Search results for "LCA"

Single nanogranules preserve intracrystalline amorphicity in biominerals.

2015

We revisit the ultrastructural features of different calcareous biominerals and identify remarkable similarities: taxonomically very distant species show a common nanogranular structure, even if different extracellular secretion patterns are employed or calcium carbonate polymorphs formed. By these analyses, we elucidate the locus of the small fraction of intracrystalline organic matrix revealing its intergranular character and localize the intracrystalline amorphous calcium carbonate moiety commonly found in mesocrystalline biominerals and provide a first explanation for the pathway by which it is preserved.

Phylogeographical diversity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the Asian part of Russia based on multilocus sequence typing and analysis of the ankA gene

2019

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-transmitted bacterium that replicates in neutrophil granulocytes and elicits febrile disease in humans and animals; it is widely distributed in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. A. phagocytophilum is commonly regarded as a single species, but several genetic variants with distinct host distribution and geographical origin have been described. In a previous study, we used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to characterize 25 A. phagocytophilum strains from Ixodes spp. ticks collected in the Asian part of Russia. The obtained concatenated sequences formed two separate clades reflecting their Asiatic origin and/or the vector species. As one of the clade…

2017

Abstract A characterization of the bacterial community of the hindgut wall of two larval and the adult stages of the forest cockchafer (Melolontha hippocastani) was carried out using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene fragment. It was found that, in second-instar larvae, Caulobacteraceae and Pseudomonaceae showed the highest relative abundances, while in third-instar larvae, the dominant families were Porphyromonadaceae and Bacteroidales-related. In adults, an increase of the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria (γ- and δ- classes) and the family Enterococcaceae (Firmicutes) was observed. This suggests that the composition of the hindgut wall community may depend on the…

Effects of acetyl-l-carnitine in diabetic neuropathy and other geriatric disorders

2018

A long history of diabetes mellitus and increasing age are associated with the onset of diabetic neuropathy, a painful and highly disabling complication with a prevalence peaking at 50% among elderly diabetic patients. Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) is a molecule derived from the acetylation of carnitine in the mitochondria that has an essential role in energy production. It has recently been proposed as a therapy to improve the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. ALC is widely distributed in mammalian tissues, including the brain, blood–brain barrier, brain neurons, and astrocytes. Aside from its metabolic activity, ALC has demonstrated cytoprotective, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects in the …

A large-scale screening for the taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, and the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, in southern Scandinavia, 2016

2019

Abstract The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, has previously been limited to eastern Europe and northern Asia, but recently its range has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden. The species is of medical importance, as it, along with a string of other pathogens, may carry the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of tick-borne encephalitis virus. These subtypes appear to cause more severe disease, with higher fatality rates than the central European subtype. Until recently, the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, has been absent from Scandinavia, but has now been detected in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Dermacentor reticulatus carries, along with other pathogens, Babesia canis and Rickettsia r…

CO2 flux emissions from the Earth's most actively degassing volcanoes, 2005-2015

2019

AbstractThe global carbon dioxide (CO2) flux from subaerial volcanoes remains poorly quantified, limiting our understanding of the deep carbon cycle during geologic time and in modern Earth. Past attempts to extrapolate the global volcanic CO2 flux have been biased by observations being available for a relatively small number of accessible volcanoes. Here, we propose that the strong, but yet unmeasured, CO2 emissions from several remote degassing volcanoes worldwide can be predicted using regional/global relationships between the CO2/ST ratio of volcanic gases and whole-rock trace element compositions (e.g., Ba/La). From these globally linked gas/rock compositions, we predict the CO2/ST gas…

A contribution to the knowledge of myxomycetes diversity in volcanic islands

2015

A list of myxomycetes collected in Pantelleria, a volcanic island located 110 km southwest of the island of Sicily ( Italy), is presented with data on distribution. Forty-nine taxa were identified, 38 of which are new for Sicily. The myxomycete diversity of Pantelleria was also compared with that of other volcanic islands located in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A list of myxomycetes collected in Pantelleria, a volcanic island located 110km southwest of the island of Sicily (Italy), is presented with data on distribution. Forty-nine taxa were identified, 38 of which are new for Sicily. The myxomycete diversity of Pantelleria was also compared with that of other volcanic islands located i…

Decreases in Circulating Concentrations of Long-Chain Acylcarnitines and Free Fatty Acids During the Glucose Tolerance Test Represent Tissue-Specific…

2019

Background: Insulin plays a pivotal role in the regulation of both carbohydrate and lipid intermediate turnover and metabolism. In the transition from a fasted to fed state, insulin action inhibits lipolysis in adipocytes, and acylcarnitine synthesis in the muscles and heart. The aim of this study was to measure free fatty acid (FFA) and acylcarnitine levels during the glucose tolerance test as indicators of tissue-specific insulin resistance. Results: Insulin release in response to glucose administration decreased both FFA and long-chain acylcarnitine levels in plasma in healthy control animals by 30% (120 min). The glucose tolerance test and [3H]-deoxy-D-glucose uptake in tissues revealed…

Specific inflammatory response of Anemonia sulcata (Cnidaria) after bacterial injection causes tissue reaction and enzymatic activity alteration

2015

The evolution of multicellular organisms was marked by adaptations to protect against pathogens. The mechanisms for discriminating the ’’self’’ from ’’non-self” have evolved into a long history of cellular and molecular strategies, from damage repair to the co-evolution of host-pathogen interactions. We investigated the inflammatory response in Anemonia sulcata (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) following injection of substances that varied in type and dimension, and observed clear, strong and specific reactions, especially after injection of Escherichia coli and Vibrio alginolyticus. Moreover, we analyzed enzymatic activity of protease, phosphatase and esterase, showing how the injection of different ba…

Monitoring of ticks and tick-borne pathogens through a nationwide research station network in Finland.

2020

In 2015 a long-term, nationwide tick and tick-borne pathogen (TBP) monitoring project was started by the Finnish Tick Project and the Finnish Research Station network (RESTAT), with the goal of producing temporally and geographically extensive data regarding exophilic ticks in Finland. In the current study, we present results from the first four years of this collaboration. Ticks were collected by cloth dragging from 11 research stations across Finland in May September 2015-2018 (2012-2018 in Seili). Collected ticks were screened for twelve different pathogens by qPCR: Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia miyamotoi, Babesia sp…