MACROINVERTEBRATES COMPOSITION IN THE BLIZNEC STREAM, SECOND AND THIRD MAKSIMIR LAKE

Dvogodišnjim istraživanjem u proljetnom razdoblju praćen je kvalitativni i kvantitativni sastav makroskopskih beskralježnjaka u Drugom i Trećem maksimirskom jezeru te u potoku Bliznecu. U godini 2002. i 2003. Gastropoda po brojnosti i biomasi prevladavaju na svim trima lokacijama. U Drugom maksimirskom jezeru povremeno se jače razvijaju Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Diptera i Crustacea. U Trećem maksimirskom jezeru dominantni su Gastropoda (od 1,484 do 2,506 g m–2) dok su Crustacea, Oligochaeta i Hirudinea prisutni u značajnoj biomasi. Potok Bliznec kvantitativno je najbogatiji vrstama, pri čemu prevladava Gastropoda (od 0,568 do 3,026 g m–2), a jači je razvoj prisutan i kod Trichoptera, Crustacea, Diptera, Heteroptera i Bivalvia (Tablice 2 i 3). Biološkom metodom bodovanja utvrđeno je da se kvaliteta vode potoka Blizneca kreće u rasponu od onečišćenih do vrlo onečišćenih voda.Qualitative and quantitative macroinvertebrates in spring period was investigated during two years in the first and second Maksimir Lake and Bliznec stream. The domination of Gastropoda was outstanding at these three investigated sites. From time to time stronger development of Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Diptera and Crustacea was noted at the second Maksimir Lake. Gastropoda was dominant at the third Maksimir Lake (from 1.484 to 2.506 g m–2) while Crustacea, Oligochaeta and Hirudinea made important biomass. Species density in the Bliznec stream was quantitative higher than the one at other stations. The dominant group was Gastropoda (from 0.568 to 3.026 g m–2) and there was higher development of Trichoptera, Crustacea, Diptera, Heteroptera and Bivalvia (Table 3 and 4). Bliznec stream water quality, observed by biological method given by Kerovec, ranged from polluted to highly polluted

MACROINVERTEBRATES COMPOSITION IN THE BLIZNEC STREAM, SECOND AND THIRD MAKSIMIR LAKE

Dvogodišnjim istraživanjem u proljetnom razdoblju praćen je kvalitativni i kvantitativni sastav makroskopskih beskralježnjaka u Drugom i Trećem maksimirskom jezeru te u potoku Bliznecu. U godini 2002. i 2003. Gastropoda po brojnosti i biomasi prevladavaju na svim trima lokacijama. U Drugom maksimirskom jezeru povremeno se jače razvijaju Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Diptera i Crustacea. U Trećem maksimirskom jezeru dominantni su Gastropoda (od 1,484 do 2,506 g m–2) dok su Crustacea, Oligochaeta i Hirudinea prisutni u značajnoj biomasi. Potok Bliznec kvantitativno je najbogatiji vrstama, pri čemu prevladava Gastropoda (od 0,568 do 3,026 g m–2), a jači je razvoj prisutan i kod Trichoptera, Crustacea, Diptera, Heteroptera i Bivalvia (Tablice 2 i 3). Biološkom metodom bodovanja utvrđeno je da se kvaliteta vode potoka Blizneca kreće u rasponu od onečišćenih do vrlo onečišćenih voda.Qualitative and quantitative macroinvertebrates in spring period was investigated during two years in the first and second Maksimir Lake and Bliznec stream. The domination of Gastropoda was outstanding at these three investigated sites. From time to time stronger development of Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Diptera and Crustacea was noted at the second Maksimir Lake. Gastropoda was dominant at the third Maksimir Lake (from 1.484 to 2.506 g m–2) while Crustacea, Oligochaeta and Hirudinea made important biomass. Species density in the Bliznec stream was quantitative higher than the one at other stations. The dominant group was Gastropoda (from 0.568 to 3.026 g m–2) and there was higher development of Trichoptera, Crustacea, Diptera, Heteroptera and Bivalvia (Table 3 and 4). Bliznec stream water quality, observed by biological method given by Kerovec, ranged from polluted to highly polluted

