Calcifying vascular smooth muscle cells and osteoblasts: Independent cell types exhibiting extracellular matrix and biomineralization-related mimicries

Background: Ectopic vascular calcifications represent a major clinical problem associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, the mechanisms underlying pathological vascular calcifications are largely unknown hampering the development of therapies to tackle this life threatening medical condition. Results: In order to gain insight into the genes and mechanisms driving this pathological calcification process we analyzed the transcriptional profile of calcifying vascular smooth muscle cells (C-VSMCs). These profiles were compared to differentiating osteoblasts, cells that constitute their physiological calcification counterparts in the body. Overall the transcriptional program of C-VSMC and osteoblasts did not overlap. Several genes, some of them relevant for bone formation, were distinctly modulated by C-VSMCs which did not necessarily lose their smooth muscle cell markers while calcifying. Bioinformatics gene clustering and correlation analysis disclosed limited bone-related mechanisms being shared by two cell types. Extracellular matrix (ECM) and biomineralization genes represented common denominators between pathological vascular and physiological bone calcifications. These genes constitute the strongest link between these cells and represent potential drivers for their shared end-point phenotype. Conclusions: The analyses support the hypothesis that VSMC trans-differentiate into C-VSMCs keeping their own identity while using mechanisms that osteoblasts use to mineralize. The data provide novel insights into groups of genes and biological processes shared in MSC and VSMC osteogenic differentiation. The distinct gene regulation between C-VSMC and osteoblasts might hold clues to find cell-specific pathway modulations, opening the possibility to tackle undesired vascular calcifications without disturbing physiologic bone formation and vice versa

Integrative Model of Oxidative Stress Adaptation in the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

Acknowledgments We are grateful to the Ian Fraser Cytometry Centre and our Mass Spetrometry and qPCR Facilities for help with the flow cytometry, glutathione and qRT-PCR assays, respectively. We also thank our many colleagues in the CRISP Consortium and in the medical mycology and systems biology communities for insightful discussions. Funding: This work was supported by the CRISP project (Combinatorial Responses In Stress Pathways), which was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (www.bbsrc.ac.uk): AJPB, KH, CG, ADM, NARG, MT, MCR. (Research Grants; BB/F00513X/1, BB/F005210/1-2). AJPB and JQ received additional support from the BBSRC (Research Grants; BB/K016393/1; BB/K017365/1). NARG and AJPB were also supported by the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk), (Grants: 080088; 097377). AJPB was also supported by the European Research Council (http://erc.europa.eu/), (STRIFE Advanced Grant; ERC-2009-AdG-249793). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Summary report of MINSIS workshop in Madrid

Recent developments on tau detection technologies and the construction of high intensity neutrino beams open the possibility of a high precision search for non-standard {\mu} - {\tau} flavour transition with neutrinos at short distances. The MINSIS - Main Injector Non-Standard Interaction Search- is a proposal under discussion to realize such precision measurement. This document contains the proceedings of the workshop which took place on 10-11 December 2009 in Madrid to discuss both the physics reach as well as the experimental requirements for this proposal.Comment: Proceedings of the MINSIS Workshop, Dec 10-11, 2009 in Madrid. 15 pages late

Search for supersymmetry in electroweak production with photons and large missing transverse energy in pp collisions at √s=8TeV

Open Access funded by SCOAP³ - Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics.-- et al.Results are reported from a search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking in electroweak production. Final states with photons and large missing transverse energy ( EmissT ) were examined. The data sample was collected in pp collisions at √s=8TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to 7.4fb. The analysis focuses on scenarios in which the lightest neutralino has bino- or wino-like components, resulting in decays to photons and gravitinos, where the gravitinos escape undetected. The data were obtained using a specially designed trigger with dedicated low thresholds, providing good sensitivity to signatures with photons, EmissT , and low hadronic energy. No excess of events over the standard model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted using the model of general gauge mediation. With the wino mass fixed at 10GeV above that of the bino, wino masses below 710GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. Constraints are also set in the context of two simplified models, for which the analysis sets the lowest cross section limits on the electroweak production of supersymmetric particles.Funded by SCOAP3.Peer Reviewe

Search for narrow resonances decaying to dijets in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV

et al.A search for narrow resonances in proton-proton collisions at √s=13  TeV is presented. The invariant mass distribution of the two leading jets is measured with the CMS detector using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.4  fb−1. The highest observed dijet mass is 6.1 TeV. The distribution is smooth and no evidence for resonant particles is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section for narrow resonances with masses above 1.5 TeV. When interpreted in the context of specific models, the limits exclude string resonances with masses below 7.0 TeV, scalar diquarks below 6.0 TeV, axigluons and colorons below 5.1 TeV, excited quarks below 5.0 TeV, color-octet scalars below 3.1 TeV, and W′ bosons below 2.6 TeV. These results significantly extend previously published limits.Peer Reviewe

Measurements of tt¯ spin correlations and top quark polarization using dilepton final states in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV

et al.Measurements of the top quark-antiquark (tt¯) spin correlations and the top quark polarization are presented for tt¯ pairs produced in pp collisions at √s=8  TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5  fb−1 collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using events with two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons) and two or more jets, where at least one of the jets is identified as originating from a bottom quark. The spin correlations and polarization are measured from the angular distributions of the two selected leptons, both inclusively and differentially, with respect to the invariant mass, rapidity, and transverse momentum of the tt¯ system. The measurements are unfolded to the parton level and found to be in agreement with predictions of the standard model. A search for new physics in the form of anomalous top quark chromo moments is performed. No evidence of new physics is observed, and exclusion limits on the real part of the chromo-magnetic dipole moment and the imaginary part of the chromo-electric dipole moment are evaluated.Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie programme and the European Research Council and EPLANET (European Union); the Leventis Foundation; the A. P. Sloan Foundation; the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office; the Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture (FRIA-Belgium); the Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie (IWTBelgium); the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) of the Czech Republic; the Council of Science and Industrial Research, India; the HOMING PLUS programme of the Foundation for Polish Science, cofinanced from European Union, Regional Development Fund; the OPUS programme of the National Science Center (Poland); the Compagnia di San Paolo (Torino); MIUR project 20108T4XTM (Italy); the Thalis and Aristeia programmes cofinanced by EU-ESF and the Greek NSRF; the National Priorities Research Program by Qatar National Research Fund; the Rachadapisek Sompot Fund for Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand); the Chulalongkorn Academic into Its 2nd Century Project Advancement Project (Thailand); and the Welch Foundation, Contract No. C-1845.Peer Reviewe

Galectin-3 and Risk of Late Graft Failure in Kidney Transplant Recipients:A 10-year Prospective Cohort Study

Background. Galectin-3 may play a causal role in kidney inflammation and fibrosis, which may also be involved in the development of kidney graft failure. With novel galectin-3-targeted pharmacological therapies increasingly coming available, we aimed to investigate whether galectin-3 is associated with risk of late graft failure in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). Methods. We studied adult KTR who participated in TransplantLines Insulin Resistance and Inflammation Biobank and Cohort Study, recruited in a university setting (2001-2003). Follow-up was performed for a median of 9.5 (interquartile range, 6.2-10.2) years. Overall and stratified (P-interaction = 140 mmHg (HR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.80-2.92; P < 0.001; P-interaction = 0.01) or smoking history (HR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.95-3.37; P < 0.001; P-interaction = 0.03). Similarly, patients in the highest tertile of galectin-3 were consistently at increased risk of graft failure. Conclusions. Serum galectin-3 levels are elevated in KTR, and independently associated with increased risk of late graft failure. Whether galectin-3-targeted therapies may represent novel opportunities to decrease the long-standing high burden of late graft failure in stable KTR warrants further studies

Fertilización del trigo (Triticum sativum L.) en suelos influenciados por cenizas volcánicas del Departamento de Nariño, Colombia.

Se presentan y discuten los resultados más sobresalientes de experimentos efectuados en fincas de agricultores para establecer las dosís adecuadas de fertilizantes en este cultivo. Entre 1956 y 1972 se establecieron pruebas regionales sobre respuesta del trigo a la aplicación de fertilizantes en Nariño. Los suelos donde se realizaron los ensayos eran ácidos, con bajo contenido de materia orgánica y altos en K intercambiable. Las dosis de fertilizantes utilizados variaron entre 0 y 100 kg/ha de N, 0 a 225 kg/ha de P2O5 y entre 0 y 50 kg/ha de K2O. Como fuente de N se empleó sulfato de amonio y úrea, de P, superfosfato triple y Escorias Thomas y de K, cloruro y sulfato de potasio. Se deben hacer aplicaciones combinadas de N y P en dosis de 60 kg/ha de N y 150 kg/ha de P2O5 en aquellos suelos con menos de 6 por ciento de materia orgánica y de 30 ppm de P (Bray II). En suelos con contenidos más altos de matería orgánica y P se puede aplicar hasta 30 kg/ha de N y 75 kg/ha de P2O5. Conviene agregar hasta 50 kg/ha de K2O para evitar agotamiento de K en el suelo. La fertilización nitrogenada es económicamente muy eficiente, en cambio la fertilización fosfatada es poco eficiente, especialmente en suelos con más de 30 ppm de P (Bray II)Trigo-Triticum aestiv

Chronic Treatment with Ivabradine Does Not Affect Cardiovascular Autonomic Control in Rats

A low resting heart rate (HR) would be of great benefit in cardiovascular diseases. Ivabradine a novel selective inhibitor of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels- has emerged as a promising HR lowering drug. Its effects on the autonomic HR control are little known. This study assessed the effects of chronic treatment with ivabradine on the modulatory, reflex and tonic cardiovascular autonomic control and on the renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). Male Wistar rats were divided in 2 groups, receiving intraperitoneal injections of vehicle (VEH) or ivabradine (IVA) during 7 or 8 consecutive days. Rats were submitted to vessels cannulation to perform arterial blood pressure (AP) and HR recordings in freely moving rats. Time series of resting pulse interval and systolic AP were used to measure cardiovascular variability parameters. We also assessed the baroreflex, chemoreflex and the Bezold-Jarish reflex sensitivities. To better evaluate the effects of ivabradine on the autonomic control of the heart, we performed sympathetic and vagal autonomic blockade. As expected, ivabradine treated rats showed a lower resting (VEH: 362 +/- 16 bpm vs. IVA: 260 +/- 14 bpm, p = 0.0005) and intrinsic HR (VEH: 369 +/- 9 bpm vs. IVA: 326 +/- 11 bpm, p = 0.0146). However, the chronic treatment with ivabradine did not change normalized HR spectral parameters LF (nu) (VEH: 24.2 +/- 4.6 vs. IVA: 29.8 +/- 6.4p > 0.05)HF (nu) (VEH: 75.1 +/- 3.7 vs. IVA: 69.2 +/- 5.8p > 0.05), any cardiovascular reflexes, neither the tonic autonomic control of the HR (tonic sympathovagal indexVEH: 0.91 +/- 0.02 vs. IVA: 0.88 +/- 0.03, p = 0.3494). We performed the AP, HR and RSNA recordings in urethane-anesthetized rats. The chronic treatment with ivabradine reduced the resting HR (VEH: 364 +/- 12 bpm vs. IVA: 207 +/- 11 bpm, p < 0.0001), without affecting RSNA (VEH: 117 +/- 16 vs. IVA: 120 +/- 9 spikes/s, p = 0.9100) and mean arterial pressure (VEH: 70 +/- 4 vs. IVA: 77 +/- 6 mmHg, p = 0.3293). Our results suggest that, in health rats, the long-term treatment with ivabradine directly reduces the HR without changing the RSNA modulation and the reflex and tonic autonomic control of the heart.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP)Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro (UFTM), BrazilUniv Fed Ouro Preto, Inst Exact & Biol Sci, Dept Biol Sci, Lab Cardiovasc Physiol, Ouro Preto, BrazilUniv Fed Ouro Preto, CBIOL NUPEB, Grad Program Biol Sci, Ouro Preto, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Biol Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Lab Hypertens, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, Biomed Engn Lab, Sao Jose Dos Campos, BrazilUniv Uberaba, Dept Physiol, Uberaba, BrazilUniv Milan, Osped Maggiore Policlin, IRCCS Ca Granda Fdn, Dept Clin Sci & Community Hlth, Milan, ItalyFed Univ Trianaulo Pvlineiro, Inst Biol & Nat Sci, Dept Physiol, Uberaba, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, Biomed Engn Lab, Sao Jose Dos Campos, BrazilCNPq: 400851/2014-8Web of Scienc

Positive taxis and sustained responsiveness to water motions in larval zebrafish

Larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) have become favored subjects for studying the neural bases of behavior. Here, we report a highly stereotyped response of zebrafish larvae to hydrodynamic stimuli. It involves positive taxis, motion damping and sustained responsiveness to flows derived from local, non-stressful water motions. The response depends on the lateral line and has a high sensitivity to stimulus frequency and strength, sensory background and rearing conditions—also encompassing increased threshold levels of response to parallel input. The results show that zebrafish larvae can use near-field detection to locate sources of minute water motions, and offer a unique handle for analyses of hydrodynamic sensing, sensory responsiveness and arousal with accurate control of stimulus properties