Free-standing carbon nanotube-titania photoactive sheets.

We report on the development of a new photoactive material via titania (TiO2) nanoparticle deposition on free-standing aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets. Controlling homogeneous dispersion of negatively charged TiO2 nanoparticles, achieved by adjusting pH higher than the point of zero charge (PZC), influenced electrochemical deposition of TiO2 on CNT sheets substrate. Varying deposition time with constant voltage, 5 V allowed different thickness of TiO2 to be deposited layer on the CNT sheets.

Protective capacity of proteoliposomes from Mycobacterium bovis BCG in a mouse model of tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity due to infectious diseases. BCG, the vaccine in use, is not fully protective against TB. In a previous study, we have shown that proteoliposomes (outer membrane extracts), obtained from BCG (PLBCG) were able to induce humoral immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigens.

Fine-mapping identifies two additional breast cancer susceptibility loci at 9q31.2.

We recently identified a novel susceptibility variant, rs865686, for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer at 9q31.2. Here, we report a fine-mapping analysis of the 9q31.

Right and Left Atrial Dissimilarities in Normal Subjects Explored by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

Background: Atrial function is an important contributor of ventricular function and has a prognostic role in various cardiovascular diseases. We tested the hypothesis that right and left atrial (RA & LA) function may not be equal despite their accommodating identical cardiac output.

Methods: Two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography was acquired from the apical four-chamber view in 100 normal subjects.

Protective effect of a lipid-based preparation from Mycobacterium smegmatis in a murine model of progressive pulmonary tuberculosis.

A more effective vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed. Based on its high genetic homology with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the nonpathogenic mycobacteria, Mycobacterium smegmatis (Ms), could be an attractive source of potential antigens to be included in such a vaccine. We evaluated the capability of lipid-based preparations obtained from Ms to provide a protective response in Balb/c mice after challenge with Mtb H37Rv strain.

Fine-scale mapping of the 5q11.2 breast cancer locus reveals at least three independent risk variants regulating MAP3K1.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revealed SNP rs889312 on 5q11.2 to be associated with breast cancer risk in women of European ancestry. In an attempt to identify the biologically relevant variants, we analyzed 909 genetic variants across 5q11.

Polymer Coating of Carbon Nanotube Fibers for Electric Microcables.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered the most promising candidates to replace Cu and Al in a large number of electrical, mechanical and thermal applications. Although most CNT industrial applications require macro and micro size CNT fiber assemblies, several techniques to make conducting CNT fibers, threads, yarns and ropes have been reported to this day, and improvement of their electrical and mechanical conductivity continues. Some electrical applications of these CNT conducting fibers require an insulating layer for electrical insulation and protection against mechanical tearing.

Evidence that breast cancer risk at the 2q35 locus is mediated through IGFBP5 regulation.

GWAS have identified a breast cancer susceptibility locus on 2q35. Here we report the fine mapping of this locus using data from 101,943 subjects from 50 case-control studies. We genotype 276 SNPs using the 'iCOGS' genotyping array and impute genotypes for a further 1,284 using 1000 Genomes Project data.

Histopathological Study of the Lungs of Mice Receiving Human Secretory IgA and Challenged with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Humoral and cellular immune responses are associated with protection against extracellular and intracellular pathogens, respectively. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of receiving human secretory immunoglobulin A (hsIgA) on the histopathology of the lungs of mice challenged with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Methods: The hsIgA was purified from human colostrum and administered to Balb/c mice by the intranasal route prior to infection with M.

Rationale and design of the Canadian Outcomes Registry Late After Tetralogy of Fallot Repair: the CORRELATE study.

Background: Chronic hemodynamically relevant pulmonary regurgitation (PR) resulting in important right ventricular dilation and ventricular dysfunction is commonly seen after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair. Late adverse clinical outcomes, including exercise intolerance, arrhythmias, heart failure and/or death accelerate in the third decade of life and are cause for considerable concern. Timing of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) to address chronic PR is controversial, particularly in asymptomatic individuals, and effect of PVR on clinical measures has not been determined.

Gene duplication, population genomics, and species-level differentiation within a tropical mountain shrub.

Gene duplication leads to paralogy, which complicates the de novo assembly of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data. The issue of paralogous genes is exacerbated in plants, because they are particularly prone to gene duplication events. Paralogs are normally filtered from GBS data before undertaking population genomics or phylogenetic analyses.

