Importance of heat-stable enterotoxin B in the induction of early immune responses in piglets after infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains that produce heat-stable (STa, STb) and/or heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins are an important cause of post-weaning diarrhea in piglets [1]. However, the relative importance of the different enterotoxins in the pathogenesis of ETEC infection has been poorly defined. In the present study we assessed the contributions of different ETEC enterotoxins to the induction of small intestinal secretion and early innate immune responses in weaned piglets

Importance of heat-stable enterotoxin B in the induction of early immune responses in piglets after infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains that produce heat-stable (STa, STb) and/or heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins are an important cause of post-weaning diarrhea in piglets [1]. However, the relative importance of the different enterotoxins in the pathogenesis of ETEC infection has been poorly defined. In the present study we assessed the contributions of different ETEC enterotoxins to the induction of small intestinal secretion and early innate immune responses in weaned piglets

Rúbricas y evaluación de competencias en los TFG : un paso atrás para saltar

La comunicación propone una metodología de trabajo para instaurar/consolidar el uso de rubricas en la evaluación por competencias del Trabajo Fin de Grado (TFG) de una titulación. La propuesta parte de las distintas tareas asignadas a los estudiantes de esta asignatura, proponiendo rúbricas específicas para la evaluación progresiva del trabajo efectuado, de forma que se pueda establecer una correspondencia biunívoca entre los ítems evaluados y las competencias adquiridas por el estudiante en el grado que curse. Esta correspondencia permite la evaluación por competencias a la vez que facilita el adecuado uso de rúbricas a equipos docentes no avezados a esta metodología de evaluación. La comunicación ha sido realizada por miembros del grupo de innovación docente GI-IDES: Treballs fi de grau, de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, y forma parte de un estudio más amplio sobre la problemática de la implantación de los TFG en la Universidad.The paper proposes a methodology for establishing / consolidating the use of rubrics in the assessment of competencies for the Final Year Project of a degree. The proposal builds on the various tasks assigned to students in this subject, proposing specific rubrics for ongoing assessment of work done, so as to establish a relationship between items assessed and skills acquired by students in the undergraduate level. Such relationship allows the assessment of the skills while facilitating the use of rubrics to teaching teams not used to this method of evaluation. The paper has been prepared by members of the group of educational innovation GI-IDES: Treballs Fi de Grau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, as part of a more extensive study regarding the challenges derived of the introduction of the compulsory Final Year Dissertation in the Spanish Universitie

Nectin-4 is a new histological and serological tumor associated marker for breast cancer

Abstract Introduction Breast cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease at the molecular level. Evolution is difficult to predict according to classical histoclinical prognostic factors. Different studies highlight the importance of large-scale molecular expression analyses to improve taxonomy of breast cancer and prognostic classification. Identification of new molecular markers that refine this taxonomy and improve patient management is a priority in the field of breast cancer research. Nectins are cell adhesion molecules involved in the regulation of epithelial physiology. We present here Nectin-4/PVRL4 as a new histological and serological tumor associated marker for breast carcinoma. Methods Expression of Nectin-4 protein was measured on a panel of 78 primary cells and cell lines from different origins and 57 breast tumors by FACS analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. mRNA expression was measured by quantitative PCR. Serum Nectin-4 was detected by ELISA and compared with CEA and CA15.3 markers, on panels of 45 sera from healthy donors, 53 sera from patients with non-metastatic breast carcinoma (MBC) at diagnosis, and 182 sera from patients with MBC. Distribution of histological/serological molecular markers and histoclinical parameters were compared using the standard Chi-2 test. Results Nectin-4 was not detected in normal breast epithelium. By contrast, Nectin-4 was expressed in 61% of ductal breast carcinoma vs 6% in lobular type. Expression of Nectin-4 strongly correlated with the basal-like markers EGFR, P53, and P-cadherin, and negatively correlated with the luminal-like markers ER, PR and GATA3. All but one ER/PR-negative tumors expressed Nectin-4. The detection of Nectin-4 in serum improves the follow-up of patients with MBC: the association CEA/CA15.3/Nectin-4 allowed to monitor 74% of these patients compared to 67% with the association CEA/CA15.3. Serum Nectin-4 is a marker of disease progression, and levels correlate with the number of metastases (P = 0.038). Serum Nectin-4 is also a marker of therapeutic efficiency and correlates, in 90% of cases, with clinical evolution. Conclusion Nectin-4 is a new tumor-associated antigen for breast carcinoma. Nectin-4 is a new bio-marker whose use could help refine breast cancer taxonomy and improve patients' follow-up. Nectin-4 emerges as a potential target for breast cancer immunotherapy.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112418/1/12885_2007_Article_723.pd

Natural Variation in Decision-Making Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

There has been considerable recent interest in using Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the molecular basis of decision-making behavior. Deciding where to place eggs is likely one of the most important decisions for a female fly, as eggs are vulnerable and larvae have limited motility. Here, we show that many natural genotypes of D. melanogaster prefer to lay eggs near nutritious substrate, rather than in nutritious substrate. These preferences are highly polymorphic in both degree and direction, with considerable heritability (0.488) and evolvability

Association of the PHACTR1/EDN1 genetic locus with spontaneous coronary artery dissection

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognized cause of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) afflicting predominantly younger to middle-aged women. Observational studies have reported a high prevalence of extracoronary vascular anomalies, especially fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and a low prevalence of coincidental cases of atherosclerosis. PHACTR1/EDN1 is a genetic risk locus for several vascular diseases, including FMD and coronary artery disease, with the putative causal noncoding variant at the rs9349379 locus acting as a potential enhancer for the endothelin-1 (EDN1) gene. Objectives: This study sought to test the association between the rs9349379 genotype and SCAD. Methods: Results from case control studies from France, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia were analyzed to test the association with SCAD risk, including age at first event, pregnancy-associated SCAD (P-SCAD), and recurrent SCAD. Results: The previously reported risk allele for FMD (rs9349379-A) was associated with a higher risk of SCAD in all studies. In a meta-analysis of 1,055 SCAD patients and 7,190 controls, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50 to 1.86) per copy of rs9349379-A. In a subset of 491 SCAD patients, the OR estimate was found to be higher for the association with SCAD in patients without FMD (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.33) than in SCAD cases with FMD (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.99). There was no effect of genotype on age at first event, P-SCAD, or recurrence. Conclusions: The first genetic risk factor for SCAD was identified in the largest study conducted to date for this condition. This genetic link may contribute to the clinical overlap between SCAD and FMD

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements