Aspergillus fumigatus produces heavily melanized infectious conidia. The conidial melanin is associated with fungal virulence and resistance to various environmental stresses. This 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin is synthesized by enzymes encoded in a gene cluster in A. fumigatus, including two laccases, Abr1 and Abr2. Although this gene cluster is not conserved in all aspergilli, laccases are critical for melanization in all species examined. Here we show that the expression of A. fumigatus laccases Abr1/2 is upregulated upon hyphal competency and drastically increased during conidiation. The Abr1 protein is localized at the surface of stalks and conidiophores, but not in young hyphae, consistent with the gene expression pattern and its predicted role. The induction of Abr1/2 upon hyphal competency is controlled by BrlA, the master regulator of conidiophore development, and is responsive to the copper level in the medium. We identified a developmentally regulated putative copper transporter, CtpA, and found that CtpA is critical for conidial melanization under copper-limiting conditions. Accordingly, disruption of CtpA enhanced the induction of abr1 and abr2, a response similar to that induced by copper starvation. Furthermore, nonpigmented ctpA⌬ conidia elicited much stronger immune responses from the infected invertebrate host Galleria mellonella than the pigmented ctpA⌬ or wild-type conidia. Such enhancement in eliciting Galleria immune responses was independent of the ctpA⌬ conidial viability, as previously observed for the DHN melanin mutants. Taken together, our findings indicate that both copper homeostasis and developmental regulators control melanin biosynthesis, which affects conidial surface properties that shape the interaction between this pathogen and its host.A spergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic pathogen that causes life-threatening invasive disease in immunocompromised hosts (1). Its asexual spores, named conidia, are the initial source of inocula for infection and are the vehicles for dispersal and survival. Under favorable conditions, conidia break dormancy and grow as elongated, highly polarized hyaline hyphae. Upon achieving competency and exposure to air, hyphae produce aerial conidiophore stalks and develop elaborate multicellular conidiophores that generate chains of melanized uninucleate conidia (2, 3) (Fig. 1A and B). BrlA, a C 2 H 2 zinc finger transcription factor, is the master regulator that controls the initiation of conidiophore development in Aspergillus (4, 5). AbaA and WetA, two other important regulators that function downstream of BrlA, are required for proper progression of conidiation (6). The abaA gene is activated during the middle stage of conidiophore development, while the wetA gene is required for the activation of late conidiation-specific genes.The 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin coating A. fumigatus conidia gives them their characteristic bluish green color (Fig. 1B). Melanin is an amorphous polymer that is produced by a variety of microbes and ...

Objective: To compare narrative therapy (NT) plus escitalopram versus escitalopram plus usual care on quality of life and depressive symptomatology of depressed patients with oncologic disease.Methods: A total of 72 subjects (mean age 54.6 years), predominantly female with nonmetastatic breast, lung and colon cancer and depressive disorder (DSM-IV-TR) were randomized to receive treatment with NT plus escitalopram (n 5 39) or escitalopram (10-20 mg QD) plus usual care (n 5 33). Main endpoints were improvement in dimensions of quality of life measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C-30 and reduction of depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at weeks 12 and 24.Results: The combined therapy group showed significantly greater improvement in all the functioning dimensions (po0.01), pain scale (p 5 0.02), global health (p 5 0.02), and global quality of life (p 5 0.007) at weeks 12 and 24. There were no statistically significant differences in depressive symptomatology between the groups. From week 12 to week 24 study retention was higher in the combined treatment group (p 5 0.01).Conclusions: Brief NT in combination with escitalopram was superior to usual care and escitalopram in improving functioning dimensions of quality life.

Qualitative analysis is an efficient method of examining the meaning of quantitative results in depth, particularly patients' perspectives on quality of life. Patients undergoing combined treatment consider psychotherapy to be a helpful tool and exhibit more personal growth than do patients undergoing standard treatment.

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Taxonomic knowledge of species from low-energy sandy beaches is scarce in the literature; in spite of the fact, many phyla inhabit sandy shores. Here, is present peracarid species found from concurrent field sampling on intertidal and subtidal zones on low-energy beaches. We found 59 species of orders Amphipoda, Isopoda, Tanaidacea and Cumacea. Dominant orders were amphipods (39 species) and isopods (9 species). For first time 18 species were cited for Gulf of California beaches and 16 for mexican pacific coast. There were 16 common species shared between different beaches. Cirolanid isopods dominated intertidal and amphipods, cumaceans and tanaids dominated subtidal. Although, tanaids where the more dense group (1191 ind•m −2). Both, number of species and abundance increase from long beaches with fine mineral sands and high organic and silt clay content to small beach with coarse calcareous sand and high slope. Slope varies seasonally according with physical regime of the bay. Patterns of seasonal variation and across shore distribution could not be definite because depend of many variables not studied here, but according with our results some species are distributed both intertidal and subtidal zones.