TOWARDS BETTER UNDERSTANDING EUROPEAN ICE AGE POLLEN RECORDS: A LESSON FROM MODERN POLLEN ASSEMBLAGES OBTAINED FROM YAKUTIAN LAKES

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SHAPE VARIATIONS OF GRASS PHYTOLITHS IN EURASIA: TOWARDS IMPROVED INTERPRETATION OF FOSSIL PHYTOLITH RECORD USING NEW METHODS OF GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRY

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HIV-1 protease inhibitor mutations affect the development of HIV-1 resistance to the maturation inhibitor bevirimat

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Maturation inhibitors are an experimental class of antiretrovirals that inhibit Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) particle maturation, the structural rearrangement required to form infectious virus particles. This rearrangement is triggered by the ordered cleavage of the precursor Gag polyproteins into their functional counterparts by the viral enzyme protease. In contrast to protease inhibitors, maturation inhibitors impede particle maturation by targeting the substrate of protease (Gag) instead of the protease enzyme itself. Direct cross-resistance between protease and maturation inhibitors may seem unlikely, but the co-evolution of protease and its substrate, Gag, during protease inhibitor therapy, could potentially affect future maturation inhibitor therapy. Previous studies showed that there might also be an effect of protease inhibitor resistance mutations on the development of maturation inhibitor resistance, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. We used wild-type and protease inhibitor resistant viruses to determine the impact of protease inhibitor resistance mutations on the development of maturation inhibitor resistance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our resistance selection studies demonstrated that the resistance profiles for the maturation inhibitor bevirimat are more diverse for viruses with a mutated protease compared to viruses with a wild-type protease. Viral replication did not appear to be a major factor during emergence of bevirimat resistance. In all <it>in vitro </it>selections, one of four mutations was selected: Gag V362I, A364V, S368N or V370A. The impact of these mutations on maturation inhibitor resistance and viral replication was analyzed in different protease backgrounds. The data suggest that the protease background affects development of HIV-1 resistance to bevirimat and the replication profiles of bevirimat-selected HIV-1. The protease-dependent bevirimat resistance and replication levels can be explained by differences in CA/p2 cleavage processing by the different proteases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings highlight the complicated interactions between the viral protease and its substrate. By providing a better understanding of these interactions, we aim to help guide the development of second generation maturation inhibitors.</p

Comparison of different methods of antioxidant activity evaluation of green and roast C. Arabica and C. Robusta coffee beans

Coffee beans contain a large amount of antioxidants, which are subjected to various changes during roasting. In this study, antioxidant potential of raw and roasted to different degree (light, medium, dark) C. arabica and C. robusta coffee beans was evaluated by the four antioxidant assay methods, TPC, FRAP, TEAC, and DPPH˙. The obtained results revealed significant differences between the coffee types, roasting degree, and antioxidant activity assessment methods. FRAP and TPC appeared to be the most appropriate methods for revealing the differences in antioxidant potential of different coffee types and the effects of roasting. The results obtained by these methods were in good correlation. ABTS and DPPH? methods are not enough sensitive for the determination of roasting degrees. In general, based on statistical data evaluation, antioxidant activity is more dependent on the coffee type than on the degree of roasting, however, the selection of analytical method may also be significant

The Shaqadud Archaeological Project (Sudan): exploring prehistoric cultural adaptations in the Sahelian hinterlands

The authors present preliminary results from a new research project based in Jebel Shaqadud, Sudan. Their findings highlight the potential for this region's archaeological record to expand our understanding of the adaptation strategies used by human groups in arid north-east African environments away from rivers and lakes during the Holocene. Furthermore, they present exceptionally early radiocarbon dates that push postglacial human occupation in the eastern Sahel back to the twelfth millennium BP

Standardizing the classification of skin tears: validity and reliability testing of the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel Classification System in 44 countries

Background: Skin tears are acute wounds that are frequently misdiagnosed and under‐reported. A standardized and globally adopted skin tear classification system with supporting evidence for diagnostic validity and reliability is required to allow assessment and reporting in a consistent way. Objectives:To measure the validity and reliability of the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) Classification System internationally. Methods: A multicountry study was set up to validate the content of the ISTAP Classification System through expert consultation in a two‐round Delphi procedure involving 17 experts from 11 countries. An online survey including 24 skin tear photographs was conducted in a convenience sample of 1601 healthcare professionals from 44 countries to measure diagnostic accuracy, agreement, inter‐rater reliability and intrarater reliability of the instrument. Results:A definition for the concept of a ‘skin flap’ in the area of skin tears was developed and added to the initial ISTAP Classification System consisting of three skin tear types. The overall agreement with the reference standard was 0·79 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·79–0·80] and sensitivity ranged from 0·74 (95% CI 0·73–0·75) to 0·88 (95% CI 0·87–0·88). The inter‐rater reliability was 0·57 (95% CI 0·57–0·57). The Cohen's Kappa measuring intrarater reliability was 0·74 (95% CI 0·73–0·75). Conclusions: The ISTAP Classification System is supported by evidence for validity and reliability. The ISTAP Classification System should be used for systematic assessment and reporting of skin tears in clinical practice and research globally.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A new methodology to assess the performance and uncertainty of source apportionment models II: The results of two European intercomparison exercises

The performance and the uncertainty of receptor models (RMs) were assessed in intercomparison exercises employing real-world and synthetic input datasets. To that end, the results obtained by different practitioners using ten different RMs were compared with a reference. In order to explain the differences in the performances and uncertainties of the different approaches, the apportioned mass, the number of sources, the chemical profiles, the contribution-to-species and the time trends of the sources were all evaluated using the methodology described in Belis et al. (2015). In this study, 87% of the 344 source contribution estimates (SCEs) reported by participants in 47 different source apportionment model results met the 50% standard uncertainty quality objective established for the performance test. In addition, 68% of the SCE uncertainties reported in the results were coherent with the analytical uncertainties in the input data. The most used models, EPA-PMF v.3, PMF2 and EPA-CMB 8.2, presented quite satisfactory performances in the estimation of SCEs while unconstrained models, that do not account for the uncertainty in the input data (e.g. APCS and FA-MLRA), showed below average performance. Sources with well-defined chemical profiles and seasonal time trends, that make appreciable contributions (>10%), were those better quantified by the models while those with contributions to the PM mass close to 1% represented a challenge. The results of the assessment indicate that RMs are capable of estimating the contribution of the major pollution source categories over a given time window with a level of accuracy that is in line with the needs of air quality management