Global phylogenomic analysis of nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae reveals a deep-branching classic lineage that is distinct from multiple sporadic lineages.

The surrounding capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been identified as a major virulence factor and is targeted by pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). However, nonencapsulated S. pneumoniae (non-Ec-Sp) have also been isolated globally, mainly in carriage studies. It is unknown if non-Ec-Sp evolve sporadically, if they have high antibiotic nonsusceptiblity rates and a unique, specific gene content. Here, whole-genome sequencing of 131 non-Ec-Sp isolates sourced from 17 different locations around the world was performed. Results revealed a deep-branching classic lineage that is distinct from multiple sporadic lineages. The sporadic lineages clustered with a previously sequenced, global collection of encapsulated S. pneumoniae (Ec-Sp) isolates while the classic lineage is comprised mainly of the frequently identified multilocus sequences types (STs) ST344 (n = 39) and ST448 (n = 40). All ST344 and nine ST448 isolates had high nonsusceptiblity rates to β-lactams and other antimicrobials. Analysis of the accessory genome reveals that the classic non-Ec-Sp contained an increased number of mobile elements, than Ec-Sp and sporadic non-Ec-Sp. Performing adherence assays to human epithelial cells for selected classic and sporadic non-Ec-Sp revealed that the presence of a integrative conjugative element (ICE) results in increased adherence to human epithelial cells (P = 0.005). In contrast, sporadic non-Ec-Sp lacking the ICE had greater growth in vitro possibly resulting in improved fitness. In conclusion, non-Ec-Sp isolates from the classic lineage have evolved separately. They have spread globally, are well adapted to nasopharyngeal carriage and are able to coexist with Ec-Sp. Due to continued use of PCV, non-Ec-Sp may become more prevalent.

A high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimeter with magnetic field for magnetostructural transitions

We have developed a differential scanning calorimeter capable of working under applied magnetic fields of up to 5 T. The calorimeter is highly sensitive and operates over the temperature range 10¿300 K. It is shown that, after a proper calibration, the system enables determination of the latent heat and entropy changes in first-order solid¿solid phase transitions. The system is particularly useful for investigating materials that exhibit the giant magnetocaloric effect arising from a magnetostructural phase transition. Data for Gd5(Si0.1Ge0.9)4 are presented.

Comparative sensitivity of tumor and non-tumor cell lines as reliable approach for in vitro cytotoxicity screening of lysine-based surfactants with potential pharmaceutical applications

Surfactants are used as additives in topical pharmaceuticals and drug delivery systems. The biocompatibility of amino acid-based surfactants makes them highly suitable for use in these fields, but tests are needed to evaluate their potential toxicity. Here we addressed the sensitivity of tumor (HeLa, MCF-7) and non-tumor (3T3, 3T6, HaCaT, NCTC 2544) cell lines to the toxic effects of lysine-based surfactants by means of two in vitro endpoints (MTT and NRU). This comparative assay may serve as a reliable approach for predictive toxicity screening of chemicals prior to pharmaceutical applications. After 24-h of cell exposure to surfactants, differing toxic responses were observed. NCTC 2544 and 3T6 cell lines were the most sensitive, while both tumor cells and 3T3 fibroblasts were more resistant to the cytotoxic effects of surfactants. IC50-values revealed that cytotoxicity was detected earlier by MTT assay than by NRU assay, regardless of the compound or cell line. The overall results showed that surfactants with organic counterions were less cytotoxic than those with inorganic counterions. Our findings highlight the relevance of the correct choice and combination of cell lines and bioassays in toxicity studies for a safe and reliable screen of chemicals with potential interest in pharmaceutical industry.

