Carbon assimilation strategies in ultrabasic groundwater: clues from the integrated study of a serpentinization-influenced aquifer

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Seyler, L. M., Brazelton, W. J., McLean, C., Putman, L. I., Hyer, A., Kubo, M. D. Y., Hoehler, T., Cardace, D., & Schrenk, M. O. . Carbon assimilation strategies in ultrabasic groundwater: clues from the integrated study of a serpentinization-influenced aquifer. mSystems, 5(2), (2020): e00607-00619, doi: 10.1128/mSystems.00607-19.Serpentinization is a low-temperature metamorphic process by which ultramafic rock chemically reacts with water. Such reactions provide energy and materials that may be harnessed by chemosynthetic microbial communities at hydrothermal springs and in the subsurface. However, the biogeochemistry mediated by microbial populations that inhabit these environments is understudied and complicated by overlapping biotic and abiotic processes. We applied metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and untargeted metabolomics techniques to environmental samples taken from the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO), a subsurface observatory consisting of 12 wells drilled into the ultramafic and serpentinite mélange of the Coast Range Ophiolite in California. Using a combination of DNA and RNA sequence data and mass spectrometry data, we found evidence for several carbon fixation and assimilation strategies, including the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle, the reductive acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) pathway, and methylotrophy, in the microbial communities inhabiting the serpentinite-hosted aquifer. Our data also suggest that the microbial inhabitants of CROMO use products of the serpentinization process, including methane and formate, as carbon sources in a hyperalkaline environment where dissolved inorganic carbon is unavailable.We thank McLaughlin Reserve, in particular Paul Aigner and Cathy Koehler, for hosting sampling at CROMO and providing access to the wells, A. Daniel Jones and Anthony Schilmiller for their advice regarding metabolite extraction and mass spectrometry, Elizabeth Kujawinski for her guidance in metabolomics data analysis and interpretation, and Julia McGonigle, Christopher Thornton, and Katrina Twing for assistance with metagenomic and computational analyses

1st to 2nd metatarsal base cross-screw in the modified Lapidus proc

First tarsometatarsal (TMT) arthrodesis or the modified Lapidus (ML) is a common procedure utilized by foot and ankle surgeons for the management large bunion deformities, particularly in the presence of medial column instability. The purpose of the present anatomic study was to assist surgeons in preoperative planning for ML procedure utilizing the first metatarsal to second metatarsal cross-screw technique by assessing the average length of screw guidewire placed bi-cortically through the first metatarsal and second metatarsal at a location specific to the ML procedure with metatarsal to second metatarsal cross-screw technique. This was a cadaveric study utilizing 20 fresh-frozen below-the-knee specimens. After dissection, joint preparation, and stabilization, a cannulated 4.0 screw was then placed across the first and second metatarsal bases from medial to lateral starting 1 cm distal to the 1st TMT joint. Once appropriate length and orientation was achieved the guidewire was measured using a cannulated depth gage and values were then recorded on a spreadsheet and analyzed. Amongst the 20 specimens the mean guidewire length was found to be 34 mm +/- 3.2 mm. The median guidewire length was found to be 34 mm (range: 29 – 41 mm). The present anatomic study defined the mean and median lengths of a first metatarsal to second metatarsal screw utilized for medial column stabilization and spot weld arthrodesis in the ML procedure

Surgical planning for staple fixation of the first tarsometatarsal joint: An anatomic study

