Aureobasidium pullulans-Associated Invasive Mycosis in a Child with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia: A Case Report

Severe mycotic infection occurring mainly in immunocompromised patients often exacerbates the progression of the primary oncohematological disease. It is the first attempt in Russian literature to present clinical and microbiological characteristics of invasive mycosis caused by Aureobasidium pullulans in a child with acute myeloblastic leukemia after receiving cytoreductive and antifungal treatment with favourable outcome

Cholinergic receptor pathways involved in apoptosis, cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation

Acetylcholine (ACh) has been shown to modulate neuronal differentiation during early development. Both muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) regulate a wide variety of physiological responses, including apoptosis, cellular proliferation and neuronal differentiation. However, the intracellular mechanisms underlying these effects of AChR signaling are not fully understood. It is known that activation of AChRs increase cellular proliferation and neurogenesis and that regulation of intracellular calcium through AChRs may underlie the many functions of ACh. Intriguingly, activation of diverse signaling molecules such as Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt, protein kinase C and c-Src is modulated by AChRs. Here we discuss the roles of ACh in neuronal differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. We also discuss the pathways involved in these processes, as well as the effects of novel endogenous AChRs agonists and strategies to enhance neuronal-differentiation of stem and neural progenitor cells. Further understanding of the intracellular mechanisms underlying AChR signaling may provide insights for novel therapeutic strategies, as abnormal AChR activity is present in many diseases

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Liquid-phase isomerization of alpha-pinene on a natural klinoptilolite

WOS: 00008180110001

Vlasovite, Na2Zr(Si4O11), from the Kipawa alkaline complex, Quebec, Canada: crystal-structure refinement and polarized infrared spectroscopy

The crystal structure of vlasovite, Na-2 Zr (Si4O11), from the Kipawa alkaline complex, Quebec, Canada, monoclinic, a 11.0390(5), b 10.0980(3), c 8.5677(4) angstrom, beta 100.313(1)degrees, V 939.6(1) angstrom(3), space group 4,72/c. Z = 4, D (calc.) = 3.008 g.cm(-3), was refined to all R, index of 1.9% based oil 1352 observed [F-o > 4 sigma F] unique reflections measured with MoK alpha X-radiation on a Broker P4 diffractometer equipped with a 4K CCD detector. An electron-microprobe analysis gave the composition Na-1.98 Zr-1.00 (Si4O11) based on 11 O apfit. In the crystal structure, there ire two tetrahedrally coordinated Si sites with a grand distance of 1.612 angstrom, and one octahedrally coordinated Zr site with = 2.085 angstrom. There are two Na sites: the Na(1) site is [7]-coordinated with = 2.620 angstrom, The Na(2) site is split into two subsites, Na(2A) and Na(2B), with a separation of 0.829 angstrom, and the symmetry-related Na(2B) sites are separated by 1.525 angstrom. Na(2A) is octahedrally coordinated, and No(2B) is [5]-coordinated, and their occupancies are 0.826(8) and 0.092(4) Na, respectively. Thus the Na(1) and aggregate Na(2) sites are each fully Occupied. In the crystal structure of vlasovite, four-membered rings of (SiO4) tetrahedra link together to form an [Si4O11](6-) chain. Chains of tetrahedra and Zr octahedra link together to form a heteropolyhedral framework with channels extending along [001]. Three channels contain the Na atoms, which are bonded to O atoms of the octahedron-tetrahedron framework. Vlasovite is not significantly damaged by exposure to X-rays. Infrared spectro;copy shows that vlasovite can be free of H2O or can contain variable amounts of H2O; single crystals can be anhydrous in so ne regions and hydrous in other regions. Moreover, the H2O content and its spectral response are unaffected by exposure of crystals to X-rays