2,445 research outputs found

    Проблемы и перспективы обогащения тантал-ниобиевых руд

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    Представлений огляд сучасного стану технології збагачення тантал – ниобиевых руд. Описані основні процеси: рудопідготовка, мокра гвинтова сепарація, концентрація на столах, високоінтенсивна магнітна сепарація, електросепарація, флотація. Наведено найбільш ефективні технологічні рішення та характеристики обладнання для їх реалізації.Представлен обзор современного состояния технологии обогащения тантал – ниобие-вых руд. Описаны основные процессы: рудоподготовка, мокрая винтовая сепарация, кон-центрация на столах, высокоинтенсивная магнитная сепарация, электросепарация, флота-ция. Приведены наиболее эффективные технологические решения и характеристики обору-дование для их реализации.Presents an overview of the current state of technology of the enrichment of tantalum – niobium ores. Described the main processes: ore preparation, wet spiral separation, concentration on tables, high-intensity magnetic separation, electric separation, flotation. The most effective technological so-lutions and characteristics of equipment for their implementation

    Novel Inducers of the Envelope Stress Response BaeSR in Salmonella Typhimurium: BaeR Is Critically Required for Tungstate Waste Disposal

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    The RpoE and CpxR regulated envelope stress responses are extremely important for SalmonellaTyphimurium to cause infection in a range of hosts. Until now the role for BaeSR in both the Salmonella Typhimurium response to stress and its contribution to infection have not been fully elucidated. Here we demonstrate stationary phase growth, iron and sodium tungstate as novel inducers of the BaeRregulon, with BaeR critically required for Salmonella resistance to sodium tungstate. We show that functional overlap between the resistance nodulation-cell division (RND) multidrug transporters, MdtA, AcrD and AcrB exists for the waste disposal of tungstate from the cell. We also point to a role for enterobactinsiderophores in the protection of enteric organisms from tungstate, akin to the scenario in nitrogen fixing bacteria. Surprisingly, BaeR is the first envelope stress response pathway investigated in S. Typhimurium that is not required for murine typhoid in either ityS or ityR mouse backgrounds. BaeR is therefore either required for survival in larger mammals such as pigs or calves, an avian host such as chickens, or survival out with the host altogether where Salmonella and related enterics must survive in soil and water

    Candida albicans versus Candida dubliniensis: Why Is C. albicans More Pathogenic?

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    Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis are highly related pathogenic yeast species. However, C. albicans is far more prevalent in human infection and has been shown to be more pathogenic in a wide range of infection models. Comparison of the genomes of the two species has revealed that they are very similar although there are some significant differences, largely due to the expansion of virulence-related gene families (e.g., ALS and SAP) in C. albicans, and increased levels of pseudogenisation in C. dubliniensis. Comparative global gene expression analyses have also been used to investigate differences in the ability of the two species to tolerate environmental stress and to produce hyphae, two traits that are likely to play a role in the lower virulence of C. dubliniensis. Taken together, these data suggest that C. dubliniensis is in the process of undergoing reductive evolution and may have become adapted for growth in a specialized anatomic niche

    Amplification of TLO Mediator Subunit Genes Facilitate Filamentous Growth in Candida Spp

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    Funding: This work was funded by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (AI113390, LCM) and the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (GM62483, LCM). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision topublish, or preparation of the manuscript.Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

    Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and C-Reactive Protein: NHANES 2003–2004

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    The association between physical activity (PA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) is inconsistent, with nearly all studies using self-report measures of PA. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between objectively-measured PA and CRP in U.S. adults and children. Adults (N=2912) and children (N=1643) with valid accelerometer data and CRP data were included in the analyses. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the odds of meeting physical activity guidelines across CRP quartiles for children and among adults with low, average, and high CRP levels. For adults, after adjustments for age, gender, race, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), compared to those with low CRP levels, odds ratios were 0.59 (CI = 0.45–0.77) and 0.46 (CI = 0.28–0.76) for participants with average and high CRP levels, respectively. For children, after adjustments for age, gender, race, weight status, and HDLC, compared to those in CRP quartile 1, odds ratios were 0.96 (CI = 0.5–1.84), 1.23 (CI = 0.71– 2.12), and 0.79 (CI = 0.33–1.88) for participants in quartiles 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Objectivelymeasured PA is inversely associated with CRP in adults, with PA not related to CRP in children

    Phenotypic screening, transcriptional profiling, and comparative genomic analysis of an invasive and non-invasive strain of Candida albicans

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Invasion of host tissue by the human fungal pathogen <it>Candida albicans </it>is an important step during the development of candidosis. However, not all <it>C. albicans </it>strains possess the same invasive and virulence properties. For example, the two clinical isolates SC5314 and ATCC10231 differ in their ability to invade host tissue and cause experimental infections. Strain SC5314 is invasive whereas strain ATCC10231 is non-invasive and strongly attenuated in virulence compared to SC5314. In this study we compare the <it>in vitro </it>phenotypic, transcriptional and genomic profiles of these two widely used laboratory strains in order to determine the principal biological and genetic properties responsible for their differential virulence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all media tested, the two strains showed the same metabolic flexibility, stress resistance, adhesion properties and hydrolytic enzyme secretion <it>in vitro</it>. However, differences were observed in response to cell-surface disturbing agents and alkaline pH. Furthermore, reduced hyphal formation in strain ATCC10231 under certain conditions correlated with reduced invasive properties in an <it>in vitro </it>invasion assay and a reduced ability to invade epithelial tissue. Despite these diverse phenotypic properties, no substantial genomic differences were detected by comparative genome hybridisation within the open reading frames. However, <it>in vitro </it>transcriptional profiling displayed major differences in the gene expression of these two strains, even under normal <it>in vitro </it>growth conditions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data suggest that the reason for differential virulence of <it>C. albicans </it>strains is not due to the absence of specific genes, but rather due to differences in the expression, function or activity of common genes.</p

