Warm season performance of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands vegetated with rice treating water from an urban stream polluted with sewage

The performance of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands vegetated with rice (Oryza sativa L.) was investigated in Campina Grande (7º 13' 11" S; 35º 52' 31" W; 550 m above mean sea level), Paraíba state, northeast Brazil. The pilot-scale system comprised 24 circular tanks (76.80 cm diameter, 54 cm height) batch fed daily with water from a nearby urban stream polluted with sewage. Experimental units were filled with substrate of either sand or gravel and operated under hydraulic retention times of 5 and 10 days. Constructed wetlands demonstrated a very good performance in removing organic matter, fecal indicator microorganisms and nutrients from the influent representing a good alternative for the improvement of water quality of urban and peri-urban water resources. Vegetation was found to be the most important factor affecting their performances being the changes in both substrate and hydraulic retention time investigated herein of minor influence.Keywords: Urban polluted stream, urban polluted water treatment, constructed wetlands, effluent reuse.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(25), pp. 3992-399

ADENOMA CANALICULAR EM LÁBIO SUPERIOR: RELATO DE CASO

Fotografies aèries de la província de Barcelona, escala 1:5 0001:5 00

Young ovine death during hyperimmunization: crotalic envenomation or copper toxicosis?

The unfavorable evolution of a young ovine during hyperimmunization process with Crotalus durissus terrificus venom was investigated in order to differentiate its origin between ophidic envenomation and copper toxicosis. Clinical, laboratory, necroscopic and histological exams as well as evaluation and measurement of heavy metals (copper) in the kidneys and in the liver were carried out. Blood counts revealed anemia and serological tests showed high levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, total bilirubin and indirect bilirubin; which indicates liver, kidney and skeletal muscle damages. At necropsy, the animal presented hepatopathy and nephropathy. Histological examination revealed renal and hepatic features that may imply copper intoxication. Copper levels were 237.8 µg/g in the liver and 51.2 µg/g in the kidneys. Although the amount of metal found in both organs was below the level that can cause death, according to the literature, anatomopathological signs were suggestive of copper intoxication. Therefore, the hypothesis of metal toxicosis during the hyperimmunization process became more consistent than the crotalic envenomation one

T-Cell Memory Responses Elicited by Yellow Fever Vaccine are Targeted to Overlapping Epitopes Containing Multiple HLA-I and -II Binding Motifs

The yellow fever vaccines (YF-17D-204 and 17DD) are considered to be among the safest vaccines and the presence of neutralizing antibodies is correlated with protection, although other immune effector mechanisms are known to be involved. T-cell responses are known to play an important role modulating antibody production and the killing of infected cells. However, little is known about the repertoire of T-cell responses elicited by the YF-17DD vaccine in humans. In this report, a library of 653 partially overlapping 15-mer peptides covering the envelope (Env) and nonstructural (NS) proteins 1 to 5 of the vaccine was utilized to perform a comprehensive analysis of the virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses. The T-cell responses were screened ex-vivo by IFN-γ ELISPOT assays using blood samples from 220 YF-17DD vaccinees collected two months to four years after immunization. Each peptide was tested in 75 to 208 separate individuals of the cohort. The screening identified sixteen immunodominant antigens that elicited activation of circulating memory T-cells in 10% to 33% of the individuals. Biochemical in-vitro binding assays and immunogenetic and immunogenicity studies indicated that each of the sixteen immunogenic 15-mer peptides contained two or more partially overlapping epitopes that could bind with high affinity to molecules of different HLAs. The prevalence of the immunogenicity of a peptide in the cohort was correlated with the diversity of HLA-II alleles that they could bind. These findings suggest that overlapping of HLA binding motifs within a peptide enhances its T-cell immunogenicity and the prevalence of the response in the population. In summary, the results suggests that in addition to factors of the innate immunity, "promiscuous" T-cell antigens might contribute to the high efficacy of the yellow fever vaccines. © 2013 de Melo et al

Soil water-holding capacity and monodominance in Southern Amazon tropical forests

Background and aims: We explored the hypothesis that low soil water-holding capacity is the main factor driving the monodominance of Brosimum rubescens in a monodominant forest in Southern Amazonia. Tropical monodominant forests are rare ecosystems with low diversity and high dominance of a single tree species. The causes of this atypical condition are still poorly understood. Some studies have shown a relationship between monodominance and waterlogging or soil attributes, while others have concluded that edaphic factors have little or no explanatory value, but none has accounted for soil-moisture variation other than waterlogging. This study is the first to explicitly explore how low soil water-holding capacity influences the monodominance of tropical forests. Methods: We conducted in situ measurements of vertical soil moisture using electrical resistance collected over 1 year at 0–5; 35–40 and 75–80 cm depths in a B. rubescens monodominant forest and in an adjacent mixed-species forest in the Amazon-Cerrado transition zone, Brazil. Minimum leaf water potential (Ψmin) of the seven most common species, including B. rubescens, and soil water-holding capacity for both forests were determined. Results: The vertical soil moisture decay pattern was similar in both forests for all depths. However, the slightly higher water availability in the monodominant forest and Ψmin similarity between B. rubescens and nearby mixed forest species indicate that low water-availability does not cause the monodominance. Conclusions: We reject the hypothesis that monodominance of B. rubescens is primarily determined by low soil water-holding capacity, reinforcing the idea that monodominance in tropical forests is not determined by a single factor

