diffraction. It has been proved that the dehydration of this material happens in two stages, characterized by the closeness of their temperature. The thermal study as certains the two transformations due to the gypsum dehydration and those due to soluble and insoluble anhidrite.El yeso de Mauritania, de la región "Nderhamcha", ha sido estudiado a través de tres técnicas instrumentales: termogravimetría, análisis térmico-diferencial y difracción de rayos X. Se comprueba que la deshidratación de este material se efectúa en dos etapas, caracterizadas por temperaturas muy próximas. En el estudio térmico se comprueban las dos transformaciones debidas a la deshidratación del yeso y las debidas a la anhidrita soluble e insoluble

Tobacco Upregulates P. gingivalis Fimbrial Proteins Which Induce TLR2 Hyposensitivity

Tobacco smokers are more susceptible to periodontitis than non-smokers but exhibit reduced signs of clinical inflammation. The underlying mechanisms are unknown. We have previously shown that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) represents an environmental stress to which P. gingivalis adapts by altering the expression of several virulence factors - including major and minor fimbrial antigens (FimA and Mfa1, respectively) and capsule - concomitant with a reduced pro-inflammatory potential of intact P. gingivalis.We hypothesized that CSE-regulation of capsule and fimbrial genes is reflected at the ultrastructural and functional levels, alters the nature of host-pathogen interactions, and contributes to the reduced pro- inflammatory potential of smoke exposed P. gingivalis. CSE induced ultrastructural alterations were determined by electron microscopy, confirmed by Western blot and physiological consequences studied in open-flow biofilms. Inflammatory profiling of specific CSE-dysregulated proteins, rFimA and rMfa1, was determined by quantifying cytokine induction in primary human innate and OBA-9 cells. CSE up-regulates P. gingivalis FimA at the protein level, suppresses the production of capsular polysaccharides at the ultrastructural level, and creates conditions that promote biofilm formation. We further show that while FimA is recognized by TLR2/6, it has only minimal inflammatory activity in several cell types. Furthermore, FimA stimulation chronically abrogates the pro-inflammatory response to subsequent TLR2 stimulation by other TLR-2-specific agonists (Pam3CSK4, FSL, Mfa1) in an IkappaBalpha- and IRAK-1-dependent manner.These studies provide some of the first information to explain, mechanistically, how tobacco smoke changes the P. gingivalis phenotype in a manner likely to promote P. gingivalis colonization and infection while simultaneously reducing the host response to this major mucosal pathogen

Modélisation du comportement élastoplastique d’un revêtement Fe-Zn (GA) par nanoindentation : approche inverse basée sur les plans d’expériences et les algorithmes génétiques multiobjectifs

International audienc

Use of a monoclonal antibody specific for a protein epitope of Echinococcus granulosus antigen 5 in a competitive antibody radioimmunoassay for diagnosis of hydatid disease.

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) designated as EG 02 154/12, specific for the major antigen (antigen 5) of Echinococcus granulosus was produced, and used to study the binding sites recognized by anti-antigen 5 antibodies from patients with hydatid disease. The nature of the target epitope was partially characterized. The antibody reactivity was analyzed towards sheep hydatid fluid antigens (SHF Ag) using ELISA, immunoelectrophoresis (IEP), Western blotting (WB), and immunoprecipitation (IP). In IEP, EG 02 154/12 mAb gave a single precipitin of Ag 5. The mAb and human hydatid patient sera recognized a major antigen of 64 kDa, in SHF Ag analyzed in non-reducing conditions. Both types of antibodies revealed two components of 37 and 22 kDa in reducing conditions. Deglycosylation and delipidation of SHF Ag did not affect the mAb binding. These results, together with the observation of mAb binding to in vitro translation products from protoscoleces messenger RNA, suggest the protein nature of the epitope recognized on the antigen 5. Using competitive antibody radioimmunoassay (CRIA), a competition between this mAb and hydatid patient sera, for the same epitope or closely related sites on antigen 5, was observed. No such competition was detected with the sera from other helminthiasis. The sensitivity and specificity of CRIA was compared to that of ELISA and CRIA found to be an improved diagnostic test for hydatid disease.Comparative StudyJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

A monoclonal antibody to Ly-6 gene product inhibits generation of functionally active T cells and recognizes single antigenic specificity whose expression is up-regulated in virus-transformed rat fibroblast

In order to elucidate the relationship between the structure and function of proteins encoded for by the Ly-6 gene complex, a cDNA was constructed for a Ly-6.2 specificity and then monoclonal antibodies (mAb) generated to bacterially synthesized protein. The addition of one of these mAb, designated Pb-19, inhibited the proliferative response of T cells to concanavalin A (Con A) or major histocompatability complex (MHC) alloantigens. Reactivity of Pb-19 to the Ly-6 specificity was blocked by a known anti-Ly-6.A.2 mAb but not by an anti-Ly-6.E.1 mAb. This mAb detected a Ly-6.A.2 specificity (a 33,000 MW antigen) whose expression was increased in a transformed rat fibroblast containing the entire genome of bovine papillomavirus.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tFLWNOinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The effects of Ag, Mg, and Pr doping on the superconductivity and structure of BSCCO

AbstractThe influence of Ag, Mg, and Pr additions and co-additions on microstructure and phase formation of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d (Bi2212) system is investigated. Polycrystalline Bi2212 samples were synthesized in air by solid state reaction method. Phase analysis, micro structural observations and magnetic properties were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and A.C. susceptibility measurements respectively. XRD results reveal two main phases (Bi-2201 and Bi2212). SEM photographs show that the substitution by Ag, Mg or Pr affects the mechanism of the grains growth. The undoped sample has a critical temperature Tc of 65 K while in the Mg and Ag containing compounds the Tc is 77 K and 75 K respectively. The Pr containing compound exhibits no superconductivity. A valence of the Pr ion higher than 3+ in the lattice supports the holefilling mechanism of the suppression of superconductivity

Diagnostic value of a synthetic peptide derived from Echinococcus granulosus recombinant protein.

A specific monoclonal antibody (MAb; EG 02 154/12) directed against a protein epitope of Echinococcus granulosus antigen 5 was used to screen a cDNA library constructed from E. granulosus protoscoleces RNA. One clone designated Eg14 was selected and shown to code for an amino acid sequence partially homologous to that of the clone Eg6 previously identified with the same MAb. Hydrophobic cluster analysis showed that both recombinant antigens may adopt a similar alpha-helical organization and share a common conformational epitope. A synthetic peptide (89-122) mimicking the conformational site of Eg6 and Eg14 was constructed and demonstrated to be able to inhibit binding of the MAb and human hydatid sera to the Eg6 fusion protein (FP6) or to native hydatid antigens. To assess the diagnostic value of the peptide 89-122, we tested sera from patients infected with different parasites for their antibody reactivity with this peptide in ELISA. A high binding sensitivity and specificity of IgG-A-M antibodies were obtained with E. granulosus-infected patient sera. Moreover, the peptide 89-122 was found to be specifically recognized by IgE antibodies from patients with hydatid disease. These results indicate the particular interest of this synthetic peptide as a standardized antigen in diagnosis and treatment surveillance of hydatidosis