26 research outputs found
Sub-Telomere Directed Gene Expression during Initiation of Invasive Aspergillosis
Aspergillus fumigatus is a common mould whose spores are a
component of the normal airborne flora. Immune dysfunction permits developmental
growth of inhaled spores in the human lung causing aspergillosis, a significant
threat to human health in the form of allergic, and life-threatening invasive
infections. The success of A. fumigatus as a pathogen is unique
among close phylogenetic relatives and is poorly characterised at the molecular
level. Recent genome sequencing of several Aspergillus species
provides an exceptional opportunity to analyse fungal virulence attributes
within a genomic and evolutionary context. To identify genes preferentially
expressed during adaptation to the mammalian host niche, we generated multiple
gene expression profiles from minute samplings of A. fumigatus
germlings during initiation of murine infection. They reveal a highly
co-ordinated A. fumigatus gene expression programme, governing
metabolic and physiological adaptation, which allows the organism to prosper
within the mammalian niche. As functions of phylogenetic conservation and
genetic locus, 28% and 30%, respectively, of the
A. fumigatus subtelomeric and lineage-specific gene
repertoires are induced relative to laboratory culture, and physically clustered
genes including loci directing pseurotin, gliotoxin and siderophore biosyntheses
are a prominent feature. Locationally biased A. fumigatus gene
expression is not prompted by in vitro iron limitation, acid,
alkaline, anaerobic or oxidative stress. However, subtelomeric gene expression
is favoured following ex vivo neutrophil exposure and in
comparative analyses of richly and poorly nourished laboratory cultured
germlings. We found remarkable concordance between the A.
fumigatus host-adaptation transcriptome and those resulting from
in vitro iron depletion, alkaline shift, nitrogen
starvation and loss of the methyltransferase LaeA. This first transcriptional
snapshot of a fungal genome during initiation of mammalian infection provides
the global perspective required to direct much-needed diagnostic and therapeutic
strategies and reveals genome organisation and subtelomeric diversity as
potential driving forces in the evolution of pathogenicity in the genus
Aspergillus
Measurement of polarization amplitudes and CP asymmetries in B-0 -> phi K*(892)(0)
An angular analysis of the decay B (0) -> phi K (*)(892)(0) is reported based on a pp collision data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1), collected at a centre-of-mass energy of root S = 7 TeV with the LHCb detector. The P-wave amplitudes and phases are measured with a greater precision than by previous experiments, and confirm about equal amounts of longitudinal and transverse polarization. The S-wave K+ pi(-) and K+ K- contributions are taken into account and found to be significant. A comparison of the B (0) -> phi K (*)(892)(0) and results shows no evidence for direct CP violation in the rate asymmetry, in the triple-product asymmetries or in the polarization amplitudes and phases
Search for the rare decay K0SâÎŒ+ÎŒâ
A search for the decay K0SâÎŒ+ÎŒâ is performed, based on a data sample of 1.0 fbâ1 of pp collisions at √<span style="text-decoration:overline">s</span>=7 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed number of candidates is consistent with the background-only hypothesis, yielding an upper limit of B(K0SâÎŒ+ÎŒâ) < 11(9) Ă 10â9 at 95 (90)% confidence level. This limit is a factor of thirty below the previous measurement
Search for the rare decays Bs -> mu+ mu- and B0 -> mu+ mu-
A search for the decays Bs -> mu+ mu- and B0 -> mu+ mu- is performed with
0.37 fb^-1 of pp collisions at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment
in 2011. The upper limits on the branching fractions are BR (Bs -> mu+ mu-) <
1.6 x 10^-8 and BR(B0 -> mu+ mu-) < 3.6 x 10^-9 at 95% confidence level. A
combination of these results with the LHCb limits obtained with the 2010
dataset leads to BR (Bs -> mu+ mu-) mu+ mu-) < 3.2
x 10^-9 at 95% confidence level.Comment: 6+19 pages, 9 figures; minor changes; matches version accepted in
Phys. Lett.
