Metagenomes of Mediterranean coastal lagoons.

Coastal lagoons, both hypersaline and freshwater, are common, but still understudied ecosystems. We describe, for the first time, using high throughput sequencing, the extant microbiota of two large and representative Mediterranean coastal lagoons, the hypersaline Mar Menor, and the freshwater Albufera de Valencia, both located on the south eastern coast of Spain. We show there are considerable differences in the microbiota of both lagoons, in comparison to other marine and freshwater habitats.

Functional specificity of a protein-DNA complex mediated by two arginines bound to the minor groove.

A bacteriophage Ø29 transcriptional regulator, protein p4, interacts with its DNA target by employing two mechanisms: by direct readout of the chemical signatures of only one DNA base and by inducing local modification on the topology of short A tracts (indirect readout). p4 binds as a dimer to targets consisting of imperfect inverted repeats. Here we used molecular dynamic simulation to define interactions of a cluster of 12 positively charged amino acids of p4 with DNA and biochemical assays with modified DNA targets and mutated proteins to quantify the contribution of residues in the nucleoprotein complex.

Experimental analysis of the mass efficiency curve for gross alpha activity and morphological study of the residue obtained by the co-precipitation method.

Gross alpha activity determination in drinking water is one of the radiological parameters that must be determined in order to decide whether further specific analyses of radionuclides in samples is required. This parameter can be determined by the co-precipitation method using a ZnS(Ag) scintillation detector or a proportional counter. The method consists of collecting all alpha emitters of interest using barium and iron as carriers as they provide more uniform and homogeneous residues than the evaporation method, especially for highly saline waters.

Levetiracetam-induced reversible autistic regression.

Levetiracetam is a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug, and is generally well tolerated, but can eventually cause behavioral disturbances. These disturbances seem more frequent in children and in patients with a previous psychiatric history. We report on reversible autistic regression induced by levetiracetam in a 6-year-old girl with spastic cerebral palsy, mild cognitive deficiency, and focal epilepsy.

The psychosocial impact of child domestic work: a study from India and the Philippines.

The aim of the study was to explore the effects of domestic employment on the well-being of child domestic workers (CDWs) in India and the Philippines. A questionnaire was administered to 700 CDWs and 700 school-attending controls in the two countries. In India, 36% of CDWs started work before age 12, 48% worked because of poverty or to repay loans, 46% worked >10 h per day, and 31% were physically punished by employers.

Childbearing in adolescents aged 12-15 years in low resource countries: a neglected issue. New estimates from demographic and household surveys in 42 countries.

There is strong evidence that the health risks associated with adolescent pregnancy are concentrated among the youngest girls (e.g. those under 16 years).

PGC-1α negatively regulates extrasynaptic NMDAR activity and excitotoxicity.

Underexpression of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α is causally linked to certain neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's Disease (HD). HD pathoprogression is also associated with aberrant NMDAR activity, in particular an imbalance between synaptic versus extrasynaptic (NMDAR(EX)) activity. Here we show that PGC-1α controls NMDAR(EX) activity in neurons and that its suppression contributes to mutant Huntingtin (mHtt)-induced increases in NMDAR(EX) activity and vulnerability to excitotoxic insults.

Cognitive and behavioral profile in females with epilepsy with PDCH19 mutation: two novel mutations and review of the literature.

Mutation in the protocadherin 19 (PCDH19) gene is an increasingly recognized cause of epilepsy in females. This disorder is frequently associated with mental retardation and psychiatric features. We describe two unrelated females with novel PCDH19 missense mutations.

Behavior of natural radionuclides in wastewater treatment plants.

56 samples, including influent, primary effluent, secondary effluent and final effluent wastewater from two Spanish municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), were analyzed to assess both the occurrence and behavior of natural radioactivity during 12 sampling campaigns carried out over the period 2007-2010. Influent and final effluent wastewaters were sampled by taking into account the hydraulic residence time within the WWTP. A wide range of gross alpha activities (15-129 mBq/L) and gross beta activities (477-983 mBq/L) in liquid samples were obtained.

Considerations for assessing maximum critical temperatures in small ectothermic animals: insights from leaf-cutting ants.

The thermal limits of individual animals were originally proposed as a link between animal physiology and thermal ecology. Although this link is valid in theory, the evaluation of physiological tolerances involves some problems that are the focus of this study. One rationale was that heating rates shall influence upper critical limits, so that ecological thermal limits need to consider experimental heating rates.

LDLr genotype modifies the impact of IL28B on HCV viral kinetics after the first weeks of treatment with PEG-IFN/RBV in HIV/HCV patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) and IL28B genotypes on hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral kinetics in the first 4 weeks of treatment with pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) in HIV patients co-infected with HCV genotype 1.

Methods: HIV patients co-infected with HCV genotype 1 and naïve to PEG-IFN/RBV treatment were enrolled in a prospective study. HCV RNA viral loads were measured at baseline and at weeks 1, 2 and 4 after start of therapy.

Differences in virological response to peginterferon-α plus ribavirin in HIV-positive patients coinfected with HCV subtypes 1a or 1b.

Background: Both viral and host factors influence response to peginterferon-α plus ribavirin (pegIFNα/RBV) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The impact of these variables is more pronounced in HIV/Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected individuals, in whom treatment response rates are lower.

