Transport and Catabolism of Carbohydrates by Neisseria meningitidis.

We identified the genes encoding the proteins for the transport of glucose and maltose in Neisseria meningitidis strain 2C4-3. A mutant deleted for NMV_1892(glcP) no longer grew on glucose and deletion of NMV_0424(malY) prevented the utilization of maltose. We also purified and characterized glucokinase and α-phosphoglucomutase, which catalyze early catabolic steps of the two carbohydrates.

The Topography of Cortical Microinfarcts in Neurodegenerative Diseases and in Vascular Dementia: A Postmortem 7.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Background: Cortical microinfarcts (CoMIs) are considered as barely visible lesions in clinical-neuroradiological correlation studies. On postmortem 7.0-tesla MRI, however, CoMIs of different size are easily detected.

Who Performs Lumbar Puncture, How Many Do They Perform, How and Why? A Retrospective Study of 6,594 Cases.

Background: The number and indications of lumbar punctures (LPs) performed nowadays are unknown. The primary aim of this work was to report the number of LPs performed in each of the departments of 2 French university hospitals, their indications and the prevalence of atraumatic spinal needles used.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of all the LPs performed in 2014.

A 13-Year Retrospective Study on Primary Liver Cancer in Cambodia: A Strikingly High Hepatitis C Occurrence among Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cases.

Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main type of primary liver cancer (PLC) worldwide, but cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) may be predominant in some specific regions of Southeast Asia. The aim of the present study was to delineate a pattern of Cambodian PLC patients attending the Calmette Hospital in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

Materials And Methods: A total of 553 medical charts diagnosing PLCs from January 2003 to May 2015 were obtained from both the Oncology and Hepato-Gastroenterology Departments of the Calmette Hospital.

Escherichia colimazEF Toxin-Antitoxin System as a Tool to Target Cell Ablation in Plants.

Background/aims: The Escherichia coli MazF is an endoribonuclease that cleaves mRNA at ACA sequences, thereby triggering inhibition of protein synthesis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of the mazEF toxin-antitoxin system in plants to develop biotechnological tools for targeted cell ablation.

Methods: A double transformation strategy, combining expression of the mazE antitoxin gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, reported to drive expression in all plant cells except within the tapetum, together with the expression of the mazF gene under the control of the TA29 tapetum-specific promoter in transgenic tobacco, was applied.

Severe Prolonged Cough as Presenting Manifestation of FIP1L1-PDGFRA+ Chronic Eosinophilic Leukaemia: A Widely Ignored Association.

Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia associated with the FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene (F/P+ CEL) is a rare cause of marked persistent hypereosinophilia, arising almost exclusively in male patients. Clinical presentations are heterogeneous with a higher incidence of eosinophil-mediated cardiomyopathy than in other hypereosinophilic syndrome variants. Features of chronic myeloproliferative disease are often present, including splenomegaly and elevated serum vitamin B12 levels.

Complete Penetrance and Absence of Intrafamilial Variability in a Large Family with Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC) is an autosomal dominant familial disorder due to FH mutation. Despite a considerable increase in information about the genetic background, inter- and intrafamilial phenotypic variability/penetrance are not well documented.

Objective: To describe a large French HLRCC family and provide new data on penetrance and intrafamilial variability.

In vivo Raman Microspectroscopy: Intra- and Intersubject Variability of Stratum Corneum Spectral Markers.

Background: In vivo Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for real-time analysis and in situ evaluation of tissues such as the skin. The efficiency of this technique has been widely demonstrated as a label-free method for in vivo evaluation of the skin. The aim of this study is to gather information about inter- and intra-individual variations in the spectral descriptors of water content and structure, organization of the lipid barrier and structure of proteins in the stratum corneum (SC).

Cytomegalovirus-Infected Primary Endothelial Cells Trigger NKG2C+ Natural Killer Cells.

Among innate cells, natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the defense against cytomegalovirus (CMV). In some individuals, CMV infection induces the expansion of NKG2C+ NK cells that persist after control of the infection. We have previously shown that KIR2DL+ NK cells, in contrast to NKG2C+ NK cells, contribute to controlling CMV infection using a CMV-infected monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MDDC) model.

Stroke Mimics in a Stroke Care Pathway Based on MRI Screening.

Background: Since the use of tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke (IS), stroke care pathways have been developed for patients with suspicion of acute stroke. The aim of this prospective observational study was to analyze the stroke mimic (SM) characteristics in patients who were part of our stroke care pathway.

Methods: All consecutive patients admitted in the code stroke within a 1-year period were prospectively enrolled in this study.

MLC901 Favors Angiogenesis and Associated Recovery after Ischemic Stroke in Mice.

Background: There is increasing evidence that angiogenesis, through new blood vessel formation, results in improved collateral circulation and may impact the long-term recovery of patients. In this study, we first investigated the preventive action of a 5-week pretreatment of MLC901, an herbal extract preparation derived from Chinese medicine, against the deleterious effects of ischemic stroke and its effects on angiogenesis in a model of focal ischemia in mice.

Methods: The stroke model was induced by 60 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by reperfusion.

Patient-Derived Xenograft: An Adjuvant Technology for the Treatment of Metastatic Disease.

The occurrence of metastases severely affects prognosis for patients with cancer, making metastatic disease a daily societal challenge. Because of resistance to drugs, the potential curability with chemotherapy at the metastatic stage remains low. Large genomic analyses to identify new targets have their limitations due to intratumor heterogeneity when they are performed on tumor samples from primary tumors and because the functional value of molecular abnormalities in a cancer is usually not known.

The ABC of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Validated Glossary on how to Name Lesions.

