In vivo endoscopic autofluorescence microspectro-imaging of bronchi and alveoli

Fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy (FCFM) is a new technique that can be used during a bronchoscopy to analyze the nature of the human bronchial and alveolar mucosa fluorescence microstructure. An endoscopic fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy system with spectroscopic analysis capability was developed allowing real-time, simultaneous images and emission spectra acquisition at 488 nm excitation using a flexible miniprobe that could be introduced into small airways. This flexible 1.4 mm miniprobe can be introduced into the working channel of a flexible endoscope and gently advanced through the bronchial tree to the alveoli. FCFM in conjunction with bronchoscopy is able to image the in vivo autofluorescence structure of the bronchial mucosae but also the alveolar respiratory network outside of the usual field of view. Microscopic and spectral analysis showed that the signal mainly originates from the elastin component of the bronchial subepithelial layer. In non smokers, the system images the elastin backbone of the aveoli. In active smokers, a strong autofluorescence signal appears from alveolar macrophages. The FCFM technique appears promising for in vivo exploration of the bronchial and alveolar extracellular matrix

Relation between the Ultrasonic Attenuation and the Porosity of a RTM Composite Plate

AbstractWe propose a comparative study of X-ray tomography and ultrasonic reflection methods, for determining the porosity of a composite plate realized in LOMC with an industrial process. We measure the attenuation of ultrasound propagating in the thickness by using 10MHz plane transducer in pulse-echo mode. Comparing these results to the 2D porosity tomographic map allows establishing a relation between attenuation and porosity. A C-scan picture of the plate given by the echoes reflected by the rear surface also provides a local information on the attenuation. Furthermore, we propose a method for the mapping of the reflecting sources as the included bubbles and the interfaces resin/fibers

Atypical form of early neonatal infection with Salmonella enterica: case report with literature review

Salmonella are rarely responsible for neonatal or perinatal infection. An annual incidence of 75/100000 births are reported in the USA. The authors present a case of a newborn with neonatal salmonellosis in the context of maternal infection in the days preceding the birth, documented retrospectively. This is a case of a 38-week male infant born via spontaneous vaginal delivery. There was a premature rupture of the membranes (13 hours). The mother gave a history of fever and diarrhea of ten days prior to delivery. She had fever of 38.3°C during labor. Prophylactic antibiotic treatment with amoxicillin was established. Thirty-two hours after birth, the baby developed fever, lethargy, and was not accepting feeds. On admission, physical examination showed fever, tachycardia, correct blood pressure and isolated jaundice. The blood count found a leukopenia, a thrombocytopenia, a CRP at 35mg/l. Parenteral antibiotic therapy with cefotaxime and amikacin was started. Apyrexia is obtained after 48 hours of intravenous treatment. Stool culture of the newborn grew after 48 hours and for the mother after 3 days. The germ identified was Salmonella enterica Serovar 4,5,12:i:-. Blood cultures were performed on the mothers and the baby, but the cultures were negative. The baby responded and was discharged on the 15th day of delivery. The mother’s condition was complicated by a Guillan Barré syndrome that required a transfer to neurology. Neonatal salmonellosis may have non-specific clinical symptoms. Management is based on early antibiotic therapy with a third-generation cephalosporin as first-line therapy. The measure in preventing the spread of infection in the neonatology is essential to avoid secondary cases

Discrete R-symmetries and Anomaly Universality in Heterotic Orbifolds

We study discrete R-symmetries, which appear in 4D low energy effective field theory derived from hetetoric orbifold models. We derive the R-symmetries directly from geometrical symmetries of orbifolds. In particular, we obtain the corresponding R-charges by requiring that the couplings be invariant under these symmetries. This allows for a more general treatment than the explicit computations of correlation functions made previously by the authors, including models with discrete Wilson lines, and orbifold symmetries beyond plane-by-plane rotational invariance. Surprisingly, for the cases covered by earlier explicit computations, the R-charges differ from the previous result. We study the anomalies associated with these R-symmetries, and comment on the results.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures. Minor changes, typos corrected. Matches JHEP published versio

Superconformal indices at large N and the entropy of AdS5 x SE5 black holes

The large N limit of the four-dimensional superconformal index was computed and successfully compared to the entropy of a class of AdS5 black holes only in the particular case of equal angular momenta. Using the Bethe ansatz formulation, we compute the index at large N with arbitrary chemical potentials for all charges and angular momenta, for general four-dimensional conformal theories with a holographic dual. We conjecture and bring some evidence that a particular universal contribution to the sum over Bethe vacua dominates the index at large N. For SYM, this contribution correctly leads to the entropy of BPS Kerr-Newman black holes in AdS5 x S5 for arbitrary values of the conserved charges, thus completing the microscopic derivation of their microstates. We also consider theories dual to AdS5 x SE5, where SE5 is a Sasaki-Einstein manifold. We first check our results against the so-called universal black hole. We then explicitly construct the near-horizon geometry of BPS Kerr-Newman black holes in AdS5 T^{1,1}, charged under the baryonic symmetry of the conifold theory and with equal angular momenta. We compute the entropy of these black holes using the attractor mechanism and find complete agreement with the field theory predictions

