Neuromyelitis optica and pregnancy during therapeutic B cell depletion: infant exposure to anti-AQP4 antibody and prevention of rebound relapses with low-dose rituximab postpartum

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) predominantly affects women, some in childbearing age, and requires early therapeutic intervention to prevent disabling relapses. We report an anti-AQP4 antibody-seropositive patient who became pregnant seven months after low-dose (100 mg) rituximab application. Pregnancy showed no complications, and low-dose rituximab restarted two days after delivery resulted in neurological stability for 24 months. Remarkably, her otherwise healthy newborn presented with anti-AQP4 antibody and reduced B lymphocyte counts in umbilical cord blood, which normalized three months later. Confirming and extending previous reports, our case suggests that low-dose rituximab might be compatible with pregnancy and prevent rebound NMO disease activity postpartum

Unified description of Fermi and non-Fermi liquid behavior in a conserving slave boson approximation for strongly correlated impurity models

We show that the presence of Fermi or non-Fermi liquid behavior in the SU(N) x SU(M) Anderson impurity models may be read off the infrared threshold exponents governing the spinon and holon dynamics in a slave boson representation of these models. We construct a conserving T-matrix approximation which recovers the exact exponents with good numerical accuracy. Our approximation includes both coherent spin flip scattering and charge fluctuation processes. For the single-channel case the tendency to form bound states drastically modifies the low energy behavior. For the multi-channel case in the Kondo limit the bound state contributions are unimportant.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, 3 postscript figures included Final version with minor changes in wording, to appear in Phys.Rev.Let

Temporal and spatial variability in stable isotope ratios of SPM link to local hydrography and longer term SPM averages suggest heavy dependence of mussels on nearshore production

Temporal changes in hydrography affect suspended particulate matter (SPM) composition and distribution in coastal systems, potentially influencing the diets of suspension feeders. Temporal variation in SPM and in the diet of the mussel Perna perna, were investigated using stable isotope analysis. The δ13C and δ15 N ratios of SPM, mussels and macroalgae were determined monthly, with SPM samples collected along a 10 km onshore–offshore transect, over 14 months at Kenton-on-Sea, on the south coast of South Africa. Clear nearshore (0 km) to offshore (10 km) carbon depletion gradients were seen in SPM during all months and extended for 50 km offshore on one occasion. Carbon enrichment of coastal SPM in winter (June–August 2004 and May 2005) indicated temporal changes in the nearshore detrital pool, presumably reflecting changes in macroalgal detritus, linked to local changes in coastal hydrography and algal seasonality. Nitrogen patterns were less clear, with SPM enrichment seen between July and October 2004 from 0 to 10 km. Nearshore SPM demonstrated cyclical patterns in carbon over 24-h periods that correlated closely with tidal cycles and mussel carbon signatures, sampled monthly, demonstrated fluctuations that could not be correlated to seasonal or monthly changes in SPM. Macroalgae showed extreme variability in isotopic signatures, with no discernable patterns. IsoSource mixing models indicated over 50% reliance of mussel tissue on nearshore carbon, highlighting the importance of nearshore SPM in mussel diet. Overall, carbon variation in SPM at both large and small temporal scales can be related to hydrographic processes, but is masked in mussels by long-term isotope integration

A major genetic locus controlling natural Plasmodium falciparum infection is shared by East and West African Anopheles gambiae

Background: Genetic linkage mapping identified a region of chromosome 2L in the Anopheles gambiae genome that exerts major control over natural infection by Plasmodium falciparum. This 2L Plasmodium-resistance interval was mapped in mosquitoes from a natural population in Mali, West Africa, and controls the numbers of P. falciparum oocysts that develop on the vector midgut. An important question is whether genetic variation with respect to Plasmodium-resistance exists across Africa, and if so whether the same or multiple geographically distinct resistance mechanisms are responsible for the trait. Methods: To identify P falciparum resistance loci in pedigrees generated and infected in Kenya, East Africa, 28 microsatellite loci were typed across the mosquito genome. Genetic linkage mapping was used to detect significant linkage between genotype and numbers of midgut oocysts surviving to 7–8 days post-infection. Results: A major malaria-control locus was identified on chromosome 2L in East African mosquitoes, in the same apparent position originally identified from the West African population. Presence of this resistance locus explains 75% of parasite free mosquitoes. The Kenyan resistance locus is named EA_Pfin1 (East Africa_ Plasmodium falciparum Infection Intensity). Conclusion: Detection of a malaria-control locus at the same chromosomal location in both East and West African mosquitoes indicates that, to the level of genetic resolution of the analysis, the same mechanism of Plasmodium-resistance, or a mechanism controlled by the same genomic region, is found across Africa, and thus probably operates in A. gambiae throughout its entire range

Hybridization in parasites: consequences for adaptive evolution, pathogenesis and public health in a changing world

[No abstract available

Effect of Nanoparticle Size on the Morphology of Adsorbed Surfactant Layers

The surface aggregates structure of dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide (C12DAO) in three silica dispersions of different particle sizes (16 - 42 nm) was studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) in a H2O/D2O solvent mixture matching the silica. At the experimental conditions (pH 9) the surfactant exists in its nonionic form and the structure of the adsorbed layer is not affected by added electrolyte. It is found that C12DAO forms spherical surface micelles of 2 nm diameter on the 16 nm silica particles, but oblate ellipsoidal surface micelles are formed on the 27 and 42 nm particles. The dimensions of these oblate surface aggregates (minor and major semi-axes Rn and Rlat) are similar to those of C12DAO micelles in the aqueous solutions. It is concluded that the morphological transition from spherical to ellipsoidal surface aggregates is induced by the surface curvature of the silica particles. A comparison of the shape and dimensions of the surface aggregates formed by C12DAO and C12E5 on the 16 nm silica particles demonstrates that the nature of the surfactant head group does not determine the morphology of the surface aggregates, but has a strong influence on the number of surface aggregates per particle, due to the different interactions of the head groups with the silica surface

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

Low Dynamics, High Longevity and Persistence of Sessile Structural Species Dwelling on Mediterranean Coralligenous Outcrops

There is still limited understanding of the processes underlying benthic species dynamics in marine coastal habitats, which are of disproportionate importance in terms of productivity and biodiversity. The life-history traits of long-lived benthic species in these habitats are particularly poorly documented. In this study, we assessed decadal patterns of population dynamics for ten sponge and anthozoan species that play key structural roles in coralligenous outcrops (∼25 m depth) in two areas of the NW Mediterranean Sea. This study was based on examination of a unique long-term photographic series, which allowed analysis of population dynamics over extensive spatial and time spans for the very first time. Specifically, 671 individuals were censused annually over periods of 25-, 15-, and 5-years. This long-term study quantitatively revealed a common life-history pattern among the ten studied species, despite the fact they present different growth forms. Low mortality rates (3.4% yr−1 for all species combined) and infrequent recruitment events (mean value of 3.1±0.5 SE recruits yr−1) provided only a very small fraction of the new colonies required to maintain population sizes. Overall, annual mortality and recruitment rates did not differ significantly among years; however, some species displayed important mortality events and recruitment pulses, indicating variability among species. Based on the growth rates of these 10 species, we projected their longevity and, obtained a mean estimated age of 25–200 years. Finally, the low to moderate turnover rates (mean value 0.80% yr−1) observed among the coralligenous species were in agreement with their low dynamics and persistence. These results offer solid baseline data and reveal that these habitats are among the most vulnerable to the current increases of anthropogenic disturbances