Genosenor Technology Development

Contains table of contents for Part IV, table of contents for Section 1, and reports on two research projects.Genometrix, Inc. Contract GMX-GH00776-04Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyU.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Researc

Workshop report on the evaluation of the updated and expanded carcinogen database to support derivation of threshold of toxicological concern values for DNA reactive carcinogens

Threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) values are frequently used for compounds occurring at low concentrations in feed and food or as impurities in drugs. This workshop report addresses the emerging alternatives for deriving TTC values for DNA reactive carcinogens and evaluating the acceptability of the Cramer Class TTC values to be adequately protective for non-DNA reactive carcinogens

Gigahertz (GHz) hard x-ray imaging using fast scintillators

Gigahertz (GHz) imaging technology will be needed at high-luminosity X-ray and charged particle sources. It is plausible to combine fast scintillators with the latest picosecond detectors and GHz electronics for multi-frame hard Xray imaging and achieve an inter-frame time of less than 10 ns. The time responses and light yield of LYSO, LaBr_3, BaF_2 and ZnO are measured using an MCP-PMT detector. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is an attractive material for fast hard X-ray imaging based on GEANT4 simulations and previous studies, but the measured light yield from the samples is much lower than expected

Update of the Cancer Potency Database (CPDB) to enable derivations of Thresholds Of Toxicological Concern (TTC) for cancer potency

The purpose of this study was to update the existing Cancer Potency Database (CPDB) in order to support the development of a dataset of compounds, with associated points of departure (PoDs), to enable a review and update of currently applied values for the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) for cancer endpoints. This update of the current CPDB, last reviewed in 2012, includes the addition of new data (44 compounds and 158 studies leading to additional 359 dose-response curves). Strict inclusion criteria were established and applied to select compounds and studies with relevant cancer potency data. PoDs were calculated from dose-response modeling, including the benchmark dose (BMD) and the lower 90% confidence limits (BMDL) at a specified benchmark response (BMR) of 10%. The updated full CPDB database resulted in a total of 421 chemicals which had dose-response data that could be used to calculate PoDs. This candidate dataset for cancer TTC is provided in a transparent and adaptable format for further analysis of TTC to derive cancer potency thresholds

Lower Rates of Heart Failure and All-Cause Hospitalizations During Pulmonary Artery Pressure-Guided Therapy for Ambulatory Heart Failure: One-Year Outcomes From the CardioMEMS Post-Approval Study.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring with an implantable pulmonary artery (PA) sensor is approved for patients with New York Heart Association Class III heart failure (HF) and a prior HF hospitalization (HFH) within 12 months. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of PA pressure-guided therapy in routine clinical practice with special focus on subgroups defined by sex, race, and ejection fraction. METHODS: This multi-center, prospective, open-label, observational, single-arm trial of 1200 patients across 104 centers within the United States with New York Heart Association class III HF and a prior HFH within 12 months evaluated patients undergoing PA pressure sensor implantation between September 1, 2014, and October 11, 2017. The primary efficacy outcome was the difference between rates of adjudicated HFH 1 year after compared with the 1 year before sensor implantation. Safety end points were freedom from device- or system-related complications at 2 years and freedom from pressure sensor failure at 2 years. RESULTS: Mean age for the population was 69 years, 37.7% were women, 17.2% were non-White, and 46.8% had preserved ejection fraction. During the year after sensor implantation, the mean rate of daily pressure transmission was 76±24% and PA pressures declined significantly. The rate of HFH was significantly lower at 1 year compared with the year before implantation (0.54 versus 1.25 events/patient-years, hazard ratio 0.43 [95% CI, 0.39-0.47], CONCLUSIONS: In routine clinical practice as in clinical trials, PA pressure-guided therapy for HF was associated with lower PA pressures, lower rates of HFH and all-cause hospitalization, and low rates of adverse events across a broad range of patients with symptomatic HF and prior HFH. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02279888

Secreted Bacterial Effectors and Host-Produced Eiger/TNF Drive Death in a Salmonella-Infected Fruit Fly

