88 research outputs found
Using âOmicsâ and Integrated Multi-Omics Approaches to Guide Probiotic Selection to Mitigate Chytridiomycosis and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases
Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are responsible for massive population declines. In amphibians, chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd, has severely affected many amphibian populations and species around the world. One promising management strategy is probiotic bioaugmentation of antifungal bacteria on amphibian skin. In vivo experimental trials using bioaugmentation strategies have had mixed results, and therefore a more informed strategy is needed to select successful probiotic candidates. Metagenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic methods, colloquially called âomics,â are approaches that can better inform probiotic selection and optimize selection protocols. The integration of multiple omic data using bioinformatic and statistical tools and in silico models that link bacterial community structure with bacterial defensive function can allow the identification of species involved in pathogen inhibition. We recommend using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and methods such as indicator species analysis, the KolmogorovâSmirnov Measure, and co-occurrence networks to identify bacteria that are associated with pathogen resistance in field surveys and experimental trials. In addition to 16S amplicon sequencing, we recommend approaches that give insight into symbiont function such as shotgun metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, or metabolomics to maximize the probability of finding effective probiotic candidates, which can then be isolated in culture and tested in persistence and clinical trials. An effective mitigation strategy to ameliorate chytridiomycosis and other emerging infectious diseases is necessary; the advancement of omic methods and the integration of multiple omic data provide a promising avenue toward conservation of imperiled species
Charge ordered ferromagnetic phase in La0.5Ca0.5MnO3
Mixed valent manganites are noted for their unusual magnetic,electronic and
structural phase transitions. The La1-xCaxMnO3 phase diagram shows that below
transition temperatures in the range 100-260 K, compounds with 0.2 < x < 0.5
are ferromagnetic and metallic whereas those with 0.5 < x < 0.9 are
antiferromagnetic and charge ordered. In a narrow region around x = 0.5, these
totally dissimilar states are thought to coexist. Uehara et al. have shown that
charge order and charge disorder can coexist in the related compound
La0.25Pr0.375Ca0.375MnO3. Here, we present electron microscopy data for
La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 that sheds light on the distribution of coexisting phases and
uncovers a novel and unexpected phase. Using electron holography and Fresnel
imaging, we find micron sized ferromagnetic regions spanning several grains
coexisting with similar sized regions with no local magnetisation. Holography
shows that the ferromagnetic regions have a local magnetisation of 3.4 +- 0.2
mB/Mn (the spin aligned value is 3.5 mB/Mn). We use electron diffraction and
dark field imaging to show that charge order exists in regions with no net
magnetisation and, surprisingly, can also occur in ferromagnetic regions.Comment: 5 pages of pdf with 2 figures include
Role of Factor VII in Correcting Dilutional Coagulopathy and Reducing Re-operations for Bleeding Following Non-traumatic Major Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Surgery
Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of rfVIIa in reducing blood product requirements and re-operation for postoperative bleeding after major abdominal surgery. Background Hemorrhage is a significant complication after major gastrointestinal and abdominal surgery. Clinically significant bleeding can lead to shock, transfusion of blood products, and re-operation. Recent reports suggest that activated rfVIIa may be effective in correcting coagulopathy and decreasing the need for re-operation. Methods This study was a retrospective review over a 4-year period of 17 consecutive bleeding postoperative patients who received rfVIIa to control hemorrhage and avoid re-operation. Outcome measures were blood and clotting factor transfusions, deaths, thromboembolic complications, and number of re-operations for bleeding. Results Seventeen patients with postoperative hemorrhage following major abdominal gastrointestinal surgery (nine pancreas, four sarcoma, two gastric, one carcinoid, and one fistula) were treated with rfVIIa. In these 17 patients, rfVIIa was administered for 18 episodes of bleeding (dose 2,400-9,600 mcg, 29.8-100.8 mcg/kg). Transfusion requirement of pRBC and FFP were each significantly less than pre-rfVIIa. Out of the 18 episodes, bleeding was controlled in 17 (94%) without surgery, and only one patient returned to the operating room for hemorrhage. There were no deaths and two thrombotic complications. Coagulopathy was corrected by rfVIIa from 1.37 to 0.96 (p<0.0001). Conclusion Use of rfVIIa in resuscitation for hemorrhage after non-traumatic major abdominal and gastrointestinal surgery can correct dilutional coagulopathy, reducing blood product requirements and need for re-operation
Subcycle Quantum Electrodynamics
Besides their stunning physical properties which are unmatched in a classical
world, squeezed states of electromagnetic radiation bear advanced application
potentials in quantum information systems and precision metrology, including
gravitational wave detectors with unprecedented sensitivity. Since the first
experiments on such nonclassical light, quantum analysis has been based on
homodyning techniques and photon correlation measurements. These methods
require a well-defined carrier frequency and photons contained in a quantum
state need to be absorbed or amplified. They currently function in the visible
to near-infrared and microwave spectral ranges. Quantum nondemolition
experiments may be performed at the expense of excess fluctuations in another
quadrature. Here we generate mid-infrared time-locked patterns of squeezed
vacuum noise. After propagation through free space, the quantum fluctuations of
the electric field are studied in the time domain by electro-optic sampling
with few-femtosecond laser pulses. We directly compare the local noise
amplitude to the level of bare vacuum fluctuations. This nonlinear approach
