Relationship between ankle brachial index and arterial remodeling in pseudoxanthoma elasticum

ObjectivesPseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an inherited metabolic disease characterized by elastic fiber fragmentation and calcification in the cutaneous, ophthalmologic, and vascular tissues. Cardiovascular manifestations such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are frequent in PXE. Because of the changes in the elastic properties and medial calcification of the arterial wall in PXE, the impact of the arterial remodeling on the ankle brachial index (ABI), a well-established diagnostic method for the detection and follow-up of PAD, remains to be determined in this disease. Methods This was a cross-sectional, comparative, open study, which took place at the PXE Consultation Center, University Hospital of Angers. The subjects were 53 patients (mean age, 49 ± 14 years; 35 females) with PXE clinically proven on the basis of established criteria (skin changes, angioid streaks, and skin biopsy). The ABI at rest, symptoms of intermittent claudication (IC), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV), compliance (CC), and β stiffness index were measured in a single-center cohort. Results Forty-five percent of the PXE patients had an ABI ≤0.90, but only one patient had an ABI >1.40. IC was found in 23% of the patients with an ABI ≤0.90. There were no significant differences between the patients with a low and normal ABI in terms of IMT (P = .566) or β stiffness index (P = .194), but differences were significant for c-f PWV (P = .010) and CC (P = .011). Adjusted multivariate linear regression for the Framingham-Laurier score showed that patients with a low ABI had less compliant carotid arteries (B = 0.318, P = .039). Conclusions PAD detected by a low ABI is very frequent in PXE, although with limited prevalence of symptomatic claudication. Unexpectedly, ABI was low in such calcifying PAD and associated with lower CC, independently of atherosclerosis risk factors. These findings demonstrate that PXE represents a unique monogenic model of PAD in which the specific arterial wall remodeling could change the diagnostic value of the ABI to detect PAD

Deciphering the infectious process of Colletotrichum lupini in lupin through transcriptomic and proteomic analysis

The fungal phytopathogen Colletotrichum lupini is responsible for lupin anthracnose, resulting in significant yield losses worldwide. The molecular mechanisms underlying this infectious process are yet to be elucidated. This study proposes to evaluate C. lupini gene expression and protein synthesis during lupin infection, using, respectively, an RNAseq-based transcriptomic approach and a mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach. Patterns of differentially-expressed genes in planta were evaluated from 24 to 84 hours post-inoculation, and compared to in vitro cultures. A total of 897 differentially-expressed genes were identified from C. lupini during interaction with white lupin, of which 520 genes were predicted to have a putative function, including carbohydrate active enzyme, effector, protease or transporter-encoding genes, commonly described as pathogenicity factors for other Colletotrichum species during plant infection, and 377 hypothetical proteins. Simultaneously, a total of 304 proteins produced during the interaction were identified and quantified by mass spectrometry. Taken together, the results highlight that the dynamics of symptoms, gene expression and protein synthesis shared similarities to those of hemibiotrophic pathogens. In addition, a few genes with unknown or poorly-described functions were found to be specifically associated with the early or late stages of infection, suggesting that they may be of importance for pathogenicity. This study, conducted for the first time on a species belonging to the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex, presents an opportunity to deepen functional analyses of the genes involved in the pathogenicity of Colletotrichum spp. during the onset of plant infection

Optical properties and morphology of InAs ∕ InP (113)B surface quantum dots

We report on long-wavelength photoluminescence(PL) emission at room temperature from self-organized InAssurfacequantum dotsgrown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on a GaInAsP∕InP (113)B substrate. The influence of arsenic pressure conditions during growth on the PL emission of surfacequantum dots is detailed as well as oxide/contamination layer formation after growth. Experimental results are in good agreement with six-band k⋅p theory in the envelope function approximation.This work was supported by the SANDIE European Network of Excellence

Quantification of the Calcification Phenotype of Abcc6-Deficient Mice with Microcomputed Tomography

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum in humans and dystrophic cardiac calcification in mice are heritable disorders characterized by dystrophic calcification of soft connective tissues related to the defective function of the ABCC6 (human)/Abcc6 (mouse) transporter. Of particular interest is the finding of calcified vibrissae in Abcc6−/− mice, which facilitates the study of dystrophic calcification by histological techniques. We aimed to determine whether mice prone to dystrophic cardiac calcification (C3H/HeOuJ and DBA/2J strains) presented similar vibrissae changes and to evaluate the value of microcomputed tomography to quantify the extent of mystacial vibrissae calcifications. These calcifications were absent in DBA/2J and C57BL/6J control mice. In both Abcc6−/− and C3H/HeOuJ mice, calcifications progressed in a caudal-rostral direction with aging. However, the calcification process was delayed in C3H/HeOuJ mice, indicating an incomplete expression of the calcification phenotype. We also found that the calcification process in the cephalic region was not limited to mystacial vibrissae but was also present in other periorbital sensorial vibrissae. The vibrissae calcification was circular and encompassed the medial region of the vibrissae capsule, adjacent to the ring and cavernous sinuses (the areas adjacent to blood and lymphatic vessels). Collectively, our findings confirm that Abcc6 acts as an inhibitor of spontaneous chronic mineralization and that microcomputed tomography is a valuable noninvasive tool for the assessment of the calcification phenotype in Abcc6-deficient mice

