Intrinsically disordered proteins and liquid-liquid phase separation in SARS-CoV-2 interactomes.

This paper discusses the properties of proteins and their relations in the interactomes of the selected subsets of SARS-CoV-2 proteome-the membrane protein, nonstructural proteins, and, finally, full proteome. Protein disorder according to several measures, liquid-liquid phase separation probabilities, and protein node degrees in the interaction networks were singled out as the features of interest. Additionally, viral interactomes were combined with the interactome of human lung tissue so as to examine if the new connections in the resulting viral-host interactome are linked to protein disorder. Correlation analysis shows that there is no clear relationship between raw features of interest, whereas there is a positive correlation between the protein disorder and its neighborhood mean disorder. There are also indications that highly connected viral hubs tend to be on average more ordered than proteins with a small number of connections. This is in contrast to previous similar studies conducted on eukaryotic interactomes and possibly raises new questions in research on viral interactomes.

BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES IN MEN WITH HIV/HCV COINFECTION, HIV MONOINFECTION, AND HCV MONOINFECTION.

Context: Both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represent systemic diseases that may develop metabolic complications, thus HIV/HCV coinfection metabolic changes need to be depicted. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the body composition changes in patients with either HIV and HCV monoinfections or HIV/HCV coinfection. Methods: 123 young men divided into three groups: 41 with HIV/HCV coinfection, 42 with HIV-monoinfection, and 40 with HCV-monoinfection were evaluated for total and regional bone and soft tissue body composition assessments using a Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and were compared with 40 healthy men with age and body mass index similar to the study groups. To detect sarcopenia, we calculated the appendicular limbs' lean mass index (ALMI), for obesity, we used the percent of body fat, and for lipodystrophy, we calculated the trunk/limbs index. Results: HIV/HCV coinfection is associated with a significant higher bone demineralization in all regions of interest compared to HCV or HIV monoinfections and to controls. The prevalence of bone demineralization in HIV/HCV patients was 31.7%, more frequently at lumbar spine. Fat mass and lean mass were significantly lower in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients than in controls. Lipodystrophy was found in similar percentages in all three evaluated groups (80.4% in HIV/HCV, 92.5% in HIV, and 95% in the HCV group). Sarcopenia was higher in HIV/HCV group (43.9%) and important in HCV-monoinfection group (30%). Conclusions: HIV/HCV-coinfected patients had the highest prevalence of bone demineralization, fat mass, and lean mass loss, compared to controls and to HIV and HCV monoinfections.

Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix Analysis for the Detection of Discrete, Ethanol-Induced, Structural Changes in Cell Nuclei: An Artificial Intelligence Approach.

Gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) analysis is a contemporary and innovative computational method for the assessment of textural patterns, applicable in almost any area of microscopy. The aim of our research was to perform the GLCM analysis of cell nuclei in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells after the induction of sublethal cell damage with ethyl alcohol, and to evaluate the performance of various machine learning (ML) models regarding their ability to separate damaged from intact cells. For each cell nucleus, five GLCM parameters were calculated: angular second moment, inverse difference moment, GLCM contrast, GLCM correlation, and textural variance. Based on the obtained GLCM data, we applied three ML approaches: neural network, random trees, and binomial logistic regression. Statistically significant differences in GLCM features were observed between treated and untreated cells. The multilayer perceptron neural network had the highest classification accuracy. The model also showed a relatively high level of sensitivity and specificity, as well as an excellent discriminatory power in the separation of treated from untreated cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that it is possible to create a relatively sensitive GLCM-based ML model for the detection of alcohol-induced damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell nuclei.

Application of artificial intelligence for detection of chemico-biological interactions associated with oxidative stress and DNA damage.

