Low-magnitude, high-frequency vibration has stimulated osteogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells when these cells were cultured in certain types of three-dimensional environments. However, results of osteogenesis are conflicting with some reports showing no effect of vibration at all. A large number of vibration studies using three-dimensional scaffolds employ scaffolds derived from natural sources. Since these natural sources potentially have inherent biochemical and microarchitectural cues, we explored the effect of low-magnitude, high-frequency vibration at low, medium, and high accelerations when mesenchymal stem cells were encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate microspheres. Low and medium accelerations enhanced osteogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells while high accelerations inhibited it. These studies demonstrate that the isolated effect of vibration alone induces osteogenesis.

We investigated Q fever infection in Febrile Spontaneous Abortions in women by using a serologic method (Immuno-Fluorescence Assay, IFA) and a molecular method (real-time quantitative PCR, qPCR) in Obstetric-Gynaecology (OB-GYN) services in two hospitals in Algiers. We included in the case group 380 women who experienced Febrile Spontaneous Abortion; the control group comprised 345 women who gave birth without any other infections or complications. Among the 725 women included, antibodies against Coxiella burnetii were detected by IFA in three (03) cases patients; all control group samples were IFA negative. In other hand, only four (04) placental samples among the case group came back with q PCR positive for IS1111 and IS30a too. A relationship between C. burnetii infection and febrile spontaneous abortion exists in OB-GYN services in Algiers.

Stem cell therapy may provide a safe and promising treatment for retinal diseases. Wet age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in China. We developed a clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line, Q-CTS-hESC-2, under xeno-free conditions that differentiated into retinal pigment epithelial cells (Q-CTS-hESC-2-RPE). A clinical trial with three wet-AMD patients was initiated in order to study the safety and tolerance to Q-CTS-hESC-2-RPE cell transplants. The choroidal neovascularization membrane was removed and then a suspension of 1 × 106 Q-CTS-hESC-2-RPE cells were injected into a subfoveal pocket. The patients were followed for 12 months during which no adverse effects resulting from the transplant were observed. Anatomical evidence suggested the existence of new RPE-like cell layer in the previously damaged area. Visual and physiological testing indicated limited functional improvement, albeit to different degrees between patients. This study provides some promising early results concerning the use of transplanted hESC-RPE cells to alleviate wet-AMD.

This systematic review with a meta-analysis aimed to summarize the current evidence of the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to examine whether rehabilitation is an effect modifier of the effect estimate of MSC treatment. A literature search yielded 659 studies, of which 35 studies met the inclusion criteria (n = 2385 patients; mean age: 36.0-74.5 years). The meta-analysis results suggested that MSC treatment through intra-articular injection or arthroscopic implantation significantly improved knee pain (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.94, -0.96), self-reported physical function (SMD: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.92), and cartilage quality (SMD: -1.99; 95% CI: -3.51, -0.47). However, the MSC treatment efficacy on cartilage volume was limited (SMD: 0.49; 95% CI: -0.19, 1.16). Minor adverse events (knee pain or swelling) were reported with a wide-ranging prevalence of 2-60%; however, no severe adverse events occurred. The evidence for these outcomes was "very low" to "low" according to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system because of the poor study design, high risk of bias, large heterogeneity, and wide 95% CI of the effects estimate. Performing rehabilitation was significantly associated with better SMD for self-reported physical function (regression coefficient: 0.881, 95% CI: 0.049, 1.712; P = 0.039). We suggest that more high quality randomized controlled trials with consideration of the potential rehabilitation-driven clinical benefit would be needed to facilitate the foundation of effective MSC treatment and regenerative rehabilitation for patients with knee OA.

The parasite Theileria parva is the causative agent of East Coast fever (ECF), one of the most serious cattle diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, and directly impacts smallholder farmers' livelihoods. There is an efficient live-parasite vaccine, but issues with transmission of vaccine strains, need of a cold chain, and antibiotics limit its utilization. This has fostered research towards subunit vaccination. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are crucial in combating the infection by lysing T. parva-infected cells. Tp1 is an immunodominant CTL antigen, which induces Tp1-specific responses in 70-80% of cattle of the A18 or A18v haplotype during vaccination with the live vaccine. In this study, human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAd5) and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) were assessed for their ability to induce Tp1-specific immunity. Both viral vectors expressing the Tp1 antigen were inoculated in cattle by a heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimen. All 15 animals responded to Tp1 as determined by ELISpot. Of these, 14 reacted to the known Tp1 epitope, assayed by ELISpot and tetramer analyses, with CTL peaking 1-week post-MVA boost. Eleven animals developed CTL with specific cytotoxic activity towards peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) pulsed with the Tp1 epitope. Moreover, 36% of the animals with a Tp1 epitope-specific response survived a lethal challenge with T. parva 5 weeks post-MVA boost. Reduction of the parasitemia correlated with increased percentages of central memory lymphocytes in the Tp1 epitope-specific CD8+ populations. These results indicate that Tp1 is a promising antigen to include in a subunit vaccine and central memory cells are crucial for clearing the parasite.

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (luk-pv) is a cytotoxin that causes leukocyte destruction and tissue necrosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the pv1, mecA, and nuc genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from anterior nares and superficial infection sites of skin in a slum population of West Bengal, India. Expression level of pv1 gene was also analysed. Twenty-two S. aureus strains were isolated, and phenotype and genotype specific examinations for S. aureus isolates were carried out. Molecular identification was done by PCR using species-specific 16S rRNA primer pairs and finally 22 isolates were found to be positive as S. aureus. The antibiotic responsiveness of all these isolates and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of MRSA isolates were determined using the broth dilution method with vancomycin. Antibiogram analysis of isolated S. aureus strains with respect to different antimicrobial agents revealed antibiotic resistance ranging from 27 to 91%. The results of MIC for vancomycin showed 95% of strains to be VSSA and 5% to be VISA. 68% isolates were resistant to methicillin. All the isolates were subjected to detection of pv1, mecA, and nuc genes, and 9%, 68%, and 27% were found to harbour pvl, mecA, and nuc genes, respectively. All the MRSA strains produced high to moderate levels of biofilm. pvl gene expression was carried out in vitro by Real-Time PCR. The low ∆Ct value (0.493) was indicative of high expression of pvl in one S. aureus strain. Thus, detection of pvl gene in community acquired S. aureus indicates the emergence of pathogenic S. aureus in community setup in the studied region. The existing exploration is extremely imperative and informative for the high level multi-drug resistant S. aureus infections inclusive of MRSA.

Glucose isomerase is an enzyme widely used in food industry for producing high-fructose corn syrup. Many microbes, including Bacillus megaterium, have been found to be able to produce glucose isomerase. However, the number of studies of glucose isomerase production from Bacillus megaterium is limited. In this study, we establish the optimal medium components and culture conditions for Bacillus megaterium glucose isomerase production by evaluating the combined influence of multiple factors and different parameters via Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodology in Modde 5.0 software. The optimized conditions, which were experimentally confirmed as follows: D-xylose (1.116%), K2HPO4 (0.2%), MgSO4·7H2O (0.1%), yeast extract (1.161%), peptone (1%), pH 7.0, inoculum size 20% (w/v), shaking 120 rpm at 36.528°C for 48 hours, give rise to production of highest activity of glucose isomerase (0.274 ± 0.003 U/mg biomass). These results provide additional important information for future development of large-scale glucose isomerase production by Bacillus megaterium.

