Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Rhabdovirus Entry

Rhabdoviruses enter the cell via the endocytic pathway and subsequently fuse with a cellular membrane within the acidic environment of the endosome. Both receptor recognition and membrane fusion are mediated by a single transmembrane viral glycoprotein (G). Fusion is triggered via a low-pH induced structural rearrangement. G is an atypical fusion protein as there is a pH-dependent equilibrium between its pre- and post-fusion conformations. The elucidation of the atomic structures of these two conformations for the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G has revealed that it is different from the previously characterized class I and class II fusion proteins. In this review, the pre- and post-fusion VSV G structures are presented in detail demonstrating that G combines the features of the class I and class II fusion proteins. In addition to these similarities, these G structures also reveal some particularities that expand our understanding of the working of fusion machineries. Combined with data from recent studies that revealed the cellular aspects of the initial stages of rhabdovirus infection, all these data give an integrated view of the entry pathway of rhabdoviruses into their host cell

Neutralization of IFN-γ reverts clinical and laboratory features in a mouse model of macrophage activation syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is not clearly understood: a large body of evidence supports the involvement of mechanisms similar to those implicated in the setting of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the pathogenic role of IFN-γ and the therapeutic efficacy of IFN-γ neutralization in an animal model of MAS. METHODS: We used an MAS model established in mice transgenic for human IL-6 (IL-6TG mice) challenged with LPS (MAS mice). Levels of IFN-γ and IFN-γ-inducible chemokines were evaluated by using real-time PCR in the liver and spleen and by means of ELISA in plasma. IFN-γ neutralization was achieved by using the anti-IFN-γ antibody XMG1.2 in vivo. RESULTS: Mice with MAS showed a significant upregulation of the IFN-γ pathway, as demonstrated by increased mRNA levels of Ifng and higher levels of phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 in the liver and spleen and increased expression of the IFN-γ-inducible chemokines Cxcl9 and Cxcl10 in the liver and spleen, as well as in plasma. A marked increase in Il12a and Il12b expression was also found in livers and spleens of mice with MAS. In addition, mice with MAS had a significant increase in numbers of liver CD68+ macrophages. Mice with MAS treated with an anti-IFN-γ antibody showed a significant improvement in survival and body weight recovery associated with a significant amelioration of ferritin, fibrinogen, and alanine aminotransferase levels. In mice with MAS, treatment with the anti-IFN-γ antibody significantly decreased circulating levels of CXCL9, CXCL10, and downstream proinflammatory cytokines. The decrease in CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels paralleled the decrease in serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and ferritin. CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence for a pathogenic role of IFN-γ in the setting of MAS

Male factor infertility and assisted reproductive technologies. indications, minimum access criteria and outcomes

BackgroundInfertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive after at least 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourses, affects about 15-20% of couples worldwide and a male factor is involved in about half of the cases. The development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) made it possible to conceive also to individuals affected from severe oligospermia or azoospermia. However, the impact of the male factor on embryo development, implantation, prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and clinical and obstetric outcomes is still controversial.PurposeThis narrative review examines the indications, minimum access criteria, and outcomes by individual ART technique in relation to the male factor

Pembinaan Koperasi Jamur Merekah Menuju Koperasi Modern

The Development of Jamur Merekah Cooperative is carried out with the aim of upgrading the Jamur Merekah cooperative into a Modern Cooperative. The method used in this coaching is to go directly to the field/cooperative to collect the necessary data and information through observation, interviews with administrators, supervisors, employees and members, then identify potential and problems as well as the need for coaching then develop a coaching program. This activity was carried out for 1 month which was integrated with Student Field Practice activities. The substance of the material presented is the digitalization of cooperatives, preparation of financial reports and business development. For the effectiveness of this coaching activity, in practice coaching is carried out with observation and active participation of field practice students in cooperative processes in the field with the direction of the supervisor. Furthermore, discussions and discussions were carried out with the management and supervising lecturers so that these coaching materials were then applied in cooperatives. Coaching activities can run well as planned. The Jamur Merekah Cooperative has the potential to develop and become a modern cooperative. It's just that for that Cooperatives must make improvements and carry out business development continuously and consistently

