Characterization of the Partitioning System of Myxococcus Plasmid pMF1

pMF1 is the only autonomously replicating plasmid that has been recently identified in myxobacteria. This study characterized the partitioning (par) system of this plasmid. The fragment that significantly increased the retaining stability of plasmids in Myxococcus cells in the absence of selective antibiotics contained three open reading frames (ORFs) pMF1.21-pMF1.23 (parCAB). The pMF1.22 ORF (parA) is homologous to members of the parA ATPase family, with the highest similarity (56%) to the Sphingobium japonicum ParA-like protein, while the other two ORFs had no homologs in GenBank. DNase I footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the pMF1.23 (parB) product is a DNA-binding protein of iteron DNA sequences, while the product of pMF1.21 (parC) has no binding activity but is able to enhance the DNA-binding activity of ParB to iterons. The ParB protein autogenously repressed the expression of the par genes, consistent with the type Ib par pattern, while the ParC protein has less repressive activity. The ParB-binding iteron sequences are distributed not only near the partitioning gene loci but also along pMF1. These results indicate that the pMF1 par system has novel structural and functional characteristics

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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May the best friend be an enemy if not recognized early: possible role of omega-3 against cardiovascular abnormalities due antipsychotics in the treatment of autism Pode um melhor amigo ser um inimigo se não reconhecido a tempo: possível papel do ômega-3 nos efeitos cardiovasculares secundários ao tratamento antipsicótico de pacientes com autismo

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopment disorders that cause severe and pervasive impairment in socialization, communication, and behavior. Although the availability of antipsychotic treatment in ASD has expanded, we will be very careful with side effects of these pharmacological agents. Following this reasoning, emerging data indicate that some antipsychotics may be associated with cardiovascular adverse events (e.g., QT interval prolongation), suggesting that this could be correlated to sudden death. Quite interesting, substantial evidence from epidemiological and case-control studies indicates that omega-3 reduces the risk of cardiovascular mortality, particularly sudden cardiac death. In accordance to the above mentioned findings, as omega-3 fatty acids per se have a direct cardiovascular protective role, our paper hypothesized that omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in ASD patients treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs may reduce cardiac arrhythmias and hence sudden cardiac death.<br>As desordens do espectro autista (DEA) são um grupo de doenças do desenvolvimento que causam um grave comprometimento na socialização, comunicação e comportamento. Embora o tratamento na DEA com drogas antipsicóticas tenha se expandido, é necessária a observação cuidadosa de efeitos colaterais destes fármacos. Nesta linha, dados recentes têm associado o uso de antipsicóticos com efeitos adversos cardiovasculares (como prolongamento do intervalo QT), sugerindo que possa haver uma correlação com morte súbita. Evidências originadas em dados epidemiológicos e estudos de caso-controle indicam que o Omega-3 reduz o risco de mortalidade por causa cardiovascular, particularmente a morte súbita de origem cardíaca. Concordante com estes achados, como o Omega-3 per se tem um papel protetor cardiovascular direto, nosso artigo levanta a hipótese que a suplementação de ácidos graxos Omega-3 em pacientes com DEA tratados com drogas antipsicóticas podem reduzir o risco de arritmias cardíacas e assim a morte súbita cardíaca