Interactions between human immunodeficiency virus and herpes viruses within the oral mucosa

ABSTRACTThere is evidence from clinical case reports and epidemiological studies that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be transmitted through oral sex. Herpes viruses that appear in the oral mucosa might influence the oral replication of HIV. A review of data suggesting that interactions occur between HIV and herpes viruses indicates that such interactions might operate in the oral mucosa. Defining the mechanisms by which herpes viruses interact with HIV in the oral mucosa should permit intervention measures to be targeted more precisely

Seasonal Pattern of Hospitalization from Acute Respiratory Infections in Yaounde, Cameroon

n/

Online dating applications and risk of youth victimization : A lifestyle exposure perspective

Based on lifestyle exposure theory (LET), this study examined online dating application (ODA) use and victimization experiences among adolescents using large cross-national samples of Finnish, American, Spanish, and South Korean young people between ages 15 and 18. According to logistic regression analyses in two substudies, ODA use was associated with more likely victimization to online harassment, online sexual harassment, and other cybercrimes and sexual victimization by adults and peers. According to mediation analyses, this relationship was mainly accounted for by the fact that ODA users engage in more risky activities in online communication and information sharing. Attention should be paid to the risks ODAs pose to vulnerable groups, such as young people, with insufficient skills to regulate their social relationships online.Peer reviewe

Thermal Recovery of the Electrochemically Degraded LiCoO₂/Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂:Al,Ta Interface in an All-Solid-State Lithium Battery

All-solid-state lithium batteries are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. Their performance critically depends on the capacity and cycling stability of the cathodic layer. Cells with a garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) electrolyte can show high areal storage capacity. However, they commonly suffer from performance degradation during cycling. For fully inorganic cells based on LiCoO2 (LCO) as cathode active material and LLZO, the electrochemically induced interface amorphization has been identified as an origin of the performance degradation. This study shows that the amorphized interface can be recrystallized by thermal recovery (annealing) with nearly full restoration of the cell performance. The structural and chemical changes at the LCO/LLZO heterointerface associated with degradation and recovery were analyzed in detail and justified by thermodynamic modeling. Based on this comprehensive understanding, this work demonstrates a facile way to recover more than 80% of the initial storage capacity through a thermal recovery (annealing) step. The thermal recovery can be potentially used for cost-efficient recycling of ceramic all-solid-state batteries.</p

Silencing Inhibits Cre-Mediated Recombination of the Z/AP and Z/EG Reporters in Adult Cells

BACKGROUND: The Cre-loxP system has been used to enable tissue specific activation, inactivation and mutation of many genes in vivo and has thereby greatly facilitated the genetic dissection of several cellular and developmental processes. In such studies, Cre-reporter strains, which carry a Cre-activated marker gene, are frequently utilized to validate the expression profile of Cre transgenes, to act as a surrogate marker for excision of a second allele, and to irreversibly label cells for lineage tracing experiments. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have studied three commonly used Cre-reporter strains, Z/AP, Z/EG and R26R-EYFP and have demonstrated that although each reporter can be reliably activated by Cre during early development, exposure to Cre in adult hematopoietic cells results in a much lower frequency of marker-positive cells in the Z/AP or Z/EG strains than in the R26R-EYFP strain. In marker negative cells derived from the Z/AP and Z/EG strains, the transgenic promoter is methylated and Cre-mediated recombination of the locus is inhibited. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the efficiency of Cre-mediated recombination is not only dependent on the genomic context of a given loxP-flanked sequence, but also on stochastic epigenetic mechanisms underlying transgene variegation. Furthermore, our data highlights the potential shortcomings of utilizing the Z/AP and Z/EG reporters as surrogate markers of excision or in lineage tracing experiments

A Non-Specific Effect Associated with Conditional Transgene Expression Based on Cre-loxP Strategy in Mice

Transgenes flanked by loxP sites have been widely used to generate transgenic mice where the transgene expression can be controlled spatially and temporally by Cre recombinase. Data from this approach has led to important conclusions in cancer, neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. Using this approach to conditionally express micro RNAs (miRNAs) in mice, we found that Cre-mediated recombination in neural progenitor cells caused microcephaly in five of our ten independent transgenic lines. This effect was not associated with the types or the quantity of miRNAs being expressed, nor was it associated with specific target knockdown. Rather, it was correlated with the presence of multiple tandem transgene copies and inverted (head-to-head or tail-to-tail) transgene repeats. The presence of these inverted repeats caused a high level of cell death in the ventricular zone of the embryonic brain, where Cre was expressed. Therefore, results from this Cre-loxP approach to generate inducible transgenic alleles must be interpreted with caution and conclusions drawn in previous reports may need reexamination

Splenic size after division of the short gastric vessels in Nissen fundoplication in children

Item does not contain fulltextPURPOSE: Nissen fundoplication is an effective treatment for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Mobilization of the gastric fundus during fundoplication requires division of short gastric vessels of the spleen, which may cause splenic ischemia. The aim of this study was to determine if Nissen fundoplication results in hypotrophy of the spleen. METHODS: We performed pre-operative and post-operative ultrasound measurements of the spleen in children undergoing Nissen fundoplication. During operation, the surgeon estimated the compromised blood flow by assessment of the percentage of discoloration of the spleen. RESULTS: Twenty-four consecutive children were analyzed. Discoloration of the upper pole of the spleen was observed in 11 patients (48%) of a median estimated splenic surface of 20% (range 5-50%). The median ratio for pre-operative and post-operative length, width, and area of the spleen was 0.97, 1.03, and 0.96, respectively. The percentage of the estimated perfusion defect during surgery was not correlated with the ratios. In three patients, the area ratio was smaller than 0.8 (0.67-0.75), meaning that the area decreased with at least 20% after surgery. In none of these patients a discoloration was observed. CONCLUSION: Discoloration of the spleen after Nissen fundoplication is not associated with post-operative splenic atrophy.1 maart 201

A tool for examining the role of the zinc finger myelin transcription factor 1 (Myt1) in neural development: Myt1 knock-in mice

The Myt1 family of transcription factors is unique among the many classes of zinc finger proteins in how the zinc-stabilized fingers contact the DNA helix. To examine the function of Myt1 in the developing nervous system, we generated mice in which Myt1 expression was replaced by an enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein fused to a Codon-improved Cre recombinase as a protein reporter. Myt1 knock-in mice die at birth, apparently due to improper innervation of their lungs. Elimination of Myt1 did not significantly affect the number or distribution of neural precursor cells that normally express Myt1 in the embryonic spinal cord. Nor was the general pattern of differentiated neurons altered in the embryonic spinal cord. The Myt1 knock-in mice should provide an important tool for identifying the in vivo targets of Myt1 action and unraveling the role of this structurally distinct zinc finger protein in neural development