Polydnaviral ankyrin proteins aid parasitic wasp survival by coordinate and selective inhibition of hematopoietic and immune NF-kappa B signaling in insect hosts.

Polydnaviruses are mutualists of their parasitoid wasps and express genes in immune cells of their Lepidopteran hosts. Polydnaviral genomes carry multiple copies of viral ankyrins or vankyrins. Vankyrin proteins are homologous to IκB proteins, but lack sequences for regulated degradation.

Optical absorption and spectral photoconductivity in α-(Fe₁-xCrx)₂O₃ solid-solution thin films.

Hematite, α-Fe2O3, is an attractive narrow gap oxide for consideration as an efficient visible light photocatalyst, with significant potential for band gap engineering via doping. We examine optical absorption in α-(Fe1-xCrx)2O3 epitaxial films and explain the observed excitations, and the nature of the band gap dependence on x, through first-principles calculations. The calculated and measured optical band gap becomes smaller than that of bulk α-Fe2O3 and reaches a minimum as the Cr cation fraction increases to 50%.

Achieving rapid reduction of HIV-1 viral load in HIV-positive pregnant women close to term - an obstetric/medical emergency: a review of three cases.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV infection is now uncommon in the UK and the management of HIV-positive pregnant women is usually relatively straightforward. However, HIV viral load suppression may be difficult to achieve peripartum for women who book very late in pregnancy and those with a poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). These pregnancies are at a higher risk of MTCT due to high viral load (VL).

Dose response kinetics of CD8 lymphocytes from young animals transfused into old animals and challenged with influenza.

Transfusion of autologous leukocytes after prolonged storage has been proposed as a means of rejuvenating the immune system of older individuals. The rationale for this approach is that age related immune decline is associated with a diminished pool of naïve T cells following atrophy of the thymus and reduction in thymic output. The presence of high levels of naïve T cells within the blood of young individuals could provide a boost to the immune system of an older "self" through a rejuvenation of the naïve T cell pool.

Reliable modeling of the electronic spectra of realistic uranium complexes.

We present an EOMCCSD (equation of motion coupled cluster with singles and doubles) study of excited states of the small [UO2](2+) and [UO2](+) model systems as well as the larger U(VI)O2(saldien) complex. In addition, the triples contribution within the EOMCCSDT and CR-EOMCCSD(T) (completely renormalized EOMCCSD with non-iterative triples) approaches for the [UO2](2+) and [UO2](+) systems as well as the active-space variant of the CR-EOMCCSD(T) method-CR-EOMCCSd(t)-for the U(VI)O2(saldien) molecule are investigated. The coupled cluster data were employed as benchmark to choose the "best" appropriate exchange-correlation functional for subsequent time-dependent density functional (TD-DFT) studies on the transition energies for closed-shell species.

Nebulised siRNA encapsulated crosslinked chitosan nanoparticles for pulmonary delivery.

Purpose: To explore the potential of crosslinked chitosan nanoparticles as carriers for delivery of siRNA using a jet nebuliser.

Materials And Methods: Nanoparticles encapsulating siRNA were prepared using an ionic crosslinking technique at chitosan to siRNA weight/weight ratios of 10:1, 30:1 and 50:1. Particles were characterised for their size, charge, morphology, pH stability and siRNA encapsulation efficiency.

Identification and characterization of Clostridium sordellii toxin gene regulator.

Toxigenic Clostridium sordellii causes uncommon but highly lethal infections in humans and animals. Recently, an increased incidence of C. sordellii infections has been reported in women undergoing obstetric interventions.

NDM-1 imported from India--first reported case in South Africa.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae have been increasingly reported throughout the world. The first South African report of a New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase was from Gauteng in August 2011. Despite maintaining a high degree of vigilance, the first such case was seen in KwaZulu-Natal almost a year later.

Entangled Valence Electron-Hole Dynamics Revealed by Stimulated Attosecond X-ray Raman Scattering.

We show that broadband x-ray pulses can create wavepackets of valence electrons and holes localized in the vicinity of a selected atom (nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur in cysteine) by stimulated resonant Raman scattering. The subsequent dynamics reveals highly correlated motions of entangled electrons and hole quasiparticles. This information goes beyond the time-dependent total charge density derived from x-ray diffraction.

Partial venom gland transcriptome of a Drosophila parasitoid wasp, Leptopilina heterotoma, reveals novel and shared bioactive profiles with stinging Hymenoptera.

Analysis of natural host-parasite relationships reveals the evolutionary forces that shape the delicate and unique specificity characteristic of such interactions. The accessory long gland-reservoir complex of the wasp Leptopilina heterotoma (Figitidae) produces venom with virus-like particles. Upon delivery, venom components delay host larval development and completely block host immune responses.

Simulating Ru L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy with time-dependent density functional theory: model complexes and electron localization in mixed-valence metal dimers.

Ruthenium L3-edge X-ray absorption (XA) spectroscopy probes unoccupied 4d orbitals of the metal atom and is increasingly being used to investigate the local electronic structure in ground and excited electronic states of Ru complexes. The simultaneous development of computational tools for simulating Ru L3-edge spectra is crucial for interpreting the spectral features at a molecular level. This study demonstrates that time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is a viable and predictive tool for simulating ruthenium L3-edge XA spectroscopy.

Impact of reduced k-space acquisition on pathologic detectability for volumetric MR spectroscopic imaging.

Purpose: To assess the impact of accelerated acquisitions on the spectral quality of volumetric magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and to evaluate their ability in detecting metabolic changes with mild injury.

