Unrelated bone marrow transplantation in a Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patient sharing two HLA-extended haplotypes with the donor

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution and amount of elastic fibers in the dermis of clinically normal dogs and dogs with dermatoses, particularly solar dermatitis. DESIGN: Skin specimens from 7 anatomic sites were obtained from 19 clinically normal dogs after euthanasia to evaluate the normal distribution of elastic fibers. Biopsy specimens also were obtained from 34 dogs with dermatoses, including 16 with solar dermatitis. Tissue sections were stained with H&E, Verhoeff-van Gieson, and periodic acid-Schiff. ANIMALS: 19 clinically normal dogs and 34 dogs with dermatoses. PROCEDURE: Numbers of elastic fibers were graded subjectively. Comparisons between clinically normal dogs and dogs with dermatoses were made. RESULTS: Normal elastic fibers were present in low numbers in the dermis of adult dogs, regardless of anatomic site or presence or severity of dermatitis. Condensed elastotic material was visualized in only 2 dogs with solar dermatitis. In both dogs, the elastotic material was Verhoeff-van Gieson and periodic acid-Schiff stain positive but was not visible with H&E stain. The most frequent histopathologic finding in the dermis of dogs with solar dermatitis was superficial dermal fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: The dermis of clinically normal dogs does not contain abundant elastic fibers. Alterations of elastic fibers in dogs with solar dermatitis are rare. Superficial dermal fibrosis may be a better indicator of solar damage.     

Fungitoxic activity of 12 essential oils against four postharvest citrus pathogens: chemical analysis of thymus capitatus oil and its effect in subatmospheric pressure conditions.

The fungitoxic activity against Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria citri of 12 essential oils (EOs) distilled from medicinal plants is reported. The results of the in vitro trials show strong fungitoxic activity of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hofmgg EOs, which inhibited the growth of the four fungi at a concentration of 250 ppm (vol/vol). The other 11 essences reduced the development of the fungi from 95 to 9% at 250 ppm (vol/vol). The fungitoxic activity of T. capitatus EOs (75, 150, and 250 ppm) on healthy orange fruits, inoculated with P. digitatum (10(8) conidia ml(-1)) by spraying and placed in 10-liter desiccators, was weak at atmospheric pressure (3 to 10% inhibition at all three concentrations), while in vacuum conditions (0.5 bar), conidial mortality on the exocarp was high (90 to 97% at all three concentrations). These data proved not to be statistically different from treatments with thiabendazole-TBZ (2,000 ppm). Scanning electron microscope observations showed that T. capitatus EO vapors altered the morphology of P. digitatum hyphae and conidia. The gas-chromatographic analyses of thyme EO indicated that carvacrol was present at 81 to 83%, p-cymene at 4.5 to 5%, gamma-terpinene at 2.6 to 3.3%, caryophyllene at 1.5 to 1.6%, beta-myrcene at 1.6%, and linalool at 1.1 to 1.2%. Carvacrol proved to be the most important fungitoxic compound among the thyme EO constituents, but, unlike thyme EO, it caused alterations to the fruit at the concentration of 75 ppm.     

SaBRe: load-time selective binary rewriting

Binary rewriting consists in disassembling a program to modify its instructions. However, existing solutions suffer from shortcomings in terms of soundness and performance. We present SaBRe, a load-time system for selective binary rewriting. SaBRe rewrites specific constructs—particularly system calls and functions—when the program is loaded into memory, and intercepts them using plugins through a simple API. We also discuss the theoretical underpinnings of disassembling and rewriting. We developed two backends—for x86_64 and RISC-V—which were used to implement three plugins: a fast system call tracer, a multi-version executor, and a fault injector. Our evaluation shows that SaBRe imposes little overhead, typically below 3%.

     

Modulating the Ferromagnet/Molecule Spin Hybridization Using an Artificial Magnetoelectric

Spin‐polarized charge transfer at the interface between a ferromagnetic (FM) metal and a molecule can lead to ferromagnetic coupling and to a high spin polarization at room temperature. The magnetic properties of these interfaces can not only alter those of the ferromagnet but can also stabilize molecular spin chains with interesting opportunities toward quantum computing. With the aim to enhance an organic spintronic device's functionality, external control over this spin polarization may thus be achieved by altering the ferromagnet/molecule interface's magnetic properties. To do so, the magnetoelectric properties of an underlying ferroelectric/ferromagnetic interface are utilized. Switching the ferroelectric polarization state of a PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O₃ (PZT) bottom layer within a PZT/Co/FePc‐based (Pc ‐ phthalocyanine) device alters the X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism of the Fe site within the phthalocyanine molecular top layer. Thus, how to electrically alter the magnetic properties of an interface with high spin polarization at room temperature is demonstrated. This expands electrical control over spin‐polarized FM/molecule interfaces, which is first demonstrated using ferroelectric molecules, to all molecular classes.     

Bone mass in maintenance haemodialysis. Prospective study with sequential biopsies

The change of bone mass during maintenance haemodialysis was studied in 20 patients. Iliac crest biopsies were obtained at a 9 - 16 months interval. Two biopsies were taken in order to give an independent estimate of the sampling error. 22 individuals in the same age group without skeletal disease who died from traffic accidents or from violent deaths were used as controls. Undecalcified sections of bone (Masson-Goldner-stain) were evaluated by micromorphometry. At the beginning of the study osteosclerosis (i.e. volumetric density of bone above x +/- 2 SD in control patients) was found in 14 out of 20 patients. Volumetric density of bone only increased in one of the patients during the observation period. A significant decrease of volumetric density of bone was found in 5 out of 20 patients. This could be attributed to prolonged immobilisation in two cases and to inadequate protein- and calorie-intake in two cases. No predisposing factor could be found in the fifth case. It is concluded that loss of spongy bone mass (osteopenia) is not an invariable result of haemodialysis.     

HLA-B35 frequency variations correlate with malaria infection in Sardinia

The hypothesis of a possible selective role of malaria in HLA allele frequency variations was investigated in Sardinia by typing completely 1,039 individuals for HLA: 536 from six lowland villages exposed to malaria until 1948, and 503 from six highland villages with no history of malaria. Another 1,928 individuals from 136 villages scattered all over the island were studied to establish if the HLA allele frequencies among villages correlated with the malaria incidence and/or altitude above sea level. Only the HLA-B35 allele yielded significantly higher frequencies in the lowland versus the highland villages (P<1 x 10(-5)). The observed B35 variance was 9.5 times higher than expected in the absence of selection, showing an adaptive origin. The highly significant positive correlation found between HLA-B35 frequency and malaria in 136 villages suggests that malaria has been the selective factor for HLA-B35 in Sardinia.     

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation combined with multiple anti-HIV-1 treatment in a case of AIDS

A 25-year-old woman with AIDS was submitted to HLA-identical allogeneic BMT after cytoablation with busulphan and cyclophosphamide and combined anti-HIV-1 therapy with zidovudine, IFN-alpha 2 and anti-HIV-1-specific T cell clones. Marrow engraftment occurred after 18 days and tests for HIV-1 were negative after 30 days but the hematologic reconstitution of the patient was poor. A second BM infusion from the same donor was ineffective and treatment with GM-CSF only induced a transient increase of the blood cell count, suggesting iatrogenic damage to the BM microenvironment. The development of ARDS led to the death of the patient 10 months after transplantation. Post-mortem investigation did not reveal any active infections and PCR on autopsy tissues was negative for HIV-1.