Differential transcriptomic and metabolic profiles of M. africanum- and M. tuberculosis-infected patients after, but not before, drug treatment.

The epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and M. africanum (Maf) suggests differences in their virulence, but the host immune profile to better understand the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB) have not been studied. We compared the transcriptomic and metabolic profiles between Mtb- and Maf-infected TB cases to identify host biomarkers associated with lineages-specific pathogenesis and response to anti-TB chemotherapy. Venous blood samples from Mtb- and Maf-infected patients obtained before and after anti-TB treatment were analyzed for cell composition, gene expression and metabolic profiles. Prior to treatment, similar transcriptomic profiles were seen in Maf- and Mtb-infected patients. In contrast, post treatment, over 1600 genes related to immune responses and metabolic diseases were differentially expressed between the groups. Notably, the upstream regulator hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-alpha (HNF4α), which regulated 15% of these genes, was markedly enriched. Serum metabolic profiles were similar in both group pre-treatment, but the decline in pro-inflammatory metabolites post treatment were most pronounced in Mtb-infected patients. Together, the differences in both peripheral blood transcriptomic and serum metabolic profiles between Maf- and Mtb-infected patients observed over the treatment period, might be indicative of intrinsic host factors related to susceptibility to TB and/or differential efficacy of the standard anti-TB treatment on the two lineages

Immunogenic Mycobacterium africanum Strains Associated with Ongoing Transmission in The Gambia

In West Africa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains co-circulate with M. africanum, and both pathogens cause pulmonary tuberculosis in humans. Given recent findings that M. tuberculosis T-cell epitopes are hyperconserved, we hypothesized that more immunogenic strains have increased capacity to spread within the human host population. We investigated the relationship between the composition of the mycobacterial population in The Gambia, as measured by spoligotype analysis, and the immunogenicity of these strains as measured by purified protein derivative-induced interferon-γ release in ELISPOT assays of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found a positive correlation between strains with superior spreading capacity and their relative immunogenicity. Although our observation is true for M. tuberculosis and M. africanum strains, the association was especially pronounced in 1 M. africanum sublineage, characterized by spoligotype shared international type 181, which is responsible for 20% of all tuberculosis cases in the region and therefore poses a major public health threat in The Gambia

Environmental dependence of 8um luminosity functions of galaxies at z~0.8: Comparison between RXJ1716.4+6708 and the AKARI NEP deep field

We aim to reveal environmental dependence of infrared luminosity functions (IR LFs) of galaxies at z~0.8 using the AKARI satellite. We construct restframe 8um IR LFs in the cluster region RXJ1716.4+6708 at z=0.81, and compare them with a blank field using the AKARI North Ecliptic Pole deep field data at the same redshift. AKARI's wide field of view (10'x10') is suitable to investigate wide range of galaxy environments. AKARI's 15um filter is advantageous here since it directly probes restframe 8um at z~0.8, without relying on a large extrapolation based on a SED fit, which was the largest uncertainty in previous work. We have found that cluster IR LFs at restframe 8um have a factor of 2.4 smaller L^* and a steeper faint-end slope than that of the field. Confirming this trend, we also found that faint-end slopes of the cluster LFs becomes flatter and flatter with decreasing local galaxy density. These changes in LFs cannot be explained by a simple infall of field galaxy population into a cluster. Physics that can preferentially suppress IR luminous galaxies in high density regions is required to explain the observed results.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A AKARI special issu

Invasive Lionfish Drive Atlantic Coral Reef Fish Declines

Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) have spread swiftly across the Western Atlantic, producing a marine predator invasion of unparalleled speed and magnitude. There is growing concern that lionfish will affect the structure and function of invaded marine ecosystems, however detrimental impacts on natural communities have yet to be measured. Here we document the response of native fish communities to predation by lionfish populations on nine coral reefs off New Providence Island, Bahamas. We assessed lionfish diet through stomach contents analysis, and quantified changes in fish biomass through visual surveys of lionfish and native fishes at the sites over time. Lionfish abundance increased rapidly between 2004 and 2010, by which time lionfish comprised nearly 40% of the total predator biomass in the system. The increase in lionfish abundance coincided with a 65% decline in the biomass of the lionfish's 42 Atlantic prey fishes in just two years. Without prompt action to control increasing lionfish populations, similar effects across the region may have long-term negative implications for the structure of Atlantic marine communities, as well as the societies and economies that depend on them

Minimal Holocene retreat of large tidewater glaciers in Køge Bugt, southeast Greenland

