Correlating novel variable and conserved motifs in the Hemagglutinin protein with significant biological functions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Variations in the influenza Hemagglutinin protein contributes to antigenic drift resulting in decreased efficiency of seasonal influenza vaccines and escape from host immune response. We performed an in silico study to determine characteristics of novel variable and conserved motifs in the Hemagglutinin protein from previously reported H3N2 strains isolated from Hong Kong from 1968–1999 to predict viral motifs involved in significant biological functions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>14 MEME blocks were generated and comparative analysis of the MEME blocks identified blocks 1, 2, 3 and 7 to correlate with several biological functions. Analysis of the different Hemagglutinin sequences elucidated that the single block 7 has the highest frequency of amino acid substitution and the highest number of co-mutating pairs. MEME 2 showed intermediate variability and MEME 1 was the most conserved. Interestingly, MEME blocks 2 and 7 had the highest incidence of potential post-translational modifications sites including phosphorylation sites, ASN glycosylation motifs and N-myristylation sites. Similarly, these 2 blocks overlap with previously identified antigenic sites and receptor binding sites.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study identifies motifs in the Hemagglutinin protein with different amino acid substitution frequencies over a 31 years period, and derives relevant functional characteristics by correlation of these motifs with potential post-translational modifications sites, antigenic and receptor binding sites.</p

Robustness of steel truss bridges: laboratory testing of a full-scale 21-metre bridge span

[EN] This study aimed to experimentally analyse the robustness of riveted steel bridges based on truss-type structures and to define practical recommendations for early detection of local failures before they cause progressive structural collapse. Although there are many experimental studies on robustness and progressive collapse on buildings, those on bridges are either theoretical or deal with actual collapses. This paper describes a unique case of a 21m full-scale bridge span tested under laboratory conditions with an extensive monitoring system, together with an experimental study to evaluate structural behaviour and robustness as damage or failure progressed in its elements. A linear-static finite-element analysis was also included to examine other possible causes not included in the experiment. The results proved the structural redundancy of this type of truss structure based on the joints¿ resistance to bending moments and gave rise to a series of practical structural health recommendations to identify early failures and avoid progressive or sudden bridge collapse. The study carried out and the recommendations it produced are now being applied in three similar bridge case studies.We would like to express our gratitude to the FGV (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana) and FCC Construcción S.A., CHM Obras e Infraestructuras S.A., Contratas y Ventas S.A. and CALSENS S.L. for giving us the opportunity to test a bridge at the ICITECH facilities, also to Juan Antonio García Cerezo, of FGV, for his invaluable cooperation and recommendations. We also wish to show our gratitude for the magnificent work on the bridge by Jesús Martínez, Eduardo Luengo and Daniel Tasquer. The tests on the bridge meant that much of the Structures Laboratory was out of service for other work, for which we owe a debt of gratitude to our ICITECH colleagues for their infinite patience and understanding.Buitrago, M.; Bertolesi, E.; Calderón García, PA.; Adam, JM. (2021). Robustness of steel truss bridges: laboratory testing of a full-scale 21-metre bridge span. Structures. 29:691-700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2020.12.005S69170029Ghali, A., & Tadros, G. (1997). Bridge Progressive Collapse Vulnerability. Journal of Structural Engineering, 123(2), 227-231. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9445(1997)123:2(227)Cha, E. J., & Ellingwood, B. R. (2012). Risk-averse decision-making for civil infrastructure exposed to low-probability, high-consequence events. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 104, 27-35. doi:10.1016/j.ress.2012.04.002Zhuang, M., & Miao, C. (2020). RETRACTED: Fatigue reliability assessment for hangers of a special-shaped CFST arch bridge. Structures, 28, 235-250. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2020.08.067Starossek, U. (2009). Avoiding Disproportionate Collapse of Major Bridges. Structural Engineering International, 19(3), 289-297. doi:10.2749/101686609788957838Russell, J. M., Sagaseta, J., Cormie, D., & Jones, A. E. K. (2019). Historical review of prescriptive design rules for robustness after the collapse of Ronan Point. Structures, 20, 365-373. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2019.04.011Bontempi, F. (2019). Elementary concepts of structural robustness of bridges and viaducts. Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring, 9(5), 703-717. doi:10.1007/s13349-019-00362-7Deng, L., Wang, W., & Yu, Y. (2016). State-of-the-Art Review on the Causes and Mechanisms of Bridge Collapse. Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, 30(2), 04015005. doi:10.1061/(asce)cf.1943-5509.0000731Bi, K., Ren, W.-X., Cheng, P.-F., & Hao, H. (2015). Domino-type progressive collapse analysis of a multi-span simply-supported bridge: A case study. Engineering Structures, 90, 172-182. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2015.02.023Rania, N., Coppola, I., Martorana, F., & Migliorini, L. (2019). The Collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018: A Collective Traumatic Event and Its Emotional Impact Linked to the Place and Loss of a Symbol. Sustainability, 11(23), 6822. doi:10.3390/su11236822Buitrago, M., Sagaseta, J., & Adam, J. M. (2020). Avoiding failures during building construction using structural fuses as load limiters on temporary shoring structures. Engineering Structures, 204, 109906. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.109906Adam, J. M., Parisi, F., Sagaseta, J., & Lu, X. (2018). Research and practice on progressive collapse and robustness of building structures in the 21st century. Engineering Structures, 173, 122-149. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.06.082Adam, J. M., Buitrago, M., Bertolesi, E., Sagaseta, J., & Moragues, J. J. (2020). Dynamic performance of a real-scale reinforced concrete building test under a corner-column failure scenario. Engineering Structures, 210, 110414. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110414Alshaikh, I. M. H., Bakar, B. H. A., Alwesabi, E. A. H., & Akil, H. M. (2020). Experimental investigation of the progressive collapse of reinforced concrete structures: An overview. Structures, 25, 881-900. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2020.03.018Fu, Q., & Tan, K.-H. (2019). Numerical study on steel-concrete composite floor systems under corner column removal scenario. Structures, 21, 33-44. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2019.06.003Mucedero, G., Brunesi, E., & Parisi, F. (2020). Nonlinear material modelling for fibre-based progressive collapse analysis of RC framed buildings. Engineering Failure Analysis, 118, 104901. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2020.104901Bao, Y., Main, J. A., & Noh, S.-Y. (2017). Evaluation of Structural Robustness against Column Loss: Methodology and Application to RC Frame Buildings. Journal of Structural Engineering, 143(8), 04017066. doi:10.1061/(asce)st.1943-541x.0001795Eren, N., Brunesi, E., & Nascimbene, R. (2019). Influence of masonry infills on the progressive collapse resistance of reinforced concrete framed buildings. Engineering Structures, 178, 375-394. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.10.056Wang, M. R., & Zhou, Z. J. (2012). Progressive Collapse and Structural Robustness of Bridges. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 193-194, 1021-1024. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.193-194.1021Jiang, H., Wang, J., Chorzepa, M. G., & Zhao, J. (2017). Numerical Investigation of Progressive Collapse of a Multispan Continuous Bridge Subjected to Vessel Collision. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 22(5), 04017008. doi:10.1061/(asce)be.1943-5592.0001037Miyachi, K., Nakamura, S., & Manda, A. (2012). Progressive collapse analysis of steel truss bridges and evaluation of ductility. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 78, 192-200. doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2012.06.015Khuyen, H. T., & Iwasaki, E. (2016). An approximate method of dynamic amplification factor for alternate load path in redundancy and progressive collapse linear static analysis for steel truss bridges. Case Studies in Structural Engineering, 6, 53-62. doi:10.1016/j.csse.2016.06.001Trong Khuyen, H., & Eiji, I. (2017). Linear Redundancy Analysis Method Considering Plastic Region for Steel Truss Bridges. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 22(3), 05016011. doi:10.1061/(asce)be.1943-5592.0000999Garavaglia, E., & Sgambi, L. (2016). Selective maintenance planning of a steel truss bridge based on the Markovian approach. Engineering Structures, 125, 532-545. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2016.06.055Olmati, P., Gkoumas, K., Brando, F., & Cao, L. (2013). Consequence-based robustness assessment of a steel truss bridge. Steel & Composite structures, 14(4), 379-395. doi:10.12989/scs.2013.14.4.379Azizinamini, A. (2002). Full scale testing of old steel truss bridge. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 58(5-8), 843-858. doi:10.1016/s0143-974x(01)00096-7Sagaseta, J., Olmati, P., Micallef, K., & Cormie, D. (2017). Punching shear failure in blast-loaded RC slabs and panels. Engineering Structures, 147, 177-194. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.04.051ABAQUS v16.4. Abaqus, Theory manual 2016

Molecular identification of adenoviruses associated with respiratory infection in Egypt from 2003 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Human adenoviruses of species B, C, and E (HAdV-B, -C, -E) are frequent causative agents of acute respiratory infections worldwide. As part of a surveillance program aimed at identifying the etiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Egypt, we characterized 105 adenovirus isolates from clinical samples collected between 2003 and 2010. METHODS: Identification of the isolates as HAdV was accomplished by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and confirmed by a set of species and type specific polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RESULTS: Of the 105 isolates, 42% were identified as belonging to HAdV-B, 60% as HAdV-C, and 1% as HAdV-E. We identified a total of six co-infections by PCR, of which five were HAdV-B/HAdV-C co-infections, and one was a co-infection of two HAdV-C types: HAdV-5/HAdV-6. Molecular typing by PCR enabled the identification of eight genotypes of human adenoviruses; HAdV-3 (n = 22), HAdV-7 (n = 14), HAdV-11 (n = 8), HAdV-1 (n = 22), HAdV-2 (20), HAdV-5 (n = 15), HAdV-6 (n = 3) and HAdV-4 (n = 1). The most abundant species in the characterized collection of isolates was HAdV-C, which is concordant with existing data for worldwide epidemiology of HAdV respiratory infections. CONCLUSIONS: We identified three species, HAdV-B, -C and -E, among patients with ILI over the course of 7 years in Egypt, with at least eight diverse types circulating

The ocean sampling day consortium.

