Summary
The new allelic variant HLA‐B*38:55Q differs from the closest related B*38:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 373 in exon 3 (TGC>CGC). This results in a difference of one amino ...acid at residue 101 of the HLA‐B heavy chain, from a neutral‐polar Cys to a basic‐polar Arg, thus impairing disulphide bridge formation in the alpha‐2 domain. This alteration of the secondary structure probably affects the maturation of the heavy chain and the level of surface expression, making the HLA‐B*38:55Q undetectable by standard serological typing.
Objective
: We conducted an osteometric study in humans on styloid process of temporal bone to determine the average length and the frequency of a process excessively long that can cause unrecognized ...cerebrovascular syndromes or a form of neuralgia of the glossopharyngeal nerve: “Eagle syndrome.”
Study Design
: Measurement of styloid process was conducted on a significant part of the entire collection of skulls which showed the whole process. To highlight differences in the length of the process related to sex we have divided the skulls in two different groups by gender.
Material and Methods
: We measured the length of the styloid process by a digital caliper on a sample of 153 dried skulls of local museum “Leonetto Comparini.” Data was analyzed through statistical software (Salstat2, Sourceforge, Dice Holdings Inc.): average and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. A
t
-test was applied to the means of the two groups different for sex.
Results
: The average length of styloid process is 27 mm. The range of normality (average + 2st) was 42 mm. An abnormal long styloid process > 42 mm is present in 6% of items. The greatest length observed for the styloid process was 52 mm. In one case of a stylohyoid calcified ligament the styloid process was long length being 70 mm. The difference between the averages of different groups by sex was not significant.
Conclusion
: The presence with a certain frequency of an elongated styloid process must lead to find out this anomaly radiologically in the case of suspected “Eagle syndrome.”
Summary
The new allelic variant
HLA
‐
B
*38:55
Q
differs from the closest related
B
*38:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 373 in exon 3 (
TGC
>
CGC
). This results in a difference of ...one amino acid at residue 101 of the
HLA
‐
B
heavy chain, from a neutral‐polar Cys to a basic‐polar Arg, thus impairing disulphide bridge formation in the alpha‐2 domain. This alteration of the secondary structure probably affects the maturation of the heavy chain and the level of surface expression, making the
HLA
‐
B
*38:55
Q
undetectable by standard serological typing.
Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum, monospore culture EH-502/8 (CNRCB MaPL40), isolated in Mexico from Schistocerca piceifrons ssp. piceifrons (Orthoptera: Acrididae) was tested for acute oral ...intragastric pathogenicity and toxicity in CD-1 mice. Animals were inoculated with one dose (108 conidia/animal) of viable (72 mice), non-viable (24 mice) conidia and compared to 18 control mice. Clinical observations were done daily; mycological and histological tests were performed during necropsies after the inoculation. No mice showed clinical symptoms of illness or died during the study. The fungus was able to persist in some organs until day 3, but did not cause any damage to the host. The gross pathology observed was splenomegaly in mice inoculated with viable and non-viable conidia. Non-germinated conidia, observed in several organs, suggest hematogenous spread, but without any histopathological tissue reaction. Results support the non-pathogenic and non-toxic status of this fungal strain when administered in a single intragastric dose to mice.
Tat protein of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) plays a critical role in the regulation of viral transcription and replication. In addition, Tat regulates the expression of a variety ...of cellular genes and could account for AIDS-associated diseases including Kaposi's Sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by interfering with cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The molecular mechanisms underlying the pleiotropic activities of Tat may include the generation of functional heterodimers of Tat with cellular proteins. By screening a human B-lymphoblastoid cDNA library in the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified E2F-4, a member of E2F family of transcription factors, as a Tat-binding protein. The interaction between Tat and E2F-4 was confirmed by GST pull-down experiments performed with cellular extracts as well as with in vitro translated E2F-4. The physical association of Tat and E2F-4 was confirmed by in vivo binding experiments where Tat.E2F-4 heterodimers were recovered from Jurkat cells by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. By using plasmids expressing mutant forms of Tat and E2F-4, the domains involved in Tat.E2F-4 interaction were identified as the regions encompassing amino acids 1-49 of Tat and amino acids 1-184 of E2F-4. Tat x E2F-4 complexes were shown to bind to E2F cis-regions with increased efficiency compared with E2F-4 alone and to mediate the activity of E2F-dependent promoters including HIV-1 long terminal repeat and cyclin A. The data point to Tat as an adaptor protein that recruits cellular factors such as E2F-4 to exert its multiple biological activities.
