A key piece of the puzzle: The central tetramer of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae septin protofilament and its implications for self-assembly.

Septins, often described as the fourth component of the cytoskeleton, are structural proteins found in a vast variety of living beings. They are related to small GTPases and thus, generally, present GTPase activity which may play an important (although incompletely understood) role in their organization and function. Septins polymerize into long non-polar filaments, in which each subunit interacts with two others by alternating interfaces, NC and G.

Baseline characteristics and evolution of Brazilian patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome: first report of the Brazilian aHUS Registry.

Background: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is an ultra-rare disease. Therefore, studies involving large samples are scarce, making registries powerful tools to evaluate cases. We present herein the first analysis of the Brazilian aHUS Registry (BRaHUS).

Bacterial diversity in aortic aneurysms determined by 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis.

Background: Aortic aneurysms are common vascular conditions that cause considerable morbidity and mortality. Understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of the condition remains limited. Recently, infection has been suggested as possible contributor in the development of the disease.

Detection of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans but not bacteria of the red complex in aortic aneurysms by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

Background: Aortic aneurysms affect an increasing number of elderly patients and cause considerable morbidity and mortality. The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms is unclear and little is known about the role of microorganisms in the development of the condition. The aim of the present study was to examine aortic aneurysm samples for the presence of four putative periodontal pathogens: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythensis, and Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Characterization of Streptococcus constellatus strains recovered from a brain abscess and periodontal pockets in an immunocompromised patient.

Background: There have been a number of reports of brain abscesses suggesting an odontogenic etiology. However, no efforts have been made to compare brain abscess isolates with isolates from the oral cavity using highly discriminative methods. We report a brain abscess caused by Streptococcus constellatus in an immunocompromised patient where oral infection (periodontitis) was suspected to be implicated.

Multiple bacteria in aortic aneurysms.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to reexamine the possibility that bacteria, particularly anaerobes, are present in aortic aneurysms.

Methods: From December 2000 to November 2001, 53 samples from aneurysm walls were collected from 49 patients during reconstructive surgery. The tissue specimens were sectioned and cultured under anaerobic conditions.