The Galactose-Binding Lectin Isolated from Vatairea macrocarpa Seeds Enhances the Effect of Antibiotics Against Staphylococcus aureus–Resistant Strain

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - The use of natural products together with standard antimicrobial drugs has recently received more attention as a strategy to combat infectious diseases...     

A common variant in the telomerase RNA component is associated with short telomere length

Background

Telomeres shorten as cells divide. This shortening is compensated by the enzyme telomerase. We evaluated the effect of common variants in the telomerase RNA component (TERC) gene on telomere length (TL) in the population-based Health Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study and in two replication samples (the TwinsUK Study and the Amish Family Osteoporosis Study, AFOS).

Methodology

Five variants were identified in the TERC region by sequence analysis and only one SNP was common (rs2293607, G/A). The frequency of the G allele was 0.26 and 0.07 in white and black, respectively. Testing for association between TL and rs2293607 was performed using linear regression models or variance component analysis conditioning on relatedness among subjects.

Results

The adjusted mean TL was significantly shorter in 665 white carriers of the G allele compared to 887 non-carriers from the Health ABC Study (4.69±0.05 kbp vs. 4.86±0.04 kbp, measured by quantitative PCR, p = 0.005). This association was replicated in another white sample from the TwinsUK Study (6.90±0.03 kbp in 301 carriers compared to 7.06±0.03 kbp in 395 non-carriers, measured by Southern blots, p = 0.009). A similar pattern of association was observed in whites from the family-based AFOS and blacks from the Health ABC cohort, although not statistically significant, possibly due to the lower allele frequency in these populations. Combined analysis using 2,953 white subjects from 3 studies showed a significant association between TL and rs2293607 (β = −0.19±0.04 kbp, p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Our study shows a significant association between a common variant in TERC and TL in humans, suggesting that TERC may play a role in telomere homeostasis.     

Population genetic structure and diversity of the endangered Cantabrian capercaillie

The Cantabrian capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus) occupies the southwestern edge of the grouse family distribution range in Eurasia. It is endemic to the Cantabrian Mountains in northwestern Spain and is geographically isolated and separated from the neighboring population in the Pyrenees by a distance of 300 km. Over the last decades, the population has undergone a dramatic decline and is now threatened with extinction. This study presents the genetic analysis of the Cantabrian capercaillie population using non-invasive samples. We performed genotyping of 45 individuals using 20 microsatellites and a sex marker. The data highlight the need for using a large number of markers when considering fragmented small populations. Genetic diversity (H_E = 0.50) and average number of alleles (3.40) in the population were low. The population is fragmented into 2 clusters (F_ST = 0.113) that fit with areas on both sides of the transportation ways that divide its range. Both clusters exhibited additional heterozygote deficits. Geographical distance was negatively correlated with genetic relatedness (r = −0.44, P ≤ 0.001). The data show a recent decline in effective population size that can be related to an ongoing process of population reduction and fragmentation. Conservation actions should focus on the protection of local demes by maintaining a dense network of suitable patches to maximize reproductive output and the number of potential dispersers to reconnect the 2 subpopulations. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae)

The horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), is a cosmopolitan livestock pest that has caused a great negative impact on the animal production sector throughout the world. Here, we describe 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated from H. irritans. The number of alleles found ranged from two to eight per locus and the expected heterozygosity from 0.1421 to 0.7702. These loci are potentially useful for the fine-scale genetic characterization of horn fly populations and provide fundamental information for pest management and planning of control programs.     

New terpenoids from Maytenus apurimacensis as MDR reversal agents in the parasite Leishmania

Two new sesquiterpenes (1-2) and one new lupane triterpene (3) have been isolated from the roots of Maytenus apurimacensis. The novel beta-dihydroagarofurans are the first sesquiterpenes with a basic polyhydroxy skeleton of 15-deoxyalatol and 4,15-dideoxyalatol that show high MDR reversing activity in the protozoan parasite Leishmania tropica.     

Genetic Susceptibility to Cardiac and Digestive Clinical Forms of Chronic Chagas Disease: Involvement of the CCR5 59029 A/G Polymorphism

The clinical manifestations of chronic Chagas disease include the cardiac form of the disease and the digestive form. Not all the factors that act in the variable clinical course of this disease are known. This study investigated whether the CCR5Δ32 (rs333) and CCR5 59029 A/G (promoter region—rs1799987) polymorphisms of the CCR5 gene are associated with different clinical forms of chronic Chagas disease and with the severity of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with chronic Chagas heart disease (CCHD). The antibodies anti-T. cruzi were identified by ELISA. PCR and PCR-RFLP were used to identify the CCR5Δ32 and CCR5 59029 A/G polymorphisms. The chi-square test was used to compare variables between groups. There was a higher frequency of the AA genotype in patients with CCHD compared with patients with the digestive form of the disease and the control group. The results also showed a high frequency of the AG genotype in patients with the digestive form of the disease compared to the other groups. The results of this study show that the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism does not seem to influence the different clinical manifestations of Chagas disease but there is involvement of the CCR5 59029 A/G polymorphism in susceptibility to the different forms of chronic Chagas disease. Besides, these polymorphisms do not influence left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with CCHD.     