The effect of three strains of the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and two strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin upon the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei ...(Ferrari), was studied in three coffee farms at different altitudes (450–1,100 m above sea level) in Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico. The maximum average percentage mycosis varied according to altitude. At 450 m asl (El Rincon) mycosis was 14.3% for B. bassiana and 6.3% for M. anisopliae; at 880 m asl (Santa Anita) mycosis was 40.6% for B. bassiana and 12.6% for M. anisopliae, and at 1,100 m asl (Alpujarras) 33.9% for B. bassiana and 22. l% for M. anisopliae. The effect of fungal mycosis through time was not significant (P > 0.01) in any of the farms, but there was a significant difference between the strains of the fungus (P < 0.01); the best strains being Bb25 and Ma4 at the lower altitude, Bb26 and Ma4 for the middle altitude and Bb26 and Ma4 at the higher altitude. Environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity and rain were not correlated with the percentage mycosis caused by B. bassiana and M. anisopliae. However, in the case of B. bassiana there was a significant, positive correlation (P < 0.01) between the infestation levels of the pest and the mycosis response of the entomopathogen.
EAST/SeSAME syndrome is a rare disease affecting the Central Nervous System (CNS), inner ear, and kidney. The syndrome is due to loss-of-function mutations in the KCNJ10 gene encoding the ...inward-rectifying potassium channel Kir4.1. EAST/SeSAME syndrome is mainly diagnosed during childhood with a tonic-clonic seizure being the usual first symptom. Due to a limited number of patients and recent identification of the disease, few data are available on the clinical progress of this disease in adulthood. In particular, neurologic and nephrological outcomes have not been reported. We present a case series of 4 adult patients harbouring homozygous missense mutation p.Ala167Val and homozygous frameshift mutations p.Asn232Glnfs*14 and p.Gly275Valfs*7. Effects of these mutations were predicted by in silico modelling and bioinformatic tools. Patients with truncating mutations were associated with more severe outcomes, both in tubulopathy severity and neurological symptomatology. Conversely, either missense or truncating mutations were correlated with similar severity of epilepsy, with a long free-of-event period up to 20 years old. No eGFR decline was documented. Modelling predicted that truncating mutations lead to complete Kir4.1 dysfunction. Finally, all patients had a mild increase in urinary protein excretion. Our study indicates that the prognosis of patients suffering from EAST/SeSAME syndrome is related to the severity of the mutation causing the disease. As predicted by in silico modelling, truncating mutations of KCNJ10 are associated with more severe disease, with recurrence of symptomatic hypokalemia and more severe neurological phenotype. The type of mutation should be considered for the therapy tailored to patients' phenotype.
Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare condition that can be fatal if untreated. Risk factors are immunocompromised states as well as spinal procedures including epidural anesthesia and spinal ...surgery. The signs and symptoms of SEA are nonspecific and can range from low back pain to sepsis. The treatment of choice is surgical decompression followed by four to six weeks of antibiotic therapy. The most common causative organism in SEA is staphylococcus aureus and spread is usually haematogenous or contiguous from psoas, paraspinal or retropharyngeal abscesses. The exact mechanism by which an epidural abscess causes spinal cord damage is unclear. In fact, the damage is often out of proportion to the degree of compression demonstrated radiologically. There is only a report of a patient with syrinx formation secondary to epidural abscess. We describe the case of a 48-year-old woman with a two-week history of thoracic back pain and evidence of dorsal SEA probably from contiguous psoas abscess. Neurological examination revealed flaccid paraplegia and loss of sphincter control. A spinal MRI scan with Gd-enhancement revealed focal high intensity signal in the T2-weighted and FLAIR images at the level of the vertebral bodies in segments D3-D11. The patient was treated with posterior decompression and drainage of the SEA, but with a poor outcome. Six weeks after the onset of symptoms, an MRI scan showed a newly-formed hydromyelia formation from D4 to D8. The case reported is the second to describe hydromyelia formation secondary to epidural abscess and a poor outcome, experiencing partial improvement without recovery. For this reason, we confirmed that the essential problem of SEA lies in the need for early diagnosis, because the early signs and symptoms may be vague and the “classic” triad of back pain, fever and variable neurological deficits occur in only 13% of patients by the time of diagnosis. Only timely treatment will avoid or reduce permanent neurological deficits before massive neurological symptoms occur. The clear message is that a high index of suspicion and modern imaging techniques are essential.
In the refining of bio- and petro-oils, solid carbonaceous residues are obtained whose final destination is combustion. It is possible to take advantage of these residues through the oxidation ...technique in an aqueous medium, producing soluble oxygenated organic compounds, analogous to humic substances: humic acids, fulvic acids and humins (Ashtari, et al., 2016). Humic substances possess a large amount of phenolic and carboxylic groups, which provide them with characteristics for crop development. These include colloidal action on clays, ion exchange capacity, chelating action for metal capture and stimulation of soil micro-fauna and -flora. Additionally, they can be used in the formulation of lubricants, adsorbents and fuels (Martinez et al., 2013). This work explores the transformation of the carbonaceous residue of heavy oil coking, through its oxidation in an aqueous medium for the production of soluble organic compounds, with potential application in soil improvement and other applications, in such a way that it contributes to increase sustainability in the hydrocarbon production chain.
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