In vitro studies during long term oral administration of specific transfer factor

153 patients suffering from recurrent pathologies, i.e. viral infections (keratitis, keratouveitis, genital and labial herpes) uveitis, cystitis, and candidiasis were treated with in vitro produced transfer factor (TF) specific for HSV-1/2, CMV and Candida albicans. The cell-mediated immunity of seropositive patients to HSV-1/2 and/or CMV viruses was assessed using the leucocyte migration inhibition test (LMT) and lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) in presence of the corresponding antigens, and the frequency of positive tests before, during and after TF administration was studied. The data were stratified per type of test, antigen and the recipients’ pathology, and statistically evaluated. For the LMT, a total of 960 tests were carried out for each antigen dilution, 3 different antigen dilutions were used per test. 240/960 tests (25.4%) were found positive during non-treatment or treatment with unspecific TF, whereas 147/346 tests (42.5%) were found positive when the antigen corresponding to the specificity of the TF administered to the patient was used (P<0.001). When the data were stratified following pathology, a significant increased incidence of positive tests during specific treatment was also observed (0.0001<P<0.05). In the LST (1174 tests), a significant increase of thymidine uptake was observed in the absence of antigen (control cultures), during treatment with both specific and unspecific TF, but also in the presence of antigen and/or autologous serum during specific TF administration (P<0.0001). TF administration also significantly increased the soluble HLA class I antigens level in 40 patients studied to this effect.     

Efficient “Communication through Coherence” Requires Oscillations Structured to Minimize Interference between Signals

The ‘communication through coherence’ (CTC) hypothesis proposes that selective communication among neural networks is achieved by coherence between firing rate oscillation in a sending region and gain modulation in a receiving region. Although this hypothesis has stimulated extensive work, it remains unclear whether the mechanism can in principle allow reliable and selective information transfer. Here we use a simple mathematical model to investigate how accurately coherent gain modulation can filter a population-coded target signal from task-irrelevant distracting inputs. We show that selective communication can indeed be achieved, although the structure of oscillatory activity in the target and distracting networks must satisfy certain previously unrecognized constraints. Firstly, the target input must be differentiated from distractors by the amplitude, phase or frequency of its oscillatory modulation. When distracting inputs oscillate incoherently in the same frequency band as the target, communication accuracy is severely degraded because of varying overlap between the firing rate oscillations of distracting inputs and the gain modulation in the receiving region. Secondly, the oscillatory modulation of the target input must be strong in order to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio relative to stochastic spiking of individual neurons. Thus, whilst providing a quantitative demonstration of the power of coherent oscillatory gain modulation to flexibly control information flow, our results identify constraints imposed by the need to avoid interference between signals, and reveal a likely organizing principle for the structure of neural oscillations in the brain.     

Alternaria koreana sp. nov., a new pathogen isolated from leaf spot of ovate-leaf Atractylodes in South Korea

Molecular Biology Reports - A new species within the genus Alternaria was isolated from the leaf spot of Atractylodes ovata in the Mungyeong and Hwabuk-myeon districts of the Gyeongbuk province of...     

Arkaïm-Sintachta : expérience de la mise en valeur des steppes eurasiatiques à l’Âge du Bronze

The “Earth of fortified settlement” is one of the last big discoveries of the end of the XXth century. Situated on the oriental slopes of the mounts of Ural, fortified settlement, date the Middle Bronze Age. These strengthened structures are particular in the archaeology of steppes. They were built according to geometrical plans, Cities in oval being the most ancient, the rectangular cities being the most recent. The most remarkable are together of strengthened structures appropriate for the culture of Sintachta-Arkaïm. This city distinguishes itself from the others by the unique integrity of the works of fortification and by the graves which are connected to these last ones. Situated on a prominence, Arkaim consists of two defensive walls, maybe of a third, the rampart and the ditch. The space between the defensive walls was occupied by the houses of shape trapezoidale and directed as beams to the center of the city. The center of the city, the rectangular shape, was not built and formed a place where foyers were found. Complex entrances were at the four corner of the city. The excavations of fortified settlement and graves allowed to have an idea on the level of development of the everyday life at the time of the Middle Bronze Age in transouraliennes plains.     

