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Nostoc sp. 152 (= PCC 9237 T ), a toxic cyanobacterium, isolated from mixed cyanobacterial bloom in a Finnish freshwater lake was reassessed using phylogenetic, morphological and genomic analyses. Multilocus and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analyses confirmed that this strain represents a novel Nostocalean genus for which we propose the name Kaarinaea lacus gen. nov., sp. nov., in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. The most intriguing morphological feature exhibited by PCC 9237 T is the occasional division of proheterocytes. Based on our observations, we propose a hypothesis for the sequence of events taking place leading to this phenomenon. The other interesting feature includes the unusual heterocyte patterning resulting in the development of heterocytes in series in the old culture followed by its fragmentation at this site. Among the genes involved in heterocyte differentiation and patterning, patC and three homologs of hetP were not found from the genome of PCC 9237 T . Furthermore, genomic investigations revealed a variant of heterocyte glycolipid gene cluster with a reduced hglB, but having additional gene coding for a protein with TubCN terminal docking domain. Finally, the presence of a pks2-like gene cluster, whose product may interfere with the cellular differentiation, and an anachelin-like gene cluster demands further investigations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interest or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the superiority of metabolic surgery (MS) over medical therapy (MT) in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, leading, to a joint statement in 2016 proposing MS to patients with class I obesity and uncontrolled glycemia. Yet, these RCTs included few patients with class I obesity (body mass index 30-35 kg/m 2 ) and even fewer patients with overweight. Our aim was to provide an updated systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis (MA) of RCTs reporting diabetes remission (DR) after MS in these patients., Research Design and Methods: We included in the SR with MA only RCTs with at least 24-month follow-up found in Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, and LiSSA between January 2008 and September 2022 comparing DR post-MT versus post-MS. We calculated relative risk (RR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effects approach to examine differences in DR between patients allocated to MS versus MT., Results: DR was significantly higher in MS versus MT after 36 months' follow-up in patients with obesity (RR = 6.65 [95 %CI 2.24;19.79]; I² = 27 %; 5 trials, 404 patients), but also specifically in patients with class I obesity (RR = 5.27 [1.31;21.23]; I² = 0 %; 4 trials, 80 patients). Furthermore, and in line with previous results, all additional MAs performed in patients with obesity in this work favor MS (specifically Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) over MT at 24, 36 (only) and 60 months of follow-up., Conclusions: Although the data available in patients with class I obesity and type 2 diabetes remains limited, MA shows higher rates of DR after MS compared with MT after 36 months' follow-up in these patients. Consequently, the French National Authority for Health French (HAS) recommends MS for these patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Numerous statistical pipelines are now available for the differential analysis of gene expression measured with RNA-sequencing technology. Most of them are based on similar statistical frameworks after normalization, differing primarily in the choice of data distribution, mean and variance estimation strategy and data filtering. We propose an evaluation of the impact of these choices when few biological replicates are available through the use of synthetic data sets. This framework is based on real data sets and allows the exploration of various scenarios differing in the proportion of non-differentially expressed genes. Hence, it provides an evaluation of the key ingredients of the differential analysis, free of the biases associated with the simulation of data using parametric models. Our results show the relevance of a proper modeling of the mean by using linear or generalized linear modeling. Once the mean is properly modeled, the impact of the other parameters on the performance of the test is much less important. Finally, we propose to use the simple visualization of the raw P-value histogram as a practical evaluation criterion of the performance of differential analysis methods on real data sets., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The new model plant for temperate grasses, Brachypodium distachyon offers great potential as a tool for functional genomics. We have established a sodium azide-induced mutant collection and a TILLING platform, called "BRACHYTIL", for the inbred line Bd21-3. The TILLING collection consists of DNA isolated from 5530 different families. Phenotypes were reported and organized in a phenotypic tree that is freely available online. The tilling platform was validated by the isolation of mutants for seven genes belonging to multigene families of the lignin biosynthesis pathway. In particular, a large allelic series for BdCOMT6, a caffeic acid O-methyl transferase was identified. Some mutants show lower lignin content when compared to wild-type plants as well as a typical decrease of syringyl units, a hallmark of COMT-deficient plants. The mutation rate was estimated at one mutation per 396 kb, or an average of 680 mutations per line. The collection was also used to assess the Genetically Effective Cell Number that was shown to be at least equal to 4 cells in Brachypodium distachyon. The mutant population and the TILLING platform should greatly facilitate functional genomics approaches in this model organism.