Abstract Køge Bugt, in southeast Greenland, hosts three of the largest glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet; these have been major contributors to ice loss in the last two decades. Despite its importance, the Holocene history of this area has not been investigated. We present a 9100 year sediment core record of glaciological and oceanographic changes from analysis of foraminiferal assemblages, the abundance of ice-rafted debris, and sortable silt grain size data. Results show that ice-rafted debris accumulated constantly throughout the core; this demonstrates that glaciers in Køge Bugt remained in tidewater settings throughout the last 9100 years. This observation constrains maximum Holocene glacier retreat here to less than 6 km from present-day positions. Retreat was minimal despite oceanic and climatic conditions during the early-Holocene that were at least as warm as the present-day. The limited Holocene retreat of glaciers in Køge Bugt was controlled by the subglacial topography of the area; the steeply sloping bed allowed glaciers here to stabilise during retreat. These findings underscore the need to account for individual glacier geometry when predicting future behaviour. We anticipate that glaciers in Køge Bugt will remain in stable configurations in the near-future, despite the predicted continuation of atmospheric and oceanic warming

Managing lifestyle change to reduce coronary risk: a synthesis of qualitative research on peoples’ experiences

Background Coronary heart disease is an incurable condition. The only approach known to slow its progression is healthy lifestyle change and concordance with cardio-protective medicines. Few people fully succeed in these daily activities so potential health improvements are not fully realised. Little is known about peoples’ experiences of managing lifestyle change. The aim of this study was to synthesise qualitative research to explain how participants make lifestyle change after a cardiac event and explore this within the wider illness experience. Methods A qualitative synthesis was conducted drawing upon the principles of meta-ethnography. Qualitative studies were identified through a systematic search of 7 databases using explicit criteria. Key concepts were identified and translated across studies. Findings were discussed and diagrammed during a series of audiotaped meetings. Results The final synthesis is grounded in findings from 27 studies, with over 500 participants (56% male) across 8 countries. All participants experienced a change in their self-identity from what was ‘familiar’ to ‘unfamiliar’. The transition process involved ‘finding new limits and a life worth living’ , ‘finding support for self’ and ‘finding a new normal’. Analyses of these concepts led to the generation of a third order construct, namely an ongoing process of ‘reassessing past, present and future lives’ as participants considered their changed identity. Participants experienced a strong urge to get back to ‘normal’. Support from family and friends could enable or constrain life change and lifestyle changes. Lifestyle change was but one small part of a wider ‘life’ change that occurred. Conclusions The final synthesis presents an interpretation, not evident in the primary studies, of a person-centred model to explain how lifestyle change is situated within ‘wider’ life changes. The magnitude of individual responses to a changed health status varied. Participants experienced distress as their notion of self identity shifted and emotions that reflected the various stages of the grief process were evident in participants’ accounts. The process of self-managing lifestyle took place through experiential learning; the level of engagement with lifestyle change reflected an individual’s unique view of the balance needed to manage ‘realistic change’ whilst leading to a life that was perceived as ‘worth living’. Findings highlight the importance of providing person centred care that aligns with both psychological and physical dimensions of recovery which are inextricably linked

A 2017 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

We present the results of our eighth annual horizon scan of emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. The potential effects of these novel issues might not yet be fully recognized or understood by the global conservation community, and the issues can be regarded as both opportunities and risks. A diverse international team with collective expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, and conservation research, practice, and policy reviewed 100 potential issues and identified 15 that qualified as emerging, with potential substantial global effects. These issues include new developments in energy storage and fuel production, sand extraction, potential solutions to combat coral bleaching and invasive marine species, and blockchain technology.Cambridge Conservation Initiative, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Arcadia, Natural Environment Research Council (Grant ID: NE/N014472/1

Rapid circulation of warm subtropical waters in a major glacial fjord in East Greenland

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Nature Publishing Group for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Nature Geoscience 3 (2010): 182-186, doi:10.1038/ngeo764.The recent rapid increase in mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet is primarily attributed to an acceleration of outlet glaciers. One possible cause is increased melting at the ice/ocean interface driven by the synchronous warming of subtropical waters offshore of Greenland. This hypothesis is largely untested, however, because of the lack of observations from Greenland’s glacial fjords and our limited understanding of their dynamics. Here, we present new ship-based and moored oceanographic data, collected in Sermilik Fjord, a large glacial fjord in East Greenland, showing that subtropical waters are present throughout the fjord and are continuously replenished via a wind-driven exchange with the shelf, where they occur year-round. The temperature and rapid renewal of these waters suggest that, at present, they drive enhanced submarine melting at the terminus. Key controls on the melting rate are the volume and properties of subtropical waters on the shelf and the patterns of the along-shore winds, suggesting the glaciers’ acceleration was triggered by a combination of atmospheric and oceanic changes. These measurements provide evidence of rapid advective pathway for the transmission of oceanic variability to the ice-sheet margins and highlight an important process that is missing from prognostic ice-sheet models.F.S. acknowledges support from WHOI’s Ocean and Climate Change Institute’s Arctic Research Initiative and from NSF OCE 0751896, and G.S.H and L.A.S from NASA’s Cryospheric Sciences Program. Funding for the hooded seal deployments was obtained from the International Governance and Atlantic Seal Research Program, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, to G. B. S. and to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources to A. R. A