Synthesis of hydroxybenzylidene-indolinones, Schiff bases and N-substituted analogs and their effects on bacterial physiology.

c-di-AMP is a global stress response regulator involved in some processes of biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. It has become a candidate target for the development of new antibacterial treatments. Previous studies have shown that hydroxybenzylidene-indolinones can act as c-di-AMP synthase inhibitors. They also act as antibacterial and anti-biofilm inhibitors and re-sensitize resistant bacteria to methicillin and vancomycin. In this project, potent analogs of these compounds, including Schiff bases and N-substituted compounds, have been synthetized. The objective of this work is to explore the effect of these modifications on their biological activity. Base-catalyzed condensation and acid-catalyzed reactions were performed in order to obtain the products. Antibacterial, anti-biofilm and c-di-AMP synthase inhibition (in-vitro) assays were performed. Halogenated and di-substituted compounds show the highest biological activity. Compounds with hydrophilic groups as well as the Schiff base do not show biological activity. Two compounds completely inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive bacteria). One of these compounds also shows biofilm inhibition for the same bacteria. The results suggest that some current synthetic compounds are potentially great antibacterial and anti-biofilm inhibitors. Further study will continue in order to enhance the biological activity of the molecules already synthetized

Tumor microenvironment in NSCLC suppresses NK cells function

NK cells, which contribute to tumor immunosurveillance, are present in the microenvironment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma. However, they display strongly altered phenotype with decreased expression of NKp30, NKp80, DNAM-1, CD16 and ILT2, and impaired cytotoxic functions. The possible mechanisms leading to these defects are discussed

The social system of the lava lizard, Microlophus atacamensis: the interplay between social structure and social organization

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background Animal social systems can be described through four main components: social structure, social organization, mating system, and care system. Social structure describes the relationships between individuals in a population, while social organization describes the group composition, size, and spatiotemporal variation of a population. We use the frameworks of social structure and social organization to study the social system of Microlophus atacamensis, a lizard found in the rocky intertidal zone along the Chilean coast. The area M. atacamensis inhabits poses specific challenges stemming from their use of two distinct habitat types in the intertidal zone: they forage in the cool areas near the water’s edge and use large rocks in more inland areas for basking and refuge. Methods Our assessment of their social system focused on two separate populations: one to characterize social structure by means of focal observations and social network analysis, and a second to assess social organization via home range and core area analyses. Further, we examined the social system in two habitat types that comprise the intertidal zone: cobble fields and interspersed large rocks. Results Social network analysis revealed an interconnected network with a few highly central individuals. Body size influenced the outcomes of aggressive interactions, with interactions being more common in cobble fields where males had more associates and more repeated interactions than females. Spatial analyses revealed that the social organization of M. atacamensis is characterized by (1) high home range overlap, specifically in the cobble fields and (2) relatively exclusive core areas dispersed across both habitat types. Conclusion A social system is composed of both cooperative and competitive behaviors. While our study focused on competitive interactions, the extent and influence of cooperative behaviors is still unclear and merits future research. We suggest that M. atacamensis has a variable social system in which territoriality on large rocks affects access to stationary resources in that habitat (e.g., basking sites and refuges), while competition in the cobble fields could lay the foundation for a system of dominance relationships controlling access to variable food resources in cobble field areas of the intertidal zone

Pests or prey? Micromammal species within an ancient anthropic environment at the Norse settlement site of Tuquoy (Westray, Orkney)

Excel file with five tables containing Tuquoy micromammal data (four tables) and references from Andrews 1990 (one table)

Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

ABSTRACT Objective: Stress urinary incontinence may serve as a barrier to lifestyle modification among women at high risk for diabetes, but the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus (hGDM) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of stress incontinence among women with hGDM and to examine its association with their current physical activity. Methods: We surveyed women with hGDM within the past 5 years who were currently enrolled in a managed care plan (n = 228). In a cross-sectional analysis, self-reported weekly or more frequent stress incontinence was the primary independent variable and measures of physical activity and body mass index (BMI) were the outcomes of interest. We constructed multivariable models that adjusted for participant characteristics associated with the measure of incontinence or outcomes in bivariate analyses. Results: Of the 228 women with hGDM, 49% reported weekly or more frequent incontinence during pregnancy, and 28% reported that incontinence affected their activities during pregnancy. Fifty percent reported weekly or more frequent incontinence after delivery, with 27% reporting interference of incontinence with activity. Less than a third of women reported optimal physical activity, and 42% were obese. After adjustment for characteristics associated with measures of activity and incontinence, there was minimal association between levels of activity and stress urinary incontinence; similarly, there was no association between BMI and measures of stress incontinence. Conclusions: Stress urinary incontinence is common among women with hGDM but does not appear to be associated with physical activity levels or BMI.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63394/1/jwh.2007.0616.pd

Composition of the Chandra ACIS contaminant

The Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) on the Chandra X-ray Observatory is suffering a gradual loss of low energy sensitivity due to a buildup of a contaminant. High resolution spectra of bright astrophysical sources using the Chandra Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS) have been analyzed in order to determine the nature of the contaminant by measuring the absorption edges. The dominant element in the contaminant is carbon. Edges due to oxygen and fluorine are also detectable. Excluding H, we find that C, O, and F comprise >80%, 7%, and 7% of the contaminant by number, respectively. Nitrogen is less than 3% of the contaminant. We will assess various candidates for the contaminating material and investigate the growth of the layer with time. For example, the detailed structure of the C-K absorption edge provides information about the bonding structure of the compound, eliminating aromatic hydrocarbons as the contaminating material.Comment: To appear in Proceedings SPIE volume 5165; paper is 12 pages long with 13 figure