Background: The precise clinical description of skin lesions observed in some patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can be extremely difficult.

Objective: Establishing a validated glossary of terms allowing the best possible description of lesions observed in HS patients.

Material And Methods: Five international experts of HS were to assess a series of 25 photos representing typical lesions of this disorder.

The Very Long-Term Outcome of Radiosurgery for Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Background: Radiosurgery is one of the neurosurgical alternatives for intractable trigeminal neuralgia (TN).

Objective: Although acceptable short-/mid-term outcomes have been reported, long-term results have not been well documented.

Methods: We report the long-term results in 130 patients who underwent radiosurgery for classical TN and were subsequently monitored through at least 7 years (median = 9.

Congenital Hypothyroidism: Long-Term Experience with Early and High Levothyroxine Dosage.

Aim: To assess the management and outcome of the congenital hypothyroidism (CH) patients followed at our institution since the introduction of systemic neonatal screening for CH.

Study Design: The records of 139 CH patients referred to our center between 1978 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Biochemical and imaging data at diagnosis, initial treatment and growth were analyzed.

Facial Scars following Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Role of Adnexal Involvement?

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe cutaneous adverse drug reaction leading to extensive sloughing of the skin. Late cutaneous complications such as pigmentation disorders are frequently reported. In this report, we present particular facial cutaneous sequelae with histological analysis after TEN.

The Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by the Global Lung Initiative Equations in North-Western Russia.

Background: The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) varies in different countries, while the cut-off for airflow obstruction (AO) is still contested. No COPD prevalence data based on the Global Lung Initiative (GLI) 2012 equations are available in Russia.

Objectives: This study aims to assess AO prevalence by the GLI lower limit of normal (GLI-LLN) and the fixed cut-off, to identify AO risk factors and to assess the diagnostic value of respiratory symptoms in north-western Russia.

A Common Genetic Variant in the Insulin Receptor Gene Is Associated with Eating Difficulties at 2 Years of Age in a Cohort of Preterm Infants.

Background/aims: Children born preterm are more likely than full-term infants to develop eating difficulties that can affect their growth. Although this behavior is certainly influenced by their fetal and postnatal history, a large individual variability exists that results from a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. We performed an original pilot study to identify common genetic variants associated with eating difficulties at 2 years of age in the POLYNUCA cohort of preterm infants.

Predicting Perinatal Outcome from Prenatal Ultrasound Characteristics in Pregnancies Complicated by Gastroschisis.

Introduction: The objective of the study was to establish the predictive value of prenatal ultrasound markers for complex gastroschisis (GS) in the first 10 days of life.

Material And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study over 11 years (2000-2011) of 117 GS cases, the following prenatal ultrasound signs were analyzed at the last second- and third-trimester ultrasounds: intrauterine growth restriction, intra-abdominal bowel dilatation (IABD) adjusted for gestational age, extra-abdominal bowel dilatation (EABD) ≥25 mm, stomach dilatation, stomach herniation, perturbed mesenteric circulation, absence of bowel lumen and echogenic dilated bowel loops (EDBL).

Results: Among 114 live births, 16 newborns had complex GS (14.

Classification of Dopamine Receptor Genes in Vertebrates: Nine Subtypes in Osteichthyes.

Dopamine neurotransmission regulates various brain functions, and its regulatory roles are mediated by two families of G protein-coupled receptors: the D1 and D2 receptor families. In mammals, the D1 family comprises two receptor subtypes (D1 and D5), while the D2 family comprises three receptor subtypes (D2, D3 and D4). Phylogenetic analyses of dopamine receptor genes strongly suggest that the common ancestor of Osteichthyes (bony jawed vertebrates) possessed four subtypes in the D1 family and five subtypes in the D2 family.

Inhibition of Pathogenic Mutant SOD1 Aggregation in Cultured Motor Neuronal Cells by Prevention of Its SUMOylation on Lysine 75.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective death of motor neurons. Mutations in the SOD1 gene encoding the superoxide dismutase 1 are present in 15% of familial ALS cases and in 2% of sporadic cases. These mutations are associated with the formation of SOD1-positive aggregates.

Early Recruitment of Cerebral Microcirculation by Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition in a Juvenile Ischemic Rat Model.

Background: The development of collateral circulation is proposed as an inherent compensatory mechanism to restore impaired blood perfusion after ischemia, at least in the penumbra. We have studied the dynamic macro- and microcirculation after ischemia-reperfusion in the juvenile rat brain and evaluated the impact of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibition on the collateral flow.

Methods: Fourteen-day-old (P14) rats were subjected to ischemia-reperfusion and treated with either PBS or 7-nitroindazole (7-NI, an nNOS inhibitor, 25 mg/kg).

Effects of Congenital Visual Deprivation on the Auditory Perception of Anticipatory Labial Coarticulation.

Objective: It has been shown previously that congenitally blind francophone adults had higher auditory discrimination scores than sighted adults. It is unclear, however, if, compared to their sighted peers, blind speakers display an increased ability to detect anticipatory acoustic cues. In this paper, this ability is investigated in both speaker groups.

Tissue-Specific Regulation of Drosophila NF-x03BA;B Pathway Activation by Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein SC.

In Drosophila, peptidoglycan (PGN) is detected by PGN recognition proteins (PGRPs) that act as pattern recognition receptors. Some PGRPs such as PGRP-LB or PGRP-SCs are able to cleave PGN, therefore reducing the amount of immune elicitors and dampening immune deficiency (IMD) pathway activation. The precise role of PGRP-SC is less well defined because the PGRP-SC genes (PGRP-SC1a, PGRP-SC1b and PGRP-SC2) lie very close on the chromosome and have been studied using a deletion encompassing the three genes.