70 research outputs found
Quorum sensing in veterinary pathogens: Mechanisms, clinical importance and future perspectives
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Metabolism and functional effects of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids in humans
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential fatty acid and the substrate for the synthesis of longer-chain, more un- saturated ω-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are associated with human health benefits. The primary source of EPA and DHA is seafood. There is a need for sustainable sources of biologically active ω-3 fatty acids. Certain plants contain high concentrations of ALA and stearidonic acid (SDA). Here we review the literature on the metabolism of ALA and SDA in humans, the impact of increased ALA and SDA consumption on concentrations of EPA and DHA in blood and cell lipid pools, and the extent to which ALA and SDA might have health benefits. Although it is generally considered that humans have limited capacity for conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA, sex differences in conversion to DHA have been identified. If conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is limited, then ALA may have a smaller health benefit than EPA and DHA. SDA is more readily converted to EPA and appears to offer better potential for health improvement than ALA. However, conversion of both ALA and SDA to DHA is limited in most humans
Quorum-regulated biofilms enhance the development of conditionally viable, environmental Vibrio cholerae
The factors that enhance the waterborne spread of bacterial epidemics and sustain the pathogens in nature are unclear. The epidemic diarrheal disease cholera caused by Vibrio cholerae spreads through water contaminated with the pathogen. However, the bacteria exist in water mostly as clumps of cells, which resist cultivation by standard techniques but revive into fully virulent form in the intestinal milieu. These conditionally viable environmental cells (CVEC), alternatively called viable but nonculturable cells, presumably play a crucial role in cholera epidemiology. However, the precise mechanism causing the transition of V. cholerae to the CVEC form and this form's significance in the biology of the pathogen are unknown. Here we show that this process involves biofilm formation that is dependent on quorum sensing, a regulatory response that is controlled by cell density. V. cholerae strains carrying mutations in genes required for quorum sensing and biofilm formation displayed altered CVEC formation in environmental water following intestinal infections. Analysis of naturally occurring V. cholerae CVEC showed that organisms that adopt this quiescent physiological state typically exist as clumps of cells that comprise a single clone closely related to isolates causing the most recent local cholera epidemic. These results support a model of cholera transmission in which in vivo-formed biofilms convert to CVEC upon the introduction of cholera stools into environmental water. Our data further suggest that a temporary loss of quorum sensing due to dilution of extracellular autoinducers confers a selective advantage to communities of V. cholerae by blocking quorum-mediated regulatory responses that would break down biofilms and thus interfere with CVEC formation
Acadia Nova
Curator Laurette discusses the works of 15 Acadian artists in relation to sculpture, folk art, painting and criticism, relating them to Acadian identity. Statement by artists. Biographical notes. 1 bibl. ref
Prolonged lipopolysaccharide inhibits leukotriene synthesis in peritoneal macrophages: mediation by nitric oxide and prostaglandins
Electroaddressing Functionalized Polysaccharides as Model Biofilms for Interrogating Cell Signaling
Expression of virulence genes in luminescent and nonluminescent isogenic vibrios and virulence towards gnotobiotic brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana)
Concentration Threshold and Amplification Exhibited by a Helicene Oligomer during Helix-Dimer Formation: A Proposal on How a Cell Senses Concentration Changes of a Chemical
Identification of Peracetylated Quercetin as a Selective 12-Lipoxygenase Pathway Inhibitor in Human Platelets
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