The discriminatory power of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to differentiate between isogenic teicoplanin-susceptible and teicoplanin-resistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

To explore the discriminatory power of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for detecting subtle differences in isogenic isolates, we tested isogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus differing in their expression of resistance to methicillin or teicoplanin. More important changes in MALDI-TOF MS spectra were found with strains differing in methicillin than in teicoplanin resistance. In comparison, very minor or no changes were recorded in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles or peptidoglycan muropeptide digest patterns of these strains, respectively. MALDI-TOF MS might be useful to detect subtle strain-specific differences in ionizable components released from bacterial surfaces and not from their peptidoglycan network.

The CAP1/Prss8 catalytic triad is not involved in PAR2 activation and protease nexin-1 (PN-1) inhibition.

Serine proteases, serine protease inhibitors, and protease-activated receptors (PARs) are responsible for several human skin disorders characterized by impaired epidermal permeability barrier function, desquamation, and inflammation. In this study, we addressed the consequences of a catalytically dead serine protease on epidermal homeostasis, the activation of PAR2 and the inhibition by the serine protease inhibitor nexin-1. The catalytically inactive serine protease CAP1/Prss8, when ectopically expressed in the mouse, retained the ability to induce skin disorders as well as its catalytically active counterpart (75%, n=81). Moreover, this phenotype was completely normalized in a PAR2-null background, indicating that the effects mediated by the catalytically inactive CAP1/Prss8 depend on PAR2 (95%, n=131). Finally, nexin-1 displayed analogous inhibitory capacity on both wild-type and inactive mutant CAP1/Prss8 in vitro and in vivo (64% n=151 vs. 89% n=109, respectively), indicating that the catalytic site of CAP1/Prss8 is dispensable for nexin-1 inhibition. Our results demonstrate a novel inhibitory interaction between CAP1/Prss8 and nexin-1, opening the search for specific CAP1/Prss8 antagonists that are independent of its catalytic activity.-Crisante, G., Battista, L., Iwaszkiewicz, J., Nesca, V., Mérillat, A.-M., Sergi, C., Zoete, V., Frateschi, S., Hummler, E. The CAP1/Prss8 catalytic triad is not involved in PAR2 activation and protease nexin-1 (PN-1) inhibition.

Aspectos oceanográficos durante el crucero de evaluación del recurso merluza BIC José Olaya Blandra 9806-07

Las condiciones ambientales del mar peruano del 27 de junio al 13 de julio 1998, durante el Crucero 9806-07 fueron cálidas de Puerto Pizarro a Talara con anomalías mayores a +5 °C, mientras que al sur de Talara fueron ligeramente cálidas, con anomalías de +0,7 a +2,8 °C. Las masas de agua presentes fueron: Aguas Tropicales Superficiales, localizadas de Puerto Pizarro a Máncora. Las Aguas Ecuatoriales Superficiales ubicadas al norte de Talara y Aguas Subtropicales al sur de los 5 °S. En el fondo la distribución de la temperatura, salinidad y oxígeno al sur de Punta Falsa fue homogénea, presentado al norte de esta localidad mayores contrastes debido a la estrechez de la plataforma y al avance de las aguas cálidas al norte. La isoterma de 15 °C se ubicó a 150 m de profundidad al norte de Chicama con excepción de Punta Falsa, donde se profundizó hasta los 200 m. Al sur de Chicama la profundidad promedio fue de 125 m, excepto frente a Casma donde se localizó sobre los 100 m, representando un ascenso de aproximadamente 100 m respecto al Cr. 9705-06.

Condición reproductiva de Engraulis Ringens y Vinciguerria Lucetia Pacifici en el mar peruano durante la primavera 1998

Se da a conocer el estado reproductivo de anchoveta por grados latitudinales y por rangos de talla (12,0 - 13,5 cm y de 14,0 - 16,5 cm). Se observa un distinto comportamiento reproductivo de anchoveta en cada uno de los rangos de talla y en las zonas de muestreo, evidenciándose que esta especie no se encuentra en su periodo de desove. Por el contrario, Vinciguerria lucetia pacifici se encontraba desovando; la talla de primera madurez sexual para las hembras se calculó en 5,3 cm; igualmente la talla de primer desove fue estimada en 5,3 cm. Las muestras fueron obtenidas durante el crucero BIC José Olaya Balandra 9811-12,

Que ton règne vienne. Des évangéliques tentés par le pouvoir absolu

Le recul du protestantisme classique accompagnant la sécularisation de nos sociétés pousse les évangéliques à s'engager dans l'espace public, afin de sécuriser ce qui reste des appuis institutionnels qui garantissaient la dimension chrétienne de la société. Ils développent alors des schèmes théologiques permettant d'investir les institutions et les causes politiques. Simultanément, cette sécularisation accentue dangereusement le fonctionnement de la sphère religieuse sur le mode du marché. Cette dérégulation fait le lit des radicalismes théologiques et politiques, en affaiblissant les mesures de régulation propres à la société et les garde-fous internes aux communautés religieuses. Cet ouvrage restitue une enquête sociologique portant sur la façon dont sont confectionnés, diffusés et acclimatés ces schèmes théologiques, mais aussi sur les agissements des acteurs, tant locaux qu'internationaux, qui en sont les porteurs ou qui y ont recours en vue de rechristianiser la nation. Menée à partir de la Suisse et focalisée sur la scène genevoise, cette investigation se poursuit aux États-Unis, permettant d'appréhender des fonctionnements globalisés qui affectent similairement les continents dans lesquels l'évangélisme est en pleine expansion (l'Afrique, l'Asie, l'Amérique latine).