Treatment with a new peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, pyridinecarboxylic acid derivative, increases angiogenesis and reduces inflammatory mediators in the heart of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice

Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces an intense inflammatory response in diverse host tissues. The immune response and the microvascular abnormalities associated with infection are crucial aspects in the generation of heart damage in Chagas disease. Upon parasite uptake, macrophages, which are involved in the clearance of infection, increase inflammatory mediators, leading to parasite killing. The exacerbation of the inflammatory response may lead to tissue damage. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR\u3b3) is a ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factor that exerts important anti-inflammatory effects and is involved in improving endothelial functions and proangiogenic capacities. In this study, we evaluated the intermolecular interaction between PPAR\u3b3 and a new synthetic PPAR\u3b3 ligand, HP24, using virtual docking. Also, we showed that early treatment with HP24, decreases the expression of NOS2, a pro-inflammatory mediator, and stimulates proangiogenic mediators (vascular endothelial growth factor A, CD31, and Arginase I) both in macrophages and in the heart of T. cruzi-infected mice. Moreover, HP24 reduces the inflammatory response, cardiac fibrosis and the levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-\u3b1, interleukin 6) released by macrophages of T. cruzi-infected mice. We consider that PPAR\u3b3 agonists might be useful as coadjuvants of the antiparasitic treatment of Chagas disease, to delay, reverse, or preclude the onset of heart damage

Testicular fine needle aspiration as a diagnostic tool in non-obstructive azoospermia

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Cryogenic Facilities at 1.9 K for the Reception of the Superconducting Wires and Cables of the LHC Dipoles Magnets

CERN's LHC project has moved to an implementation phase. The fabrication of 1600 high-field superconducting magnets operating at 1.9 K will require about 6400 km of Nb-Ti cables. A cryogenic test facility has therefore been set up in order, on the one hand, to verify the quality of individual wires and, on the other hand, to control the critical current of the assembled cables. The facility is composed of a helium liquefier, a transfer line, a dewar and pumps. The paper describes the fully automatic operation of this installation and the different test cycles applied to these wires and cables

Waste detection in Pomerania: non-profit project for detecting waste in environment

Waste pollution is one of the most significant environmental issues in the modern world. The importance of recycling is well known, either for economic or ecological reasons, and the industry demands high efficiency. Our team conducted comprehensive research on Artificial Intelligence usage in waste detection and classification to fight the world's waste pollution problem. As a result an open-source framework that enables the detection and classification of litter was developed. The final pipeline consists of two neural networks: one that detects litter and a second responsible for litter classification. Waste is classified into seven categories: bio, glass, metal and plastic, non-recyclable, other, paper and unknown. Our approach achieves up to 70% of average precision in waste detection and around 75% of classification accuracy on the test dataset. The code used in the studies is publicly available online.Comment: Litter detection, Waste detection, Object detectio

A Facility for Accurate Heat Load and Mass Leak Measurements on Superfluid Helium Valves

The superconducting magnets of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be protected by safety relief valves operating at 1.9 K in superfluid helium (HeII). A test facility was developed to precisely determine the heat load and the mass leakage of cryogenic valves with HeII at their inlet. The temperature of the valve inlet can be varied from 1.8 K to 2 K for pressures up to 3.5 bar. The valve outlet pipe temperature can be regulated between 5 K and 20 K. The heat flow is measured with high precision using a Kapitza-resistance heatmeter and is also crosschecked by a vaporization measurement. After calibration, a precision of 10 mW for heat flows up to 1.1 W has been achieved. The helium leak can be measured up to 15 mg/s with an accuracy of 0.2 mg/s. We present a detailed description of the test facility and the measurements showing its performances