Prediction of Fungal Proteins Secreted through Non-Classical Pathways

The Microbotryum genus of smut fungi is known to parasitize flowering plants by colonizing the plant host and ultimately replacing pollen with fungal spores, which continues the transmission process with the help of pollinators to disperse spores A hallmark of this genus of fungi is host specialization wherein one fungal species is only capable of infecting one species of plant host However, there are rare generalists that flout this pattern and one of those generalists, Microbotryum intermedium is the subject of this analysis. The life cycle of Microbotryum intermedium begins when a pollinator transmits spores to an uninfected flower Meiosis and conjugation take place, and are followed by systemic infection of the plant by the fungu

Association between TNF-α promoter G-308A and G-238A polymorphisms and obesity

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), an adipokine, is produced in adipocytes, and the elevation of its levels has been linked to obesity and insulin resistance in some population. In this study the relationship between TNF-α promoter gene polymorphism and obesity in an Iranian population has been studied. Subjects were randomly selected from Tehran Cohort Lipid and Glucose Study. Adult participants placed in three groups according to their body mass index (BMI): BMI < 25, 25 ≤ BMI < 30, BMI ≥ 30 and under-18 subjects placed in two groups, under 85th percentile BMI and above 85th percentile. Finally, 244 persons were selected for G-308A and G-238A polymorphisms analysis. The FBS, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride, cholesterol levels and blood pressure and HOMA of all subjects were measured. The polymorphism −308 and −238 were revealed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP; NCOI and MSPI) after the promoter site was amplified by PCR. The allele frequency of TNF-α polymorphism was in the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. There was no relation between BMI and the frequency of this allele. The fact that there is no association between G-308A and G-238A TNF-α promoter polymorphisms and obesity probably shows that it is not an important risk factor for obesity and consequently for cardiovascular disease

Homeless and marginally housed Veteran perspectives on participating in a photo-elicitation research study

Photo-elicitation interviewing (PEI) seems a valuable tool for engaging marginalized populations in research despite documented challenges. Given limited data on acceptability of PEI among homeless and marginally housed Veterans, this evaluation aimed to characterize their research experience. Veterans took photographs about health, health behaviors, and health care which facilitated semi-structured interviews. Their research study experience was assessed via a modified Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire-Revised (RRPQ-R), along with additional survey and open-ended questions. Of the 20 participants who consented and participated, 16 (80%) completed the exit surveys. Most participants (\u3e88%) indicated favorable experiences and limited drawbacks. Respondents disagreed that participation was difficult or overly time consuming. Many indicated intense or unexpected emotionality. Open-ended responses indicated appreciation of photography, interview experiences, and connection with study staff. Transportation was the most cited barrier. Overall, experiences were reportedly emotionally challenging, but positive. PEI appears to be acceptable to homeless and marginally housed Veterans for eliciting their perspectives

The relationship between MnSOD Val16Ala gene polymorphism and the level of serum total antioxidant capacity with the risk of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetic patients: A nested case-control study in the Tehran lipid glucose study

Background: Several studies have shown significant associations between manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) Val16Ala polymorphism and diabetic complications, but this association has not been explored in relation with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level changes in diabetic condition and may play important role in onset or progression of the disease and its complications. The present study investigated the association of MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism and serum TAC with the risk of CKD in T2DM patients. Methods: This nested case-control study included 280 type 2 diabetic patients with CKD and 280 age, sex and diabetes duration-matched control subjects selected from the participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. MnSOD val16Ala (rs4880) SNP was genotyped by the Tetra-Primer ARMS-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Serum TAC was measured using ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA statistical package v.12.0 or SPSS (Version 22.0). Results: The Ala allele of the MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism was associated with a lower risk of CKD (odds ratio (OR), 0.55; 95 confidence interval (CI), 0.36-0.84; P = 0.006). Median serum TAC in CKD group was 920 μmol/L and was significantly lower (p < 0.001) compared to the control group (1045 μmol/L). Using an adjusted conditional logistic regression, we didn't observe any significant interaction between MnSOD Val16Ala SNP with quartiles of serum TAC in relation to CKD. Conclusion: A significant association was found between the MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism and CKD, but this association is not affected by serum TAC level in T2DM patients. © 2018 The Author(s)

The relationship between MnSOD Val16Ala gene polymorphism and the level of serum total antioxidant capacity with the risk of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetic patients: A nested case-control study in the Tehran lipid glucose study

Background: Several studies have shown significant associations between manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) Val16Ala polymorphism and diabetic complications, but this association has not been explored in relation with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level changes in diabetic condition and may play important role in onset or progression of the disease and its complications. The present study investigated the association of MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism and serum TAC with the risk of CKD in T2DM patients. Methods: This nested case-control study included 280 type 2 diabetic patients with CKD and 280 age, sex and diabetes duration-matched control subjects selected from the participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. MnSOD val16Ala (rs4880) SNP was genotyped by the Tetra-Primer ARMS-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Serum TAC was measured using ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA statistical package v.12.0 or SPSS (Version 22.0). Results: The Ala allele of the MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism was associated with a lower risk of CKD (odds ratio (OR), 0.55; 95 confidence interval (CI), 0.36-0.84; P = 0.006). Median serum TAC in CKD group was 920 μmol/L and was significantly lower (p < 0.001) compared to the control group (1045 μmol/L). Using an adjusted conditional logistic regression, we didn't observe any significant interaction between MnSOD Val16Ala SNP with quartiles of serum TAC in relation to CKD. Conclusion: A significant association was found between the MnSOD Val16Ala polymorphism and CKD, but this association is not affected by serum TAC level in T2DM patients. © 2018 The Author(s)

