Comparative proteomics of uropathogenic Escherichia coli during growth in human urine identify UCA-like (UCL) fimbriae as an adherence factor involved in biofilm formation and binding to uroepithelial cells

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the primary cause of urinary tract infection (UTI) in humans. For the successful colonisation of the human urinary tract, UPEC employ a diverse collection of secreted or surface-exposed virulence factors including toxins, iron acquisition systems and adhesins. In this study, a comparative proteomic approach was utilised to define the UPEC pan and core surface proteome following growth in pooled human urine. Identified proteins were investigated for subcellular origin, prevalence and homology to characterised virulence factors. Fourteen core surface proteins were identified, as well as eleven iron uptake receptor proteins and four distinct fimbrial types, including type 1, P, F1C/S and a previously uncharacterised fimbrial type, designated UCA-like (UCL) fimbriae in this study. These pathogenicity island (PAI)-associated fimbriae are related to UCA fimbriae of Proteus mirabilis, associated with UPEC and exclusively found in members of the E. coli B2 and D phylogroup. We further demonstrated that UCL fimbriae promote significant biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces and mediate specific attachment to exfoliated human uroepithelial cells. Combined, this study has defined the surface proteomic profiles and core surface proteome of UPEC during growth in human urine and identified a new type of fimbriae that may contribute to UTI

Bilinear forms on Grothendieck groups of triangulated categories

We extend the theory of bilinear forms on the Green ring of a finite group developed by Benson and Parker to the context of the Grothendieck group of a triangulated category with Auslander-Reiten triangles, taking only relations given by direct sum decompositions. We examine the non-degeneracy of the bilinear form given by dimensions of homomorphisms, and show that the form may be modified to give a Hermitian form for which the standard basis given by indecomposable objects has a dual basis given by Auslander-Reiten triangles. An application is given to the homotopy category of perfect complexes over a symmetric algebra, with a consequence analogous to a result of Erdmann and Kerner.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1301.470

The eye, the kidney, and cardiovascular disease: old concepts, better tools, and new horizons.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, with hypertension and diabetes mellitus acting as major risk factors for its development. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the most frequent end point of CKD. There is an urgent need for more precise methods to identify patients at risk of CKD and cardiovascular disease. Alterations in microvascular structure and function contribute to the development of hypertension, diabetes, CKD, and their associated cardiovascular disease. Homology between the eye and the kidney suggests that noninvasive imaging of the retinal vessels can detect these microvascular alterations to improve targeting of at-risk patients. Retinal vessel-derived metrics predict incident hypertension, diabetes, CKD, and cardiovascular disease and add to the current renal and cardiovascular risk stratification tools. The advent of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has transformed retinal imaging by capturing the chorioretinal microcirculation and its dependent tissue with near-histological resolution. In hypertension, diabetes, and CKD, OCT has revealed vessel remodeling and chorioretinal thinning. Clinical and preclinical OCT has linked retinal microvascular pathology to circulating and histological markers of injury in the kidney. The advent of OCT angiography allows contrast-free visualization of intraretinal capillary networks to potentially detect early incipient microvascular disease. Combining OCT's deep imaging with the analytical power of deep learning represents the next frontier in defining what the eye can reveal about the kidney and broader cardiovascular health

Josephson effects in MgB2 meta masked ion damage junctions

Ion beam damage combined with nanoscale focused ion beam direct milling was used to create manufacturable SNS type Josephson junctions in 100 nm thick MgB$_{2}$ with T$_{C}$ of 38 K. The junctions show non-hysteretic current - voltage characteristics between 36 and 4.2 K. Experimental evidence for the dc and ac Josephson effects in MgB$_{2}$ metal masked ion damage junctions are presented. This technique is particularly useful for prototyping devices due to its simplicity and flexibility of fabrication and has a great potential for high-density integration.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX4, submitted to AP

Eliciting conditioned taste aversion in lizards: Live toxic prey are more effective than scent and taste cues alone

© 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is an adaptive learning mechanism whereby a consumer associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic substance, and thereafter avoids eating that type of food. Recently, wildlife researchers have employed CTA to discourage native fauna from ingesting toxic cane toads (Rhinella marina), a species that is invading tropical Australia. In this paper, we compare the results of 2 sets of CTA trials on large varanid lizards (“goannas,” Varanus panoptes). One set of trials (described in this paper) exposed recently-captured lizards to sausages made from cane toad flesh, laced with a nausea-inducing chemical (lithium chloride) to reinforce the aversion response. The other trials (in a recently-published paper, reviewed herein) exposed free-ranging lizards to live juvenile cane toads. The effectiveness of the training was judged by how long a lizard survived in the wild before it was killed (fatally poisoned) by a cane toad. Both stimuli elicited rapid aversion to live toads, but the CTA response did not enhance survival rates of the sausage-trained goannas after they were released into the wild. In contrast, the goannas exposed to live juvenile toads exhibited higher long-term survival rates than did untrained conspecifics. Our results suggest that although it is relatively easy to elicit short-term aversion to toad cues in goannas, a biologically realistic stimulus (live toads, encountered by free-ranging predators) is most effective at buffering these reptiles from the impact of invasive toxic prey

BINARY CENTRAL STARS OF PLANETARY NEBULAE DISCOVERED THROUGH PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY. V. THE CENTRAL STARS OF HaTr 7 AND ESO 330-9

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Gabapentin and pregabalin: do the benefits outweigh the harms?

Gabapentin and pregabalin prescribing in Scotland has increased substantially over recent years. Evidence suggests that prescribers may be advocating the use of these medicines off-label to avoid prescribing opioid analgesics. The evidence to support gabapentin and pregabalin use in non-neuropathic pain disorders indicates they are less effective than several other licensed non-opioid analgesics. Notably, patients may not benefit from gabapentin and pregabalin but remain at risk of adverse drug reactions. Furthermore, greater availability has resulted in increased diversion of gabapentin and pregabalin; creating problems within the opioid misuse population and prison service. As a consequence, both gabapentin and pregabalin may soon be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Prescribers should be aware of the very limited clinical evidence for use of gabapentin and pregabalin outside their licensed indications, as well as their capacity to do harm