Search results for "FAS"

First phenotypic and genotypic description of Fasciola hepatica infecting highland cattle in the state of Mexico, Mexico

2018

Abstract Fascioliasis is a plantborne and zoonotic parasitic disease caused by fasciolid liver flukes. Fasciola hepatica is the only fasciolid species described in the Americas. Human fascioliasis endemic areas are mainly located in high altitude areas of the Americas. Given the necessity to characterize F. hepatica populations involved, the phenotypic and genotypic features of fasciolid adults infecting cattle in the highland area of Toluca, State of Mexico, Mexico, were analyzed and compared to fasciolid materials from the Northern Bolivian Altiplano, representing the altiplanic transmission pattern in a hyperendemic scenario. A computer image analysis system (CIAS) was applied on the bas…

Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis with Bartonella washoensis in a Human European Patient and Its Detection in Red Squirrels ( Sciurus vulgaris )

2019

Members of the genus Bartonella are fastidious Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacteria that are typically transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Bartonella spp. have been found to cause culture-negative endocarditis in humans. Here, we report the case of a 75-year old German woman with prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Bartonella washoensis. The infecting agent was characterized by sequencing of six housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, ftsZ, gltA, groEL, ribC, rpoB) applying a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approach. The 5097 bp of the concatenated housekeeping gene sequence from the patient were 99.0% identical to a B. washoensis strain from a red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orie…

Development of an in vitro system to study oral biofilms in real time through impedance technology: validation and potential applications

2019

ABSTRACT Background and objectives: We have developed a standardized, easy-to-use in vitro model to study single- and multiple-species oral biofilms in real time through impedance technology, which elucidates the kinetics of biofilm formation in 96-well plates, without the requirement for any further manipulation. Design and Results: Using this system, biofilms of Streptococcus mutans appear to be sugar-dependent and highly resistant to amoxicilin, an antibiotic to which this oral pathogen is highly sensitive in a planktonic state. Saliva, tongue and dental plaque samples were also used as inocula to form multiple-species biofilms. DNA isolation and Illumina sequencing of the biofilms showe…

Extracellular Vesicles From the Helminth Fasciola hepatica Prevent DSS-Induced Acute Ulcerative Colitis in a T-Lymphocyte Independent Mode

2018

The complexity of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) has led to the quest of empirically drug therapies, combining immunosuppressant agents, biological therapy and modulators of the microbiota. Helminth parasites have been proposed as an alternative treatment of these diseases based on the hygiene hypothesis, but ethical and medical problems arise. Recent reports have proved the utility of parasite materials, mainly excretory/secretory products as therapeutic agents. The identification of extracellular vesicles on those secreted products opens a new field of investigation, since they exert potent immunomodulating effects. To assess the ef…

On the ability of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) bioaccumulation by two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from PFAS‐contaminated environmental matr…

2020

PFASs (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are highly fluorinated, aliphatic, synthetic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability as well as unique amphiphilic properties which make them ingredients in a range of industrial processes. PFASs have attracted consideration due to their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency in the environment. Recently, attention has begun to be addressed to shorter-chain PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], apparently less toxic to and more easily eliminated from lab animals. However, short-chain PFASs represent end-products from the transformation of fluorotelomers whose biotic breakdown reactions have not been ide…

Linking Only Aedes aegypti with Zika Virus Has World-Wide Public Health Implications

2017

Kinetic evidence for interaction of TMPyP4 with two different G-quadruplex conformations of human telomeric DNA

2018

Background: Stabilization of G-quadruplex helices by small ligands has attracted growing attention because they inhibit the activity of the enzyme telomerase, which is overexpressed in> 80% cancer cells. TMPyP4, one of the most studied G-quadruplex ligands, is used as a model to show that the ligands can exhibit different binding features with different conformations of a human telomeric specific sequence. Methods: UV–Vis, FRET melting Assay, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, Time-resolved Fluorescence lifetime, T-Jump and Molecular Dynamics. Results: TMPyP4 yields two different complexes with two Tel22 telomeric conformations in the presence of Na+ or K+. T-Jump kinetic experiments show th…

Danger zone analysis using cone beam computed tomography after apical enlargement with K3 and K3XF in a manikin model

2015

Background The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare how apical enlargement with K3 and K3XF nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments reduces the root thickness in the danger zone and affects canal transportation and centering ability in mandibular molar mesial canals in a manikin extracted tooth model. Material and Methods Seventy-two mesial root canals of first mandibular molars were instrumented. Initial and post-instrumentation Cone Beam Computed Tomography scans were performed after root canal preparation up to size 25, 30, 35 and 40 files. Canal transportation, canal centering and remaining root dentin thickness toward the danger zone were calculated in sections 1, 2 and…

Simple Muscle Architecture Analysis (SMA): An ImageJ macro tool to automate measurements in B-mode ultrasound scans

2020

In vivo measurements of muscle architecture (i.e. the spatial arrangement of muscle fascicles) are routinely included in research and clinical settings to monitor muscle structure, function and plasticity. However, in most cases such measurements are performed manually, and more reliable and time-efficient automated methods are either lacking completely, or are inaccessible to those without expertise in image analysis. In this work, we propose an ImageJ script to automate the entire analysis process of muscle architecture in ultrasound images: Simple Muscle Architecture Analysis (SMA). Images are filtered in the spatial and frequency domains with built-in commands and external plugins to hi…

Fasciola spp: Mapping of the MF6 epitope and antigenic analysis of the MF6p/HDM family of heme-binding proteins

2017

MF6p/FhHDM-1 is a small cationic heme-binding protein which is recognized by the monoclonal antibody (mAb) MF6, and abundantly present in parenchymal cells and secreted antigens of Fasciola hepatica. Orthologs of this protein (MF6p/HDMs) also exist in other causal agents of important foodborne trematodiasis, such as Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini and Paragonimus westermani. Considering that MF6p/FhHDM-1 is relevant for heme homeostasis in Fasciola and was reported to have immunomodulatory properties, this protein is expected to be a useful target for vaccination. Thus, in this study we mapped the epitope recognized by mAb MF6 and evaluated its antigenicity in sheep. The sequenc…