The transfusion threshold for upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a hemoglobin of 7.0 g/dl or less

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Villanueva C, Colomo A, Bosch A, Concepcion M, Hernandez-Gea V, Aracil C. Transfusion strategies for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. New Eng J Med. 2013;368(1):11-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa121180

Unraveling the Immune Metabolic Epigenetic Axis to Improve Tuberculosis Therapy

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which mainly affects the lungs. Macrophages (MΦ) are critical innate immune cells that phagocytize and kill Mtb. Prior studies have shown that the metabolic enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) “moonlight” in the nucleus and regulate cell function and fate by acting as epigenetic switches to regulate cell phenotype. We have evaluated if the moonlighting of TCA enzymes regulates MΦ immune phenotype. MΦ can develop “trained” phenotypes with improved anti-mycobacterial immunity while “tolerant” MΦ develops phenotypes with detrimental anti-mycobacterial immunity. We hypothesized that both “trained” and “Tolerant” MΦ phenotypes are dependent upon TCA moonlighting. Using monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMΦ) and standard protocols to induce trained or tolerant MΦ, we implemented confocal microscopy to quantify TCA moonlighting and used flow cytometry to measure to cytokine production. Median fluorescent intensity (MFI) of Isocitrate dehydrogenase3 (IDH3) and citrate synthase (CS) in the nuclei of MDMΦ was determined. The effect on phenotype and TCA moonlighting by inhibitors of multiple pathways were evaluated. Both trained and tolerant protocols induced TCA moonlighting of IDH3 and CS (p<0.05). Trained phenotype exhibited an increase in cytokine production, while the tolerant phenotype demonstrated a decrease in cytokine production. This project was completed with contributions from Tomoki Nishiguchi and Andrew R. DiNardo from Baylor College of Medicine.Biology and Biochemistry, Department ofHonors Colleg

France

International audienceThe development of irrigation in France is several centuries old. During the twentieth century the state constructed most of the irrigation networks. Individual irrigation development dates back to the 1960s and is characterized by an easier uptake of technological innovations. Today, the total equipped area is leveling off, and trends include a development of drip irrigation and the near disappearance of gravity irrigation. Public policies with a direct or indirect impact on irrigation have also changed significantly in recent decades. Agricultural policies, once very favorable to the development of irrigation, have moved to policies that are increasingly oriented toward the protection of water resources. In some basins, farmers face severe administrative reduction of their pumping authorization. Water resources management at the watershed or territory levels also changed significantly. In basins facing large quantitative deficits, special institutions are created to manage the volume of water available for agriculture. However, concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of such institutions and more generally the future of irrigation in a context of global change