[White sponge naevus. Report of a family with respect to histopathologic, cytopathologic and DNA-cytometric aspects]

The white sponge naevus is a rare benign, hereditary autosomal dominant disorder of the mucosa. The oral mucosa is most often affected, but vaginal and anal mucosal surfaces may also be involved. Clinically, a whitish-grey, ragged, and folded surface that has no clear demarcation and appears sponge-like is characteristic, often creating problems in differential diagnosis. A potential risk for malignant transformation of white sponge naevus lesions has not been reported. The therapy for this benign hereditary disorder is unknown, however does not appear to be necessary. In the present report of a family with known white sponge naevus in three different generations, clinical, histopathologic, cytopathologic, DNA-cytomertric, and genetic aspects are described and discussed.

The Gut Microbiome and Cirrhosis: Basic Aspects

In this chapter the basic aspects helping to understand the microbiome in terms of quantity, diversity, complexity, function, and interaction with the host are discussed. First the nomenclature, definitions of taxa, and measures of diversity as well as methods to unravel this kingdom are outlined. A brief summary on its physiological relevance for general health and the functions exerted specifically by the microbiome is presented. Differences in the composition of the microbiome along the gastrointestinal tract and across the gut wall and its interindividual variations, enterotypes, and stability are highlighted. The reader will be familiarized with all different modulators impacting on the microbiome, namely, intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include gastrointestinal secretions (gastric acid, bile, pancreatic juice, mucus), antimicrobial peptides, motility, enteric nervous system, and host genotype. Extrinsic factors are mainly dietary choices, hygiene, stress, alcohol consumption, exercise, and medications. The second part of the chapter focuses on quantitative and qualitative changes in microbiome in liver cirrhosis. The mechanisms contributing to dysbiosis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and bacterial translocation are delineated underscoring their role for the liver-gut axis.

The secret to legal foretelling: generic and inter-generic aspects of vagueness in contracts, patents and regulations

In this genre analysis research paper, we compare U.S. patents, contracts, and regulations on technical matters with a focus upon the relation between vagueness and communicative purposes and subpurposes of these three genres. Our main interest is the investigation of intergeneric conventions across the three genres, based on the software analysis of three corpora (one for each genre, 1 million words per corpus). The result of the investigation is that intergeneric conventions are found at the level of types of expressed linguistic vagueness, but that intergeneric conventions at the level of actual formulations are rare. The conclusion is that at this latter level the influence from the situation type underlying the individual genre is more important than the overarching legal character of the genres, when we talk about introducing explicit vagueness in the text.

Molecular and cell biology aspects of plague

A 70-kb virulence plasmid (sometimes called pYV) enables Yersinia spp. to survive and multiply in the lymphoid tissues of their host. It encodes the Yop virulon, a system consisting of secreted proteins called Yops and their dedicated type III secretion apparatus called Ysc. The Ysc apparatus forms a channel composed of 29 proteins. Of these, 10 have counterparts in almost every type III system. Secretion of some Yops requires the assistance, in the bacterial cytosol, of small individual chaperones called the Syc proteins. These chaperones act as bodyguards or secretion pilots for their partner Yop. Yop proteins fall into two categories. Some are intracellular effectors, whereas the others are “translocators” needed to deliver the effectors across the eukaryotic plasma membrane, into eukaryotic cells. The translocators (YopB, YopD, LcrV) form a pore of 16–23 Å in the eukaryotic cell plasma membrane. The effector Yops are YopE, YopH, YpkA/YopO, YopP/YopJ, YopM, and YopT. YopH is a powerful phosphotyrosine phosphatase playing an antiphagocytic role by dephosphorylating several focal adhesion proteins. YopE and YopT contribute to antiphagocytic effects by inactivating GTPases controlling cytoskeleton dynamics. YopP/YopJ plays an anti-inflammatory role by preventing the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. It also induces rapid apoptosis of macrophages. Less is known about the role of the phosphoserine kinase YopO/YpkA and YopM.

Plastisol gelation and fusion rheological aspects

This study deals with the rheological aspects of poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) plastisol gelation and fusion processes in foamable formulations. Here, such processes are simulated by temperature-programmed experiment (5 K min−1) in which complex viscosity components are continuously recorded. Nineteen samples based on a PVC-VAC (vinyl acetate 95/5) copolymer with 100 phr plasticizer have been studied, differing only by the plasticizer structure. The sample shear modulus increases continuously with temperature until a maximum, long time after the end of the dissolution process as characterized by DSC. The temperature at the maximum varies between 345 and 428 K with a clear tendency to increase almost linearly with the plasticizer molar mass, and to vary with the flexibility and the degree of branching of the plasticizer molecule. The shear modulus increase is interpreted in terms of progressive “welding” of swelled particles by polymer chain reptation. The plasticizer nature would mainly affect the friction parameter of chain diffusion.

The charters of the city of London, which have been granted by the kings and queens of England since the conquest.

Compiled by John Evelyn (not the diarist) cf. Brit. mus. Catalogue.