The previously undescribed dynamics of the heat shock protein HSP70 and subsequent lipid peroxidation products have been assessed alongside lactate dehydrogenase activity for Gammarus lacustris Sars, an amphipod species from the saltwater Lake Shira (Republic of Khakassia). Individuals were exposed to a gradual temperature increase of 1 °C/hour (total exposure duration of 26 hours) starting from the mean annual temperature of their habitat (7 °C) up to 33 °C. A complex of biochemical reactions occurred when saltwater G. lactustris was exposed to the gradual changes in temperature. This was characterized by a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase activity and the launching of lipid peroxidation. The HSP70 level did not change significantly during the entire experiment. In agreement with the concept of oxygen-limited thermal tolerance, an accumulation of the most toxic lipid peroxides (triene conjugates and Schiff bases) in phospholipids occurred at the same time and temperature as the accumulation of lactate. The main criterion overriding the temperature threshold was, therefore, the transition to anaerobiosis, confirmed by the elevated lactate levels as observed in our previous associated study, and by the development of cellular stress, which was expressed by an accumulation of lipid peroxidation products. An earlier hypothesis, based on freshwater individuals of the same species, has been confirmed whereby the increased thermotolerance of G. lacustris from the saltwater lake was caused by differences in energy metabolism and energy supply of nonspecific cellular stress-response mechanisms. With the development of global climate change, these reactions could be advantageous for saltwater G. lacustris. The studied biochemical reactions can be used as biomarkers for the stress status of aquatic organisms when their habitat temperature changes.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic cancer and currently ranks fifth in causing cancer-related deaths among women. P21cdc42/rac1-activated kinase 5 (PAK5) is a newly identified protein that has been indicated to have oncogenic potential. The present study investigated the expression level of PAK5 in clinical ovarian cancer and the functional roles of PAK5 in ovarian cancer progression. It was initially found that PAK5 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer tissues, particularly in patients with distant metastasis. Higher expression of PAK5 predicted poor survival fates in patients with ovarian cancer (p = 0.008). Knockdown of PAK5 in SKOV3 cells caused epithelial cell phenotypes, whereas overexpression of PAK5 led to remarkable mesenchymal cell phenotypes in A2780 cells. When PAK5 was depleted from SKOV3 cells, cells exhibited impaired wound recovery abilities. Cell migration and invasion abilities were also significantly inhibited. On the contrary, when PAK5 was overexpressed in A2780 cells, the wound recovery ability was enhanced by 68%. Cell migration and invasion abilities were consistently increased to approximately 2-fold. After knockdown of PAK5, the phosphorylation levels of PI3K p85 at Tyr458 and its downstream AKT at Ser473 were both decreased. The total protein of PI3K and AKT as well as the phosphorylation level of AKT at Thr308 remained unaffected. These data suggested that PI3K induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and promoted cell migration and invasion by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway in ovarian cancer. The oncogenic potential of PAK5 in ovarian cancer might suggest that any therapeutic strategies targeting PAK5 had the promising value for ovarian cancer treatment.

The SWAT model was used to estimate the combined effects of changing land cover, climate and Clean Air Act (CAAA)-related atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition to watershed nitrogen fate and transport for two watersheds in North Carolina, USA.

Oral anticoagulants are being used in the postoperative period of hip arthroplasty to prevent of thromboembolic events, create doubts as to the effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis and reduce the risk of hemorrhage. This systematic revision is aimed at evaluating the use of oral anticoagulants in the prevention of thromboembolic events in the postoperative period of patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. Research with descriptors found on PubMed, BVS, and the CAPES portal for medical journal publications from September 2015 to June 2016, from the last ten years (2005-2015), complete, free, and written in Portuguese and in English were the methods used. The results of the studies showed some cases of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and bleeding; even then, the NOACs were effective in preventing thromboembolic events. There is no consensus regarding the prophylaxis method for these events, which is why the challenge is to obtain high levels of prevention while minimizing the adverse effects. The most studied oral anticoagulant was rivaroxaban (67%). The three drugs that were studied have shown to be effective in preventing thromboembolic events, but the best results were obtained with rivaroxaban 10 mg, one tablet daily; treatment duration ranged from 30 to 35 days with oral anticoagulants and from 28 to 42 days with anti-platelet drugs.

Ubiquitin and ubiquitin like proteins (UBLs) play key roles in eukaryotes. These proteins are attached to their target proteins through an E1-E2-E3 cascade and modify the functions of these proteins. Since the discovery of ubiquitin, several UBLs have been identified, including Nedd8, SUMO, ISG15, and Atg8. Ubiquitin and UBLs share a similar three-dimensional structure: β-grasp fold and an X-X-[R/A/E/K]-X-X-[G/X]-G motif at the C-terminus. We have previously reported that ubiquitin, Nedd8, and SUMO mimicking peptides which all contain the conserved motif X-X-[R/A/E/K]-X-X-[G/X]-G still retained their reactivity toward their corresponding E1, E2, and E3 enzymes. In our current study, we investigated whether such C-terminal peptides could still be transferred onto related pathway enzymes to probe the function of these enzymes when they are fused with a protein. By bioinformatic search of protein databases, we selected eight proteins carrying the X-X-[R/A/E/K]-X-X-[G/X]-G motif at the C-terminus of the β-grasp fold. We synthesized the C-terminal sequences of these candidates as short peptides and found that three of them showed significant reactivity with the ubiquitin E1 enzyme Ube1. We next fused the three reactive short peptides to three different protein frames, including their respective native protein frames, a ubiquitin frame and a peptidyl carrier protein (PCP) frame, and measured the reactivities of these peptide-fused proteins with Ube1. Peptide-fused proteins on ubiquitin and PCP frames showed obvious reactivity with Ube1. However, when we measured E2 UbcH7 transfer, we found that the PCP-peptide fusions lost their reactivity with UbcH7. Taken together, these results suggested that the recognition of E2 enzymes with peptide-fused proteins depended not only on the C-terminal sequences of the ubiquitin-mimicking peptides, but also on the overall structures of the protein frames.