Changes in chromosomal polymorphism and global warming: The case of Drosophila subobscura from Apatin (Serbia)

Abstract In this study, chromosomal inversion polymorphism data for a natural population of Drosophila subobscura from a swampy region near the town of Apatin (Serbia) were compared with data for the same population collected approximately 15 years earlier. The pattern of chromosomal inversion polymorphism changed over time. There were significant increases in the frequency of characteristic southern latitude ("warm" adapted) chromosomal arrangements and significant decreases in the frequency of characteristic northern latitude ("cold" adapted) chromosomal arrangements in the O and U chromosomes. The chromosomal arrangements O3+4 and O3+4+22 (derived from the O3+4 arrangement)showed significant increases in 2008 and 2009 with regard to the 1994 sample. There was also a significant increase (~50%) in the U1+2 arrangement, while U1+8+2 (a typical southern arrangement) was detected for the first time. Since the Apatin swampy population ofD. subobscura has existed for a long time in a stable habitat with high humidity that has not been changed by man our results indicate that natural selection has produced chromosomal changes in response to the increase in temperature that has occurred in the Balkan Peninsula of central southeastern European. Key words: chromosomal inversions, Drosophila subobscura, global warming, karyotypes.

A global analysis of Y-chromosomal haplotype diversity for 23 STR loci.

In a worldwide collaborative effort, 19,630 Y-chromosomes were sampled from 129 different populations in 51 countries. These chromosomes were typed for 23 short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, GATAH4, DYS481, DYS533, DYS549, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643) and using the PowerPlex Y23 System (PPY23, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI). Locus-specific allelic spectra of these markers were determined and a consistently high level of allelic diversity was observed. A considerable number of null, duplicate and off-ladder alleles were revealed. Standard single-locus and haplotype-based parameters were calculated and compared between subsets of Y-STR markers established for forensic casework. The PPY23 marker set provides substantially stronger discriminatory power than other available kits but at the same time reveals the same general patterns of population structure as other marker sets. A strong correlation was observed between the number of Y-STRs included in a marker set and some of the forensic parameters under study. Interestingly a weak but consistent trend toward smaller genetic distances resulting from larger numbers of markers became apparent.

Impact of stressful life event on the global functioning outcome after an assertive community treatment

Background: Assertive community treatment (ACT) was reported to be an effective treatment to improve global functioning of ultra-high risk (UHR) adolescents. However, the infl uence of stressful life event (SLE) was not extensively studied which represent our objective. Method: The SLE (encompassing adoption, migration, family member's deceased, sexual or physical abuse, etc.) of 20 UHR adolescents, treated with an ACT model, were rated. 10 adolescents having 0 to 1 SLE (mainly parents' divorce; low SLE group) were compared 10 adolescents with 2 to 5 SLE (high SLE group). The adolescents were assessed at baseline and after treatment with the Health of Nation Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA). The HoNOSCA allowed rating different diffi culties such as behavior, symptoms, disorders and social. Results: First, results on the whole sample indicated signifi cant improvement after ACT (compared to baseline) on the total (P = .04), symptoms (P = .025) and social (P = .009) scores of the HoNOSCA. Second, the improvement on the HoNOSCA's score of the high SLE group were signifi cantly higher for the total (P = .016), symptoms (P = .019) and behavior (P = .033) scores compared to the low SLE group. Discussion/Conclusion: Globally, ACT seems to be an appropriate treatment to enhance global functioning and more specifi cally the social and symptoms diffi culties of UHR adolescents. Additionally, UHR adolescents with a high numbers of SLE were observed to have a better benefi t of the ACT on global, symptoms and behavioral diffi culties.

Exercise dose and insulin sensitivity: relevance for diabetes prevention.

PURPOSE: Exercise improves insulin resistance and is a first line for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. The extent, however, to which these responses are dose dependent is not known. The purpose of this study was to examine whether exercise dose was associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity after 4 months of exercise training in previously sedentary adults. METHODS: Fifty-five healthy volunteers participated in a 16-wk supervised endurance exercise intervention with a pre/postintervention design. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, peak oxygen uptake by a graded exercise test, and body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The exercise intervention consisted of three to five sessions per week with a minimum of three sessions supervised. A ramped exercise prescription protocol was used to achieve 75% of peak HR for 45 min per session. Exercise dose, expressed as average kilocalories expended per week, was computed as the product of exercise intensity, duration and frequency. RESULTS: Improved insulin sensitivity was significantly related to exercise dose in a graded dose-response relationship. No evidence of threshold or maximal dose-response effect was observed. Age and gender did not influence this dose-response relationship. Exercise intensity was also significantly related to improvements in insulin sensitivity, whereas frequency was not. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies a graded dose-response relationship between exercise dose and improvements in insulin sensitivity. The implication of this observation is of importance for the adaptation of exercise prescription in clinical situations.

