Ultrastructural studies on dengue virus type 2 infection of cultured human monocytes

BACKGROUND: Early interaction of dengue virus and monocyte/macrophages could be an important feature for virus dissemination after its initial entry via the mosquito vector. Since ultrastructural analysis of this interaction has not been reported, dengue type 2 (DEN2) virus-infected human monocyte cultures were studied at 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours after infection. RESULTS: Typical dengue particles and fuzzy coated viral particles were 35 to 42 nm and 74 to 85 nm respectively. Viruses were engulfed by phagocytosis and macropicnocytosis leading to huge vacuoles and phagosomes inside the monocytes. Interaction of monocytes with DEN2 virus induced apoptosis, characterized by nuclear condensation and fragmentation, cellular shrinkage, blebbing and budding phenomena and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by neighboring monocytes. This finding was confirmed by TUNEL. Ultrastructural features associated to DEN2 virus replication were not observed. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that clearance of the virus by monocytes and cellular death are the main features during the initial interaction of DEN2 virus and monocytes and this could be important in the rapid elimination of the virus after infection by mosquito vector

The fractal dimension of star-forming regions at different spatial scales in M33

We study the distribution of stars, HII regions, molecular gas, and individual giant molecular clouds in M33 over a wide range of spatial scales. The clustering strength of these components is systematically estimated through the fractal dimension. We find scale-free behavior at small spatial scales and a transition to a larger correlation dimension (consistent with a nearly uniform distribution) at larger scales. The transition region lies in the range 500-1000 pc. This transition defines a characteristic size that separates the regime of small-scale turbulent motion from that of large-scale galactic dynamics. At small spatial scales, bright young stars and molecular gas are distributed with nearly the same three-dimensional fractal dimension (Df <= 1.9), whereas fainter stars and HII regions exhibit higher values (Df = 2.2-2.5). Our results indicate that the interstellar medium in M33 is on average more fragmented and irregular than in the Milky Way.Comment: 18 pages including 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Modeling the Accretion Disk around the High-mass Protostar GGD 27-MM1

Recent high angular resolution (≃40 mas) ALMA observations at 1.14 mm resolve a compact (R ≃ 200 au), flattened dust structure perpendicular to the HH 80─81 jet emanating from the GGD 27-MM1 high-mass protostar, making it a robust candidate for a true accretion disk. The jet─disk system (HH 80─81/GGD 27-MM1) resembles those found in association with low- and intermediate-mass protostars. We present radiative transfer models that fit the 1.14 mm ALMA dust image of this disk, which allow us to obtain its physical parameters and predict its density and temperature structure. Our results indicate that this accretion disk is compact (R disk ≃ 170 au) and massive (≃5 M ☉), at about 20% of the stellar mass of ≃20 M ☉. We estimate the total dynamical mass of the star─disk system from the molecular line emission, finding a range between 21 and 30 M ☉, which is consistent with our model. We fit the density and temperature structures found by our model with power-law functions. These results suggest that accretion disks around massive stars are more massive and hotter than their low-mass siblings, but they still are quite stable. We also compare the temperature distribution in the GGD 27─MM1 disk with that found in low- and intermediate-mass stars and discuss possible implications for the water snow line. We have also carried out a study of the distance based on Gaia DR2 data and the population of young stellar objects in this region and from the extinction maps. We conclude that the source distance is within 1.2 and 1.4 kpc, closer than what was derived in previous studies (1.7 kpc).Fil: Añez López, N.. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio; EspañaFil: Osorio, M.. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía; EspañaFil: Busquet, G.. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio; EspañaFil: Girart, J. M.. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio; EspañaFil: Macías, E.. European Southern Observatory; ChileFil: Carrasco González, C.. Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica; MéxicoFil: Curiel, S.. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Instituto de Astronomia; MéxicoFil: Estalella, R.. Universidad de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; EspañaFil: Fernandez Lopez, Manuel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Galván Madrid, R.. Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica; MéxicoFil: Kwon, J.. University of tokyo; JapónFil: Torrelles, J. M.. Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai; Españ

Unveiling a cluster of protostellar disks around the massive protostar GGD 27 MM1

