Carbohydrate based meningococcal vaccines: past and present overview

Glycoconjugate Journal - Neisseria meningitidis is a major cause of bacterial meningitidis worldwide. Children less than five years and adolescents are particularly affected. Nearly all invasive...     

Integration of life cycle assessment into a decision support system for selecting sustainable road asphalt pavement mixtures prepared with waste

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - A challenge that the road paving sector is facing concerns the achievement of highly performing bituminous asphalt mixture solutions that do not...     

Cosolute modulation of protein oligomerization reactions in the homeostatic timescale

Protein oligomerization processes are widespread and of crucial importance to understand degenerative diseases and healthy regulatory pathways. One particular case is the homo-oligomerization of folded domains involving domain swapping, often found as a part of the protein homeostasis in the crowded cytosol, composed of a complex mixture of cosolutes. Here, we have investigated the effect of a plethora of cosolutes of very diverse nature on the kinetics of a protein dimerization by domain swapping. In the absence of cosolutes, our system exhibits slow interconversion rates, with the reaction reaching the equilibrium within the average protein homeostasis timescale (24–48 h). In the presence of crowders, though, the oligomerization reaction in the same time frame will, depending on the protein's initial oligomeric state, either reach a pure equilibrium state or get kinetically trapped into an apparent equilibrium. Specifically, when the reaction is initiated from a large excess of dimer, it becomes unsensitive to the effect of cosolutes and reaches the same equilibrium populations as in the absence of cosolute. Conversely, when the reaction starts from a large excess of monomer, the reaction during the homeostatic timescale occurs under kinetic control, and it is exquisitely sensitive to the presence and nature of the cosolute. In this scenario (the most habitual case in intracellular oligomerization processes), the effect of cosolutes on the intermediate conformation and diffusion-mediated encounters will dictate how the cellular milieu affects the domain-swapping reaction.     

General descriptions of the dermis structure of a juvenile whale shark Rhincodon typus from the Gulf of California

The aim of this study is to provide preliminary observations on the microanatomy of Rhincodon typus skin using histology and electron microscopy analyses. Skin biopsies were obtained from a deceased juvenile male shark (548 cm total length) stranded in La Paz, Mexico, during February 2018. The results of this study evidenced the basic structure of the dermal denticles in the epidermis of the trunk of the shark, as well as the composition of the connective tissue in the hypodermis. Histological images of the hypodermis showed a high concentration of collagen fibres, formed by a large number of fine and wavy fibres of compact shape and little intercellular substance.     

Linking responses of native and invasive plants to hurricane disturbances: implications for coastal plant community structure

Hurricane disturbances produce significant changes in forest microclimates, creating opportunities for seedling regeneration of native and invasive plant species alike. However, there is limited information on how changes in microclimates and pre-existing forest conditions affect native and invasive plants responses to hurricane disturbances. In this manipulative study, we examined the responses of three common shrub/small stature tree species, two of which are native to the coastal region of the southeastern USA (Baccharis halimifolia and Morella cerifera) and one that is invasive (Triadica sebifera), to two key components of hurricane disturbance (canopy damage and saline storm surge). In a greenhouse, we grew seedlings of these species under a range of shade levels that mimicked pre-and post-hurricane canopy conditions for wet pine forest and mixed hardwood forest, two forest communities common in coastal areas of the southeastern USA. Seedlings were subjected to saline storm surges equivalent to full strength sea water for 3 days. Seedling responses (mortality and growth) to the treatments were monitored for 16 months. All species benefitted from higher canopy openness. Storm surge effects were short-lived and seedlings readily recovered under high light conditions. The storm surge had stronger negative effects on survival and growth of all species when coupled with high shade, suggesting storm surge has greater negative impacts on seedlings where hurricane winds cause minimal or no canopy damage. The invasive T. sebifera was by far more shade tolerant than the natives. Survival of T. sebifera seedlings under highly shaded conditions may provide it a competitive edge over native species during community reassembly following tropical storms. Differential responses of native and invasive species to hurricane disturbances will have profound consequences on community structure across coastal forest stands, and may be regulated by legacies of prior disturbances, community structure, extent of canopy damage, and species’ tolerance to specific microclimates.

     

Invading parasites: spillover of an alien nematode reduces survival in a native species

Biological Invasions - It is widely assumed that spillover of alien parasites to native host species severely impacts naïve populations, ultimately conferring a competitive advantage to...     

Total neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced rectal cancer

Locally advanced rectal cancer requires a multidisciplinary management, traditionally based on neo-adjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy, conservative surgery with total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemotherapy. Despite effective in term of local control, this strategy is linked to a high risk of distant metastasis (up to 30%). In this context, recent published randomized phase III clinical trials have tested the potential benefits with a different sequencing and/or intensification of the standard components of the trimodal therapy.Here, we briefly assess the efficacy and discuss the clinical relevance of total neoadjuvant treatment with a focus on indications and results in the short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy use for this setting of patients. Long term results and additional prospective studies are necessary to more accurately estimate the clinical benefit and further establish the role of total neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer disease.