Death by infection is often as much due to the host's reaction as it is to the direct result of microbial action. Here we identify genes in both the host and microbe that are involved in the pathogenesis of infection and disease in Drosophila melanogaster challenged with Salmonella enterica serovartyphimurium (S. typhimurium). We demonstrate that wild-type S. typhimurium causes a lethal systemic infection when injected into the hemocoel of D. melanogaster. Deletion of the gene encoding the secreted bacterial effector Salmonella leucine-rich (PslrP) changes an acute and lethal infection to one that is persistent and less deadly. We propose a model in which Salmonella secreted effectors stimulate the fly and thus cause an immune response that is damaging both to the bacteria and, subsequently, to the host. In support of this model, we show that mutations in the fly gene eiger, a TNF homolog, delay the lethality of Salmonella infection. These results suggest that S. typhimurium-infected flies die from a condition that resembles TNF-induced metabolic collapse in vertebrates. This idea provides us with a new model to study shock-like biology in a genetically manipulable host. In addition, it allows us to study the difference in pathways followed by a microbe when producing an acute or persistent infection

The Impact of HIV Infection and CD4 Cell Count on the Performance of an Interferon Gamma Release Assay in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND:The performance of the tuberculosis specific Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) has not been sufficiently documented in tuberculosis- and HIV-endemic settings. This study evaluated the sensitivity of the QuantiFERON TB-Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) in patients with culture confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a TB- and HIV-endemic population and the effect of HIV-infection and CD4 cell count on test performance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:161 patients with sputum culture confirmed PTB were subjected to HIV- and QFT-IT testing and measurement of CD4 cell count. The QFT-IT was positive in 74% (119/161; 95% CI: 67-81%). Sensitivity was higher in HIV-negative (75/93) than in HIV-positive (44/68) patients (81% vs. 65%, p = 0.02) and increased with CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients (test for trend p = 0.03). 23 patients (14%) had an indeterminate result and this proportion decreased with increasing CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients (test for trend p = 0.03). Low CD4 cell count (<300 cells/microl) did not account for all QFT-IT indeterminate nor all negative results. Sensitivity when excluding indeterminate results was 86% (95% CI: 81-92%) and did not differ between HIV-negative and HIV-positive patients (88 vs. 83%, p = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Sensitivity of the QFT-IT for diagnosing active PTB infection was reasonable when excluding indeterminate results and in HIV-negative patients. However, since the test missed more than 10% of patients, its potential as a rule-out test for active TB disease is limited. Furthermore, test performance is impaired by low CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients and possibly by other factors as well in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. This might limit the potential of the test in populations where HIV-infection is prevalent

Sensing and Adaptation to Low pH Mediated by Inducible Amino Acid Decarboxylases in Salmonella

During the course of infection, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium must successively survive the harsh acid stress of the stomach and multiply into a mild acidic compartment within macrophages. Inducible amino acid decarboxylases are known to promote adaptation to acidic environments. Three low pH inducible amino acid decarboxylases were annotated in the genome of S. Typhimurium, AdiA, CadA and SpeF, which are specific for arginine, lysine and ornithine, respectively. In this study, we characterized and compared the contributions of those enzymes in response to acidic challenges. Individual mutants as well as a strain deleted for the three genes were tested for their ability (i) to survive an extreme acid shock, (ii) to grow at mild acidic pH and (iii) to infect the mouse animal model. We showed that the lysine decarboxylase CadA had the broadest range of activity since it both had the capacity to promote survival at pH 2.3 and growth at pH 4.5. The arginine decarboxylase AdiA was the most performant in protecting S. Typhimurium from a shock at pH 2.3 and the ornithine decarboxylase SpeF conferred the best growth advantage under anaerobiosis conditions at pH 4.5. We developed a GFP-based gene reporter to monitor the pH of the environment as perceived by S. Typhimurium. Results showed that activities of the lysine and ornithine decarboxylases at mild acidic pH did modify the local surrounding of S. Typhimurium both in culture medium and in macrophages. Finally, we tested the contribution of decarboxylases to virulence and found that these enzymes were dispensable for S. Typhimurium virulence during systemic infection. In the light of this result, we examined the genomes of Salmonella spp. normally responsible of systemic infection and observed that the genes encoding these enzymes were not well conserved, supporting the idea that these enzymes may be not required during systemic infection