In recent years, various AI-based methods have been developed in order to uncover chemico-biological interactions associated with DNA damage and oxidative stress. Various decision trees, bayesian networks, random forests, logistic regression models, support vector machines as well as deep learning tools, have great potential in the area of molecular biology and toxicology, and it is estimated that in the future, they will greatly contribute to our understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with DNA damage and repair. In this concise review, we discuss recent attempts to build machine learning tools for assessment of radiation - induced DNA damage as well as algorithms that can analyze the data from the most frequently used DNA damage assays in molecular biology. We also review recent works on the detection of antioxidant proteins with machine learning, and the use of AI-related methods for prediction and evaluation of noncoding DNA sequences. Finally, we discuss previously published research on the potential application of machine learning tools in aging research.

Particle-in-cell Simulations of the Whistler Heat-flux Instability in Solar Wind Conditions.

In collision-poor plasmas from space, e.g., solar wind or stellar outflows, the heat flux carried by the strahl or beaming electrons is expected to be regulated by the self-generated instabilities. Recently, simultaneous field and particle observations have indeed revealed enhanced whistler-like fluctuations in the presence of counter-beaming populations of electrons, connecting these fluctuations to the whistler heat-flux instability (WHFI). This instability is predicted only for limited conditions of electron beam-plasmas, and has not yet been captured in numerical simulations. In this Letter we report the first simulations of WHFI in particle-in-cell setups, realistic for the solar wind conditions, and without temperature gradients or anisotropies to trigger the instability in the initiation phase. The velocity distributions have a complex reaction to the enhanced whistler fluctuations conditioning the instability saturation by a decrease of the relative drifts combined with induced (effective) temperature anisotropies (heating the core electrons and pitch-angle and energy scattering the strahl). These results are in good agreement with a recent quasilinear approach, and support therefore a largely accepted belief that WHFI saturates at moderate amplitudes. In the anti-sunward direction the strahl becomes skewed with a pitch-angle distribution decreasing in width as electron energy increases, which seems to be characteristic of self-generated whistlers and not to small-scale turbulence.

CENTRAL HYPOTHYROIDISM IN SEVERE SEPSIS.

OBJECTIVE: A partial or complete deficiency of hormone secretion by pituitary gland (hypopituitarism) is commonly seen after a pituitary apoplexy caused by an infarction of a pituitary adenoma or pituitary hyperplasia (as in Sheehan's syndrome). Hypopituitarism may also follow surgery, when hypovolemia, anticoagulation, fat/air/bone marrow microemboli can provoke a pituitary infarction/hemorrhage. Other causes of abrupt hypophyseal hypoperfusion, as hypovolemia during a septic shock, could also contribute. In the last mentioned situation, due to the complex endocrine-immune interrelation, sepsis could be masked and improperly managed. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 72 years-old Caucasian woman, previously healthy, who underwent an orthopedic surgery for a femoral fracture. This event apparently triggered a central-origin hypothyroidism, misinterpreted as "post-surgical psychosis", which, in turn, masked a symptomatology of a subsequent severe sepsis. The patient was admitted in the infectious diseases department with a severe gut-origin sepsis, needing surgery and long course antibiotics. The pituitary insufficiency was reversed. CONCLUSION: Pituitary apoplexy is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening disease, and could be precipitated by successive events - in our case an orthopedic surgery and a subsequent severe sepsis. It needs recognizing (has intrinsic severity and could mask other serious conditions), treat and monitor (could progress and/or reverse).

BONE QUALITY IN A YOUNG COHORT OF HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS.

CONTEXT: In HIV+ patients, several factors related to patient and antiretroviral therapy (ART) could determine early onset of bone mineral density (BMD) disturbances. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of bone quality according to gender in patients from the HIV Romanian cohort. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study in "Prof. Dr. Matei Bals" National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest between 2016-2018. SUBJECT AND METHODS: We collected data regarding HIV infection, ART history, viral hepatitis co-infections and we calculated patients body mass index (BMI). CD4 cell count, HIV viral load (VL), vitamin-D levels were determined. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were used to evaluate BMD. RESULTS: We enrolled 97 patients with the median age of 26 years. According to the DXA T-scores, 10 males and 8 females had osteopenia and 4 males and 4 females had osteoporosis. According to Z-scores 2 males and 1 female had osteoporosis. Hip DXA T-scores revealed osteopenia in 6 males and 9 females, whereas T and Z-scores showed osteoporosis in 2 males and 3 females. Lumbar spine (LS) T-score diagnosed osteopenia in 9 males and 6 females, while T and Z-scores revealed osteoporosis in 3 males and females. In males, low T-scores were associated with decreased BMI; low LS DXA Z-scores with low vitamin-D levels; low T and Z-scores and LS-BMD with high VL. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluating bone quality in patients with a long history of HIV infection, multiple factors should be taken into account.

