Impact of ActiGraph® cutoffs on time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activities in COPD

ActiGraphs® are often used to assess time in moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) in people with COPD. Different cutoffs can be used to quantify MVPA. If they yield similar or different MVPA results is yet unknown. There are no cutoffs specifically developed, nor validated, for COPD, but Troiano and Freedson cutoffs are the most used. Recently, Santos-Lozano proposed a cutoff specific for older people, that has been used in COPD. This study aimed to explore MVPA results quantified with different cutoffs in COPD. Participants wore the ActiGraph wGT3X for 7 days and data were included if they had used it for at least 8h (7am to 10pm) for 4 days (Choi algorithm for non-wear time). MVPA was estimated using the cutoffs from Troiano, Freedson and Santos-Lozano. Differences between cutoffs were explored with Friedman Test, followed by post-hoc comparisons. 107 people with COPD (79%♂; 68±8y; FEV1pp 49±17) were included. MVPA was affected by cutoffs (χ2(2)=194.56, p<0.001). Santos-Lozano cutoff yielded the highest MVPA estimates, followed by Freedson and Troiano cutoffs (median [Interquatile Range] = 57[30-90] vs 16[4-38] vs 8[2-22] (Fig.1). All cutoffs differed significantly from each other (p<0.001). The cutoff selection affects MVPA estimates in people with COPD and may mislead the classification of these patients as physically (in)active. Future studies should develop MVPA cutoffs adapted to people with COPD.CENTR(AR): pulmões em andamento by Programa de Parcerias para o Impacto, Portugal Inovação Social through Programa Operacional Inclusão Social e Emprego (POISE-03-4639-FSE-000597). Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/148738/2019), by Fundo Social Europeu through Programa Operacional Regional Centro, and by Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (COMPETE 2020 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007628; UIDB/04501/2020).publishe

Evidence for the evolutionary steps leading to mecA-mediated ß-lactam resistance in staphylococci

The epidemiologically most important mechanism of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is associated with mecA–an acquired gene encoding an extra penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) with low affinity to virtually all β-lactams. The introduction of mecA into the S. aureus chromosome has led to the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) pandemics, responsible for high rates of mortality worldwide. Nonetheless, little is known regarding the origin and evolution of mecA. Different mecA homologues have been identified in species belonging to the Staphylococcus sciuri group representing the most primitive staphylococci. In this study we aimed to identify evolutionary steps linking these mecA precursors to the β-lactam resistance gene mecA and the resistance phenotype. We sequenced genomes of 106 S. sciuri, S. vitulinus and S. fleurettii strains and determined their oxacillin susceptibility profiles. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of the core genome was performed to assess the genetic relatedness of the isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of the mecA gene homologues and promoters was achieved through nucleotide/amino acid sequence alignments and mutation rates were estimated using a Bayesian analysis. Furthermore, the predicted structure of mecA homologue-encoded PBPs of oxacillin-susceptible and -resistant strains were compared. We showed for the first time that oxacillin resistance in the S. sciuri group has emerged multiple times and by a variety of different mechanisms. Development of resistance occurred through several steps including structural diversification of the non-binding domain of native PBPs; changes in the promoters of mecA homologues; acquisition of SCCmec and adaptation of the bacterial genetic background. Moreover, our results suggest that it was exposure to β-lactams in human-created environments that has driven evolution of native PBPs towards a resistance determinant. The evolution of β-lactam resistance in staphylococci highlights the numerous resources available to bacteria to adapt to the selective pressure of antibiotics

1,5-Bis(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)naphthalene

In the title compound, C22H22N2, the asymmetric unit contains one half-mol­ecule. A crystallographic inversion centre is located at the mid-point of the bond common to both rings, in the central naphthalene unit. Quantum-mechanical ab initio calculations on the isolated mol­ecule showed that the minimum energy configuration occurs when the naphthalene ring system and the pyrrolyl groups deviate only slightly from perpendicularity. In the crystal, due to the effects of crystal packing, the mol­ecule deviates by approximately 4° from the a priori expected ideal value of 90° [C—C—N—C torsion angle = 86.11 (15)°]

The growth of typical star-forming galaxies and their supermassive black holes across cosmic time since z~2

Understanding galaxy formation and evolution requires studying the interplay between the growth of galaxies and the growth of their black holes across cosmic time. Here, we explore a sample of Hα-selected star-forming galaxies from the High Redshift Emission Line Survey and use the wealth of multiwavelength data in the Cosmic Evolution Survey field (X-rays, far-infrared and radio) to study the relative growth rates between typical galaxies and their central supermassive black holes, from z = 2.23 to z = 0. Typical star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 1–2 have black hole accretion rates (M˙BHM˙BH) of 0.001–0.01 M⊙ yr−1 and star formation rates (SFRs) of ∼10–40 M⊙ yr−1, and thus grow their stellar mass much quicker than their black hole mass (3.3±0.2 orders of magnitude faster). However, ∼3 per cent of the sample (the sources detected directly in the X-rays) show a significantly quicker growth of the black hole mass (up to 1.5 orders of magnitude quicker growth than the typical sources). M˙BHM˙BH falls from z = 2.23 to z = 0, with the decline resembling that of SFR density or the typical SFR (SFR*). We find that the average black hole to galaxy growth (M˙BHM˙BH/SFR) is approximately constant for star-forming galaxies in the last 11 Gyr. The relatively constant M˙BHM˙BH/SFR suggests that these two quantities evolve equivalently through cosmic time and with practically no delay between the two

Low-temperature properties of classical, geometrically frustrated antiferromagnets

We study the ground-state and low-energy properties of classical vector spin models with nearest-neighbour antiferromagnetic interactions on a class of geometrically frustrated lattices which includes the kagome and pyrochlore lattices. We explore the behaviour of these magnets that results from their large ground-state degeneracies, emphasising universal features and systematic differences between individual models. We investigate the circumstances under which thermal fluctuations select a particular subset of the ground states, and find that this happens only for the models with the smallest ground-state degeneracies. For the pyrochlore magnets, we give an explicit construction of all ground states, and show that they are not separated by internal energy barriers. We study the precessional spin dynamics of the Heisenberg pyrochlore antiferromagnet. There is no freezing transition or selection of preferred states. Instead, the relaxation time at low temperature, T, is of order hbar/(k_B T). We argue that this behaviour can also be expected in some other systems, including the Heisenberg model for the compound SrCr_8Ga_4O_{19}.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.

Clinical Outcomes and Genetic Expression Profile in Human Liver Graft Dysfunction During Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Introduction. This study aims to compare the molecular gene expression during ischemia reperfusion injury. Several surgical times were considered: in the beginning of the harvesting (T0), at the end of the cold ischemia period (T1), and after reperfusion (T2) and compared with graft dysfunction after liver transplant (OLT). Methods. We studied 54 patients undergoing OLT. Clinical, laboratory data, and histologic data (Suzuki classification) as well as the Survival Outcomes Following Liver Transplantation (SOFT) score were used and compared with the molecular gene expression of the following genes: Interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-a, perforin, E-selectin (SELE), Fas-ligand, granzyme B, heme oxygenase-1, and nitric oxide synthetase. Results. Fifteen patients presented with graft dysfunction according to SOFT criteria. No relevant data were obtained by comparing the variables graft dysfunction and histologic variables. We observed a statistically significant relation between SELE at T0 (P ¼ .013) and IL-1b at T0 (P ¼ .028) and early graft dysfunction. Conclusions. We conclude that several genetically determined proinflammatory expressions may play a critical role in the development of graft dysfunction after OLT