Many bacterial species are capable of assessing their local population densities through a cell-cell signaling mechanism termed quorum sensing (QS). This intercellular communication process is mediated by small molecule or peptide ligands and their cognate protein receptors. Numerous pathogens use QS to initiate virulence once they achieve a threshold cell number on a host. Consequently, approa...

Quorum sensing (QS) is a means of cell-to-cell communication that uses diffusible signaling molecules that are sensed by the population to determine population density, thus allowing co-ordinate gene regulation in response to population density. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, production of the QS signaling molecule, N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL), co-ordinates expression of key factors of pathogen...

Vfr is a global regulator of virulence factor expression in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although indirect evidence suggests that Vfr activity is controlled by cyclic AMP (cAMP), it has been hypothesized that the putative cAMP binding pocket of Vfr may accommodate additional cyclic nucleotides. In this study, we used two different approaches to generate apo-Vfr and examined its ab...

Abstract Background Treatment with Tafamidis in patients transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) has been shown to have beneficial effects on the left ventricle (LV), as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Although CMR represents gold standard among imaging modalities, its limited availability clinical practice makes it unfeasible for routine therapy monitoring. Purpose...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa controls the secretion of extracellular virulence factors, including rhamnolipids and LasB elastase, by the las and rhl quorum-sensing systems. Here, we mutated the dksA gene of P. aeruginosa by insertion of an Omega-Hg cassette. The mutant displayed growth rates similar to that of the wild type in rich medium but was impaired in growth in defined minimal medium. Producti...

Abstract Cardio–oncology is a recent rapid–developing multidisciplinary approach created by oncologists in accordance with cardiologists the objective to minimize adverse cardiovascular effects of contemporary cancer therapy and maximize benefits that can be obtained from it. Pre–treatment therapy–related toxicity (CTR–CVT) risk assessment performed using HFA–ICOS tools, addition careful clinic...

Abstract Introduction Left atrial (LA) strain imaging by echocardiography (TTE) is a promising tool in the evaluation of LA mechanical function. The aim this study was to compare longitudinal and integrated backscatter (IBS) between paroxysmal (PAF), persistent (PersAF) long-standing AF (LsAF) evaluate its association with recurrence post-index catheter ablation. Methods Analysis consecutive pa...