Pandoraea fibrosis sp. Nov., a novel pandoraea species isolated from clinical respiratory samples

© 2019 IUMS. Pandoraea species have been isolated from diverse environmental samples and are emerging important respiratory pathogens, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). In the present study, two bacterial isolates initially recovered from consecutive sputum samples collected from a CF patient and identified as Pandoraea pnomenusa underwent a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. The isolates were found to be Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic motile bacilli and subsequently designated as strains 6399 T (=LMG29626 T =DSM103228 T ) and 7641 (=LMG29627=DSM103229), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences revealed that 6399 T and 7641 formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the genus Pandoraea. Genome sequence comparison analysis indicated that strains 6399 T and 7641 are clonal and share 100 % similarity, however, similarity to other type strains (ANIb 73.2–88.8 %, ANIm 83.5–89.9 % and OrthoANI 83.2– 89.3 %) indicates that 6399 T and 7641 do not belong to any of the reported type species. The major cellular fatty acids of 6399 T were C 16: 0 (32.1 %) C 17: 0 cyclo (18.7 %) and C 18: 1 !7c (14.5 %), while Q-8 was the only respiratory quinone detected. The major polar lipids identified were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The genomic DNA G+C content of 6399 T was 62.9 (mol%). Strain 6399 T can be differentiated from other members of Pandoraea by the absence of C 19: 0 !8c cyclo and by the presence of C 17: 0 !8c cyclo. Together our data show that the bacterial strains 6399 T and 7641 represent a novel species of the genus Pandoraea, for which the name Pandoraea fibrosis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain 6399 T )

Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in adipose tissue metabolism and inflammation

AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is a key regulator of cellular and whole-body energy balance. AMPK phosphorylates and regulates many proteins concerned with nutrient metabolism, largely acting to suppress anabolic ATP-consuming pathways while stimulating catabolic ATP-generating pathways. This has led to considerable interest in AMPK as a therapeutic target for the metabolic dysfunction observed in obesity and insulin resistance. The role of AMPK in skeletal muscle and the liver has been extensively studied, such that AMPK has been demonstrated to inhibit synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol and isoprenoids, hepatic gluconeogenesis and translation while increasing fatty acid oxidation, muscle glucose transport, mitochondrial biogenesis and caloric intake. The role of AMPK in the other principal metabolic and insulin-sensitive tissue, adipose, remains poorly characterized in comparison, yet increasing evidence supports an important role for AMPK in adipose tissue function. Obesity is characterized by hypertrophy of adipocytes and the development of a chronic sub-clinical pro-inflammatory environment in adipose tissue, leading to increased infiltration of immune cells. This combination of dysfunctional hypertrophic adipocytes and a pro-inflammatory environment contributes to insulin resistance and the development of Type 2 diabetes. Exciting recent studies indicate that AMPK may not only influence metabolism in adipocytes, but also act to suppress this pro-inflammatory environment, such that targeting AMPK in adipose tissue may be desirable to normalize adipose dysfunction and inflammation. In the present review, we discuss the role of AMPK in adipose tissue, focussing on the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, adipogenesis and pro-inflammatory pathways in physiological and pathophysiological conditions

Why we need more collaboration in Europe to enhance post-marketing surveillance of vaccines.

The influenza A/H1N1 pandemic in 2009 taught us that the monitoring of vaccine benefits and risks in Europe had potential for improvement if different public and private stakeholders would collaborate better (public health institutes (PHIs), regulatory authorities, research institutes, vaccine manufacturers). The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) subsequently issued a competitive call to establish a public-private partnership to build and test a novel system for monitoring vaccine benefits and risks in Europe. The ADVANCE project (Accelerated Development of Vaccine benefit-risk Collaboration in Europe) was created as a result. The objective of this paper is to describe the perspectives of key stakeholder groups of the ADVANCE consortium for vaccine benefit-risk monitoring and their views on how to build a European system addressing the needs and challenges of such monitoring. These perspectives and needs were assessed at the start of the ADVANCE project by the European Medicines Agency together with representatives of the main stakeholders in the field of vaccines within and outside the ADVANCE consortium (i.e. research institutes, public health institutes, medicines regulatory authorities, vaccine manufacturers, patient associations). Although all stakeholder representatives stated they conduct vaccine benefit-risk monitoring according to their own remit, needs and obligations, they are faced with similar challenges and needs for improved collaboration. A robust, rapid system yielding high-quality information on the benefits and risks of vaccines would therefore support their decision making. ADVANCE has developed such a system and has tested its performance in a series of proof of concept (POC) studies. The system, how it was used and the results from the POC studies are described in the papers in this supplementary issue

