Role of protein domains in trafficking and localization of the voltage-gated sodium channel β2 subunit.

The voltage-gated sodium (Na) channel is critical for cardiomyocyte function since it is responsible for action potential initiation and its propagation throughout the cell. It consists of a protein complex made of a pore forming α subunit and associated β subunits, which regulate α subunit function and subcellular localization. We previously showed the implication of N-linked glycosylation and S-acylation of β2 in its polarized trafficking.

In-plane reorientation induced single laser pulse magnetization reversal.

Single Pulse All Optical Switching represents the ability to reverse the magnetization of a nanostructure using a femtosecond single laser pulse without any applied field. Since the first switching experiments carried out on GdFeCo ferrimagnets, this phenomena has been only recently extended to a few other materials, MnRuGa alloys and Tb/Co multilayers with a very specific range of thickness and composition. Here, we demonstrate that single pulse switching can be obtained for a large range of rare earth-transition metal multilayers, making this phenomenon much more general.

Accelerating ultrafast magnetization reversal by non-local spin transfer.

When exciting a magnetic material with a femtosecond laser pulse, the amplitude of magnetization is no longer constant and can decrease within a time scale comparable to the duration of the optical excitation. This ultrafast demagnetization can even trigger an ultrafast, out of equilibrium, phase transition to a paramagnetic state. The reciprocal effect, namely an ultrafast remagnetization from the zero magnetization state, is a necessary ingredient to achieve a complete ultrafast reversal.

Optical Creation of Skyrmions by Spin Reorientation Transition in Ferrimagnetic CoHo Alloys.

Manipulating magnetic skyrmions by means of a femtosecond (fs) laser pulse has attracted great interest due to their promising applications in efficient information-storage devices with ultralow energy consumption. However, the mechanism underlying the creation of skyrmions induced by an fs laser is still lacking. As a result, a key challenge is to reveal the pathway for the massive reorientation of magnetization from trivial to nontrivial topological states.

Energy Efficient Single Pulse Switching of [Co/Gd/Pt] Nanodisks Using Surface Lattice Resonances.

The impact of plasmonic surface lattice resonances on the magneto-optical properties and energy absorption efficiency has been studied in arrays of [Co/Gd/Pt] multilayer nanodisks. Varying the light wavelength, the disk diameter, and the period of the array, it is demonstrated that surface lattice resonances allow all-optical single pulse switching of [Co/Gd/Pt] nanodisk arrays with an energy 400% smaller than the energy needed to switch a continuous [Co/Gd/Pt] film. Moreover, the magneto-optical Faraday effect is enhanced at the resonance condition by up to 5,000%.

Demonstration and Assessment of Purification Cascades for the Separation and Valorization of Hemicellulose from Organosolv Beechwood Hydrolyzates.

Hemicellulose and its derivatives have a high potential to replace fossil-based materials in various high-value-added products. Within this study, two purification cascades for the separation and valorization of hemicellulose and its derived monomeric sugars from organosolv beechwood hydrolyzates (BWHs) were experimentally demonstrated and assessed. Purification cascade 1 included hydrothermal treatment for converting remaining hemicellulose oligomers to xylose and the purification of the xylose by nanofiltration.

The voltage-gated sodium channel β2 subunit associates with lipid rafts by S-palmitoylation.

The voltage-gated sodium channel is critical for cardiomyocyte function. It consists of a protein complex comprising a pore-forming α subunit and associated β subunits. In polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, we show evidence by acyl-biotin exchange that β2 is S-acylated at Cys-182.

Correction to: Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges.

The field of microbiome research has evolved rapidly over the past few decades and has become a topic of great scientific and public interest. As a result of this rapid growth in interest covering different fields, we are lacking a clear commonly agreed definition of the term "microbiome." Moreover, a consensus on best practices in microbiome research is missing.

Trafficking and Function of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel β2 Subunit.

The voltage-gated sodium channel is vital for cardiomyocyte function, and consists of a protein complex containing a pore-forming α subunit and two associated β subunits. A fundamental, yet unsolved, question is to define the precise function of β subunits. While their location in vivo remains unclear, large evidence shows that they regulate localization of α and the biophysical properties of the channel.

-Glycosylation of the voltage-gated sodium channel β2 subunit is required for efficient trafficking of Na1.5/β2 to the plasma membrane.

The voltage-gated sodium channel is critical for cardiomyocyte function and consists of a protein complex comprising a pore-forming α subunit and two associated β subunits. It has been shown previously that the associated β2 subunits promote cell surface expression of the α subunit. The major α isoform in the adult human heart is Na1.