A Sizer model for cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana root growth

Plant roots grow due to cell division in the meristem and subsequent cell elongation and differentiation, a tightly coordinated process that ensures growth and adaptation to the changing environment. How the newly formed cells decide to stop elongating becoming fully differentiated is not yet understood. To address this question, we established a novel approach that combines the quantitative phenotypic variability of wild-type Arabidopsis roots with computational data from mathematical models. Our analyses reveal that primary root growth is consistent with a Sizer mechanism, in which cells sense their length and stop elongating when reaching a threshold value. The local expression of brassinosteroid receptors only in the meristem is sufficient to set this value. Analysis of roots insensitive to signaling and of roots with gibberellin biosynthesis inhibited suggests distinct roles of these hormones on cell expansion termination. Overall, our study underscores the value of using computational modeling together with quantitative data to understand root growth

Mutations in TRAF3IP1/IFT54 reveal a new role for IFT proteins in microtubule stabilization

Ciliopathies are a large group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders caused by defects in primary cilia. Here we identified mutations in TRAF3IP1 (TNF Receptor-Associated Factor Interacting Protein 1) in eight patients from five families with nephronophthisis (NPH) and retinal degeneration, two of the most common manifestations of ciliopathies. TRAF3IP1 encodes IFT54, a subunit of the IFT-B complex required for ciliogenesis. The identified mutations result in mild ciliary defects in patients but also reveal an unexpected role of IFT54 as a negative regulator of microtubule stability via MAP4 (microtubule-associated protein 4). Microtubule defects are associated with altered epithelialization/polarity in renal cells and with pronephric cysts and microphthalmia in zebrafish embryos. Our findings highlight the regulation of cytoplasmic microtubule dynamics as a role of the IFT54 protein beyond the cilium, contributing to the development of NPH-related ciliopathies

One fungus, which genes?: development and assessment of universal primers for potential secondary fungal DNA barcodes

The aim of this study was to assess potential candidate gene regions and corresponding universal primer pairs as secondary DNA barcodes for the fungal kingdom, additional to ITS rDNA as primary barcode. Amplification efficiencies of 14 (partially) universal primer pairs targeting eight genetic markers were tested across > 1 500 species (1 931 strains or specimens) and the outcomes of almost twenty thousand (19 577) polymerase chain reactions were evaluated. We tested several well-known primer pairs that amplify: i) sections of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene large subunit (D1-D2 domains of 26/28S); ii) the complete internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1/2); iii) partial beta-tubulin II (TUB2); iv) gamma-actin (ACT); v) translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1 alpha); and vi) the second largest subunit of RNA-polymerase II (partial RPB2, section 5-6). Their PCR efficiencies were compared with novel candidate primers corresponding to: i) the fungal-specific translation elongation factor 3 (TEF3); ii) a small ribosomal protein necessary for t-RNA docking; iii) the 60S L10 (L1) RP; iv) DNA topoisomerase I (TOPI); v) phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK); vi) hypothetical protein LNS2; and vii) alternative sections of TEF1 alpha. Results showed that several gene sections are accessible to universal primers (or primers universal for phyla) yielding a single PCR-product. Barcode gap and multi-dimensional scaling analyses revealed that some of the tested candidate markers have universal properties providing adequate infra- and inter-specific variation that make them attractive barcodes for species identification. Among these gene sections, a novel high fidelity primer pair for TEF1 alpha, already widely used as a phylogenetic marker in mycology, has potential as a supplementary DNA barcode with superior resolution to ITS. Both TOPI and PGK show promise for the Ascomycota, while TOPI and LNS2 are attractive for the Pucciniomycotina, for which universal primers for ribosomal subunits often fail

Rare disruptive mutations in ciliary function genes contribute to testicular cancer susceptibility

Testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) is the most common cancer in young men. Here we sought to identify risk factors for TGCT by performing whole-exome sequencing on 328 TGCT cases from 153 families, 634 sporadic TGCT cases and 1,644 controls. We search for genes that are recurrently affected by rare variants (minor allele frequency <0.01) with potentially damaging effects and evidence of segregation in families. A total of 8.7% of TGCT families carry rare disruptive mutations in the cilia-microtubule genes (CMG) as compared with 0.5% of controls (P=2.1 × 10¯⁸). The most significantly mutated CMG is DNAAF1 with biallelic inactivation and loss of DNAAF1 expression shown in tumours from carriers. DNAAF1 mutation as a cause of TGCT is supported by a dnaaf1hu²⁵⁵h(+/−) zebrafish model, which has a 94% risk of TGCT. Our data implicate cilia-microtubule inactivation as a cause of TGCT and provide evidence for CMGs as cancer susceptibility genes