A Comparative Study of the Outer Membrane Proteome from an Atypical and a Typical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

This study compared the proteomic profile of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) from one strain of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) and one of typical EPEC (tEPEC). The OMPs fractions were obtained using sarcosine extraction, and analyzed by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1DE and 2DE, respectively). The 1DE OMPs analysis of typical and atypical EPEC evidenced similar patterns; however, the 2DE OMP profile from the aEPEC revealed more protein spots in the 40- to 70-kDa region. 2DE image analysis identified 159 protein spots in both strains whereas 53 protein spots were observed only in tEPEC and 128 were observed only in aEPEC. Remarkably, 41.5% of aEPEC spots showed higher levels of expression compared to tEPEC, some of which with two, others four or even five times more. Twenty-four selected spots were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and they corresponded to proteins involved in cell structure and metabolism, as well as in gene regulation. Some of these proteins showed similarity with proteins identified in other E. coli pathotypes. Besides, the differential expression of some proteins in aEPEC may suggest that it could be related to their features that ascertain the adaptation to distinct environments and the worldwide spread distribution of these pathogens

Electrospun nanofibrous poly (Lactic Acid)/Titanium dioxide nanocomposite membranes for cutaneous scar minimization

The animal study was reviewed and approved by 10/2015-CEUA/ICT/CJSC-UNESP.Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has been increasingly used in cutaneous tissue engineering due to its low cost, ease of handling, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, as well as its ability to form composites. However, these polymers possess a structure with nanoporous that mimic the cellular environment. In this study, nanocomposites are prepared using PLA and titanium dioxide (TiO2) (10 and 35%—w/w) nanoparticles that also function as an active anti-scarring agent. The nanocomposites were prepared using an electrospinning technique. Three different solutions were prepared as follows: PLA, 10% PLA/TiO2, and 35% PLA/TiO2 (w/w%). Electrospun PLA and PLA/TiO2 nanocomposites were characterized morphologically, structurally, and chemically using electron scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, goniometry, and X-ray diffraction. L929 fibroblast cells were used for in vitro tests. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays. Versicam (VCAN), biglicam (BIG), interleukin-6 (IL6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and type-1 collagen (COL1A1) genes were evaluated by RT-qPCR. In vivo tests using Wistar rats were conducted for up to 15 days. Nanofibrous fibers were obtained for all groups that did not contain residual solvents. No cytotoxic effects were observed for up to 168 h. The genes expressed showed the highest values of versican and collagen-1 (p < 0.05) for PLA/TiO2 nanocomposite scaffolds when compared to the control group (cells). Histological images showed that PLA at 10 and 35% w/w led to a discrete inflammatory infiltration and expression of many newly formed vessels, indicating increased metabolic activity of this tissue. To summarize, this study supported the potential of PLA/TiO2 nanocomposites ability to reduce cutaneous scarring in scaffolds.This work was supported by the National Council for Scientificand Technological Development (CNPq, #303752/2017-3 and#404683/2018-5 to AL and #304133/2017-5 and #424163/2016-0 to FM). AZ acknowledges financial support of the FCT throughUID/CTM/00264/2019 and Investigator FCT Research contract(IF/00071/2015) and the project PTDC/CTM-TEX/28295/2017 financed by FCT, FEDER, and POCI

Draft whole-genome sequences of 10 atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated in Brazil

The number of diarrhea cases caused by atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) has been increasing worldwide. Here, we report the draft whole-genome sequences of 10 aEPEC strains isolated in Brazil. These sequences will provide an important source for future studies concerning aEPEC pathogenicity and genetic markers of potentially virulent strains

Evolutionary Heritage Influences Amazon Tree Ecology

Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing an excellent system to investigate the combined influences of evolutionary heritage and selection in determining trait variation. We used trait data related to the major axes of life-history variation among tropical trees (e.g. growth and mortality rates) from 577 inventory plots in closed-canopy forest, mapped onto a phylogenetic hypothesis spanning more than 300 genera including all major angiosperm clades to test for evolutionary constraints on traits. We found significant phylogenetic signal (PS) for all traits, consistent with evolutionarily related genera having more similar characteristics than expected by chance. Although there is also evidence for repeated evolution of pioneer and shade tolerant life-history strategies within independent lineages, the existence of significant PS allows clearer predictions of the links between evolutionary diversity, ecosystem function and the response of tropical forests to global change

Evolutionary Heritage Influences Amazon Tree Ecology

Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing an excellent system to investigate the combined influences of evolutionary heritage and selection in determining trait variation. We used trait data related to the major axes of life-history variation among tropical trees (e.g. growth and mortality rates) from 577 inventory plots in closed-canopy forest, mapped onto a phylogenetic hypothesis spanning more than 300 genera including all major angiosperm clades to test for evolutionary constraints on traits. We found significant phylogenetic signal (PS) for all traits, consistent with evolutionarily related genera having more similar characteristics than expected by chance. Although there is also evidence for repeated evolution of pioneer and shade tolerant life-history strategies within independent lineages, the existence of significant PS allows clearer predictions of the links between evolutionary diversity, ecosystem function and the response of tropical forests to global change

Prediction of overall survival for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer : development of a prognostic model through a crowdsourced challenge with open clinical trial data

Background Improvements to prognostic models in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer have the potential to augment clinical trial design and guide treatment strategies. In partnership with Project Data Sphere, a not-for-profit initiative allowing data from cancer clinical trials to be shared broadly with researchers, we designed an open-data, crowdsourced, DREAM (Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods) challenge to not only identify a better prognostic model for prediction of survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer but also engage a community of international data scientists to study this disease. Methods Data from the comparator arms of four phase 3 clinical trials in first-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were obtained from Project Data Sphere, comprising 476 patients treated with docetaxel and prednisone from the ASCENT2 trial, 526 patients treated with docetaxel, prednisone, and placebo in the MAINSAIL trial, 598 patients treated with docetaxel, prednisone or prednisolone, and placebo in the VENICE trial, and 470 patients treated with docetaxel and placebo in the ENTHUSE 33 trial. Datasets consisting of more than 150 clinical variables were curated centrally, including demographics, laboratory values, medical history, lesion sites, and previous treatments. Data from ASCENT2, MAINSAIL, and VENICE were released publicly to be used as training data to predict the outcome of interest-namely, overall survival. Clinical data were also released for ENTHUSE 33, but data for outcome variables (overall survival and event status) were hidden from the challenge participants so that ENTHUSE 33 could be used for independent validation. Methods were evaluated using the integrated time-dependent area under the curve (iAUC). The reference model, based on eight clinical variables and a penalised Cox proportional-hazards model, was used to compare method performance. Further validation was done using data from a fifth trial-ENTHUSE M1-in which 266 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were treated with placebo alone. Findings 50 independent methods were developed to predict overall survival and were evaluated through the DREAM challenge. The top performer was based on an ensemble of penalised Cox regression models (ePCR), which uniquely identified predictive interaction effects with immune biomarkers and markers of hepatic and renal function. Overall, ePCR outperformed all other methods (iAUC 0.791; Bayes factor >5) and surpassed the reference model (iAUC 0.743; Bayes factor >20). Both the ePCR model and reference models stratified patients in the ENTHUSE 33 trial into high-risk and low-risk groups with significantly different overall survival (ePCR: hazard ratio 3.32, 95% CI 2.39-4.62, p Interpretation Novel prognostic factors were delineated, and the assessment of 50 methods developed by independent international teams establishes a benchmark for development of methods in the future. The results of this effort show that data-sharing, when combined with a crowdsourced challenge, is a robust and powerful framework to develop new prognostic models in advanced prostate cancer.Peer reviewe

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate