290 research outputs found
PATIENTS COLONIZATION AND INFECTION IN WARDS AFTER DISCHARGE FROM A POLYVALENT INTENSIVE CARE UNIT WITH SELECTIVE DIGESTIVE DECONTAMINATION: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Gene expression profiles in rat mesenteric lymph nodes upon supplementation with Conjugated Linoleic Acid during gestation and suckling
Background Diet plays a role on the development of the immune system, and polyunsaturated fatty acids can modulate the expression of a variety of genes. Human milk contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that seems to contribute to immune development. Indeed, recent studies carried out in our group in suckling animals have shown that the immune function is enhanced after feeding them with an 80:20 isomer mix composed of c9,t11 and t10,c12 CLA. However, little work has been done on the effects of CLA on gene expression, and even less regarding immune system development in early life. Results The expression profile of mesenteric lymph nodes from animals supplemented with CLA during gestation and suckling through dam's milk (Group A) or by oral gavage (Group B), supplemented just during suckling (Group C) and control animals (Group D) was determined with the aid of the specific GeneChip® Rat Genome 230 2.0 (Affymettrix). Bioinformatics analyses were performed using the GeneSpring GX software package v10.0.2 and lead to the identification of 89 genes differentially expressed in all three dietary approaches. Generation of a biological association network evidenced several genes, such as connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (Timp1), galanin (Gal), synaptotagmin 1 (Syt1), growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (Grb2), actin gamma 2 (Actg2) and smooth muscle alpha actin (Acta2), as highly interconnected nodes of the resulting network. Gene underexpression was confirmed by Real-Time RT-PCR. Conclusions Ctgf, Timp1, Gal and Syt1, among others, are genes modulated by CLA supplementation that may have a role on mucosal immune responses in early life
Gene expression profiles in rat mesenteric lymph nodes upon supplementation with Conjugated Linoleic Acid during gestation and suckling
Background Diet plays a role on the development of the immune system, and polyunsaturated fatty acids can modulate the expression of a variety of genes. Human milk contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that seems to contribute to immune development. Indeed, recent studies carried out in our group in suckling animals have shown that the immune function is enhanced after feeding them with an 80:20 isomer mix composed of c9,t11 and t10,c12 CLA. However, little work has been done on the effects of CLA on gene expression, and even less regarding immune system development in early life. Results The expression profile of mesenteric lymph nodes from animals supplemented with CLA during gestation and suckling through dam's milk (Group A) or by oral gavage (Group B), supplemented just during suckling (Group C) and control animals (Group D) was determined with the aid of the specific GeneChip® Rat Genome 230 2.0 (Affymettrix). Bioinformatics analyses were performed using the GeneSpring GX software package v10.0.2 and lead to the identification of 89 genes differentially expressed in all three dietary approaches. Generation of a biological association network evidenced several genes, such as connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (Timp1), galanin (Gal), synaptotagmin 1 (Syt1), growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (Grb2), actin gamma 2 (Actg2) and smooth muscle alpha actin (Acta2), as highly interconnected nodes of the resulting network. Gene underexpression was confirmed by Real-Time RT-PCR. Conclusions Ctgf, Timp1, Gal and Syt1, among others, are genes modulated by CLA supplementation that may have a role on mucosal immune responses in early life
Atopic dermatitis prevention in children following maternal probiotic supplementation does not appear to be mediated by breast milk TSLP or TGF-β
A novel human pain insensitivity disorder caused by a point mutation in ZFHX2
Chronic pain is a major global public health issue causing a severe impact on both the quality of life for sufferers and the wider economy. Despite the significant clinical burden, little progress has been made in terms of therapeutic development. A unique approach to identifying new human-validated analgesic drug targets is to study rare families with inherited pain insensitivity. Here we have analysed an otherwise normal family where six affected individuals display a pain insensitive phenotype that is characterized by hyposensitivity to noxious heat and painless bone fractures. This autosomal dominant disorder is found in three generations and is not associated with a peripheral neuropathy. A novel point mutation in ZFHX2, encoding a putative transcription factor expressed in small diameter sensory neurons, was identified by whole exome sequencing that segregates with the pain insensitivity. The mutation is predicted to change an evolutionarily highly conserved arginine residue 1913 to a lysine within a homeodomain. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice bearing the orthologous murine p.R1907K mutation, as well as Zfhx2 null mutant mice, have significant deficits in pain sensitivity. Gene expression analyses in dorsal root ganglia from mutant and wild-Type mice show altered expression of genes implicated in peripheral pain mechanisms. The ZFHX2 variant and downstream regulated genes associated with a human pain-insensitive phenotype are therefore potential novel targets for the development of new analgesic drugs. awx326media1 5680039660001 The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.We thank the Medical Research Council (J.J.C., Career Development Award, G1100340), Wellcome Trust (200183/ Z/15/Z and 101054/Z/13/Z) and Arthritis Research UK (20200) for generous support and Shionogi for an academic research grant (165302). Thanks to the University of Siena for partially funding this research. J.T.B. is supported by a Research Fellowship from the Alzheimer�s Society. J.D.R. received funding from the Wellcome Trust through the London Pain Consortium and from Colciencias through a Francisco Jose de Caldas Scholarship (LASPAU, Harvard University). D.L.H.B. is a Wellcome senior clinical scientist (ref. no. 095698z/11/z and 202747/Z/16/Z) and member of the Wellcome Pain Consortium.Scopu