New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI

The final publication is available at link.springer.com.[EN] The mechanism of self-recognition of the autoantigen TROVE2, a common biomarker in autoimmune diseases, has been studied with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). The complementarity and remarkable analytical features of both techniques has allowed new insights into the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to be achieved at the molecular level. The in vitro study for SLE patients and healthy subjects suggests that anti-TROVE2 autoantibodies may undergo an antibody bipolar bridging. An epitope-paratope-specific binding initially occurs to activate a hidden Fc receptor in the TROVE2 tertiary structure. This bipolar mechanism may contribute to the pathogenic accumulation of anti-TROVE2 autoantibody immune complex in autoimmune disease. Furthermore, the specific calcium-dependent protein-protein bridges point out at how the TRIM21/TROVE2 association might occur, suggesting that the TROVE2 protein could stimulate the intracellular immune signaling via the TRIM21 PRY-SPRY domain. These findings may help to better understand the origins of the specificity and affinity of TROVE2 interactions, which might play a key role in the SLE pathogenesis. This manuscript gives one of the first practical applications of two novel functions (-df/dD and Delta h/molec) for the analysis of the data provided by QCM-D and DPI. In addition, it is the first time that QCM-D has been used for mapping hidden Fc receptors as well as linear epitopes in a protein tertiary structure.We would like to thank Sylvia Daunert for her invaluable help with the discussion of the paper. Furthermore, we acknowledge financial support from the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA-PROMETEOII/2014/040) as well as the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund under award numbers CTQ2013-45875-R and CTQ2013-42914-RJuste-Dolz, AM.; Do Nascimento, NM.; Monzó, IS.; Grau-García, E.; Roman-Ivorra, JA.; López-Paz, JL.; Escorihuela Fuentes, J.... (2019). New structural insights into the role of TROVE2 complexes in the on-set and pathogenesis of systemic lupus eythematosus determined by a combiantion of QCM-D and DPI. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 411(19):4709-4720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-1407-xS4709472041119Kakatia S, Teronpia R, Barmanb B. Frequency, pattern and determinants of flare in systemic lupus erythematosus: a study from North East India. Egypt Rheumatol. 2015;37:S55–9.Kuhn A, Wenzel J, Weyd H. Photosensitivity, apoptosis, and cytokines in the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus: a critical review. Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol. 2014;47:148–62.American Lupus Foundation. 2016. http://www.lupus.org .World Health Organization. Environmental health criteria 236. Geneva: WHO Press; 2006.Li W, Titov AA, Morel L. An update on lupus animal models. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2017;29:1040–8711.Routsias JG, Tzioufas AG, Moutsopoulos HM. The clinical value of intracellular autoantigens B-cell epitopes in systemic rheumatic diseases. Clin Chim Acta. 2004;340:1–25.Franceschini F, Cavazzana I. Anti-Ro/SSA and La/SSB antibodies. Autoimmunity. 2005;38:55–63.Kelekar A, Saitta MR, Keene JD. Molecular composition of Ro small ribonucleoprotein complexes in human cells. Intracellular localization of the 60- and 52-kD proteins. J Clin Ivest. 1994;93:1637–44.Slobbe RL, Pluk W, van Venrooij WJ, Prujin GJM. Ro ribonucleoprotein assembly in vitro: identification of RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions. J Mol Biol. 1992;2:361–6.Chen X, Taylor DW, Fowler CC, Galan JE, Wang HW, Wolin SL. An RNA degradation machine sculpted by Ro autoantigen and noncoding RNA. Cell. 2013;153:166–77.Stein AJ, Fuchs G, Fu C, Wolin SL, Reinisch KM. Structural insights into RNA quality control: the Ro autoantigen binds misfolded RNAs via its central cavity. Cell. 2005;121:529–39.Reed JH, Gordon TP. Autoimmunity: Ro60-associated RNA takes its toll on disease pathogenesis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2016;12:136–8.Sim S, Weinberg DE, Fuchs G, Choi K, Chung J, Wolin SL. The subcellular distribution of an RNA quality control protein, the Ro autoantigen, is regulated by noncoding Y RNA binding. Mol Biol Cell. 2009;20:1555–64.Reed JH, Jackson MW, Gordon TP. A B cell apotope of Ro 60 in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;58:1125–9.Wolin SL, Reinisch KM. The Ro 60 kDa autoantigen comes into focus: interpreting epitope mapping experiments on the basis of structure. Autoimmun Rev. 2006;5:367–72.Routsias JG, Tzioufas AG. B-cell epitopes of the intracellular autoantigens Ro/SSA and La/SSB: tools to study the regulation of the autoimmune response. J Autoimmun. 