Hammondbloom4921

Sphingolipids are enriched in microdomains in the plant plasma membrane (PM). Hydroxyl groups in the characteristic long-chain base (LCB) moiety might be essential for the interaction between sphingolipids and sterols during microdomain formation. Investigating LCB hydroxylase mutants in Physcomitrium patens might therefore reveal the role of certain plant sphingolipids in the formation of PM subdomains. Physcomitrium patens mutants for the LCB C-4 hydroxylase S4H were generated by homologous recombination. Plants were characterised by analysing their sphingolipid and steryl glycoside (SG) profiles and by investigating different gametophyte stages. s4h mutants lost the hydroxyl group at the C-4 position of their LCB moiety. Loss of this hydroxyl group caused global changes in the moss sphingolipidome and in SG composition. Changes in membrane lipid composition may trigger growth defects by interfering with the localisation of membrane-associated proteins that are crucial for growth processes such as signalling receptors or callose-modifying enzymes. Loss of LCB-C4 hydroxylation substantially changes the P. patens sphingolipidome and reveals a key role for S4H during development of nonvascular plants. LY3039478 Physcomitrium patens is a valuable model for studying the diversification of plant sphingolipids. The simple anatomy of P. patens facilitates visualisation of physiological processes in biological membranes.

An immunochromatography technology (ICT) rapid diagnostic test, the Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM

, was recently developed. Our aim was to study its contribution to establish accurately the Toxoplasma immune status in Tunisian pregnant women using Western blot (WB) Toxo II IgG

as a reference technique.

Thirty-nine sera were selected for the study from among 2,615 which were already tested by IgG and IgM ELISA. They displayed equivocal IgG titres (4.4-9IU/ml) in absence of IgM (19sera) or IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in absence of IgG (titre <4.4IU/ml) (20 sera). All these sera were additionally tested by WB Toxo II IgG

.

Immunochromatography technology Sensitivity in the detection either of low IgG titres in absence of IgM or of specific anti-Toxoplasma IgM was 100%. Only one serum with equivocal IgG titre by ELISA and negative with Toxo II IgG

test revealed positive in ICT. However, this serum showed a P30 band in WB analysis. On the other hand, three sera positive in ELISA IgM and negative in ELISA IgG revealed positive in ICT and negative in WB Toxo II IgG

, the reference test.

Results confirm the high sensitivity of Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM

in detecting both specific anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM, and highlight the usefulness of this rapid test as a first or second-line Toxoplasma serological test in pregnant women.

Results confirm the high sensitivity of Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM® in detecting both specific anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM, and highlight the usefulness of this rapid test as a first or second-line Toxoplasma serological test in pregnant women.Mobile whole-room UVGI devices are used in healthcare settings to control surface-borne pathogens. Unfortunately, no standard method comparing the efficacy of these devices is available. We accessed the effect of shadows on UVC 254 nm inactivation. The evaluation of a mobile whole-room UVGI device used spores of Bacillus atrophaeus as a surrogate for Clostridium difficile and Staphylococcus aureus as a surrogate for MSRA. Inactivation after 10 min of exposure varied significantly depending on whether the spores received direct UV exposure (4.3 log reduction), both direct and reflected UV exposure (3.0-4.0 log reduction) or reflected UV exposure alone ( less then 1.0 log reduction). The susceptibility (z-value) for inactivation of B. atrophaeus spores on a glass surface was estimated to be 0.00312 m2 J-1 . Staphylococcus aureus microbial log reductions were approximately 5.5 for direct UV exposure, 3.6-5.2 for both direct and reflected UV exposure and approximately 2.75 for only reflected UV exposure. Our measurement of reflected dose ranged from 0.46% to 1.47%. Based on our findings, B. atrophaeus spores should be considered as a model organism for testing the impact of shadows on mobile whole-room UVGI device inactivation. Optimizing the reflected component of whole-room UVGI is important, especially for UVC-resistant organisms.The use of pembrolizumab has been largely accepted in several advanced types of cancers. PURE 01 study (NCT02736266) enrolled consecutively 143 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who received 3 cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks before planned radical cystectomy (RC). Clinical, pathological and laboratory data were collected to investigate the relationship between renal function, immunotherapy and cancer-related outcomes. Serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine-equation 2009 were reported at baseline and after every cycle of pembrolizumab; the T stage from clinical classification TNM (cTNM) was stated before the treatment. Our analysis did not demonstrate a significant impairment of eGFR after any cycle of pembrolizumab, neither in the overall cohort nor in subgroups considering the T stages or the CKD G-categories according to K-DIGO 2012 classification. In conclusion, in neoadjuvant setting before RC our results suggest that pembrolizumab administration is safe for renal function preservation.We investigated the associations of estimated free and total circulating testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with cancer risk in men and postmenopausal women, using a pan-cancer approach, including 19 cancers in UK Biobank. Risk was estimated using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression in up to 182 608 men and 122 112 postmenopausal women who were cancer-free at baseline. Participants diagnosed with cancer within 2 years of baseline were excluded. Hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were corrected for regression dilution bias using repeat measurements. We accounted for multiple testing using the false discovery rate. In men, higher free testosterone was associated with higher risks of melanoma and prostate cancer (HR per 50 pmol/L increase = 1.35, 95% CI 1.14-1.61 and 1.10, 1.04-1.18, respectively). Higher total testosterone was associated with an elevated risk of liver cancer (HR per 5 nmol/L = 2.45, 1.56-3.84), and higher SHBG was associated with a higher risk of liver cancer (HR per 10 nmol/L = 1.