Bacteria homologus to Aeromonas capable of microcystin degradation

Water blooms dominated by cyanobacteria are capable of producing hepatotoxins known as microcystins. These toxins are dangerous to people and to the environment. Therefore, for a better understanding of the biological termination of this increasingly common phenomenon, bacteria with the potential to degrade cyanobacteria-derived hepatotoxins and the degradative activity of culturable bacteria were studied. Based on the presence of the mlrA gene, bacteria with a homology to the Sphingopyxis and Stenotrophomonas genera were identified as those presenting potential for microcystins degradation directly in the water samples from the Sulejów Reservoir (SU, Central Poland). However, this biodegrading potential has not been confirmed in in vitro experiments. The degrading activity of the culturable isolates from the water studied was determined in more than 30 bacterial mixes. An analysis of the biodegradation of the microcystin-LR (MC-LR) together with an analysis of the phylogenetic affiliation of bacteria demonstrated for the first time that bacteria homologous to the Aeromonas genus were able to degrade the mentioned hepatotoxin, although the mlrA gene was not amplified. The maximal removal efficiency of MC-LR was 48%. This study demonstrates a new aspect of interactions between the microcystin-containing cyanobacteria and bacteria from the Aeromonas genus.The authors would like to acknowledge the European Cooperation in Science and Technology, COST Action ES 1105 “CYANOCOST - Cyanobacterial blooms and toxins in water resources: Occurrence, impacts and management” for adding value to this study through networking and knowledge sharing with European experts and researchers in the field. The Sulejów Reservoir is a part of the Polish National Long- Term Ecosystem Research Network and the European LTER site

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Improved risk stratification of patients with atrial fibrillation: an integrated GARFIELD-AF tool for the prediction of mortality, stroke and bleed in patients with and without anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an accurate, web-based tool for stratifying patients with atrial fibrillation to facilitate decisions on the potential benefits/risks of anticoagulation, based on mortality, stroke and bleeding risks. DESIGN: The new tool was developed, using stepwise regression, for all and then applied to lower risk patients. C-statistics were compared with CHA2DS2-VASc using 30-fold cross-validation to control for overfitting. External validation was undertaken in an independent dataset, Outcome Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF). PARTICIPANTS: Data from 39 898 patients enrolled in the prospective GARFIELD-AF registry provided the basis for deriving and validating an integrated risk tool to predict stroke risk, mortality and bleeding risk. RESULTS: The discriminatory value of the GARFIELD-AF risk model was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc for patients with or without anticoagulation. C-statistics (95% CI) for all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism and haemorrhagic stroke/major bleeding (treated patients) were: 0.77 (0.76 to 0.78), 0.69 (0.67 to 0.71) and 0.66 (0.62 to 0.69), respectively, for the GARFIELD-AF risk models, and 0.66 (0.64-0.67), 0.64 (0.61-0.66) and 0.64 (0.61-0.68), respectively, for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). In very low to low risk patients (CHA2DS2-VASc 0 or 1 (men) and 1 or 2 (women)), the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED (for bleeding) scores offered weak discriminatory value for mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. C-statistics for the GARFIELD-AF risk tool were 0.69 (0.64 to 0.75), 0.65 (0.56 to 0.73) and 0.60 (0.47 to 0.73) for each end point, respectively, versus 0.50 (0.45 to 0.55), 0.59 (0.50 to 0.67) and 0.55 (0.53 to 0.56) for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). Upon validation in the ORBIT-AF population, C-statistics showed that the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was effective for predicting 1-year all-cause mortality using the full and simplified model for all-cause mortality: C-statistics 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77) and 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77), respectively, and for predicting for any stroke or systemic embolism over 1 year, C-statistics 0.68 (0.62 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke and mortality and superior to HAS-BLED for bleeding, overall and in lower risk patients. The GARFIELD-AF tool has the potential for incorporation in routine electronic systems, and for the first time, permits simultaneous evaluation of ischaemic stroke, mortality and bleeding risks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362) and for ORBIT-AF (NCT01165710)

Two-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF.

