462 research outputs found
Effect of Chemotherapy on the Microbiota and Metabolome of Human Milk: A Case Report
BACKGROUND: Human milk is an important source of bacteria for the developing infant and has been shown to influence the bacterial composition of the neonatal gut, which in turn can affect disease risk later in life. Human milk is also an important source of nutrients, influencing bacterial composition but also directly affecting the host. While recent studies have emphasized the adverse effects of antibiotic therapy on the infant microbiota, the effects of maternal chemotherapy have not been previously studied. Here we report the effects of drug administration on the microbiota and metabolome of human milk.
METHODS: Mature milk was collected every two weeks over a four month period from a lactating woman undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma. Mature milk was also collected from healthy lactating women for comparison. Microbial profiles were analyzed by 16S sequencing and the metabolome by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
FINDINGS: Chemotherapy caused a significant deviation from a healthy microbial and metabolomic profile, with depletion of genera Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium, Staphylococcus and Cloacibacterium in favor of Acinetobacter, Xanthomonadaceae and Stenotrophomonas. The metabolites docosahexaenoic acid and inositol known for their beneficial effects were also decreased.
CONCLUSION: With milk contents being critical for shaping infant immunity and development, consideration needs to be given to the impact of drugs administered to the mother and the long-term potential consequences for the health of the infant
Teratoma formation of human embryonic stem cells in three-dimensional perfusion culture bioreactors
Teratoma formation in mice is today the most stringent test for pluripotency that is available for human pluripotent cells, as chimera formation and tetraploid complementation cannot be performed with human cells. The teratoma assay could also be applied for assessing the safety of human pluripotent cell-derived cell populations intended for therapeutic applications. In our study we examined the spontaneous differentiation behaviour of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in a perfused 3D multi-compartment bioreactor system and compared it with differentiation of hESCs and human induced pluripotent cells (hiPSCs) cultured in vitro as embryoid bodies and in vivo in an experimental mouse model of teratoma formation. Results from biochemical, histological/immunohistological and ultrastuctural analyses revealed that hESCs cultured in bioreactors formed tissue-like structures containing derivatives of all three germ layers. Comparison with embryoid bodies and the teratomas revealed a high degree of similarity of the tissues formed in the bioreactor to these in the teratomas at the histological as well as transcriptional level, as detected by comparative whole-genome RNA expression profiling. The 3D culture system represents a novel in vitro model that permits stable long-term cultivation, spontaneous multi-lineage differentiation and tissue formation of pluripotent cells that is comparable to in vivo differentiation. Such a model is of interest, e.g. for the development of novel cell differentiation strategies. In addition, the 3D in vitro model could be used for teratoma studies and pluripotency assays in a fully defined, controlled environment, alternatively to in vivo mouse models. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Galaxy Counterparts of metal-rich Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers - I: The case of the z=2.35 DLA towards Q2222-0946
We have initiated a survey using the newly commissioned X-shooter
spectrograph to target candidate relatively metal-rich damped Lyman-alpha
absorbers (DLAs). The spectral coverage of X-shooter allows us to search for
not only Lyman-alpha emission, but also rest-frame optical emission lines. We
have chosen DLAs where the strongest rest-frame optical lines ([OII], [OIII],
Hbeta and Halpha) fall in the NIR atmospheric transmission bands. In this first
paper resulting from the survey, we report on the discovery of the galaxy
counterpart of the z_abs = 2.354 DLA towards the z=2.926 quasar Q2222$-0946.
This DLA is amongst the most metal-rich z>2 DLAs studied so far at comparable
redshifts and there is evidence for substantial depletion of refractory
elements onto dust grains. We measure metallicities from ZnII, SiII, NiII, MnII
and FeII of -0.46+/-0.07, -0.51+/-0.06, -0.85+/-0.06, -1.23+/-0.06, and
-0.99+/-0.06, respectively. The galaxy is detected in the Lyman-alpha, [OIII]
lambda4959,5007 Halpha emission lines at an impact parameter of about 0.8
arcsec (6 kpc at z_abs = 2.354). We infer a star-formation rate of 10 M_sun
yr^-1, which is a lower limit due to the possibility of slit-loss. Compared to
the recently determined Halpha luminosity function for z=2.2 galaxies the
DLA-galaxy counterpart has a luminosity of L~0.1L^*_Halpha. The emission-line
ratios are 4.0 (Lyalpha/Halpha) and 1.2 ([OIII]/Halpha). The Lyalpha line shows
clear evidence for resonant scattering effects, namely an asymmetric,
redshifted (relative to the systemic redshift) component and a much weaker
blueshifted component. The fact that the blueshifted component is relatively
weak indicates the presence of a galactic wind. The properties of the galaxy
counterpart of this DLA is consistent with the prediction that metal-rich DLAs
are associated with the most luminous of the DLA-galaxy counterparts.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Microbiota of human breast tissue
In recent years, a greater appreciation for the microbes inhabiting human body sites has emerged. In the female mammary gland, milk has been shown to contain bacterial species, ostensibly reaching the ducts from the skin. We decided to investigate whether there is a microbiome within the mammary tissue. Using 16S rRNA sequencing and culture, we analyzed breast tissue from 81 women with and without cancer in Canada and Ireland. A diverse population of bacteria was detected within tissue collected from sites all around the breast in women aged 18 to 90, not all of whom had a history of lactation. The principal phylum was Proteobacteria. The most abundant taxa in the Canadian samples were Bacillus (11.4%), Acinetobacter (10.0%), Enterobacteriaceae (8.3%), Pseudomonas (6.5%), Staphylococcus (6.5%), Propionibacterium (5.8%), Comamonadaceae (5.7%), Gammaproteobacteria (5.0%), and Prevotella (5.0%). In the Irish samples the most abundant taxa were Enterobacteriaceae (30.8%), Staphylococcus (12.7%), Listeria welshimeri (12.1%), Propionibacterium (10.1%), and Pseudomonas (5.3%). None of the subjects had signs or symptoms of infection, but the presence of viable bacteria was confirmed in some samples by culture. The extent to which these organisms play a role in health or disease remains to be determined. © 2014, American Society for Microbiology
