1,397 research outputs found
Elemental Analysis of Glass and Bakelite Electrodes Using PIXE Facility
The evolution of particle detectors dates back to the discovery of X-rays and
radioactivity in 1890s. In detector history, the Resistive Plate Chambers
(RPCs) are introduced in early 1980s. An RPC is a gaseous detector made up of
two parallel electrodes having high resistivity like that of glass and
bakelite. Currently several high energy physics experiments are using RPC-based
detector system due to robustness and simplicity of construction. In each and
every experiment, RPCs have to run continuously for several years. So, it
demands an in-depth characterization of the electrode materials. In the present
study, an elemental analysis of locally available glass and bakelite samples is
done using PIXE facility available at Panjab University Cyclotron, Chandigarh.
PIXE measurements are done using 2.7 MeV proton beam incident on the electrode
sample target. The constituent elements present in these electrode samples are
reported.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figures, 1 table; Presented in XXII DAE-BRNS High Energy
Physics Symposium 201
SUPERIOR MESENTERIC VEIN THROMBOSIS AND CYTOMEGAOLOVIRUS: A DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA, A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis (SMVT) is a rare condition, usually caused by infections, intra-abdominal inflammatory diseases, portal hypertension, hypercoagulable states, or contraceptive therapy. Due to its vague symptomatology, SMVT is often diagnosed only after an abdominal contrast-enhanced computed computed tomography (CT) scan. In this article, we present a case of SMVT in a patient with a history of contraceptive drug use and a recent cytomegalovirus infection. A 36-year-old female was admitted to our department with the clinical symptoms of an acute appendicitis. the patient was a smoker and had been using hormonal contraceptive for over a year. surgery was deemed the best course of action. before the operation, blood tests showed a mild lymphocytosis and altered liver enzyme levels, while coagulation values were normal. a contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed a complete superior mesenteric vein thrombosis of bowel ischemia. Anticoagulants were immediately administered. a thrombophilia panel did not highlight any noteworthy elements. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) tests resulted positive
PROBIOTICI E TERAPIA CONVENZIONALE: NUOVE FRONTIERE NELLA GESTIONE DELLE MANIFESTAZIONI ARTICOLARI DELLE MALATTIE INFIAMMATORIE INTESTINALI (IBD)
Summary: This work reports a clinical trial performed at palermo University Hospital "paolo Giaccone". From January 2004 to December 2011, 79 patients were enrolled (40 men and 39 women). All patients suffered from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and were subjected to orthopedic consultation at the institute of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of palermo, for arthropathy to IBD. The patients were divided into two groups (A and B) and dealt with different therapies for the resolution of the inflammatory picture of the colonic mucosa and the treatment of the extraintestinal articular manifestations. Group A was treated with drug therapy: Diclofenac (75 mg im/ day for 10 days9 and Mesalazine (800 mg gastro-resistant tabletes, one tablet twice a day in mild forms, and one tablet three times per day in moderate forms). In group B, in addition to the previous treatment protocol, two probiotic mixture were added in a time of two weeks: in the first week, twice a day, one capsule containing mixture of Enterococcus faecium and saccharomices boluard was administered, with the main purpose to mitigate the intestinal inflammation; in the second week, twice a day too, one capsule containing a mixture of lactobacillus salivarius and lactobacillus acidophilus was administered, with the main purpose to mitigate the intestinal inflammation, in the second week, twice a day too, one capsule containing a mixture of lactobacillus salivarius and lactobacillus acidophilus was administered, with the aim to promote the restoration of a normal intestinal microenvironment. The attenuation of intestinal inflammation, improved by the presence of probiotics, could have important effects on the articular manifestations, resulting in a significant improvement of the arthropathy. All patients were evaluated with the Harvey-Bradshaw Index. Both Crohn Disease and Ulcerative Cholitis diagnosis was made with clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and instrumental tests; the degree of disease activity was evaluated using the criteria of Truelove and witts. The WOMAC-Score (Western Ontario Mcmaster) was used in our study to investigate the degree of articular involvement of the patients. The data were statistically evaluated and these are shown that the B group of patients treated with conventional therapy + probiotic mixture had a better resolution of the clinical and of this post-treatment parameters: WOMAC score, ESR, CRP and white blood cells; and also the B group of patients have a better response to standard therapy compared with patients who did not receive the probiotic with a remarkable statistic significance (p>0,0001)
