Antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer potential of Streptomyces species isolated from the rhizosphere of Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh.

81-90Free radicals produced through biochemical processes cause dangerous health problems due to their oxidative effect on cellular proteins and lipids. There is an urgent need for natural antioxidants to be used as therapeutic agents. Streptomyces are known as producers for antioxidants, in this study, two Streptomyces species were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of mangrove tree Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. The isolates were identified by conventional as well as molecular methods as Streptomyces atrovirens (MS5) and S. labedae (MR15). The ethyl acetate extracts of cell free production broth medium of the two isolates demonstrated potent biological activities against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and Candida albicans. Moreover, a radical scavenging activity in DPPH assay with significant inhibition percentage of 62 and 78%, respectively, was recorded. The IC50 values were 3000 and 241 μg/mL (P <0.05) for S.atrovirens (MS5) and S. labedae (MR15), respectively. Streptomyces atrovirens extract showed anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG-2) and colon carcinoma cells (HCT-116) cell lines with 61 and 50.6%, respectively, while S. labedae (MR15) showed anticancer activity against all the tested cell lines with 92.9 and 85.89% against (HepG-2) and (HCT-116) compared to the control cells and showed selective cytotoxicity. LC-MS/MS analyses revealed the presence of compounds with known antioxidant and anticancer activities such as Gamma Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Indole-3-carboxyaldehyde, linoleic acid and phenyl chromen-4-one derivative with various intensities

Adherence to Tuberculosis Therapy among Patients Receiving Home-Based Directly Observed Treatment: Evidence from the United Republic of Tanzania.

\ud \ud Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is the leading contributor to the selection of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and subsequent treatment failure. Tanzania introduced a TB Patient Centred Treatment (PCT) approach which gives new TB patients the choice between home-based treatment supervised by a treatment supporter of their own choice, and health facility-based treatment observed by a medical professional. The aim of this study was to assess the extent and determinants of adherence to anti-TB therapy in patients opting for home-based treatment under the novel PCT approach. In this cross-sectional study, the primary outcome was the percentage of patients adherent to TB therapy as detected by the presence of isoniazid in urine (IsoScreen assay). The primary analysis followed a non-inferiority approach in which adherence could not be lower than 75%. Logistic regression was used to examine the influence of potentially predictive factors. A total of 651 new TB patients were included. Of these, 645 (99.1%) provided urine for testing and 617 patients (95.7%; 90%CI 94.3-96.9) showed a positive result. This result was statistically non-inferior to the postulated adherence level of 75% (p<0.001). Adherence to TB therapy under home-based Directly Observed Treatment can be ensured in programmatic settings. A reliable supply of medication and the careful selection of treatment supporters, who preferably live very close to the patient, are crucial success factors. Finally, we recommend a cohort study to assess the rate of adherence throughout the full course of TB treatment

Crosstalk between Mitochondrial and Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ Cycling Modulates Cardiac Pacemaker Cell Automaticity

Mitochondria dynamically buffer cytosolic Ca(2+) in cardiac ventricular cells and this affects the Ca(2+) load of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). In sinoatrial-node cells (SANC) the SR generates periodic local, subsarcolemmal Ca(2+) releases (LCRs) that depend upon the SR load and are involved in SANC automaticity: LCRs activate an inward Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange current to accelerate the diastolic depolarization, prompting the ensemble of surface membrane ion channels to generate the next action potential (AP).To determine if mitochondrial Ca(2+) (Ca(2+) (m)), cytosolic Ca(2+) (Ca(2+) (c))-SR-Ca(2+) crosstalk occurs in single rabbit SANC, and how this may relate to SANC normal automaticity.Inhibition of mitochondrial Ca(2+) influx into (Ru360) or Ca(2+) efflux from (CGP-37157) decreased [Ca(2+)](m) to 80 ± 8% control or increased [Ca(2+)](m) to 119 ± 7% control, respectively. Concurrent with inhibition of mitochondrial Ca(2+) influx or efflux, the SR Ca(2+) load, and LCR size, duration, amplitude and period (imaged via confocal linescan) significantly increased or decreased, respectively. Changes in total ensemble LCR Ca(2+) signal were highly correlated with the change in the SR Ca(2+) load (r(2) = 0.97). Changes in the spontaneous AP cycle length (Ru360, 111 ± 1% control; CGP-37157, 89 ± 2% control) in response to changes in [Ca(2+)](m) were predicted by concurrent changes in LCR period (r(2) = 0.84).A change in SANC Ca(2+) (m) flux translates into a change in the AP firing rate by effecting changes in Ca(2+) (c) and SR Ca(2+) loading, which affects the characteristics of spontaneous SR Ca(2+) release

The type VII secretion system of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> secretes a nuclease toxin that targets competitor bacteria

The type VII protein secretion system (T7SS) plays a critical role in the virulence of human pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. Here we report that the S. aureus T7SS secretes a large nuclease toxin, EsaD. The toxic activity of EsaD is neutralised during its biosynthesis through complex formation with an antitoxin, EsaG, which binds to its C-terminal nuclease domain. The secretion of EsaD is dependent upon a further accessory protein, EsaE, that does not interact with the nuclease domain, but instead binds to the EsaD N-terminal region. EsaE has a dual cytoplasmic/membrane localization and membrane-bound EsaE interacts with the T7SS secretion ATPase, EssC, implicating EsaE in targeting the EsaDG complex to the secretion apparatus. EsaD and EsaE are co-secreted whereas EsaG is found only in the cytoplasm and may be stripped off during the secretion process. Strain variants of S. aureus that lack esaD encode at least two copies of EsaG-like proteins most likely to protect themselves from the toxic activity of EsaD secreted by esaD(+) strains. In support of this, a strain overproducing EsaD elicits significant growth inhibition against a sensitive strain. We conclude that T7SSs may play unexpected and key roles in bacterial competitiveness

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT≥20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60≤pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2≤{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration

Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV;{\rm Te}{\rm V}$and correspond to an integrated luminosity of$4.6\;{\rm f}{{{\rm b}}^{-1}}$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum${{p}_{{\rm T}}}\gt 320\;{\rm Ge}{\rm V}$and pseudorapidity$|\eta |\lt 1.9$, is measured to be${{\sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5\pm 1.7$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Search for pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decaying to jets in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter in ppcollisions at √s=8TeV

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is used to search for the decay of a scalar boson to a pair of long-lived particles, neutral under the Standard Model gauge group, in 20.3fb−1of data collected in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV. This search is sensitive to long-lived particles that decay to Standard Model particles producing jets at the outer edge of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter or inside the hadronic calorimeter. No significant excess of events is observed. Limits are reported on the product of the scalar boson production cross section times branching ratio into long-lived neutral particles as a function of the proper lifetime of the particles. Limits are reported for boson masses from 100 GeVto 900 GeV, and a long-lived neutral particle mass from 10 GeVto 150 GeV