Epichloë typhina (fungus) - Botanophila lobata (fly) interaction : an invasive "pollinator" system in its introduced range in western Oregon

Epichloë typhina (Ascomycetes: Clavicipitaceae) is an endophytic fungus that infects perennial Pooid grasses and is the causal agent of choke disease. It is endemic to Europe and was inadvertently introduced into orchardgrass seed production fields in western Oregon. Choke disease, which was first recorded in Oregon in 1996, currently infects ~90% of cultivated orchardgrass seed fields in the region, resulting in yield losses >65%. Infective propagules (i.e. ascospores) are produced sexually by the bipolar heterothallic fungus and gamete outcross has been shown to be facilitated in the wild by Botanophila spp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), including Botanophila lobata. The fly - fungus interaction is generally considered to be one of obligatory mutualism based on studies conducted in areas endemism. However, recent evidence suggests that the fungus is able to sexually outcross in cultivated Oregon orchardgrass fields without the aid of fly "pollinators." Additionally, ascosporic fertilization has recently been implicated as an alternative mechanism for gamete transfer and might have important impacts on fungal reproduction in Oregon. The objectives of this study were to: 1) explore how two tightly linked species, which appear to have an obligate mutualistic relationship in areas of endemism, interact in a non-native context; 2) quantitatively examine the seasonal and diurnal presence of E. typhina ascospores in a cultivated Oregon orchardgrass field; and 3) test alternative transfer mechanisms of fungal spermatia for E. typhina. To address objective 1), the spatial variability and reproductive success of E. typhina and B. lobata were estimated during surveys of ten cultivated orchardgrass fields in 2008 and four fields in 2009. Fungal distributions were spatially aggregated at five of the study sites in 2008 and three in 2009. Fly distributions were spatially aggregated at three sites in 2008 and one in 2009. Botanophila lobata density exhibited a positive linear relationship with E. typhina density, suggestive of positive density dependence of fly oviposition with fungal density. However, fungal reproductive success was not affected by fly density or fungal density within the range of distributions observed in this study. To address objective 2), airborne ascospores were monitored in a single cultivated orchardgrass field during 2008 and 2009 using a Burkard volumetric spore trap. Ascospore production began in early to middle May and continued into late July during both years of the study. Daily ascospore production exhibited a circadian rhythm, with production peaking on average at 1:08 am and 12:36 am, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The prolonged duration and high intensity of ascospore production during the growing season suggest a large window within which new plants are at risk to infection, and within which preventative management strategies must be adopted. To address objective 3), splash fertilization, contact fertilization and B. lobata fertilization were tested in the greenhouse. Although only two replicates were completed, both contact and splash fertilization appeared to be viable mechanisms of sexual outcross for E. typhina. The results of this study strongly indicate that E. typhina can successfully reproduce without the presence of B. lobata. Splash and contact fertilization, as well as ascosporic fertilization, provide opportunities for reproduction of the fungus in absence of fly pollinators. It appears that the fly - fungus interaction has shifted from an obligatory mutualism to facultative mutualism or simple fungivory within the introduced range in western Oregon

First trimester myomectomy as an alternative to termination of pregnancy in a woman with a symptomatic uterine leiomyoma: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Performing a myomectomy during pregnancy is extremely rare due to the risk of pregnancy loss, hemorrhage and hysterectomy. Favorable outcomes have been demonstrated with select second trimester gravid myomectomies. Literature documenting first trimester surgical management of myomas during pregnancy is scant. Patients with symptomatic myomas failing conservative management in the first trimester may be counseled to abort the pregnancy and then undergo myomectomy. Reports focusing on myomectomy in the first trimester are needed to permit more thorough options counseling for patients failing conservative management in the first trimester.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-year-old Caucasian primagravid (G1P0) was referred for termination of her pregnancy at 10 weeks due to a 14 cm myoma causing severe pain, constipation and urine retention. Her referring physician planned an interval myomectomy following the abortion. Instead, our patient underwent myomectomy at 11 weeks. Two leiomyomas were successfully removed; she delivered a healthy infant at term.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients in the first trimester should not be counseled that termination followed by myomectomy is the best option for symptomatic myomas, failing conservative treatment. Management should be individualized after taking into account the patient's symptoms, gestational age and the location of the myomas in relation to the placenta. Any field providing women's health services will be impacted by the ability to offer more thorough options counseling for women with refractory myomas in the first trimester.</p

Complementary activation of peripheral natural killer cell immunity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