Examination of the influence of phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMA) concentration on acetochlor adsorption by modified montmorillonite.

The results presented in this paper show an impact of the concentration of the aromatic organic cation on the adsorption of acetochlor on the surface of the organic-modified montmorillonite. Natural montmorillonite from Bogovina (Boljevac municipality, Serbia) was used for organic modification in this experiment. Cation exchange capacity of this montmorillonite (86 mmol 100 g-1 of clay) was determined using the methylene blue method. In pretreatment, montmorillonite was modified with NaCl. For the purpose of organic modification, three different concentrations of phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMA) have been selected, based on calculated CEC value: 43 mmol 100 g-1 of clay (0.5 CEC), 86 mmol 100 g-1 of clay (1 CEC) and 129 mmol 100 g-1 of clay (1.5 CEC). The changes in the properties of the inorganic and organic modified montmorillonite were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and batch equilibrium method. Freundlich coefficients show higher uptake of the herbicide by montmorillonite modified with PTMA, compared to inorganic-modified montmorillonite. The results also indicate the influence of the organic cation concentration on the adsorption of the selected herbicide.

The first report of massive infestation with Lipoptena Cervi (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) in Roe Deer (Capreolus Capreolus) in Iasi county, N-E of Romania / O primeiro relatório de infestação maciça com Lipoptena Cervi (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) em Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) no condado de Iasi, NE da Romênia

Investigations of four roe deer corpses were carried out from May until October 2014, in the Veterinary Forensic Laboratory and in the Parasitic Diseases Clinic, in the Iasi Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The roe deer were harvested by shooting during the trophy hunting season. The clinical examination of the shot specimens revealed the presence of a highly consistent number of extremely mobile apterous insects, spread on the face, head, neck, lateral body parts, abdominal regions, inguinal, perianal and, finally, all over the body. The corpses presented weakening, anemia and cutaneous modification conditions. Several dozen insects were prelevated in a glass recipient and preserved in 70º alcoholic solution in order to identify the ectoparasite species. The morphological characteristics included insects in the Diptera order, Hippoboscidae family, Lipoptena cervi species. These are highly hematophagous insects that by severe weakening are affecting the game health and trophy quality. Histological investigations of the skin revealed some inflammatory reactions caused by ectoparasite Lipoptena cervi. Lipoptena cervi was identified for the first time in Iasi County, Romania.(AU)

As investigações de quatro cadáveres de veados foram realizadas desde maio até outubro de 2014, no Laboratório Forense de Veterinária e na Clínica de Doenças Parasitárias, da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Iasi. Os veados foram abatidos por tiro durante a temporada de caça troféu. O exame clínico dos espécimes revelou a presença de um número muito consistente de insetos ápteros extremamente móveis, espalhados pela face, pela cabeça, pelo pescoço, pelas partes do corpo laterais, pelas regiões abdominal, inguinal, perianal e, finalmente, por todo o corpo. Os cadáveres apresentavam condições de enfraquecimento, anemia e alterações cutâneas. Várias dezenas de insetos foram separados em um recipiente de vidro e preservados em solução alcoólica de 70º, a fim de se identificarem as espécies de ectoparasitos. As características morfológicas incluem os insetos da ordem Diptera, família Hippoboscidae, espécie Lipoptena Cervi. Estes são insetos hematófagos que estão enfraquecendo e afetando a qualidade de saúde de animais de caça e troféu. Investigações histológicas da pele revelaram algumas reações inflamatórias causadas pelo ectoparasita cervi Lipoptena. Lipoptena cervi foi identificado pela primeira vez no condado de Iasi, na Romênia.(AU)

Influence of the organic complex concentration on adsorption of herbicide in organic modified montmorillonite.