First tarsometatarsal (TMT) arthrodesis is a common procedure utilized by foot and ankle surgeons for the management of a variety of first TMT pathology including hallux valgus and arthritis. The present study was undertaken to determine the average staple leg depth that allows for adequate purchase within the medial cuneiform and first metatarsal base at 2 different staple bridge lengths for dorsal compression across the 1st TMT joint. A cadaveric study was performed using 20 fresh-frozen below knee specimens. After TMT dissection was performed, drill holes were then created from dorsal to plantar and parallel to the first TMT joint at the distances utilized for 20 mm and 25 mm staple bridge lengths. The depths of each drill hole were measured and recorded. The mean medial cuneiform depth corresponding to a 20 mm and 25 mm staple bridge was 31.9 mm +/- 2.8 mm and 31.1 mm +/- 2.1 mm respectively (P-value = 0.38). The mean first metatarsal depth corresponding to a 20 mm and 25 mm staple bridge was 27.9 mm +/- 2.2 mm and 25.4 mm +/- 3.4 mm respectively (P-value = 0.04), showing statistical significance. Based on our anatomic data it is suggested that a 20 mm staple leg depth is consistently a safe depth when using 20×20 and 25×20 mm dorsal compression staples. However, further studies must be conducted to compare the amount of compression between the two respective staples

1509 Prenatal Diethylstilbestrol Exposure and Risk of Breast Cancer

It has been hypothesized that breast cancer risk is influenced by prenatal hormone levels. Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen, was widely used by pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960s. Women who took the drug have an increased risk of breast cancer, but whether risk is also increased in the daughters who were exposed in utero is less clear. We assessed the relation of prenatal DES exposure to risk of breast cancer in a cohort of DES-exposed and unexposed women followed since the 1970s by mailed questionnaires. Eighty percent of both exposed and unexposed women completed the most recent questionnaire. Self-reports of breast cancer were confirmed by pathology reports. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compute incidence rate ratios (IRR) for prenatal DE

Epidemiology, aetiology, interventions and genomics in children with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita: protocol for a multisite registry

IntroductionArthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is an umbrella term including hundreds of conditions with the common clinical manifestation of multiple congenital contractures. AMC affects 1 in 3000 live births and is caused by lack of movement in utero. To understand the long-term needs of individuals diagnosed with a rare condition, it is essential to know the prevalence, aetiology and functional outcomes in a large sample. The development and implementation of a multicentre registry is critical to gather this data. This registry aims to improve health through genetic and outcomes research, and ultimately identify new therapeutic targets and diagnostics for treating children with AMC.Methods and analysisParticipants for the AMC registry will be recruited from seven orthopaedic hospitals in North America. Enrollment occurs in two phases; Part 1 focuses on epidemiology, aetiology and interventions. For this part, retrospective and cross-sectional data will be collected using a combination of patient-reported outcomes and clinical measures. Part 2 focuses on core subset of the study team, including a geneticist and bioinformatician, identifying causative genes and linking the phenotype to genotype via whole genome sequencing to identify genetic variants and correlating these findings with pedigree, photographs and clinical information. Descriptive analyses on the sample of 400 participants and logistic regression models to evaluate relationships between outcomes will be conducted.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted from corresponding governing bodies in North America. Dissemination of findings will occur via traditional platforms (conferences, manuscripts) for the scientific community. Other modalities will be employed to ensure that all stakeholders, including youth, families and patient support groups, may be provided with findings derived from the registry. Ensuring the findings are circulated to a maximum amount of interested parties will ensure that the registry can continue to serve as a platform for hypothesis-driven research and further advancement for AMC

Northside Drive as a Multimodal Developmental Corridor: Transformation from Utilitarian Auto Route to Grand Transit Boulevard

A Studio Project of the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning - Fall, 2012.Executive Summary -- Final DraftThe studio explored ways to transform Northside Drive from a dismal, disorganized underperforming corridor that frames the west side of the Atlanta core into a grand transit boulevard. Picture a tree-lined, well-lit boulevard, wide and grand, with medians, and ample accommodation of all travel modes, lined with mid-rise mixed income residential buildings with as much retail and other ground floor activities as the market will support. With the proper transportation and zoning design, over time this now dismal traffic corridor will transform all the way from I-75 to West End. Increasing mixed use development densities will support a growing share of transit, pedestrian and bicycle uses as distances shorten between residential and jobs concentrations. Planned and developed properly, the transformation will break down Northside’s historic race and class divide to become a great urban street whose assets and attractions provide a common ground for sharing the strengths of diverse populations.Michael Dobbin