Gender Differences in Survival among Adult Patients Starting Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa: A Multicentre Cohort Study

Background

Increased mortality among men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been documented but remains poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of and risk factors for gender differences in mortality on ART.

Methods and Findings

Analyses included 46,201 ART-naïve adults starting ART between January 2002 and December 2009 in eight ART programmes across South Africa (SA). Patients were followed from initiation of ART to outcome or analysis closure. The primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes were loss to follow-up (LTF), virologic suppression, and CD4+ cell count responses. Survival analyses were used to examine the hazard of death on ART by gender. Sensitivity analyses were limited to patients who were virologically suppressed and patients whose CD4+ cell count reached >200 cells/µl. We compared gender differences in mortality among HIV+ patients on ART with mortality in an age-standardised HIV-negative population.Among 46,201 adults (65% female, median age 35 years), during 77,578 person-years of follow-up, men had lower median CD4+ cell counts than women (85 versus 110 cells/µl, p<0.001), were more likely to be classified WHO stage III/IV (86 versus 77%, p<0.001), and had higher mortality in crude (8.5 versus 5.7 deaths/100 person-years, p<0.001) and adjusted analyses (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.31, 95% CI 1.22–1.41). After 36 months on ART, men were more likely than women to be truly LTF (AHR 1.20, 95% CI 1.12–1.28) but not to die after LTF (AHR 1.04, 95% CI 0.86–1.25). Findings were consistent across all eight programmes. Virologic suppression was similar by gender; women had slightly better immunologic responses than men. Notably, the observed gender differences in mortality on ART were smaller than gender differences in age-standardised death rates in the HIV-negative South African population. Over time, non-HIV mortality appeared to account for an increasing proportion of observed mortality. The analysis was limited by missing data on baseline HIV disease characteristics, and we did not observe directly mortality in HIV-negative populations where the participating cohorts were located.

Conclusions

HIV-infected men have higher mortality on ART than women in South African programmes, but these differences are only partly explained by more advanced HIV disease at the time of ART initiation, differential LTF and subsequent mortality, and differences in responses to treatment. The observed differences in mortality on ART may be best explained by background differences in mortality between men and women in the South African population unrelated to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.Please see later in the article for the Editors'' Summary.     

A gain-of-function screen identifying genes required for vein formation in the Drosophila melanogaster wing

The formation of the Drosophila wing involves developmental processes such as cell proliferation, pattern formation, and cell differentiation that are common to all multicellular organisms. The genes controlling these cellular behaviors are conserved throughout the animal kingdom, and the genetic analysis of wing development has been instrumental in their identification and functional characterization. The wing is a postembryonic structure, and most loss-of-function mutations are lethal in homozygous flies before metamorphosis. In this manner, loss-of-function genetic screens aiming to identify genes affecting wing formation have not been systematically utilized. As an alternative, a number of genetic searches have utilized the phenotypic consequences of gene gain-of-expression, as a method more efficient to search for genes required during imaginal development. Here we present the results of a gain-of-function screen designed to identify genes involved in the formation of the wing veins. We generated 13,000 P-GS insertions of a P element containing UAS sequences (P-GS) and combined them with a Gal4 driver expressed mainly in the developing pupal veins. We selected 500 P-GSs that, in combination with the Gal4 driver, result in modifications of the veins, changes in the morphology of the wing, or defects in the differentiation of the trichomes. The P-element insertion sites were mapped to the genomic sequence, identifying 373 gene candidates to participate in wing morphogenesis and vein formation.     

Prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en niños y adolescentes de 2 a 16 años

ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents in our city and to investigate the associated factors.Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional study of 1317 children and adolescents aged 2-16 years. Multistage probability sampling was used to select three groups of subjects: 411 aged 12 to 16 years, 504 aged 6 to 12 years, and 402 aged 2 to 6 years. Body mass index was calculated, and obesity and overweight were diagnosed using the threshold levels of the International Obesity Task Force for children and adolescents. Parents were asked about eating habits, health, social, and demographic aspects. Results are given as percentages (95% confidence interval). The relationship between obesity and overweight and the different variables was studied using multiple logistic regression. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was calculated.ResultsAmong children and adolescentes aged 2-16 years, 9.5% (8.0%-11.0%) were obese and 22.4% (23.3%-24.6%) were overweight. Of subjects aged 12-16 years, 8.5% (5.9%-11.2%) were obese and 20.5% (16.7%-24.3%) were overweight. In the groups aged 6-12 years and 2-6 years, rates of obesity and overweight were 11.6% (8.9% -14.3%) and 31.0% (27.0-35.0) and 8.0% (5.4%-10.6%) and 13.6% (10.3%-16.9%) respectively. Obesity or overweight was associated to age (OR 1.21; P< 0.001), maternal obesity (OR 10.99; P= 0.008), a birthweight higher than 4 kg (OR 2.91; p 0.002), and formula feeding (OR 1.82; P= 0.005).ConclusionObesity and overweight in children and adolescents are highly prevalent problems in our city.