Structural adaptation of extreme halophilic proteins through decrease of conserved hydrophobic contact surface

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Halophiles are extremophilic microorganisms growing optimally at high salt concentrations. There are two strategies used by halophiles to maintain proper osmotic pressure in their cytoplasm: accumulation of molar concentrations of potassium and chloride with extensive adaptation of the intracellular macromolecules ("salt-in" strategy) or biosynthesis and/or accumulation of organic osmotic solutes ("osmolyte" strategy). Our work was aimed at contributing to the understanding of the shared molecular mechanisms of protein haloadaptation through a detailed and systematic comparison of a sample of several three-dimensional structures of halophilic and non-halophilic proteins. Structural differences observed between the "salt-in" and the mesophilic homologous proteins were contrasted to those observed between the "osmolyte" and mesophilic pairs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results suggest that haloadaptation strategy in the presence of molar salt concentration, but not of osmolytes, necessitates a weakening of the hydrophobic interactions, in particular at the level of conserved hydrophobic contacts. Weakening of these interactions counterbalances their strengthening by the presence of salts in solution and may help the structure preventing aggregation and/or loss of function in hypersaline environments.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Considering the significant increase of biotechnology applications of halophiles, the understanding of halophilicity can provide the theoretical basis for the engineering of proteins of great interest because stable at concentrations of salts that cause the denaturation or aggregation of the majority of macromolecules.</p

Perceived climate change risk and global green activism among young people

In recent years, the increasing number of natural disasters has raised concerns about the sustainability of our planet’s future. As young people comprise the generation that will suffer from the negative effects of climate change, they have become involved in a new climate activism that is also gaining interest in the public debate thanks to the Fridays for Future (FFF) movement. This paper analyses the results of a survey of 1,138 young people in a southern Italian region to explore their perceptions of the extent of environmental problems and their participation in protests of green movements such as the FFF. The statistical analyses perform an ordinal classification tree using an original impurity measure considering both the ordinal nature of the response variable and the heterogeneity of its ordered categories. The results show that respondents are concerned about the threat of climate change and participate in the FFF to claim their right to a healthier planet and encourage people to adopt environmentally friendly practices in their lifestyles. Young people feel they are global citizens, connected through the Internet and social media, and show greater sensitivity to the planet’s environmental problems, so they are willing to take effective action to demand sustainable policies from decision-makers. When planning public policies that will affect future generations, it is important for policymakers to know the demands and opinions of key stakeholders, especially young people, in order to plan the most appropriate measures, such as climate change mitigation

Apresentação

14 71

Rhabdomyosarcoma mimicking lymphangioma: report of three cases

oai:eyereports.org:article/37We report three cases of proptosis, in children aged 6, 10 and 12, whereby in all cases the first clinical, radiologic and ultrasonographic diagnosis was lymphangioma, while the final anatomopathological diagnosis was rhabdomyosarcoma. In presence of a rapidly worsening exophthalmos or eyelid swelling in a child, an early correct diagnosis is very important. Imaging techniques play a very important role in the diagnosis, but are often inconclusive and an excisional biopsy (if feasible) must always be considere

Apresentação

14 71

Improving the Process Ability of Poly (3-Hydroxybutyrate) by a Polyphenolic Natural Additive

The severe environmental issues generated by the non-biodegradability of most polymeric materials has fostered the search for more eco-friendly solutions. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), produced by bacterial cells and easily hydrolyzed is one of appealing choice but its properties are still not competitive with those of standard polymers. Among others, one reason is related to the fact that the high processing temperature (due to the high crystallization point) is responsible for severe thermal degradation. In this paper, the effect of Tannic Acid (TA) as a thermal stabilizing processing agent for HPB is investigated by rheological as well as calorimetric techniques under conditions similar to those used in real processing applications. The results show that TA is effective in improving the thermal stability and processability of PHB, while keeping its biodegradable attitude. Compared to neat PHB, TA containing samples show a lower and delayed thermal degradation. FTIR measurements support the hypothesis that stabilization is determined by TA/PHB crosslinking

Rare Case of Male Breast Cancer and Axillary Lymphoma in the Same Patient: An Unique Case Report

Breast cancer in men is uncommon, and even more rare is the simultaneous presentation of two different malignancies. A 39-year-old man was diagnosed with both breast cancer and axillary lymphoma. Familiar history revealed that his mother died because of breast cancer. The patient underwent fine needle aspiration leading to the diagnosis of malignant lesion. Modified radical mastectomy was performed. Histology revealed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma 2.8 cm wide, grade 2, with vascular and lymphatic invasion. Surprisingly, one of the second level nodes was confirmed as a high-grade large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No family inheritance or gene mutations (BRCA 1 and 2) were found. The patient underwent local radiotherapy, followed by 6 chemotherapy courses (RCHOP) and treatment with tamoxifen 20 mg/daily. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature of male breast cancer and axillary lymphoma simultaneously confirmed in the same patient

Rare Case of Male Breast Cancer and Axillary Lymphoma in the Same Patient: An Unique Case Report

Breast cancer in men is uncommon, and even more rare is the simultaneous presentation of two different malignancies. A 39-year-old man was diagnosed with both breast cancer and axillary lymphoma. Familiar history revealed that his mother died because of breast cancer. The patient underwent fine needle aspiration leading to the diagnosis of malignant lesion. Modified radical mastectomy was performed. Histology revealed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma 2.8 cm wide, grade 2, with vascular and lymphatic invasion. Surprisingly, one of the second level nodes was confirmed as a high-grade large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No family inheritance or gene mutations (BRCA 1 and 2) were found. The patient underwent local radiotherapy, followed by 6 chemotherapy courses (RCHOP) and treatment with tamoxifen 20 mg/daily. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature of male breast cancer and axillary lymphoma simultaneously confirmed in the same patient

steroid resistant minimal change disease with ballooned podocytes

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Assessment of Skeletal Muscle Mass in Older People: Comparison Between 2 Anthropometry-Based Methods and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

Sarcopenia is a common geriatric syndrome, whose diagnosis implies the assessment of muscle mass. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the reference method for clinical practice, but it is not universally available. We compared DXA with 2 anthropometry-based methods to assess muscle mass in older adults