WHAT IS THE LENGTH OF A SNAKE?

The way that herpetologists have traditionally measuredlive snakes is by stretching them on a ruler andrecording the total length (TL). However, due to the thinconstitution of the snake, the large number of intervertebraljoints, and slim muscular mass of most snakes,it is easier to stretch a snake than it is to stretch anyother vertebrate. The result of this is that the length ofa snake recorded is infl uenced by how much the animalis stretched. Stretching it as much as possible is perhapsa precise way to measure the length of the specimenbut it might not correspond to the actual length ofa live animal. Furthermore, it may seriously injure a livesnake. Another method involves placing the snake in aclear plexiglass box and pressing it with a soft materialsuch as rubber foam against a clear surface. Measuringthe length of the snake may be done by outlining itsbody with a string (Fitch 1987; Frye 1991). However, thismethod is restricted to small animals that can be placedin a box, and in addition, no indications of accuracy of thetechnique are given. Measuring the snakes with a fl exibletape has also been reported (Blouin-Demers 2003)but when dealing with a large animals the way the tapeis positioned can produce great variance on the fi nal outcome.In this contribution we revise alternative ways tomeasuring a snake and propose a method that offers repeatableresults. We further analyze the precision of thismethod by using a sample of measurements taken fromwild populations of green anacondas (Eunectes murinus)with a large range of sizes

Dual Role of p53 in Innate Antiviral Immunity

Tumor suppressor p53 is widely known as ‘the guardian of the genome’ due to its ability to prevent the emergence of transformed cells by the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, recent studies indicate that p53 is also a direct transcriptional target of type I interferons (IFNs) and thus, it is activated by these cytokines upon viral infection. p53 has been shown to contribute to virus-induced apoptosis, therefore dampening the ability of a wide range of viruses to replicate and spread. Interestingly, recent studies also indicate that several IFN-inducible genes such as interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9), IRF5, IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) and toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) are in fact, p53 direct transcriptional targets. These findings indicate that p53 may play a key role in antiviral innate immunity by both inducing apoptosis in response to viral infection, and enforcing the type I IFN response, and provide a new insight into the evolutionary reasons why many viruses encode p53 antagonistic proteins

From early contraction to post-folding fluid evolution in the frontal part of the boixols thrust sheet (southern pyrenees) as revealed by the texture and geochemistry of calcite cements

Structural, petrological and geochemical (δ13C, δ18O, clumped isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr and ICP-MS) analyses of fracture-related calcite cements and host rocks are used to establish a fluid-flow evolution model for the frontal part of the Bóixols thrust sheet (Southern Pyrenees). Five fracture events associated with the growth of the thrust-related Bóixols anticline and Coll de Nargó syncline during the Alpine orogeny are distinguished. These fractures were cemented with four generations of calcite cements, revealing that such structures allowed the migration of different marine and meteoric fluids through time. During the early contraction stage, Lower Cretaceous seawater circulated and precipitated calcite cement Cc1, whereas during the main folding stage, the system opened to meteoric waters, which mixed with the connate seawater and precipitated calcite cement Cc2. Afterwards, during the post-folding stages, connate evaporated marine fluids circulated through newly formed NW-SE and NE-SW conjugate fractures and later through strike-slip faults and precipitated calcite cements Cc3 and Cc4. The overall paragenetic sequence reveals the progressive dewatering of Cretaceous marine host sediments during progressive burial, deformation and fold tightening and the input of meteoric waters only during the main folding stage. This study illustrates the changes of fracture systems and the associated fluid-flow regimes during the evolution of fault-associated folds during orogenic growth

Implementation of herd health program to improve survival of Boer goats in Malaysia.