Currently, two genetic lineages of influenza B virus, B/Victoria and B/Yamagata, are cocirculating in humans in various countries. This situation has raised a question regarding the possibility of cross-protection between B components of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) belonging to different lineages. This study aimed to assess in naïve ferrets the potential protective activity of monovalent B-LAIVs against challenge with homologous and heterologous wild-type (WT) influenza B viruses.

Plants rich in luteolin have been used as Chinese traditional medicines for inflammatory diseases, hypertension, and cancer. However, little is known about the effect of luteolin on the apoptosis or autophagy of the macrophages. In this study, mouse macrophage ANA-1 cells were incubated with different concentrations of luteolin. The viability of the cells was determined by an MTT assay, apoptosis was determined by flow cytometric analysis, the level of cell autophagy was observed by confocal microscopy, and the expression levels of apoptotic or autophagic and antiapoptotic or antiautophagic proteins were detected by Western blot analysis. The results showed that luteolin decreased the viability of ANA-1 cells and induced apoptosis and autophagy. Luteolin induced apoptosis accompanied by downregulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and upregulation of the expression of caspase 3 and caspase 8. And luteolin increased FITC-LC3 punctate fluorescence accompanied by the increased expression levels of LC3-I, ATG7, and ATG12, while it suppressed the expression level of Beclin-1. Luteolin treatment resulted in obvious activation of the p38, JNK, and Akt signaling pathways, which is important in modulating apoptosis and autophagy. Thus, we concluded that luteolin induced the apoptosis and autophagy of ANA-1 cells most likely by regulating the p38, JNK, and Akt pathways, inhibiting the activity of Bcl-2 and Beclin-1 and upregulating caspase 3 and caspase 8 expression. These results provide novel insights into a therapeutic strategy to prevent and possibly treat macrophage-related diseases through luteolin-induced apoptosis and autophagy.

Ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) is a quantitative imaging modality that non-destructively maps the 3D electron density inside an object with tens of nanometers spatial resolution. This method provides unique access to the morphology and structure of the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network (LCN) and nanoscale density of the tissue in the vicinity of an osteocyte lacuna. Herein, we applied PXCT to characterize the lacunae and LCN in a male Wistar rat model of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). The ptychographic images revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in the number of canaliculi originating from the lacuna per ellipsoidal surface unit, Ca.Nb (p = 0.0106), and the 3D morphology of the lacuna (p = 0.0064), between GIO and SHAM groups. Moreover, the mean canalicular diameter, Ca.Dm, was slightly statistically un-significantly smaller in GIO (152 ± 6.5) nm than in SHAM group (165 ± 8) nm (p = 0.053). Our findings indicate that PXCT can non-destructively provide detailed, nanoscale information on the 3D organization of the LCN in correlative studies of pathologies, such as osteoporosis, leading to improved diagnosis and therapy.

According to World Health Organization guidelines, corrosion control is an important aspect of safe drinking-water supplies. The data presented is physical and chemical parameters of drinking water in the rural areas of Torbat-e-Heydariyeh city, also to determine corrosion indices. This cross-sectional study has carried out with 188 taken samples during 2014 with 13 parameters, which has been analyzed based on standard method. Also with regard to standard conditions, result of this paper is compared with Environmental Protection Agency and Iran national standards. Five indices, Langlier Saturation Index (LSI), Ryznar Stability Index (RSI), Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI), Larson-Skold Index (LS) and Aggressive Index (AI), programmed by using Microsoft Excel software. Owing to its simplicity, the program can easily be used by researchers and operators. Parameters included Sulfate, Sodium, Chloride, and Electrical Conductivity respectively was 13.5%, 28%, 10.5%, and 15% more than standard level. The amounts of Nitrate, in 98% of cases were in permissible limits and about 2% were more than standard level. Result of presented research indicate that water is corrosive at 10.6%, 89.4%, 87.2%, 59.6% and 14.9% of drinking water supply reservoirs, according to LSI, RSI, PSI, LS and AI, respectively.