NK cells and αβ- and γδ-CTL play important roles in cellular immunity against tumors. We previously demonstrated that NPC patients have a quantitative and qualitative deficit in γδ-CTL and EBV-specific αβ-CTL when compared to normal subjects and NPC long-term survivors. In this study we report further observations of a complementary activation of peripheral NK cells in NPC patients. The NK cells in these patients, compared to those of healthy subjects and NPC survivors, were preferentially activated in response to the stimulation of myeloma cell line XG-7 and expanded in the presence of exogenous IL-2. The production of IFN-γ was lowest in the patient group, whereas IL-12, IL-15 and TNF-α were produced in higher levels in patients than in the donors and survivors. The cytolytic effect of the NK cells against NPC cells in the patient group was also higher than that of the donors and survivors. Furthermore, the patients at later stages of NPC had lower γδ-CTL activity but higher NK cytotoxicity towards NPC targets, with higher production of IL-12, IL-15 and TNF-α but lower production of IFN-γ than in patients at earlier stages. This might be part of a triggered compensatory re-activation of the innate immunity, believed to be mediated through various cytokines and chemokines when adaptive T cell immunity is breached. Together, these data suggest complementary roles of innate and adaptive immune response in tumor immunity where NK cells, γδ- and αβ-CTL compensate for the deficits of one another at different stages of tumor invasion. © 2006 Japanese Cancer Association.published_or_final_versio

Sources and characteristics of summertime organic aerosol in the Colorado Front Range: perspective from measurements and WRF-Chem modeling

Abstract. The evolution of organic aerosols (OAs) and their precursors in the boundary layer (BL) of the Colorado Front Range during the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment (FRAPPÉ, July–August 2014) was analyzed by in situ measurements and chemical transport modeling. Measurements indicated significant production of secondary OA (SOA), with enhancement ratio of OA with respect to carbon monoxide (CO) reaching 0.085±0.003 µg m−3 ppbv−1. At background mixing ratios of CO, up to  ∼  1.8 µg m−3 background OA was observed, suggesting significant non-combustion contribution to OA in the Front Range. The mean concentration of OA in plumes with a high influence of oil and natural gas (O&amp;G) emissions was  ∼  40 % higher than in urban-influenced plumes. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) confirmed a dominant contribution of secondary, oxygenated OA (OOA) in the boundary layer instead of fresh, hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA). Combinations of primary OA (POA) volatility assumptions, aging of semi-volatile species, and different emission estimates from the O&amp;G sector were used in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) simulation scenarios. The assumption of semi-volatile POA resulted in greater than a factor of 10 lower POA concentrations compared to PMF-resolved HOA. Including top-down modified O&amp;G emissions resulted in substantially better agreements in modeled ethane, toluene, hydroxyl radical, and ozone compared to measurements in the high-O&amp;G-influenced plumes. By including emissions from the O&amp;G sector using the top-down approach, it was estimated that the O&amp;G sector contributed to  &lt;  5 % of total OA, but up to 38 % of anthropogenic SOA (aSOA) in the region. The best agreement between the measured and simulated median OA was achieved by limiting the extent of biogenic hydrocarbon aging and consequently biogenic SOA (bSOA) production. Despite a lower production of bSOA in this scenario, contribution of bSOA to total SOA remained high at 40–54 %. Future studies aiming at a better emissions characterization of POA and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) from the O&amp;G sector are valuable

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Typing of Mycobacterium ulcerans Reveals Focal Transmission of Buruli Ulcer in a Highly Endemic Region of Ghana

Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging necrotizing disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. While proximity to stagnant or slow flowing water bodies is a risk factor for acquiring BU, the epidemiology and mode of M. ulcerans transmission is poorly understood. Here we have used high-throughput DNA sequencing and comparisons of the genomes of seven M. ulcerans isolates that appeared monomorphic by existing typing methods. We identified a limited number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and developed a real-time PCR SNP typing method based on these differences. We then investigated clinical isolates of M. ulcerans on which we had detailed information concerning patient location and time of diagnosis. Within the Densu river basin of Ghana we observed dominance of one clonal complex and local clustering of some of the variants belonging to this complex. These results reveal focal transmission and demonstrate, that micro-epidemiological analyses by SNP typing has great potential to help us understand how M. ulcerans is transmitted

Communicating climate knowledge proxies, processes, politics

This forum article is the product of interdisciplinary discussion at a conference on climate histories held inCambridge, United Kingdom, in early 2011, with the specific aim of building a network around the issue of communicating cultural knowledge of environmental change. The lead articles, by Kirsten Hastrup as an anthropologist and Simon Schaffer as a historian of science, highlight the role of agents and proxies. These are followed by five interdisciplinary commentaries, which engage with the lead articles through new ethnographic material, and a set of shorter commentaries by leading scholars of different disciplines. Finally, the lead authors respond to the discussion. In this debate, climate change does not emerge as a single preformed "problem." Rather, different climate knowledges appear as products of particular networks and agencies. Just as the identification of proxies creates agents (ice, mountains, informants) by inserting them into new networks, we hope that these cross-disciplinary exchanges will produce further conversations and new approaches to action. © 2012 by The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research