A cold-atom Ramsey clock with a low volume physics package

We demonstrate a Ramsey-type microwave clock interrogating the 6.835 GHz ground-state transition in cold 87Rb atoms loaded from a grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT) enclosed in an additively manufactured loop-gap resonator microwave cavity. A short-term stability of 1.5×10−11 τ−1/2 is demonstrated, in reasonable agreement with predictions from the signal-to-noise ratio of the measured Ramsey fringes. The cavity-grating package has a volume of ≈67 cm3, ensuring an inherently compact system while the use of a GMOT drastically simplifies the optical requirements for laser cooled atoms. This work is another step towards the realisation of highly compact portable cold-atom frequency standards

Characterizing Complex Polysera Produced by Antigen-Specific Immunization through the Use of Affinity-Selected Mimotopes

BACKGROUND: Antigen-based (as opposed to whole organism) vaccines are actively being pursued for numerous indications. Even though different formulations may produce similar levels of total antigen-specific antibody, the composition of the antibody response can be quite distinct resulting in different levels of therapeutic activity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using plasmid-based immunization against the proto-oncogene HER-2 as a model, we have demonstrated that affinity-selected epitope mimetics (mimotopes) can provide a defined signature of a polyclonal antibody response. Further, using novel computer algorithms that we have developed, these mimotopes can be used to predict epitope targets. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: By combining our novel strategy with existing methods of epitope prediction based on physical properties of an individual protein, we believe that this method offers a robust method for characterizing the breadth of epitope-specificity within a specific polyserum. This strategy is useful as a tool for monitoring immunity following vaccination and can also be used to define relevant epitopes for the creation of novel vaccines

Anchored Design of Protein-Protein Interfaces

Few existing protein-protein interface design methods allow for extensive backbone rearrangements during the design process. There is also a dichotomy between redesign methods, which take advantage of the native interface, and de novo methods, which produce novel binders.Here, we propose a new method for designing novel protein reagents that combines advantages of redesign and de novo methods and allows for extensive backbone motion. This method requires a bound structure of a target and one of its natural binding partners. A key interaction in this interface, the anchor, is computationally grafted out of the partner and into a surface loop on the design scaffold. The design scaffold's surface is then redesigned with backbone flexibility to create a new binding partner for the target. Careful choice of a scaffold will bring experimentally desirable characteristics into the new complex. The use of an anchor both expedites the design process and ensures that binding proceeds against a known location on the target. The use of surface loops on the scaffold allows for flexible-backbone redesign to properly search conformational space.This protocol was implemented within the Rosetta3 software suite. To demonstrate and evaluate this protocol, we have developed a benchmarking set of structures from the PDB with loop-mediated interfaces. This protocol can recover the correct loop-mediated interface in 15 out of 16 tested structures, using only a single residue as an anchor

Giant mesenteric fibromatosis.

Mesenteric fibromatosis is a proliferative fibroblastic neoplasia of the small intestine mesentery which may occur as a unique or multiple formation. Mesenteric fibromatosis represents the 8% of all desmoid neoplasm. Giant mesenteric fibromatosis is uncommon by itself (2-4 case/milion/year). Since the rarity of this tumor and the difficulties in diagnostic and therapeutic ambit, we believe it justified to describe a case of giant mesenteric fibromatosis which came to our observation

First case of bronchiolar-pleural fistula repair with platelet-leukocyte rich gel

Bronchiolar-pleural fistulas are a frequent complication of thoracic surgery. Current treatment strategies and their invasiveness are quiet different, but often surgeons decide for a new surgical intervention and definitive closure of the breach. We report the case of a bronchiolar- pleural fistula in a 75 years old man with important co-morbidities that we treated with instillation of platelet-leukocyte rich gel (PLR-G). We disuss actual indications for PLR-G as well as its possible role in thoracic surgery

A rare case of pulmonary neurofibroma: Clinical and diagnostic evaluation and surgical treatment

The authors report a rare case of a pulmonary neurofibroma treated by surgical excision. The case report is accompanied by a review of the literature and the discussion of the diagnostic problems posed by neurogenic tumors of the thorax