[Anticoagulation and antiphospholipid syndrome: be careful to the catastrophe]. / Anticoagulation et syndrome des antiphospholipides : attention à la catastrophe.

Antiphospholipid syndrome associate thromboembolic events (arterial or venous), and presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, and require anticoagulation. A catastrophic variant may develop, resulting in multiorgan failure, with high mortality rate. This article presented a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome presenting a catastrophic antiphospholipide syndrome after anticoagulation suspending for gastrointestinal bleeding. Multidisciplinary management in intensive care unit and aggressive therapies (corticosteroids, anticoagulation, plasma exchange) were essential to rescue the patient.

Activation of two different resistance mechanisms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae upon exposure to octanoic and decanoic acids.

Medium-chain fatty acids (octanoic and decanoic acids) are well known as fermentation inhibitors. During must fermentation, the toxicity of these fatty acids is enhanced by ethanol and low pH, which favors their entrance in the cell, resulting in a decrease of internal pH. We present here the characterization of the mechanisms involved in the establishment of the resistance to these fatty acids. The analysis of the transcriptome response to the exposure to octanoic and decanoic acids revealed that two partially overlapping mechanisms are activated; both responses share many genes with an oxidative stress response, but some key genes were activated differentially. The transcriptome response to octanoic acid stress can be described mainly as a weak acid response, and it involves Pdr12p as the main transporter. The phenotypic analysis of knocked-out strains confirmed the role of the Pdr12p transporter under the control of WAR1 but also revealed the involvement of the Tpo1p major facilitator superfamily proteins (MFS) transporter in octanoic acid expulsion. In contrast, the resistance to decanoic acid is composite. It also involves the transporter Tpo1p and includes the activation of several genes of the beta-oxidation pathway and ethyl ester synthesis. Indeed, the induction of FAA1 and EEB1, coding for a long-chain fatty acyl coenzyme A synthetase and an alcohol acyltransferase, respectively, suggests a detoxification pathway through the production of decanoate ethyl ester. These results are confirmed by the sensitivity of strains bearing deletions for the transcription factors encoded by PDR1, STB5, OAF1, and PIP2 genes.

Molecular typing of wine yeast strains Saccharomyces bayanus var. uvarum using microsatellite markers.

The Saccharomyces bayanus var. uvarum yeasts are associated with spontaneous fermentation of must. Some strains were shown to be enological yeasts of interest in different winemaking processes. The molecular typing of S. bayanus var. uvarum at the strain level has become significant for wine microbiologists. Four microsatellite loci were defined from the exploration of genomic DNA sequence of S. bayanus var. uvarum. The 40 strains studied were homozygote for the locus considered. The discriminating capacity of the microsatellite method was found to be equal to that of karyotypes analysis. Links between 37 indigenous strains with the same geographic origin could be established through the analysis of microsatellite patterns. The analysis of microsatellite polymorphism is a reliable method for wine S. bayanus var. uvarum strains and their hybrids with Saccharomyces cerevisiae identification in taxonomic, ecological studies and winemaking applications.

Predominance of Saccharomyces uvarum during spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, for three consecutive years, in an Alsatian winery.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine the origin of the yeasts involved in the spontaneous alcoholic fermentation of an Alsatian wine. METHODS AND RESULTS: During three successive years, must was collected at different stages of the winemaking process and fermented in the laboratory or in the cellar. Saccharomyces yeasts were sampled at the beginning and at the end of the fermentations. Saccharomyces cerevisiae clones were genetically characterized by inter-delta PCR. Non-S. cerevisiae clones were identified as Saccharomyces uvarum by PCR-RFLP on MET2 gene and characterized at the strain level by karyotyping. The composition of the Saccharomyces population in the vineyard, after crushing and in the vat was analyzed. This led to three main results. First, the vineyard Saccharomyces population was rather homogeneous. Second, new non-resident strains had appeared in the must during the winemaking process. Finally, the yeast population in the vat only consisted in S. uvarum strains. CONCLUSION: This 3-year study has enabled us to show the involvement of indigenous S. uvarum in the alcoholic fermentation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study gives a first insight into the polymorphism of S. uvarum strains involved in a spontaneous alcoholic fermentation.

Sequence of DNA 16S/23S spacer region of Leuconostoc oenos (Oenococcus oeni): application to strain differentiation.

Leuconostoc oenos is involved in malolactic fermentation occurring during wine-making. An increasing number of wines are being inoculated with malolactic starters to control the process, and the identification and differentiation of selected strains are now indispensable both for quality control of production and for commercial purposes. In the present work we evaluated the potential use of the intergenic regions of three L. oenos strains for their differentiation. The three 16S/23S rRNA intergenic spacers were amplified in vitro by PCR, and sequences were compared. The spacer sequence was highly conserved in all strains. Inside this spacer, a tRNA-Ala gene containing an 18-bp sequence stretch which is conserved in all tRNA genes was discovered. This sequence, together with random primers, was used for characterization of ten L. oenos strains by PCR.

Development of a detection system for histidine decarboxylating lactic acid bacteria based on DNA probes, PCR and activity test.

On the basis of the comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the histidine decarboxylase genes (hdcA) of Lactobacillus 30A and Clostridium perfringens and the amino acid sequences of these histidine decarboxylases and those of Lactobacillus buchneri and Micrococcus, oligonucleotides unique to the hdcA genes were synthesized and used in PCR. All histidine-decarboxylating lactic acid bacteria gave a signal with primer set JV16HC/JV17HC in PCR. In addition to this primer set, CL1/CL2 and CL1/JV17HC were also useful for the detection of histamine-forming Leuconostoc aenos strains in PCR. The 150 base pair amplification product of the decarboxylating Leuc. aenos strain generated with primer set CL1/CL2 was sequenced. Alignment studies showed a high degree of relatedness among the hdcA gene products of Gram-positive bacteria. The amplification products of the hdcA genes from Lac. buchneri and Leuct. aenos were used to serve as a DNA probe in hybridization studies. All histidine-decarboxylating lactic acid bacteria gave a hybridization signal with the DNA probes. In hybridization only one false-positive signal with a Lactobacillus lindneri strain was observed, which was anticipated to contain a truncated hdcA gene. In addition to these DNA probe tests, a simple and reliable activity test is presented, which can be used during starter selection to test strains for histidine decarboxylase activity.

[Research on bronchomotor properties of a calcium inhibitor (bepridil) in asthmatic patients]. / Recherche de propriétés broncho-motrices d'un inhibiteur calcique (bépridil) chez l'asthmatique.

The bronchomotor properties of calcium antagonists were investigated in 10 patients with paroxysmal asthma, using a double-blind, cross-over method. Each patient received, in random order, either a placebo (5% glucose solution) or bepridil (2 mg/kg) administered by intravenous infusion over 30 min. There were no changes in mean values of vital capacity, FEV1 and systolic blood pressure. Bradycardia was regularly present. Diastolic blood pressure was lowered in 4 patients. An analysis of individual responses showed that FEV1 was unimpaired in 9 patients and was increased by more than 25% in one case. Thus, contrary to beta-blockers, bepridil and other calcium antagonists have no adverse effects on the bronchi of asthmatics; on the other hand, their bronchorelaxant effect is too inconstant for these drugs to be used in the symptomatic treatment of paroxysmal asthma.