Coaching and the Flemish medical entrance exam: efficacy and self-selection

This paper is the second part of a dissertation, investigating the effect of coaching and online coaching on the result of the Flemish Medicine Admission Test (FMAT). The dissertation also examines the self-selection variables into coaching, as individual differences between coached and uncoached participants could potentially mask the coaching effect. Firstly, a brief introduction refreshes the main topics of the first paper. Then, the used method of research is discussed, with attention for the sample, the content of the admission test, the content of the questionnaire and the used variables. The next part displays the results of the statistical analyses. Finally, the discussion interprets the results through the initial hypotheses before stating a few limitations and attention points for further research

13C Incorporation as a tool to estimate biomass yields in thermophilic and mesophilic nitrifying communities

Current methods determining biomass yield require sophisticated sensors for in situ measurements or multiple steady-state reactor runs. Determining the yield of specific groups of organisms in mixed cultures in a fast and easy manner remains challenging. This study describes a fast method to estimate the maximum biomass yield (Y-max ), based on C-13 incorporation during activity measurements. It was applied to mixed cultures containing ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) or archaea (AOA) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB), grown under mesophilic (15-28 degrees C) and thermophilic (50 degrees C) conditions. Using this method, no distinction could be made between AOB and AOA co-existing in a community. A slight overestimation of the nitrifier biomass due to C-13 redirection via SMP to heterotrophs could occur, meaning that this method determines the carbon fixation activity of the autotrophic microorganisms rather than the actual nitrifier biomass yield. Thermophilic AOA yields exceeded mesophilic AOB yields (0.22 vs. 0.06-0.11 g VSS g(-1) N), possibly linked to a more efficient pathway for CO(2 )incorporation. NOB thermophilically produced less biomass (0.025-0.028 vs. 0.048-0.051 g VSS g(-1) N), conceivably attributed to higher maintenance requirement, rendering less energy available for biomass synthesis. Interestingly, thermophilic nitrification yield was higher than its mesophilic counterpart, due to the dominance of AOA over AOB at higher temperatures. An instant temperature increase impacted the mesophilic AOB yield, corroborating the effect of maintenance requirement on production capacity. Model simulations of two realistic nitrification/denitrification plants were robust toward changing nitrifier yield in predicting effluent ammonium concentrations, whereas sludge composition was impacted. Summarized, a fast, precise and easily executable method was developed determining Y(max )of ammonia and nitrite oxidizers in mixed communities

TARP as immunotherapeutic target in AML expressed in the LSC compartment

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Grifonin-1: A Small HIV-1 Entry Inhibitor Derived from the Algal Lectin, Griffithsin

Background: Griffithsin, a 121-residue protein isolated from a red algal Griffithsia sp., binds high mannose N-linked glycans of virus surface glycoproteins with extremely high affinity, a property that allows it to prevent the entry of primary isolates and laboratory strains of T- and M-tropic HIV-1. We used the sequence of a portion of griffithsin's sequence as a design template to create smaller peptides with antiviral and carbohydrate-binding properties. Methodology/Results: The new peptides derived from a trio of homologous β-sheet repeats that comprise the motifs responsible for its biological activity. Our most active antiviral peptide, grifonin-1 (GRFN-1), had an EC50 of 190.8±11.0 nM in in vitro TZM-bl assays and an EC50 of 546.6±66.1 nM in p24gag antigen release assays. GRFN-1 showed considerable structural plasticity, assuming different conformations in solvents that differed in polarity and hydrophobicity. Higher concentrations of GRFN-1 formed oligomers, based on intermolecular β-sheet interactions. Like its parent protein, GRFN-1 bound viral glycoproteins gp41 and gp120 via the N-linked glycans on their surface. Conclusion: Its substantial antiviral activity and low toxicity in vitro suggest that GRFN-1 and/or its derivatives may have therapeutic potential as topical and/or systemic agents directed against HIV-1

Aviremia 10 Years Postdiscontinuation of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiated During Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Infection and Association With Gag-Specific T-Cell Responses.

Combination antiretroviral therapy during primary human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection may enable long-term drug-free virological control in rare individuals. We describe a female who maintained aviremia and a normal CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell ratio for 10 years after stopping therapy, despite a persistent viral reservoir. Cellular immune responses may have contributed to this outcome

Differential expression of lncRNAs during the HIV replication cycle: an underestimated layer in the HIV-host interplay.

Studying the effects of HIV infection on the host transcriptome has typically focused on protein-coding genes. However, recent advances in the field of RNA sequencing revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) add an extensive additional layer to the cell's molecular network. Here, we performed transcriptome profiling throughout a primary HIV infection in vitro to investigate lncRNA expression at the different HIV replication cycle processes (reverse transcription, integration and particle production). Subsequently, guilt-by-association, transcription factor and co-expression analysis were performed to infer biological roles for the lncRNAs identified in the HIV-host interplay. Many lncRNAs were suggested to play a role in mechanisms relying on proteasomal and ubiquitination pathways, apoptosis, DNA damage responses and cell cycle regulation. Through transcription factor binding analysis, we found that lncRNAs display a distinct transcriptional regulation profile as compared to protein coding mRNAs, suggesting that mRNAs and lncRNAs are independently modulated. In addition, we identified five differentially expressed lncRNA-mRNA pairs with mRNA involvement in HIV pathogenesis with possible cis regulatory lncRNAs that control nearby mRNA expression and function. Altogether, the present study demonstrates that lncRNAs add a new dimension to the HIV-host interplay and should be further investigated as they may represent targets for controlling HIV replication