Simulation of cellular irradiation with the CENBG microbeam line using GEANT4

Light-ion microbeams provide a unique opportunity to irradiate biological samples at the cellular level and to investigate radiobiological effects at low doses of high LET ionising radiation. Since 1998 a single-ion irradiation facility has been developed on the focused horizontal microbeam line of the CENBG 3.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator. This setup delivers in air single protons and alpha particles of a few MeV onto cultured cells, with a spatial resolution of a few microns, allowing subcellular targeting. In this paper, we present results from the use of the GEANT4 toolkit to simulate cellular irradiation with the CENBG microbeam line, from the entrance to the microprobe up to the cellular medium.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, presented at the 2003 IEEE-NSS conference, Portland, OR, USA, October 20-24, 200

Bacteriophage and H. pylori: an underestimated phenomena

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Gene conversion in human rearranged immunoglobulin genes

Over the past 20 years, many DNA sequences have been published suggesting that all or part of the V<sub>H</sub> segment of a rearranged immunoglobulin gene may be replaced in vivo. Two different mechanisms appear to be operating. One of these is very similar to primary V(D)J recombination, involving the RAG proteins acting upon recombination signal sequences, and this has recently been proven to occur. Other sequences, many of which show partial V<sub>H</sub> replacements with no addition of untemplated nucleotides at the V<sub>H</sub>–V<sub>H</sub> joint, have been proposed to occur by an unusual RAG-mediated recombination with the formation of hybrid (coding-to-signal) joints. These appear to occur in cells already undergoing somatic hypermutation in which, some authors are convinced, RAG genes are silenced. We recently proposed that the latter type of V<sub>H</sub> replacement might occur by homologous recombination initiated by the activity of AID (activation-induced cytidine deaminase), which is essential for somatic hypermutation and gene conversion. The latter has been observed in other species, but not in human Ig genes, so far. In this paper, we present a new analysis of sequences published as examples of the second type of rearrangement. This not only shows that AID recognition motifs occur in recombination regions but also that some sequences show replacement of central sections by a sequence from another gene, similar to gene conversion in the immunoglobulin genes of other species. These observations support the proposal that this type of rearrangement is likely to be AID-mediated rather than RAG-mediated and is consistent with gene conversion

Depicting the tree of life: The philosophical and historical roots of evolutionary tree diagrams

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spectroscopic, calorimetric, and catalytic evidences of hydrophobicity on Ti-MCM-41 silylated materials for olefin epoxidations

tHydrophobic Ti-MCM-41 samples prepared by post-synthesis silylation treatment demonstrate to behighly active and selective catalysts in olefins epoxidation by using organic hydroperoxides as oxidizingagents in liquid phase reaction systems. Epoxide yields show important enhancements with increasedsilylation degrees of the Ti-mesoporous samples. Catalytic studies are combined and correlated withspectroscopic techniques (e.g. XRD, XANES, UV-Visible,29Si MAS-NMR) and calorimetric measurementsto better understand the changes in the surface chemistry of Ti-MCM-41 samples due to the post-synthesis silylation treatment and to ascertain the role of these trimethylsilyl groups incorporated inolefin epoxidation. In such manner, the effect of the organic moieties on solids, and both water and gly-col molecules contents on the catalytic activity and selectivity are analyzed in detail. Results show thatthe hydrophobicity level of the samples is responsible for the decrease in water adsorption and, conse-quently, the negligible formation of the non-desired glycol during the catalytic process. Thus, catalystdeactivation by glycol poisoning of Ti active sites is greatly diminished, this increasing catalyst stabilityand leading to practically quantitative production of the corresponding epoxide. The extended use ofthese hydrophobic Ti-MCM-41 catalysts together with organic hydroperoxides for the highly efficientand selective epoxidation of natural terpenes is also exemplified.The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support of Spanish Government (MAT2012-38567-C02-01, Consolider-Ingenio 2010-Multicat CSD-2009-00050 and Severo Ochoa SEV-2012-0267) and Generalitat Valenciana (Project Prometeo). M.E.D. also thanks funds from Spanish Government (CTQ-2011-27550) and CSIC (PIE 2009801063). J.S.A. and F.R.R. acknowledge financial support from MINECO (Projects MAT2013-45008-p and CONCERT Project-NASEMS (PCIN-2013-057), and from Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO2009/002).Silvestre Albero, J.; Domine ., ME.; Jorda Moret, JL.; Navarro Villalba, MT.; Rey Garcia, F.; Rodriguez-Reinoso, F.; Corma Canós, A. (2015). Spectroscopic, calorimetric, and catalytic evidences of hydrophobicity on Ti-MCM-41 silylated materials for olefin epoxidations. Applied Catalysis A: General. 507:14-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2015.09.029S142550

Investigation of Linum flavum (L.) Hairy Root Cultures for the Production of Anticancer Aryltetralin Lignans.

Collaboration with: Université d’Orléans, 28000 Chartres, France, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, F-80037 Amiens, France De Montfort University Open access articleLinum flavum hairy root lines were established from hypocotyl pieces using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains LBA 9402 and ATCC 15834. Both strains were effective for transformation but induction of hairy root phenotype was more stable with strain ATCC 15834. Whereas similar accumulation patterns were observed in podophyllotoxin-related compounds (6-methoxy-podophyllotoxin, podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin), significant quantitative variations were noted between root lines. The influence of culture medium and various treatments (hormone, elicitation and precursor feeding) were evaluated. The highest accumulation was obtained in Gamborg B5 medium. Treatment with methyl jasmonate, and feeding using ferulic acid increased the accumulation of aryltetralin lignans. These results point to the use of hairy root culture lines of Linum flavum as potential sources for these valuable metabolites as an alternative, or as a complement to Podophyllum collected from wild stands

Metformin efficacy and safety for colorectal polyps: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is one of the major neoplasms and a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and new preventive strategies are needed to lower the burden of this disease. Metformin, a biguanide, which is widely used for treating diabetes mellitus, has recently been suggestive to have a suppressive effect on tumorigenesis and cancer cell growth. In a previous study conducted in non-diabetic subjects, we showed that oral short-term low-dose metformin suppressed the development of colorectal aberrant crypt foci (ACF). ACF have been considered as a useful surrogate biomarker of CRC, although the biological significance of these lesions remains controversial. We devised a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate the chemopreventive effect of metformin against metachronous colorectal polyps and the safety of this drug in non-diabetic post-polypectomy patients.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This study is a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial to be conducted in non-diabetic patients with a recent history of undergoing colorectal polypectomy. All adult patients visiting the Yokohama City University hospital or affiliated hospitals for polypectomy shall be recruited for the study. Eligible patients will then be allocated randomly into either one of two groups: the metformin group and the placebo group. Patients in the metformin group shall receive oral metformin at 250 mg per day, and those in the placebo group shall receive an oral placebo tablet. At the end of 1 year of administration of metformin/placebo, colonoscopy will be performed to evaluate the polyp formation.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This is the first study proposed to explore the effect of metformin against colorectal polyp formation. Metformin activates AMPK, which inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. The mTOR pathway plays an important role in the cellular protein translational machinery and cell proliferation. Patients with type 2 diabetes taking under treatment with metformin have been reported to be at a lower risk of cancer development than those not taking under treatment with metformin. We showed in a previous study that metformin suppressed the formation of human colorectal ACF. We therefore decided to conduct a study to determine whether metformin might suppress the formation of human colorectal polyps.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>This trial has been registered in the University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry as <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/UMIN000006254">UMIN000006254</a></p