Genetic variation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A persistent increase of tuberculosis cases has recently been noted in the Ukraine. The reported incidence of drug-resistant isolates of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>is growing steadily; however, data on the genetic variation of isolates of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>circulating in northern Ukraine and on the spectrum and frequency of occurrence of mutations determining resistance to the principal anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampicin have not yet been reported.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Isolates of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>from 98 tuberculosis patients living in Kharkiv Oblast (Ukraine) were analyzed using VNTR- and RFLP-IS6110-typing methods. Mutations associated with resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid were detected by RFLP-PCR methods, and also confirmed by sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 75 different genetic profiles. Thirty four (34%) isolates belonged to the Beijing genotype and 23 (23%) isolates belonged to the LAM family. A cluster of isolates belonging to the LAM family had significant genetic heterogeneity, indicating that this family had an ancient distribution and circulation in this geographical region. Moreover, we found a significant percentage of the isolates (36%) belonged to as yet unidentified families of <it>M. tuberculosis </it>or had individual non-clustering genotypes. Mutations conferring rifampicin and isoniazid resistance were detected in 49% and 54% isolates, respectively. Mutations in codon 531 of the <it>rpoB </it>gene and codon 315 of the <it>katG </it>gene were predominant among drug-resistant isolates. An association was found for belonging to the LAM strain family and having multiple drug resistance (R = 0.27, p = 0.0059) and also for the presence of a mutation in codon 531 of the <it>rpoB </it>gene and belonging to the Beijing strain family (R = 0.2, p = 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Transmission of drug-resistant isolates seems to contribute to the spread of resistant TB in this oblast. The Beijing genotype and LAM genotype should be seen as a major cause of drug resistant TB in this region.</p

Rationale for BepiColombo Studies of Mercury's Surface and Composition

BepiColombo has a larger and in many ways more capable suite of instruments relevant for determination of the topographic, physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of Mercury's surface than the suite carried by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. Moreover, BepiColombo's data rate is substantially higher. This equips it to confirm, elaborate upon, and go beyond many of MESSENGER's remarkable achievements. Furthermore, the geometry of BepiColombo's orbital science campaign, beginning in 2026, will enable it to make uniformly resolved observations of both northern and southern hemispheres. This will offer more detailed and complete imaging and topographic mapping, element mapping with better sensitivity and improved spatial resolution, and totally new mineralogical mapping. We discuss MESSENGER data in the context of preparing for BepiColombo, and describe the contributions that we expect BepiColombo to make towards increased knowledge and understanding of Mercury's surface and its composition. Much current work, including analysis of analogue materials, is directed towards better preparing ourselves to understand what BepiColombo might reveal. Some of MESSENGER's more remarkable observations were obtained under unique or extreme conditions. BepiColombo should be able to confirm the validity of these observations and reveal the extent to which they are representative of the planet as a whole. It will also make new observations to clarify geological processes governing and reflecting crustal origin and evolution. We anticipate that the insights gained into Mercury's geological history and its current space weathering environment will enable us to better understand the relationships of surface chemistry, morphologies and structures with the composition of crustal types, including the nature and mobility of volatile species. This will enable estimation of the composition of the mantle from which the crust was derived, and lead to tighter constraints on models for Mercury's origin including the nature and original heliocentric distance of the material from which it formed.Peer reviewe

The Petrochemistry of Jake_M: A Martian Mugearite

“Jake_M,” the first rock analyzed by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument on the Curiosity rover, differs substantially in chemical composition from other known martian igneous rocks: It is alkaline (&gt;15% normative nepheline) and relatively fractionated. Jake_M is compositionally similar to terrestrial mugearites, a rock type typically found at ocean islands and continental rifts. By analogy with these comparable terrestrial rocks, Jake_M could have been produced by extensive fractional crystallization of a primary alkaline or transitional magma at elevated pressure, with or without elevated water contents. The discovery of Jake_M suggests that alkaline magmas may be more abundant on Mars than on Earth and that Curiosity could encounter even more fractionated alkaline rocks (for example, phonolites and trachytes).</jats:p

Mars’ Surface Radiation Environment Measured with the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity Rover

