Dormancy within Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms : a transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq

The proportion of dormant bacteria within Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms may determine its inflammatory profile. Previously, we have shown that S. epidermidis biofilms with higher proportions of dormant bacteria have reduced activation of murine macrophages. RNA-sequencing was used to identify the major transcriptomic differences between S. epidermidis biofilms with different proportions of dormant bacteria. To accomplish this goal, we used an in vitro model where magnesium allowed modulation of the proportion of dormant bacteria within S. epidermidis biofilms. Significant differences were found in the expression of 147 genes. A detailed analysis of the results was performed based on direct and functional gene interactions. Biological processes among the differentially expressed genes were mainly related to oxidation-reduction processes and acetyl-CoA metabolic processes. Gene set enrichment revealed that the translation process is related to the proportion of dormant bacteria. Transcription of mRNAs involved in oxidation-reduction processes was associated with higher proportions of dormant bacteria within S. epidermidis biofilm. Moreover, the pH of the culture medium did not change after the addition of magnesium, and genes related to magnesium transport did not seem to impact entrance of bacterial cells into dormancy.The authors thank Stephen Lorry at Harvard Medical School for providing CLC Genomics software. This work was funded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) and COMPETE grants PTDC/BIA-MIC/113450/2009, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014309, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022718 (FCT PEst-C/SAU/LA0002/2011), QOPNA research unit (project PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2011), and CENTRO-07-ST24-FEDER-002034. The following authors had an individual FCT fellowship: VC (SFRH/BD/78235/2011) and AF (2SFRH/BD/62359/2009)

Men’s oppressive beliefs predict their breast size preferences in women

Previous studies of men’s breast size preferences have yielded equivocal findings, with studies variously indicating a preference for small, medium, or large breasts. Here, we examined the impact of men’s oppressive beliefs in shaping their female breast size ideals. British White men from the community in London, England (N = 361) viewed figures of women that rotated in 360° and varied in breast size along five levels. They then rated the figure that they found most physically attractive and also completed measures assessing their sexist attitudes and tendency to objectify women. Results showed that medium breasts were rated most frequent as attractive (32.7 %), followed by large (24.4 %) and very large (19.1 %) breasts. Further analyses showed that men’s preferences for larger female breasts were significantly associated with a greater tendency to be benevolently sexist, to objectify women, and to be hostile towards women. These results were discussed in relation to feminist theories, which postulate that beauty ideals and practices in contemporary societies serve to maintain the domination of one sex over the other

Autonomic surface potential analysis: Assessment of reproducibility and sensitivity

There has been recent interest in measuring sympathetic sudomotor function by autonomic surface potential analysis. The purpose of the present study was to assess factors affecting the reproducibility of the test. We determined the within-day and between-day reproducibility in 24 healthy volunteers. We used an increasing rather than a constant electrical stimulus to minimize habituation. The amplitudes were still highly variable (an average within-day coefficient of variation in the soles of 35%). Habituation did not, however, affect the latencies of the responses, which were much more reproducible (an average within-day coefficient of variation in the soles of 8%). Studies of between-day reproducibility revealed that the mean amplitudes were lower on day 2 vs. day 1 (0.706 ± 0.10 vs. 0.85 ± 0.10 mV in the soles, P \u3c 0.01) but the mean latencies were similar on the different testing days (2.09 ± .04 seconds for the soles on day 1 vs. 2.16 ± .05 seconds on day 2). We also assessed the sensitivity of surface potential analysis and report the results of testing 35 patients with far advanced autonomic neuropathy

Are there two types of diabetic foot ulcers?

Neurological function was determined in diabetic patients with peripheral vascular disease and foot ulcers (n = 13). This was compared to that of diabetic patients without foot ulcers with (n = 23) and without (n = 13) symptoms of neuropathy. Diabetic patients with typical neuropathic ulcers (n = 13) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20) were also studied. The beat-to-beat variation with deep breathing was 6.1 ± 1.0 beats/min in those with peripheral vascular disease and foot ulcers, less than 50% of that of diabetic patients without foot ulcers (p \u3c 0.01) or normal controls (p \u3c 0.005). Autonomic surface potentials in the soles were greatly diminished or absent in nearly all the patients with peripheral vascular disease and ulcers. Quantitative sensory testing revealed profound abnormalities in small fiber (heat and cold sensation) and large fiber (vibration sensation) function in diabetic patients with peripheral vascular disease and foot ulcers. Our results document the presence of advanced autonomic and somatosensory neuropathy in nearly all diabetic patients with peripheral vascular disease and foot ulcers. © 1994

Social Justice and Individual Ethics

If one is committed to a “Rawlsian” conception of justice, is one not also necessarily committed to a “Christian” personal ethics? MOE explicitly, if one believes that social justice requires the maximinning of material conditions, should one not use one's time and resources as well as one can in order to assist the poorest? The paper offers a very partial answer to these questions by arguing for the following two claims: (1) Contrary to what is implied by some egalitarian critics of Rawls, the idea of a well-ordered society does not require maximin-guided choices at the individual level, and hence leaves room for legitimate incentive payments