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Primers specially designed for the purpose were used to establish the correlation between the presence of the VcB variable tandem repeat region located on chromosome II of Vibrio cholerae and the VPI-1 pathogenicity island located on chromosome I. It was demonstrated that the studied region of deletion is flanked by direct repeats and contains a gene encoding uropathogenic protein belonging to the type VI secretion system, as well as the transposase and integrase genes. The obtained results allow it to be suggested that the studied region may be a previously unknown pathogenicity islet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors survey existing approaches taken to validate the qualifications that must be fulfilled for an outer space monitoring system (SMS) and its components to be deployed and advanced. They also show where the SMS fits into the structural framework of strategic deterrence measures and come out with their own ideas about ways to bring the outer space monitoring system more in line with modem views on the country's defensibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology and structure of ZrO2 films grown in steam-water medium on an ion-doped surface of zirconium and its E110 and E635 alloys have been studied. It has been found that the properties of oxide films are determined mostly by the conditions of ion-implantation doping at large oxidation times. It has been shown by the example of samples doped simultaneously with Al, Fe, Mo, and Y that the formation of a multiphase oxide film occurs due to the diffusion redistribution of implanted atoms during oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) is responsible for the pathophysiology of placental malaria, leading to serious complications such as intrauterine growth restriction and low birth weight. However, it is an experimental challenge to study the biology of human placenta. Conventional cell culture-based in vitro placental models rely on immunostaining techniques and high-magnification microscopy is limited in providing real-time quantitative analysis. Impedimetric sensing in combination with cell culture may offer a useful tool. In this paper, we report that real-time label-free measurement of cellular electrical impedance using xCELLigence technology can be used to quantify the proliferation, syncytial fusion, and long-term response of BeWo cells to IEs cytoadhesion. Specifically, we optimized key experimental parameters of cell seeding density and concentration of forskolin, a compound used to promote cell syncitiation, based on electrical signals and immunostaining results. Prolonged time of infection with IEs that led to cell-cell junction vanishment in BeWo cells and release of inflammatory cytokines were monitored in real time by continuous change in electrical impedance. The results suggest that the impedimetric technique is sensitive and can offer new opportunities for the study of cellular responses of trophoblast cells to IEs. The developed system can provide potentially a high-throughput screening tool of anti-adhesion or anti-inflammatory drugs for placental malaria infections.

Iron availability limits primary productivity in large areas of the world's oceans. Ascertaining the iron status of phytoplankton is essential for understanding the factors regulating their growth and ecology. We developed an incubation-independent, molecular-based approach to assess the iron nutritional status of specific members of the diatom community, initially focusing on the ecologically important pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. Through a comparative transcriptomic approach, we identified two genes that track the iron status of Pseudo-nitzschia with high fidelity. The first gene, ferritin (FTN), encodes for the highly specialized iron storage protein induced under iron-replete conditions. The second gene, ISIP2a, encodes an iron-concentrating protein induced under iron-limiting conditions. In the oceanic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii (Hasle) Hasle, transcript abundance of these genes directly relates to changes in iron availability, with increased FTN transcript abundance under iron-replete conditions and increased ISIP2a transcript abundance under iron-limiting conditions. The resulting ISIP2a:FTN transcript ratio reflects the iron status of cells, where a high ratio indicates iron limitation. Field samples collected from iron grow-out microcosm experiments conducted in low iron waters of the Gulf of Alaska and variable iron waters in the California upwelling zone verify the validity of our proposed Pseudo-nitzschia Iron Limitation Index, which can be used to ascertain in situ iron status and further developed for other ecologically important diatoms., (© 2017 Phycological Society of America.)