A clock network for geodesy and fundamental science.

Leveraging the unrivalled performance of optical clocks as key tools for geo-science, for astronomy and for fundamental physics beyond the standard model requires comparing the frequency of distant optical clocks faithfully. Here, we report on the comparison and agreement of two strontium optical clocks at an uncertainty of 5 × 10(-17) via a newly established phase-coherent frequency link connecting Paris and Braunschweig using 1,415 km of telecom fibre. The remote comparison is limited only by the instability and uncertainty of the strontium lattice clocks themselves, with negligible contributions from the optical frequency transfer.

Another example of enzymatic promiscuity: the polyphosphate kinase of Streptomyces lividans is endowed with phospholipase D activity.

Polyphosphate kinases (PPK) from different bacteria, including that of Streptomyces lividans, were shown to contain the typical HKD motif present in phospholipase D (PLD) and showed structural similarities to the latter. This observation prompted us to investigate the PLD activity of PPK of S. lividans, in vitro.

The Nuclear Hormone Receptor NHR-40 Acts Downstream of the Sulfatase EUD-1 as Part of a Developmental Plasticity Switch in Pristionchus.

Developmental plasticity, the ability of one genotype to produce distinct phenotypes in different environments, has been suggested to facilitate phenotypic diversification, and several examples in plants and animals support its macroevolutionary potential [1-8]. However, little is known about associated molecular mechanisms, because environmental effects on development are difficult to study by laboratory approaches. One promising system is the mouth dimorphism of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus [9-12].

Thermodynamic control of anvil cloud amount.

General circulation models show that as the surface temperature increases, the convective anvil clouds shrink. By analyzing radiative-convective equilibrium simulations, we show that this behavior is rooted in basic energetic and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere: As the climate warms, the clouds rise and remain at nearly the same temperature, but find themselves in a more stable atmosphere; this enhanced stability reduces the convective outflow in the upper troposphere and decreases the anvil cloud fraction. By warming the troposphere and increasing the upper-tropospheric stability, the clustering of deep convection also reduces the convective outflow and the anvil cloud fraction.

Professional Cleaning Activities and Lung Cancer Risk Among Women: Results From the ICARE Study.

Objectives: Lung cancer risk associated with occupational cleaning activities has been investigated in the population-based case-control study ICARE.

Methods: Occupational history was collected by standardized interviews. Jobs were first defined according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) codes and then categorized according to activity sectors.

Identification and Characterization of Two Novel RNA Viruses from Anopheles gambiae Species Complex Mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae complex display strong preference for human bloodmeals and are major malaria vectors in Africa. However, their interaction with viruses or role in arbovirus transmission during epidemics has been little examined, with the exception of O'nyong-nyong virus, closely related to Chikungunya virus. Deep-sequencing has revealed different RNA viruses in natural insect viromes, but none have been previously described in the Anopheles gambiae species complex.

Diagnostic delay of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis and its associated factors.

Objectives: Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) is a rare disease with possible severe complications (e.g. sepsis and spinal cord injury).

l-glutamine Improves Skeletal Muscle Cell Differentiation and Prevents Myotube Atrophy After Cytokine (TNF-α) Stress Via Reduced p38 MAPK Signal Transduction.

Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α) is chronically elevated in conditions where skeletal muscle loss occurs. As l-glutamine can dampen the effects of inflamed environments, we investigated the role of l-glutamine in both differentiating C2C12 myoblasts and existing myotubes in the absence/presence of TNF-α (20 ng · ml(-1) ) ± l-glutamine (20 mM). TNF-α reduced the proportion of cells in G1 phase, as well as biochemical (CK activity) and morphological differentiation (myotube number), with corresponding reductions in transcript expression of: Myogenin, Igf-I, and Igfbp5.

Snapshot of sequential SNARE assembling states between membranes shows that N-terminal transient assembly initializes fusion.

Many prominent biological processes are driven by protein assembling between membranes. Understanding the mechanisms then entails determining the assembling pathway of the involved proteins. Because the intermediates are by nature transient and located in the intermembrane space, this determination is generally a very difficult, not to say intractable, problem.

Multidimensional analysis of the effect of occupational exposure to organic solvents on lung cancer risk: the ICARE study.

Background: The association between lung cancer and occupational exposure to organic solvents is discussed. Since different solvents are often used simultaneously, it is difficult to assess the role of individual substances.

Objectives: The present study is focused on an in-depth investigation of the potential association between lung cancer risk and occupational exposure to a large group of organic solvents, taking into account the well-known risk factors for lung cancer, tobacco smoking and occupational exposure to asbestos.

Bilateral neuroinflammatory processes in visual pathways induced by unilateral ocular hypertension in the rat.

