SUCLG2 identified as both a determinator of CSF Aβ1-42 levels and an attenuator of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-beta 1-42 (Aβ1-42) and phosphorylated Tau at position 181 (pTau181) are biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We performed an analysis and meta-analysis of genome-wide association study data on Aβ1-42 and pTau181 in AD dementia patients followed by independent replication. An association was found between Aβ1-42 level and a single-nucleotide polymorphism in SUCLG2 (rs62256378) (P = 2.5×10(-12)). An interaction between APOE genotype and rs62256378 was detected (P = 9.5 × 10(-5)), with the strongest effect being observed in APOE-ε4 noncarriers. Clinically, rs62256378 was associated with rate of cognitive decline in AD dementia patients (P = 3.1 × 10(-3)). Functional microglia experiments showed that SUCLG2 was involved in clearance of Aβ1-42.

Human and dogs Toxocara canis infection in a poor neighborhood in Bogota

Prevalence of Toxocara canis antibodies was studied in a poor community of Bogotá, Colombia. Two-hundred-sevem patients, from both sexes and all age groups, were studied. Positive Elisa titers were found in 47.5% of the population, a high prevalence compared with reports from developed countries. T. canis ova were positive in 43.6% of fecal samples from dog puppies. An endemic pattern of the disease is described: socioeconomic status, weathers, pollution, poor hygiene and a significant population of infected dogs. Neither the physical examination nor Elisa titers could detect any case of T. canis disease.

Clinical presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis in the 21st century: the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study.

We sought to provide a contemporary picture of the presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) in a large patient cohort from multiple locations worldwide. Prospective cohort study of 2781 adults with definite IE who were admitted to 58 hospitals in 25 countries from June 1, 2000, through September 1, 2005. The median age of the cohort was 57.9 (interquartile range, 43.2-71.8) years, and 72.1% had native valve IE. Most patients (77.0%) presented early in the disease (<30 days) with few of the classic clinical hallmarks of IE. Recent health care exposure was found in one-quarter of patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (31.2%). The mitral (41.1%) and aortic (37.6%) valves were infected most commonly. The following complications were common: stroke (16.9%), embolization other than stroke (22.6%), heart failure (32.3%), and intracardiac abscess (14.4%). Surgical therapy was common (48.2%), and in-hospital mortality remained high (17.7%). Prosthetic valve involvement (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.90), increasing age (1.30; 1.17-1.46 per 10-year interval), pulmonary edema (1.79; 1.39-2.30), S aureus infection (1.54; 1.14-2.08), coagulase-negative staphylococcal infection (1.50; 1.07-2.10), mitral valve vegetation (1.34; 1.06-1.68), and paravalvular complications (2.25; 1.64-3.09) were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, whereas viridans streptococcal infection (0.52; 0.33-0.81) and surgery (0.61; 0.44-0.83) were associated with a decreased risk. In the early 21st century, IE is more often an acute disease, characterized by a high rate of S aureus infection. Mortality remains relatively high.

Trypanosomatidae codon usage and GC distribution

A study od Typanosomatidae GC distribution and codon usage is presented. The codon usage patterns in coincidence with the phylogenetical data are similar in Crithidia and Leishmania, whereas they are more divergent in Trypanosoma brucei and T. cruzi. The analyisis of the GC mutational pressure in these organisms reveals that T. brucei, and to a lesser extent T. cruzi, have envolved towards a more balanced use of all bases, whereas Leishmania and Crithidia retain features of a primeval genetic apparatus. Tables with approximated GC mutational pressure in homologous genes, and codon usage in Trypanosomatidae are presented.

Sleep 4 less

Treball de recerca realitzat per alumnes d'ensenyament secundari i guardonat amb un Premi CIRIT per fomentar l'esperit científic del Jovent l'any 2009. Aquest treball es tracta en la creació d’un projecte empresarial, és a dir, d’una planificació estratègica que afecta a tots els àmbits de la empresa al llarg d’un període de temps i que té per objectiu analitzar la viabilitat, examinar els objectius i descobrir els inconvenients del mateix. En concret s’ha projectat és un hostal ‘low cost’. Alhora de comprovar la viabilitat del projecte, s’han hagut de realitzar els tests corresponents per saber si tindria èxit o no. I tots han demostrat un resultat factible, ja que, encara que van sorgir problemes amb l’acceptació d’aquest nou estil, concretament en el fet d’haver de compartir habitació amb altres persones, al poder oferir altres tipus d’habitacions i en el cas de compartir habitació donar molta seguretat, els anàlisis ens han donat uns resultats acceptables. S’han realitzat també quadres financers, préstecs, calculat les despeses d’inici d’empresa i de manteniment, publicitat, despeses de personal, i finalment aquest també han donat un resultat de viabilitat positiu.

Quantitative comparison of reconstruction methods for intra-voxel fiber recovery from diffusion MRI.

