What is the best approach to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in the elderly?

A canalith repositioning maneuver(CRM), such as the Epley or Semont maneuver, should be the first-line treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in the elderly (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, several good-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs])

The Unseen World: Environmental Microbial Sequencing and Identification Methods for Ecologists

Microorganisms inhabit almost every environment, comprise the majority of diversity on Earth, are important in biogeochemical cycling, and may be vital to ecosystem responses to large-scale climatic change. In recent years, ecologists have begun to use rapidly advancing molecular techniques to address questions about microbial diversity, biogeography, and responses to environmental change. Studies of microbes in the environment generally focus on three broad objectives: determining which organisms are present, what their functional capabilities are, and which are active at any given time. However, comprehending the range of methodologies currently in use can be daunting. To provide an overview of environmental microbial sequence data collection and analysis approaches, we include case studies of microbiomes ranging from the human mouth to geothermal springs. We also suggest contexts in which each technique can be applied and highlight insights that result from their use

Arsenic speciation analysis in porewater by a novel colorimetric assay

Arsenic is common toxic contaminant, but tracking its mobility through submerged soils is difficult because microscale processes dictate its speciation and affinity to minerals. Analyses on environmental dissolved arsenic (As) species such as arsenate and arsenite currently require highly specialized equipment and large sample volumes. In an effort to unravel arsenic dynamics in sedimentary porewater, a novel, highly sensitive, and field-usable colorimetric assay requiring 100 mu L of sample was developed. Two complementary protocols are presented, suitable for sub-micromolar and micromolar ranges. Phosphate is a main interfering substance, but can be separated by measuring phosphate and arsenate under two different acidities. Arsenite is assessed by oxidation of arsenite to arsenate in the low-acidity reagent. Optimization of the protocol and spectral analyses resulted in elimination of various interferences (silicate, iron, sulfide, sulfate), and the assay is applicable across a wide range of salinities and porewater compositions. The new assay was used to study As mobilization processes through the soil of a contaminated brook. Water column sources of arsenic were limited to a modest input by a groundwater source along the flow path. In one of the sites, the arsenite and arsenate porewater profiles showed active iron-driven As redox cycling in the soil, which may play a role in arsenic mobilization and releases arsenite and arsenate into the brook water column. Low arsenic concentrations downstream from the source sites indicated arsenic retention by soil and dilution with additional sources of water. Arsenic is thus retained by the Bossegraben before it merges with larger rivers

Gneiss-charnockite transformation at Kottavattam, Southern Kerala (India)

At Kottavattam, leucocratic granitic garnet-biotite gneisses (age less than 2 Ga) were partially transformed to coarse-grained charnockite along a system of conjugate fractures (N70E and N20W) and the foliation planes (N60 to 80W; dip 80 to 90 SW) about 550 m.y. ago. To examine and quantify changes in fabric, mineralogy, pore fluids and chemical composition associated with this process, large rock specimens showing gneiss-charnockite transition were studied in detail. The results of the present study corroborate the concept that charnockite formation at Kottavattam is an internally-generated phenomenon and was not triggered by the influx of carbonic fluids from a deep-seated source. It is suggested that charnockitization was caused by the following mechanism: (1) near-isothermal decompression during uplift of the gneiss complex led to an increase of the pore fluid pressure (P sub fluid greater than P sub lith) which - in a regime of anisotropic stress - triggered or at least promoted the development of conjugate fractures; (2) the simultaneous release of pore fluids from bursting fluid inclusions and their escape into the developing fracture system resulted in a drop of fluid pressure; and (3) the internal generation and buffering of the fluids and their, probably, limited migration in an entirely granitic rock system explains the absence of any significant metasomatic mass transfer

Differential Transgene Silencing of Myeloid-Specific Promoters in the AAVS1 Safe Harbor Locus of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Myeloid Cells

Targeted integration into a genomic safe harbor, such as the AAVS1 locus on chromosome 19, promises predictable transgene expression and reduces the risk of insertional mutagenesis in the host genome. The application of gamma-retroviral LTR-driven vectors, which semi-randomly integrate into the genome, has previously caused severe adverse events in some clinical studies due to transactivation of neighboring proto-oncogenes. Consequently, the site-specific integration of a therapeutic transgene into a genomic safe harbor locus would allow stable genetic correction with a reduced risk of insertional mutagenesis. However, recent studies revealed that transgene silencing, especially in case of weaker cell type-specific promoters, can occur in the AAVS1 locus of human pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and can impede transgene expression during differentiation. In this study, we aimed to correct p47phox-deficiency, which is the second most common cause of chronic granulomatous disease, by insertion of a therapeutic p47phox transgene into the AAVS1 locus of human induced PSC (iPSC) using CRISPR-Cas9. We analyzed transgene expression and functional correction from three different myeloid-specific promoters (miR223, CatG/cFes and MRP8). Upon myeloid differentiation of corrected iPSC clones, we observed that the miR223 and CatG/cFes promoter achieved therapeutic-relevant levels of p47phox expression and NADPH oxidase activity, whereas the MRP8 promoter was less efficient. Analysis of the different promoters revealed high CpG methylation of the MRP8 promoter in differentiated cells, which correlated with the transgene expression data. In summary, we identified the miR223 and CatG/cFes promoters as cell type-specific promoters that allow stable transgene expression in the AAVS1 locus of iPSC-derived myeloid cells. Our findings further indicate that promoter silencing can occur in the AAVS1 safe harbor locus in differentiated hematopoietic cells and that a comparison of different promoters is necessary to achieve optimal transgene expression for therapeutic application of iPSC-derived cells

Speech Communication

Contains research objectives and reports on three research projects.U. S. Air Force (Electronic Systems Division) under Contract AF19(628)-5661National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NB-04332-04

Speech Communication

Contains research objectives, summary of research and reports on one research project.U. S. Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories under Contract F19628-69-C-0044National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 ROl NB-04332-08)Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 28-043-AMC-02536(E

Iron Homeostasis in Yellowstone National Park Hot Spring Microbial Communities

It has been postulated that life may have originated on Earth, and possibly on Mars, in association with hydrothermal activity and high concentrations of ferrous iron. However, it is not clear how an iron-rich thermal hydrosphere could be hospitable to microbes, since reduced iron appears to stimulate oxidative stress in all domains of life and particularly in oxygenic phototrophs. Therefore, the study of microbial diversity in iron-depositing hot springs (IDHS) and the mechanisms of iron homeostasis and suppression of oxidative stress may help elucidate how Precambrian organisms could withstand the extremely high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by interaction between environmental Fe(2+) and O2. Proteins and clusters of orthologous groups (COGs) involved in the maintenance of Fe homeostasis found in cyanobacteria (CB) inhabiting environments with high and low [Fe] were main target of this analysis. Preliminary results of the analysis suggest that the Chocolate Pots (CP) microbial community is heavily dominated by phototrophs from the cyanobacteria (CB), Chloroflexi and Chlorobi phyla, while the Mushroom Spring (MS) effluent channel harbors a more diverse community in which Chloroflexi are the dominant phototrophs. It is speculated that CB inhabiting IDHS have an increased tolerance to both high concentrations of Fe(2+) and ROS produced in the Fenton reaction. This hypothesis was explored via a comparative analysis of the diversity of proteins and COGs involved in Fe and redox homeostasis in the CP and MS microbiomes