Phylogenetic identification of marine bacteria isolated from deep-sea sediments of the eastern South Atlantic Ocean

The deep-sea environments of the South Atlantic Ocean are less studied in comparison to the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. With the aim of identifying the deep-sea bacteria in this less known ocean, 70 strains were isolated from eight sediment samples (depth range between 1905 to 5560 m) collected in the eastern part of the South Atlantic, from the equatorial region to the Cape Abyssal Plain, using three different culture media. The strains were classified into three phylogenetic groups, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, by the analysis of 16s rRNA gene sequences. Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes were the most frequently identified groups, with Halomonas the most frequent genus among the strains. Microorganisms belonging to Firmicutes were the only ones observed in all samples. Sixteen of the 41 identified operational taxonomic units probably represent new species. The presence of potentially new species reinforces the need for new studies in the deep-sea environments of the South Atlantic.

Does videothoracoscopy improve clinical outcomes when implemented as part of a pleural empyema treatment algorithm?

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate whether the inclusion of videothoracoscopy in a pleural empyema treatment algorithm would change the clinical outcome of such patients. METHODS: This study performed quality-improvement research. We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent pleural decortication for pleural empyema at our institution from 2002 to 2008. With the old algorithm (January 2002 to September 2005), open decortication was the procedure of choice, and videothoracoscopy was only performed in certain sporadic mid-stage cases. With the new algorithm (October 2005 to December 2008), videothoracoscopy became the first-line treatment option, whereas open decortication was only performed in patients with a thick pleural peel (>2 cm) observed by chest scan. The patients were divided into an old algorithm (n = 93) and new algorithm (n = 113) group and compared. The main outcome variables assessed included treatment failure (pleural space reintervention or death up to 60 days after medical discharge) and the occurrence of complications. RESULTS: Videothoracoscopy and open decortication were performed in 13 and 80 patients from the old algorithm group and in 81 and 32 patients from the new algorithm group, respectively (p < 0.01). The patients in the new algorithm group were older (41 +/- 1 vs. 46.3 +/- 16.7 years, p=0.014) and had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores [0(0-3) vs. 2(0-4), p = 0.032]. The occurrence of treatment failure was similar in both groups (19.35% vs. 24.77%, p= 0.35), although the complication rate was lower in the new algorithm group (48.3% vs. 33.6%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The wider use of videothoracoscopy in pleural empyema treatment was associated with fewer complications and unaltered rates of mortality and reoperation even though more severely ill patients were subjected to videothoracoscopic surgery.

The State as Part of the Republic

The State as Part of the Republic The main objective of this article is to analyze an ideal of civic life, the Republic, based on the form of the sovereign state. Historically, the convergence between Republic and sovereign state has been truncated by the former's commitment to the thesis of royal absolutism. However, as the democratic issue (translated in the values of equality and pluralism) was absorbed by sovereignism, such convergence became more plausible. As viewed in this article, the theoretical bridge of that passage is the concept of political representation. The issue is thus to show in what way a certain vision of the political form (that of the state) can fit into a theory of political representation that contemplates the above-mentioned values.

Expression of PAFR as Part of a Prosurvival Response to Chemotherapy: A Novel Target for Combination Therapy in Melanoma

Melanoma cells express the platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) and, thus, respond to PAF, a bioactive lipid produced by both tumour cells and those in the tumour microenvironment such as macrophages. Here, we show that treatment of a human melanoma SKmel37 cell line with cisplatin led to increased expression of PAFR and its accumulation. In the presence of exogenous PAF, melanoma cells were significantly more resistant to cisplatin-induced cell death. Inhibition of PAFR-dependent signalling pathways by a PAFR antagonist (WEB2086) showed chemosensitisation of melanoma cells in vitro. Nude mice were inoculated with SKmel37 cells and treated with cisplatin and WEB2086. Animals treated with both agents showed significantly decreased tumour growth compared to the control group and groups treated with only one agent. PAFR accumulation and signalling are part of a prosurvival program of melanoma cells, therefore constituting a promising target for combination therapy for melanomas.

Huckebein is part of a combinatorial repression code in the anterior blastoderm

The hierarchy of the segmentation cascade responsible for establishing the Drosophila body plan is composed by gap, pair-rule and segment polarity genes. However, no pair-rule stripes are formed in the anterior regions of the embryo. This lack of stripe formation, as well as other evidence from the literature that is further investigated here, led us to the hypothesis that anterior gap genes might be involved in a combinatorial mechanism responsible for repressing the cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) of hairy (h), even-skipped (eve), runt (run), and fushi-tarazu (ftz) anterior-most stripes. In this study, we investigated huckebein (hkb), which has a gap expression domain at the anterior tip of the embryo. Using genetic methods we were able to detect deviations from the wild-type patterns of the anterior-most pair-rule stripes in different genetic backgrounds, which were consistent with Hkb-mediated repression. Moreover, we developed an image processing tool that, for the most part, confirmed our assumptions. Using an hkb misexpression system, we further detected specific repression on anterior stripes. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis predicted an increased significance of binding site clusters in the CRMs of h 1, eve 1, run 1 and ftz 1 when Hkb was incorporated in the analysis, indicating that Hkb plays a direct role in these CRMs. We further discuss that Hkb and Slp1, which is the other previously identified common repressor of anterior stripes, might participate in a combinatorial repression mechanism controlling stripe CRMs in the anterior parts of the embryo and define the borders of these anterior stripes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.