Towards integration of research and monitoring at forest ecosystems in Europe
Aim of study: The main aim of the work was to summarize availability, quality and comparability of on-going European Research and Monitoring Networks (ERMN), based on the results of a COST FP0903 Action questionnaire carried out in September 2010 and May 2012. Area of study: The COST Action FP0903 involves 29 European countries and 4 non-COST institutions from USA, Morocco and Tunisia. In this study, the total of 22 replies to the questionnaire from 18 countries were included. Materials and methods: Based on the feedback from the Action FP0903 countries, the most popular European Networks were identified. Thereafter, the access to the network database, available quality assurance/quality control procedures and publication were described. Finally, the so-called “Supersites” concept, defined as a “highly instrumented research infrastructure, for both research and monitoring of soil-plant-atmosphere interactions” was discussed. Main results: The result of the survey indicate that the vast majority of the Action FP0903 countries participate in the International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forest (ICP Forest). The multi-disciplinary International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems (ICPIM) is the second most widespread forest programme. Research highlights: To fully understand biochemical cycles in forest ecosystems, long-term monitoring is needed. Hence, a network of “Supersites”, is proposed. The application of the above infrastructure can be an effective way to attain a better integration of research and monitoring networks at forest sites in Europ
Levels and sources of PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs in the water ecosystems of central Poland — A mini review
The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey. VLT/FORS2 Spectroscopy in the GOODS-South Field: Part III
Aims. We present the full data set of the spectroscopic campaign of the
ESO/GOODS program in the GOODS-South field, obtained with the
FORS2 spectrograph at the ESO/VLT. Method. Objects were selected as
candidates for VLT/FORS2 observations primarily based on the expectation that
the detection and measurement of their spectral features would benefit from the
high throughput and spectral resolution of FORS2. The reliability of the
redshift estimates is assessed using the redshift-magnitude and color-redshift
diagrams, and comparing the results with public data. Results. Including the
third part of the spectroscopic campaign (12 masks) to the previous work (26
masks, Vanzella et al. 2005, 2006), 1715 spectra of 1225 individual targets
have been analyzed. The actual spectroscopic catalog provides 887 redshift
determinations. The typical redshift uncertainty is estimated to be sigma(z) ~
0.001. Galaxies have been selected adopting different color criteria and using
photometric redshifts. The resulting redshift distribution typically spans two
domains: from z=0.5 to 2 and z=3.5 to 6.3. The reduced spectra and the derived
redshifts are released to the community through the ESO web page
http://www.eso.org/science/goods/Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysics. Data are available at http://www.eso.org/science/goods
High-confidence glycosome proteome for procyclic form <em>Trypanosoma brucei</em> by epitope-tag organelle enrichment and SILAC proteomics
The glycosome of the pathogenic African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is a specialized peroxisome that contains most of the enzymes of glycolysis and several other metabolic and catabolic pathways. The contents and transporters of this membrane-bounded organelle are of considerable interest as potential drug targets. Here we use epitope tagging, magnetic bead enrichment, and SILAC quantitative proteomics to determine a high-confidence glycosome proteome for the procyclic life cycle stage of the parasite using isotope ratios to discriminate glycosomal from mitochondrial and other contaminating proteins. The data confirm the presence of several previously demonstrated and suggested pathways in the organelle and identify previously unanticipated activities, such as protein phosphatases. The implications of the findings are discussed
A paradigm shift:The mitoproteomes of procyclic and bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei are comparably complex
Extended Ly-alpha emission from a damped Ly-alpha absorber at z = 1.93, and the relation between DLAs and Lyman-break galaxies
The number of damped Ly-alpha absorbers (DLAs) currently known is about 100,
but our knowledge of their sizes and morphologies is still very sparse as very
few have been detected in emission. Here we present narrow-band and broad-band
observations of a DLA in the field of the quasar pair Q0151+048A (qA) and
Q0151+048B (qB). These two quasars have very similar redshifts z_em = 1.922,
1.937, respectively, and an angular separation of 3.27 arcsec. The spectrum of
qA contains a DLA at z_abs = 1.9342 (close to the emission redshift) which
shows an emission line in the trough, detected at 4 sigma. Our narrow-band
image confirms this detection and we find Ly-alpha emission from an extended
area covering 6x3 arcsec^2, corresponding to 25x12h^-2 kpc^2 (q0=0.5, H0 = 100h
km s^-1). The total Ly-alpha luminosity from the DLA is 1.2 x 10^43 h^-2 erg
s^-1, which is a factor of several higher than the Ly-alpha luminosity found
from other DLAs. The narrow-band image also indicates that qB is not covered by
the DLA. This fact, together with the large equivalent width of the emission
line from the Ly-alpha cloud, the large luminosity, and the 300 km s^-1
blueshift relative to the DLA, can plausibly be explained if qB is the sourceof
a Lyman-limit system. We also consider the relation between DLAs and
Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). If DLAs are gaseous disks surrounding LBGs, and if
the apparent brightnesses and impact parameters of the few identified DLAs are
representative of the brighter members of the population, then the luminosity
distribution of DLAs is nearly flat, and we would expect that some 70% of the
galaxy counterparts to DLAs at z=3 are fainter than m_R=28.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. MNRAS, in pres
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