This study was undertaken to determine the impact of the organic complex concentration on the adsorption of herbicide (acetochlor) at the surface of the organic modified montmorillonite. In this work, natural montmorillonite from Bogovina (Boljevac municipality, Serbia) was used for organic modification. Cation-exchange capacity of this montmorillonite was determined using a methylene blue method (86 mmol/100 g of clay). Montmorillonite has been modified first with NaCl and then with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-bromide) organic complex. Saturation of cation exchange capacity (CEC) was 50%, 100%, and 150%. Changes in the properties of the inorganic and organic montmorillonite have been examined using the X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and batch equilibrium method. Montmorillonite modified with HDTMA-bromide demonstrated higher uptake of the herbicide, compared to the inorganic montmorillonite. Comparing the values Freundlich coefficients in batch equilibrium method, it can be seen that the adsorption of acetochlor decreased in the series: 0.5 CEC HM > 1 CEC HM > 1.5 CEC HM > NaM.

Is intraoperative touch imprint cytology indicated in the surgical treatment of early breast cancers?

INTRODUCTION: Intraoperative touch imprint cytology (TIC) of the sentinel lymph node(s) (SLN(s)) in the treatment of breast cancer has significantly reduced the number of axillary block dissections (ABD) required during second surgeries. Based on recent studies, ABD was not considered necessary if the presence of tumor cells/micrometastasis was confirmed in the SLN(s) or in the case of macrometastases in a patient group meeting the inclusion criteria for the ACOSOG Z0011 study. Our aim was to determine the sensitivity and usefulness of TIC with regard to these results. METHODS: TICs of the SLN(s) were examined in 1168 patients operated on for breast cancer. The method was also analyzed retrospectively based on the guidelines for the Z0011 study. During TIC, new samples were cut every 250 µm; impression smears were evaluated after being stained with hematoxylin eosin. RESULTS: TIC confirmed metastasis in 202 cases (202/1168, 17.29%). Metastasis was confirmed in SLN(s) in 149 additional cases during a final histological examination. The sensitivity of TIC was found to be 57.18%, and its specificity was 99.63%. An analysis was then performed except for cases that met the inclusion criteria for the Z0011 study and with metastasis smaller than 2 mm (micrometastasis/isolated tumor cells) considered to be positive during intraoperative cytology. The sensitivity of the method decreased to 34.23%, while its specificity was still high at 99.76%. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the new guidelines for ABD, imprint cytology cannot be considered a beneficial and cost-effective intervention in the surgical treatment of early breast cancer.

Preliminary investigation of mineral content of pollen collected from different Serbian maize hybrids - is there any potential nutritional value?