Accuracy of plant assemblage predictions from species distribution models varies along environmental gradients

Aim: Climatic niche modelling of species and community distributions implicitly assumes strong and constant climatic determinism across geographic space. This assumption had however never been tested so far. We tested it by assessing how stacked-species distribution models (S-SDMs) perform for predicting plant species assemblages along elevation. Location: Western Swiss Alps. Methods: Using robust presence-absence data, we first assessed the ability of topo-climatic S-SDMs to predict plant assemblages in a study area encompassing a 2800 m wide elevation gradient. We then assessed the relationships among several evaluation metrics and trait-based tests of community assembly rules. Results: The standard errors of individual SDMs decreased significantly towards higher elevations. Overall, the S-SDM overpredicted far more than they underpredicted richness and could not reproduce the humpback curve along elevation. Overprediction was greater at low and mid-range elevations in absolute values but greater at high elevations when standardised by the actual richness. Looking at species composition, the evaluation metrics accounting for both the presence and absence of species (overall prediction success and kappa) or focusing on correctly predicted absences (specificity) increased with increasing elevation, while the metrics focusing on correctly predicted presences (Jaccard index and sensitivity) decreased. The best overall evaluation - as driven by specificity - occurred at high elevation where species assemblages were shown to be under significant environmental filtering of small plants. In contrast, the decreased overall accuracy in the lowlands was associated with functional patterns representing any type of assembly rule (environmental filtering, limiting similarity or null assembly). Main Conclusions: Our study reveals interesting patterns of change in S-SDM errors with changes in assembly rules along elevation. Yet, significant levels of assemblage prediction errors occurred throughout the gradient, calling for further improvement of SDMs, e.g., by adding key environmental filters that act at fine scales and developing approaches to account for variations in the influence of predictors along environmental gradients.

Novas estratégias organizacionais no cenário global

Diante das transformações organizacionais decorrentes dos processos de globalização e de convergência dos meios de comunicação, os países periféricos se encontram confrontados com um duplo dilema: o imperativo econômico-político de se inserir no concerto das nações mais desenvolvidas e a vontade social-cultural de preservar as suas especificidades históricas. Tratando do caso particular do Brasil, o artigo analisa algumas das estratégias possíveis de conciliação entre a dinâmica da globalização e as forças de enraizamento local e regional.

Observatório da cidadania: monitorando as políticas públicas em âmbito global

As análises e discussões teóricas sobre o atual processo de globalização têm dado ênfase aos aspectos econômicos e tecnológicos e seus impactos na vida social e cultural dos indivíduos. Contudo, experiências como a do Social Watch (Observatório da Cidadania em português, Control Ciudadano em espanhol) - uma rede mundial de grupos de cidadãos e organizações civis sem fins lucrativos criada para monitorar as ações de desenvolvimento social - mostram como as informações sobre as políticas públicas dos governos e dos organismos multilaterais podem ser agenciadas e analisadas para subsidiar o processo decisório dos atores sociais, da mesma forma que o fazem as corporações transnacionais. O Observatório da Cidadania estimula a atuação em rede e o intercâmbio de idéias e de informação sobre estratégias bem-sucedidas de combate à pobreza e da discriminação de gênero. Para publicação do seu relatório anual (em inglês, português, espanhol e italiano) e de relatórios locais, nacionais e regionais, a rede coleta, analisa e debate os dados disponíveis em fontes oficiais e alternativas, estruturando seus próprios indicadores de desenvolvimento social. Toda essa informação resulta da competência técnica acumulada por centenas de contra-especialistas no chamado terceiro setor e é veiculada tanto em papel quanto via Internet.