Patterns of resistance to β-lactams and β-lactamase inhibitors in uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from animals in Portugal

FMV 1953 uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolate was extremely resistant to amoxicillin, co-amoxiclav, ticarcillin, mecillinam, cefoxitime, cefixime, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone and aztreoname. From the resistance patterns observed we deduce the phenotype as producing a TEM-1 β-lactamase, a hyperproduced Amp-C β-lactamase and an OXA-3 β-lactamase or a PBP-2 mutation isolate.Key words: Antibiotic resistance, uropathogenic Escherichia coli, phenotype characterization

A Forward Application of Age Associated Gray and White Matter Networks

To capture patterns of normal age-associated atrophy, we previously used a multivariate statistical approach applied to voxel based morphometry that identified age-associated gray and white matter covariance networks (Brickman et al. [2007]: Neurobiol Aging 28:284-295). The current study sought to examine the stability of these patterns by forward applying the identified networks to an independent sample of neurologically healthy younger and older adults. Forty-two younger and 35 older adults were imaged with standard high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging. Individual images were spatially normalized and segmented into gray and white matter. Covariance patterns that were previously identified with scaled subprofile model analyses were prospectively applied to the current sample to identify to what degree the age-associated patterns were manifested. Older individuals were also assessed with a modified version of the Mini Mental State Examination (mMMSE). Gray matter covariance pattern expression discriminated between younger and older participants with high optimal sensitivity (100%) and specificity (90.5%). While the two groups differed in the degree of white matter pattern expression (t (75) = 5.26, P < 0.001), classification based on white matter expression was relatively low (sensitivity = 80% and specificity = 61.9%). Among older adults, chronological age was significantly associated with increased gray matter pattern expression (r (32) = 0.591, P < 0.001) but not with performance on the mMMSE (r (31) = -0.314, P = 0.085). However, gray matter pattern expression was significantly associated with performance on the mMMSE (r (31) = -0.405, P = 0.024). The findings suggest that the previously derived age-associated covariance pattern for gray matter is reliable and may provide information that is more functionally meaningful than chronological age

Insight into the melt processed Polylimonene oxide/Polylactic acid blends

In this work, the polymerization of limonene oxide (LO) has been optimized at room temperature with two different aluminium-based catalysts [AlMeX{2,6-(CHPh$_2$)$_2$-4-tBu-C$_6$H$_2$O}] (X = Me (1), Cl (2)). A fully bio-based ether, polylimonene oxide (PLO), has been synthesized with low molecular weight and good thermal stability, being a potential sustainable polymeric additive for other bio-based and biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA). Hence, we have explored its ability to influence the thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of PLA by preparing their blends by melt processing. The addition of a low amount of PLO led to a nearly 10 $^\circ$C decrease in the PLA glass transition temperature. Moreover, a decrease in the PLA melting temperature and the degree of crystallinity was observed. Interestingly, a remarkable increase in the flexibility of PLA-based films was noticed. All the results point to the existence of strong interactions between the components, suggesting their partial miscibility.Comment: Polymer Chemistry (2023

Autophagy gene haploinsufficiency drives chromosome instability, increases migration, and promotes early ovarian tumors.

Autophagy, particularly with BECN1, has paradoxically been highlighted as tumor promoting in Ras-driven cancers, but potentially tumor suppressing in breast and ovarian cancers. However, studying the specific role of BECN1 at the genetic level is complicated due to its genomic proximity to BRCA1 on both human (chromosome 17) and murine (chromosome 11) genomes. In human breast and ovarian cancers, the monoallelic deletion of these genes is often co-occurring. To investigate the potential tumor suppressor roles of two of the most commonly deleted autophagy genes in ovarian cancer, BECN1 and MAP1LC3B were knocked-down in atypical (BECN1+/+ and MAP1LC3B+/+) ovarian cancer cells. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry metabolomics revealed reduced levels of acetyl-CoA which corresponded with elevated levels of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Migration rates of ovarian cancer cells were increased upon autophagy gene knockdown. Genomic instability was increased, resulting in copy-number alteration patterns which mimicked high grade serous ovarian cancer. We further investigated the causal role of Becn1 haploinsufficiency for oncogenesis in a MISIIR SV40 large T antigen driven spontaneous ovarian cancer mouse model. Tumors were evident earlier among the Becn1+/- mice, and this correlated with an increase in copy-number alterations per chromosome in the Becn1+/- tumors. The results support monoallelic loss of BECN1 as permissive for tumor initiation and potentiating for genomic instability in ovarian cancer