Background: Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world. The major risk factor is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) leading to progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death from the optic nerve (ON) to visual pathways in the brain. Glaucoma has been reported to share mechanisms with neurodegenerative disorders.

G2 phase arrest prevents bristle progenitor self-renewal and synchronizes cell division with cell fate differentiation.

Developmentally regulated cell cycle arrest is a fundamental feature of neurogenesis, whose significance is poorly understood. During Drosophila sensory organ (SO) development, primary progenitor (pI) cells arrest in G2 phase for precisely defined periods. Upon re-entering the cell cycle in response to developmental signals, these G2-arrested precursor cells divide and generate specialized neuronal and non-neuronal cells.

Does first-line antiretroviral regimen impact risk for chronic kidney disease whatever the risk group?

Objectives: We used the D:A:D risk score for chronic kidney disease (CKD) for patients starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the recent years, and investigated whether specific regimens enhanced the risk of CKD in the different risk groups.

Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected cohort of French HIV-infected patients.

Methods: Patients who started their first ART after January the 1st, 2004 with a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than 60 ml/min per 1.

Sonic Hedgehog Pathway Activation Is Associated With Resistance to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Introduction: Chemoresistance is a major challenge in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway is reactivated in NSCLC, we investigated an association between chemoresistance and Shh activation.

Patients And Methods: From a cohort of 178 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment, we selected all surgical tumor samples at diagnosis (n = 36).

Balancing benefits and risks of glucocorticoids in rheumatic diseases and other inflammatory joint disorders: new insights from emerging data. An expert consensus paper from the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO).

Purpose: This consensus review article considers the question of whether glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is still relevant in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, with a particular focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and whether its side effects can be adequately managed. Recent basic and clinical research on the molecular, cellular and clinical effects of GCs have considerably advanced our knowledge in this field. An overview of the subject seems appropriate.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165 has a high capacity to induce IL-10 in human and murine dendritic cells and modulates T cell responses.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii strain A2-165 was previously reported to have anti-inflammatory properties and prevent colitis in a TNBS model. We compared the immunomodulatory properties of strain A2-165 to four different F. prausnitzii isolates and eight abundant intestinal commensals using human dendritic cells (DCs) and mouse BMDCs in vitro.

Efficacy of protease inhibitor monotherapy vs. triple therapy: meta-analysis of data from 2303 patients in 13 randomized trials.

Objectives: The aim of this analysis was to review the evidence and update a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy and safety results from randomized controlled trials of ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r) monotherapy.

Methods: A PubMed/EMBASE search was conducted to find randomized trials of PI/r monotherapy vs. triple therapy in patients with HIV-1 RNA suppression at baseline (<50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL).

Impaired Lysosomal Function Underlies Monoclonal Light Chain-Associated Renal Fanconi Syndrome.

Monoclonal gammopathies are frequently complicated by kidney lesions that increase the disease morbidity and mortality. In particular, abnormal Ig free light chains (LCs) may accumulate within epithelial cells, causing proximal tubule (PT) dysfunction and renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS). To investigate the mechanisms linking LC accumulation and PT dysfunction, we used transgenic mice overexpressing human control or RFS-associated κLCs (RFS-κLCs) and primary cultures of mouse PT cells exposed to low doses of corresponding human κLCs (25 μg/ml).

Age-Associated Methylation Suppresses SPRY1, Leading to a Failure of Re-quiescence and Loss of the Reserve Stem Cell Pool in Elderly Muscle.

The molecular mechanisms by which aging affects stem cell number and function are poorly understood. Murine data have implicated cellular senescence in the loss of muscle stem cells with aging. Here, using human cells and by carrying out experiments within a strictly pre-senescent division count, we demonstrate an impaired capacity for stem cell self-renewal in elderly muscle.

ChIPseq in Yeast Species: From Chromatin Immunoprecipitation to High-Throughput Sequencing and Bioinformatics Data Analyses.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIPseq) is a powerful technique for the genome-wide location of protein DNA-binding sites. The ChIP experiment consists in treating living cells with a cross-linking agent to bind proteins to their DNA substrates. After fragmentation of DNA, specific fractions associated with a particular protein of interest are purified by immunoaffinity.

Paramutation in Drosophila Requires Both Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Actors of the piRNA Pathway and Induces Cis-spreading of piRNA Production.

Transposable element activity is repressed in the germline in animals by PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small RNAs produced by genomic loci mostly composed of TE sequences. The mechanism of induction of piRNA production by these loci is still enigmatic. We have shown that, in Drosophila melanogaster, a cluster of tandemly repeated P-lacZ-white transgenes can be activated for piRNA production by maternal inheritance of a cytoplasm containing homologous piRNAs.