AIMS: The relationship between outcomes and time after diagnosis for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is poorly defined, especially beyond the first year. METHODS AND RESULTS: GARFIELD-AF is an ongoing, global observational study of adults with newly diagnosed NVAF. Two-year outcomes of 17 162 patients prospectively enrolled in GARFIELD-AF were analysed in light of baseline characteristics, risk profiles for stroke/systemic embolism (SE), and antithrombotic therapy. The mean (standard deviation) age was 69.8 (11.4) years, 43.8% were women, and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.3 (1.6); 60.8% of patients were prescribed anticoagulant therapy with/without antiplatelet (AP) therapy, 27.4% AP monotherapy, and 11.8% no antithrombotic therapy. At 2-year follow-up, all-cause mortality, stroke/SE, and major bleeding had occurred at a rate (95% confidence interval) of 3.83 (3.62; 4.05), 1.25 (1.13; 1.38), and 0.70 (0.62; 0.81) per 100 person-years, respectively. Rates for all three major events were highest during the first 4 months. Congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, sudden/unwitnessed death, malignancy, respiratory failure, and infection/sepsis accounted for 65% of all known causes of death and strokes for <10%. Anticoagulant treatment was associated with a 35% lower risk of death. CONCLUSION: The most frequent of the three major outcome measures was death, whose most common causes are not known to be significantly influenced by anticoagulation. This suggests that a more comprehensive approach to the management of NVAF may be needed to improve outcome. This could include, in addition to anticoagulation, interventions targeting modifiable, cause-specific risk factors for death. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Wpływ wieloletniego zróżnicowanego nawożenia na zachwaszczenie jęczmienia jarego i pszenicy ozimej w zmianowaniu

Celem badań przeprowadzonych w latach 1994-1998 było określenie wpływu wieloletniego nawożenia słomą + NPK, wyłącznie NPK, wyłącznie obornikiem, obornikiem wraz z: PK, NK, NP, NPK, NPK + Ca oraz braku nawożenia na zachwaszczenie zbóż uprawianych w zmianowaniu. Ocenę zachwaszczenia wykonano w statycznym doświadczeniu nawozowym założonym w 1948 roku w Mochełku koło Bydgoszczy, na glebie płowej typowej, klasy bonitacyjnej IVa, kompleksu żytniego bardzo dobrego. Dominującymi chwastami w jęczmieniu jarym były sporek polny Spergula arvensis i komosa biała Chenopodium album, a w pszenicy ozimej – fiołek polny Viola arvensis oraz miotła zbożowa Apera spica-venti. Najmniejszą ilość powietrznie suchej masy chwastów w jęczmieniu jarym stwierdzono pod wpływem wieloletniego nawożenia obornikiem z NPK + Ca oraz w kombinacji bez nawożenia. W pszenicy ozimej małe zachwaszczenie wystąpiło także w przypadku nawożenia wyłącznie obornikiem oraz obornikiem + PK.The aim of the present studies carried out over 1994-1998 was to define the effect of multi-year fertilisation with straw + NPK, NPK only, manure only, manure with: PK, NK, NP, NPK, NPK + Ca and no fertilisation on the weed infestation of cereals cultivated in crop rotation. The weed infestation was evaluated in a static fertilisation experiment established in 1948 at Mochełek in the vicinity of Bydgoszcz on typical lessive soil, IVa valuation class, of very good rye complex. Weeds dominating in spring barley included Spergula arvensis and Chenopodium album, and in winter wheat Viola arvensis and Apera spica – venti. The lowest amount of air-dry matter of weeds in spring barley was observed for multi-year fertilisation with manure and with NPK + Ca and with no fertilisation. In winter wheat, however, low weed infestation was also recorded for fertilisation with manure only and with manure + PK

Wpływ glifosatu użytego do desykacji gorczycy białej (Sinapis alba L.) na wartość siewną nasion