The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover began making detailed measurements of the cosmic ray and energetic particle radiation environment on the surface of Mars on 7 August 2012. We report and discuss measurements of the absorbed dose and dose equivalent from galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles on the martian surface for ~300 days of observations during the current solar maximum. These measurements provide insight into the radiation hazards associated with a human mission to the surface of Mars and provide an anchor point with which to model the subsurface radiation environment, with implications for microbial survival times of any possible extant or past life, as well as for the preservation of potential organic biosignatures of the ancient martian environment.</jats:p

The new species Gorytes mikhailovi sp. nov. from Kazakhstan with a key to the Palaearctic species of Gorytes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea Crabronidae)

Mokrousov, Mikhail V., Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu. (2021): The new species Gorytes mikhailovi sp. nov. from Kazakhstan with a key to the Palaearctic species of Gorytes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea Crabronidae). Zootaxa 5006 (1): 169-179, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5006.1.1

Tachysphex desertorum F. Morawitz 1894

&lt;i&gt;Tachysphex desertorum&lt;/i&gt; F. Morawitz, 1894 &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Tachysphex desertorum&lt;/i&gt; F. Morawitz, 1894: 342, &female;. Holotype or syntypes: &female;, Turkmenistan, Serax [ZISP].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Material examined.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Russia.&lt;/b&gt; Astrakhan Prov., 1 &male;, Krasnoyarsk Distr., 11 km N Malyj Aral [46.762&ordm;N 48.491&ordm;E], 26. V.2019, VL, MP [MMC]. &lt;b&gt;Uzbekistan.&lt;/b&gt; Kashkadarya Prov., 1 &female;, 5 km N Mubarek city &lt;b&gt;[&lt;/b&gt; 39&deg;18&rsquo;31,3&rdquo;N 65&deg;08&rsquo;19,9&rdquo;E], 15. V.2015, MM, MP, K. Samartsev [MMC]. &lt;b&gt;Kazakhstan.&lt;/b&gt; Atyrau Prov., 1 &male;, Zhylyoysky Distr., 25 km SW Kul&rsquo;sary city [46.82&deg;N 53.703&deg;E], 4.IX.2012, MM [MMC].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Distribution.&lt;/b&gt; * Russia (Astrakhan Prov.); North Africa, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North China.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Mokrousov, Mikhail V. &amp; Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2021, New and little-known digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae, Sphecidae Crabronidae) from Russia, pp. 314-330 in Zootaxa 4952 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 320, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4952.2.6, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/4674104"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/4674104&lt;/a&gt

Podalonia caucasica

&lt;i&gt;Podalonia caucasica&lt;/i&gt; (Mocs&aacute;ry, 1883) &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Psammophila Caucasica&lt;/i&gt; Mocs&aacute;ry, 1883: 31, &female;. Holotype or syntypes: &female;, Georgia, Tiflis, now Tbilisi [Term&eacute;szettudom&aacute;nyi M&uacute;zeum, Budapest, Hungary].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Podalonia caucasica&lt;/i&gt;: Nemkov &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 1995: 386 (Buryatia).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Material examined.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Russia.&lt;/b&gt; Crimea, 3 &female;, Leninski Distr., Kosa Arabatskaya Strelka, between Solyanoe &mdash;Kamenskoe, 19, 28. V.2016, A. Fateryga; 1 &male;, Tarkhankut peninsula, Castel bay, 31. V.2014, V. Zhidkov [MMC]; Kalmykia, 1 &male;, 27 km S Khulkhuta, Tchernye Zemli Nature Reserve, Atsan-Khuduk cordon [46.066694&deg;N 46.301278&deg;E], 26. V.2011, MM [MMC].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Distribution.&lt;/b&gt; Russia (*Crimea, * Kalmykia, Omsk Prov., Novosibirsk Prov., Altai, Tyva Rep., Krasnoyarsk Terr., Irkutsk Prov., Buryatia, Zabaikalsky Terr.); Southeast of Western Europe, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia, Shansi), Notrh India.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks.&lt;/b&gt; The species is reported from European part of Russia for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Mokrousov, Mikhail V. &amp; Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2021, New and little-known digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae, Sphecidae Crabronidae) from Russia, pp. 314-330 in Zootaxa 4952 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 320, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4952.2.6, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/4674104"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/4674104&lt;/a&gt