BACKGROUND: Bee pollen has already proved to be a good supplement rich in iron and zinc. Studies on the application of flower pollen in the food industry and medicine have begun. Bearing in mind the prevalence of maize as a crop culture, its pollen will be easily available. The mineral composition of pollen of seven Serbian maize hybrids was analyzed in order to establish its nutritional value and the benefits of its implementation in the human diet using the inductively coupled plasma method. RESULTS: The presence of twenty four different macro- (nine) and micronutrients (fifteen) was detected. The most common minerals were phosphorus and potassium, while arsenic, cobalt, lead, nickel and molybdenum were found in some samples. CONCLUSION: Comparing the results obtained with recommended or tolerable dietary intake references for adults, it was found that maize pollen can be used as a very good source of zinc, iron, chromium and manganese for humans. With regard to selenium content, pollen samples proved to be moderately good source of this important micronutrient. Contents of some elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cr, Se, Al and V) showed significant differences depending on hybrid type. In some samples increased concentrations of aluminum and vanadium were recorded, which may pose a potential problem due to their toxicity. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Metabolic Abnormalities in the Hippocampus of Patients with Schizophrenia: A 3D Multivoxel MR Spectroscopic Imaging Study at 3T.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Schizophrenia is well-known to be associated with hippocampal structural abnormalities. We used 1H-MR spectroscopy to test the hypothesis that these abnormalities are accompanied by NAA deficits, reflecting neuronal dysfunction, in patients compared with healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients with schizophrenia (11 men; mean age, 40.6 ± 10.1 years; mean disease duration, 19.5 ± 10.5 years) and 11 matched healthy controls (5 men; mean age, 33.7 ± 10.1 years) underwent MR imaging and multivoxel point-resolved spectroscopy (TE/TR, 35/1400 ms) 1H-MRS at 3T to obtain their hippocampal GM absolute NAA, Cr, Cho, and mIns concentrations. Unequal variance t tests and ANCOVA were used to compare patients with controls. Bilateral volumes from manually outlined hippocampal masks were compared by using unequal variance t tests. RESULTS: Patients' average hippocampal GM Cr concentrations were 19% higher than that of controls, 8.7 ± 2.2 versus 7.4 ± 1.2 mmol/L (P < .05); showing no differences, concentrations in NAA were 8.8 ± 1.6 versus 8.7 ± 1.2 mmol/L; in Cho, 2.3 ± 0.7 versus 2.1 ± 0.3 mmol/L; and in mIns, 6.1 ± 1.5 versus 5.2 ± 0.9 (all P > .1). There was a positive correlation between mIns and Cr in patients (r = 0.57, P = .05) but not in controls. The mean bilateral hippocampal volume was ∼10% lower in patients: 7.5 ± 0.9 versus 8.4 ± 0.7 cm3 (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the hippocampal volume deficit in schizophrenia is not due to net loss of neurons, in agreement with histopathology studies but not with prior 1H-MR spectroscopy reports. Elevated Cr is consistent with hippocampal hypermetabolism, and its correlation with mIns may also suggest an inflammatory process affecting some cases; these findings may suggest treatment targets and markers to monitor them.

Water quality of Danube Delta systems: ecological status and prediction using machine-learning algorithms.

Environmental issues have a worldwide impact on water bodies, including the Danube Delta, the largest European wetland. The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) implementation operates toward solving environmental issues from European and national level. As a consequence, the water quality and the biocenosis structure was altered, especially the composition of the macro invertebrate community which is closely related to habitat and substrate heterogeneity. This study aims to assess the ecological status of Southern Branch of the Danube Delta, Saint Gheorghe, using benthic fauna and a computational method as an alternative for monitoring the water quality in real time. The analysis of spatial and temporal variability of unicriterial and multicriterial indices were used to assess the current status of aquatic systems. In addition, chemical status was characterized. Coliform bacteria and several chemical parameters were used to feed machine-learning (ML) algorithms to simulate a real-time classification method. Overall, the assessment of the water bodies indicated a moderate ecological status based on the biological quality elements or a good ecological status based on chemical and ML algorithms criteria.

Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Aim: To investigate upper GI bleeding as a particular complication in chronic kidney disease patients. Material and methhod: 30 chronic kidney disease patients admitted to the Nephrology Department for upper gastrointestinal bleeding over a period of 5 years. Results: 16 patients were undergoing hemodialysis (53.3%) and 14 patients were not in a hemodialysis program. There were no patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Very high comorbidity rate for all patients, most important being cardiovascular diseases. Only 10% of patients had oral anticoagulant treatment prior to GI bleeding. Conservative treatment was successful for all patients; no endoscopic or surgical haemostasis was needed. Conclusion: Although chronic disease kidney patients have a high risk of upper GI bleeding compared to the general population, the conservative treatment applied has a very high rate of success in stopping the bleeding without the need for endoscopic or surgical haemostasis treatment.

Rev-erbα and the circadian transcriptional regulation of metabolism.

