Distribution of non-LEE-encoded type 3 secretion system dependent effectors in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are important human gastroenteritis agents. The prevalence of six non-LEE genes encoding type 3 translocated effectors was investigated. The nleC, cif and nleB genes were more prevalent in typical than in atypical EPEC, although a higher diversity of genes combinations was observed in atypical EPEC.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e ParasitologiaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Microbiologia e ImunologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Microbiologia, Imunologia e ParasitologiaSciEL

Prevalence and Characteristics of the O122 Pathogenicity Island in Typical and Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains

The presence of the pathogenicity island (PAI) O122 genes, efa1 (lifA), sen, pagC, nleB, and nleE, in typical and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains was investigated. the simultaneous occurrence of all genes was statistically associated with diarrhea due to atypical EPEC. Detection of the complete PAI O122 could aid in the identification of potential pathogenic strains of atypical EPEC.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol, São Paulo, BrazilSecao Bacteriol Inst Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 08/53812-4Web of Scienc

Recommendations for defining preventable HIV-related mortality for public health monitoring in the era of Getting to Zero: an expert consensus

Getting to Zero is a commonly cited strategic aim to reduce mortality due to both HIV and avoidable deaths among people with HIV. However, no clear definitions are attached to these aims with regard to what constitutes HIV-related or preventable mortality, and their ambition is limited. This Position Paper presents consensus recommendations to define preventable HIV-related mortality for a pragmatic approach to public health monitoring by use of national HIV surveillance data. These recommendations were informed by a comprehensive literature review and agreed by 42 international experts, including clinicians, public health professionals, researchers, commissioners, and community representatives. By applying the recommendations to 2019 national HIV surveillance data from the UK, we show that 30% of deaths among people with HIV were HIV-related or possibly HIV-related, and at least 63% of these deaths were preventable or potentially preventable. The application of these recommendations by health authorities will ensure consistent monitoring of HIV elimination targets and allow for the identification of inequalities and areas for intervention

The German National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies (2012-2017)

Introduction: The German PID-NET registry was founded in 2009, serving as the first national registry of patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Germany. It is part of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry. The primary purpose of the registry is to gather data on the epidemiology, diagnostic delay, diagnosis, and treatment of PIDs. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data was collected from 2,453 patients from 36 German PID centres in an online registry. Data was analysed with the software Stata® and Excel. Results: The minimum prevalence of PID in Germany is 2.72 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among patients aged 1–25, there was a clear predominance of males. The median age of living patients ranged between 7 and 40 years, depending on the respective PID. Predominantly antibody disorders were the most prevalent group with 57% of all 2,453 PID patients (including 728 CVID patients). A gene defect was identified in 36% of patients. Familial cases were observed in 21% of patients. The age of onset for presenting symptoms ranged from birth to late adulthood (range 0–88 years). Presenting symptoms comprised infections (74%) and immune dysregulation (22%). Ninety-three patients were diagnosed without prior clinical symptoms. Regarding the general and clinical diagnostic delay, no PID had undergone a slight decrease within the last decade. However, both, SCID and hyper IgE- syndrome showed a substantial improvement in shortening the time between onset of symptoms and genetic diagnosis. Regarding treatment, 49% of all patients received immunoglobulin G (IgG) substitution (70%—subcutaneous; 29%—intravenous; 1%—unknown). Three-hundred patients underwent at least one hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Five patients had gene therapy. Conclusion: The German PID-NET registry is a precious tool for physicians, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, and ultimately the patients, for whom the outcomes will eventually lead to a more timely diagnosis and better treatment

Correction: Phenotypic characterization of prostate cancer LNCaP cells cultured within a bioengineered microenvironment

Original article published as "Phenotypic characterization of prostate cancer LNCaP cells cultured within a bioengineered microenvironment. PLoS One, 7(9), pp. 1-16.

Heat map of gene expression level comparing untreated 3D cultures to 2D cultures (3D+EtOHvs2D+EtOH).

<p>The fold change in expression levels of genes related to cellular functions are represented by the colors in the heatmap. The green color denotes a decrease in expression in 3D cultures relative to 2D cultures and the red color denotes an increase in 3D cultures relative to 2D cultures. The fold change between −1.5 to +1.5 is considered not significant (NS). The differential expression of these molecules suggests that LNCaP cells grown in 3D may assume different roles in cell-cell signaling and interactions from the 2D cultures.</p