Chitin synthases play critical roles in hyphal development and fungal pathogenicity. Previous studies on Botrytis cinerea, a model organism for necrotrophic pathogens, have shown that disruption of Bcchs1 and more particularly Bcchs3a genes have a drastic impact on virulence (Soulié et al., 2003, 2006). In this work, we investigate the role of other CHS including BcCHS4, BcCHS6 and BcCHS7 during the life cycle of B. cinerea. Single deletions of corresponding genes were carried out. Phenotypic analysis indicates that: (i) BcCHS4 enzyme is not essential for development and pathogenicity of the fungus; (ii) BcCHS7 is required for pathogenicity in a host dependant manner. For Bcchs6 gene disruption, we obtained only heterokaryotic strains. Indeed, sexual or asexual purification assays were unsuccessful. We concluded that class VI chitin synthase could be essential for B. cinerea and therefore BcCHS6 represents a valuable antifungal target., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nitrate is both an important nutrient and a signalling molecule for plants. Although several components of the nitrate signalling pathway have been identified, their hierarchical organization remains unclear. Here we show that the localization of NLP7, a member of the RWP-RK transcription factor family, is regulated by nitrate via a nuclear retention mechanism. Genome-wide analyses revealed that NLP7 binds and modulates a majority of known nitrate signalling and assimilation genes. Our findings indicate that plants, like fungi and mammals, rely on similar nuclear retention mechanisms to instantaneously respond to the availability of key nutrients.

Profiling of DNA and histone modifications has recently allowed the establishment of reference epigenomes from several model organisms. This identified a major chromatin state for active genes that contains monoubiquitinated H2B (H2Bub), a mark linked to transcription elongation. However, assessment of dynamic chromatin changes during the reprogramming of gene expression in response to extrinsic or developmental signals has been more difficult. Here we used the major developmental switch that Arabidopsis thaliana plants undergo upon their initial perception of light, known as photomorphogenesis, as a paradigm to assess spatial and temporal dynamics of monoubiquitinated H2B (H2Bub) and its impact on transcriptional responses. The process involves rapid and extensive transcriptional reprogramming and represents a developmental window well suited to studying cell division-independent chromatin changes. Genome-wide H2Bub distribution was determined together with transcriptome profiles at three time points during early photomorphogenesis. This revealed de novo marking of 177 genes upon the first hour of illumination, illustrating the dynamic nature of H2Bub enrichment in a genomic context. Gene upregulation was associated with H2Bub enrichment, while H2Bub levels generally remained stable during gene downregulation. We further report that H2Bub influences the modulation of gene expression, as both gene up- and downregulation were globally weaker in hub1 mutant plants that lack H2Bub. H2Bub-dependent regulation notably impacted genes with fast and transient light induction, and several circadian clock components whose mRNA levels are tightly regulated by sharp oscillations. Based on these findings, we propose that H2B monoubiquitination is part of a transcription-coupled, chromatin-based mechanism to rapidly modulate gene expression., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Multiple transcriptome and proteome studies indicated that the micronutrient deficiency stress caused by lack of iron results in increased molecular responses for the mobilization and uptake of iron and also in altered metabolic adaptation and stress responses. Recently, we identified the ethylene-regulated transcription factors ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3 (EIN3) and EIN3-LIKE1 (EIL1) as protein interaction partners of the Fe deficiency response regulator and transcription factor FER-LIKE FE DEFINCY-INDUCED TRANSCRPTION FACTOR1 (FIT). EIN3/EIL1 contribute to high level gene expression of FIT downstream genes and also promote FIT protein abundance. Transcriptome analyses showed that more genes were differentially regulated in ein3 eil1 mutants versus wild type upon iron deficiency than upon sufficient iron supply. Moreover, several of the differentially expressed genes are implicated in photo-oxidative stress responses in leaves. We therefore speculated that by enhancing Fe uptake through interaction with FIT and by re-organizing the photo-oxidative stress responses, EIN3/EIL1 might contribute to decreasing photo-oxidative stress that may occur under light conditions in response to Fe deficiency. Here, we present an additional analysis of our previously published transcriptome data of ein3 eil1 and wild type between sufficient iron supply and iron deficiency, respectively.

Understanding the regulation of key genes involved in plant iron acquisition is of crucial importance for breeding of micronutrient-enriched crops. The basic helix-loop-helix protein FER-LIKE FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR (FIT), a central regulator of Fe acquisition in roots, is regulated by environmental cues and internal requirements for iron at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. The plant stress hormone ethylene promotes iron acquisition, but the molecular basis for this remained unknown. Here, we demonstrate a direct molecular link between ethylene signaling and FIT. We identified ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3 (EIN3) and ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3-LIKE1 (EIL1) in a screen for direct FIT interaction partners and validated their physical interaction in planta. We demonstrate that the ein3 eil1 transcriptome was affected to a greater extent upon iron deficiency than normal iron compared with the wild type. Ethylene signaling by way of EIN3/EIL1 was required for full-level FIT accumulation. FIT levels were reduced upon application of aminoethoxyvinylglycine and in the ein3 eil1 background. MG132 could restore FIT levels. We propose that upon ethylene signaling, FIT is less susceptible to proteasomal degradation, presumably due to a physical interaction between FIT and EIN3/EIL1. Increased FIT abundance then leads to the high level of expression of genes required for Fe acquisition. This way, ethylene is one of the signals that triggers Fe deficiency responses at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels.

