Statin pretreatment is protective despite an association with greater coronary artery disease burden in patients presenting with a first ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

The relationship of chronic pre-event statin use with coronary disease severity at the time of presentation with a first acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown. A retrospective review was performed of consecutive patients presenting with STEMI and without a prior history of vascular disease, divided into those whom had been treated with statins before presentation (n=50) and those whom were not pretreated (n=231). Patients pretreated with statins were more likely to have left main (24.0% vs 8.3%; P=.001) or 3-vessel disease (44.0% vs 25.1%; P=.007) vs untreated patients. After matching for risk factors, a trend toward higher likelihood of 3-vessel disease persisted in the statin pretreatment group (47.6% vs 28.6%; P=.07). Significantly lower peak troponin-I levels (87.8 mg/dL vs 134.5 mg/dL; P=.006) were found in patients pretreated with statins, suggesting that statin pretreatment is protective in patients with STEMI despite the presence of greater disease burden. This finding supports the concept that statin therapy alters the natural history of coronary artery disease development leading to a first STEMI and is cardioprotective in those patients who experience a first STEMI

Metabolic versatility of the nitrite-oxidizing bacterium Nitrospira marina and its proteomic response to oxygen-limited conditions

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Bayer, B., Saito, M. A., McIlvin, M. R., Lucker, S., Moran, D. M., Lankiewicz, T. S., Dupont, C. L., & Santoro, A. E. (2020). Metabolic versatility of the nitrite-oxidizing bacterium Nitrospira marina and its proteomic response to oxygen-limited conditions. Isme Journal, doi:10.1038/s41396-020-00828-3.The genus Nitrospira is the most widespread group of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and thrives in diverse natural and engineered ecosystems. Nitrospira marina Nb-295T was isolated from the ocean over 30 years ago; however, its genome has not yet been analyzed. Here, we investigated the metabolic potential of N. marina based on its complete genome sequence and performed physiological experiments to test genome-derived hypotheses. Our data confirm that N. marina benefits from additions of undefined organic carbon substrates, has adaptations to resist oxidative, osmotic, and UV light-induced stress and low dissolved pCO2, and requires exogenous vitamin B12. In addition, N. marina is able to grow chemoorganotrophically on formate, and is thus not an obligate chemolithoautotroph. We further investigated the proteomic response of N. marina to low (∼5.6 µM) O2 concentrations. The abundance of a potentially more efficient CO2-fixing pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (POR) complex and a high-affinity cbb3-type terminal oxidase increased under O2 limitation, suggesting a role in sustaining nitrite oxidation-driven autotrophy. This putatively more O2-sensitive POR complex might be protected from oxidative damage by Cu/Zn-binding superoxide dismutase, which also increased in abundance under low O2 conditions. Furthermore, the upregulation of proteins involved in alternative energy metabolisms, including Group 3b [NiFe] hydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase, indicate a high metabolic versatility to survive conditions unfavorable for aerobic nitrite oxidation. In summary, the genome and proteome of the first marine Nitrospira isolate identifies adaptations to life in the oxic ocean and provides insights into the metabolic diversity and niche differentiation of NOB in marine environments.We thank John B. Waterbury and Frederica Valois for providing the culture of Nitrospira marina Nb-295T and for continued advice about cultivation. The N. marina genome was sequenced as part of US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute Community Sequencing Project 1337 to CLD, AES, and MAS in collaboration with the user community. We thank Claus Pelikan for bioinformatic assistance. This research was supported by a Simons Foundation Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbiology and Evolution Award (345889) and US National Science Foundation (NSF) award OCE-1924512 to AES. Proteomics analysis was supported by NSF awards OCE-1924554 and OCE-1850719, and NIH award R01GM135709 to MAS. BB was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Project Number: J4426-B (“The influence of nitrifiers on the oceanic carbon cycle”), SL by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant 016.Vidi.189.050, and CLD by NSF award OCE-125999

Ischaemic heart disease in the former Soviet Union 1990-2015 according to the Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare ischaemic heart disease (IHD) mortality and risk factor burden across former Soviet Union (fSU) and satellite countries and regions in 1990 and 2015. METHODS: The fSU and satellite countries were grouped into Central Asian, Central European and Eastern European regions. IHD mortality data for men and women of any age were gathered from national vital registration, and age, sex, country, year-specific IHD mortality rates were estimated in an ensemble model. IHD morbidity and mortality burden attributable to risk factors was estimated by comparative risk assessment using population attributable fractions. RESULTS: In 2015, age-standardised IHD death rates in Eastern European and Central Asian fSU countries were almost two times that of satellite states of Central Europe. Between 1990 and 2015, rates decreased substantially in Central Europe (men -43.5% (95% uncertainty interval -45.0%, -42.0%); women -42.9% (-44.0%, -41.0%)) but less in Eastern Europe (men -5.6% (-9.0, -3.0); women -12.2% (-15.5%, -9.0%)). Age-standardised IHD death rates also varied within regions: within Eastern Europe, rates decreased -51.7% in Estonian men (-54.0, -47.0) but increased +19.4% in Belarusian men (+12.0, +27.0). High blood pressure and cholesterol were leading risk factors for IHD burden, with smoking, body mass index, dietary factors and ambient air pollution also ranking high. CONCLUSIONS: Some fSU countries continue to experience a high IHD burden, while others have achieved remarkable reductions in IHD mortality. Control of blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking are IHD prevention priorities

1.3 mm Wavelength VLBI of Sagittarius A*: Detection of Time-Variable Emission on Event Horizon Scales

Sagittarius A*, the ~4 x 10^6 solar mass black hole candidate at the Galactic Center, can be studied on Schwarzschild radius scales with (sub)millimeter wavelength Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). We report on 1.3 mm wavelength observations of Sgr A* using a VLBI array consisting of the JCMT on Mauna Kea, the ARO/SMT on Mt. Graham in Arizona, and two telescopes of the CARMA array at Cedar Flat in California. Both Sgr A* and the quasar calibrator 1924-292 were observed over three consecutive nights, and both sources were clearly detected on all baselines. For the first time, we are able to extract 1.3 mm VLBI interferometer phase information on Sgr A* through measurement of closure phase on the triangle of baselines. On the third night of observing, the correlated flux density of Sgr A* on all VLBI baselines increased relative to the first two nights, providing strong evidence for time-variable change on scales of a few Schwarzschild radii. These results suggest that future VLBI observations with greater sensitivity and additional baselines will play a valuable role in determining the structure of emission near the event horizon of Sgr A*.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to ApJ

Sex and the Single Gametophyte: Revising the Homosporous Vascular Plant Life Cycle in Light of Contemporary Research

Homosporous vascular plants are typically depicted as extreme inbreeders, with bisexual gametophytes that produce strictly homozygous sporophytes. This view is promulgated in textbook life cycles despite ample evidence that natural populations of most species regularly outcross. We review research on a variety of mechanisms, including genetic load, asynchronous production of eggs and sperm, and pheromonal control of gamete production, that actively promote heterozygosity in ferns and lycophytes. Evolution of the land plants cannot be reconstructed without accurate depictions of the unique life cycle that has helped make ferns the second most diverse lineage of vascular plants on Earth. With revised illustrations and definitions, we provide scientists, educators, and students with a contemporary understanding of fern and lycophyte reproduction, revealing them as evolutionarily dynamic and exploiting a wide range of mating systems