High throughput genomic sequencing of bioaerosols in broiler chicken production facilities

Chronic inhalation exposure to agricultural dust promotes the development of chronic respiratory diseases among poultry workers. Poultry dust is composed of dander, chicken feed, litter bedding and microbes. However, the microbial composition and abundance has not been fully elucidated. Genomic DNA was extracted from settled dust and personal inhalable dust collected while performing litter sampling or mortality collection tasks. DNA libraries were sequenced using a paired-end sequencing-by-synthesis approach on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Sequencing data showed that poultry dust is predominantly composed of bacteria (64–67%) with a small quantity of avian, human and feed DNA (\u3c 2% of total reads). Staphylococcus sp. AL1, Salinicoccus carnicancri and Lactobacillus crispatus were the most abundant bacterial species in personal exposure samples of inhalable dust. Settled dust had a moderate relative abundance of these species as well as Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus salivarius. There was a statistical difference between the microbial composition of aerosolized and settled dust. Unlike settled dust composition, aerosolized dust composition had little variance between samples. These data provide an extensive analysis of the microbial composition and relative abundance in personal inhalable poultry dust and settled poultry dust

Toll-Like Receptor 7 Is Required for Lacrimal Gland Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes Development in Male Nonobese Diabetic Mice.

Sjögren syndrome (SS) is an immunologically complex, chronic autoimmune disease targeting lacrimal and salivary glands. Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice spontaneously develop inflammation of lacrimal and salivary glands with histopathological features similar to SS in humans including focal lymphocytic infiltrates in the affected glands. The innate immune signals driving lymphocytic infiltration of these glands are not well-defined. Here we evaluate the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 in the development of SS-like manifestations in NOD mice. We created a Tlr7 knockout NOD mouse strain and performed histological and gene expression studies to characterize the effects of TLR7 on autoimmunity development. TLR7 was required for male-specific lacrimal gland inflammation but not for female-specific salivary gland inflammation. Moreover, TLR7 was required for type 1 diabetes development in male but not female NOD mice. RNA sequencing demonstrated that TLR7 was associated with a type I interferon (IFN) response and a type I IFN-independent B cell response in the lacrimal glands. Together these studies identify a previously unappreciated pathogenic role for TLR7 in lacrimal gland autoimmunity and T1D development in male NOD mice adding to the growing body of evidence supporting sex differences in mechanisms of autoimmune disease in NOD mice

Allosteric Indole Amide Inhibitors of p97: Identification of a Novel Probe of the Ubiquitin Pathway

A high-throughput screen to discover inhibitors of p97 ATPase activity identified an indole amide that bound to an allosteric site of the protein. Medicinal chemistry optimization led to improvements in potency and solubility. Indole amide 3 represents a novel uncompetitive inhibitor with excellent physical and pharmaceutical properties that can be used as a starting point for drug discovery efforts

Cardiosphere-Derived Cells Improve Function in the Infarcted Rat Heart for at Least 16 Weeks – an MRI Study

Aims Endogenous cardiac progenitor cells, expanded from explants via cardiosphere formation, present a promising cell source to prevent heart failure following myocardial infarction. Here we used cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track administered cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) and to measure changes in cardiac function over four months in the infarcted rat heart. Methods and Results CDCs, cultured from neonatal rat heart, comprised a heterogeneous population including cells expressing the mesenchymal markers CD90 and CD105, the stem cell marker c-kit and the pluripotency markers Sox2, Oct3/4 and Klf-4. CDCs (2×106) expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP+) were labelled with fluorescent micron-sized particles of iron oxide (MPIO). Labelled cells were administered to the infarcted rat hearts (n = 7) by intramyocardial injection immediately following reperfusion, then by systemic infusion (4×106) 2 days later. A control group (n = 7) was administered cell medium. MR hypointensities caused by the MPIOs were detected at all times and GFP+ cells containing MPIO particles were identified in tissue slices at 16 weeks. At two days after infarction, cardiac function was similar between groups. By 6 weeks, ejection fractions in control hearts had significantly decreased (47±2%), but this was not evident in CDC-treated hearts (56±3%). The significantly higher ejection fractions in the CDC-treated group were maintained for a further 10 weeks. In addition, CDC-treated rat hearts had significantly increased capillary density in the peri-infarct region and lower infarct sizes. MPIO-labelled cells also expressed cardiac troponin I, von Willebrand factor and smooth muscle actin, suggesting their differentiation along the cardiomyocyte lineage and the formation of new blood vessels. Conclusions CDCs were retained in the infarcted rat heart for 16 weeks and improved cardiac function

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Metagenomic analysis of nitrogen‐cycling genes in upper Mississippi river sediment with mussel assemblages

Abstract We investigated the impact of native freshwater mussel assemblages (order Unionoida) on the abundance and composition of nitrogen‐cycling genes in sediment of an upper Mississippi river habitat. We hypothesized that the genomic potential for ammonia and nitrite oxidation would be greater in the sediment with mussel assemblages, presumably due to mussel biodeposition products, namely ammonia and organic carbon. Regardless of the presence of mussels, upper Mississippi river sediment microbial communities had the largest genomic potential for nitrogen fixation followed by urea catabolism, nitrate metabolism, and nitrate assimilation, as evidenced by analysis of nitrogen cycling pathway abundances. However, genes encoding nitrate and nitrite redox reactions, narGHI and nxrAB, were the most abundant functional genes of the nitrogen cycling gene families. Using linear discriminant analysis (LDA), we found nitrification genes were the most important biomarkers for nitrogen cycling genomic potential when mussels were present, and this presented an opposing effect on the abundance of genes encoding nitric oxide reduction. The genes involved in nitrification that increased the most were amoA associated with comammox Nitrospira and nxr homologs associated with Nitrospira. On the other hand, the most distinctive biomarkers of microbial communities without mussels were norB and nrfA, as part of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium pathways, respectively. Ultimately, this research demonstrates the impact of native mollusks on microbial nitrogen cycling in an aquatic agroecosystem

Effect of freshwater mussels on the vertical distribution of anaerobic ammonia oxidizers and other nitrogen-transforming microorganisms in upper Mississippi river sediment

Targeted qPCR and non-targeted amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes within sediment layers identified the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) niche and characterized microbial community changes attributable to freshwater mussels. Anammox bacteria were normally distributed (Shapiro-Wilk normality test, W-statistic =0.954, p = 0.773) between 1 and 15 cm depth and were increased by a factor of 2.2 (p < 0.001) at 3 cm below the water-sediment interface when mussels were present. Amplicon sequencing of sediment at depths relevant to mussel burrowing (3 and 5 cm) showed that mussel presence reduced observed species richness (p = 0.005), Chao1 diversity (p = 0.005), and Shannon diversity (p < 0.001), with more pronounced decreases at 5 cm depth. A non-metric, multidimensional scaling model showed that intersample microbial species diversity varied as a function of mussel presence, indicating that sediment below mussels harbored distinct microbial communities. Mussel presence corresponded with a 4-fold decrease in a majority of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) classified in the phyla Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Plantomycetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Crenarcheota, and Verrucomicrobia. 38 OTUs in the phylum Nitrospirae were differentially abundant (p < 0.001) with mussels, resulting in an overall increase from 25% to 35%. Nitrogen (N)-cycle OTUs significantly impacted by mussels belonged to anammmox genus Candidatus Brocadia, ammonium oxidizing bacteria family Nitrosomonadaceae, ammonium oxidizing archaea genus Candidatus Nitrososphaera, nitrite oxidizing bacteria in genus Nitrospira, and nitrate- and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidizing organisms in the archaeal family “ANME-2d” and bacterial phylum “NC10”, respectively. Nitrosomonadaceae (0.9-fold (p < 0.001)) increased with mussels, while NC10 (2.1-fold (p < 0.001)), ANME-2d (1.8-fold (p < 0.001)), and Candidatus Nitrososphaera (1.5-fold (p < 0.001)) decreased with mussels. Co-occurrence of 2-fold increases in Candidatus Brocadia and Nitrospira in shallow sediments suggests that mussels may enhance microbial niches at the interface of oxic–anoxic conditions, presumably through biodeposition and burrowing. Furthermore, it is likely that the niches of Candidatus Nitrososphaera and nitrite- and nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidizers were suppressed by mussel biodeposition and sediment aeration, as these phylotypes require low ammonium concentrations and anoxic conditions, respectively. As far as we know, this is the first study to characterize freshwater mussel impacts on microbial diversity and the vertical distribution of N-cycle microorganisms in upper Mississippi river sediment. These findings advance our understanding of ecosystem services provided by mussels and their impact on aquatic biogeochemical N-cycling