Jessica Richard - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Jessica Richard
For 11 years in the role of Project Manager & Editorial Assistant, Jessica Richard coordinated be... more For 11 years in the role of Project Manager & Editorial Assistant, Jessica Richard coordinated between 1100 writers for the “Dictionary of South Asian Christianity” which was subsequently published as the The Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity, a two-volume encyclopedia covering for the first time the 2000-year old story of Christianity in India and its neighbouring countries. “Looking at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives, alongside India, as well as Myanmar, Afghanistan, and the global South Asian diaspora, the Encyclopaedia celebrates the trans-cultural, migratory, and unique nature of South Asian Christianity.”
Papers by Jessica Richard
This study is dedicated to: My co-strugglers and co-resistors in Asian Women's Resource Centre fo... more This study is dedicated to: My co-strugglers and co-resistors in Asian Women's Resource Centre for Culture and Theology (AWRC) who have journeyed with me and helped me grow.
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa ... more The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa was previously shown to be induced by copper ions in concentrations relevant to those in drinking water plumbing systems. This decrease of bacterial culturability without loss of viability might have an influence on human health due to an underestimation of the actual contamination in drinking water systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of culturable P. aeruginosa, viable but not culturable as well as culturable again after resuscitation from the VBNC state on human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) in vitro. Cyto- and genotoxic effects of P. aeruginosa at different states were studied using trypan blue, MTT, xCELLigence as well as the micronucleus assay. While P. aeruginosa in the VBNC state did not have any cytotoxic or genotoxic effect on BEAS-2B cells, untreated (culturable) and resuscitated P. aeruginosa did show cell damage, including disruption of cell membranes, inhibition of mitochondrial activity and cell proliferation as well as DNA-damaging effects. We conclude from our study that P. aeruginosa after resuscitation from the VBNC state regains its viability and cyto-/genotoxicity and therefore might influence human health.
Biophysical Journal, 2017
How signals between the kinesin active and cytoskeletal binding sites are transmitted is an open ... more How signals between the kinesin active and cytoskeletal binding sites are transmitted is an open question and an allosteric question. By extracting correlated evolutionary changes within 700؉ sequences, we built a model of residues that are energetically coupled and that define molecular routes for signal transmission. Typically, these coupled residues are located at multiple distal sites and thus are predicted to form a complex, non-linear network that wires together different functional sites in the protein. Of note, our model connected the site for ATP hydrolysis with sites that ultimately utilize its free energy, such as the microtubule-binding site, drug-binding loop 5, and necklinker. To confirm the calculated energetic connectivity between non-adjacent residues, double-mutant cycle analysis was conducted with 22 kinesin mutants. There was a direct correlation between thermodynamic coupling in experiment and evolutionarily derived energetic coupling. We conclude that energy transduction is coordinated by multiple distal sites in the protein rather than only being relayed through adjacent residues. Moreover, this allosteric map forecasts how energetic orchestration gives rise to different nanomotor behaviors within the superfamily. . 2 The abbreviations used are: MT, microtubule; L5, loop 5; SCA, statistical coupling analysis; NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information; SATé, simultaneous alignment and tree estimation algorithm; MSA, multiple sequence alignment; Eg5, human kinesin-5; p-loop, phosphate-binding loop; AMPPNP, adenosine 5Ј-(,␥-iminotriphosphate).
The Romance of Gambling in the Eighteenth-Century British Novel, 2011
The Journal of biological chemistry, Jan 8, 2016
How signals between the kinesin active- and cytoskeletal-binding sites are transmitted is an open... more How signals between the kinesin active- and cytoskeletal-binding sites are transmitted is an open question and an allosteric question. By extracting correlated evolutionary changes within 700+ sequences, we built a model of residues that are energetically coupled and that define molecular routes for signal transmission. Typically, these coupled residues are located at multiple distal sites and, thus, are predicted to form a complex, nonlinear network that wires together different functional sites in the protein. Of note, our model connected the site for ATP hydrolysis with sites that ultimately utilize its free energy, such as the microtubule-binding site, drug-binding loop-5, and necklinker. To confirm the calculated energetic connectivity between non-adjacent residues, double-mutant cycle analysis was conducted with 22 kinesin mutants. There was a direct correlation between thermodynamic coupling in experiment and evolutionarily-derived energetic coupling. We conclude that energy ...
In case problematic organic substances, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products, cannot b... more In case problematic organic substances, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products, cannot be eliminated during wastewater treatment, they can reach surface waters and harm the environment and have adverse effects on human health already at low concentrations of the substance. The amount of micropollutants in surface waters is steadily growing [1]. Micropollutants occur in surface water samples at concentrations in the pico-, nano- or micromolar range, thus, there is a need of as sensitive biological test systems as possible to detect toxic effects. Different genotoxicity tests are available and have been already implemented, therein the micronucleus assay proposed by the German Umweltbundesamt in 2003 [2] and the umu-test for mutagenicity testing required by the waste water guideline [3]. In this study four genotoxicity tests with different endpoints were compared for their sensitivity to detect effects induced by different chemical substances that are commonly used as positiv...
Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites enter the hydrological cycle mainly through hospital efflue... more Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites enter the hydrological cycle mainly through hospital effluents and private households. They were detected in surface and ground water in concentrations to μg/L and even after the water treatment process in drinking water. To gain biologically and chemically save conditions in aquatic systems, as required by the EU Water Framework Directive, advanced oxidation processes (AOP: ozone, UV/H2O2) are the only conceivable possibility to remove these persistent organic substances from waste water. However, water treatment plants are not designed for the complete mineralization of these substances, so that oxidation by-products occur, whose chemical and toxicological properties are often unknown. Therefore, it is necessary to complement the oxidative processes by toxicological analyses. In this study, different UV-oxidation systems with and without H2O2 were tested to optimize the elimination of pharmaceuticals, and replenished with toxicological investi...
La Revue de Médecine Interne, 2008
En raison de l'allure épidémique que prend le diabète sucré dans le monde entier, la prévalence d... more En raison de l'allure épidémique que prend le diabète sucré dans le monde entier, la prévalence de ses complications est amenée à s'accroître significativement. Le pied diabétique, responsable d'une grande morbidité et de graves incapacités, pèse lourdement sur la société, devenant un véritable problème de santé publique. Les données épidémiologiques sur la pathologie du pied diabétique sont nombreuses mais difficiles à interpréter du fait des différences dans la méthodologie employée et dans la définition même de la pathologie étudiée dans les différentes études, du manque d'homogénéité dans l'expression de la prévalence ou de l'incidence, des caractéristiques des populations étudiées (origine ethnique, niveau social, accessibilité aux soins,…). Dans les pays occidentalisés, on peut estimer que chaque année deux patients diabétiques sur cent souffrent d'une ulcération de leur pied. Les chiffres concernant les amputations des membres inférieurs sont très variables : ainsi, l'incidence allant de moins de 1 ‰ en dans la région de Madrid ou au Japon pour dépasser 20 ‰ dans certaines tribus indiennes d'Amérique du Nord. En France métropolitaine, elle est estimée aux environ de 2 ‰ mais avec des variations régionales notables, bien inférieure à celle rapportée à La Réunion. Quoi qu'il en soit, le risque d'ulcération du pied et d'amputation des membres inférieurs est beaucoup plus élevé dans la population diabétique : 15 à 25 % des diabétiques présenteront un ulcère du pied au cours de leur vie et de par le monde, une amputation est réalisée toutes les 30 secondes chez un patient diabétique. Comme le souligne cet article, neuropathie, artériopathie et déformations du pied expliquent pour la plus grande partie cet excès de pathologie. Âge, sexe, origine ethnique, niveau socio-culturel y contribuent. L'identification de ces facteurs est fondamentale afin de classer chaque diabétique dans une catégorie de risque et prendre des mesures de prévention adaptées.