Molecular determinants of desensitization in an ENaC/degenerin channel.

Epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC)/degenerin family members are involved in mechanosensation, blood pressure control, pain sensation, and the expression of fear. Several of these channel types display a form of desensitization that allows the channel to limit Na(+) influx during prolonged stimulation. We used site-directed mutagenesis and chemical modification, functional analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the role of the lower palm domain of the acid-sensing ion channel 1, a member of the ENaC/degenerin family. The lower palm domains of this trimeric channel are arranged around a central vestibule, at ∼20 Å above the plasma membrane and are covalently linked to the transmembrane channel parts. We show that the lower palm domains approach one another during desensitization. Residues in the palm co-determine the pH dependence of desensitization, its kinetics, and the stability of the desensitized state. Mutations of palm residues impair desensitization by preventing the closing movement of the palm. Overexpression of desensitization-impaired channel mutants in central neurons allowed--in contrast to overexpression of wild type--a sustained signaling response to rapid pH fluctuations. We identify and describe here the function of an important regulatory domain that most likely has a conserved role in ENaC/degenerin channels.

Remaniement en prose de la Chanson de la croisade contre les Albigeois

Manuscrit P du remaniement L Sur le feuillet A préliminaire sont deux notes indiquant que le texte de notre ms. a été imprimé au tome III de l'histoire de Languedoc de D. Vaissette et au tome XIX du recueil des Historiens de France. Ce texte représente la traduction en prose, faite au XVe siècle par un jurisconsulte inconnu, d'après un ms. un peu différent de celui que nous avons de la Chanson de la croisade contre les Albigeois, dit M. P. Meyer, page XXVI de son introduction à lad. chanson, qu'il a publiée pour la Société de l'histoire de France en 1879. Commençant par : Com entre toutas l[as] causas que lo cre[ator] a formadas pri[mierament] a creat et form[at los] entendemens, so es [lo] eutendemen angelic et huma [...]Finissant par : [...] et son absolution ly a baylada par escript.

Early multimodal outcome prediction after cardiac arrest in patients treated with hypothermia.

OBJECTIVES: Therapeutic hypothermia and pharmacological sedation may influence outcome prediction after cardiac arrest. The use of a multimodal approach, including clinical examination, electroencephalography, somatosensory-evoked potentials, and serum neuron-specific enolase, is recommended; however, no study examined the comparative performance of these predictors or addressed their optimal combination. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Adult ICU of an academic hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred thirty-four consecutive adults treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Variables related to the cardiac arrest (cardiac rhythm, time to return of spontaneous circulation), clinical examination (brainstem reflexes and myoclonus), electroencephalography reactivity during therapeutic hypothermia, somatosensory-evoked potentials, and serum neuron-specific enolase. Models to predict clinical outcome at 3 months (assessed using the Cerebral Performance Categories: 5 = death; 3-5 = poor recovery) were evaluated using ordinal logistic regressions and receiving operator characteristic curves. Seventy-two patients (54%) had a poor outcome (of whom, 62 died), and 62 had a good outcome. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression identified absence of electroencephalography reactivity (p < 0.001), incomplete recovery of brainstem reflexes in normothermia (p = 0.013), and neuron-specific enolase higher than 33 μg/L (p = 0.029), but not somatosensory-evoked potentials, as independent predictors of poor outcome. The combination of clinical examination, electroencephalography reactivity, and neuron-specific enolase yielded the best predictive performance (receiving operator characteristic areas: 0.89 for mortality and 0.88 for poor outcome), with 100% positive predictive value. Addition of somatosensory-evoked potentials to this model did not improve prognostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of clinical examination, electroencephalography reactivity, and serum neuron-specific enolase offers the best outcome predictive performance for prognostication of early postanoxic coma, whereas somatosensory-evoked potentials do not add any complementary information. Although prognostication of poor outcome seems excellent, future studies are needed to further improve prediction of good prognosis, which still remains inaccurate.

Nanopore detection of single molecule RNAP-DNA transcription complex.

In the past decade, a number of single-molecule methods have been developed with the aim of investigating single protein and nucleic acid interactions. For the first time we use solid-state nanopore sensing to detect a single E. coli RNAP-DNA transcription complex and single E. coli RNAP enzyme. On the basis of their specific conductance translocation signature, we can discriminate and identify between those two types of molecular translocations and translocations of bare DNA. This opens up a new perspectives for investigating transcription processes at the single-molecule level.