SOD2 rs4880 CT/CC genotype predicts poor survival for Chinese gastric cancer patients received platinum and fluorouracil based adjuvant chemotherapy

published_or_final_versio

Interleukin 23 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis via NF-kappa B induced matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression

published_or_final_versio

Human Probing Behavior of Aedes aegypti when Infected with a Life-Shortening Strain of Wolbachia

Mosquitoes transmit diseases when they are actively searching for a source of blood. This so called probing behavior comprises the “searching” time, the beginning of the feeding process until the first sign of blood can be seen within the insect body. The manipulation of this behavior can have important consequences for the mosquito's ability to transmit pathogens, such as dengue virus or Plasmodium. In this study we examined the probing behavior of the main vector of dengue viruses, Aedes aegypti, when infected with an intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis. This bacterium alters the probing behavior of older mosquitoes such that they take longer to find a feeding site and longer to imbibe blood, which may make them more susceptible to human defense responses. The bacterium appears to reduce mosquito feeding success by preventing the mosquito from successfully inserting its stylet into human skin. The old age onset of reduced mosquito feeding success due to Wolbachia could selectively promote a reduction in dengue transmission

Immunogenic Salivary Proteins of Triatoma infestans: Development of a Recombinant Antigen for the Detection of Low-Level Infestation of Triatomines

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected disease with 20 million people at risk in Latin America. The main control strategies are based on insecticide spraying to eliminate the domestic vectors, the most effective of which is Triatoma infestans. This approach has been very successful in some areas. However, there is a constant risk of recrudescence in once-endemic regions resulting from the re-establishment of T. infestans and the invasion of other triatomine species. To detect low-level infestations of triatomines after insecticide spraying, we have developed a new epidemiological tool based on host responses against salivary antigens of T. infestans. We identified and synthesized a highly immunogenic salivary protein. This protein was used successfully to detect differences in the infestation level of T. infestans of households in Bolivia and the exposure to other triatomine species. The development of such an exposure marker to detect low-level infestation may also be a useful tool for other disease vectors

Salivary Gland Transcriptomes and Proteomes of Phlebotomus tobbi and Phlebotomus sergenti, Vectors of Leishmaniasis

Phlebotomine female sand flies require a blood meal for egg development, and it is during the blood feeding that pathogens can be transmitted to a host. Leishmania parasites are among these pathogens and can cause disfiguring cutaneous or even possibly fatal visceral disease. The Leishmania parasites are deposited into the bite wound along with the sand fly saliva. The components of the saliva have many pharmacologic and immune functions important in blood feeding and disease establishment. In this article, the authors identify and investigate the protein components of saliva of two important vectors of leishmaniasis, Phlebotomus tobbi and P. sergenti, by sequencing the transcriptomes of the salivary glands. We then compared the predicted protein sequences of these salivary proteins to those of other bloodsucking insects to elucidate the similarity in composition, structure, and enzymatic activity. Finally, this descriptive analysis of P. tobbi and P. sergenti transcriptomes can aid future research in identifying molecules for epidemiologic assays and in investigating sand fly-host interactions

8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, a major mutagenic oxidative DNA lesion, and DNA strand breaks in nasal respiratory epithelium of children exposed to urban pollution.

Southwest metropolitan Mexico City children are repeatedly exposed to high levels of a complex mixture of air pollutants, including ozone, particulate matter, aldehydes, metals, and nitrogen oxides. We explored nasal cell 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a major mutagenic lesion producing G-->T transversion mutations, using an immunohistochemical method, and DNA single strand breaks (ssb) using the single cell gel electrophoresis assay as biomarkers of oxidant exposure. Nasal biopsies from the posterior inferior turbinate were examined in children in grades one through five, including 12 controls from a low-polluted coastal town and 87 Mexico City children. Each biopsy was divided for the 8-OHdG and DNA ssb assays. There was an age-dependent increase in the percentage of nasal cells with DNA tails > 10 microm in Mexico City children: 19 +/- 9% for control cells, and 43 +/- 4, 50 +/- 16, 56 +/- 17, 60 +/- 17 and 73 +/- 14%, respectively, for first through fifth graders (p < 0.05). Nasal ssb were significantly higher in fifth graders than in first graders (p < 0.05). Higher levels (2.3- to 3-fold) of specific nuclear staining for 8-OHdG were observed in exposed children as compared to controls (p < 0.05). These results suggest that DNA damage is present in nasal epithelial cells in Mexico City children. Persistent oxidative DNA damage may ultimately result in a selective growth of pr eneoplastic nasal initiated cells in this population and the potential for nasal neoplasms may increase with age. The combination of 8-OHdG and DNA ssb should be useful for monitoring oxidative damage in people exposed to polluted atmospheres

Neutrino emission from dense matter, and neutron star thermal evolution

A brief review is given of neutrino emission processes in dense matter, with particular emphasis on recent developments. These include direct Urca processes for nucleons and hyperons, which can give rise to rapid energy loss from the stellar core without exotic matter, and the effect of band structure on neutrino bremsstrahlung from electrons in the crust, which results in much lower energy losses by this process than had previously been estimated

The genome of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, reveals potential mechanisms underlying reproduction, host interactions, and novel targets for pest control.