Peroxidases have been shown to be involved in the polymerization of lignin precursors, but it remains unclear whether laccases (EC 1.10.3.2) participate in constitutive lignification. We addressed this issue by studying laccase T-DNA insertion mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified two genes, LAC4 and LAC17, which are strongly expressed in stems. LAC17 was mainly expressed in the interfascicular fibers, whereas LAC4 was expressed in vascular bundles and interfascicular fibers. We produced two double mutants by crossing the LAC17 (lac17) mutant with two LAC4 mutants (lac4-1 and lac4-2). The single and double mutants grew normally in greenhouse conditions. The single mutants had moderately low lignin levels, whereas the stems of lac4-1 lac17 and lac4-2 lac17 mutants had lignin contents that were 20 and 40% lower than those of the control, respectively. These lower lignin levels resulted in higher saccharification yields. Thioacidolysis revealed that disrupting LAC17 principally affected the deposition of G lignin units in the interfascicular fibers and that complementation of lac17 with LAC17 restored a normal lignin profile. This study provides evidence that both LAC4 and LAC17 contribute to the constitutive lignification of Arabidopsis stems and that LAC17 is involved in the deposition of G lignin units in fibers.

The authors present the French concept of a mobile neurosurgical unit (MNSU) as used to provide specific support to remote military medicosurgical units deployed in Africa, South America, Central Europe, and Afghanistan. From 2001 to 2009, 15 missions were performed, for 16 patients. All but 3 of these missions (those in Kosovo, French Guyana, and Afghanistan) concerned Africa. Eleven patients were French soldiers, 3 were civilians, and 2 were Djiboutian soldiers. The conditions that MNSUs were requested for included craniocerebral wounds (2 cases), closed head trauma (7 cases), spinal trauma (5 cases), and spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (2 cases). In 5 of the 16 cases, neurosurgical treatment was provided on site. All French soldiers and 2 civilians were evacuated to France. The MNSU can be deployed for timely treatment when some delay in neurosurgical management is acceptable.

Carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) is an abnormal communication between the cavernous sinus and the carotid arterial system. The authors reported the clinical presentation and therapeutic procedure of two cases. The physician has to be aware of this diagnosis when a patient is referred for a posttraumatic exophthalmia. The medical behaviour is multidisciplinary (ENT, ophthalmologist, radiologist and neurosurgeon). The imaging of choice is the angiography but angio-MRI and angio-CT can help to confirm the diagnosis. The endovascular embolization is the treatment of choice. It presents an acceptable risk of complication and a low risk of failure. In this paper the authors report 2 posttraumatic CCF cases treated with success by endovascular embolization.

Purpose: Few reliable prognostic molecular markers have been characterized for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), considered the deadliest of human cancers. We hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms in chemokines and their receptors, which together control microglial cell mobilization, may influence survival., Methods: Distributions of one polymorphism of the chemokine CCL2 (-2518A

We report a case of associated vertebromedullary and ureteral lesions in a severely injured patient, a victim of a gunshot aggression in Africa. Urine extended from the ureteral fistula through the third lumbar vertebral body, blended with cerebrospinal fluid from the dural attrition, and flowed very slowly through the dorsal exit ballistic hole. This is to our knowledge the first such case described in the literature. Uro-computed tomography scan finally made the diagnosis of ureteral fistula after two neurosurgical procedures determined that initially presumed dural persistent fistula needed to be closed.

Object: Most patients with preganglionic lesions after brachial plexus injuries suffer pain that is hard to control through medication or neuromodulation. Lesioning in the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) is undeniably effective. Fifty-five patients who had undergone the so-called microsurgical DREZotomy (MDT) procedure were studied with the two following objectives: 1) to describe the anatomical lesions observed during MDT in correlation with sensory deficits and pain features; and 2) to analyze the results in the 44 patients who were followed for more than 1 year (mean 6 years)., Methods: The observed lesions were severe: 79.6% of ventral and 78.2% of dorsal roots from C5-T1 were impaired. Damage extended to all five roots in 42% of patients. Strong arachnoiditis was present in 38.2%, pseudomeningoceles in 31%, spinal cord distortion and/or atrophy in 49%, and abundant gliotic tissue and/or microcavitations within the dorsal horn at the avulsed segments in 36.4% of cases. Sensory deficit corresponded to the entire territory of the dorsal root lesions in 52% of patients, but was larger in 30% most certainly due to the associated extrarachidian lesions. At the last evaluation after MDT, 66% of patients showed excellent (total relief without medication) or good (total relief with medication) pain relief and 71% experienced an improvement in activity level., Conclusions: Apart from other indications not addressed in this article, MDT can be performed to treat refractory pain due to brachial plexus avulsions. The long-term efficacy of this procedure strongly indicates that pain after brachial plexus avulsion originates from the deafferented (and gliotic) dorsal horn.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is an invasive disease in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. Atypical presentations, including leptomeningeal involvement often described in cases with aggressive histology, have been reported but primary meningeal B-cell lymphoma appears to be very rare. A 40-year-old immunocompetent man developed a voluminous frontoparietal cranial vault tumor. The neurology examination demonstrated a large extra-axial mass involving the anterior part of the superior longitudinal sinus. The tumor extended through the cranial vault, without osteolysis, and grew in the subcutaneous tissue. Craniotomy was performed and the entire mass was resected without neurological deterioration. Pathology reported B-cell lymphoma. No other localization was found. Primary B-cell meningeal lymphoma, as illustrated in this case, can be another atypical presentation of CNS lymphoma.