No abstract available

Global social justice movements, including transnational activism for indigenous rights, are working to promote health equity by transforming public health research and policy. Yet little social scientific research has examined how professional epidemiologists are figuring within such efforts. Discussions are unfolding, however, in critical sectors of epidemiology about how to improve the profession's input into advocacy. Findings from a multi-sited ethnographic study of epidemiological research for and by indigenous peoples in three settings (Aotearoa/New Zealand, the continental U.S., and Hawai'i) demonstrate how researchers/practitioners connect epidemiology and advocacy by: (1) linking the better-known legitimacy of quantitative methods to a lesser-known causal framework that positions colonialism as a sociopolitical determinant of health, (2) producing technical critiques that aim to improve the accuracy and accessibility of indigenous population health statistics, and (3) adopting a pragmatic flexibility in response to the shifting political conditions that shape when, whether and how epidemiological findings support advocacy for indigenous health equity. Attending closely to the credibility tactics at hand in this work, and to the skills and sensibilities of its practitioners, charts new directions for future research about epidemiology's contributions to advocacy for health equity.

Spaceflight causes muscle wasting. The Sarcolab pilot study investigated two astronauts with regards to plantar flexor muscle size, architecture, and function, and to the underlying molecular adaptations in order to further the understanding of muscular responses to spaceflight and exercise countermeasures. Two crew members (A and B) spent 6 months in space. Crew member A trained less vigorously than B. Postflight, A showed substantial decrements in plantar flexor volume, muscle architecture, in strength and in fiber contractility, which was strongly mitigated in B. The difference between these crew members closely reflected FAK-Y397 abundance, a molecular marker of muscle's loading history. Moreover, crew member A showed downregulation of contractile proteins and enzymes of anaerobic metabolism, as well as of systemic markers of energy and protein metabolism. However, both crew members exhibited decrements in muscular aerobic metabolism and phosphate high energy transfer. We conclude that countermeasures can be effective, particularly when resistive forces are of sufficient magnitude. However, to fully prevent space-related muscular deterioration, intersubject variability must be understood, and intensive exercise countermeasures programs seem mandatory. Finally, proteomic and metabolomic analyses suggest that exercise benefits in space may go beyond mere maintenance of muscle mass, but rather extend to the level of organismic metabolism.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 257 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), with approximately 15 million of them being coinfected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). To investigate the prevalence and transmission of HBV and HDV within the general population of a rural village in Cameroon, we analyzed serum samples from most (401/448) of the villagers. HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 54 (13.5%) of the 401 samples, with 15% of them also containing anti-HDV antibodies. Although Cameroon has integrated HBV vaccination into their Expanded Program on Immunization for newborns in 2005, an HBsAg carriage rate of 5% was found in children below the age of 5 years. Of the 54 HBsAg-positive samples, 49 HBV pre-S/S sequences (7 genotype A and 42 genotype E sequences) could be amplified by PCR. In spite of the extreme geographical restriction in the recruitment of study participants, a remarkable genetic diversity within HBV genotypes was observed. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences obtained from PCR products combined with demographic information revealed that the presence of some genetic variants was restricted to members of one household, indicative of intrafamilial transmission, which appears to take place at least in part perinatally from mother to child. Other genetic variants were more widely distributed, reflecting horizontal interhousehold transmission. Data for two households with more than one HBV-HDV-coinfected individual indicate that the two viruses are not necessarily transmitted together, as family members with identical HBV sequences had different HDV statuses. IMPORTANCE This study revealed that the prevalence of HBV and HDV in a rural area of Cameroon is extremely high, underlining the pressing need for the improvement of control strategies. Systematic serological and phylogenetic analyses of HBV sequences turned out to be useful tools to identify networks of virus transmission within and between households. The high HBsAg carriage rate found among children demonstrates that implementation of the HBV birth dose vaccine and improvement of vaccine coverage will be key elements in preventing both HBV and HDV infections. In addition, the high HBsAg carriage rate in adolescents and adults emphasizes the need for identification of chronically infected individuals and linkage to WHO-recommended treatment to prevent progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.