scholarly journals Phages in Anaerobic Systems

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1091
Author(s):  
Santiago Hernández ◽  
Martha J. Vives

Since the discovery of phages in 1915, these viruses have been studied mostly in aerobic systems, or without considering the availability of oxygen as a variable that may affect the interaction between the virus and its host. However, with such great abundance of anaerobic environments on the planet, the effect that a lack of oxygen can have on the phage-bacteria relationship is an important consideration. There are few studies on obligate anaerobes that investigate the role of anoxia in causing infection. In the case of facultative anaerobes, it is a well-known fact that their shifting from an aerobic environment to an anaerobic one involves metabolic changes in the bacteria. As the phage infection process depends on the metabolic state of the host bacteria, these changes are also expected to affect the phage infection cycle. This review summarizes the available information on phages active on facultative and obligate anaerobes and discusses how anaerobiosis can be an important parameter in phage infection, especially among facultative anaerobes.

1968 ◽  
Vol 21 (sup102) ◽  
pp. IV-B-IV-B ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Reivich ◽  
J. Dickson ◽  
J. Clark ◽  
M. Hedden ◽  
C. J. Lambertsen
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3010
Author(s):  
Michal Szeremeta ◽  
Karolina Pietrowska ◽  
Anna Niemcunowicz-Janica ◽  
Adam Kretowski ◽  
Michal Ciborowski

Forensic toxicology and forensic medicine are unique among all other medical fields because of their essential legal impact, especially in civil and criminal cases. New high-throughput technologies, borrowed from chemistry and physics, have proven that metabolomics, the youngest of the “omics sciences”, could be one of the most powerful tools for monitoring changes in forensic disciplines. Metabolomics is a particular method that allows for the measurement of metabolic changes in a multicellular system using two different approaches: targeted and untargeted. Targeted studies are focused on a known number of defined metabolites. Untargeted metabolomics aims to capture all metabolites present in a sample. Different statistical approaches (e.g., uni- or multivariate statistics, machine learning) can be applied to extract useful and important information in both cases. This review aims to describe the role of metabolomics in forensic toxicology and in forensic medicine.


2019 ◽  
pp. 134-158
Author(s):  
Roberto Vélez Grajales ◽  
Luis A. Monroy-Gómez-Franco ◽  
Gastón Yalonetzky

Mexico is a country with high levels of inequality and low intergenerational social-mobility rates for those located at the bottom extremes of the wealth distribution. Although such low rates suggest that at least a share of the observed income inequality may be due to an unequal distribution of opportunities, this conjecture has not been thoroughly tested in the literature. The present article fills this gap estimating the lower bound of the contribution of unequal opportunities to income and wealth inequality in Mexico, with an operationalization of the “ex-ante” approach to the measurement of inequality of opportunity. Relying on a national representative survey designed for the analysis of social mobility, namely, the ESRU Survey on Social Mobility in Mexico (2011), we are able to define a broad set of circumstance groups (“types”), encompassing the wealth of the household of origin. This available information reduces the omitted variable bias of previous estimations and allows for a better account of the role of inequality of opportunity in income inequality. Our results show that the lower bound of the contribution of unequal opportunities to total income inequality and total wealth inequality is around 30 per cent, which is substantially higher than previous estimations for Mexico and ranks among the highest values in Latin America.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Prieto ◽  
AB Segarra ◽  
M Martinez-Canamero ◽  
M De Gasparo ◽  
S Zorad ◽  
...  

AbstractThe cardiovascular control involves a bidirectional functional connection between the brain and heart. We hypothesize that this connection could be extended to other organs using endocrine and autonomic nervous systems (ANS) as communication pathways. This implies a neuroendocrine interaction controlling particularly the cardiovascular function where the enzymatic cascade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an essential role. It acts not only through its classic endocrine connection but also the ANS. In addition, the brain is functionally, anatomically, and neurochemically asymmetric. Moreover, this asymmetry goes even beyond the brain and it includes both sides of the peripheral nervous and neuroendocrine systems. We revised the available information and analyze the asymmetrical neuroendocrine bidirectional interaction for the cardiovascular control. Negative and positive correlations involving the RAS have been observed between brain, heart, kidney, gut, and plasma in physiologic and pathologic conditions. The central role of the peptides and enzymes of the RAS within this neurovisceral communication, as well as the importance of the asymmetrical distribution of the various RAS components in the pathologies involving this connection, are particularly discussed. In conclusion, there are numerous evidences supporting the existence of a neurovisceral connection with multiorgan involvement that controls, among others, the cardiovascular function. This connection is asymmetrically organized.