operates off resonance without absorption or amplification of the field that is
investigated. Subcycle intervals with noise level significantly below the pure
quantum vacuum are found. Enhanced fluctuations in adjacent time segments
manifest generation of highly correlated quantum radiation as a consequence of
the uncertainty principle. Together with efforts in the far infrared, this work
opens a window to the elementary quantum dynamics of light and matter in an
energy range at the boundary between vacuum and thermal background conditions.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Genome-wide association analysis of self-reported daytime sleepiness identifies 42 loci that suggest biological subtypes
This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.UK Biobank Sleep Traits GWAS summary statistics are available at the Sleep Disorder Knowledge Portal (SDKP) website (http://www.sleepdisordergenetics.org). All other data are contained within the article and its supplementary information or available upon request.Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) affects 10â20% of the population and is associated with substantial functional deficits. Here, we identify 42 loci for self-reported daytime sleepiness in GWAS of 452,071 individuals from the UK Biobank, with enrichment for genes expressed in brain tissues and in neuronal transmission pathways. We confirm the aggregate effect of a genetic risk score of 42 SNPs on daytime sleepiness in independent Scandinavian cohorts and on other sleep disorders (restless legs syndrome, insomnia) and sleep traits (duration, chronotype, accelerometer-derived sleep efficiency and daytime naps or inactivity). However, individual daytime sleepiness signals vary in their associations with objective short vs long sleep, and with markers of sleep continuity. The 42 sleepiness variants primarily cluster into two predominant composite biological subtypes - sleep propensity and sleep fragmentation. Shared genetic links are also seen with obesity, coronary heart disease, psychiatric diseases, cognitive traits and reproductive ageing.Medical Research Council (MRC
Can Oxygen Set Thermal Limits in an Insect and Drive Gigantism?
Contains fulltext :
111575.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access
The Steady State Great Ape? Long Term Isotopic Records Reveal the Effects of Season, Social Rank and Reproductive Status on Bonobo Feeding Behavior
Dietary ecology of extant great apes is known to respond to environmental conditions such as climate and food availability, but also to vary depending on social status and life history characteristics. Bonobos (Pan paniscus) live under comparatively steady ecological conditions in the evergreen rainforests of the Congo Basin. Bonobos are an ideal species for investigating influences of sociodemographic and physiological factors, such as female reproductive status, on diet. We investigate the long term dietary pattern in wild but fully habituated bonobos by stable isotope analysis in hair and integrating a variety of long-term sociodemographic information obtained through observations. We analyzed carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in 432 hair sections obtained from 101 non-invasively collected hair samples. These samples represented the dietary behavior of 23 adult bonobos from 2008 through 2010. By including isotope and crude protein data from plants we could establish an isotope baseline and interpret the results of several general linear mixed models using the predictors climate, sex, social rank, reproductive state of females, adult age and age of infants. We found that low canopy foliage is a useful isotopic tracer for tropical rainforest settings, and consumption of terrestrial herbs best explains the temporal isotope patterns we found in carbon isotope values of bonobo hair. Only the diet of male bonobos was affected by social rank, with lower nitrogen isotope values in low-ranking young males. Female isotope values mainly differed between different stages of reproduction (cycling, pregnancy, lactation). These isotopic differences appear to be related to changes in dietary preference during pregnancy (high protein diet) and lactation (high energy diet), which allow to compensate for different nutritional needs during maternal investment
High-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training in adults with Crohnâs disease: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Background: This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of two common types of exercise trainingâhigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT)âin adults with Crohnâs disease (CD).
Methods: In this mixed-methods pilot trial, participants with quiescent or mildly-active CD were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to HIIT, MICT or usual care control, and followed up for 6 months. The HIIT and MICT groups were offered three exercise sessions per week for the first 12âweeks. Feasibility outcomes included rates of recruitment, retention, outcome completion, and exercise attendance. Data were collected on cardiorespiratory fitness (e.g., peak oxygen uptake), disease activity, fatigue, quality of life, adverse events, and intervention acceptability (via interviews).
Results: Over 17 months, 53 patients were assessed for eligibility and 36 (68%) were randomised (47% male; mean age 36.9 [SD 11.2] years); 13 to HIIT, 12 to MICT, and 11 to control. The exercise session attendance rate was 62% for HIIT (288/465) and 75% for MICT (320/429), with 62% of HIIT participants (8/13) and 67% of MICT participants (8/12) completing at least 24 of 36 sessions. One participant was lost to follow-up. Outcome completion rates ranged from 89 to 97%. The mean increase in peak oxygen uptake, relative to control, was greater following HIIT than MICT (2.4 vs. 0.7 mL/kg/min). There were three non-serious exercise-related adverse events, and two exercise participants experienced disease relapse during follow-up.
Conclusions: The findings support the feasibility and acceptability of the exercise programmes and trial procedures. A definitive trial is warranted. Physical exercise remains a potentially useful adjunct therapy in CD
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Effects of slope and particle size on ant locomotion: Implications for choice of substrate by antlions
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