Genomic perspectives on the evolution of fungal entomopathogenicity in Beauveria bassiana

The ascomycete fungus Beauveria bassiana is a pathogen of hundreds of insect species and is commercially produced as an environmentally friendly mycoinsecticide. We sequenced the genome of B. bassiana and a phylogenomic analysis confirmed that ascomycete entomopathogenicity is polyphyletic, but also revealed convergent evolution to insect pathogenicity. We also found many species-specific virulence genes and gene family expansions and contractions that correlate with host ranges and pathogenic strategies. These include B. bassiana having many more bacterial-like toxins (suggesting an unsuspected potential for oral toxicity) and effector-type proteins. The genome also revealed that B. bassiana resembles the closely related Cordyceps militaris in being heterothallic, although its sexual stage is rarely observed. A high throughput RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis revealed that B. bassiana could sense and adapt to different environmental niches by activating well-defined gene sets. The information from this study will facilitate further development of B. bassiana as a cost-effective mycoinsecticide

Inhalational induction with isoflurane: The influence of lidocaine pretreatment

10.1007/BF02483348Journal of Anesthesia102125-128JOAN

Randomized controlled trial of supervised exercise to evaluate changes in cardiac function in patients with peripheral atherosclerotic disease

Introduction: Peripheral atherosclerotic disease (PAD) is a condition characterized by low functional capacity which is associated with impaired free living, ambulation and low exercise tolerance. The purpose of this randomized controlled study was to evaluate whether changes in maximal walking time are associated with adaptations in cardiovascular function following supervised exercise. Methods: After ethics approval, 28 patients (63±11 years) completed a graded treadmill test (2min stages, 3.2 kmh-1, with gradient increasing 2% every 2min) until they reached level three or four on the claudication pain scale. Peak oxygen consumption was assessed on a breath-by-breath basis, by online expiratory gas analysis. Following a 40-min recovery period, peak cardiac output was measured using the non-invasive carbon dioxide rebreathing method described by Defares (J Appl Physiol, 13, 1958, 159). Peak cardiac power output was then computed using the equation described by Cooke et.al. (Heart, 1998, 79, 289). Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: supervised, who exercised at the hospital twice weekly for 12weeks or control, who received normal treatment which included encouragement to walk regularly. Results: After 12 weeks, there were no significant changes in body mass, peak oxygen consumption, peak cardiac output, peak heart rate, peak cardiac power output, respiratory exchange ratio or rating of perceived exertion in both the supervised and control group. There was a significant improvement (91%) in maximal walking distance following the supervised exercise programme. Although patients'peak cardiovascular measurements were unchanged, the patients in the supervised exercise group were able to complete a higher workload at the end of the 12 weeks of exercise, for the equivalent demands on the circulation system. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that a short-term period of supervised exercise training results in an improved walking time in patients with limiting claudication because of PAD. It also demonstrated that the cardiovascular system becomes more efficient in meeting the demands of exercise. It is recommended that individuals with PAD should undertake exercise as a form of treatment. © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Social choice and the indexing dilemma

This paper distinguishes an index ordering and a social ordering function as a simple way to formalize the indexing problem in the social choice framework. Two main conclusions are derived. First, the alleged dilemma between welfarism and perfectionism is shown to involve a third possibility, exemplified by the fairness approach to social choice. Second, the idea that an individual is better off than another whenever he has more (goods, functionings, etc.) in all dimensions, which is known to enter in conflict with the Pareto principle, can be partly salvaged by adopting the fairness approach