Mapping the mineralogical composition of the Pinaria region (Av-11) of Vesta

We present the mineralogical map of a quadrant of the southern hemisphere of Vesta spanning 0-90 degrees longitude, and -21 to -66 degrees latitude; a region named Pinaria. The region, named after the Roman vestal virgin (c. 600 B.C.), includes an approximately 37km diameter crater, also named Pinaria. Several additional large craters are in this region as is the western most region of the rim of Rhea Silvia, named Matronalia Rupes. Mineralogical maps are based on data acquired by the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIR-MS) and the Framing Camera (FC) on the Dawn spacecraft that has been orbiting Vesta since July 2011. VIR-MS is sensitive to wavelengths from 0.25um to 5.1um with a spatial resolution that depends upon the mission phase: nominally from 2.5 up to 0.8 km/pixel during the approach, 0.8 km/pixel during survey, 0.2 km/pixel during the high altitude orbit (HAMO) and about 0.05 km/pixel during the low altitude orbit (LAMO). This spatial resolution does not include the effects of the spacecraft's nor Vesta's motion. FC data from Survey orbit with a spatial resolution of about 250 m/pixel have been mapped using filter band parameters selected to enhance the anticipated mineralogy of Vesta. Global color maps of Vesta's surface using these color differences and ratios are generated. VIR data show that Vesta's surface is dominated by pyroxenes, with no evidence for the presence of other minerals observed at the scale of the survey measurements. The spectral parameters of the two major pyroxene absorption bands including band centers, depths and band areas and their variation within the Pinaria region, suggest mineralogical variation representing different compositional and/or textural terrains. Matronalia Rupes has band parameters suggesting different composition or grain size possibly resulting from down slope motion of regolith revealing different material beneath. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Dawn Instrument, Operations, and Science Teams. This work is supported by an Italian Space Agency (ASI) grant, the DLR, MPI and by NASA through the Dawn project and the Dawn at Vesta Participating Scientist grant

Plastid genomes of two brown algae, Ectocarpus siliculosus and Fucus vesiculosus: further insights on the evolution of red-algal derived plastids

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heterokont algae, together with cryptophytes, haptophytes and some alveolates, possess red-algal derived plastids. The chromalveolate hypothesis proposes that the red-algal derived plastids of all four groups have a monophyletic origin resulting from a single secondary endosymbiotic event. However, due to incongruence between nuclear and plastid phylogenies, this controversial hypothesis remains under debate. Large-scale genomic analyses have shown to be a powerful tool for phylogenetic reconstruction but insufficient sequence data have been available for red-algal derived plastid genomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The chloroplast genomes of two brown algae, <it>Ectocarpus siliculosus </it>and <it>Fucus vesiculosus</it>, have been fully sequenced. These species represent two distinct orders of the Phaeophyceae, which is a major group within the heterokont lineage. The sizes of the circular plastid genomes are 139,954 and 124,986 base pairs, respectively, the size difference being due principally to the presence of longer inverted repeat and intergenic regions in <it>E. siliculosus</it>. Gene contents of the two plastids are similar with 139-148 protein-coding genes, 28-31 tRNA genes, and 3 ribosomal RNA genes. The two genomes also exhibit very similar rearrangements compared to other sequenced plastid genomes. The tRNA-Leu gene of <it>E. siliculosus </it>lacks an intron, in contrast to the <it>F. vesiculosus </it>and other heterokont plastid homologues, suggesting its recent loss in the Ectocarpales. Most of the brown algal plastid genes are shared with other red-algal derived plastid genomes, but a few are absent from raphidophyte or diatom plastid genomes. One of these regions is most similar to an apicomplexan nuclear sequence. The phylogenetic relationship between heterokonts, cryptophytes and haptophytes (collectively referred to as chromists) plastids was investigated using several datasets of concatenated proteins from two cyanobacterial genomes and 18 plastid genomes, including most of the available red algal and chromist plastid genomes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The phylogenetic studies using concatenated plastid proteins still do not resolve the question of the monophyly of all chromist plastids. However, these results support both the monophyly of heterokont plastids and that of cryptophyte and haptophyte plastids, in agreement with nuclear phylogenies.</p