University of Alabama

About: University of Alabama is a education organization based out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 27323 authors who have published 48609 publications receiving 1565337 citations. The organization is also known as: Alabama & Bama.

A molecular phylogeny of the flagellated fungi (Chytridiomycota) and description of a new phylum (Blastocladiomycota).

Abstract: Chytridiomycota (chytrids) is the only phylum of true Fungi that reproduces with motile spores (zoospores). Chytrids currently are classified into five orders based on habitat, zoospore characters and life cycles. In this paper we estimate the phylogeny of the chytrids with DNA sequences from the ribosomal RNA operon (18S+5.8S+28S subunits). To our surprise the morphologically reduced para- sites Olpidium and Rozella comprise two entirely new, and separate, lineages on the fungal tree. Olpidium brassicae groups among the Zygomycota, and Rozella spp. are the earliest branch to diverge in the fungal kingdom. The phylogeny also suggests that Chytri- diomycota is not monophyletic and there are four major lineages of chytrids: Rozella spp., Olpidium brassicae, the Blastocladiales and a ''core chytrid clade'' containing the remaining orders and families and the majority of flagellated fungi. Within the core chytrid group 11 subclades can be identified, each of which correlates well with zoospore ultrastructure or morphology. We provide a synopsis of each clade and its morphological circumscription. The Blastocla- diales appears to be the sister taxon of most nonflagellated fungi. Based on molecular phyloge- netic and ultrastructural characters this order is elevated to a phylum, the Blastocladiomycota.

HMGB1 Develops Enhanced Proinflammatory Activity by Binding to Cytokines

Abstract: High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), originally characterized as a nuclear DNA-binding protein, has also been described to have an extracellular role when it is involved in cellular activation and proinflammatory responses In this study, FLAG-tagged HMGB1 was inducibly expressed in the presence of culture media with or without added IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, or TNF-alpha HMGB1 purified from cells grown in culture media alone only minimally increased cytokine production by MH-S macrophages and had no effect on murine neutrophils In contrast, HMGB1 isolated from cells cultured in the presence of IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha had enhanced proinflammatory activity, resulting in increased production of MIP-2 and TNF-alpha by exposed cells IL-1beta was bound to HMGB1 isolated from cells cultured with this cytokine, and purified HMGB1 incubated with recombinant IL-1beta acquired proinflammatory activity Addition of anti-IL-1beta Abs or the IL-1 receptor antagonist to cell cultures blocked the proinflammatory activity of HMGB1 purified from IL-1beta-exposed cells, indicating that such activity was dependent on interaction with the IL-1 receptor These results demonstrate that HMGB1 acquires proinflammatory activity through binding to proinflammatory mediators, such as IL-1beta

Phenotypic properties of transmitted founder HIV-1

Abstract: Defining the virus–host interactions responsible for HIV-1 transmission, including the phenotypic requirements of viruses capable of establishing de novo infections, could be important for AIDS vaccine development. Previous analyses have failed to identify phenotypic properties other than chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and CD4+ T-cell tropism that are preferentially associated with viral transmission. However, most of these studies were limited to examining envelope (Env) function in the context of pseudoviruses. Here, we generated infectious molecular clones of transmitted founder (TF; n = 27) and chronic control (CC; n = 14) viruses of subtypes B (n = 18) and C (n = 23) and compared their phenotypic properties in assays specifically designed to probe the earliest stages of HIV-1 infection. We found that TF virions were 1.7-fold more infectious (P = 0.049) and contained 1.9-fold more Env per particle (P = 0.048) compared with CC viruses. TF viruses were also captured by monocyte-derived dendritic cells 1.7-fold more efficiently (P = 0.035) and more readily transferred to CD4+ T cells (P = 0.025). In primary CD4+ T cells, TF and CC viruses replicated with comparable kinetics; however, when propagated in the presence of IFN-α, TF viruses replicated to higher titers than CC viruses. This difference was significant for subtype B (P = 0.000013) but not subtype C (P = 0.53) viruses, possibly reflecting demographic differences of the respective patient cohorts. Together, these data indicate that TF viruses are enriched for higher Env content, enhanced cell-free infectivity, improved dendritic cell interaction, and relative IFN-α resistance. These viral properties, which likely act in concert, should be considered in the development and testing of AIDS vaccines.

Results from the Palo Verde neutrino oscillation experiment

Abstract: The νe flux and spectrum have been measured at a distance of about 800 m from the reactors of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station using a segmented Gd-loaded liquid scintillator detector. Correlated positron-neutron events from the reaction νep→e+n were recorded for a period of 200 d including 55 d with one of the three reactors off for refueling. Backgrounds were accounted for by making use of the reactor-on and reactor-off cycles, and also with a novel technique based on the difference between signal and background under reversal of the e+ and n portions of the events. A detailed description of the detector calibration, background subtraction, and data analysis is presented here. Results from the experiment show no evidence for neutrino oscillations. νe→νx oscillations were excluded at 90% C.L. for Δm2>1.12×10-3 eV2 for full mixing and sin22θ>0.21 for large Δm2. These results support the conclusion that the observed atmospheric neutrino oscillations do not involve νe.

Familial risk factors to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: parental psychopathology and maternal parenting.

Abstract: In a sample of 177 clinic-referred children aged 7-13, an association was found between a diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD) and several aspects of family functioning: maternal parenting (supervision and persistence in discipline) and parental adjustment (paternal antisocial personality disorder and paternal substance abuse). Children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were intermediate to families of children with CD and clinic control children on all variables, but differed from control children only in having a higher rate of paternal substance abuse and paternal antisocial personality disorder (APD). When both parental APD and deviant maternal parenting were entered into 2 x 2 logit-model analyses predicting CD, only parental APD was significantly associated with CD, and no interactions between parental adjustment and maternal parenting were found. The importance of these findings for understanding the etiology of CD and for disentangling correlated risk factors in future studies is discussed.