Foot-and-mouth disease virus, but not bovine enterovirus, targets the host cell cytoskeleton via the nonstructural protein 3Cpro.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a member of the Picornaviridae, is a pathogen of cloven-hoofed animals and causes a disease of major economic importance. Picornavirus-infected cells show changes in cell morphology and rearrangement of cytoplasmic membranes, which are a consequence of virus replication. We show here, by confocal immunofluorescence and electron microscopy, that the changes in morphology of FMDV-infected cells involve changes in the distribution of microtubule and intermediate filament components during infection. Despite the continued presence of centrosomes in infected cells, there is a loss of tethering of microtubules to the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) region. Loss of labeling for -tubulin, but not pericentrin, from the MTOC suggests a targeting of -tubulin (or associated proteins) rather than a total breakdown in MTOC structure. The identity of the FMDV protein(s) responsible was determined by the expression of individual viral nonstructural proteins and their precursors in uninfected cells. We report that the only viral nonstructural protein able to reproduce the loss of -tubulin from the MTOC and the loss of integrity of the microtubule system is FMDV 3Cpro. In contrast, infection of cells with another picornavirus, bovine enterovirus, did not affect -tubulin distribution, and the microtubule network remained relatively unaffected.

And He Opened His Mouth and Taught Them Saying

This paper provides an overview of rich biblical imagery related to the mouth, built around the conceptual metaphor MOUTH IS AN OPENING, followed by a critical analysis of four text units from both Testaments employing the basic extensions of this metaphor in the renderings of twelve contemporary English versions of the Bible. It is demonstrated that the meaningful choice of translating techniques and the type of equivalence pursued in translation must be based on a thorough examination and comparison of the conceptual systems of the source and target languages.

Pan-serotypic detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus using a minor groove binder probe reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay

A novel assay for the pan-serotypic detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) was designed using a 5' conjugated minor groove binder (MGB) probe real-time RT-PCR system. This assay targets the 3D region of the FMDV genome and is capable of detecting 20 copies of a transcribed RNA standard. The linear range of the test was eight logs from 2 x 10(1) to 2 x 10(8) copies and amplification time was approximately 2 h. Using a panel of 83 RNA samples from representative FMDV isolates, the diagnostic sensitivity of this test was shown to be equivalent to a TaqMan real-time RT-PCR that targets the 5' untranslated region of FMDV. Furthermore, the assay does not detect viruses causing similar clinical diseases in pigs such as swine vesicular disease virus and vesicular stomatitis virus, nor does it detect marine caliciviruses causing vesicular exanthema. The development of this assay provides a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of FMD, potentially for use in statutory or emergency testing programmes, or for detection of FMDV RNA in research applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on fencing performance and cognitive function following a fatigue inducing simulated bout of fencing in national level foil fencers

Delivered at The Physiological Society's Biomedical Basis of Elite Performance conference, Nottingham, 6-8 March 2016

You Should Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth: One-Size-Fits-All Compensation in Wrongful Conception

This article reconsiders the House of Lords decision in Rees v. Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust (2003) and the decision to award a conventional award of £15,000 in all cases of failed sterilisation resulting in the birth of an unwanted child. In so doing, it briefly recites the history of the Wrongful Conception action and the unique facts of Rees. It then goes on the consider the implications of two fundamental aspects of the judgment. Firstly, it looks at the 'conventional award' itself and considers the reasoning behind the award and the effect that it has on our understanding of (particularly women's) reproductive autonomy. Secondly, it analyses the rather 'unique' judgment of Lord Scott and his decision to evaluate these cases using the possessory analogy of an unwanted foal; particular focus is given to the notion of parental 'choice' in these cases and whether mitigation (i.e. abortion or adoption) can ever be considered "reasonable".

The immediate effects of atlanto-occipital joint manipulation and suboccipital muscle inhibition technique on active mouth opening and pressure pain sensitivity over latent myofascial trigger points in the masticatory muscles

DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.OB JECTIVE: To investigate the immediate effects on pressure pain thresholds over latent trigger points (TrPs) in the masseter and temporalis muscles and active mouth opening following atlanto-occipital joint thrust manipulation or a soft tissue manual intervention targeted to the suboccipital muscles. BACKGROUND : Previous studies have described hypoalgesic effects of neck manipulative interventions over TrPs in the cervical musculature. There is a lack of studies analyzing these mechanisms over TrPs of muscles innervated by the trigeminal nerve. METHODS: One hundred twenty-two volunteers, 31 men and 91 women, between the ages of 18 and 30 years, with latent TrPs in the masseter muscle, were randomly divided into 3 groups: a manipulative group who received an atlanto-occipital joint thrust, a soft tissue group who received an inhibition technique over the suboccipital muscles, and a control group who did not receive an intervention. Pressure pain thresholds over latent TrPs in the masseter and temporalis muscles, and active mouth opening were assessed pretreatment and 2 minutes posttreatment by a blinded assessor. Mixed-model analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the effects of interventions on each outcome, with group as the between-subjects variable and time as the within-subjects variable. The primary analysis was the group-by-time interaction. RESULTS: The 2-by-3 mixed-model ANOVA revealed a significant group-by-time interaction for changes in pressure pain thresholds over masseter (P<.01) and temporalis (P =.003) muscle latent TrPs and also for active mouth opening (P<.001) in favor of the manipulative and soft tissue groups. Between-group effect sizes were small. CONCLUSIONS: The application of an atlanto-occipital thrust manipulation or soft tissue technique targeted to the suboccipital muscles led to an immediate increase in pressure pain thresholds over latent TrPs in the masseter and temporalis muscles and an increase in maximum active mouth opening. Nevertheless, the effects of both interventions were small and future studies are required to elucidate the clinical relevance of these changes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE : Therapy, level 1b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2010;40(5):310-317. doi:10.2519/jospt.2010.3257. KEYWORDSDS: cervical manipulation, muscle trigger points, neck, TMJ, upper cervical.

O declínio e a ascensão da comunicação word-of-mouth

As questões de liderança de opinião tornaram-se um tema cada vez mais interessante na nossa contemporaneidade. Quer se considere, ou não, que os ditos “novos media” provocaram uma revolução na forma como interagimos, o que é inquestionável é o seu papel na forma como somos influenciados e influenciamos, pelo menos, no que às sociedades ditas como desenvolvidas se refere. Partindo do interesse pelo estudo do word-of-mouth eletrónico, esta dissertação pretende contribuir para um melhor conhecimento do Twitter enquanto instrumento de influência. De um ponto de vista empírico este trabalho centrou-se na análise do Twitter de Arianna Huffington e dos seus seguidores no Twitter.