The TRANSPLANTA collection of Arabidopsis lines: a resource for functional analysis of transcription factors based on their conditional overexpression.

Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of gene expression in all organisms. In eukaryotes, TFs are often represented by functionally redundant members of large gene families. Overexpression might prove a means to unveil the biological functions of redundant TFs; however, constitutive overexpression of TFs frequently causes severe developmental defects, preventing their functional characterization.

Daptomycin is effective as antibiotic-lock therapy in a model of Staphylococcus aureus catheter-related infection.

Background: The effectiveness of daptomycin versus vancomycin for treating experimental methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) catheter-related infection by antibiotic-lock technique was assessed.

Methods: One MSSA strain and one clinical MRSA isolate were used. A preliminary in vitro study determined the minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) of vancomycin and daptomycin.

Auxin and the ubiquitin pathway. Two players-one target: the cell cycle in action.

Plants are sessile organisms that have to adapt their growth to the surrounding environment. Concomitant with this adaptation capability, they have adopted a post-embryonic development characterized by continuous growth and differentiation abilities. Constant growth is based on the potential of stem cells to divide almost incessantly and on a precise balance between cell division and cell differentiation.

Renal autotransplant for subsequent endovascular exclusion of the thoracoabdominal aorta.

In the last 20 years, endovascular procedures have radically altered the treatment of diseases of the aorta. The objective of endovascular treatment of dissections is to close the entry point to redirect blood flow toward the true lumen, thereby achieving thrombosis of the false lumen. In extensive chronic dissections that have evolved with the formation of a large aneurysm, the dissection is maintained from the end of the endoprosthesis due to multiple orifices, or reentries, that communicate with the lumens.

Asymptomatic Schistosoma haematobium infection in a traveler with negative urine microscopy and late seroconversion presumably linked to artemisinin.

We describe a Schistosoma haematobium infection with asymptomatic eosinophilia, persistently negative urine microscopy, and late seroconversion (7.5 months) in a traveler returning from Mali. After initial negative parasitological tests, travel history led to diagnostic cystoscopy, allowing final diagnosis with urine microscopy after the bladder biopsy.

The decisive role of ligand metathesis in Au/Pd bimetallic catalysis.

AuClL(1)/PdCl2L(2)2 cocatalyzed coupling of Ar(1)X and Ar(2)SnBu3 is feasible for bulky Ar(1), provided that at least one ligand on Pd is not strongly coordinating. This can be achieved in situ by Au/Pd ligand exchange if L(1) is weakly coordinating. When the exchange is slow, independent preparation of appropriate catalysts is recommended.

An immunohistochemical study of the expression of the hypoxia markers Glut-1 and Ca-IX in canine sarcomas.

Tumor hypoxia has been associated with increased malignancy, likelihood of metastasis, and increased resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy in human medicine. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a key transcription factor that is induced by tumor hypoxia and regulates the pathways involved in cellular response and adaptation to the hostile tumor microenvironment. HIF-1 induces transcription of different proteins, including Ca-IX and Glut-1, which are considered endogenous markers of chronic hypoxia in solid tumors in humans.

An immunohistochemical study of verrucous hemangiomas.

Background: According to the International Society for the study of vascular Anomalies, vascular anomalies are classified as vascular neoplasms and vascular malformations. In some vascular lesions, categorization as a neoplasm or malformation has not been established with confidence so far. In order to further clarify the nosology of verrucous hemangioma, we studied 13 cases.

Identification of Sarcocystis capracanis in cerebrospinal fluid from sheep with neurological disease.

Protozoal merozoites were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of two sheep with neurological disease in the UK. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified the merozoites as Sarcocystis capracanis, a common protozoal pathogen of goats. This is the first report of this species infecting sheep and may represent an aberrant infection with sheep acting as dead end hosts, or alternatively could indicate that sheep are able to act as intermediate hosts for S.

An unusual presentation of Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis infection in a captive tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus).

This report describes an unusual presentation of paratuberculosis in a captive, 4-year-old female tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The gross and histological presentation was consistent with clinical paratuberculosis as previously reported for other ruminants, with poor body condition, subcutaneous oedema, granulomatous ileitis (multibacillary), mesenteric lymphadenitis and hepatitis. However, this animal also presented with unusual lung lesions, with necrosis and mineralization similar to that reported for Mycobacterium bovis in other wild and domestic ruminants.

Listeria monocytogenes septic arthritis in a patient treated with mycophenolate mofetil for polyarteritis nodosa: a case report and review of the literature.

Listeriosis can be a cause of arthritis. Here, we present a case of Listeria monocytogenes septic arthritis of the right hip in a 66-year-old male treated with mycophenolate mofetil for polyarteritis nodosa. So far, septic arthritis due to this microorganism has not been reported in patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil.

Identification of SUMO targets by a novel proteomic approach in plants(F).

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) chemically and physically alter the properties of proteins, including their folding, subcellular localization, stability, activity, and consequently their function. In spite of their relevance, studies on PTMs in plants are still limited. Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) modification regulates several biological processes by affecting protein-protein interactions, or changing the subcellular localizations of the target proteins.

Antifungal activity against Candida biofilms.

Candida species have two distinct lifestyles: planktonic, and surface-attached communities called biofilms. Mature C. albicans biofilms show a complex three-dimensional architecture with extensive spatial heterogeneity, and consist of a dense network of yeast, hyphae, and pseudohyphae encased within a matrix of exopolymeric material.

Four cases of nocardial brain abscess.

Background: Nocardial brain abscesses are a rare central nervous system infection with high morbidity and mortality. Infection is acquired through inhalation or direct innoculation and then spreads hematogenously. They are usually associated with immunocompromised patients but may appear in otherwise healthy individuals.

Cardiac hemangioma in a corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus).

A 3-yr-old female corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus guttatus, was presented for clinical examination of anorexia and a coelomic mass. Radiographs and ultrasound demonstrated a fluid-filled mass in the cardiac region. Surgical exploration revealed an approximately 1.

Iliac bone Candida albicans osteomyelitis in a patient with iliac crest bone autograft: a case report and review of the literature.

Candida osteomyelitis is a well recognized but infrequent entity. We describe an interesting case of iliac bone C. albicans osteomyelitis as a result of a surgical trauma of an iliac bone for the auto-grafting of a fracture in the lumbar spine.