Активность

Using benzylidene imidazolone core, we created a panel of color-shifted fluorogenic ligands for FAST protein without compromise to the binding efficiency and the utility for live-cell protein labeling. This study highlights the potential of benzylidene imidazolones derivatives for rapid expansion of a pallet of live-cell fluorogenic labeling tools.Tinea faciei is a common pediatric skin disease, most often caused by fungi of the genus Trichophyton. T benhamiae has been recently reclassified as a distinct species and is recognized as an emerging zoonotic dermatophyte with a wide range of possible infectious reservoirs worldwide. We present a previously healthy 7-year-old child presenting with unusual inflammatory facial plaques due to T benhamiae, confirmed by mass spectroscopy.

Cell blocks are alternative preparations of fluid cytological specimens. They can be used for immunochemical studies as complementary tools or when other techniques (eg, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry) are not available.

We aimed to provide comparative morphologic, immunohistochemical, and technical features of agar-based cell blocks (ACBs) and cell tube blocks (CTBs) from cavitary effusions.

Agar-based cell blocks and CTBs were obtained from canine and feline effusions with neoplastic/atypical cells or with packed cell volumes ≥3%. Cellularity, RBC separation, and cellular features were evaluated on digitalized H&E slides with evaluators blinded to the method. The immunohistochemical intensity and nonspecific background were assessed on pan-cytokeratin and vimentin-stained slides. Overall yield was calculated, and morphologic and immunohistochemical features were compared among paired samples. Technical and cellular features were also described.

Agar-based cell blocks and CTBs yielded evaluant differences. Cell tube blocks are beneficial for RBC-rich samples, and little additional training is required to prepare the blocks. Both types of cell blocks are reliable, cost-effective methods that could be introduced in diagnostic laboratories to further characterize canine and feline effusions.Some of the best evidence of effects of control policies on alcohol availability stems from controlled experimental studies in the Nordic state-owned alcohol monopolies. Publications from these studies do not, however, explain the process leading up to the implementation of changes in policy measures under controlled experimental conditions. In September 2020, the Norwegian state alcohol monopoly started the implementation of extended trading hours, employing a randomised controlled trial design. In this commentary, we give an account of the process leading up to this implementation and how the monopoly considered various pro- and contra-arguments in this regard. This case illustrates that willingness to contribute to strengthened scientific evidence on alcohol control policies can be embedded in the social responsibility of a state alcohol monopoly.Reproductive coercion (RC), or partner interference in reproductive decisions, limits women’s autonomy. Little is known about RC behaviors and measurement in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this mixed-methods study, we examined the transferability of the US-developed RC Scale to the Kenyan context. Through community-based sampling, recent intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors were recruited from Nairobi’s informal settlements. We conducted quantitative analyses (n = 327) to assess the transferability of RC measures via exploratory factor analysis and used descriptive statistics to examine prevalence and continuous metrics. We conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs; n = 30) to contextualize results. Psychometric analyses indicated a two-factor solution comprising pregnancy coercion and condom manipulation (alpha = 0.86). Eighty-two percent of IPV survivors reported experiencing RC (pregnancy coercion = 76.6 percent; condom manipulation = 59.5 percent). IDIs highlighted women’s multiple, severe RC experiences; experiences described in IDIs were largely consistent with quantitative findings. We found the RC Scale was transferable to this LMIC context, where IPV survivors face prevalent, severe RC and would benefit from linkage to woman-centered support services.Chemical recycling of plastic waste represents a greener alternative to landfill and incineration, and potentially offers a solution to the environmental consequences of increased plastic waste. Most plastics that are widely used today are designed for durability, hence currently available depolymerisation methods typically require harsh conditions and when applied to blended and mixed plastic feeds generate a mixture of products. Herein, we demonstrate that the energetic differences for the glycolysis of BPA-PC and PET in the presence of a protic ionic salt TBDMSA catalyst enables the selective and sequential depolymerisation of these two commonly employed polymers. Employing the same procedure, functionalised cyclic carbonates can be obtained from both mixed plastic wastes and industrial polymer blend. This methodology demonstrates that the concept of catalytic depolymerisation offers great potential for selective polymer recycling and also presents plastic waste as a “greener” alternative feedstock for the synthesis of high added value molecules.Exocytosis is a fundamental process in physiology, that ensures communication between cells, organs and even organisms. Hormones, neuropeptides and antibodies, among other cargoes are packed in exocytic vesicles that need to reach and fuse with the plasma membrane to release their content to the extracellular milieu. Hundreds of proteins participate in this process and several others in its regulation. We report here a novel component of the exocytic machinery, the Drosophila transmembrane immunophilin Zonda (Zda), previously found to participate in autophagy. Zda is highly expressed in secretory tissues, and regulates exocytosis in at least three of them the ring gland, insulin-producing cells and the salivary gland. see more Using the salivary gland as a model system, we found that Zda is required at final steps of the exocytic process for fusion of secretory granules to the plasma membrane. In a genetic screen we identified the small GTPase RalA as a crucial regulator of secretory granule exocytosis that is required, similarly to Zda, for fusion between the secretory granule and the plasma membrane.