2,949 research outputs found

    Enhancing in vitro biocompatibility and corrosion protection of organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel films with nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite

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    Application of novel organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel coatings containing dispersed hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles improves the biocompatibility, normal human osteoblast (NHOst) response in terms of osteoblast viability and adhesion of a Ti6Al4V alloy routinely used in medical implants. The incorporation of HAp particles additionally results in more effective barrier proprieties and improved corrosion protection of the Ti6Al4V alloy through higher degree of cross-linking in the organopolysiloxane matrix and enhanced film thickness

    A case of bilateral luxatio erecta

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    Luxatio erecta is an uncommon form of glenohumeral dislocation. Cases of bilateral inferior shoulder dislocation (luxatio erecta) are very rare, and only ten cases have been described in literature. We describe a case of a woman with bilateral luxatio erecta of the shoulders treated with close reduction, immobilization and rehabilitation. The patient had fallen downstairs while clinging to both lateral banisters

    Secret key exchange in ultra-long lasers by radio-frequency spectrum coding

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    We propose a new approach to the generation of an alphabet for secret key exchange relying on small variations in the cavity length of an ultra-long fiber laser. This new concept is supported by experimental results showing how the radio-frequency spectrum of the laser can be exploited as a carrier to exchange information. The test bench for our proof of principle is a 50 km-long fiber laser linking two users, Alice and Bob, where each user can randomly add an extra 1 km-long segment of fiber. The choice of laser length is driven by two independent random binary values, which makes such length become itself a random variable. The security of key exchange is ensured whenever the two independent random choices lead to the same laser length and, hence, to the same free spectral range

    Traditional knowledge on zootherapeutic uses by the Saharia tribe of Rajasthan, India

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    The present zootherapeutic study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and animal-derived products as medicines by the Saharia tribe reside in the Shahabad and Kishanganj Panchayat Samiti's of Baran district of Rajasthan, India. A field survey was conducted from April to June 2006 by performing interview through structured questionnaire with 21 selected respondents, who provided information regarding use of animals and their products in folk medicine. A total of 15 animal species were recorded and they are used for different ethnomedical purposes, including cough, asthma, tuberculosis, paralysis, earache, herpes, weakness, muscular pain etc. The zootherapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like the peacock (Pavo cristatus,), hard shelled turtle (Kachuga tentoria), sambhar (Cervus unicolor) were also mentioned as medicinal resources. We would suggest that this kind of neglected traditional knowledge should be included into the strategies of conservation and management of faunistic resources. Further studies are required for experimental validation to confirm the presence of bioactive compounds in these traditional remedies and also to emphasize more sustainable use of these resources

    A segmental genomic duplication generates a functional intron

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    An intron is an extended genomic feature whose function requires multiple constrained positions—donor and acceptor splice sites, a branch point, a polypyrimidine tract and suitable splicing enhancers—that may be distributed over hundreds or thousands of nucleotides. New introns are therefore unlikely to emerge by incremental accumulation of functional sub-elements. Here we demonstrate that a functional intron can be created de novo in a single step by a segmental genomic duplication. This experiment recapitulates in vivo the birth of an intron that arose in the ancestral jawed vertebrate lineage nearly half-a-billion years ago

