Spring 1958

Dedication of Turf Clippings to Robert Williams (1) Picture - Stockbridge Turf majors (2) Title page and contents (3) Greetings from Dean Sieling - College of Agriculture (4) Outstanding Men in Turfgrass Honored (4) Word From the Editor of Turf Clippings (5) Message From the 1958 Winter School President (6) Summary of 1958 University of Massachusetts Turfgrass Conference - Al Radko (6-9) Importance of Superintendences Associations - Anthony B. Caranci (10) Picture - Turf Grass Interest Stretch from Coast to Coast (11) Picture - 1958 Winter School for Turf Managers (12) Golf Courses in California - James C. Scott (13) The Constant Battle - Joseph Troll (13) Recognition of the Golf Course Superintendent - Frederick Bove (14-15) 1958 Winter School Comments (16) Maintenance of Insurance Grounds - George J. Moore Jr. (17-18) Don\u27t Get Caught Short - Bruce Silven (19-20) We Have had It - They Now Have it - These Two Shall Have it - Orville O. Clapper (21) The Golf Course Superintendent - Prof. L. S. Dickinson (22-23) Picture - Winter School Alumni Meet at Conference (24) Cartoons (25) Cost of Lawn and Golf Course Construction - Geoffrey Cornish (26-27) Turf Club News (28-29) 1957 Horticulture Show Winner (30) Frosting on the Cake (30) Number One Graduate (31) 1957 Stockbridge Turf majors - Work (32) Turf management Club Associate Memberships (32

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

The Initial 96 Hours of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Histopathology, Comparative Kinetics of Galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-Glucan, and Consequences of Delayed Antifungal Therapy▿

Acute invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a rapidly progressive and frequently lethal infection. Relatively little is known about early events in the pathogenesis and relationship between the cell wall biomarkers galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan. The consequences of delayed antifungal therapy are also poorly defined. A persistently neutropenic rabbit model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was used to describe the histopathology of early invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and the kinetics of galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan. The time course of both molecules was mathematically modeled by using a population methodology, and Monte Carlo simulations were performed. The effect of progressive delay in the administration of amphotericin B deoxycholate 1 mg/kg at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h postinoculation on fungal burden, lung weight, pulmonary infarct score, and survival was determined. Histopathology showed phagocytosis of conidia by pulmonary alveolar macrophages at 4 h postinoculation. At 12 to 24 h, there was a progressive focal inflammatory response with conidial germination and hyphal extension. Subsequently, hyphae invaded into the contiguous lung. Galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan had similar trajectories, and both exhibited considerable interindividual variability, which was reflected in Monte Carlo simulations. Concentrations of both molecules began to rise <24 h postinoculation before pulmonary hemorrhagic infarction was present. Delays of 72 and 96 h in the administration of amphotericin B resulted in fungal burdens and lung weights that were indistinguishable from those of controls, respectively. Galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan have similar kinetics and are comparable biomarkers of early invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Antifungal treatment at ≥48 h postinoculation is associated with suboptimal therapeutic outcomes

Detection of Galactomannan Antigenemia in Patients Receiving Piperacillin-Tazobactam and Correlations between In Vitro, In Vivo, and Clinical Properties of the Drug-Antigen Interaction

Recent case reports describe patients receiving piperacillin-tazobactam who were found to have circulating galactomannan detected by the double sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system, leading to the false presumption of invasive aspergillosis. Since this property of piperacillin-tazobactam and galactomannan ELISA is not well understood, we investigated the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical properties of this interaction. Among the 12 reconstituted antibiotics representing four classes of antibacterial compounds that are commonly used in immunocompromised patients, piperacillin-tazobactam expressed a distinctively high level of galactomannan antigen in vitro (P = 0.001). After intravenous infusion of piperacillin-tazobactam into rabbits, the serum galactomannan index (GMI) in vivo changed significantly (P = 0.0007) from a preinfusion mean baseline value of 0.27 to a mean GMI of 0.83 by 30 min to slowly decline to a mean GMI of 0.44 24 h later. Repeated administration of piperacillin-tazobactam over 7 days resulted in accumulation of circulating galactomannan to a mean peak GMI of 1.31 and a nadir of 0.53. Further studies revealed that the antigen reached a steady state by the third day of administration of piperacillin-tazobactam. Twenty-six hospitalized patients with no evidence of invasive aspergillosis who were receiving antibiotics and ten healthy blood bank donors were studied for expression of circulating galactomannan. Patients (n = 13) receiving piperacillin-tazobactam had significantly greater mean serum GMI values (0.74 ± 0.14) compared to patients (n = 13) receiving other antibiotics (0.14 ± 0.08) and compared to healthy blood bank donors (0.14 ± 0.06) (P < 0.001). Five (38.5%) of thirteen patients receiving piperacillin-tazobactam had serum GMI values > 0.5 compared to none of thirteen subjects receiving other antibiotics (P = 0.039) and to none of ten healthy blood bank donors (P = 0.046). These data demonstrate that among antibiotics that are commonly used in immunocompromised patients, only piperacillin-tazobactam contains significant amounts of galactomannan antigen in vitro, that in animals receiving piperacillin-tazobactam circulating galactomannan antigen accumulates in vivo to significantly increased and sustained levels, and that some but not all patients receiving this antibiotic will demonstrate circulating galactomannan above the threshold considered positive for invasive aspergillosis by the recently licensed double sandwich ELISA