Methods: Virological responses at multiple time points were assessed in all HIV/HCV-coinfected patients that completed a first course of pegIFNα/RBV.

Inception of maleness: auxin contribution to flower masculinization in the dioecious cactus Opuntia stenopetala.

In Opuntia stenopetala, flowers initiate as hermaphrodite; however, at maturity, only the stamens in male flowers and the gynoecium in female flowers become functional. At early developmental stages, growth and morphogenesis of the gynoecium in male flowers cease, forming a short style lacking stigmatic tissue at maturity. Here, an analysis of the masculinization process of this species and its relationship with auxin metabolism during gynoecium morphogenesis is presented.

Implementation of a pre-hospital network favoring primary angioplasty in STEMI to reduce mortality: the Algarve Project.

Objective: To analyze the impact of reperfusion by either primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) or fibrinolysis, and mortality rates of a pre-hospital fast-track network for treating patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods And Results: A pre-hospital network for STEMI patients, designated the Green Lane for Acute Myocardial Infarction (GL-AMI), has been implemented in the southern region of Portugal --the Algarve Project. We performed an observational study based on a prospective registry of 1338 patients admitted to Faro Hospital between 2004 and 2009, classified in two groups according to the method of admission: emergency department group (EDG) and GL-AMI group (GLG).

Cardiac function in dogs with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation into the coronary arteries.

This study assessed the effects of a single intracoronary injection of autologous stem cells on the cardiac function of dogs with Chagas cardiomyopathy. Bone-marrow-derived stem cells were delivered into the right and left coronary arteries of 5 mature dogs with mildly compromised cardiac function due to chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy. Blood pressure and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters were recorded at monthly intervals for 6 mo in the 3 dogs that survived.

Liver stiffness predicts clinical outcome in human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.

Unlabelled: Our aim was to assess the predictive value of liver stiffness (LS), measured by transient elastography (TE), for clinical outcome in human immunodeficiency virus / hepatitis C virus (HIV/HCV)-coinfected patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. This was a prospective cohort study of 239 consecutive HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with a new diagnosis of cirrhosis, done by TE, and no previous decompensation of liver disease. The time from diagnosis to the first liver decompensation and death from liver disease, as well as the predictors of these outcomes, were evaluated.

Lack of short-term increase in serum mediators of fibrogenesis and in non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients starting maraviroc-based antiretroviral therapy.

The aim of this study was to analyze serum changes in mediators of fibrogenesis and in non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients starting maraviroc (MVC)-based antiretroviral therapy. Patients included in this prospective pilot study met the following criteria: (1) HIV-infection, (2) detectable serum HCV-RNA, and ((3) started MVC. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-beta1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were measured in serum samples at baseline and 6 months after starting MVC.

Prediction of response to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients using HCV genotype, IL28B variations, and HCV-RNA load.

Background & Aims: This study aimed at developing a predictive algorithm based on interleukin 28B (IL28B) genotype, hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype, and plasma HCV-RNA load, which could accurately allow us to define the probability of response to pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

Methods: Five hundred and twenty-one treatment-naive HIV-infected patients, who initiated HCV therapy with Peg-IFN/RBV, were analysed in an on-treatment basis. Patients were categorized as unlikely responders, uncertain responders, and anticipated responders (<20%, 20-60%, and >60% probability to achieve SVR, respectively).

Molecular phylogeny and morphometric analyses reveal deep divergence between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest species of Dendrophryniscus.

Dendrophryniscus is an early diverging clade of bufonids represented by few small-bodied species distributed in Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest. We used mitochondrial (414 bp of 12S, 575 bp of 16S genes) and nuclear DNA (785 bp of RAG-1) to investigate phylogenetic relationships and the timing of diversification within the genus. These molecular data were gathered from 23 specimens from 19 populations, including eight out of the 10 nominal species of the genus as well as Rhinella boulengeri.

Terminal protein-primed amplification of heterologous DNA with a minimal replication system based on phage Phi29.

The DNA amplification performed by terminal protein-primed replication systems has not yet been developed for its general use to produce high amounts of DNA linked to terminal protein (TP). Here we present a method to amplify in vitro heterologous DNAs using the Φ29 DNA replication machinery and producing DNA with TP covalently attached to the 5' end. The amplification requires four Φ29 proteins, DNA polymerase, TP, single-stranded DNA binding protein and double-stranded DNA binding protein (p6).

Survival and distribution of Escherichia coli on diverse fresh-cut baby leafy greens under preharvest through postharvest conditions.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been associated in multiple outbreaks linked to the consumption of whole produce and fresh-cut leafy vegetables. However, plant-based foods had not been traditionally recognized as a host for enteric pathogens until the elevated incidence of produce-related outbreaks became apparent. The survival dynamics of two cocktails of generic E.

Mucosal immunization with Shigella flexneri outer membrane vesicles induced protection in mice.

Vaccination appears to be the only rational prophylactic approach to control shigellosis. Unfortunately, there is still no safe and efficacious vaccine available. We investigated the protection conferred by a new vaccine containing outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from Shigella flexneri with an adjuvant based on nanoparticles in an experimental model of shigellosis in mice.