    Transcriptional and translational adaptation to aerobic nitrate anabolism in the denitrifier Paracoccus denitrificans

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    Transcriptional adaptation to nitrate-dependent anabolism by Paracoccus denitrificans PD1222 was studied. A total of 74 genes were induced in cells grown with nitrate as N-source compared with ammonium, including nasTSABGHC and ntrBC genes. The nasT and nasS genes were cotranscribed, although nasT was more strongly induced by nitrate than nasS. The nasABGHC genes constituted a transcriptional unit, which is preceded by a non-coding region containing hairpin structures involved in transcription termination. The nasTS and nasABGHC transcripts were detected at similar levels with nitrate or glutamate as N-source, but nasABGHC transcript was undetectable in ammonium-grown cells. The nitrite reductase NasG subunit was detected by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in cytoplasmic fractions from nitrate-grown cells, but it was not observed when either ammonium or glutamate was used as the N-source. The nasT mutant lacked both nasABGHC transcript and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-dependent nitrate reductase activity. On the contrary, the nasS mutant showed similar levels of the nasABGHC transcript to the wild-type strain and displayed NasG protein and NADH–nitrate reductase activity with all N-sources tested, except with ammonium. Ammonium repression of nasABGHC was dependent on the Ntr system. The ntrBC and ntrYX genes were expressed at low levels regardless of the nitrogen source supporting growth. Mutational analysis of the ntrBCYX genes indicated that while ntrBC genes are required for nitrate assimilation, ntrYX genes can only partially restore growth on nitrate in the absence of ntrBC genes. The existence of a regulation mechanism for nitrate assimilation in P. denitrificans, by which nitrate induction operates at both transcriptional and translational levels, is proposed

    A dual functional redox enzyme maturation protein for respiratory and assimilatory nitrate reductases in bacteria

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    Nitrate is available to microbes in many environments due to sustained use of inorganic fertilizers on agricultural soils and many bacterial and archaeal lineages have the capacity to express respiratory (Nar) and assimilatory (Nas) nitrate reductases to utilize this abundant respiratory substrate and nutrient for growth. Here we show that in the denitrifying bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans, NarJ serves as a chaperone for both the anaerobic respiratory nitrate reductase (NarG) and the assimilatory nitrate reductase (NasC), the latter of which is active during both aerobic and anaerobic nitrate assimilation. Bioinformatic analysis suggests that the potential for this previously unrecognized role for NarJ in functional maturation of other cytoplasmic molybdenum-dependent nitrate reductases may be phylogenetically widespread as many bacteria contain both Nar and Nas systems

    The Candida albicans-Specific Gene EED1 Encodes a Key Regulator of Hyphal Extension

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    The extension of germ tubes into elongated hyphae by Candida albicans is essential for damage of host cells. The C. albicans-specific gene EED1 plays a crucial role in this extension and maintenance of filamentous growth. eed1Δ cells failed to extend germ tubes into long filaments and switched back to yeast growth after 3 h of incubation during growth on plastic surfaces. Expression of EED1 is regulated by the transcription factor Efg1 and ectopic overexpression of EED1 restored filamentation in efg1Δ. Transcriptional profiling of eed1Δ during infection of oral tissue revealed down-regulation of hyphal associated genes including UME6, encoding another key transcriptional factor. Ectopic overexpression of EED1 or UME6 rescued filamentation and damage potential in eed1Δ. Transcriptional profiling during overexpression of UME6 identified subsets of genes regulated by Eed1 or Ume6. These data suggest that Eed1 and Ume6 act in a pathway regulating maintenance of hyphal growth thereby repressing hyphal-to-yeast transition and permitting dissemination of C. albicans within epithelial tissues

    Immune Protection of Nonhuman Primates against Ebola Virus with Single Low-Dose Adenovirus Vectors Encoding Modified GPs

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    BACKGROUND: Ebola virus causes a hemorrhagic fever syndrome that is associated with high mortality in humans. In the absence of effective therapies for Ebola virus infection, the development of a vaccine becomes an important strategy to contain outbreaks. Immunization with DNA and/or replication-defective adenoviral vectors (rAd) encoding the Ebola glycoprotein (GP) and nucleoprotein (NP) has been previously shown to confer specific protective immunity in nonhuman primates. GP can exert cytopathic effects on transfected cells in vitro, and multiple GP forms have been identified in nature, raising the question of which would be optimal for a human vaccine. METHODS AND FINDINGS: To address this question, we have explored the efficacy of mutant GPs from multiple Ebola virus strains with reduced in vitro cytopathicity and analyzed their protective effects in the primate challenge model, with or without NP. Deletion of the GP transmembrane domain eliminated in vitro cytopathicity but reduced its protective efficacy by at least one order of magnitude. In contrast, a point mutation was identified that abolished this cytopathicity but retained immunogenicity and conferred immune protection in the absence of NP. The minimal effective rAd dose was established at 10(10) particles, two logs lower than that used previously. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of specific GPs alone vectored by rAd are sufficient to confer protection against lethal challenge in a relevant nonhuman primate model. Elimination of NP from the vaccine and dose reductions to 10(10) rAd particles do not diminish protection and simplify the vaccine, providing the basis for selection of a human vaccine candidate
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