Candida albicans repetitive elements display epigenetic diversity and plasticity
Transcriptionally silent heterochromatin is associated with repetitive DNA. It is poorly understood whether and how heterochromatin differs between different organisms and whether its structure can be remodelled in response to environmental signals. Here, we address this question by analysing the chromatin state associated with DNA repeats in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Our analyses indicate that, contrary to model systems, each type of repetitive element is assembled into a distinct chromatin state. Classical Sir2-dependent hypoacetylated and hypomethylated chromatin is associated with the rDNA locus while telomeric regions are assembled into a weak heterochromatin that is only mildly hypoacetylated and hypomethylated. Major Repeat Sequences, a class of tandem repeats, are assembled into an intermediate chromatin state bearing features of both euchromatin and heterochromatin. Marker gene silencing assays and genome-wide RNA sequencing reveals that C. albicans heterochromatin represses expression of repeat-associated coding and non-coding RNAs. We find that telomeric heterochromatin is dynamic and remodelled upon an environmental change. Weak heterochromatin is associated with telomeres at 30?°C, while robust heterochromatin is assembled over these regions at 39?°C, a temperature mimicking moderate fever in the host. Thus in C. albicans, differential chromatin states controls gene expression and epigenetic plasticity is linked to adaptation
miR-132/212 knockout mice reveal roles for these miRNAs in regulating cortical synaptic transmission and plasticity
miR-132 and miR-212 are two closely related miRNAs encoded in the same intron of a small non-coding gene, which have been suggested to play roles in both immune and neuronal function. We describe here the generation and initial characterisation of a miR-132/212 double knockout mouse. These mice were viable and fertile with no overt adverse phenotype. Analysis of innate immune responses, including TLR-induced cytokine production and IFNβ induction in response to viral infection of primary fibroblasts did not reveal any phenotype in the knockouts. In contrast, the loss of miR-132 and miR-212, while not overtly affecting neuronal morphology, did affect synaptic function. In both hippocampal and neocortical slices miR-132/212 knockout reduced basal synaptic transmission, without affecting paired-pulse facilitation. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by tetanic stimulation was not affected by miR-132/212 deletion, whilst theta burst LTP was enhanced. In contrast, neocortical theta burst-induced LTP was inhibited by loss of miR-132/212. Together these results indicate that miR-132 and/or miR-212 play a significant role in synaptic function, possibly by regulating the number of postsynaptic AMPA receptors under basal conditions and during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity
TOM40 Mediates Mitochondrial Dysfunction Induced by α-Synuclein Accumulation in Parkinson's Disease.
Alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) accumulation/aggregation and mitochondrial dysfunction play prominent roles in the pathology of Parkinson's disease. We have previously shown that postmortem human dopaminergic neurons from PD brains accumulate high levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions. We now addressed the question, whether alterations in a component of the mitochondrial import machinery -TOM40- might contribute to the mitochondrial dysfunction and damage in PD. For this purpose, we studied levels of TOM40, mtDNA deletions, oxidative damage, energy production, and complexes of the respiratory chain in brain homogenates as well as in single neurons, using laser-capture-microdissection in transgenic mice overexpressing human wildtype α-Syn. Additionally, we used lentivirus-mediated stereotactic delivery of a component of this import machinery into mouse brain as a novel therapeutic strategy. We report here that TOM40 is significantly reduced in the brain of PD patients and in α-Syn transgenic mice. TOM40 deficits were associated with increased mtDNA deletions and oxidative DNA damage, and with decreased energy production and altered levels of complex I proteins in α-Syn transgenic mice. Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of Tom40 in α-Syn-transgenic mice brains ameliorated energy deficits as well as oxidative burden. Our results suggest that alterations in the mitochondrial protein transport machinery might contribute to mitochondrial impairment in α-Synucleinopathies
Hsp90 orchestrates transcriptional regulation by Hsf1 and cell wall remodelling by MAPK signalling during thermal adaptation in a pathogenic yeast
Acknowledgments We thank Rebecca Shapiro for creating CaLC1819, CaLC1855 and CaLC1875, Gillian Milne for help with EM, Aaron Mitchell for generously providing the transposon insertion mutant library, Jesus Pla for generously providing the hog1 hst7 mutant, and Cathy Collins for technical assistance.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
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