Materials And Methods: The implementation of a generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) method for a high-resolution whole-brain echo planar SI (3D-EPSI) sequence is first described and the spectral accuracy of the GRAPPA-EPSI method is investigated using lobar and voxel-based analyses for normal subjects and patients with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI). The performance of GRAPPA was compared with that of fully encoded EPSI for five datasets collected from normal subjects at the same scanning session, as well as on 45 scans (20 normal subjects and 25 mTBI patients) for which the reduced k-space sampling was simulated.

Intramural ectopic pregnancy: a case and review of the literature.

An intramural ectopic is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy in which the gestational sac is implanted within the myometrium, separate from the endometrial cavity and Fallopian tubes. There are only 53 cases in the published literature. We report a case of intramural ectopic pregnancy treated surgically and review the published data on this rare type of ectopic pregnancy, with respect to aetiology, diagnosis and management.

Quasiparticle spectra from a nonempirical optimally tuned range-separated hybrid density functional.

We present a method for obtaining outer-valence quasiparticle excitation energies from a density-functional-theory-based calculation, with an accuracy that is comparable to that of many-body perturbation theory within the GW approximation. The approach uses a range-separated hybrid density functional, with an asymptotically exact and short-range fractional Fock exchange. The functional contains two parameters, the range separation and the short-range Fock fraction.

Phase control of nanostructured iron oxide for application to biosensor.

We report results of the studies relating to the phase transformation of bare FeO nanoparticles (NPs) to α-FeO NPs obtained during electrophoretic film deposition onto indium-tin oxide coated glass plates. The in situ oxidation of NPs during electrophoretic deposition can be circumvented using surface passivation of the FeO NPs with an organic shell (carbon) as well as an inorganic shell (silica), while retaining the biocompatibility of the FeO NPs. XRD and XPS studies reveal the transformation of FeO NPs to α-FeO NPs upon electrophoretic deposition, and the retention of the phase of the FeO NPs upon encapsulation with carbon and silica, respectively.

Intermittent nicotine exposure upregulates nAChRs in VTA dopamine neurons and sensitises locomotor responding to the drug.

Dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) mediate the behavioral and motivational effects of many drugs of abuse, including nicotine. Repeated intermittent administration of these drugs, a pattern often associated with initial drug exposure, sensitises the reactivity of dopamine (DA) neurons in this pathway, enhances the locomotor behaviors the drugs emit, and promotes their pursuit and self-administration. Here we show that activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the VTA, but not the NAcc, is essential for the induction of locomotor sensitisation by nicotine.

Measuring the TREC ratio in dried blood spot samples: intra- and inter-filter paper cards reproducibility.

The level of T-cell receptor excision circles (TREC), which decline with advancing age in normal individuals, has recently gained interest as a reference marker for studies on premature or early immunosenescence under particular health conditions. In order to facilitate translational studies at population and clinical levels, essential for the understanding of how changes in TREC levels are associated with responsiveness of the immune system, we have developed and optimized a real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay which quantifies the TREC ratio from dried blood spot (DBS) samples. The present study considers a fully automated procedure to purify DNA and amplify sequences of interests by means of qPCR from DBS samples collected in healthy adults.

Quality metric for Parasternal Long AXis B-mode echocardiograms.

This paper presents a method for automatically estimating the quality of Parasternal Long AXis (PLAX) B-mode echocardiograms. The purpose of the algorithm is to provide live feedback to the user on the quality of the acquired image. The proposed approach uses Generalized Hough Transform to compare the structures derived from the incoming image to a representative atlas, thereby providing a quality metric (PQM).

Automated intraventricular septum segmentation using non-local spatio-temporal priors.

Automated robust segmentation of intra-ventricular septum (IVS) from B-mode echocardiographic images is an enabler for early quantification of cardiac disease. Segmentation of septum from ultrasound images is very challenging due to variations in intensity/contrast in and around the septum, speckle noise and non-rigid shape variations of the septum boundary. In this work, we effectively address these challenges using an approach that merges novel computer vision ideas with physiological markers present in cardiac scans.

Pregnancy with known syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is rarely encountered in pregnancy. We report a case of severe hyponatraemia with idiopathic SIADH. A total of 18 cases of hyponatraemia in pregnancy have been reported; seven fit the criteria of SIADH.

Kaposi's sarcoma in pregnancy after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy: a manifestation of immune reconstitution syndrome.

A case of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) presenting as an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in pregnancy with conservative management is reported. Successful outcomes for mother and baby were achieved. HIV was diagnosed at antenatal booking and highly active antiretroviral therapy commenced at 20 weeks.

The impact of coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus and pulmonary tuberculosis on the success of bronchial artery embolisation.

Objective: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Africa. Bronchial artery embolisation (BAE) is a specialised, expensive and risky procedure. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of coinfection with HIV and PTB on the success of BAE.

Curvature and Frontier Orbital Energies in Density Functional Theory.

Perdew et al. discovered two different properties of exact Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT): (i) The exact total energy versus particle number is a series of linear segments between integer electron points. (ii) Across an integer number of electrons, the exchange-correlation potential "jumps" by a constant, known as the derivative discontinuity (DD).

Electron transfer beyond the static picture: a TDDFT∕TD-ZINDO study of a pentacene dimer.

We use time-dependent density functional theory and time-dependent ZINDO (a semi-empirical method) to study transfer of an extra electron between a pair of pentacene molecules. A measure of the electronic transfer integral is computed in a dynamic picture via the vertical excitation energy from a delocalized anionic ground state. With increasing dimer separation, this dynamical measurement of charge transfer is shown to be significantly larger than the commonly used static approximation (i.