Search results for "gap"

2017

Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) separate the peripheral blood from the brain. These cells, which are surrounded by basal lamina, pericytes and glial cells, are highly interconnected through tight and gap junctions. Their permeability properties restrict the transfer of potentially useful therapeutic agents. In such a hermetic system, the gap junctional exchange of small molecules between cerebral endothelial and non-endothelial cells is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis. MicroRNA were shown to cross gap junction channels, thereby modulating gene expression and function of the recipient cell. It was also shown that, when altered, BMEC could be regenerated by endothelial…

Host Cell Rab GTPases in Hepatitis B Virus Infection

2018

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of liver disease and is presently estimated to infect more than 250 million humans. The extremely successful spread of this virus among the human population is explained by its effective transmission strategies and its manifold particle types, including virions, empty envelopes and naked capsids. Due to its tiny genome, HBV depends on cellular machineries to thrive in infected hepatocytes. To enter, traverse and exit the cell, HBV exploits host membrane trafficking pathways, including intracellular highways directed by Rab GTPases. Here, we review recent discoveries focused on how HBV co-opts and perturbs host Rab GTPase functions with an emphasis …

The integration of autophagy and cellular trafficking pathways via RAB GAPs.

2015

Macroautophagy is a conserved degradative pathway in which a double-membrane compartment sequesters cytoplasmic cargo and delivers the contents to lysosomes for degradation. Efficient formation and maturation of autophagic vesicles, so-called phagophores that are precursors to autophagosomes, and their subsequent trafficking to lysosomes relies on the activity of small RAB GTPases, which are essential factors of cellular vesicle transport systems. The activity of RAB GTPases is coordinated by upstream factors, which include guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RAB GEFs) and RAB GTPase activating proteins (RAB GAPs). A role in macroautophagy regulation for different TRE2-BUB2-CDC16 (TBC) dom…

Systematic analysis of the scientific literature on population surveillance

2020

Abstract Introduction Population surveillance provides data on the health status of the population through continuous scrutiny of different indicators. Identifying risk factors is essential for the quickly detecting and controlling of epidemic outbreaks and reducing the incidence of cross-infections and non-communicable diseases. The objective of the present study is to analyze research on population surveillance, identifying the main topics of interest for investigators in the area. Methodology We included documents indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection in the period from 2000 to 2019 and assigned with the generic Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) “population surveillance” or its rela…

Glucose and hypothalamic astrocytes: More than a fueling role?

2015

Brain plays a central role in energy homeostasis continuously integrating numerous peripheral signals such as circulating nutrients, and in particular blood glucose level, a variable that must be highly regulated. Then, the brain orchestrates adaptive responses to modulate food intake and peripheral organs activity in order to achieve the fine tuning of glycemia. More than fifty years ago, the presence of glucose-sensitive neurons was discovered in the hypothalamus, but what makes them specific and identifiable still remains disconnected from their electrophysiological signature. On the other hand, astrocytes represent the major class of macroglial cells and are now recognized to support an…

The genomic sequence of Exiguobacterium chiriqhucha str. N139 reveals a species that thrives in cold waters and extreme environmental conditions

2017

We report the genome sequence of Exiguobacterium chiriqhucha str. N139, isolated from a high-altitude Andean lake. Comparative genomic analyses of the Exiguobacterium genomes available suggest that our strain belongs to the same species as the previously reported E. pavilionensis str. RW-2 and Exiguobacterium str. GIC 31. We describe this species and propose the chiriqhucha name to group them. ‘Chiri qhucha’ in Quechua means ‘cold lake’, which is a common origin of these three cosmopolitan Exiguobacteria. The 2,952,588-bp E. chiriqhucha str. N139 genome contains one chromosome and three megaplasmids. The genome analysis of the Andean strain suggests the presence of enzymes that confer E. ch…

2021

Scholarly journals are often blamed for a gender gap in publication rates, but it is unclear whether peer review and editorial processes contribute to it. This article examines gender bias in peer review with data for 145 journals in various fields of research, including about 1.7 million authors and 740,000 referees. We reconstructed three possible sources of bias, i.e., the editorial selection of referees, referee recommendations, and editorial decisions, and examined all their possible relationships. Results showed that manuscripts written by women as solo authors or coauthored by women were treated even more favorably by referees and editors. Although there were some differences between…

Practicing logical reasoning through Drosophila segmentation gene mutants.

2021

Laboratory practical sessions are critical to scientific training in biology but usually fail to promote logical and hypothesis-driven reasoning and rely heavily on the teacher's instructions. This paper describes a 2-day laboratory practicum in which students prepare and analyze larval cuticle preparations of Drosophila segmentation gene mutant strains. Embryonic segmentation involves three major classes of genes according to their loss-of-function phenotypes: the establishment of broad regions by gap genes, the specification of the segments by the pair-rule genes, and the compartments within segments by the segment polarity genes. Students are asked to sort undefined segmentation mutants …

Investigating Mobility Gaps in University Campuses

2018

The objective of the present research is to carry out a gap analysis between current mobility situations and the needs, future plans and priorities regarding a number of thematic areas on the issue of mobility in university campuses. For this purpose, an interview was conducted involving 36 experts from seven Southern European Universities. More specifically, experts from each university were asked to analyse and rate both the current and the desired situation in the campus under their responsibility with focus on the following thematic areas: parking management, soft modes infrastructure, public transport, car related issues, road infrastructure, environment and energy, mobility management…

Les activités de rééducation GAPP à l'école primaire : analyse du fonctionnement et évaluation des effets

1991

Alain Mingat : Die Umschulungsaktivitäten der GAPP (Gruppen zur psychopädagogischer Hilfe) in der Grundschule. Die GAPP wurden vor za. 20 Jahren geschaffen mit dem Zweck, die Schüler zu unterstützen, die vorübergehende Schwierigkeiten zur guten Eingliederung in die Schule aufweisen. Diese Einrichtung wurde bisher lediglich diskursiv analysiert. Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt, dass starke Unterschiede im Funktionieren der Dienstleistungen bestehen (Mittelzuweisung durch die Verwaltung, Umschulungspraxis, allgemein und zwischen den einzelnen GAPP-Einrichtungen) mit der Konsequenz, dass die Zulassungsentscheidungen sehr ungenau sind : das erleichtet nebenbei die Bewertung der Auswirkungen. Dies…