1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 2025-2032 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Silverberg ◽  
T. Sawa

Electron microscopy of the cells of the characean alga Nitella flexilis revealed the presence of numerous spherical inclusions which morphologically resemble plant microbodies. The structures have a dense granular matrix and are bounded by a single membrane. Many of the microbodies contain very electron-dense nucleoids that were shown to be alpha-amylase sensitive. In cells of the young apex, microbodies are the most abundant cellular organelle and are intimately associated with dilated cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complexes, and with large osmiophilic lipid bodies. Although the microbody population appears reduced in mature branchlet cells and internode cells of the main axis, they exhibit a characteristic and frequent association with the chloroplasts. Turnover of microbodies involves some autolytic degradation of the body matrix until complete digestion presumably occurs. Developmental changes of microbodies were monitored with the cytochemical localization of lysosomal aryl sulfatase and acid phosphatase activities. The current study is of interest since catalase, an enzyme marker of microbodies in a variety of tissues, could not be detected using both cytochemical and enzyme assay methods. The functional role of microbodies in Nitella cells is explored in relation to presently available information.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatih M. Uckun ◽  
Saran Saund ◽  
Hitesh Windlass ◽  
Vuong Trieu

Artemisinin is an anti-inflammatory phytomedicine with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Artemisinin and its antimalarial properties were discovered by the Chinese scientist Tu Youyu, who became one of the laureates of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this breakthrough in tropical medicine. It is a commonly used anti-malaria drug. Artemisinin has recently been repurposed as a potential COVID-19 drug. Its documented anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity has been attributed to its ability to inhibit spike-protein mediated and TGF-β-dependent early steps in the infection process as well as its ability to disrupt the post-entry intracellular events of the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle required for viral replication. In addition, Artemisinin has anti-inflammatory activity and reduces the systemic levels of inflammatory cytokines that contribute to cytokine storm and inflammatory organ injury in high-risk COVID-19 patients. We postulate that Artemisinin may prevent the worsening of the health condition of patients with mild-moderate COVID-19 when administered early in the course of their disease.


10.28945/3018 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Nijholt

There are many ways to present information to visitors and users of 2D and 3D interface environments. In these virtual environments we can provide visitors with simulations of real environments, including simulations of presenters in such environments (a lecturer, a sales agent, a receptionist, a museum guide) and including audience participation in these environments. Our research aims at generating presentations from available multimedia information. In particular, we would like to see the generation of presentations by embodied conversational agents that employ verbal and nonverbal capabilities. In the past we have seen the introduction of embodied agents and robots that take the role of a museum guide, a news presenter, a teacher, a receptionist, or someone who is trying to sell insurance, houses or tickets. In all these cases the embodied agent needs to explain and to describe. The automatic generation of presentations and presentation agents from information sources is still too ambitious a task. Therefore we look at research from the perspective of the design of tools that can support presenters or can help to provide natural access to presentations and lectures. Can we use a given collection of sheets and maybe other accessible media sources to design, create and generate an embodied presenter? Among others we discuss manual annotation of available information and the way in which presenter agents can use it. Clearly, the development of tools for these purposes is a first step towards automating the generation of presentations and presentation agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Abbasihormozi ◽  
A Kouhkan ◽  
A Shahverdi ◽  
A Parhizkar ◽  
Z Zolfaghary ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question To evaluate the association between sperm functionality parameters and biochemical, hormonal, and inflammatory indices in obese and diabetic men. Summary answer Metabolic changes,hormonal dysfunction,and the presence of inflammatory mediators might be considered possible mechanisms in the development of sub-fertility in obese and diabetic sub-fertile men What is known already Although the higher prevalence of subfertility in obese and diabetic men during the reproductive age is evident, the mechanisms by which obesity and diabetes mellitus (DM) cause male infertility are not entirely understood. Several pathways might be involved in the role of obesity in semen quality, thereby inducing alterations in hormonal profiles, abnormal lipid metabolism, and possibly the formation of inflammatory cytokines, ultimately leading to impaired sperm function Study design, size, duration We enrolled normal weight (BMI<25 kg/m2) and non-type–2 diabetic (control=40), obese and non- type–2 diabetic (obese=40), non-obese and type–2 diabetic (Lean-DM=35), and obese and type–2 diabetic (Obese-DM=35) sub-fertile men, aged 20–50 years, referring to Royan infertility clinic (Tehran, Iran) from March to September 2014 Participants/materials, setting, methods After enrollment and receiving informed consent, all men underwent face-to-face private interviews. The obesity-associated markers, insulin resistance, beta-cell function, hormonal and lipid profile, inflammatory indices, and semen analysis were assessed in four experimental groups. Semen analysis was examined after 2–5 days of sexual analysis).abstinence based on WHO-recommended methods by CASA system (computer-assisted sperm Main results and the role of chance Main results and the role of chance: Our finding showed that diabetic markers were significantly increased in two diabetic groups, while obesity indices were markedly increased in two obese groups. Conventional sperm parameters were significantly lower in obese DM, lean DM, and obese groups compared with the control (p < 0.05). Serum levels of total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were significantly lower in men with obesity and DM compared with the control (p < 0.05).There was a significant difference in the concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) among four experimental groups. Moreover, serum leptin was significantly increased in obese DM, lean DM, and obese groups. Serum insulin levels had a positive correlation with metabolic-associated indices (WC, BMI, FBS,HbA1c,and HOMA-IR), as well as hs-CRP levels, whereas it had a negative correlation with count, motility, and morphology. There is also a negative association between metabolic-associated indices (WC, BMI, FBS, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR) and semen parameters. Limitations, reasons for caution It was better to evaluate inflammatory biomarkers be examined in other tissues Wider implications of the findings: The results of this study demonstrated the association of metabolic changes, hormonal dysfunction, and inflammatory responses with the semen parameters of sub-fertile men with obesity and diabete. Trial registration number Not applicable


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