Trends of the major porin gene (ompF) evolution

OmpF is one of the major general porins of Enterobacteriaceae that belongs to the first line of bacterial defense and interactions with the biotic as well as abiotic environments. Porins are surface exposed and their structures strongly reflect the history of multiple interactions with the environmental challenges. Unfortunately, little is known on diversity of porin genes of Enterobacteriaceae and the genus Yersinia especially. We analyzed the sequences of the ompF gene from 73 Yersinia strains covering 14 known species. The phylogenetic analysis placed most of the Yersinia strains in the same line assigned by 16S rDNA-gyrB tree. Very high congruence in the tree topologies was observed for Y. enterocolitica, Y. kristensenii, Y. ruckeri, indicating that intragenic recombination in these species had no effect on the ompF gene. A significant level of intra- and interspecies recombination was found for Y. aleksiciae, Y. intermedia and Y. mollaretii. Our analysis shows that the ompF gene of Yersinia has evolved with nonrandom mutational rate under purifying selection. However, several surface loops in the OmpF porin contain positively selected sites, which very likely reflect adaptive diversification Yersinia to their ecological niches. To our knowledge, this is a first investigation of diversity of the porin gene covering the whole genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae. This study demonstrates that recombination and positive selection both contribute to evolution of ompF, but the relative contribution of these evolutionary forces are different among Yersinia species

Synthesis and luminescence of lead(II)-activated cadmium sulfide in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Optically transparent polymeric materials PMMA: Cd(Pb)S have been synthesized by polymerization of methyl methacrylate, which concurrently acts as a reaction medium for synthesis of metal sulfides, dispersion medium for the resulting colloidal solution forming during synthesis, and the base of compositions. Dependences of cadmium sulfide luminescence on the concentrations, concentration ratios of the initial compounds, reaction medium composition, and temperature have been established. The observed changes in the spectra are related to the introduction of lead(II) into compositions, complex formation on the surface of colloidal particles, and the effect of polar acetonitrile

Synthesis and luminescence spectra of poly(methyl methacrylate)/CdS:Ln(III) composites

Cadmium sulfide was prepared by colloidal synthesis in methyl methacrylate (MMA). Europium and terbium salts were added to the colloidal solutions. Using MMA radical polymerization, we synthesized PMMA/CdS:Eu(III), PMMA/CdS:Tb(III), and PMMA/CdS:Eu(III):Tb(III) luminescent composites. Their luminescence is due to defects in the CdS crystals and the 5Dо → 7Fj and 5D4 → 7Fj electronic transitions of the Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions, respectively. It depends on the composition of the materials, complexation on the surface of the colloidal particles, heat treatment time during synthesis, excitation wavelength, and other factors

Mean Age of Patients with and without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus during Surgical Treatment of Age-Related Cataract

Introduction: Age-related cataract is one of the most common causes of preventable blindness. Type 2 diabetes is a non-infectious epidemic disease with an ever-increasing number of diseased patients. Cataract is one of the leading causes of reduced vision in diabetics. The preferred treatment method is phacoemulsification. The aim of the present study was to compare the mean age of patients with and without diabetes type 2 at the time of cataract surgery. Materials and methods: After informed consent and approval by the Ethics Commission of the Medical University of Sofia, 176 patients admitted to the Clinic of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital „Alexandrovska“ for surgical treatment of cataract were randomized. Inclusion criteria: diagnosed age-related cataract, requiring surgical treatment. Patients were divided into two groups – diabetic type 2 and non-diabetic patients. Inclusion criteria for the group of diabetics: medical history of diabetes type 2 and administration of anti diabetic medications. Results: The average age of patients undergoing cataract surgery was 70.81 years. The average ageof patients with diabetes type 2 was 65.89 years, and that of non-diabetics – 71.74 years. Diabetes type 2 was established at 15.91 % of patients (19 men and 9 women). Conclusion: Patients with diabetes type 2 develop age-related cataract, requiring surgical treatment, at an earlier age compared to non-diabetics. The transparency of the lens in diabetic patients is of particular importance for the diagnosis and treatment of the diabetic retinopathy. Follow-up by an ophthalmologist and maintenance of strict blood glucose control are necessary to reduce the incidence of vision loss, caused by cataract and diabetic retinopathy

Magnetic-field tuning of the spin dynamics in the magnetic topological insulators (MnBi₂Te₄)(Bi₂Te₃₎<i>n</i>

We report a high-frequency/high-magnetic field electron spin resonance (HF-ESR) spectroscopy study in the sub-THz frequency domain of the two representatives of the family of magnetic topological insulators (MnBi2Te4)(Bi2Te3)n with n = 0 and 1. The HF-ESR measurements in the magnetically ordered state at a low temperature of T=4K combined with the calculations of the resonance modes showed that the spin dynamics in MnBi4Te7 is typical for an anisotropic easy-axis type ferromagnet whereas MnBi2Te4 demonstrates excitations of an anisotropic easy-axis type antiferromagnet. However, by applying the field stronger than a threshold value ∼6T, we observed in MnBi2Te4 a crossover from the antiferromagnetic (AFM) resonance modes to the ferromagnetic (FM) modes, whose properties are very similar to the FM response of MnBi4Te7. We attribute this remarkably unusual effect unexpected for a canonical easy-axis antiferromagnet, which, additionally, can be accurately reproduced by numerical calculations of the excitation modes, to the closeness of the strength of the AFM exchange and magnetic anisotropy energies which appears to be a very specific feature of this compound. Our experimental data evidences that the spin dynamics of the magnetic building blocks of these compounds, the Mn-based septuple layers (SLs), is inherently ferromagnetic, featuring persisting short-range FM correlations far above the magnetic ordering temperature as soon as the SLs get decoupled either by introducing a nonmagnetic quintuple interlayer, as in MnBi4Te7, or by applying a moderate magnetic field, as in MnBi2Te4, which may have an effect on the surface topological band structure of these compounds.</p

Synthesis and absorption and luminescence spectra of poly(methyl methacrylate):Cd(Mn,Pb)S composites

The reaction of cadmium, manganese, and lead trifluoroacetates with thioacetamide in methyl methacrylate yielded colloidal solutions of metal sulfides with different Cd(II): Mn(II): Pb(II) molar ratios. The colloidal particles were separated from solutions and examined by electron microscopy. Glassy polymer composites poly(methyl methacrylate):Cd(Mn)S and poly(methyl methacrylate):Cd(Mn,Pb)S were prepared by thermal polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the bulk. The transmittance of the composites at wavelengths larger than 480 nm is 92% at the sample thickness of 0.40 cm. The luminescence of the composites in the visible range is associated with cadmium sulfide. The corresponding absorption bands were recorded in the luminescence excitation spectra in the wavelength interval 300–450 nm. The effect of the matrix, Mn(II) and Pb(II) ions, and synthesis conditions on the absorption and luminescence properties of the composites was determined