Analysis of gene expression to predict dynamics of future hypertension incidence in type 2 diabetic patients

BACKGROUND: The main focus of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 19 (GAW19) is identification of genes related to the occurrence of hypertension in the cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of our study was to predict dynamics of the future hypertension incidence, based on gene expression profiles, systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes in time, sex, baseline age, and cigarette smoking status. We analyzed data made available to GAW19 participants, which included gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the diabetic members of 20 Mexican American families. METHODS: On the basis of mid blood pressure measurements at several time points, the coefficient of regression (slope) was calculated for each individual. We corrected the slope value in patients treated with antihypertensive medications. Feature preprocessing methods were used to remove highly correlated probes and linear dependencies between them. Subsequently, multiple linear regression model was used to associate gene expression with the regression coefficient calculated for each T2DM patient. Tenfold cross-validation was used to validate the model. We used linear mixed effects model and kinship coefficients to account for the family structure. All calculations were performed in R. RESULTS: This analysis allowed us to identify 6 well-annotated genes: RTP4, FXYD6, GDF11, IFNAR1, NOX3, and HLA-DQ2, associated with dynamics of future hypertension incidence. Two of them, IFNAR1 and NOX3 were previously implicated in pathogenesis of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: There is no obvious mechanism that links all detected genes with dynamics of hypertension incidence. Identification of possible connection with hypertension needs further investigation

First insight into microbial community composition in a phosphogypsum waste heap soil

The aim of this study was to investigate the soil microbial communities of a phosphogypsum waste heap. The soil microbial community structures can differ over time, as they are affected by the changing environmental conditions caused by a long-term exposure to different kinds of pollutions, like is the case of soil in the post-production waste area in Wiślinka (in the northern part of Poland) currently undergoing restoration. Our analyses indicated that the most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, and generally such an abundance is common for most of the studied soils. The most dominant class were Alphaproteobacteria, with their participation in 33.46% of the total reads. Among this class, the most numbered order was Sphingomonadales, whereas among this order the Sphingomonadaceae family was the most abundant one. The Sphingomonadaceae family is currently in the center of interest of many researchers, due to the ability of some of its members to utilize a wide range of naturally occurring organic compounds and many types of environmental contaminants. This kind of knowledge about microbial populations can support efforts in bioremediation and can improve monitoring changes in the contaminated environments

Comprehensive detection and identification of bacterial DNA in the blood of patients with sepsis and healthy volunteers using next-generation sequencing method : the observation of DNAemia

Blood is considered to be a sterile microenvironment, in which bacteria appear only periodically. Previously used methods allowed only for the detection of either viable bacteria with low sensitivity or selected species of bacteria. The Next-Generation Sequencing method (NGS) enables the identification of all bacteria in the sample with their taxonomic classification. We used NGS for the analysis of blood samples from healthy volunteers (n = 23) and patients with sepsis (n = 62) to check whether any bacterial DNA exists in the blood of healthy people and to identify bacterial taxonomic profile in the blood of septic patients. The presence of bacterial DNA was found both in septic and healthy subjects; however, bacterial diversity was significantly different (P = 0.002) between the studied groups. Among healthy volunteers, a significant predominance of anaerobic bacteria (76.2 %), of which most were bacteria of the order Bifidobacteriales (73.0 %), was observed. In sepsis, the majority of detected taxa belonged to aerobic or microaerophilic microorganisms (75.1 %). The most striking difference was seen in the case of Actinobacteria phyla, the abundance of which was decreased in sepsis (P < 0.001) and Proteobacteria phyla which was decreased in the healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). Our research shows that bacterial DNA can be detected in the blood of healthy people and that its taxonomic composition is different from the one seen in septic patients. Detection of bacterial DNA in the blood of healthy people may suggest that bacteria continuously translocate into the blood, but not always cause sepsis; this observation can be called DNAemia. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10096-016-2805-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Qualitative parameters of the colonic flora in Patients with HNF1A-MODY are different from those observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is determined by genetic and environmental factors. There have been many studies on the relationship between the composition of the gastrointestinal bacterial flora, T2DM, and obesity. There are no data, however, on the gut microbiome structure in monogenic forms of the disease including Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY). Methods. The aim of the investigation was to compare the qualitative parameters of the colonic flora in patients with HNF1A-MODY and T2DM and healthy individuals. 16S sequencing of bacterial DNA isolated from the collected fecal samples using the MiSeq platform was performed. Results. There were significant between-group differences in the bacterial profile. At the phylum level, the amount of Proteobacteria was higher (p=0.0006) and the amount of Bacteroidetes was lower (p=0.0005) in T2DM group in comparison to the control group. In HNF1A-MODY group, the frequency of Bacteroidetes was lower than in the control group (p=0.0143). At the order level, Turicibacterales was more abundant in HNF1A-MODY group than in T2DM group. Conclusions. It appears that there are differences in the gut microbiome composition between patients with HNF1A-MODY and type 2 diabetes. Further investigation on this matter should be conducted

