On the emission and absorption band spectra of selenium

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Evaluation of a Hydrogel-Based Diagnostic Approach for the Point-of-Care Based Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Eleven primer pairs were developed for the identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The sensitivity and specificity of these primers were evaluated by Real Time (RT)-PCR melt curve analyses with DNA from 145 N. gonorrhoeae isolates and 40 other Neisseria or non-Neisseria species. Three primer pairs were further evaluated in a hydrogel-based RT-PCR detection platform, using DNA extracted from 50 N. gonorrhoeae cultures. We observed 100% sensitivity and specificity in the hydrogel assay, confirming its potential as a point-of-care test (POCT) for N. gonorrhoeae diagnosis

Absorption spectra of some carbon and tin halides in the vapour state

The absorption spectra of the vapours of SnCl4, SnBr4 and of molecules of the types CX4, CHX3, and CH2X2 (X = Cl, Br, I) are investigated. From the number of maxima and their energy differences, and a comparison of the beginnings of the various absorption regions with thermochemical data, it is concluded that the first process of photodissociation corresponds not to the process MX4 → MX3 + X but to MX4 → MX2(1Σ) + 2X etc.; the further absorption regions are due to one or two excited halogen atoms

Attenuated virulence of min operon mutants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and their interactions with human urethral epithelial cells.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a sexually-transmitted gram-negative bacterium, causes gonorrhoea in humans. The min genes of N. gonorrhoeae are involved in cell division site selection with oxyR co-transcribed with these genes. The mutation in min genes and oxy R cause aberrant cell morphology and aggregation patterns, respectively. Our objective was to assess the contribution of neisserial min operon cell division genes i.e. minC, minD and oxyR in virulence. Compared to the N. gonorrhoeae parental strain (Ng CH811StrR), its isogenic mutants with insertionally inactivated minC (Ng CSRC1), minD (Ng CJSD1) or oxyR (Ng KB1) showed reduced adherence to and invasion of urethral epithelial cells. This may be explained by defective microcolony formation in the mutant strains, possibly owing to abnormal morphology and aggregation. The expression levels of surface virulence factors like Opa, pilin and lipooligosaccharide in the mutants were unchanged relative to Ng CH811StrR. Furthermore, in urethral epithelial cells, the min and oxyR mutants induced the release of proinflammatory cytokines like IL6 and IL8 to levels similar to that induced by the parental strain. Taken together, our studies indicate that inactivation of minC, minD or oxyR in N. gonorrhoeae attenuates its ability to bind to and invade urethral epithelial cells without altering its potential to induce IL6 and IL8 release.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye