Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein-2 Plasma Concentrations Are Higher in Retinopathy-Negative Cerebral Malaria Than in Severe Malarial Anemia

Background Malaria retinopathy has been proposed as marker of “true” cerebral malaria (CM), ie, coma due to Plasmodium falciparum vs coma due to other causes, with incidental P falciparum parasitemia. Plasma P falciparum histidine-rich protein-2 (PfHRP2) concentrations distinguish retinopathy-positive (RP) from retinopathy-negative (RN) CM but have not been compared between RN CM and other forms of severe malaria or asymptomatic parasitemia (AP). Methods We compared plasma PfHRP2 concentrations in 260 children with CM (247 examined for retinopathy), 228 children with severe malarial anemia (SMA), and 30 community children with AP. Results Plasmodium falciparum HRP2 concentrations were higher in children with RP CM than RN CM (P = .006), with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.61 (95% confidence interval, 0.53–0.68). Plasmodium falciparum HRP2 concentrations and sequestered parasite biomass were higher in RN CM than SMA (both P < .03) or AP (both P < .001). Conclusions Plasmodium falciparum HRP2 concentrations are higher in children with RN CM than in children with SMA or AP, suggesting that P falciparum is involved in disease pathogenesis in children with CM. Plasmodium falciparum HRP2 concentrations may provide a more feasible and consistent assessment of the contribution of P falciparum to severe disease than malaria retinopathy

A nanomechanical resonator shuttling single electrons at radio frequencies

We observe transport of electrons through a metallic island on the tip of a nanomechanical pendulum. The resulting tunneling current shows distinct features corresponding to the discrete mechanical eigenfrequencies of the pendulum. We report on measurements covering the temperature range from 300 K down to 4.2 K. We explain the I-V curve, which differs from previous theoretical predictions, with model calculations based on a Master equation approach.Comment: 5 pages, 4 jpeg-figure

Performance of two clinical fluorescence imaging systems with different targeted and non-targeted near-infrared fluorophores: a cadaveric explorative study

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence-guided surgery is increasingly utilized in humans and pets. As clinical imaging systems are optimized for Indocyanine green (ICG) detection, the usage of targeted dyes necessitates the validation of these systems for each dye. We investigated the impact of skin pigmentation and tissue overlay on the sensitivity of two NIR cameras (IC-FlowTM, VisionsenseTM VS3 Iridum) for the detection of non-targeted (ICG, IRDye800) and targeted (AngiostampTM, FAP-Cyan) NIR fluorophores in an ex vivo big animal model

Controllable pi junction in a Josephson quantum-dot device with molecular spin

We consider a model for a single molecule with a large frozen spin sandwiched in between two BCS superconductors at equilibrium, and show that this system has a $\pi$ junction behavior at low temperature. The $\pi$ shift can be reversed by varying the other parameters of the system, e.g., temperature or the position of the quantum dot level, implying a controllable $\pi$ junction with novel application as a Josephson current switch. We show that the mechanism leading to the $\pi$ shift can be explained simply in terms of the contributions of the Andreev bound states and of the continuum of states above the superconducting gap. The free energy for certain configuration of parameters shows a bistable nature, which is a necessary pre-condition for achievement of a qubit

YeastMine--an integrated data warehouse for Saccharomyces cerevisiae data as a multipurpose tool-kit.

The Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD; http://www.yeastgenome.org/) provides high-quality curated genomic, genetic, and molecular information on the genes and their products of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To accommodate the increasingly complex, diverse needs of researchers for searching and comparing data, SGD has implemented InterMine (http://www.InterMine.org), an open source data warehouse system with a sophisticated querying interface, to create YeastMine (http://yeastmine.yeastgenome.org). YeastMine is a multifaceted search and retrieval environment that provides access to diverse data types. Searches can be initiated with a list of genes, a list of Gene Ontology terms, or lists of many other data types. The results from queries can be combined for further analysis and saved or downloaded in customizable file formats. Queries themselves can be customized by modifying predefined templates or by creating a new template to access a combination of specific data types. YeastMine offers multiple scenarios in which it can be used such as a powerful search interface, a discovery tool, a curation aid and also a complex database presentation format. DATABASE URL: http://yeastmine.yeastgenome.org

