Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates from sea otters (Enhydra lutris)

Bacterial infections are an important cause of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) mortality, and some of these infections may originate from terrestrial and anthropogenic sources. Antimicrobials are an important therapeutic tool for management of bacterial infections in stranded sea otters and for prevention of infection following invasive procedures in free-ranging otters. In this study, susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobials was determined for 126 isolates of 15 bacterial species or groups from necropsied, live-stranded injured or sick, and apparently healthy wild sea otters examined between 1998 and 2005. These isolates included both gram-positive and gram-negative strains of primary pathogens, opportunistic pathogens, and environmental flora, including bacterial species with proven zoonotic potential. Minimal evidence of antimicrobial resistance and no strains with unusual or clinically significant multiple-drug resistance patterns were identified. Collectively, these findings will help optimize selection of appropriate antimicrobials for treatment of bacterial diseases in sea otters and other marine species.     

AKT1 polymorphisms are associated with risk for metabolic syndrome

Converging lines of evidence suggest that AKT1 is a major mediator of the responses to insulin,insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and glucose. AKT1 also plays a key role in the regulation of both muscle cell hypertrophy and atrophy. We hypothesized that AKT1 variants may play a role in the endophenotypes that makeup metabolic syndrome. We studied a 12-kb region including the ?rst exon of the AKT1 gene for association with metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in four study populations [FAMUSS cohort (n = 574; age 23.7 ± 5.7 years), Strong Heart Study (SHS) (n = 2,134; age 55.5 ± 7.9 years), Dynamics of Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) (n = 3,075; age 73.6 ± 2.9 years), and Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through De?ned Exercise (STRRIDE)(n = 175; age 40–65 years)]. We identi?ed a three SNP haplotype that we call H1, which represents the ancestral alleles eles at the three loci and H2, which represents the derived alleles at the three loci. In young adult European Americans (FAMUSS), H1 was associated with higher fasting glucose levels in females. In middle age Native Americans (SHS), H1 carriers showed higher fasting insulin and HOMA in males, and higher BMI in females. Inolder African-American and European American subjects(Health ABC) H1 carriers showed a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome. Homozygotes for the H1 haplotype showed about twice the risk of metabolic syndrome in both males and females (p\0.001). In middle-aged European Americans with insulin resistance (STRRIDE) studied by intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), H1 carriers showed increased insulin resistance due to the Sg component (p = 0.021). The 12-kb haplotype is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance that needs to be explored in further populations.     

Adherence and motility characteristics of clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates

Acinetobacter baumannii continues to be a major health problem especially in hospital settings. Herein, features that may play a role in persistence and disease potential were investigated in a collection of clinical A. baumannii strains from Australia. Twitching motility was found to be a common trait in A. baumannii international clone I strains and in abundant biofilm formers, whereas swarming motility was only observed in isolates not classified within the international clone lineages. Bioinformatic analysis of the type IV fimbriae revealed a correlation between PilA sequence homology and motility. A high level of variability in adherence to both abiotic surfaces and epithelial cells was found. We report for the first time the motility characteristics of a large number of A. baumannii isolates and present a direct comparison of A. baumannii binding to nasopharyngeal and lung epithelial cells.     

Evaluation of the Origin of a Sample of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sporothrix Schenckii</Emphasis> that Caused Contamination of a Researcher in Southern Brazil

We report a case of a researcher from a laboratory of Mycology in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil that presented a clinical evidence of sporotrichosis. The researcher had an accident while manipulating the microculture slides of chromoblastomycosis agents and presented a clinical evidence of sporotrichosis. As the laboratory has some cultures of Sporothrix schenckii, it was suggested that it might be a laboratory contamination. In order to test this hypothesis, the genotypic characterization of the samples was performed by means of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis method. In addition, we evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of four antifungal agents against the isolated fungus. The sample obtained from the researcher was not genetically similar to any of the samples kept in the laboratory and showed the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.5 μg/mL for itraconazole and ketoconazole, >64 μg/mL for fluconazole and 0.125 μg/mL for terbinafine. It is suggested that the contamination had an environmental origin.     

