Correction: A product-limit estimator of the conditional survival function when cure status is partially known.

An error was detected in the derivation of the expression of the cumulative hazard function in a recently published paper by Safari, W. C., López-de-Ullibarri, I., and Jácome, M. A. (2021), A product-limit estimator of the conditional survival function when cure status is partially known. Biometrical Journal, 63(5), 984-1005, https://doi.org/10.1002/bimj.202000173. This short article aims to correct this error. There are some changes in the model notation in Section 2, the derivation of the expression of the cumulative hazard function in the Appendix, and the proofs of Lemmas 3 and 4 in the Supporting Information. Moreover, there is a small change in the generation of the values of the censoring variable C ∗ in the simulation study. As a consequence, the simulation results in Section 4 are affected. A corrected version of these sections is given in the Supporting Information.

Fluorophore ATCUN complexes: combining agent and probe for oxidative DNA cleavage.

DNA can be oxidatively cleaved by copper complexes of the ATCUN peptide (amino terminal Cu(II)- and Ni(II)-binding motif). In order to investigate the fate of the metal ion throughout this process, we have exploited quenching/dequenching effects of conjugated fluorophores.

Increased expression of Candida albicans secretory proteinase, a putative virulence factor, in isolates from human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients.

The increased prevalence and the severity of oropharyngeal candidiasis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients are attributed exclusively to the virus-induced immune deficiency of the host. The present study was aimed at answering the question of whether Candida albicans secretory proteinase, a putative virulence factor of the opportunistic C. albicans yeast, has any potential influence on the clinical manifestation of oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV-positive patients. We measured the secretory proteinase activities of clinical C. albicans isolates from the oropharynges of either HIV-positive individuals (n = 100) or a control group (n = 122). The mean secretory proteinase activity of C. albicans isolates from the HIV-positive group (4,255 +/- 2,372 U/liter) was significantly higher compared with that of isolates from the control group (2,324 +/- 1,487 U/liter) (P < 0.05). The higher level of secretory proteinase activity in the culture supernatants of individual C. albicans isolates correlated with the increased level of proteinase expression on the cell surface, as revealed by cytofluorometry, and with higher levels of secretion of the immunodetectable protein, as shown by Western blotting (immunoblotting). Proteinase activity within the population of C. albicans isolates from HIV-positive individuals was independent of the patient's clinical disease stage and the CD4+/CD8+ cell numbers. Furthermore, no correlation of the proteinase activities with the C. albicans serotype was found, although C. albicans serotype B was significantly more frequent in the HIV-positive group (40%) compared with that in the control group (12%). However, a positive correlation of proteinase activity to antifungal susceptibility was evident. The C. albicans isolates from the HIV-positive group that were characterized by higher levels of proteinase activity were also less susceptible to the widely used azole antifungal ketoconazole and fluconazole. Collectively, the present data are consistent with a concept of early preferential selection of a subpopulation of C. albicans in HIV-infected patients.

Behavioral responses to apomorphine and amphetamine in differentially housed mice.

The climbing response to apomorphine (AP, 0.075-3.0 mg/kg) and the motor activity response to amphetamine (AMP, 0,3-5.0 mg/kg) were determined in grouped or socially isolated mice. After 4 weeks of differential housing commencing at 5 weeks of age, the individually housed mice showed an increased response only to low doses of these drugs. The responses of the group-housed mice at 5 or 9 weeks of age were identical, ruling out an aging component to the differential responsiveness. Also, the response of separate groups of naive mice to acute treatments of saline, AP (0.15 and 3.0 mg/kg), and AMP (0.3 and 5.0 mg/kg) was examined at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks of differential housing. With respect to age-matched group-housed mice, a significantly greater climbing response to AP (0.15 mg/kg) and a significantly greater locomotor activity response to AMP (0.3 mg/kg) were seen after 1 and 3 weeks of individual housing. There were no significant differences in the behavioral responses to the higher doses of AP and AMP.