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Effect of different protein sources on satiation and short-term satiety when consumed as a starter

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Because the source of protein may play a role in its satiating effect, we investigated the effect of different proteins on satiation and short-term satiety.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two randomized single-blind cross-over studies were completed. In the first study, we investigated the effect of a preload containing 20 g of casein, whey, pea protein, egg albumin or maltodextrin vs. water control on food intake 30 min later in 32 male volunteers (25 ± 4 yrs, BMI 24 ± 0.4 kg/m²). Subjective appetite was assessed using visual analogue scales at 10 min intervals after the preload. Capillary blood glucose was measured every 30 min during 2 hrs before and after the ad libitum meal. In the second study, we compared the effect of 20 g of casein, pea protein or whey vs. water control on satiation in 32 male volunteers (25 ± 0.6 yrs, BMI 24 ± 0.5 kg/m²). The preload was consumed as a starter during an ad libitum meal and food intake was measured. The preloads in both studies were in the form of a beverage.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the first study, food intake was significantly lower only after casein and pea protein compared to water control (P = 0.02; 0.04 respectively). Caloric compensation was 110, 103, 62, 56 and 51% after casein, pea protein, whey, albumin and maltodextrin, respectively. Feelings of satiety were significantly higher after casein and pea protein compared to other preloads (P < 0.05). Blood glucose response to the meal was significantly lower when whey protein was consumed as a preload compared to other groups (P < 0.001). In the second study, results showed no difference between preloads on ad libitum intake. Total intake was significantly higher after caloric preloads compared to water control (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Casein and pea protein showed a stronger effect on food intake compared to whey when consumed as a preload. However, consuming the protein preload as a starter of a meal decreased its impact on food intake as opposed to consuming it 30 min before the meal.</p

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Coexistence of HBsAg/Anti-HBs and HBeAg/Anti-HBe in Sudanese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Seroconversion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) is a recognized goal of HBV therapy. This dynamic transition responsible for the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs is rarely detected in clinical cases. However, with vaccination and the use of various antiviral drugs, as well as the development of new medical technologies, recognizing the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs has become more common. In addition, mutations in viral genomes, immune status, and human genetic factors may also contribute to such coexistence. The current study was designed to determine the prevalence of the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs and HBeAg and anti-HBe in CHB patients in Sudan. Methods and Results: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Khartoum state from November 2018 to January 2019. The study included 70 HBV-infected patients who were positive for HBsAg for more than six months. Blood samples were tested for HBsAg/Anti-HBs and HBeAg/Anti-HBe using Commercial ELISA Kits (Foresight, United Kingdom) and (PRECHEK, USA). Demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and any antiviral agent and laboratory results were also recorded for each participant. The current study showed that one case (1.4%) was reactive for the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and two cases (2.8%) for the coexistence of HBeAg/HBeAb. There was no statistical difference between the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and HBeAg/HBeAb with age, gender, residence, and treatment status. Conclusion: Our study indicates that the frequencies of the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and HBeAg/HBeAb among Sudanese patients with chronic HBV infection were low compared to previous studies in a different population

The Ocean Sampling Day Consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Secretion of mast cell inflammatory mediators is enhanced by CADM1-dependent adhesion to sensory neurons

Neuroimmune interactions are important in the pathophysiology of many chronic inflammatory diseases, particularly those associated with alterations in sensory processing and pain. Mast cells and sensory neuron nerve endings are found in areas of the body exposed to the external environment; both are specialized to sense potential damage by injury or pathogens and signal to the immune system and nervous system respectively, to elicit protective responses. Cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1), also known as SynCAM1, has previously been identified as an adhesion molecule which may couple mast cells to sensory neurons however, whether this molecule exerts a functional as well as structural role in neuroimmune cross-talk is unknown. Here we show, using a newly developed in vitro co-culture system consisting of murine bone marrow derived mast cells (BMMC) and adult sensory neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglions (DRG), that CADM1 is expressed in mast cells and adult sensory neurons and mediates strong adhesion between the two cell types. Non-neuronal cells in the DRG cultures did not express CADM1, and mast cells did not adhere to them. The interaction of BMMCs with sensory neurons was found to induce mast cell degranulation and IL-6 secretion and to enhance responses to antigen stimulation and activation of FcεRI receptors. Secretion of TNFα in contrast was not affected, nor was secretion evoked by compound 48/80. Co-cultures of BMMCs with HEK 293 cells, which also express CADM1, while also leading to adhesion did not replicate the effects of sensory neurons on mast cells, indicative of a neuron-specific interaction. Application of a CADM1 blocking peptide or knockdown of CADM1 in BMMCs significantly decreased BMMC attachment to sensory neurites and abolished the enhanced secretory responses of mast cells. In conclusion, CADM1 is necessary and sufficient to drive mast cell-sensory neuron adhesion and promote the development of a microenvironment in which neurons enhance mast cell responsiveness to antigen; this interaction could explain why the incidence of painful neuroinflammatory disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are increased in atopic patients