Analysis of the Promoters Involved in Enterocin AS-48 Expression

The enterocin AS-48 is the best characterized antibacterial circular protein in prokaryotes. It is a hydrophobic and cationic bacteriocin, which is ribosomally synthesized by enterococcal cells and post-translationally cyclized by a head-to-tail peptide bond. The production of and immunity towards AS-48 depend upon the coordinated expression of ten genes organized in two operons, as-48ABC (where genes encoding enzymes with processing, secretion, and immunity functions are adjacent to the structural as-48A gene) and as-48C1DD1EFGH. The current study describes the identification of the promoters involved in AS-48 expression. Seven putative promoters have been here amplified, and separately inserted into the promoter-probe vector pTLR1, to create transcriptional fusions with the mCherry gene used as a reporter. The activity of these promoter regions was assessed measuring the expression of the fluorescent mCherry protein using the constitutive pneumococcal promoter PX as a reference. Our results revealed that only three promoters PA, P2(2) and PD1 were recognized in Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus lactis and Escherichia coli, in the conditions tested. The maximal fluorescence was obtained with PX in all the strains, followed by the P2(2) promoter, which level of fluorescence was 2-fold compared to PA and 4-fold compared to PD1. Analysis of putative factors influencing the promoter activity in single and double transformants in E. faecalis JH2-2 demonstrated that, in general, a better expression was achieved in presence of pAM401-81. In addition, the P2(2) promoter could be regulated in a negative fashion by genes existing in the native pMB-2 plasmid other than those of the as-48 cluster, while the pH seems to affect differently the as-48 promoter expression.This work was supported in part by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación project BIO2008-01708, the Plan Propio from the University of Granada (Spain) and by the Research Plan Group (BIO 160)

Occupational Burnout Syndrome in the nursing context: an integrative literature review

OBJECTIVE To characterize the scientific production on Burnout Syndrome in the Nursingcontext, systematizing the location where the studies were carried out, the related constructs, the employed methods and their main results. METHOD An integrative review of the literature with a bibliometric approach of articles published in Portuguese, Spanish and English between 2005 and 2016. RESULTS 106 articles wereincluded. Mostinvolvedprevalence, and were descriptive, quantitative studies performed in hospitals.The Southeastern and Southern regions of Brazil had the largest number of publications, and stress was the construct most related to burnout.Most of the studies used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to investigate the presence of the syndrome. CONCLUSION New case-control and cohort studies should be carried out.Qualitative-exploratory studies are necessary to better understand Burnout Syndrome among nursing professionals usingfocus groups or interviews, as well as comparative causal studies, with the purpose of exploring the syndrome’smanifestations.OBJETIVO Caracterizar a produção científica sobre a Síndrome do Esgotamento Profissionalno contexto da enfermagem, sistematizando os locais onde as pesquisas foram realizadas, os construtos relacionados, os métodos empregados e seus principais resultados. MÉTODO Revisão integrativa da literatura, com abordagem bibliométrica, em artigos na língua portuguesa, espanhola e inglesa publicados entre 2005 e 2016. RESULTADOS Foram selecionados 106 artigos.A maioria estudos de prevalência, descritivos, quantitativos e realizados em hospitais. Nas regiões Sudeste e Sul do Brasil encontram-se o maior número de publicações, sendo o estresse o construto mais relacionado com o esgotamento profissional. A maior parte dos estudos utilizou o Maslach Burnout Inventory como meio de averiguação da presença da síndrome. CONCLUSÃO Novos estudos de caso controle e coorte devem ser realizados. Pesquisas de cunho qualitativo-exploratório são necessárias para poder compreender melhor a Síndrome do Esgotamento Profissionalentre os profissionais de enfermagem com grupos focais ou entrevistas, como também pesquisas causais comparativas, com o intuito de explorar as manifestações da síndrome.OBJETIVO Caracterizar la producción científica acerca del Síndrome del Agotamiento Profesionalen el marco de la enfermería, sistematizando los sitios en donde las investigaciones fueron realizadas, los constructos relacionados, los métodos empleados y sus principales resultados. MÉTODO Revisión integrativa de la literatura, con abordaje bibliométrico, en artículos en lengua portuguesa, española e inglesa publicados entre 2005 y 2016. RESULTADOS Fueron seleccionados 106 artículos. La mayoría se compuso de estudios de prevalencia, descriptivos, cuantitativos y realizados en hospitales. En las regiones Sureste y Sur de Brasil se halla el mayor número de publicaciones, siendo el estrés el constructo más relacionado con el agotamiento profesional. La mayor parte de los estudios utilizó el Maslach Burnout Inventorycomo medio de la averiguación de la presencia del síndrome. CONCLUSIÓN Nuevos estudios de caso control y cohorte deben llevarse a cabo. Investigaciones de cuño cualitativo-exploratorio son necesarias para poder comprender mejor el Síndrome del Agotamiento Profesionalentre los profesionales de enfermería con grupos focales o entrevistas, como también investigaciones causales comparativas, a fin de explorar las manifestaciones del síndrome

Identifying Gene-Environment Interactions in Schizophrenia: Contemporary Challenges for Integrated, Large-scale Investigations

Recent years have seen considerable progress in epidemiological and molecular genetic research into environmental and genetic factors in schizophrenia, but methodological uncertainties remain with regard to validating environmental exposures, and the population risk conferred by individual molecular genetic variants is small. There are now also a limited number of studies that have investigated molecular genetic candidate gene-environment interactions (G × E), however, so far, thorough replication of findings is rare and G × E research still faces several conceptual and methodological challenges. In this article, we aim to review these recent developments and illustrate how integrated, large-scale investigations may overcome contemporary challenges in G × E research, drawing on the example of a large, international, multi-center study into the identification and translational application of G × E in schizophrenia. While such investigations are now well underway, new challenges emerge for G × E research from late-breaking evidence that genetic variation and environmental exposures are, to a significant degree, shared across a range of psychiatric disorders, with potential overlap in phenotype