In the years 2008-2010 the effect of glyphosate used before harvesting of white mustard at a dose of 1.0 and 2.0 kg a.s.·ha-1 on the value of its seeds was studied. Evaluation included: weight of one thousand seeds, uniformity, weight test, energy and germination capacity as well as the initial sprout growth. Also plant emergence from seeds planted at the depth of 2 and 4 cm was determined. The effect of glyphosate on physical parameters of seeds, as well as on germination capacity and emergence capacity depended on its dose. Applied at a dose of 2.0 kg a.s.·ha-1 it decreased uniformity and the weight of one thousand seeds, and because of the decrease of germination capacity below 87% and emergence from depth of 2 cm, it prevents their utilization as a seed material. Decrease of emergence from greater depths as a result of application of even 1.0 kg of glyphosate per ha, decreases the risk of self-sown plants as relative weeds.W latach 2008-2010 badano wpływ glifosatu stosowanego przed zbiorem gorczycy białej w dawce 1,0 i 2,0 kg s.a.·ha-1 na jakość jej nasion. Oceniono: masę tysiąca nasion, wyrównanie, gęstość w stanie zsypnym, energię i zdolność kiełkowania oraz początkowy wzrost kiełków. Określono także wschody roślin z nasion umieszczonych na głębokości 2 i 4 cm. Oddziaływanie glifosatu na parametry fizyczne nasion, a także zdolność kiełkowania i wschodów zależało od jego dawki. Stosowany w dawce 2,0 kg s.a.·ha-1 zmniejszył wyrównanie i masę tysiąca nasion, a z powodu ograniczenia zdolności kiełkowania poniżej 87% i wschodów już z głębokości 2 cm uniemożliwia ich wykorzystanie jako materiału siewnego. Ograniczenie wschodów z większych głębokości w wyniku aplikacji nawet 1,0 kg glifosatu na ha zmniejsza ryzyko występowanie samosiewów jako chwastów fakultatywnych

Effect of fertilisation with straw, stubble intercrops, and varied tillage on some properties of soil in the crop-rotation link: winter wheat – spring barley

Celem badań przeprowadzonych w latach 1999-2002 na glebie kompleksu żytniego dobrego było określenie wpływu nawożenia słomą, uprawy międzyplonów ścierniskowych i sposobu umieszczenia biomasy roślinnej w glebie przez zróżnicowaną uprawę roli na niektóre właściwości warstwy ornej w ogniwie zmianowania pszenica ozima – jęczmień jary. Nawożenie słomą spowodowało zmniejszenie zawartości azotu mineralnego w glebie jesienią. Pod wpływem spłycenia pożniwnej i rezygnacji z przedzimowej uprawy roli zmniejszyła się wilgotność, wzrosła zwięzłość gleby i zwiększyło się zachwaszczenie rośliny następczej. Uprawa międzyplonów ograniczała na ogół zachwaszczenie i ilość azotu mineralnego w glebie, ale zwłaszcza przy niedoborze opadów może zwiększać zwięzłość gleby i zmniejszać jej wilgotność. Możliwość uprawy żyta ozimego w międzyplonie ścierniskowym, w warunkach rezygnacji z przedzimowej uprawy roli, jest ograniczona, prowadzi bowiem wiosną do niekorzystnych zmian właściwości warstwy ornej gleby.The objective of the study carried out over 1999-2002 on good rye soil complex soil was to evaluate the effect of fertilisation with straw, cultivation of stubble intercrops and the method of placing plant biomass in soil by varied tillage on some properties of soil arable layer in the crop-rotation link: winter wheat – spring barley. The fertilisation with straw decreased the mineral nitrogen concentration in soil in autumn. As a result of a less deep post-harvest tillage and abandoning the pre-winter tillage, soil moisture decreased, while the soil compaction as well as weed infestation of the successive crop increased. The cultivation of intercrops usually limited the weed infestation and the amount of mineral nitrogen in soil, especially with a rainfall deficit, the soil compactness could increase and its moisture – decrease. The cultivation of winter rye in stubble intercrop, with no pre-winter tillage, is limited as it leads to unfavourable changes in the topsoil properties in spring