Validation is arguably the bottleneck in the diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) community. This paper evaluates and compares 20 algorithms for recovering the local intra-voxel fiber structure from diffusion MRI data and is based on the results of the "HARDI reconstruction challenge" organized in the context of the "ISBI 2012" conference. Evaluated methods encompass a mixture of classical techniques well known in the literature such as diffusion tensor, Q-Ball and diffusion spectrum imaging, algorithms inspired by the recent theory of compressed sensing and also brand new approaches proposed for the first time at this contest. To quantitatively compare the methods under controlled conditions, two datasets with known ground-truth were synthetically generated and two main criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the reconstructions in every voxel: correct assessment of the number of fiber populations and angular accuracy in their orientation. This comparative study investigates the behavior of every algorithm with varying experimental conditions and highlights strengths and weaknesses of each approach. This information can be useful not only for enhancing current algorithms and develop the next generation of reconstruction methods, but also to assist physicians in the choice of the most adequate technique for their studies.

Life cycle and influence of age and feeding on the first mating of Triatoma mazzottii (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

A cohort of 100 eggs of Triatoma mazzottii Usinger was studied to obtain information on its life cycle. Egg incubation took 24 days; mean duration of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs was 27, 36, 39, 46 and 64 days respectively; mean time from egg to adult was 236 days. The total duration of the nymphal stages was 212 days. The total nymph mortality in cohort was 16.3% and the embryonic egg mortality was 14.0%. The grater mortality occured in the 2nd instar. The average number of eggs/female/week was 9.8 during 15 weeks of observation. Of the total eggs laid (2,514), only 58.7% hatched. The total of insects that achieved the adult stage (72), 38 were females (52.8%), and 34 were males (47.2%). The influence of age and feeding on the first mating of T. mazzottii were also studied. It was found that the first mating depended on the male's age and it was on the average 30 days after the last imaginal molt. The female could be mating since 2nd days after the imaginal life. The nutritional status did not play an important role in the capacity of the insect for the first mating.

Evaluation of the rabbit as a model for Chagas disease - II: histopathologic studies of the heart, digestive tract and skeletal muscle

In order to investigate the value of the rabbit as an experimental model for Chagas' disease, seventy one animals were inoculated with different Trypanosoma cruzi strains and routes. The rabbits were submitted to necropsy in acute (earlier than three months of infection), recent chronic (three to six months) and late chronic (later than six months) phases. Myocarditis, generally focal and endomysial, occurred in 94.1%, 66.7% and 70.8% of the infected rabbits respectively in the acute, recent chronic and late chronic phases. The myocardial inflammatory exudate was composed by mononuclear cells, and also polymorphonuclear cells in the acute phase. In most cases of the late chronic phase, the myocarditis was similar to that described in the indeterminate form of human chagasic patients. Initial fibrosis occurred in the three phases but was more severe and frequent in the early chronic. Advanced fibrosis occurred only in the late chronic phase. Tissue parasites occurred only in the acute phase. The digestive tract and skeletal muscles showed mild and occasional lesions. Our data indicate that experimentally infected chagasic rabbits repeat some lesions similar to that of humans chagasic patients, specially that of the indeterminate form. So, it may be a useful, however not an ideal, model.

Attenuated poxviruses expressing a synthetic HIV protein stimulate HLA-A2-restricted cytotoxic T-cell responses.

Efficient HIV vaccines have to trigger cell-mediated immunity directed against various viral antigens. However little is known about the breadth of the response induced by vaccines carrying multiple proteins. Here, we report on the immunogenicity of a construct harbouring a fusion of the HIV-1 IIIB gag, pol and nef genes (gpn) designed for optimal safety and equimolar expression of the HIV proteins. The attenuated poxviruses, MVA and NYVAC, harbouring the gpn construct, induced potent immune responses in conventional mice characterised by stimulation of Gpn-specific IFN-gamma-producing cells and cytotoxic T cells. In HLA-A2 transgenic mice, recombinant MVA elicited cytotoxic responses against epitopes recognised in most HLA-A2+ HIV-1-infected individuals. We also found that the MVA vaccine triggered the in vitro expansion of peripheral blood cells isolated from a HIV-1-seropositive patient and with similar specificity as found in immunised HLA-A2 transgenic mice. In conclusion, the synthetic HIV polyantigen Gpn delivered by MVA is immunogenic, efficiently processed and presented by human MHC class I molecules.

The Trypanosoma cruzi Genome Project: Nuclear Karyotype and Gene Mapping of Clone CL Brener

By using improved pulsed field gel electrophoresis conditions, the molecular karyotype of the reference clone CL Brener selected for Trypanosoma cruzi genome project was established. A total of 20 uniform chromosomal bands ranging in size from 0.45 to 3.5 Megabase pairs (Mbp) were resolved in a single run. The weighted sum of the chromosomal bands was approximately 87 Mbp. Chromoblots were hybridized with 39 different homologous probes, 13 of which identified single chromosomes. Several markers showed linkage and four different linkage groups were identified, each comprising two markers. Densitometric analysis suggests that most of the chromosomal bands contain two or more chromosomes representing either homologous chromosomes and/or heterologous chromosomes with similar sizes