The structural basis for partitioning of the XRCC1/DNA ligase III-α BRCT-mediated dimer complexes

The ultimate step common to almost all DNA repair pathways is the ligation of the nicked intermediate to form contiguous double-stranded DNA. In the mammalian nucleotide and base excision repair pathways, the ligation step is carried out by ligase III-α. For efficient ligation, ligase III-α is constitutively bound to the scaffolding protein XRCC1 through interactions between the C-terminal BRCT domains of each protein. Although structural data for the individual domains has been available, no structure of the complex has been determined and several alternative proposals for this interaction have been advanced. Interpretation of the models is complicated by the formation of homodimers that, depending on the model, may either contribute to, or compete with heterodimer formation. We report here the structures of both homodimer complexes as well as the heterodimer complex. Structural characterization of the heterodimer formed from a longer XRCC1 BRCT domain construct, including residues comprising the interdomain linker region, revealed an expanded heterodimer interface with the ligase III-α BRCT domain. This enhanced linker-mediated binding interface plays a significant role in the determination of heterodimer/homodimer selectivity. These data provide fundamental insights into the structural basis of BRCT-mediated dimerization, and resolve questions related to the organization of this important repair complex.     

Altered differentiation and clustering of Sertoli cells in transgenic mice showing a Sertoli cell specific knockout of the connexin 43 gene

Histological analysis revealed that Sertoli cell specific knockout of the predominant testicular gap junction protein connexin 43 results in a spermatogenic arrest at the level of spermatogonia or Sertoli cell-only syndrome, intratubular cell clusters and still proliferating adult Sertoli cells, implying an important role for connexin 43 in the Sertoli and germ cell development. This study aimed to determine the (1) Sertoli cell maturation state, (2) time of occurrence and (3) composition, differentiation and fate of clustered cells in knockout mice. Using immunohistochemistry connexin 43 deficient Sertoli cells showed an accurate start of the mature markers androgen receptor and GATA-1 during puberty and a vimentin expression from neonatal to adult. Expression of anti-Muellerian hormone, as a marker of Sertoli cell immaturity, was finally down-regulated during puberty, but its disappearance was delayed. This observed extended anti-Müllerian hormone synthesis during puberty was confirmed by western blot and Real-Time PCR and suggests a partial alteration in the Sertoli cell differentiation program. Additionally, Sertoli cells of adult knockouts showed a permanent and uniform expression of GATA-1 at protein and mRNA level, maybe caused by the lack of maturing germ cells and missing negative feedback signals. At ultrastructural level, basally located adult Sertoli cells obtained their mature appearance, demonstrated by the tripartite nucleolus as a typical feature of differentiated Sertoli cells. Intratubular clustered cells were mainly formed by abnormal Sertoli cells and single attached apoptotic germ cells, verified by immunohistochemistry, TUNEL staining and transmission electron microscopy. Clusters first appeared during puberty and became more numerous in adulthood with increasing cell numbers per cluster suggesting an age-related process. In conclusion, adult connexin 43 deficient Sertoli cells seem to proliferate while maintaining expression of mature markers and their adult morphology, indicating a unique and abnormal intermediate phenotype with characteristics common to both undifferentiated and differentiated Sertoli cells.     

Effect of age on high-fat diet-induced hypertension

Aging and obesity both have a significant impact on central blood pressure (BP) regulation, and previous studies indicated that changes in central redox signaling with age may affect high-fat (HF) diet-induced cardiovascular responses. Therefore, we investigated the effects of 60% HF feeding on BP regulation in young adult (5 mo) and old (26 mo) Fischer-344 × Brown-Norway rats. Radiotelemetric transmitters were implanted to measure BP, heart rate (HR), locomotor activity, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity. Expression and activity of NADPH oxidase and ANG II type 1 receptor were assessed in the hypothalamus and in the nucleus tractus solitarii. Old animals gained more weight on HF diet compared with young, whereas central NADPH oxidase expression and activity elevated similarly in the two age groups. After an initial hypotensive and tachycardic response during the first week of HF feeding, BP in young animals increased and became significantly elevated after 6 wk of HF feeding. In contrast, BP in old animals remained depressed. Nighttime HR and locomotor activity decreased in both young and old rats fed with HF diet, but these changes were more significant in young rats. As a result, amplitudes of circadian variation of BP, HR, and activity that were originally higher in young rats declined significantly and became similar in the two age groups. In conclusion, our experiments led to the surprising finding that HF diet has a more serious impact on cardiovascular regulation in young animals compared with old.