2010;35:256–64.Whittaker CA, Hynes RO. Distribution and evolution of von Willebrand/integrin a domains: widely dispersed domains with roles in cell adhesion and elsewere. Mol Bio Cell. 2002;13:3369–87.Lacy DB, Wigelsworth DJ, Scobie HM, Young JA, Collier RJ. Crystal structure of the von Willebrand factor a domain of human capillary morphogenesis protein 2: an anthrax toxin receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101:6367–72.O’Brien CA, Wolin SL. A possible role for the 60-kD Ro autoantigen in a discard pathway for defective 5S rRNA precursors. Genes Dev. 1994;8:2891–903.Chen X, Wolin SL. The Ro 60 autoantigen : insights into cellular function and role in autoimmunity. J Mol Med (Berl). 2004;82:232–9.Escorihuela J, González-Martínez MA, López-Paz JL, Puchades R, Maquieira A, Gimenez-Romero D. Dual-polarization interferometry: a novel technique to light up the nanomolecular world. Chem Rev. 2014;115:265–94.do Nascimento NM, Juste-Dolz A, Bueno PR, Monzó I, Tejero R, Lopez-Paz JL, et al. Mapping molecular binding by means of conformational dynamics measurements. RSC Adv. 2018;8:867–76.do Nascimento NM, Juste-Dolz A, Grau-García E, Román-Ivorra J, Puchades R, Maquieira A, et al. Label-free piezoelectric biosensor for prognosis and diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2016;90:166–73.Seo MH, Park J, Kim E, Hohng S, Kim HS. Protein conformational dynamics dictate the binding affinity for a ligand. Nat Commun. 2014;5:3724.Lakshmanan RS, Efremov V, O’Donnell JS, Killard AJ. Measurement of the viscoelastic properties of blood plasma clot formation in response to tissue factor concentration-dependent activation. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2016;408:6581–8.Fakhrullin RF, Vinter VG, Zamaleeva AI, Matveeva MV, Kourbanov RA, Temesgen BK, et al. Quartz crystal microbalance immunosensor for the detection of antibodies to double-stranded DNA. Anal Bioanl Chem. 2007;388:367–75.Shen F, Rojas OJ, Genzer J, Gurgel PV, Carbonell RG. Affinity interactions of human immunoglobulin G with short peptides: role of ligand spacer on binding, kinetics, and mass transfer. Anal Bioanl Chem. 2015;408:1829–41.Fogarty AC, Laage D. Water dynamics in protein hydration shells: the molecular origins of the dynamical perturbation. J Phys Chem B. 2014;118:7715–29.Born B, Kim SJ, Ebbinghaus S, Gruebelebc M, Havenith M. The terahertz dance of water with the proteins: the effect of protein flexibility on the dynamical hydration shell of ubiquitin. Faraday Discuss. 2009;141:161–73.Yoshimi R, Ueda A, Ozato K, Ishigatsubo Y. Clinical and pathological roles of Ro/SSA autoantibody system. Clin Dev Immunol. 2012;2012:606195.Boire G, Gendron M, Monast N, Bastin B, Ménard HA. Purification of antigenically intact Ro ribonucleoproteins; biochemical and immunological evidence that the 52-kD protein is not a Ro protein. Clin Exp Immunol. 1995;100:489–98.Gazzaruso C, Montecucco CM, Geroldi D, Garzaniti A, Finardi G. Severe hypercalcemia and systemic lupus erythematosus. Joint Bone Spine. 2000;67:485–8.Hassan AB, Lundberg IE, Isenberg D, Wahren-Herlenius M. Serial analysis of Ro/SSA and La/SSB antibody levels and correlation with clinical disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Scand J Rheumatol. 2002;31:133–9.Huang RY, Chen G. Higher order structure characterization of protein therapeutics by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2014;406:6541–58.Yu F, Roy S, Arevalo E, Schaeck J, Wang J, Holte K, et al. Characterization of heparin-protein interaction by saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2014;406:3079–89.Rizzuto R, Pozzan T. Microdomains of intracellular Ca2+: molecular determinants and functional consequences. Physiol Rev. 2006;86:369–408.Gaipl US, Kuhn A, Sheriff A, Munoz LE, Franz S, Voll RE, et al. Clearance of apoptotic cells in human SLE. Curr Dir Autoimmun. 2006;9:173–87.Falati S, Edmead CE, Poole AW. Glycoprotein Ib-V-IX, a receptor for Von Willebrand factor, couples physically and functionally to the Fc receptor gamma-chain, Fyn, and Lyn to activate human platelets. Blood. 1999;94:1648–56.Muñoz LE, Lauber K, Schiller M, Manfredi AA, Herrmann M. The role of defective clearance of apoptotic cells in systemic autoimmunity. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010;6:280–9