The circadian clock orchestrates the co-ordinated rhythmicity of numerous metabolic pathways to anticipate daily and seasonal changes in energy demand. This vital physiological function is controlled by a set of individual clock components that are present in each cell of the body, and regulate each other as well as clock output genes. A key factor is the nuclear receptor, Rev-erbα, a transcriptional repressor which functions not only as a clock component but also as a modulator of metabolic programming in an array of tissues. This review explores the role of Rev-erbα in mediating this crosstalk between circadian rhythm and tissue-specific biological networks and its relevance to organismal physiology.

Milder course in Duchenne patients with nonsense mutations and no muscle dystrophin.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe and lethal condition, is caused by the absence of muscle dystrophin. Therapeutic trials aiming at the amelioration of muscle function have been targeting the production of muscle dystrophin in affected Duchenne patients. However, how much dystrophin is required to rescue the DMD phenotype remains an open question. We have previously identified two exceptional golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs with a milder course despite the total absence of muscle dystrophin. Here we report two unusual patients carrying nonsense mutations in the DMD gene and dystrophin deficiency but with an unexpectedly mild phenotype. Three reported polymorphisms, respectively in genes LTBP4, SPP1 and ACTN3 were excluded as possible DMD genetic modifiers in our patients. Finding the mechanisms that protect some rare patients and dogs from the deleterious effect of absent muscle dystrophin is of utmost importance and may lead to new avenues for treatment. Importantly, these observations indicate that it is possible to have a functional large muscle even without dystrophin.

Investigations in associated protozoa-bacterial infections of cyprinids from a fish farm situated on the Jijia river in N-E of Romania / Investigações sobre infecções protozoárias-bacterianas associadas a ciprinídeos da exploração piscícola no rio Jijia, situado no NE da Romênia

In autumn 2011 in cyprinid farms located in Iasi on the Jijia river, several infections with bacterial strains and macroscopical external cysts on the skin were diagnosedwhich developed as a result of the stress induced by biotic and abiotic factors. On the examination of the cyst contents the presence of numerous spores was observed, mostly of the Dermocystidium sp genusThe samples were taken from the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) species from the fish farm as well as from the Jijia River. 35 fish were examined, all of them showing cysts, fragmentation of their dorsal fin and congestion of the gills. Histological examination of the skin showed a field of multiple dermal cysts with round light eosinophilic formations (14-16µm) containing a central refractable body similar to that reported for Dermocystidium sp. Gills samples were taken from the affected areas for the SEM examination with the purpose of evaluating not only aspects of normal morphology, but also aspects of some modifications of the affected areas as well as the presence of the etiologically incriminated bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens. The isolates were identified through phenotypic methods. All the strains that showed mobility and oxidase-positivity were tested using API 20 NE strip. Consequently, they were taxonomically grouped into the species Pseudomonas fluorescens. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used for the first time in the characterization of the bacterial lesions produced by Pseudomonas strains on Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus gibelio gills. The diagnosis of septicemia with conditional pathogen species of Pseudomonas fluorescens was correlated with the results of the physico-chemical investigations of water and the data concerning the breeding conditions of the investigated livestock...