Biophysical Journal, 2014
velocity and direction dependent on motor crowding and ionic strength but not MT length. By contr... more velocity and direction dependent on motor crowding and ionic strength but not MT length. By contrast, truncated Cut7 monomers drive only plus end directed MT sliding, indicating that plus end directed strokes are the basal activity of the Cut7 motor head and that directional reversal is an emergent property of interacting head-pairs. We propose a possible mechanism for directional reversal, in which minus ended strokes are inhibited by motor crowding, causing the basal plus end directed activity to dominate. The human kinesin-5 motor, Eg5, is required to establish and maintain the mitotic spindle. We show that Src kinase binds to a unique motif in the microtubule-binding interface of the Eg5 enzymatic head domain and phosphorylates three specific tyrosine residues in endogenous Eg5. These tyrosines are located near the nucleotide pocket and the functionally critical Loop 5 region within the Eg5 head. We have also found that phosphomimetic Eg5 motor proteins have altered motility characteristics relative to wild-type and non-phosphorylatable mutant proteins. Furthermore, cells expressing phosphomimetic Eg5 motors have increased spindle polarity defects. These results implicate Eg5 as a potential direct mitotic target of tyrosine kinases, most likely Src family kinases. Phosphomimetic motors also have greatly reduced affinity for the Eg5 inhibitor S-trityl-L-cysteine (STLC). In cells with high Src activity, including many types of cancers, the same mechanism may provide rapid resistance to therapy with Eg5 inhibitors.
Journal of toxicology, 2011
The biochemical transformation of mercury, tin, arsenic and bismuth through formation of volatile... more The biochemical transformation of mercury, tin, arsenic and bismuth through formation of volatile alkylated species performs a fundamental role in determining the environmental processing of these elements. While the toxicity of inorganic forms of most of these compounds are well documented (e.g., arsenic, mercury) and some of them are of relatively low toxicity (e.g., tin, bismuth), the more lipid-soluble organometals can be highly toxic. In the present study we investigated the cyto- and genotoxicity of five volatile metal(loid) compounds: trimethylbismuth, dimethylarsenic iodide, trimethylarsine, tetramethyltin, and dimethylmercury. As far as we know, this is the first study investigating the toxicity of volatile metal(loid) compounds in vitro. Our results showed that dimethylmercury was most toxic to all three used cell lines (CHO-9 cells, CaCo, Hep-G2) followed by dimethylarsenic iodide. Tetramethyltin was the least toxic compound; however, the toxicity was also dependend upon ...
Médecine et maladies infectieuses, 2008
The authors aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of ertapenem against bacterial strains isolat... more The authors aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of ertapenem against bacterial strains isolated from diabetic foot infections (DFI). All diabetic patients hospitalized for a first episode of DFI (stages 2 to 4, according to the International Working Group of Diabetic Foot Classification) were selected in the Nîmes University hospital between January 2005 to December 2005. MICs were determined using both E-test strips and dilution methods on bacterial strains isolated from foot samples. Two hundred and fifty-two bacteria (154 Gram-positive cocci including 94 Staphylococcus aureus, 80 Gram-negative bacilli with 56 Enterobacteriaceae, and 18 anaerobes) were studied. Ertapenem was active against all Streptococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes, and also against 89.8% of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates. However, this antibiotic was active only against 31.5% of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 21.8% of Enterococcus faecalis, and 15.8% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results ...
Pathologie-biologie, 2007
The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of tigecycline and other comparator a... more The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of tigecycline and other comparator agents against bacterial strains isolated from diabetic foot infections (DFI). All diabetic patients hospitalized for a first episode of DFI (stage 2 to 4, according to the International Working Group of Diabetic Foot classification) were selected in Nîmes University hospital between January 2005 and June 2006. MICs were determined using custom broth microdilution panels against bacterial strains isolated from foot samples. Three hundred fifteen strains were studied. Tigecycline was active against 83.7% of all the strains especially Gram-positive cocci (97.3%) in particular methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (96%), Enterobacteriaceae (88.5%) and anaerobes (100%). Exclusively Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteae were not covered by this antibiotic. Tigecycline, a new broad spectrum antimicrobial agent, is qualified to belong to the therapeutic arsenal package of complicated skin and...
Atherosclerosis Supplements, 2001
Revue d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 2004
The Romance of Gambling in the Eighteenth-Century British Novel, 2011
From high-stakes Faro to lottery insurance to petty wagers, even to the very instruments of the F... more From high-stakes Faro to lottery insurance to petty wagers, even to the very instruments of the Financial Revolution, gambling permeated the daily lives of eighteenth-century Britons of all classes. Jessica Richard argues that the romance of gambling, its celebration of the chance incalculable event, the heroic achievement against all odds, the lucky break, is foundational to eighteenth-century British culture and as such a central concern for the period's novels. Analyzing works by Richardson, Brooke, Smollett, Henry and Sarah Fielding, Burney, Radcliffe, Edgeworth, and Austen, along with gambling ephemera such as playing cards and games manuals, Richard shows that novelists use gambling scenarios not to tame chance but to interrogate its role in generic form and in a transforming capital economy inspired by and dependent on gambling.
The Journal of Dermatology, 2014
Vemurafenib is a targeted therapy that has become standard treatment for patients with advanced m... more Vemurafenib is a targeted therapy that has become standard treatment for patients with advanced melanoma with a V600E BRAF mutation. It has been associated with frequent skin toxicity, including photosensitivity, rash and squamous cell carcinomas. We present an 83-year-old woman with an advanced V600E BRAF-mutant melanoma who developed a severe skin rash and fatigue after taking vemurafenib. The dose was reduced from 960 to 720 to 480 mg twice a day; however, she was subsequently admitted to the hospital with fever, chills, fatigue, confusion and a diffuse skin eruption. She then developed hypoxia and acute renal failure that required hemodialysis. A biopsy of her skin lesions revealed a neutrophilic dermatitis with papillary dermal edema, consistent with Sweet's syndrome. Her symptoms resolved upon discontinuation of vemurafenib and treatment with prednisone. This constellation of symptoms and clinical course are consistent with drug-induced Sweet's syndrome caused by vemurafenib.
Quality of Life Research, 2000
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the validity of COOP charts in a general population sample... more Objectives: This study aimed to assess the validity of COOP charts in a general population sample, to examine whether illustrations contribute to instrument validity, and to establish general population norms. Methods: A general population mail survey was conducted among 20±79 years old residents of the Swiss canton of Vaud. Participants were invited to complete COOP charts, the SF-36 Health Survey; they also provided data on health service use in the previous month. Two thirds of the respondents received standard COOP charts, the rest received charts without illustrations. Results: Overall 1250 persons responded (54%). The presence of illustrations did not aect score distributions, except that the illustrated`physical ®tness' chart drew greater non-response (10 vs. 3%, p < 0.001). Validity tests were similar for illustrated and picture-less charts. Factor analysis yielded two principal components, corresponding to physical and mental health. Six COOP charts showed strong and nearly linear relationships with corresponding SF36 scores (all p < 0.001), demonstrating concurrent validity. Similarly, most COOP charts were associated with the use of medical services in the past month. Only the chart on`social support' partly deviated from construct validity hypotheses. Population norms revealed a generally lower health status in women and an age-related decline in physical health. Conclusions: COOP charts can be used to assess the health status of a general population. Their validity is good, with the possible exception of the`social support' chart. The illustrations do not aect the properties of this instrument.
For 11 years in the role of Project Manager & Editorial Assistant, Jessica Richard coordinated be... more For 11 years in the role of Project Manager & Editorial Assistant, Jessica Richard coordinated between 1100 writers for the “Dictionary of South Asian Christianity” which was subsequently published as the The Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity, a two-volume encyclopedia covering for the first time the 2000-year old story of Christianity in India and its neighbouring countries. “Looking at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives, alongside India, as well as Myanmar, Afghanistan, and the global South Asian diaspora, the Encyclopaedia celebrates the trans-cultural, migratory, and unique nature of South Asian Christianity.”
This study is dedicated to: My co-strugglers and co-resistors in Asian Women's Resource Centre fo... more This study is dedicated to: My co-strugglers and co-resistors in Asian Women's Resource Centre for Culture and Theology (AWRC) who have journeyed with me and helped me grow.
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa ... more The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa was previously shown to be induced by copper ions in concentrations relevant to those in drinking water plumbing systems. This decrease of bacterial culturability without loss of viability might have an influence on human health due to an underestimation of the actual contamination in drinking water systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of culturable P. aeruginosa, viable but not culturable as well as culturable again after resuscitation from the VBNC state on human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) in vitro. Cyto- and genotoxic effects of P. aeruginosa at different states were studied using trypan blue, MTT, xCELLigence as well as the micronucleus assay. While P. aeruginosa in the VBNC state did not have any cytotoxic or genotoxic effect on BEAS-2B cells, untreated (culturable) and resuscitated P. aeruginosa did show cell damage, including disruption of cell membranes, inhibition of mitochondrial activity and cell proliferation as well as DNA-damaging effects. We conclude from our study that P. aeruginosa after resuscitation from the VBNC state regains its viability and cyto-/genotoxicity and therefore might influence human health.
Biophysical Journal, 2017
How signals between the kinesin active and cytoskeletal binding sites are transmitted is an open ... more How signals between the kinesin active and cytoskeletal binding sites are transmitted is an open question and an allosteric question. By extracting correlated evolutionary changes within 700؉ sequences, we built a model of residues that are energetically coupled and that define molecular routes for signal transmission. Typically, these coupled residues are located at multiple distal sites and thus are predicted to form a complex, non-linear network that wires together different functional sites in the protein. Of note, our model connected the site for ATP hydrolysis with sites that ultimately utilize its free energy, such as the microtubule-binding site, drug-binding loop 5, and necklinker. To confirm the calculated energetic connectivity between non-adjacent residues, double-mutant cycle analysis was conducted with 22 kinesin mutants. There was a direct correlation between thermodynamic coupling in experiment and evolutionarily derived energetic coupling. We conclude that energy transduction is coordinated by multiple distal sites in the protein rather than only being relayed through adjacent residues. Moreover, this allosteric map forecasts how energetic orchestration gives rise to different nanomotor behaviors within the superfamily. . 2 The abbreviations used are: MT, microtubule; L5, loop 5; SCA, statistical coupling analysis; NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information; SATé, simultaneous alignment and tree estimation algorithm; MSA, multiple sequence alignment; Eg5, human kinesin-5; p-loop, phosphate-binding loop; AMPPNP, adenosine 5Ј-(,␥-iminotriphosphate).
The Romance of Gambling in the Eighteenth-Century British Novel, 2011
The Journal of biological chemistry, Jan 8, 2016
How signals between the kinesin active- and cytoskeletal-binding sites are transmitted is an open... more How signals between the kinesin active- and cytoskeletal-binding sites are transmitted is an open question and an allosteric question. By extracting correlated evolutionary changes within 700+ sequences, we built a model of residues that are energetically coupled and that define molecular routes for signal transmission. Typically, these coupled residues are located at multiple distal sites and, thus, are predicted to form a complex, nonlinear network that wires together different functional sites in the protein. Of note, our model connected the site for ATP hydrolysis with sites that ultimately utilize its free energy, such as the microtubule-binding site, drug-binding loop-5, and necklinker. To confirm the calculated energetic connectivity between non-adjacent residues, double-mutant cycle analysis was conducted with 22 kinesin mutants. There was a direct correlation between thermodynamic coupling in experiment and evolutionarily-derived energetic coupling. We conclude that energy ...
In case problematic organic substances, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products, cannot b... more In case problematic organic substances, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products, cannot be eliminated during wastewater treatment, they can reach surface waters and harm the environment and have adverse effects on human health already at low concentrations of the substance. The amount of micropollutants in surface waters is steadily growing [1]. Micropollutants occur in surface water samples at concentrations in the pico-, nano- or micromolar range, thus, there is a need of as sensitive biological test systems as possible to detect toxic effects. Different genotoxicity tests are available and have been already implemented, therein the micronucleus assay proposed by the German Umweltbundesamt in 2003 [2] and the umu-test for mutagenicity testing required by the waste water guideline [3]. In this study four genotoxicity tests with different endpoints were compared for their sensitivity to detect effects induced by different chemical substances that are commonly used as positiv...
Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites enter the hydrological cycle mainly through hospital efflue... more Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites enter the hydrological cycle mainly through hospital effluents and private households. They were detected in surface and ground water in concentrations to μg/L and even after the water treatment process in drinking water. To gain biologically and chemically save conditions in aquatic systems, as required by the EU Water Framework Directive, advanced oxidation processes (AOP: ozone, UV/H2O2) are the only conceivable possibility to remove these persistent organic substances from waste water. However, water treatment plants are not designed for the complete mineralization of these substances, so that oxidation by-products occur, whose chemical and toxicological properties are often unknown. Therefore, it is necessary to complement the oxidative processes by toxicological analyses. In this study, different UV-oxidation systems with and without H2O2 were tested to optimize the elimination of pharmaceuticals, and replenished with toxicological investi...
La Revue de Médecine Interne, 2008
En raison de l'allure épidémique que prend le diabète sucré dans le monde entier, la prévalence d... more En raison de l'allure épidémique que prend le diabète sucré dans le monde entier, la prévalence de ses complications est amenée à s'accroître significativement. Le pied diabétique, responsable d'une grande morbidité et de graves incapacités, pèse lourdement sur la société, devenant un véritable problème de santé publique. Les données épidémiologiques sur la pathologie du pied diabétique sont nombreuses mais difficiles à interpréter du fait des différences dans la méthodologie employée et dans la définition même de la pathologie étudiée dans les différentes études, du manque d'homogénéité dans l'expression de la prévalence ou de l'incidence, des caractéristiques des populations étudiées (origine ethnique, niveau social, accessibilité aux soins,…). Dans les pays occidentalisés, on peut estimer que chaque année deux patients diabétiques sur cent souffrent d'une ulcération de leur pied. Les chiffres concernant les amputations des membres inférieurs sont très variables : ainsi, l'incidence allant de moins de 1 ‰ en dans la région de Madrid ou au Japon pour dépasser 20 ‰ dans certaines tribus indiennes d'Amérique du Nord. En France métropolitaine, elle est estimée aux environ de 2 ‰ mais avec des variations régionales notables, bien inférieure à celle rapportée à La Réunion. Quoi qu'il en soit, le risque d'ulcération du pied et d'amputation des membres inférieurs est beaucoup plus élevé dans la population diabétique : 15 à 25 % des diabétiques présenteront un ulcère du pied au cours de leur vie et de par le monde, une amputation est réalisée toutes les 30 secondes chez un patient diabétique. Comme le souligne cet article, neuropathie, artériopathie et déformations du pied expliquent pour la plus grande partie cet excès de pathologie. Âge, sexe, origine ethnique, niveau socio-culturel y contribuent. L'identification de ces facteurs est fondamentale afin de classer chaque diabétique dans une catégorie de risque et prendre des mesures de prévention adaptées.
Biophysical Journal, 2014
velocity and direction dependent on motor crowding and ionic strength but not MT length. By contr... more velocity and direction dependent on motor crowding and ionic strength but not MT length. By contrast, truncated Cut7 monomers drive only plus end directed MT sliding, indicating that plus end directed strokes are the basal activity of the Cut7 motor head and that directional reversal is an emergent property of interacting head-pairs. We propose a possible mechanism for directional reversal, in which minus ended strokes are inhibited by motor crowding, causing the basal plus end directed activity to dominate. The human kinesin-5 motor, Eg5, is required to establish and maintain the mitotic spindle. We show that Src kinase binds to a unique motif in the microtubule-binding interface of the Eg5 enzymatic head domain and phosphorylates three specific tyrosine residues in endogenous Eg5. These tyrosines are located near the nucleotide pocket and the functionally critical Loop 5 region within the Eg5 head. We have also found that phosphomimetic Eg5 motor proteins have altered motility characteristics relative to wild-type and non-phosphorylatable mutant proteins. Furthermore, cells expressing phosphomimetic Eg5 motors have increased spindle polarity defects. These results implicate Eg5 as a potential direct mitotic target of tyrosine kinases, most likely Src family kinases. Phosphomimetic motors also have greatly reduced affinity for the Eg5 inhibitor S-trityl-L-cysteine (STLC). In cells with high Src activity, including many types of cancers, the same mechanism may provide rapid resistance to therapy with Eg5 inhibitors.
Journal of toxicology, 2011
The biochemical transformation of mercury, tin, arsenic and bismuth through formation of volatile... more The biochemical transformation of mercury, tin, arsenic and bismuth through formation of volatile alkylated species performs a fundamental role in determining the environmental processing of these elements. While the toxicity of inorganic forms of most of these compounds are well documented (e.g., arsenic, mercury) and some of them are of relatively low toxicity (e.g., tin, bismuth), the more lipid-soluble organometals can be highly toxic. In the present study we investigated the cyto- and genotoxicity of five volatile metal(loid) compounds: trimethylbismuth, dimethylarsenic iodide, trimethylarsine, tetramethyltin, and dimethylmercury. As far as we know, this is the first study investigating the toxicity of volatile metal(loid) compounds in vitro. Our results showed that dimethylmercury was most toxic to all three used cell lines (CHO-9 cells, CaCo, Hep-G2) followed by dimethylarsenic iodide. Tetramethyltin was the least toxic compound; however, the toxicity was also dependend upon ...
Médecine et maladies infectieuses, 2008
The authors aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of ertapenem against bacterial strains isolat... more The authors aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of ertapenem against bacterial strains isolated from diabetic foot infections (DFI). All diabetic patients hospitalized for a first episode of DFI (stages 2 to 4, according to the International Working Group of Diabetic Foot Classification) were selected in the Nîmes University hospital between January 2005 to December 2005. MICs were determined using both E-test strips and dilution methods on bacterial strains isolated from foot samples. Two hundred and fifty-two bacteria (154 Gram-positive cocci including 94 Staphylococcus aureus, 80 Gram-negative bacilli with 56 Enterobacteriaceae, and 18 anaerobes) were studied. Ertapenem was active against all Streptococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes, and also against 89.8% of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates. However, this antibiotic was active only against 31.5% of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 21.8% of Enterococcus faecalis, and 15.8% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results ...
Pathologie-biologie, 2007
The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of tigecycline and other comparator a... more The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of tigecycline and other comparator agents against bacterial strains isolated from diabetic foot infections (DFI). All diabetic patients hospitalized for a first episode of DFI (stage 2 to 4, according to the International Working Group of Diabetic Foot classification) were selected in Nîmes University hospital between January 2005 and June 2006. MICs were determined using custom broth microdilution panels against bacterial strains isolated from foot samples. Three hundred fifteen strains were studied. Tigecycline was active against 83.7% of all the strains especially Gram-positive cocci (97.3%) in particular methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (96%), Enterobacteriaceae (88.5%) and anaerobes (100%). Exclusively Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteae were not covered by this antibiotic. Tigecycline, a new broad spectrum antimicrobial agent, is qualified to belong to the therapeutic arsenal package of complicated skin and...
Atherosclerosis Supplements, 2001
Revue d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 2004
The Romance of Gambling in the Eighteenth-Century British Novel, 2011
From high-stakes Faro to lottery insurance to petty wagers, even to the very instruments of the F... more From high-stakes Faro to lottery insurance to petty wagers, even to the very instruments of the Financial Revolution, gambling permeated the daily lives of eighteenth-century Britons of all classes. Jessica Richard argues that the romance of gambling, its celebration of the chance incalculable event, the heroic achievement against all odds, the lucky break, is foundational to eighteenth-century British culture and as such a central concern for the period's novels. Analyzing works by Richardson, Brooke, Smollett, Henry and Sarah Fielding, Burney, Radcliffe, Edgeworth, and Austen, along with gambling ephemera such as playing cards and games manuals, Richard shows that novelists use gambling scenarios not to tame chance but to interrogate its role in generic form and in a transforming capital economy inspired by and dependent on gambling.
The Journal of Dermatology, 2014
Vemurafenib is a targeted therapy that has become standard treatment for patients with advanced m... more Vemurafenib is a targeted therapy that has become standard treatment for patients with advanced melanoma with a V600E BRAF mutation. It has been associated with frequent skin toxicity, including photosensitivity, rash and squamous cell carcinomas. We present an 83-year-old woman with an advanced V600E BRAF-mutant melanoma who developed a severe skin rash and fatigue after taking vemurafenib. The dose was reduced from 960 to 720 to 480 mg twice a day; however, she was subsequently admitted to the hospital with fever, chills, fatigue, confusion and a diffuse skin eruption. She then developed hypoxia and acute renal failure that required hemodialysis. A biopsy of her skin lesions revealed a neutrophilic dermatitis with papillary dermal edema, consistent with Sweet&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s syndrome. Her symptoms resolved upon discontinuation of vemurafenib and treatment with prednisone. This constellation of symptoms and clinical course are consistent with drug-induced Sweet&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s syndrome caused by vemurafenib.
Quality of Life Research, 2000
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the validity of COOP charts in a general population sample... more Objectives: This study aimed to assess the validity of COOP charts in a general population sample, to examine whether illustrations contribute to instrument validity, and to establish general population norms. Methods: A general population mail survey was conducted among 20±79 years old residents of the Swiss canton of Vaud. Participants were invited to complete COOP charts, the SF-36 Health Survey; they also provided data on health service use in the previous month. Two thirds of the respondents received standard COOP charts, the rest received charts without illustrations. Results: Overall 1250 persons responded (54%). The presence of illustrations did not aect score distributions, except that the illustrated`physical ®tness' chart drew greater non-response (10 vs. 3%, p < 0.001). Validity tests were similar for illustrated and picture-less charts. Factor analysis yielded two principal components, corresponding to physical and mental health. Six COOP charts showed strong and nearly linear relationships with corresponding SF36 scores (all p < 0.001), demonstrating concurrent validity. Similarly, most COOP charts were associated with the use of medical services in the past month. Only the chart on`social support' partly deviated from construct validity hypotheses. Population norms revealed a generally lower health status in women and an age-related decline in physical health. Conclusions: COOP charts can be used to assess the health status of a general population. Their validity is good, with the possible exception of the`social support' chart. The illustrations do not aect the properties of this instrument.
Water Science & Technology, 2013
The entry of pharmaceuticals into the water cycle from sewage treatment plants is of growing conc... more The entry of pharmaceuticals into the water cycle from sewage treatment plants is of growing concern because environmental effects are evident at trace levels. Ozonation, UV-and UV/H 2 O 2treatment were tested as an additional step in waste water treatment because they have been proven to be effective in eliminating aqueous organic contaminants. The pharmaceuticals carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, metoprolol and sulfamethoxazole as well as the personal care products galaxolide and tonalide were investigated in terms of degradation efficiency and byproduct formation in consideration of toxic effects. The substances were largely removed from treatment plant effluent by ozonation, UV-and UV/H 2 O 2 -treatment. Transformation products were detected in all tested treatment processes. Accompanying analysis showed no genotoxic, cytotoxic or estrogenic potential for the investigated compounds after oxidative treatment of real waste waters. The results indicate that by-product formation from ozonation and advanced oxidation processes does not have any negative environmental impact.