The use of molecular and morphological characters to resolve the taxonomic identity of cryptic species: the case of Miniopterus manavi (Chiroptera, Miniopteridae)

Based on recent molecular phylogenetic studies, the Old World bat family Miniopteridae, composed of species in the genus Miniopterus , has been shown to contain complex paraphyletic species, many of which are cryptic based on convergent morphological characters. Herein we resolve the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of the species complex M . manavi on Madagascar and in the Comoro Archipelago, where these animals occur in different bioclimatic zones. First using mitochondrial cytochrome- b sequence data to define clades and then morphology to corroborate the molecular data, including comparisons to type specimens, we demonstrate that animals identified as this taxon are a minimum of three species: M . manavi sensu stricto occurs in at least the central portion of the Central Highlands; M . griveaudi has a broad distribution in lowland northern and central western Madagascar and the Comoros (Anjouan and Grande Comore), and M . aelleni sp. n. has been found in northern and western Madagascar and the Comoros (Anjouan). In each case, these three clades were genetically divergent and monophyletic and the taxa are diagnosable based on different external and craniodental characters. One aspect that helped to define the systematics of this group was isolation of DNA from one of the paratypes of M. manavi collected in 1896 and new topotypic material. Miniopterus manavi is most closely allied to a recently described species, M. petersoni . At several localities, M . griveaudi and M . aelleni have been found in strict sympatry, and together with M. manavi sensu stricto show considerable convergence in morphological characters, but are not immediate sister taxa. In defining and resolving the systematics of cryptic species, such as miniopterid bats, the process of defining clades with molecular tools, segregating the specimens accordingly, and identifying corroborative morphological characters has been notably efficient.     

Acidobacteria are active and abundant members of diverse atmospheric H2-oxidizing communities detected in temperate soils

Significant rates of atmospheric dihydrogen (H₂) consumption have been observed in temperate soils due to the activity of high-affinity enzymes, such as the group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase. We designed broadly inclusive primers targeting the large subunit gene (hhyL) of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases for long-read sequencing to explore its taxonomic distribution across soils. This approach revealed a diverse collection of microorganisms harboring hhyL, including previously unknown groups and taxonomically not assignable sequences. Acidobacterial group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes were abundant and expressed in temperate soils. To support the participation of acidobacteria in H₂ consumption, we studied two representative mesophilic soil acidobacteria, which expressed group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases and consumed atmospheric H₂ during carbon starvation. This is the first time mesophilic acidobacteria, which are abundant in ubiquitous temperate soils, have been shown to oxidize H₂ down to below atmospheric concentrations. As this physiology allows bacteria to survive periods of carbon starvation, it could explain the success of soil acidobacteria. With our long-read sequencing approach of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes, we show that the ability to oxidize atmospheric levels of H₂ is more widely distributed among soil bacteria than previously recognized and could represent a common mechanism enabling bacteria to persist during periods of carbon deprivation.Subject terms: Soil microbiology, Biodiversity, Bacterial physiology     

Orally administered HSV-specific transfer factor (TF) prevents genital or labial herpes relapses

Forty-four patients suffering from genital (22) and labial (22) herpes were orally treated with HSV-1/2-specific transfer factor(TF). TF was obtained by in vitro replication of a HSV-1/2-specific bovine dialysable lymphocyte extract. Treatment was administered bi-weekly the first 2 weeks, and then weekly for 6 months, most patients received 2–3 courses. The total observation period for all patients before treatment was 26660 days, with 544 relapses, and a relapse index of 61.2, whereas the cumulative observation period during and after treatment was 16945 days, with a total of 121 relapsing episodes and a cumulative RI of 21.4 (P<0.0001). Results were equally significant when the 2 groups of patients (labial and genital) were considered separately. These observations confirm previous results obtained with bovine HSV-specific TF, and warrant further studies to establish HSV-specific TF as a choice of treatment for preventing herpes recurrences.     

AIDS and transfer factor: Myths,certainties and realities

At the end of the 20th century, the triumph of biology is as indisputable as that of physics was at the end of the 19th century, and so is the might of the inductive thought. Virtually all diseases have been seemingly conquered and HIV, the cause of AIDS, has been fully described ten years after the onset of the epidemic. However, the triumph of biological science is far from being complete. The toll of several diseases, such as cancer, continues to rise and the pathogenesis of AIDS remains elusive. In the realm of inductive science, the dominant paradigm can seldom be challenged in a frontal attack, especially when it is apparently successful, and only what Kuhn calls “scientific revolutions” can overthrow it. Thus, it is hardly surprising that the concept of transfer factor is considered with contempt, and the existence of the moiety improbable: over forty years after the introduction of the concept, not only its molecular structure remains unknown, but also its putative mode of action contravenes dogmas of both immunology and molecular biology. And when facts challenge established dogmas, be in religion, philosophy or science, they must be suppressed. Thus, results of heterodox research become henceforth nisi — i.e., valid unless cause is shown for rescinding them, because they challenge the prevalent paradigm. However, when observations pertain to lethal disorders, their suppression in the name of dogmas may become criminal. Because of the failure of medical science to manage the AIDS pandemic, transfer factor, which has been successfully used for treating or preventing viral infections, may today overcome a priori prejudice and rejection more swiftly. In science, as in life, certainties always end up by dying, and Copernicus’ vision by replacing that of Ptolemy.