No outono de 2011, em fazendas de ciprinídeos localizadas em Iasi, no rio Jijia, diversas infecções bacterianas e cistos externos macroscópicos na pele se desenvolveram como resultado do estresse induzido por fatores bióticos e abióticos. No exame do conteúdo dos cistos, a presença de diversos esporos foi observada, a maioria do gênero Dermocystidium sp. As amostras foram colhidas das seguintes espécies: carpa comum (Cyprinus carpio) e carpa cruciana (Carassius auratus gibelio) de fazenda piscícola, além do rio Jijia. Assim sendo, 35 peixes foram examinados, todos demonstrando cistos, fragmentação da barbatana dorsal e congestão das guelras. O exame histológico da pele mostrou um campo de múltiplos cistos dérmicos com formações circulares claras eosinofílicas (14-16µm) contendo corpo central refratado similar ao relatado para Dermocystidium sp. Amostras de guelras foram retiradas das áreas afetadas para exame MEV, com o propósito de se avaliar não apenas os aspectos da morfologia normal, mas também os aspectos de algumas modificações das áreas afetadas, além da presença da bactéria etiologicamente incriminada: Pseudomonas fluorescens. Os isolados foram identificados por meio de métodos fenotípicos. Todas as amostras que mostraram mobilidade e positividade-oxidase foram testadas usando-se fita API 20 NE. Consequentemente, estas foram taxonomicamente agrupadas na espécie Pseudomonas fluorescens. O microscópio eletrônico de varredura (MEV) foi usado pela primeira vez na caracterização de lesões bacterianas produzidas por Pseudomonas nas guelras de Cyprinus carpio e Carassius auratus gibelio. O diagnóstico de septicemia com espécies condicionais de patogênico de Pseudomonas fluorescens foi correlacionado com os resultados das investigações físico-químicas da água e de dados sobre as condições de reprodução dos animais investigados...

Diffusional kurtosis imaging of the developing brain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusional kurtosis imaging is an extension of DTI but includes non-Gaussian diffusion effects, allowing more comprehensive characterization of microstructural changes during brain development. Our purpose was to use diffusional kurtosis imaging to measure age-related microstructural changes in both the WM and GM of the developing human brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diffusional kurtosis imaging was performed in 59 subjects ranging from birth to 4 years 7 months of age. Diffusion metrics, fractional anisotropy, and mean kurtosis were collected from VOIs within multiple WM and GM structures and subsequently analyzed with respect to age. Diffusional kurtosis tractography images at various stages of development were also generated. RESULTS: Fractional anisotropy and mean kurtosis both showed age-related increases in all WM regions, reflecting progression of diffusional anisotropy throughout development, predominantly in the first 2 years of life (eg, 70% and 157% increase in fractional anisotropy and mean kurtosis, respectively, from birth to 2 years for the splenium). However, mean kurtosis detected continued microstructural changes in WM past the fractional anisotropy plateau, accounting for more delayed isotropic changes (eg, 90% of maximum fractional anisotropy was reached at 5 months, whereas 90% of maximum mean kurtosis occurred at 18 months for the external capsule). Mean kurtosis may also provide greater characterization of GM maturation (eg, the putamen showed no change in fractional anisotropy but an 81% change in mean kurtosis from birth to 4 years 7 months). CONCLUSIONS: Mean kurtosis detects significant microstructural changes consistent with known patterns of brain maturation. In comparison with fractional anisotropy, mean kurtosis may offer a more comprehensive evaluation of age-related microstructural changes in both WM and GM and is potentially a valuable technique for studying brain development.

Transmission and molecular characterisation of wild measles virus in Romania, 2008 to 2012.

Molecular characterisation of measles virus is a powerful tool for tracing transmission. Genotyping may prove the absence of endemic circulation of measles virus, i.e. transmission for more than 12 months, which is one of the criteria for verifying elimination of the disease. We have genetically characterised measles viruses detected in Romania from 2008 to 2012, focusing on the recent outbreaks from 2010 to 2012 that affected mainly groups with limited access to healthcare and schools. The findings emphasise the importance of genotyping during the different phases of an outbreak. A total of 8,170 cases were notified, and 5,093 (62%) of the 7,559 possible cases were serologically confirmed. RT-PCR was performed for 104 samples: from the 101 positive samples obtained from sporadic measles cases or clusters from different counties, 73 were genotyped. Sporadic measles cases associated with D4 and D5 viruses were observed from2008 to 2009. Genotype D4-Manchester was predominant in 2011 and 2012. In addition, the related variant D4-Maramures and MVs/Limoges.FRA/17.10[D4] and a few D4-Hamburg strains were detected. The detection of several distinct MV-D4 genotypes suggests multiple virus importations to Romania. The outbreak associated with D4 genotype is the second largest outbreak in Romania in less than 10 years.