Genetic sex determination in three closely related hydrothermal vent gastropods, including one species with intersex individuals.

Molluscs have undergone many transitions between separate sexes and hermaphroditism, which is of interest in studying the evolution of sex determination and differentiation. Here, we combined multi-locus genotypes obtained from restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) sequencing with anatomical observations of the gonads of three deep-sea hydrothermal vent gastropods of the genus Alviniconcha living in the southwest Pacific. We found that all three species (Alviniconcha boucheti, Alviniconcha strummeri, and Alviniconcha kojimai) share the same male-heterogametic XY sex-determination system but that the gonads of XX A.

Hepatitis B prevalence and associated factors in adults presenting for infection screening in northern Thailand.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis B is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In view of the World Health Organization 2030 targets, effective screening of chronic infection is crucial. We have assessed the prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B surface antigen in adults presenting for screening.

Development of a New Index to Assess Small Bowel Inflammation Severity in Crohn's Disease Using Magnetic Resonance Enterography.

Background: The severity of small bowel (SB) inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD) patients is a key component of the therapeutic choice. We aimed to develop a SB-CD Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) index of Inflammation Severity (CDMRIS).

Methods: Each gastroenterologist/radiologist pair in 13 centers selected MREs from 6 patients with SB-CD stratified on their perceived MRE inflammation severity.

Aldosterone-Secreting Large Oncocytic Neoplasm of the Adrenal Gland with Borderline Potential.

Adrenal oncocytomas are rare tumors that are mostly benign and non-functional although they may be hormonally active and can exhibit a borderline or malignant potential. We present a case of a 40-year-old female patient with known hypertension who presented with abdominal discomfort. Radiologic investigations showed a large mass on the left adrenal gland.

Inter-Specific Genetic Exchange Despite Strong Divergence in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Gastropods of the Genus .

Deep hydrothermal vents are highly fragmented and unstable habitats at all temporal and spatial scales. Such environmental dynamics likely play a non-negligible role in speciation. Little is, however, known about the evolutionary processes that drive population-level differentiation and vent species isolation and, more specifically, how geography and habitat specialisation interplay in the species history of divergence.

Balanced Polymorphism at the Locus of the Pompeii Worm and Its Variant Adaptability Is Only Governed by Two QE Mutations at Linked Sites.

The polychaete lives exclusively on the walls of deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys along the East Pacific Rise (EPR), and displays specific adaptations to withstand the high temperatures and hypoxia associated with this highly variable habitat. Previous studies have revealed the existence of a balanced polymorphism on the enzyme phosphoglucomutase associated with thermal variations, where allozymes 90 and 100 exhibit different optimal activities and thermostabilities. Exploration of the mutational landscape of phosphoglucomutase 1 revealed the maintenance of four highly divergent allelic lineages encoding the three most frequent electromorphs over the geographic range of .

From Protein Corona to Colloidal Self-Assembly: The Importance of Protein Size in Protein-Nanoparticle Interactions.

Protein adsorption on nanoparticles is an important field of study, particularly with regard to nanomedicine and nanotoxicology. Many factors can influence the composition and structure of the layer(s) of adsorbed proteins, the so-called protein corona. However, the role of protein size has not been specifically investigated, although some evidence has indicated its potential important role in corona composition and structure.

Recommended First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus in HIV-Infected Adults in Resource-Limited Settings.

Objective: The use of some antiretroviral drugs has been associated with a higher risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) in HIV-infected patients, but the risk associated with antiretroviral drug combinations remains unclear. We investigated the association between first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, and the risk of DM in adults.

Method: We selected all HIV-infected adults within the Thai National AIDS Program who started a first-line ART regimen consisting the following between October 2006 and September 2013: zidovudine+lamivudine+nevirapine; tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)+lamivudine+nevirapine; zidovudine+lamivudine+efavirenz; TDF+lamivudine/emtricitabine+efavirenz; zidovudine+lamivudine+ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (LPV/r); or TDF+lamivudine+LPV/r.

Global host molecular perturbations upon in situ loss of bacterial endosymbionts in the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus assessed using proteomics and transcriptomics.

Background: Colonization of deep-sea hydrothermal vents by most invertebrates was made efficient through their adaptation to a symbiotic lifestyle with chemosynthetic bacteria, the primary producers in these ecosystems. Anatomical adaptations such as the establishment of specialized cells or organs have been evidenced in numerous deep-sea invertebrates. However, very few studies detailed global inter-dependencies between host and symbionts in these ecosystems.

Incidence and clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus in HIV-infected adults in Thailand: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Since 2005, Thailand has scaled up one of the largest antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs in South East Asia. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) incidence is increasing in low and middle-income countries, its burden and contributing factors in the HIV infected population are not well known.