Trafficking and localisation to the plasma membrane of Na 1.5 promoted by the β2 subunit is defective due to a β2 mutation associated with Brugada syndrome.

Background Information: Cardiac channelopathies arise by mutations in genes encoding ion channel subunits. One example is Brugada Syndrome (BrS), which causes arrhythmias and sudden death. BrS is often associated with mutations in SCN5A, encoding Na 1.

Feasibility and Safety of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Performed Without Intensive Care Unit Admission.

Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is a standard of care after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI); however, the improvement of the procedure and the need to minimize the unnecessary use of medical resources call into question this strategy. We evaluated prospectively 177 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI. Low-risk patients, admitted to conventional cardiology units, had stable clinical state, transfemoral access, no right bundle branch block, permanent pacing with a self-expandable valve, and no complication occurring during the procedure.

Retromer in Polarized Protein Transport.

Retromer is an evolutionary conserved protein complex required for endosome-to-Golgi retrieval of receptors for lysosomal hydrolases. It is constituted by a heterotrimer encoded by the vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) gene products Vps26, Vps35, and Vps29, which selects cargo, and a dimer of phosphoinositide-binding sorting nexins, which deforms the membrane. Recent progress in the mechanism of retromer assembly and functioning has strengthened the link between sorting at the endosome and cytoskeleton dynamics.

[Home care for acute pulmonary embolism: Feasibility and general practitioner acceptability].

Background: In France, initial management of pulmonary embolism (PE) is performed in the hospital setting. The latest international guidelines suggest that PE at low risk of mortality can be treated in the ambulatory care setting. This means that ambulatory care pathways and general practitioner (GP) opinions concerning such a change in practice need to be determined.

Subcellular localisation of retromer in post-endocytic pathways of polarised Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

Background Information: Retromer is required for endosome-to-Golgi retrieval of the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR), allowing delivery of hydrolases into lysosomes. It is constituted by a conserved heterotrimer formed by vacuolar protein sorting (Vps) gene products Vps26, Vps35 and Vps29, which is in charge of cargo selection, and a dimer of phosphoinositide-binding sorting nexins (SNXs), which has a structural role. Retromer has been implicated in sorting of additional cargo.

Large scale production of biocompatible magnetite nanocrystals with high saturation magnetization values through green aqueous synthesis.

In this work, a straightforward aqueous synthesis for mass production (up to 20 g) of uniform and crystalline magnetite nanoparticles with core sizes between 20 and 30 nm, which are the optimum nanoparticle core sizes for hyperthermia applications, is proposed. Magnetic and heating properties have been analyzed showing very high saturation magnetization and magnetic heating values. To stabilize the naked magnetite nanocrystals at physiological pH and increase their circulation time in blood, they have been covalently coated with carboxymethyl dextran, a biocompatible polymer.

A missense mutation in the sodium channel β2 subunit reveals SCN2B as a new candidate gene for Brugada syndrome.

Brugada Syndrome (BrS) is a familial disease associated with sudden cardiac death. A 20%-25% of BrS patients carry genetic defects that cause loss-of-function of the voltage-gated cardiac sodium channel. Thus, 70%-75% of patients remain without a genetic diagnosis.

Retromer regulates postendocytic sorting of β-secretase in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

β-Amyloid (Aβ) peptides are generated from the successive proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by the β-APP cleaving enzyme (BACE or β-secretase) and the γ-secretase complex. Initial cleavage of APP by BACE leads into the amyloidogenic pathway, causing or exacerbating Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, their intracellular traffic can determine how easily and frequently BACE has access to and cleaves APP.

Identification of a Western blot pattern for the specific diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in human sera.

A Western blot (WB) method using a lysate from Trypanosoma cruzi (Maracay strain) epimastigotes was evaluated. Serum samples from 37 patients with confirmed Chagas disease (cohort I), 27 Spanish patients with visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum (cohort II), and 28 Colombian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. panamensis and negative serology for Chagas disease (cohort III) were tested.

Parametric evolution of unstable dimension variability in coupled piecewise-linear chaotic maps.

In the presence of unstable dimension variability numerical solutions of chaotic systems are valid only for short periods of observation. For this reason, analytical results for systems that exhibit this phenomenon are needed. Aiming to go one step further in obtaining such results, we study the parametric evolution of unstable dimension variability in two coupled bungalow maps.