A Gibbs approach to Chargaff's second parity rule

Chargaff's second parity rule (CSPR) asserts that the frequencies of short polynucleotide chains are the same as those of the complementary reversed chains. Up to now, this hypothesis has only been observed empirically and there is currently no explanation for its presence in DNA strands. Here we argue that CSPR is a probabilistic consequence of the reverse complementarity between paired strands, because the Gibbs distribution associated with the chemical energy between the bonds satisfies CSPR. We develop a statistical test to study the validity of CSPR under the Gibbsian assumption and we apply it to a large set of bacterial genomes taken from the GenBank repository.Comment: 16 page

THERMODYNAMICS OF A BROWNIAN BRIDGE POLYMER MODEL IN A RANDOM ENVIRONMENT

We consider a directed random walk making either 0 or $+1$ moves and a Brownian bridge, independent of the walk, conditioned to arrive at point $b$ on time $T$. The Hamiltonian is defined as the sum of the square of increments of the bridge between the moments of jump of the random walk and interpreted as an energy function over the bridge connfiguration; the random walk acts as the random environment. This model provides a continuum version of a model with some relevance to protein conformation. The thermodynamic limit of the specific free energy is shown to exist and to be self-averaging, i.e. it is equal to a trivial --- explicitly computed --- random variable. An estimate of the asymptotic behaviour of the ground state energy is also obtained.Comment: 20 pages, uuencoded postscrip

The antioxidant vitamin E modulates amyloid b-peptid-induced creatine kinase activity inhibition and increased protein oxidation: Implications for the free radical hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease

Amyloid B-peptide (AB), the main constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, is hypothesized to be a key factor in the neurodegeneration seen in AD. Recently it has been shown by us and others that the neurotoxicity of AB occurs in conjunction with free radical oxidative stress associated with the peptide. AB(1-40) and several other fragments of the AB sequence are associated with free radicals in solution that are detectable using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. These free radicals were shown to attack brain cell membranes, initiate lipid peroxidation, increase Ca 2+ influx and damage membrane and cytosolic proteins. In AD brain obtained under rapid autopsy protocol, the activity of the oxidatively-sensitive enzyme creatine kinase was shown to be significantly reduced. We reasoned that AB-associated free radical-induced modification of creatine kinase activity and other markers of cellular damage might be modulated by free radical scavengers. Accordingly, this study demonstrates that vitamin E can modulate AB(25-35)-induced oxidative damage to creatine kinase and cellular proteins in cultured embryonic hippocampal neurons. These results, consistent with the hypothesis of free radical-mediated AB toxicity in AD, are discussed with deference to potential free radical scavengers as therapeutic agents for slowing the progression of AD

Atomic layer deposition of a MgO barrier for a passivated black phosphorus spintronics platform

We demonstrate a stabilized black phosphorus (BP) 2D platform thanks to an ultrathin MgO barrier, as required for spintronic device integration. The in-situ MgO layer deposition is achieved by using a large-scale atomic layer deposition process with high nucleation density. Raman spectroscopy studies show that this layer protects the BP from degradation in ambient conditions, unlocking in particular the possibility to carry out usual lithographic fabrication steps. The resulting MgO/BP stack is then integrated in a device and probed electrically, confirming the tunnel properties of the ultrathin MgO contacts. We believe that this demonstration of a BP material platform passivated with a functional MgO tunnel barrier provides a promising perspective for BP spin transport devices

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Capture and Cross-Present Viral Antigens from Influenza-Virus Exposed Cells

Among the different subsets of dendritic cells (DC), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) play a unique role in secreting large amounts of type I interferons upon viral stimulation, but their efficiency as antigen-presenting cells has not been completely characterized. We show here, by flow cytometry, with human primary blood PDC and with a PDC cell line, that PDC display poor endocytic capacity for soluble or cellular antigens when compared to monocyte-derived myeloid DC. However, immature PDC efficiently take up cellular material from live influenza-exposed cells, subsequently mature and cross-present viral antigens very efficiently to specific CD8+ T cells. Therefore, during viral infection PDC not only secrete immunomodulatory cytokines, but also recognize infected cells and function as antigen cross-presenting cells to trigger the anti-viral immune response

Simian virus 40 inhibits differentiation and maturation of rhesus macaque DC-SIGN+-dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DC) are the initiators and modulators of the immune responses. Some species of pathogenic microorganisms have developed immune evasion strategies by controlling antigen presentation function of DC. Simian virus 40 (SV40) is a DNA tumor virus of rhesus monkey origin. It can induce cell transformation and tumorigenesis in many vertebrate species, but often causes no visible effects and persists as a latent infection in rhesus monkeys under natural conditions. To investigate the interaction between SV40 and rhesus monkey DC, rhesus monkey peripheral blood monocyte-derived DC were induced using recombinant human Interleukin-4 (rhIL-4) and infective SV40, the phenotype and function of DC-specific intracellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN)+ DC were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Results showed that SV40 can down-regulate the expression of CD83 and CD86 on DC and impair DC-induced activation of T cell proliferation. These findings suggest that SV40 might also cause immune suppression by influencing differentiation and maturation of DC