Methods: Using the Thai National AIDS Program data over a period of 8-years, we identified patients diagnosed with DM based on the following records: 1) fasting plasma glucose equal to or greater than 126 mg/dl following the 2013 American Diabetes Association criteria or 2) diagnosis codes E11-E14 of the 2010 WHO International Classification of Diseases, or 3) anti-diabetic drugs.

A predictive model for risk of early grade ≥ 3 infection in patients with multiple myeloma not eligible for transplant: analysis of the FIRST trial.

Infections are a major cause of death in patients with multiple myeloma. A post hoc analysis of the phase 3 FIRST trial was conducted to characterize treatment-emergent (TE) infections and study risk factors for TE grade ≥ 3 infection. The number of TE infections/month was highest during the first 4 months of treatment (defined as early infection).

Identification and gene expression of multiple peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) in the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus, involvement in symbiosis?

The relationship between the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus and its thiotrophic (SOX) and methanotrophic (MOX) symbionts has been ecologically and functionally well studied. Endosymbiosis is common in deep-sea hydrothermal vent fauna, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of interactions between host and symbionts. In this study we focused on a group of pattern recognition receptors (PRR), called PGRPs that are able to recognize the peptidoglycan of bacterial cell wall.

Proteome Evolution of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Alvinellid Polychaetes Supports the Ancestry of Thermophily and Subsequent Adaptation to Cold in Some Lineages.

Temperature, perhaps more than any other environmental factor, is likely to influence the evolution of all organisms. It is also a very interesting factor to understand how genomes are shaped by selection over evolutionary timescales, as it potentially affects the whole genome. Among thermophilic prokaryotes, temperature affects both codon usage and protein composition to increase the stability of the transcriptional/translational machinery, and the resulting proteins need to be functional at high temperatures.

Multiple I-Type Lysozymes in the Hydrothermal Vent Mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus and Their Role in Symbiotic Plasticity.

The aim of this study was first to identify lysozymes paralogs in the deep sea mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus then to measure their relative expression or activity in different tissue or conditions. B. azoricus is a bivalve that lives close to hydrothermal chimney in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR).

Selective forces acting during multi-domain protein evolution: the case of multi-domain globins.

Multi-domain proteins form the majority of proteins in eukaryotes. During their formation by tandem duplication or gene fusion, new interactions between domains may arise as a result of the structurally-forced proximity of domains. The proper function of the formed proteins likely required the molecular adjustment of these stress zones by specific amino acid replacements, which should be detectable by the molecular signature of selection that governed their changes.

Clinical severity scores in gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease.

Background: The clinical prognosis of gastrointestinal (GI) graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is based on either a clinical staging system or histological or endoscopic findings. How these different scores correlate with each other and which have the greater impact on transplantation outcomes is, however, not clear.

Methods: Clinical, pathological, and endoscopic findings of the upper GI tract on 201 patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were reviewed.

Detection and characterisation of mutations responsible for allele-specific protein thermostabilities at the Mn-superoxide dismutase gene in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent polychaete Alvinella pompejana.

Alvinella pompejana (Polychaeta, Alvinellidae) is one of the most thermotolerant marine eukaryotes known to date. It inhabits chimney walls of deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and is exposed to various challenging conditions (e.g.

Catalase, a target of glycation damage in rat liver mitochondria with aging.

Aging is characterized by progressive decline of major cell functions, associated with accumulation of altered macromolecules, particularly proteins. This deterioration parallels age-related dysfunction of mitochondria, thought to be a major determinant of this decline in cell function, since these organelles are both the main sources of reactive oxygen species and targets for their damaging effects. To investigate the link between glycation damages that accumulate with aging and the status of mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes, we identified, by mass spectrometry after two dimensional-gel electrophoresis and western blotting, advanced glycation end product-modified matrix proteins in rat liver mitochondria.

Proteome adaptation to high temperatures in the ectothermic hydrothermal vent Pompeii worm.

Taking advantage of the massive genome sequencing effort made on thermophilic prokaryotes, thermal adaptation has been extensively studied by analysing amino acid replacements and codon usage in these unicellular organisms. In most cases, adaptation to thermophily is associated with greater residue hydrophobicity and more charged residues. Both of these characteristics are positively correlated with the optimal growth temperature of prokaryotes.

Insights into metazoan evolution from Alvinella pompejana cDNAs.

Background: Alvinella pompejana is a representative of Annelids, a key phylum for evo-devo studies that is still poorly studied at the sequence level. A. pompejana inhabits deep-sea hydrothermal vents and is currently known as one of the most thermotolerant Eukaryotes in marine environments, withstanding the largest known chemical and thermal ranges (from 5 to 105°C).