Context. Most stars form in clusters and thus it is important to characterize the protostellar disk population in dense environments to assess whether the environment plays a role in the subsequent evolution. Specifically, it is critical to evaluate whether planet formation is altered with respect to more isolated stars formed in dark clouds. Aims. We seek to investigate the properties of the protostellar disks in the GGD 27 cluster and compare these with those obtained from disks formed in nearby regions. Methods. We used ALMA to observe the star-forming region GGD 27 at 1.14 mm with an unprecedented angular resolution, 40 mas (∼56 au), and sensitivity (∼0.002 M·). Results. We detected a cluster of 25 continuum sources, most of which likely trace disks around Class 0/I protostars. Excluding the two most massive objects, disks masses are in the range 0.003-0.05 M·. The analysis of the cluster properties indicates that GGD 27 displays moderate subclustering. This result, combined with the dynamical timescale of the radio jet (∼104 years), suggests the youthfulness of the cluster. The lack of disk mass segregation signatures may support this as well. We found a clear paucity of disks with Rdisk > 100 au. The median value of the radius is 34 au; this value is smaller than the median of 92 au for Taurus but comparable to the value found in Ophiuchus and in the Orion Nebula Cluster. In GGD 27 there is no evidence of a distance-dependent disk mass distribution (i.e., disk mass depletion due to external photoevaporation), most likely due to the cluster youth. There is a clear deficit of disks for distances 0.04 pc. This suggests that dynamical interactions far from the cluster center are weaker, although the small disks found could be the result of disk truncation. This work demonstrates the potential to characterize disks from low-mass young stellar objects in distant and massive (still deeply embedded) clustered environments.Fil: Busquet, G.. Instituto de Estudios Espaciales de Cataluña; España. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (ice); EspañaFil: Girart, J. M.. Instituto de Estudios Espaciales de Cataluña; España. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (ice); EspañaFil: Estalella, R.. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Fernandez Lopez, Manuel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Galván Madrid, R.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Anglada, G.. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía; EspañaFil: Carrasco González, C.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Añez López, N.. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (ice); EspañaFil: Curiel, S.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Osorio, M.. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía; EspañaFil: Rodríguez, L. F.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Torrelles, J. M.. Instituto de Estudios Espaciales de Cataluña; España. Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (ice); Españ

The role of the magnetic field in the fragmentation process: the case of G14.225-0.506

B-fields are predicted to play a role in the formation of filamentary structures and their fragmentation process. We aim at investigating the role of the B-field in the process of core fragmentation toward the hub-filament systems in the IRDC G14.2, which present different fragmentation level. We performed observations of the thermal dust polarization at 350 {\mu}m using the CSO toward the hubs. We applied the polarization--intensity-gradient method to estimate the significance of the B-field over the G-force. The B-field in Hub-N shows a uniform structure along the E-W orientation, perpendicular to the major axis of the hub-filament system. The I-gradient in Hub-N displays a local minimum coinciding with the dust core MM1a detected with interferometric observations. The B-field orientation is perturbed when approaching the dust core. Hub-S shows 2 local minima, reflecting the bimodal distribution of the B-field. In Hub-N, both E and W of the hub-filament system, the I-gradient and the B-field are parallel whereas they tend to be perpendicular when penetrating the filaments and hub. The analysis of the {\delta}- and {\Sigma} B-maps indicate that, the B-field cannot prevent the collapse, suggesting that the B-field is initially dragged by the infalling motion and aligned with it, or is channeling material toward the central ridge from both sides. Values of {\Sigma} B > 1 are found toward a N-S ridge encompassing the dust emission peak, indicating that in this region B-field dominates over G-force, or that with the current angular resolution we cannot resolve an hypothetical more complex structure. We estimated the B-field strength, the MtF ratio and the A-M number, and found differences between the 2 hubs. The different levels of fragmentation observed in these 2 hubs could arise from the differences in the B-field properties rather than from different intensity of the G-field.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

FTO gene: Historic background and its relationship with chronic-degenerative diseases

Indexación: Scopus; Latindex.Alteraciones en el desarrollo de la atención y la organización conductual pueden configurar cuadros clínicos como el trastorno déficit de atención (TDA) que puede estar acompañado o no de hiperactividad (TDAH), este último parece tener una relación directa con otros diagnósticos de tipo endocrino como la obesidad. El objetivo del estudio es analizar la relación que existe entre el TDAH y la obesidad. Es por ello que se realiza una revisión sistemática de estudios científicos revelando relaciones y diferencias entre ambos trastornos desde una mirada fisiológica, cognoscitiva y comportamental. Se concluye que la relación entre el TDAH y la obesidad se da por factores genéticos, por variaciones dopaminérgicas, cambios en patrones de sueño, desajustes emocionales y por alteraciones en la regulación de la conducta; igualmente influyen factores sociales relacionados con el cuidado en el embarazo y la alimentación de las mujeres antes y durante la gestación.http://www.revhipertension.com/rlh_2_2018/5_fto_gene.pd

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets