Recombinant gamma interferon induces hypertriglyceridemia and inhibits post-heparin lipase activity in cancer patients.

Animals suffering from malignancy or chronic infection develop characteristic metabolic abnormalities, including a well-defined hypertriglyceridemic state. These abnormalities have been attributed to release of one or more mediators from activated macrophages. We report that cancer patients receiving RIFN-gamma, a potent macrophage activator, at doses of greater than or equal to 0.25 mg/m2/d i.m. show marked increases in triglyceride but not in cholesterol levels (pretreatment triglyceride level of 180 +/- 190 mg/dl [mean +/- SD] vs. a day-14 level of 370 +/- 242 mg/dl, n = 23, p less than 0.001 by the paired t test). This hypertriglyceridemia was characterized by an increase in very low-density lipoproteins and a decrease in plasma post-heparin lipase activity, consistent with defective triglyceride clearance (mean pretreatment lipase level of 2.1 mumol/ml/h vs. a day-14 level of 1.2 mumol/ml/h, n = 6, p = 0.02 by the paired t test). rIFN-gamma did not directly inhibit lipoprotein lipase enzymatic activity in vitro. Other possible mechanisms of action, such as suppression of lipase by an rIFN-gamma-induced mediator released from activated macrophages, or a direct effect of interferon on lipase biosynthesis, require further investigation. Our observations provide evidence that factors produced by the immune system can regulate lipid metabolism in man

Molecular epidemiology of group A human rotaviruses in North West region, Cameroon

Background: Rotavirus (RV) is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in children <5 years of age worldwide accounting for 527,000 deathsannually. Over 80% of these deaths occur in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. RV vaccines have significantly reduced RV-associated morbidityand mortalities in several countries like the United States and Mexico while vaccine trials have proved efficacious in Ghana and other developingcountries. However, there is paucity of data on RV infection in Cameroon where diarrhea is a major childhood disease. Methods: A total of 534 stool specimens collected between January 2003 and December 2004 from children with acute gastroenteritis in five health districts in the NWR of Cameroon were screened for group A human rotavirus antigen by ELISA and their electropherotypes determined by Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.Results: RV was detected in 153 (28.7%) diarrheic specimens with infection occurring throughout the year, being more commonin children under two years of age (P < 0.01) with the highest incidence in the 7-9 months age group (P <0.05). Sub clinical infections (9%)occurred mostly in children aged 0 - 6 months old (P<0.01). Source of drinking water was not associated with RV infection. Elevenelectropherotype patterns were detected with predominance of long electropherotypes (92.8%) and mixed electropherotypes were seen only inhospitalized children. Some isolates showed overlapping or merged genome segments 7 and 8 or 9 and presenting with 10 segments of the RV genome. Conclusion: RV is a significant cause of pediatric diarrhea in the NWR affecting mostly children under 2 years of age. Continuous RVsurveillance and nationwide surveys are recommended to improve the health of young children in Cameroon. More research is needed to fullycharacterize the isolated RV strains.Key words: Rotavirus, diarrhea, molecular epidemiology, electropherotype

High-rate aluminium yolk-shell nanoparticle anode for Li-ion battery with long cycle life and ultrahigh capacity

Alloy-type anodes such as silicon and tin are gaining popularity in rechargeable Li-ion batteries, but their rate/cycling capabilities should be improved. Here by making yolk-shell nanocomposite of aluminium core (30 nm in diameter) and TiO[subscript 2] shell (~3 nm in thickness), with a tunable interspace, we achieve 10 C charge/discharge rate with reversible capacity exceeding 650 mAh g[superscript −1] after 500 cycles, with a 3 mg cm[superscript −2] loading. At 1 C, the capacity is approximately 1,200 mAh g[superscript −1] after 500 cycles. Our one-pot synthesis route is simple and industrially scalable. This result may reverse the lagging status of aluminium among high-theoretical-capacity anodes.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant DMR-1120901)National Natural Science Foundation (China) (51221291)National Natural Science Foundation (China) (51172119

Inhibition of methane and natural gas hydrate formation by altering the structure of water with amino acids

Natural gas hydrates are solid hydrogen-bonded water crystals containing small molecular gases. The amount of natural gas stored as hydrates in permafrost and ocean sediments is twice that of all other fossil fuels combined. However, hydrate blockages also hinder oil/gas pipeline transportation, and, despite their huge potential as energy sources, our insufficient understanding of hydrates has limited their extraction. Here, we report how the presence of amino acids in water induces changes in its structure and thus interrupts the formation of methane and natural gas hydrates. The perturbation of the structure of water by amino acids and the resulting selective inhibition of hydrate cage formation were observed directly. A strong correlation was found between the inhibition efficiencies of amino acids and their physicochemical properties, which demonstrates the importance of their direct interactions with water and the resulting dissolution environment. The inhibition of methane and natural gas hydrate formation by amino acids has the potential to be highly beneficial in practical applications such as hydrate exploitation, oil/gas transportation, and flow assurance. Further, the interactions between amino acids and water are essential to the equilibria and dynamics of many physical, chemical, biological, and environmental processes.11Ysciescopu

Comparative genomic analysis of the gut bacterium Bifidobacterium longum reveals loci susceptible to deletion during pure culture growth

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bifidobacteria are frequently proposed to be associated with good intestinal health primarily because of their overriding dominance in the feces of breast fed infants. However, clinical feeding studies with exogenous bifidobacteria show they don't remain in the intestine, suggesting they may lose competitive fitness when grown outside the gut.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To further the understanding of genetic attenuation that may be occurring in bifidobacteria cultures, we obtained the complete genome sequence of an intestinal isolate, <it>Bifidobacterium longum </it>DJO10A that was minimally cultured in the laboratory, and compared it to that of a culture collection strain, <it>B. longum </it>NCC2705. This comparison revealed colinear genomes that exhibited high sequence identity, except for the presence of 17 unique DNA regions in strain DJO10A and six in strain NCC2705. While the majority of these unique regions encoded proteins of diverse function, eight from the DJO10A genome and one from NCC2705, encoded gene clusters predicted to be involved in diverse traits pertinent to the human intestinal environment, specifically oligosaccharide and polyol utilization, arsenic resistance and lantibiotic production. Seven of these unique regions were suggested by a base deviation index analysis to have been precisely deleted from strain NCC2705 and this is substantiated by a DNA remnant from within one of the regions still remaining in the genome of NCC2705 at the same locus. This targeted loss of genomic regions was experimentally validated when growth of the intestinal <it>B. longum </it>in the laboratory for 1,000 generations resulted in two large deletions, one in a lantibiotic encoding region, analogous to a predicted deletion event for NCC2705. A simulated fecal growth study showed a significant reduced competitive ability of this deletion strain against <it>Clostridium difficile </it>and <it>E. coli</it>. The deleted region was between two IS<it>30 </it>elements which were experimentally demonstrated to be hyperactive within the genome. The other deleted region bordered a novel class of mobile elements, termed mobile integrase cassettes (MIC) substantiating the likely role of these elements in genome deletion events.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Deletion of genomic regions, often facilitated by mobile elements, allows bifidobacteria to adapt to fermentation environments in a very rapid manner (2 genome deletions per 1,000 generations) and the concomitant loss of possible competitive abilities in the gut.</p

Joint profiling of DNA methylation and chromatin architecture in single cells.

We report a molecular assay, Methyl-HiC, that can simultaneously capture the chromosome conformation and DNA methylome in a cell. Methyl-HiC reveals coordinated DNA methylation status between distal genomic segments that are in spatial proximity in the nucleus, and delineates heterogeneity of both the chromatin architecture and DNA methylome in a mixed population. It enables simultaneous characterization of cell-type-specific chromatin organization and epigenome in complex tissues

Proceedings of the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) 2011

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2011 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference(SPARC). It includes papers from PhD students in the arts and social sciences, business, computing, science and engineering, education, environment, built environment and health sciences. Contributions from Salford researchers are published here alongside papers from students at the Universities of Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham City, Chester,De Montfort, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester

Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks

Full text also available at: Europe PMC - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/38319653Avoiding microbial contamination and biofilm formation on the surfaces of aircraft fuel tanks is a major challenge in the aviation industry. The inevitable presence of water in fuel systems and nutrients provided by the fuel makes an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and yeast to grow. Understanding how microbes grow on different fuel tank materials is the first step to control biofilm formation in aviation fuel systems. In this study, biofilms of Pseudomonas putida, a model Gram-negative bacterium previously found in aircraft fuel tanks, were characterized on aluminum 7075-T6 surfaces, which is an alloy used by the aviation industry due to favorable properties including high strength and fatigue resistance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) showed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by P. putida were important components of biofilms with a likely role in biofilm stability and adhesion to the surfaces. EDX analysis showed that the proportion of phosphorus with respect to nitrogen is higher in the EPS than in the bacterial cells. Additionally, different morphologies in biofilm formation were observed in the fuel phase compared to the water phase. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) analysis suggested that phosphoryl and carboxyl functional groups are fundamental for the irreversible attachment between the EPS of bacteria and the aluminum surface, by the formation of hydrogen bonds and inner-sphere complexes between the macromolecules and the aluminum surface. Based on the hypothesis that nucleic acids (particularly DNA) are an important component of EPS in P. putida biofilms, the impact of degrading extracellular DNA was tested. Treatment with the enzyme DNase I affected both water and fuel phase biofilms─with the cell structure disrupted in the aqueous phase, but cells remained attached to the aluminum coupons.InnovateUK and Airbus Operations Ltd., within the project “Fuel Architecture and Systems Technology (FAST)”, Project reference 113161 (TS/R008132/1). A.D.M. acknowledges funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) DTP scholarship (project reference: 2748843

Observation of Dirac plasmons in a topological insulator

Plasmons are the quantized collective oscillations of electrons in metals and doped semiconductors. The plasmons of ordinary, massive electrons are since a long time basic ingredients of research in plasmonics and in optical metamaterials. Plasmons of massless Dirac electrons were instead recently observed in a purely two-dimensional electron system (2DEG)like graphene, and their properties are promising for new tunable plasmonic metamaterials in the terahertz and the mid-infrared frequency range. Dirac quasi-particles are known to exist also in the two-dimensional electron gas which forms at the surface of topological insulators due to a strong spin-orbit interaction. Therefore,one may look for their collective excitations by using infrared spectroscopy. Here we first report evidence of plasmonic excitations in a topological insulator (Bi2Se3), that was engineered in thin micro-ribbon arrays of different width W and period 2W to select suitable values of the plasmon wavevector k. Their lineshape was found to be extremely robust vs. temperature between 6 and 300 K, as one may expect for the excitations of topological carriers. Moreover, by changing W and measuring in the terahertz range the plasmonic frequency vP vs. k we could show, without using any fitting parameter, that the dispersion curve is in quantitative agreement with that predicted for Dirac plasmons.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, published in Nature Nanotechnology (2013