    Infantile and very early onset-inflammatory bowel disease: a multicenter study

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    Objective: In this study, we described disease characteristics and assessed long-term outcomes, in patients diagnosed with very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) (diagnosed before 6 years of age), and infantile-IBD (before 2 years). Methods: Cases from 21 centers worldwide diagnosed with VEOIBD (2008-2018), with minimum two years of follow-up, were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The total cohort included 243 patients (52% males, median follow-up of 5.8[IQR 3.2- 8.4] years, including 69[28%] with infantile-IBD. IBD subtypes included Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD-unclassified (IBDU) in 30%, 59% and 11%, respectively. Among patients with CD - 94% had colonic involvement, and among patients with UC/IBDU – 75% had pancolitis. Compared to non-infantile VEOIBD, patients with infantile-IBD presented with higher rates of IBDU, lower hemoglobin and albumin levels and higher C-reactive protein, and had lower response rates to first induction therapy and to corticosteroids therapy (p<0.05 for all). Colectomy and diversion surgeries were performed in 11% and 4%, respectively, with no significant differences between age groups. Corticosteroid-free remission rates were 74% and 78% after 3 and 5 years, respectively, and 86% at end of follow-up. Genetic testing was performed in 96 (40%) patients. Among tested population 15 (16%) were identified with monogenic disease. This group demonstrated lower response rates to induction therapies, higher rates of surgical intervention and higher rates of major infections (p<0.05 for all). Conclusion: Patients with VEOIBD, including infantile-IBD, exhibit low rate of disease complications and surgical interventions at the long-term. Patients with monogenic-IBD are at risk of more severe disease course

    SRGeJ045359.9+622444: A 55-min Period Eclipsing AM CVn Discovered from a Joint SRG/eROSITA + ZTF Search

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    AM CVn systems are ultra-compact binaries where a white dwarf accretes from a helium-rich degenerate or semi-degenerate donor. Some AM CVn systems will be among the loudest sources of gravitational waves for the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), yet the formation channel of AM CVns remains uncertain. We report the study and characterisation of a new eclipsing AM CVn, SRGeJ045359.9+622444 (hereafter SRGeJ0453), discovered from a joint SRG/eROSITA and ZTF program to identify cataclysmic variables (CVs). We obtained optical photometry to confirm the eclipse of SRGeJ0453 and determine the orbital period to be Porb=55.0802±0.0003P_\textrm{orb} = 55.0802 \pm 0.0003 min. We constrain the binary parameters by modeling the high-speed photometry and radial velocity curves and find Mdonor=0.044±0.024MM_\textrm{donor} = 0.044 \pm0.024 M_{\odot} and Rdonor=0.078±0.012RR_\textrm{donor}=0.078 \pm 0.012 R_{\odot}. The X-ray spectrum is approximated by a power-law model with an unusually flat photon index of Γ1\Gamma\sim 1 previously seen in magnetic CVs with SRG/eROSITA, but verifying the magnetic nature of SRGeJ0453 requires further investigation. Optical spectroscopy suggests that the donor star of SRGeJ0453 could have initially been a He star or a He white dwarf. SRGeJ0453 is the ninth eclipsing AM CVn system published to date, and its lack of optical outbursts have made it elusive in previous surveys. The discovery of SRGeJ0453 using joint X-ray and optical surveys highlights the potential for discovering similar systems in the near future.Comment: Submitted to Ap

    Formation of stress-specific p53 binding patterns is influenced by chromatin but not by modulation of p53 binding affinity to response elements†

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    The p53 protein is crucial for adapting programs of gene expression in response to stress. Recently, we revealed that this occurs partly through the formation of stress-specific p53 binding patterns. However, the mechanisms that generate these binding patterns remain largely unknown. It is not established whether the selective binding of p53 is achieved through modulation of its binding affinity to certain response elements (REs) or via a chromatin-dependent mechanism. To shed light on this issue, we used a microsphere assay for protein–DNA binding to measure p53 binding patterns on naked DNA. In parallel, we measured p53 binding patterns within chromatin using chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNase I coupled to ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction footprinting. Through this experimental approach, we revealed that UVB and Nutlin-3 doses, which lead to different cellular outcomes, induce similar p53 binding patterns on naked DNA. Conversely, the same treatments lead to stress-specific p53 binding patterns on chromatin. We show further that altering chromatin remodeling using an histone acetyltransferase inhibitor reduces p53 binding to REs. Altogether, our results reveal that the formation of p53 binding patterns is not due to the modulation of sequence-specific p53 binding affinity. Rather, we propose that chromatin and chromatin remodeling are required in this process
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