Wheat alleles introgress into selfing wild relatives: empirical estimates from approximate Bayesian computation in Aegilops triuncialis.

Extensive gene flow between wheat (Triticum sp.) and several wild relatives of the genus Aegilops has recently been detected despite notoriously high levels of selfing in these species. Here, we assess and model the spread of wheat alleles into natural populations of the barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis), a wild wheat relative prevailing in the Mediterranean flora.

Identification and characterization of novel associations in the CASP8/ALS2CR12 region on chromosome 2 with breast cancer risk.

Previous studies have suggested that polymorphisms in CASP8 on chromosome 2 are associated with breast cancer risk. To clarify the role of CASP8 in breast cancer susceptibility, we carried out dense genotyping of this region in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning a 1 Mb region around CASP8 were genotyped in 46 450 breast cancer cases and 42 600 controls of European origin from 41 studies participating in the BCAC as part of a custom genotyping array experiment (iCOGS).

Best practices for cardiovascular disease prevention in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of guideline recommendations and quality indicators.

Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study systematically reviewed and appraised guidelines and quality indicators (QIs) pertaining to CVD risk management in patients with RA.

Methods: Four electronic medical databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science) and gray literature publications were searched using terms and keywords pertaining to guidelines, QIs, RA, and CVD (RA and general population literature searched).

Synthesis, structural characterization and cytotoxic activity of ternary copper(II)-dipeptide-phenanthroline complexes. A step towards the development of new copper compounds for the treatment of cancer.

In the search for new compounds with antitumor activity, coordination complexes with different metals are being studied by our group. This work presents the synthesis and characterization of six copper complexes with general stoichiometry [Cu(L-dipeptide)(phen)]·nH2O (were phen=1,10-phenanthroline) and their cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines. To characterize these systems, analytical and spectroscopic studies were performed in solid state (by UV-visible, IR, X-ray diffraction) including the crystal structure of four new complexes (of the six complexes studied): [Cu(Ala-Phe)(phen)]·4H2O, [Cu(Phe-Ala)(phen)]·4H2O, [Cu(Phe-Val)(phen)]·4.

Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, genotyping error estimation and de novo assembly optimization for population genetic inference.

Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) provides researchers with the ability to record genetic polymorphism across thousands of loci for nonmodel organisms, potentially revolutionizing the field of molecular ecology. However, as with other genotyping methods, RADseq is prone to a number of sources of error that may have consequential effects for population genetic inferences, and these have received only limited attention in terms of the estimation and reporting of genotyping error rates. Here we use individual sample replicates, under the expectation of identical genotypes, to quantify genotyping error in the absence of a reference genome.

The structural modeling of the interaction between levofloxacin and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gyrase catalytic site sheds light on the mechanisms of fluoroquinolones resistant tuberculosis in Colombian clinical isolates.

We compared the prevalence of levofloxacin (LVX) resistance with that of ofloxacin (OFX) and moxifloxacin (MFX) among multidrug resistant (MDR) MTB clinical isolates collected in Medellin, Colombia, between 2004 and 2009 and aimed at unraveling the underlying molecular mechanisms that explain the correlation between QRDR-A mutations and LVX resistance phenotype. We tested 104 MDR isolates for their susceptibility to OFX, MFX, and LVX. Resistance to OFX was encountered in 10 (9.

Effects of glyphosate on egg incubation, larvae hatching, and ovarian rematuration in the estuarine crab Neohelice granulata.

Ovigerous females of the estuarine crab (Neohelice granulate) were exposed to both pure glyphosate (2.5 mg/L and 5 mg/L) and a glyphosate formulation (Roundup Ultramax, containing glyphosate at 2.5 mg/L acid equivalent).

Small ruminant lentivirus-induced arthritis: clinicopathologic findings in sheep infected by a highly replicative SRLV B2 genotype.

We describe the clinicopathologic features of an arthritis outbreak in sheep induced by small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV), linked to the presence of a new SRLV isolate phylogenetically assigned to caprine arthritis encephalitis virus-like subgroup B2. Thirteen SRLV seropositive Rasa Aragonesa adult ewes were selected from 5 SRLV highly infected flocks (mean seroprevalence, 90.7%) for presenting uni- or bilateral chronic arthritis in the carpal joint.