A Boer goat breeding farm with 800 heads of breeder females, 50 breeder males, and 400 growing goats of various ages in Sabah, Malaysia was selected to study the effect of implementing herd health program. This included vaccination program against pneumonic mannheimiosis; fecal monitoring for helminthiasis, coccidiosis, and colibacillosis; and introduction of modified feeding regime comprised of day-time grazing and feeding of cut grass and supplemented feed. The herd health program was implemented in September 2007 and the impact was observed on body weight gains, body scoring, and annual mortality among adults and kids. It was found that implementation of herd health program significantly (p<0. 05) increased the average body weight gains in both adults and kids from 1. 8 g per kid and 0. 6 g per adult in 2006 to 3. 7 g per kid and 2. 2 g per adult in 2008. The percentage of adults with body scoring of <3 was significantly (p<0. 05) reduced from 82. 3% in 2006 to 77. 6% in 2007 and 4% in 2008. Similarly, the annual mortality rate was significantly (p<0. 05) reduced from 6. 5% among kids and 58. 2% among adults in 2006 to 12. 1% among kids and 10. 4% among adults in 2007, and to 9. 1% among kids and 1. 1% among adults in 2008. Therefore, it was concluded that implementation of herd health program significantly improved the survival and performance of goats

Synthesis of phosphonate-functionalized polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) particles and their kinetic behavior in miniemulsion polymerization

Phosphonate-functionalized polymer nanoparticles were synthesized by free-radical copolymerization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) with styrene or methyl methacrylate (MMA) using the miniemulsion technique. The influence of different parameters such as monomer and surfactant type, amount of vinylphosphonic acid on the average particle size, and size distribution was studied using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Depending on the amount and type of the surfactant used (ionic or non-ionic), phosphonate-functionalized particles in a size range from 102 to 312 nm can be obtained. The density of the phosphonate groups on the particle surface was higher in the case of using MMA as a basis monomer than polystyrene. The kinetic behavior of VPA copolymerization with styrene or MMA using a hydrophobic initiator was investigated by reaction calorimetry. Different kinetic curves were observed for miniemulsion (co)polymerization of styrene- and MMA-based nanoparticles indicating different nucleation mechanisms

Polarimetric imaging for the detection of synthetic models of SARS-CoV-2: A proof of concept

Objective: To conduct a proof-of-concept study of the detection of two synthetic models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using polarimetric imaging. Approach: Two SARS-CoV-2 models were prepared as engineered lentiviruses pseudotyped with the G protein of the vesicular stomatitis virus, and with the characteristic Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Samples were prepared in two biofluids (saline solution and artificial saliva), in four concentrations, and deposited as 5-µL droplets on a supporting plate. The angles of maximal degree of linear polarization (DLP) of light diffusely scattered from dry residues were determined using Mueller polarimetry from87 samples at 405 nm and 514 nm. A polarimetric camera was used for imaging several samples under 380–420 nm illumination at angles similar to those of maximal DLP. Per-pixel image analysis included quantification and combination of polarization feature descriptors in 475 samples. Main results: The angles (from sample surface) of maximal DLP were 3° for 405 nm and 6° for 514 nm. Similar viral particles that differed only in the characteristic spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2, their corresponding negative controls, fluids, and the sample holder were discerned at 10-degree and 15-degree configurations. Significance: Polarimetric imaging in the visible spectrum may help improve fast, non-contact detection and identification of viral particles, and/or other microbes such as tuberculosis, in multiple dry fluid samples simultaneously, particularly when combined with other imaging modalities. Further analysis including realistic concentrations of real SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in relevant human fluids is required. Polarimetric imaging under visible light may contribute to a fast, cost-effective screening of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens when combined with other imaging modalities.12 página

Hyperspectral image processing for the identification and quantification of lentiviral particles in fluid samples

Optical spectroscopic techniques have been commonly used to detect the presence of biofilm-forming pathogens (bacteria and fungi) in the agro-food industry. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy revealed that it is also possible to detect the presence of viruses in animal and vegetal tissues. Here we report a platform based on visible and NIR (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging for non-contact, reagent free detection and quantification of laboratory-engineered viral particles in fluid samples (liquid droplets and dry residue) using both partial least square-discriminant analysis and artificial feed-forward neural networks. The detection was successfully achieved in preparations of phosphate buffered solution and artificial saliva, with an equivalent pixel volume of 4 nL and lowest concentration of 800 TU.mu L-1. This method constitutes an innovative approach that could be potentially used at point of care for rapid mass screening of viral infectious diseases and monitoring of the SARS-CoV- 2 pandemic.This research was funded by grants number COV20-00080 and COV20-00173 of the 2020 Emergency Call for Research Projects about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease of the Institute of Health 'Carlos III', Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and by grant number EQC2019-006240-P of the 2019 Call for Acquisition of Scientific Equipment, FEDER Program, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. This work has been supported by the European Commission through the JRC HUMAINT project. ABR was supported by grant number RTI2018-094465-J funded by the Spanish National Agency of Research. The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the members of the EOD-CBRN Group of the Spanish National Police, whose identities cannot be disclosed, and who are represented here by JMNG. Authors thank continuous support from their institutions

Activation of NF-kB Pathway by Virus Infection Requires Rb Expression

The retinoblastoma protein Rb is a tumor suppressor involved in cell cycle control, differentiation, and inhibition of oncogenic transformation. Besides these roles, additional functions in the control of immune response have been suggested. In the present study we investigated the consequences of loss of Rb in viral infection. Here we show that virus replication is increased by the absence of Rb, and that Rb is required for the activation of the NF-kB pathway in response to virus infection. These results reveal a novel role for tumor suppressor Rb in viral infection surveillance and further extend the concept of a link between tumor suppressors and antiviral activity

Committing curriculum time to science literacy: The benefits from science based media resources

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is linked with the development of Kaposi sarcoma and the B lymphocyte disorders primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multi-centric Castleman disease. T cell immunity limits KSHV infection and disease, however the virus employs multiple mechanisms to inhibit efficient control by these effectors. Thus KSHV-specific CD4+ T cells poorly recognize most PEL cells and even where they can, they are unable to kill them. To make KSHV-infected cells more sensitive to T cell control we treated PEL cells with the thymidine analogue azidothymidine (AZT), which sensitizes PEL lines to Fas-ligand and TRAIL challenge; effector mechanisms which T cells use. PELs co-cultured with KSHV-specific CD4+ T cells in the absence of AZT showed no control of PEL outgrowth. However in the presence of AZT PEL outgrowth was controlled in an MHC-restricted manner. To investigate how AZT sensitizes PELs to immune control we first examined BJAB cells transduced with individual KSHV-latent genes for their ability to resist apoptosis mediated by stimuli delivered through Fas and TRAIL receptors. This showed that in addition to the previously described vFLIP protein, expression of vIRF3 also inhibited apoptosis delivered by these stimuli. Importantly vIRF3 mediated protection from these apoptotic stimuli was inhibited in the presence of AZT as was a second vIRF3 associated phenotype, the downregulation of surface MHC class II. Although both vFLIP and vIRF3 are expressed in PELs, we propose that inhibiting vIRF3 function with AZT may be sufficient to restore T cell control of these tumor cells

Lack of evidence for KRAS oncogenic mutations in triple-negative breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mutational analysis of the <it>KRAS </it>gene has recently been established as a complementary <it>in vitro </it>diagnostic tool for the identification of patients with colorectal cancer who will not benefit from anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies. Assessment of the mutation status of <it>KRAS </it>might also be of potential relevance in other EGFR-overexpressing tumors, such as those occurring in breast cancer. Although <it>KRAS </it>is mutated in only a minor fraction of breast tumors (5%), about 60% of the basal-like subtype express EGFR and, therefore could be targeted by EGFR inhibitors. We aimed to study the mutation frequency of <it>KRAS </it>in that subtype of breast tumors to provide a molecular basis for the evaluation of anti-EGFR therapies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Total, genomic DNA was obtained from a group of 35 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded, triple-negative breast tumor samples. Among these, 77.1% (27/35) were defined as basal-like by immunostaining specific for the established surrogate markers cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 and/or EGFR. <it>KRAS </it>mutational status was determined in the purified DNA samples by Real Time (RT)-PCR using primers specific for the detection of wild-type <it>KRAS </it>or the following seven oncogenic somatic mutations: Gly12Ala, Gly12Asp, Gly12Arg, Gly12Cys, Gly12Ser, Gly12Val and Gly13Asp.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found no evidence of <it>KRAS </it>oncogenic mutations in all analyzed tumors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicates that <it>KRAS </it>mutations are very infrequent in triple-negative breast tumors and that EGFR inhibitors may be of potential benefit in the treatment of basal-like breast tumors, which overexpress EGFR in about 60% of all cases.</p