Many microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi possess so-called capsules made of polysaccharides which protect these microorganisms from environmental insults and host immune defenses. The polysaccharide capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans, a human pathogenic yeast, is capable of self-assembly, composed mostly of glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), a polysaccharide with a molecular weight of approximate...

The polysaccharide capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae defines over ninety serotypes, which differ in their carriage prevalence and invasiveness for poorly understood reasons. Recently, an inverse correlation between carriage prevalence and oligosaccharide structure of a given capsule has been described. Our previous work suggested a link between serotype and growth in vitro. Here we investigat...

Exposure of Cryptococcus neoformans cells to gamma radiation results in a gradual release of capsular polysaccharide, in a dose-dependent manner. This method allows the systematic exploration of different capsular regions. Using this methodology, capsule density was determined to change according to the radial distribution of glucuronoxylomannan and total polysaccharide, becoming denser at the ...

Overweight and obesity have been identified as a cause of high risk diseases like diabetes and cancer. Although conventional Intragastric Balloons (IGBs) have become an efficient and less invasive method for overweight and obesity treatment, the use of conventional tools such as catheter or endoscope to insert and remove the IGBs from the patient's body causes nausea, vomiting, discomfort, and ...

Abstract Introduction The ElipseTM gastric balloon (EIGB) is an established outpatient, non-invasive, non-surgical device for weight-loss not requiring endoscopy nor sedation. This study reports the early safety and effectiveness from largest only reported UK cohort treated with EIGB. Methods A retrospective of 224 consecutive patients undergoing EIGB insertion between May 2018 December 2020 wa...

INTRODUCTION Capsule endoscopy has, over the last few years, become a first-line test to visualize the mucosa of the small intestine. This technique is generally considered safe and does not cause discomfort for patients. However, although patients may have difficulty in swallowing the capsule, bronchial aspiration of a capsule endoscope is a very rare complication. We report the case of an 82-...