A new hernia blocking system to prevent recurrent lumbar disc herniation: surgical technique, intraoperative findings and six-months post-operative outcomes.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and safety of a new hernia blocking system (HBS), implanted after a limited discectomy, to prevent recurrence of lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: Prospective, multicenter (6 sites), cohort clinical investigation. Thirty patients with a postero-lateral disc herniation between L4-S1 and large annular defects (> 6 mm wide), who underwent a limited discectomy and were treated with a new HBS (DISC care, NEOS Surgery S.

Persistent legacy effects on soil microbiota facilitate plant adaptive responses to drought.

Both chronic and acute drought alter the composition and physiology of the soil microbiota, favoring the selection of microbes with functional traits that preserve fitness in these challenging conditions . This drought-adapted microbiota may influence water-use efficiency mechanisms in host plants. Currently, it is largely unknown how this soil microbial drought legacy manifests at the molecular and physiological levels and how it influences microbe-dependent plant responses to drought in diverse natural soils.

Pulmonary Calcifying Fibrous Tumor in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report.

A calcifying fibrous tumor (CFT), also known as calcifying fibrous pseudotumor, is an uncommon non-cancerous neoplasm usually located in the gastrointestinal tract. Its location in the lung is extremely rare, and only a few case reports have been published. This case report describes our diagnostic approach in a 9-year-old male patient with an incidental pulmonary mass.

Salmonella Typhimurium induces genome-wide expression and phosphorylation changes that modulate immune response, intracellular survival and vesicle transport in infected neutrophils.

Salmonella Typhimurium is a food-borne pathogen that causes salmonellosis. When in contact with the host, neutrophils are rapidly recruited to act as first line of defense. To better understand the pathogenesis of this infection, we used an in vitro model of neutrophil infection to perform dual RNA-sequencing (both host and pathogen).

Pharmacophore-Based Discovery of Viral RNA Conformational Modulators.

New RNA-binding small-molecule scaffolds are needed to unleash the pharmacological potential of RNA targets. Here we have applied a pharmacophore-based virtual screening approach, seldom used in the RNA recognition field, to identify novel conformational inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site. The conformational effect of the screening hits was assessed with a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, and the affinity, specificity, and binding site of the ligands were determined using a combination of fluorescence intensity and NMR spectroscopy experiments.

Diversity of Useful Plants in Cabo Verde Islands: A Biogeographic and Conservation Perspective.

Cabo Verde's biodiversity is threatened by activities that meet human needs. To counteract this, an integration of scientific and indigenous knowledge is required, but no comprehensive list of the useful local plants is available. Thus, in this work, we assess (1) their diversity and phytogeography; (2) the role of geophysical, historical, and socio-economic factors on species distribution and uses; and (3) potentially relevant species for sustainable development.

Nucleic acid recognition and antiviral activity of 1,4-substituted terphenyl compounds mimicking all faces of the HIV-1 Rev protein positively-charged α-helix.

Small synthetic molecules mimicking the three-dimensional structure of α-helices may find applications as inhibitors of therapeutically relevant protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. However, the design and use of multi-facial helix mimetics remains in its infancy. Here we describe the synthesis and application of novel bilaterally substituted p-terphenyl compounds containing positively-charged aminoalkyl groups in relative 1,4 positions across the aromatic scaffold.

Histologic Features Associated With an Invasive Component in Lentigo Maligna Lesions.

Importance: Lentigo maligna (LM) presents an invasive component in up to 20% of biopsied cases, but to date the histologic features useful in detecting this invasive component have not been described. Some histologic characteristics are hypothesized to contribute to the progression of LM invasion.

Objective: To identify the histologic characteristics associated with lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) in patients with LM diagnosed by a partial diagnostic biopsy.

Comparative proteomic analysis reveals different responses in porcine lymph nodes to virulent and attenuated homologous African swine fever virus strains.

African swine fever (ASF) is a pathology of pigs against which there is no treatment or vaccine. Understanding the equilibrium between innate and adaptive protective responses and immune pathology might contribute to the development of strategies against ASFV. Here we compare, using a proteomic approach, the course of the in vivo infection caused by two homologous strains: the virulent E75 and the attenuated E75CV1.

A small-molecule inhibitor of HIV-1 Rev function detected by a diversity screen based on RRE-Rev interference.

The Rev protein of HIV-1 binds to the Rev Recognition Element (RRE) in the virus RNA to promote nuclear export of unspliced and partially spliced transcripts, an essential step in the virus transmission cycle. Here, we describe the screening of a library of chemically diverse compounds with an assay based on monitoring the interaction between the RNA-binding α-helix of Rev and its high-affinity binding site in the RRE. This screen allowed the identification of a benzofluorenone compound that inhibited the formation of the full-length RRE-Rev ribonucleoprotein by associating to the RRE, and blocked HIV-1 transcription and Rev action in cells.

Comparative Proteomics Reveals Differences in Host-Pathogen Interaction between Infectious and Commensal Relationship with .

is the leading food-borne poisoning in industrialized countries. While the bacteria causes disease in humans, it merely colonizes the gut in poultry or pigs, where seems to establish a commensal relationship. Until now, few studies have been conducted to elucidate the relationship between and its different hosts.

Development of adsorptive hybrid filters to enable two-step purification of biologics.

