Heat shock proteins as vaccine adjuvants in infections and cancer.

In addition to maintaining cell homeostasis under physiological and stress conditions, some heat shock proteins (HSPs) are potent inducers of immunity and have been harnessed as vaccine adjuvants targeted to cancers and infections. HSPs are a group of ubiquitous intracellular molecules that function as molecular chaperones in numerous processes, such as protein folding and transport, and are induced under stress conditions, such as fever and radiation. Certain HSPs are potent inducers of innate and antigen-specific immunity.

Effect of amphotericin B and micafungin combination on survival, histopathology, and fungal burden in experimental aspergillosis in the p47phox-/- mouse model of chronic granulomatous disease.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited disorder of the NADPH oxidase characterized by recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. We characterized the effects of single and combination antifungal therapy on survival, histopathology, and laboratory markers of fungal burden in experimental aspergillosis in the p47phox-/- knockout mouse model of CGD. CGD mice were highly susceptible to intratracheal Aspergillus fumigatus challenge, whereas wild-type mice were resistant.

Development and psychometric testing of The Care in Obstetrics: Measure for Testing Satisfaction (COMFORTS) scale.

This paper describes the development and psychometric assessment of a scale to measure satisfaction with intrapartum and postpartum care in hospital: The Care in Obstetrics: A Measure For Testing Satisfaction (COMFORTS) scale. A sample of 415 participants completed the 40-item scale. Cronbach's alpha for the scale was .

KOPS: DNA motifs that control E. coli chromosome segregation by orienting the FtsK translocase.

Bacterial chromosomes are organized in replichores of opposite sequence polarity. This conserved feature suggests a role in chromosome dynamics. Indeed, sequence polarity controls resolution of chromosome dimers in Escherichia coli.

Chimp genome: branching out.

The chimp was a great start. But the genomes of our other primate relatives will help to reveal a whole lot more, says Carina Dennis.

Relationships among infant sleep patterns, maternal fatigue, and development of depressive symptomatology.

Background: Postpartum depression is a serious condition for women after childbirth. Although its etiology is unclear, one potentially important predictive variable that has received little attention is maternal sleep deprivation. The objective of this study was to examine relationships among infant sleep patterns, maternal fatigue, and the development of postpartum depression in women with no major depressive symptomatology at 1 week postpartum.