Qualitative Parameters of the Colonic Flora in Patients with HNF1A-MODY Are Different from Those Observed in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is determined by genetic and environmental factors. There have been many studies on the relationship between the composition of the gastrointestinal bacterial flora, T2DM, and obesity. There are no data, however, on the gut microbiome structure in monogenic forms of the disease including Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY). Methods. The aim of the investigation was to compare the qualitative parameters of the colonic flora in patients with HNF1A-MODY and T2DM and healthy individuals. 16S sequencing of bacterial DNA isolated from the collected fecal samples using the MiSeq platform was performed. Results. There were significant between-group differences in the bacterial profile. At the phylum level, the amount of Proteobacteria was higher ( = 0.0006) and the amount of Bacteroidetes was lower ( = 0.0005) in T2DM group in comparison to the control group. In HNF1A-MODY group, the frequency of Bacteroidetes was lower than in the control group ( = 0.0143). At the order level, Turicibacterales was more abundant in HNF1A-MODY group than in T2DM group. Conclusions. It appears that there are differences in the gut microbiome composition between patients with HNF1A-MODY and type 2 diabetes. Further investigation on this matter should be conducted

Perception and preservation of national heritage in historically conditioned regions

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie autorskiej propozycji wyodrębnienia regionów na podstawie granic historycznych (z ostatnich 400 lat, przede wszystkim granic przecinających Polskę w XIX i XX w.) oraz weryfikacja hipotezy, że granice te różnicują nasz kraj w sferze postrzegania dziedzictwa narodowego i kultywowania tradycji oraz w odniesieniu do analizowanych wskaźników społecznych. W opracowaniu wykorzystano dane statystyczne o postrzeganiu dziedzictwa narodowego i kultywowaniu tradycji, uogólnione dla wyodrębnionych regionów uwarunkowanych historycznie, pochodzące z cyklicznego, wieloaspektowego, ankietowego Badania spójności społecznej (BSS), przeprowadzonego przez GUS w 2015 r. Uwzględniono również dane Narodowego Instytutu Dziedzictwa (NID) o zabytkach oraz statystykę ludności według rejestru TERYT. Największe różnice — w stosunku do przeciętnych dla kraju — wartości analizowanych wskaźników wystąpiły w przypadku: Ziem Zachodnich i Północnych, obszaru woj. śląskiego w II RP, Galicji i wschodniej części zaboru rosyjskiego w obecnych granicach Polski (kongresowego Królestwa Polskiego) — na wschód od Wisły, Narwi i Pisy.The aim of the article is to present an author’s proposal to distinguish regions based on the analysis of historical borders (from the last 400 years, mainly the borders crossing Poland in the 19th and the 20th century) and to verify the hypothesis that those historical borders diversify our country in the sphere of perception and preservation of national heritage and in relation to the analysed social indicators. The study contains statistical data on the perception and preservation of national heritage generalised for the elaborated historically conditioned regions from the cyclic, multidimensional Social Cohesion Survey conducted by Statistics Poland in 2015. In addition, data on monuments of the National Heritage Board of Poland and population data based on National Official Register of the Territorial Division of the Country (TERYT) were also taken into account. The largest differences in relation to the country’s average values of the analysed indicators occurred in the western and northern territories of Poland, the Śląskie voivodship area in Poland before the World War II, as well as Galicia and the eastern part of Russian partition within the present borders of Poland — east of the Vistula, Narew and Pisa rivers

Effect of a Mineral-Organic Concentrate on a Yield Increase and Seed Quality of Perennial Ryegrass (<i>Lolium perenne</i> L.)

Treatment of plants with mineral-organic concentrates has developed intensively in recent years. Fertilizers containing, among others, humus, L-amino acids, vitamins, chelates and metal complexes, macro-, micro- and meso-elements, organic matter and humic acids from the top organic layer of leonardite coal have a positive effect on plant growth and quality and seed yield. An experiment was conducted between 2019 and 2022 at the University of Agriculture in Kraków, in which the impact of mineral-organic concentrate on the seed yield and quality of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) 2N Bokser (Hodowla Roślin Grunwald Ltd. Grupa IHAR, Grunwa, Poland) was determined. As part of the experiment, plants were sprayed with a mineral-organic product in three different doses: 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 L·ha−1. The following parameters were examined: the number of generative shoots, the length of the flag leaf, seed yield, germination capacity and the weight of one thousand seeds. It turned out that the application of the concentrate with 3 L·ha−1 and 2 L·ha−1 led to a significant increase in the number of generative shoots and in seed yield, compared to control. In addition, seed germination capacity of fertilized plants was higher, with the greatest increase after the application of 3 L·ha−1. Moreover, the average weight of one thousand seeds was significantly higher in fertilized plants, compared to the control, and the largest increase was recorded in response to the highest dose. The results indicated a positive effect of the organic-mineral concentrate on perennial ryegrass development parameters and seed quality