Étude et réalisation d'un polariseur circulaire d'ondes hyperfréquence à forte tenue en puissance

A special fabrication technique has been used to construct a high frequency S-Band (3 000 MHz) circular wave polariser. The circularly polarised wave is obtained by sending two linearly polarised waves through a wave guide which has an elliptical cross-section, the polarisation of each wave being parallel to one of the principal axes of the ellipse. The fabrication technique used yields an elliptical cross section with a smooth transition to a cylindrical guide. The resulting polariser supports very high power levels (up to 23 MW). A special microwave assembly preceding the polariser yields a circularly polarised wave regardless of the S. W. R. of the termination.Une technique spéciale d'usinage a été mise au point pour réaliser un polariseur circulaire d'ondes hyperfréquence en bande S (3 000 MHz). L'onde circulaire est obtenue en faisant propager dans un guide à section droite elliptique une onde rectiligne orientée dans la direction d'une bissectrice des axes de l'ellipse. La méthode d'usinage utilisée réalise ce guide elliptique tout en assurant une transition progressive avec un guide cylindrique ; un tel polariseur a une très bonne tenue en puissance (jusqu'à 23 MW). Un montage hyperfréquence spécial précédant le polariseur permet d'obtenir avec celui-ci une onde à polarisation circulaire quelque soit le coefficient de réflexion de la charge utilisée

TIMETABLE OF EU NEGOTIATIONS & POLICY DEVELOPMENTS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE RURAL POLICY FRAMEWORK POST-2020 2023 UPDATE

<p>This paper presents the latest developments regarding European Union (EU) policies that impact rural areas. It is an update of a paper written in 2020 for the SHERPA project, which provided an overview of EU rural policies from 2021 to 2027 (hereafter "the Overview"). The goal is to update the various stakeholders involved in the SHERPA Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) on relevant EU policy developments and identify new opportunities both for contributing to EU-level discussions and national implementation. The first two present overarching political strategies and the policies within them that impact EU rural areas: the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and the European Green Deal, including its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. The subsequent sections present the EU's budget and different funding instruments within it that are most relevant for rural areas: the Common Agricultural Policy, Cohesion policy and Horizon Europe. </p&gt

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Pathway Analysis of Fucoidan Activity Using a Yeast Gene Deletion Library Screen

Fucoidan, the sulfated fucose-rich polysaccharide derived from brown macroalgae, was reported to display some anti-cancer effects in in vitro and in vivo models that included apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The proposed mechanisms of action involve enhanced immune surveillance and direct pro-apoptotic effects via the activation of cell signaling pathways that remain largely uncharacterized. This study aimed to identify cellular pathways influenced by fucoidan using an unbiased genetic approach to generate additional insights into the anti-cancer effects of fucoidan. Drug–gene interactions of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan were assessed by a systematic screen of the entire set of 4,733 halpoid Saccharomyces cerevsiae gene deletion strains. Some of the findings were confirmed using cell cycle analysis and DNA damage detection in non-immortalized human dermal fibroblasts and colon cancer cells. The yeast deletion library screen and subsequent pathway and interactome analysis identified global effects of fucoidan on a wide range of eukaryotic cellular processes, including RNA metabolism, protein synthesis, sorting, targeting and transport, carbohydrate metabolism, mitochondrial maintenance, cell cycle regulation, and DNA damage repair-related pathways. Fucoidan also reduced clonogenic survival, induced DNA damage and G1-arrest in colon cancer cells, while these effects were not observed in non-immortalized human fibroblasts. Our results demonstrate global effects of fucoidan in diverse cellular processes in eukaryotic cells and further our understanding about the inhibitory effect of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan on the growth of human cancer cells