Port Protocols for Deadlock-Freedom of Component Systems

In component-based development, approaches for property verification exist that avoid building the global system behavior of the component model. Typically, these approaches rely on the analysis of the local behavior of fixed sized subsystems of components. In our approach, we want to avoid not only the analysis of the global behavior but also of the local behaviors of the components. Instead, we consider very small parts of the local behaviors called port protocols that suffice to verify properties.Comment: In Proceedings ICE 2010, arXiv:1010.530

Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Human Myeloperoxidase: Reaction With Hydrated Electrons

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a myeloid-lineage restricted enzyme largely expressed in the azurophilic granules of neutrophils. It catalyses the formation of reactive oxygen species, mainly hypochlorous acid, contributing to anti-pathogenic defense. Disorders in the production or regulation of MPO may lead to a variety of health conditions, mainly of inflammatory origin, including autoimmune inflammation. We have studied the effect of ionizing radiation on the activity of MPO, as measured by the capacity retained by the enzyme to produce hypochlorous acid as reactive oxygen species after exposure to successive doses of solvated electrons, the strongest possible one-e− reducing agent in water. Chlorination activity was still present after a very high irradiation dose, indicating that radiation damage does not take place at the active site, hindered in the core of MPO structure. Decay kinetics show a dependence on the wavelength, supporting that the process must occur at peripheral functional groups situated on external and readily accessible locations of the enzyme. These results are relevant to understand the mechanism of resistance of our innate anti-pathogenic defense system and also to get insight into potential strategies to regulate MPO levels as a therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases.This work was supported by: the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CTQ2004-00534/BQU), the European Commission through the Access to Large-Scale Scientific Facilities Program (ref 41365), and the regional government of the Xunta de Galicia (Project GPC ED431B 2020/52)Xunta de Galicia; ED431B 2020/5

Structure factor of polymers interacting via a short range repulsive potential: application to hairy wormlike micelles

We use the Random Phase Approximation (RPA) to compute the structure factor, S(q), of a solution of chains interacting through a soft and short range repulsive potential V. Above a threshold polymer concentration, whose magnitude is essentially controlled by the range of the potential, S(q) exhibits a peak whose position depends on the concentration. We take advantage of the close analogy between polymers and wormlike micelles and apply our model, using a Gaussian function for V, to quantitatively analyze experimental small angle neutron scattering profiles of semi-dilute solutions of hairy wormlike micelles. These samples, which consist in surfactant self-assembled flexible cylinders decorated by amphiphilic copolymer, provide indeed an appropriate experimental model system to study the structure of sterically interacting polymer solutions

Chaotic scalar fields as models for dark energy

We consider stochastically quantized self-interacting scalar fields as suitable models to generate dark energy in the universe. Second quantization effects lead to new and unexpected phenomena is the self interaction strength is strong. The stochastically quantized dynamics can degenerate to a chaotic dynamics conjugated to a Bernoulli shift in fictitious time, and the right amount of vacuum energy density can be generated without fine tuning. It is numerically observed that the scalar field dynamics distinguishes fundamental parameters such as the electroweak and strong coupling constants as corresponding to local minima in the dark energy landscape. Chaotic fields can offer possible solutions to the cosmological coincidence problem, as well as to the problem of uniqueness of vacua.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures. Replaced by final version accepted by Phys. Rev.

Reduction in Cerebral Blood Flow in Areas Appearing as White Matter Hyperintensities on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The purpose of this study was to examine cerebral blood flow (CBF) as measured by arterial spin labeling (ASL) in tissue classified as white matter hyperintensities (WMH), normal appearing white matter, and grey matter. Seventeen healthy older adults received structural and ASL MRI. Cerebral blood flow was derived for three tissue types: WMH, normal appearing white matter, and grey matter. Cerebral blood flow was lower in WMH areas relative to normal appearing white matter, which in turn, was lower than grey matter. Regions with consistently lower CBF across individuals were more likely to appear as WMH. Results are consistent with an emerging literature linking diminished regional perfusion with the risk of developing WMH