Systematic study of Coulomb distortion effects in exclusive (e,e'p) reactions

A technique to deal with Coulomb electron distortions in the analysis of (e,e'p) reactions is presented. Thereby, no approximations are made. The suggested technique relies on a partial-wave expansion of the electron wave functions and a multipole decomposition of the electron and nuclear current in momentum space. In that way, we succeed in keeping the computational times within reasonable limits. This theoretical framework is used to calculate the quasielastic (e,e'p) reduced cross sections for proton knockout from the valence shells in $^{16}$O, $^{40}$Ca, $^{90}$Zr and $^{208}$Pb. The final-state interaction of the ejected proton with the residual nucleus is treated within an optical potential model. The role of electron distortion on the extracted spectroscopic factors is discussed.Comment: 45 pages, 10 encapsulated postscript figures, Revtex, uses epsfig.sty and fancybox.sty, to be published in Physical Review

A review of tertiary BIM education for advanced engineering communication with visualization

SPECT with Tc-99m-labeled agents is better able to detect viability after nitrate administration. Nitrates induce vasoclilation and may increase blood flow to severely hypoperfused but viable myocardium, thereby enhancing tracer delivery and improving the detection of viability. Quantitative data on the changes in blood flow are lacking in SPECT but can be provided by PET. The aim of the present study was to use PET to evaluate whether nitrate administration increases blood flow to chronically dysfunctional but viable myocardium. Methods: N-13-Ammonia PET was used to quantitatively assess blood flow, and F-18-FDG PET was used as the gold standard to detect viable myocardium. Twenty-five patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction underwent N-13-ammonia PET at rest and after nitrate administration. Results: A significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow was observed in viable segments (from 0.55 +/- 0.15 to 0.68 +/- 0.24 mL/min/g, P <0.05). No statistically significant change in blood flow was observed in nonviable segments (0.60 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.55 +/- 0.18 mL/min/g). A ratio of at least 1.1 for nitrate-enhanced flow to resting flow allowed optimal detection of viable myocardium, yielding a sensitivity of 82% with a specificity of 100%. Conclusion: N-13-Ammonia PET showed a significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow in viable myocardium, whereas blood flow remained unchanged after nitrate administration in nonviable myocardium. Nitrate use during myocardial perfusion imaging will lead to improved assessment of myocardial viability

A novel succinate dehydrogenase type B mutation in an Iranian family. Its genetic and clinical evaluation

Succinate Dehydrogenase-B (SDH-B) gene mutations constitute one of the most frequent forms of hereditary paragangliomas (PGL). Genetic study is advised in all cases for the evaluation of tumour behaviour, the selection of optimal management and the surveillance of the first degree relatives. There are limited data on the genetic characteristics of patients with PGLs from Middle East countries, and to our knowledge this is the first study from Iran. We present the clinical and genetic characteristics of a 29-year old woman who presented with hypertension secondary to a para-aortic PGL. She was shown to have a novel mutation in the SDH-B gene and her family was subsequently screened. We also emphasize the problems in diagnosing and treating patients in this region. © 2014 Hellenic Endocrine Society. All rights reserved

The reaction dynamics of the 16O(e,e'p) cross section at high missing energies

We measured the cross section and response functions (R_L, R_T, and R_LT) for the 16O(e,e'p) reaction in quasielastic kinematics for missing energies 25 <= E_miss <= 120 MeV at various missing momenta P_miss <= 340 MeV/c. For 25 < E_miss < 50 MeV and P_miss \approx 60 MeV/c, the reaction is dominated by single-nucleon knockout from the 1s1/2-state. At larger P_miss, the single-particle aspects are increasingly masked by more complicated processes. For E_miss > 60 MeV and P_miss > 200 MeV/c, the cross section is relatively constant. Calculations which include contributions from pion exchange currents, isobar currents and short-range correlations account for the shape and the transversity but only for half of the magnitude of the measured cross section.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys Rev Lett, formatting error fixe

Aspergillus Genomes and the Aspergillus Cloud

Aspergillus Genomes is a public resource for viewing annotated genes predicted by various Aspergillus sequencing projects. It has arisen from the union of two significant resources: the Aspergillus/Aspergillosis website and the Central Aspergillus Data REpository (CADRE). The former has primarily served the medical community, providing information about Aspergillus and associated diseases to medics, patients and scientists; the latter has focused on the fungal genomic community, providing a central repository for sequences and annotation extracted from Aspergillus Genomes. By merging these databases, genomes benefit from extensive cross-linking with medical information to create a unique resource, spanning genomics and clinical aspects of the genus. Aspergillus Genomes is accessible from http://www.aspergillus-genomes.org.uk