Polymorphisms in HSD17B1: Early Onset and Increased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease in Women with Down Syndrome

Background/Aims. Genetic variants that affect estrogen activity may influence the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In women with Down syndrome, we examined the relation of polymorphisms in hydroxysteroid-17beta-dehydrogenase (HSD17B1) to age at onset and risk of AD. HSD17B1 encodes the enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD1), which catalyzes the conversion of estrone to estradiol. Methods. Two hundred and thirty-eight women with DS, nondemented at baseline, 31–78 years of age, were followed at 14–18-month intervals for 4.5 years. Women were genotyped for 5 haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HSD17B1 gene region, and their association with incident AD was examined. Results. Age at onset was earlier, and risk of AD was elevated from two- to threefold among women homozygous for the minor allele at 3 SNPs in intron 4 (rs676387), exon 6 (rs605059), and exon 4 in COASY (rs598126). Carriers of the haplotype TCC, based on the risk alleles for these three SNPs, had an almost twofold increased risk of developing AD (hazard ratio = 1.8, 95% CI, 1.1–3.1). Conclusion. These findings support experimental and clinical studies of the neuroprotective role of estrogen

c-di-GMP modulates type IV MSHA pilus retraction and surface attachment in Vibrio cholerae.

Biofilm formation by Vibrio cholerae facilitates environmental persistence, and hyperinfectivity within the host. Biofilm formation is regulated by 3',5'-cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) and requires production of the type IV mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) pilus. Here, we show that the MSHA pilus is a dynamic extendable and retractable system, and its activity is directly controlled by c-di-GMP. The interaction between c-di-GMP and the ATPase MshE promotes pilus extension, whereas low levels of c-di-GMP correlate with enhanced retraction. Loss of retraction facilitated by the ATPase PilT increases near-surface roaming motility, and impairs initial surface attachment. However, prolonged retraction upon surface attachment results in reduced MSHA-mediated surface anchoring and increased levels of detachment. Our results indicate that c-di-GMP directly controls MshE activity, thus regulating MSHA pilus extension and retraction dynamics, and modulating V. cholerae surface attachment and colonization

AEGIS: Demographics of X-ray and Optically Selected AGNs

We develop a new diagnostic method to classify galaxies into AGN hosts, star-forming galaxies, and absorption-dominated galaxies by combining the [O III]/Hbeta ratio with rest-frame U-B color. This can be used to robustly select AGNs in galaxy samples at intermediate redshifts (z<1). We compare the result of this optical AGN selection with X-ray selection using a sample of 3150 galaxies with 0.3<z<0.8 and I_AB<22, selected from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey and the All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). Among the 146 X-ray sources in this sample, 58% are classified optically as emission-line AGNs, the rest as star-forming galaxies or absorption-dominated galaxies. The latter are also known as "X-ray bright, optically normal galaxies" (XBONGs). Analysis of the relationship between optical emission lines and X-ray properties shows that the completeness of optical AGN selection suffers from dependence on the star formation rate and the quality of observed spectra. It also shows that XBONGs do not appear to be a physically distinct population from other X-ray detected, emission-line AGNs. On the other hand, X-ray AGN selection also has strong bias. About 2/3 of all emission-line AGNs at L_bol>10^44 erg/s in our sample are not detected in our 200 ks Chandra images, most likely due to moderate or heavy absorption by gas near the AGN. The 2--7 keV detection rate of Seyfert 2s at z~0.6 suggests that their column density distribution and Compton-thick fraction are similar to that of local Seyferts. Multiple sample selection techniques are needed to obtain as complete a sample as possible.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ. Version 2 matches the ApJ accepted version. Sec 3 was reorganized and partly rewritten with one additional figure (Fig.3