Study of eta-eta ' mixing from measurement of B-(s)(0) -> J/psi eta((')) decay rates
A study of B and Bs meson decays into J/Ï Î· and J/Ï Î·âČ final states is performed using a data set of proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the LCHb experiment and corresponding to 3.0 fbâ1 of integrated luminosity. The decay B0 â J/Ï Î·âČ is observed for the first time. The following ratios of branching fractions are measured:
B(B0âJ/ÏηâČ)B(B0sâ J/ÏηâČ)=(2.28±0.65 (stat)±0.10 (syst)±0.13 (fs/fd))Ă10â2,B(B0â J/Ïη)B(B0sâ J/Ïη)=(1.85±0.61 (stat)±0.09 (syst)±0.11 (fs/fd))Ă10â2, where the third uncertainty is related to the present knowledge of fs/fd, the ratio between the probabilities for a b quark to form a Bs or a B0 meson. The branching fraction ratios are used to determine the parameters of η â ηâČ meson mixing. In addition, the first evidence for the decay Bs â Ï(2S)ηâČ is reported, and the relative branching fraction is measured,
B(B0sâ Ï(2S)ηâČ)B(B0sâ J/ÏηâČ)=(38.7±9.0 (stat)±1.3 (syst)±0.9(B))Ă10â2, where the third uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the branching fractions of J/Ï and Ï(2S) mesons
Search for the lepton flavour violating decay Ï â â ÎŒ â ÎŒ + ÎŒ â
A search for the lepton flavour violating decay
is performed with the LHCb experiment. The data sample corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of of proton-proton collisions at
a centre-of-mass energy of and
at . No evidence is found
for a signal, and a limit is set at confidence level on the branching
fraction, .Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, published as JHEP 02 (2015) 12
Effect of long term hydergine treatment on the age-dependent loss of mossy fibers and of granule cells in the rat hippocampus.
The effects of senescence and of long-term Hydergine treatment on the density and pattern of mossy fibers and on the number of granule cells of the dentate gyrus were studied in the rat hippocampus. Timm's technique for the histochemical demonstration of tissue stores of zinc, associated with quantitative image analysis and microdensitometry, was used for the study of mossy fibers. Consistent with our previous studies, we observed an age-related reduction both in the area occupied by mossy fibers and in the intensity of Timm staining in the mossy fiber area. Moreover, the density of granule cells in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus was reduced with age. Hydergine administration (1 and 3 mg/kg/day, p.o.), started when the rats were 17 months old and continued for 4 months, significantly increased the area occupied by mossy fibers and the intensity of Timm staining in the hippocampus of senescent animals. Moreover, Hydergine treatment was found to counteract the age-dependent decrease in granule cell number in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. These findings suggest that treatment with Hydergine is effective in counteracting or in slowing down the morphological disorganization observable in the hippocampal formation with advancing age. Moreover, it is possible that the effects of Hydergine administration in elderly patients might be related to an effect at the level of the hippocampus
Diagnosis of Listeria monocytogenes Meningoencephalitis by Real-Time PCR for the hly Gene ⿠§
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen that can invade the central nervous system (CNS), causing meningoencephalitis and brain abscesses. The diagnosis of CNS listeriosis, based on the isolation of the bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), can be difficult because of previous antibiotic treatment and a low number of bacteria in the CSF. To improve the sensitivity of microbiological diagnosis, we have developed a real-time PCR assay for detecting and quantifying L. monocytogenes DNA in the CSF. The designed primers specifically amplify the L. monocytogenes hly gene, which encodes listeriolysin O, a pore-forming cytolysin. The PCR assay for the hly gene (PCR-hly) provides reproducible quantitative results over a wide dynamic range of concentrations and was highly sensitive while detecting a single gene copy/ml. By assaying a large panel of bacterial species, including species secreting pore-forming cytolysin, we determined the specificity of the PCR-hly, which exclusively detects the L. monocytogenes DNA. We then analyzed 214 CSF samples from patients suspected of having CNS listeriosis. PCR-hly was positive in all cases in which L. monocytogenes was isolated by culture. Positive PCR-hly of the CSF was also obtained for five additional, clinically confirmed cases of CNS listeriosis for which bacterial cultures were negative presumably due to previous treatment with antibiotics. As a complement to classical bacteriological CSF culture, our designed real-time PCR-hly assay proved to be valuable by enhancing the rapidity and the accuracy of the diagnosis of CNS infection by L. monocytogenes. In addition, the quantitative results provided may, in some instances, be useful for the follow-up of patients under treatment