Recent progress in mammalian cell culture process has resulted in significantly increased product titers, but also a substantial increase in process- and product-related impurities. Due to the diverse physicochemical properties of these impurities, there is constant need for new technologies that offer higher productivity and improved economics without sacrificing the process robustness required to meet final drug substance specifications. Here, we examined the use of new synthetic adsorptive hybrid filters (AHF) modified with the high binding capacity of quaternary amine (Emphaze™ AEX) and salt-tolerant biomimetic (Emphaze™ ST-AEX) ligands for clearance of process-related impurities like host cell protein (HCP), residual DNA, and virus.

Reliability of the BI-RADS Final Assessment Categories and Management Recommendations in a Telemammography Context.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intradevice and interdevice reliability of four alternatives for telemammography-computed radiography, printed film, a film digitizer, and a digital camera-in terms of interpretation agreement when using the BI-RADS lexicon.

Methods: The ethics committee of the authors' institution approved this retrospective study. A factorial design with repeated measures with 1,960 interpretations was used (70 patients, seven radiologists, and four devices).

Noninferiority and Equivalence Evaluation of Clinical Performance among Computed Radiography, Film, and Digitized Film for Telemammography Services.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the clinical performance of different alternatives to implement low-cost screening telemammography. We compared computed radiography, film printed images, and digitized films produced with a specialized film digitizer and a digital camera. The ethics committee of our institution approved this study.

Live attenuated African swine fever viruses as ideal tools to dissect the mechanisms involved in viral pathogenesis and immune protection.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causal agent of African swine fever, a hemorrhagic and often lethal porcine disease causing enormous economical losses in affected countries. Endemic for decades in most of the sub-Saharan countries and Sardinia, the risk of ASFV-endemicity in Europe has increased since its last introduction into Europe in 2007. Live attenuated viruses have been demonstrated to induce very efficient protective immune responses, albeit most of the time protection was circumscribed to homologous ASFV challenges.

Quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic analysis provide new insight into the dynamic response of porcine intestine to Salmonella Typhimurium.

The enteropathogen Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is the most commonly non-typhoideal serotype isolated in pig worldwide. Currently, one of the main sources of human infection is by consumption of pork meat.

Pentoxifylline immunomodulation in the treatment of experimental chronic pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis.

Background: Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a methylxanthine compound with immunomodulatory and antifibrotic properties. The simultaneous use of PTX and antifungal therapy (itraconazole) has previously been evaluated in an experimental model of pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a systemic fungal disease caused by the fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb) and characterized by chronic inflammation and lung fibrosis that appears even after a successful course of antifungal therapy. The results revealed prompt and statistically significant reductions in inflammation and fibrosis when compared to itraconazole alone.

Evaluation of low-cost telemammography screening configurations: a comparison with film-screen readings in vulnerable areas.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy for detecting breast cancer using different telemammography configurations, including combinations of both low-cost capture devices and consumer-grade color displays. At the same time, we compared each of these configurations to film-screen readings. This study used a treatment-by-reader-by-case factorial design.

Proteomic approaches to study the pig intestinal system.

One of the major challenges in pig production is managing digestive health to maximize feed conversion and growth rates, but also to minimize treatment costs and to warrant public health. There is a great interest in the development of useful tools for intestinal health monitoring and the investigation of possible prophylactic/ therapeutic intervention pathways. A great variety of in vivo and in vitro intestinal models of study have been developed in the recent years.

Proteomic analysis of porcine mesenteric lymph-nodes after Salmonella typhimurium infection.

In this study we employed for the first time an in vivo approach coupled to DIGE-based proteomics to explore the response of porcine mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) to Salmonella typhimurium infection. MLN samples were collected from four control and twelve infected pigs (at 1, 2 and 6 days post infection) for histological analysis, protein and RNA purification. Afterwards, expressed proteins were screened by differential in gel analysis and data were analyzed by bioinformatic tools to generate interaction networks, and identify enriched signaling pathways and biological annotations.

An in vivo proteomic study of the interaction between Salmonella Typhimurium and porcine ileum mucosa.

The enteropathogen Salmonella Typhimurium is one of the main causes of porcine and human enterocolitis. We have used a 2-DE, MALDI-TOF/TOF-based approach to characterize in vivo proteome changes in porcine ileum mucosa after pathogen interaction. Ileum samples from non-infected and orally infected animals were collected at 2 days post infection and S.

Quantitative proteomics by 2-DE, 16O/18O labelling and linear ion trap mass spectrometry analysis of lymph nodes from piglets inoculated by porcine circovirus type 2.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been identified as the essential causal agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. However, little is known regarding the mechanism(s) underlying the pathogenesis of PCV2-induced disease and the interaction of the virus with the host immune system. Here, we present a proteomics study on inguinal lymph nodes of piglets inoculated with PCV2, in order to better understand the pathogenesis of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and the pathways might be affected after infection.

Monoclonal antibody that recognizes a domain on heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and PTB-associated splicing factor.

hnRNP K protein is a member of the heterogeneous nuclear protein (hnRNP) complex that, besides its function as a translational regulator of human mRNA, is also considered to be a transcription factor involved in tumorigenesis. PSF is a protein part of the human spliceosome and essential in RNA splicing. Here we report the generation of one monoclonal antibody GG6H9.