From bench to bedside - is there a role of IL-17 drugs in rheumatoid arthritis?

Introduction: IL-17 has been described as a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is relevant in the seronegative spondylarthritides with IL-17 targeted therapies being licensed for their treatment.There is evidence to demonstrate that IL-17 is found in RA joints and contributes to the pro-inflammatory cascade. This results in synovial hyperplasia and osteoclastogenesis thus causing joint destruction and bony erosions.

Taxonomic status of Pseudophilautus conniffae (Anura: Rhacophoridae) an endemic shrub frog restricted to South-Western wet zone of Sri Lanka.

Pseudophilautus conniffae from Lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka, was described as a new species in 2019. The validity of the new species was questionable and was often challenged as it shares strong morphological resemblance with P. limbus.

Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure.

Soil is host to an incredible amount of microbial life, with each gram containing up to billions of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal cells. Multicellular fungi such as molds and unicellular fungi, broadly defined as yeasts, fulfill essential roles in soil ecosystems as decomposers of organic material and as food sources for other soil dwellers. Fungal species diversity in soil is dependent on a multitude of climatic factors such as rainfall and temperature, as well as soil properties including organic matter, pH, and moisture.

Global patterns in culturable soil yeast diversity.

Yeasts, broadly defined as unicellular fungi, fulfill essential roles in soil ecosystems as decomposers and nutrition sources for fellow soil-dwellers. Broad-scale investigations of soil yeasts pose a methodological challenge as metagenomics are of limited use for identifying this group of fungi. Here we characterize global soil yeast diversity using fungal DNA barcoding on 1473 yeasts cultured from 3826 soil samples obtained from nine countries in six continents.

Hybridization Facilitates Adaptive Evolution in Two Major Fungal Pathogens.

Hybridization is increasingly recognized as an important force impacting adaptation and evolution in many lineages of fungi. During hybridization, divergent genomes and alleles are brought together into the same cell, potentiating adaptation by increasing genomic plasticity. Here, we review hybridization in fungi by focusing on two fungal pathogens of animals.

Patterns of allele distribution in a hybrid population of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex.

Background: The sister yeast species Cryptococcus neoformans (serotype A) and Cryptococcus deneoformans (serotype D) are causative agents of deadly cryptococcosis and fungal meningoencephalitis. These haploid yeasts can hybridise in nature, giving rise to AD hybrids that are predominantly diploid or aneuploid. Despite their increasing prevalence in clinical settings, much remains unknown about the allelic distribution patterns in AD hybrid strains.

Fantastic yeasts and where to find them: the discovery of a predominantly clonal Cryptococcus deneoformans population in Saudi Arabian soils.

Cryptococcus deneoformans is an opportunist yeast pathogen and causative agent of meningoencephalitis in humans. It is known to be mainly distributed in temperate climates. Most of our current understanding of this species has come from clinical isolates, leaving environmental populations largely unexplored.

Diversity and relationships among strains of culturable yeasts in agricultural soils in Cameroon.

Yeasts are unicellular fungi; they are found in a diverse range of natural habitats, including soil, aquatic environments, the surface of plants, and the skin and mucosal surfaces of animal hosts. A variety of yeasts have been found in the soil environment. However, most studies of soil yeasts have come from developed countries, and there is a dearth of research on soil yeasts in Africa.

Hybrids and hybridization in the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes.

The basidiomycetous yeasts of the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes (CNSC and CGSC respectively) are the causative agents of cryptococcosis, a set of life-threatening diseases affecting the central nervous system, lungs, skin, and other body sites of humans and other mammals. Both the CNSC and CGSC can be subdivided into varieties, serotypes, molecular types, and lineages based on structural variations, molecular characteristics and genetic sequences. Hybridization between the haploid lineages within and between the two species complexes is known to occur in natural and clinical settings, giving rise to intraspecific and interspecific diploid/aneuploid hybrid strains.

Widespread amphotericin B-resistant strains of in Hamilton, Canada.

Purpose: Amphotericin B (AMB) is one of the major antifungal drugs used in the management of aspergillosis and is especially recommended for treating triazole-resistant strains of . However, relatively little is known about the AMB susceptibility patterns of in many parts of the world. This study aims to describe the AMB susceptibility patterns in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Genetic Factors and Genotype-Environment Interactions Contribute to Variation in Melanin Production in the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcosis is a common opportunistic fungal infection that often disseminates into the central nervous system, leading to meningitis. Production of melanin pigments during infections is one of the most important virulence factors of its causal agent, the human pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans species complex. However, almost nothing is known about the patterns of variation in melanin production among clinical and environmental strains and the potential effects of such variations on virulence.

Identification of QTLs Associated with Virulence Related Traits and Drug Resistance in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete fungus capable of causing deadly meningoenchephilitis, primarily in immunocompromised individuals. Formerly, C. neoformans was composed of two divergent lineages, but these have recently been elevated to species status, now C.

Morbidity and mortality associated with pre-eclampsia at two tertiary care hospitals in Sri Lanka.

Aim: To report the occurrence of morbidity and mortality associated with carefully phenotyped pre-eclampsia in a sample of nulliparous Sinhalese women with strictly defined disease.

Methods: A phenotyping database of 180 nulliparous women with pre-eclampsia and 180 nulliparous normotensive pregnant women who were recruited for a study into genetics of pre-eclampsia was analyzed.

Results: Women who developed pre-eclampsia had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP; P = 0.

Diabetes in the elderly in a developing country.

In developing countries diabetes in the elderly is thought to be uncommon and is consequently ignored by health planners. We assessed the prevalence of complications of diabetes mellitus and frequency of hospital admissions in patients aged 60 and over in a hospital diabetic clinic in Sri Lanka. Elderly diabetic patients, though comprising only 23% of clinic patients, accounted for 46% of admissions.

Anti-N in patients undergoing regular haemodialysis: a possible association with renal transplant failure.

Six patients on regular haemodialysis in the Auckland renal dialysis unit developed the antibody anti-N. All utilised formaldehyde resterilisation dialyser procedures. Four patients with anti-N underwent renal transplantation unsuccessfully.