Draft genomes of Amanita jacksonii, Ceratocystis albifundus, Fusarium circinatum, Huntiella omanensis, Leptographium procerum, Rutstroemia sydowiana, and Sclerotinia echinophila
The genomes of fungi provide an important resource to resolve issues pertaining to their taxonomy,
biology, and evolution. The genomes of Amanita jacksonii, Ceratocystis albifundus, a Fusarium circinatum
variant, Huntiella omanensis, Leptographium procerum, Sclerotinia echinophila, and Rutstroemia sydowiana
are presented in this genome announcement. These seven genomes are from a number of fungal pathogens
and economically important species. The genome sizes range from 27 Mb in the case of Ceratocystis
albifundus to 51.9 Mb for Rutstroemia sydowiana. The latter also encodes for a predicted 17 350 genes,
more than double that of Ceratocystis albifundus. These genomes will add to the growing body of knowledge
of these fungi and provide a value resource to researchers studying these fungi.The US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Agricultural Research Service, grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Royal Ontario Museum to
J.M.M.; Graduate Scholarships from the Consejo Nacional de
Ciencia y Tecnologia (Mexico) and the University of Toronto to SSR;
and a Undergraduate Student Research Award from NSERC to M.S.
Financial support was provided by members of the Tree Protection Cooperative
Program (TPCP), the Department of Science and Technology (DST)/
National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence in Tree
Health Biotechnology, and the Genomics Research Institute of the
University of Pretoria. This project was supported by multiple grants
from the NRF, South Africa, including the grant specific unique
reference number (UID) 83924.http://www.imafungus.orgam201
Study of the aging of fermented of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) and sensory profile and acceptance
The Gravity Collective: A Search for the Electromagnetic Counterpart to the Neutron Star-Black Hole Merger GW190814
We present optical follow-up imaging obtained with the Katzman Automatic
Imaging Telescope, Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Nickel
Telescope, Swope Telescope, and Thacher Telescope of the LIGO/Virgo
gravitational wave (GW) signal from the neutron star-black hole (NSBH) merger
GW190814. We searched the GW190814 localization region (19 deg for the
90th percentile best localization), covering a total of 51 deg and 94.6%
of the two-dimensional localization region. Analyzing the properties of 189
transients that we consider as candidate counterparts to the NSBH merger,
including their localizations, discovery times from merger, optical spectra,
likely host-galaxy redshifts, and photometric evolution, we conclude that none
of these objects are likely to be associated with GW190814. Based on this
finding, we consider the likely optical properties of an electromagnetic
counterpart to GW190814, including possible kilonovae and short gamma-ray burst
afterglows. Using the joint limits from our follow-up imaging, we conclude that
a counterpart with an -band decline rate of 0.68 mag day, similar to
the kilonova AT 2017gfo, could peak at an absolute magnitude of at most
mag (50% confidence). Our data are not constraining for ''red'' kilonovae and
rule out ''blue'' kilonovae with (30% confidence). We
strongly rule out all known types of short gamma-ray burst afterglows with
viewing angles 17 assuming an initial jet opening angle of
and explosion energies and circumburst densities similar to
afterglows explored in the literature. Finally, we explore the possibility that
GW190814 merged in the disk of an active galactic nucleus, of which we find
four in the localization region, but we do not find any candidate counterparts
among these sources.Comment: 86 pages, 9 figure
A novel human pain insensitivity disorder caused by a point mutation in ZFHX2
Chronic pain is a major global public health issue causing a severe impact on both the quality
of life for sufferers and the wider economy. Despite the significant clinical burden, little
progress has been made in terms of therapeutic development. A uniquepowerful approach to
identifying new human-validated analgesic drug targets is to study rare families with
inherited pain insensitivity. Here we have analysed an otherwise normal family where six
affected individuals display a pain insensitive phenotype that is characterized by
hyposensitivity to noxious heat and painless bone fractures. This autosomal dominant
disorder is found in three generations and is not associated with a peripheral neuropathy. A
novel point mutation in ZFHX2, encoding a putative transcription factor expressed in small
diameter sensory neurons, was identified by whole exome sequencing that segregates with
the pain insensitivity. The mutation is predicted to change an evolutionarily highly conserved
arginine residue 1913 to a lysine within a homeodomain. BAC transgenic mice bearing the
orthologous murine p.R1907K mutation, as well as Zfhx2 null mutant mice, have significant
deficits in pain sensitivity. Gene expression analyses in dorsal root ganglia from mutant and
wild-type mice show altered expression of genes implicated in peripheral pain mechanisms.
The ZFHX2 variant and downstream regulated genes associated with a human paininsensitive
phenotype are therefore potential novel targets for the development of new
analgesic drugs
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