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, is a major blood-feeding pest of livestock that has near worldwide distribution, causing an annual cost of over $2 billion for control and product loss in the USA alone. Control of these flies has been limited to increased sanitary management practices and insecticide application for suppressing larval stages. Few genetic and molecular resources are available to help in developing novel methods for controlling stable flies. This study examines stable fly biology by utilizing a combination of high-quality genome sequencing and RNA-Seq analyses targeting multiple developmental stages and tissues. In conjunction, 1600 genes were manually curated to characterize genetic features related to stable fly reproduction, vector host interactions, host-microbe dynamics, and putative targets for control. Most notable was characterization of genes associated with reproduction and identification of expanded gene families with functional associations to vision, chemosensation, immunity, and metabolic detoxification pathways. The combined sequencing, assembly, and curation of the male stable fly genome followed by RNA-Seq and downstream analyses provide insights necessary to understand the biology of this important pest. These resources and new data will provide the groundwork for expanding the tools available to control stable fly infestations. The close relationship of Stomoxys to other blood-feeding (horn flies and Glossina) and non-blood-feeding flies (house flies, medflies, Drosophila) will facilitate understanding of the evolutionary processes associated with development of blood feeding among the Cyclorrhapha

The JCMT Transient Survey: Four-year Summary of Monitoring the Submillimeter Variability of Protostars

We present the four-year survey results of monthly submillimeter monitoring of eight nearby (<500 pc) star-forming regions by the JCMT Transient Survey. We apply the Lomb–Scargle Periodogram technique to search for and characterize variability on 295 submillimeter peaks brighter than 0.14 Jy beam−1, including 22 disk sources (Class II), 83 protostars (Class 0/I), and 190 starless sources. We uncover 18 secular variables, all of them protostars. No single-epoch burst or drop events and no inherently stochastic sources are observed. We classify the secular variables by their timescales into three groups: Periodic, Curved, and Linear. For the Curved and Periodic cases, the detectable fractional amplitude, with respect to mean peak brightness, is ∼4% for sources brighter than ∼0.5 Jy beam−1. Limiting our sample to only these bright sources, the observed variable fraction is 37% (16 out of 43). Considering source evolution, we find a similar fraction of bright variables for both Class 0 and Class I. Using an empirically motivated conversion from submillimeter variability to variation in mass accretion rate, six sources (7% of our full sample) are predicted to have years-long accretion events during which the excess mass accreted reaches more than 40% above the total quiescently accreted mass: two previously known eruptive Class I sources, V1647 Ori and EC 53 (V371 Ser), and four Class 0 sources, HOPS 356, HOPS 373, HOPS 383, and West 40. Considering the full protostellar ensemble, the importance of episodic accretion on few years timescale is negligible—only a few percent of the assembled mass. However, given that this accretion is dominated by events on the order of the observing time window, it remains uncertain as to whether the importance of episodic events will continue to rise with decades-long monitoring

Numerical modeling of the thermal contact in metal forming processes

Heat flow across the interface of solid bodies in contact is an important aspect in several engineering applications. This work presents a finite element model for the analysis of thermal contact, which takes into account the effect of contact pressure and gap dimension in the heat flow across the interface between two bodies. Additionally, the frictional heat generation is also addressed, which is dictated by the contact forces predicted by the mechanical problem. The frictional contact problem and thermal problem are formulated in the frame of the finite element method. A new law is proposed to define the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) as a function of the contact pressure and gap distance, enabling a smooth transition between two contact status (gap and contact). The staggered scheme used as coupling strategy to solve the thermomechanical problem is briefly presented. Four numerical examples are presented to validate the finite element model and highlight the importance of the proposed law on the predicted temperature.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the project PTDC/EMS-TEC/1805/2012 and by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade, under the project CENTRO-07-0224- FEDER-002001 (MT4MOBI). The second author is also grateful to the FCT for the postdoctoral grant SFRH/BPD/101334/2014. The authors would like to thank Prof. A. Andrade-Campos for helpful contributions on the development of the finite element code presented in this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio