Salivary progesterone and estriol among pregnant women treated with 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or placebo

The objectives of the study was to determine whether salivary progesterone (P) or estriol (E3) concentration at 16–20 weeks’ gestation predicts preterm birth or the response to 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHPC) and whether 17OHPC treatment affected the trajectory of salivary P and E3 as pregnancy progressed

THE EFFECTS OF COMPOSTABLE DISHWARE ON OVERALL COMPOST QUALITY

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) has an active industrial compost system, where pre- and post-consumer waste is diverted from the dining facility. Currently, single-use disposable plastic and polystyrene dishware is used for campus events and to-go food services. The option of compostable dishware such as a Polylactic acid (PLA) hot cups, PLA cold cups, sugarcane portion cups, cardboard trays, and wooden sporks were explored to provide cost-effective options for these needs. This research project focuses on the impacts of compostable dishware on our compost system through weekly measurements of nitrate, pH, carbon: nitrogen ratio, moisture, and qualitative observations during fall semester, 2022. Through this project, we also developed an approach to assessing the impacts of compostable materials. In the preliminary data, the average pH of the in-vessel and ground compost was 7.7, the average nitrate level in these sample sites 1.8 mg/kg. After the implementation of the compostable dishware the pH became more basic with an increase from 5.8 to 6.9. Variation in nitrate levels increased due to anaerobic conditions within the in-vessel. The temperature of the compost decreased after the implementation of the dishware. We estimate that over 85% of the compostable dishware decomposed over the course of 5 weeks. These preliminary results suggest safe and beneficial compost to use on campus and in the community. The benefits of implementing a compostable single-use dishware initiative include cutting costs on waste from dining facilities, decreasing GCSU’s water and carbon footprints, while increasing education and awareness of sustainable practices in the GCSU community

Drought and plant litter chemistry alter microbial gene expression and metabolite production.

Drought represents a significant stress to microorganisms and is known to reduce microbial activity and organic matter decomposition in Mediterranean ecosystems. However, we lack a detailed understanding of the drought stress response of microbial decomposers. Here we present metatranscriptomic and metabolomic data on the physiological response of in situ microbial communities on plant litter to long-term drought in Californian grass and shrub ecosystems. We hypothesised that drought causes greater microbial allocation to stress tolerance relative to growth pathways. In grass litter, communities from the decade-long ambient and reduced precipitation treatments had distinct taxonomic and functional profiles. The most discernable physiological signatures of drought were production or uptake of compatible solutes to maintain cellular osmotic balance, and synthesis of capsular and extracellular polymeric substances as a mechanism to retain water. The results show a clear functional response to drought in grass litter communities with greater allocation to survival relative to growth that could affect decomposition under drought. In contrast, communities on chemically more diverse and complex shrub litter had smaller physiological differences in response to long-term drought but higher investment in resource acquisition traits across precipitation treatments, suggesting that the functional response to drought is constrained by substrate quality. Our findings suggest, for the first time in a field setting, a trade off between microbial drought stress tolerance, resource acquisition and growth traits in plant litter microbial communities

Decrypting bacterial polyphenol metabolism in an anoxic wetland soil.

Microorganisms play vital roles in modulating organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in soil ecosystems. The enzyme latch paradigm posits microbial degradation of polyphenols is hindered in anoxic peat leading to polyphenol accumulation, and consequently diminished microbial activity. This model assumes that polyphenols are microbially unavailable under anoxia, a supposition that has not been thoroughly investigated in any soil type. Here, we use anoxic soil reactors amended with and without a chemically defined polyphenol to test this hypothesis, employing metabolomics and genome-resolved metaproteomics to interrogate soil microbial polyphenol metabolism. Challenging the idea that polyphenols are not bioavailable under anoxia, we provide metabolite evidence that polyphenols are depolymerized, resulting in monomer accumulation, followed by the generation of small phenolic degradation products. Further, we show that soil microbiome function is maintained, and possibly enhanced, with polyphenol addition. In summary, this study provides chemical and enzymatic evidence that some soil microbiota can degrade polyphenols under anoxia and subvert the assumed polyphenol lock on soil microbial metabolism

Decrypting bacterial polyphenol metabolism in an anoxic wetland soil.

Microorganisms play vital roles in modulating organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in soil ecosystems. The enzyme latch paradigm posits microbial degradation of polyphenols is hindered in anoxic peat leading to polyphenol accumulation, and consequently diminished microbial activity. This model assumes that polyphenols are microbially unavailable under anoxia, a supposition that has not been thoroughly investigated in any soil type. Here, we use anoxic soil reactors amended with and without a chemically defined polyphenol to test this hypothesis, employing metabolomics and genome-resolved metaproteomics to interrogate soil microbial polyphenol metabolism. Challenging the idea that polyphenols are not bioavailable under anoxia, we provide metabolite evidence that polyphenols are depolymerized, resulting in monomer accumulation, followed by the generation of small phenolic degradation products. Further, we show that soil microbiome function is maintained, and possibly enhanced, with polyphenol addition. In summary, this study provides chemical and enzymatic evidence that some soil microbiota can degrade polyphenols under anoxia and subvert the assumed polyphenol lock on soil microbial metabolism

An integrated metagenomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic survey of Populus across genotypes and environments.

Bridging molecular information to ecosystem-level processes would provide the capacity to understand system vulnerability and, potentially, a means for assessing ecosystem health. Here, we present an integrated dataset containing environmental and metagenomic information from plant-associated microbial communities, plant transcriptomics, plant and soil metabolomics, and soil chemistry and activity characterization measurements derived from the model tree species Populus trichocarpa. Soil, rhizosphere, root endosphere, and leaf samples were collected from 27 different P. trichocarpa genotypes grown in two different environments leading to an integrated dataset of 318 metagenomes, 98 plant transcriptomes, and 314 metabolomic profiles that are supported by diverse soil measurements. This expansive dataset will provide insights into causal linkages that relate genomic features and molecular level events to system-level properties and their environmental influences

Plasma CRH measurement at 16 to 20 weeks' gestation does not predict preterm delivery in women at high-risk for preterm delivery

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of a single second-trimester plasma corticotropin-relasing hormone measurement as a marker for preterm delivery in women at high risk for preterm delivery. This is an analysis of data from a multicenter placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the role of 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) in the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. Women with a documented history of a previous spontaneous preterm birth at <37 weeks were enrolled (16-20 wks) and randomly assigned in a 2 to 1 ratio to weekly injections of 17P or matching placebo. Blood was collected before treatment in 170 patients (113 assigned 17P and 57 placebo) who were enrolled at 11 of the 19 centers. Plasma levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone were compared between those who delivered preterm and those delivering at term. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The overall rates of preterm birth in this cohort of 170 patients were 35.9% at <37 weeks (31.9% progesterone, 43.9% placebo), and 19.4% at <35 weeks (18.6% vs 21.1%). The median levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone were similar between those delivering at <37 weeks and those delivering ≥37 weeks (0.39 ng/mL vs 0.37 ng/mL, P = .08). In addition, there were no differences in corticotropin-releasing hormone levels among those who delivered at <35 weeks or ≥35 weeks (0.36 vs 0.38, P = .90). Moreover, there were no differences in corticotropin-releasing hormone levels among those in the placebo group who delivered at <37 or ≥37 weeks (0.40 vs 0.41, P = .72) and at <35 or ≥35 weeks ( P = .64). A single measurement of corticotropin-releasing hormone at 16 to 20 weeks' gestation is not a good biomarker for recurrent preterm delivery in patients at high risk for this complication

Shed lighT in the darRk lienageES of the fungal tree of Life \u2013 STRES

ThepolyphyleticgroupofblackfungiwithintheAscomycota (Arthoniomycetes,Dothideomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes) is ubiquitous in natural and anthropogenic habitats. Partly because of their dark, melanin-based pigmentation, black fungi are resistant to stresses including UV- and ionizing-radiation, heat and desiccation, toxic metals, and organic pollutants. Consequently, they are amongst the most stunning extremophiles and poly-extreme-tolerant organisms on Earth. Even though ca. 60 black fungal genomes have been sequenced to date, [mostly in the family Herpotrichiellaceae (Eurotiomycetes)], the class Dothideomycetes that hosts the largest majority of extremophiles has only been sparsely sampled. By sequencing up to 92 species that will become reference genomes, the \u201cShed light in The daRk lineagES of the fungal tree of life\u201d (STRES) project will cover a broad collection of black fungal diversity spread throughout the Fungal Tree of Life. Interestingly, the STRES project will focus on mostly unsampled genera that display dierent ecologies and life-styles (e.g., ant- and lichen-associated fungi, rock-inhabiting fungi, etc.). With a resequencing strategy of 10- to 15-fold depth coverage of up to ~550 strains, numerous new reference genomes will be established. To identify metabolites and functional processes, these new genomic resources will be enriched with metabolomics analyses coupled with transcriptomics experiments on selected species under various stress conditions (salinity, dryness, UV radiation, oligotrophy). The data acquired will serve as a reference and foundation for establishing an encyclopedic database for fungal metagenomics as well as the biology, evolution, and ecology of the fungi in extreme environments