Biodegradation Potential of SteccherinumOchraceum: Growth on Different Wood Types and Preliminary Evaluation of Enzymatic Activities

White-rot fungi isa source of a great variety of oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes suitable for biotechnological applications, e.g. in pulp and paper, textile and food industries, bioethanol production, degradation of recalcitrant environmental pollutants,and others. Steccherinumochraceum is a xylotrophicwhite-rot basidiomycetethat can be found in variousclimatic zones on different woody substrates (mostly well decayed). For this research, seventeenstrains of S. ochraceumwere collected in different regions of Russia from various wood substrates (aspen, alder, oak, hazel, birch and willow). Phylogeneticanalyseswere performedbasedon the nucleotide sequences of ITS1, ITS2, 5.8S rRNA, 28S rRNA, β-tubulin and tef1.Oxidaseandcellulaseactivitieswereassessedbyplate-tests with ABTS and CMC. Forevaluation of biodegradation potential,solid state fermentation on alder and pine sawdust wasperformed. Weightanddensitylossaswellas the C:Nratioweremeasuredafter 90 days of cultivation.All S. ochraceum strains exhibited high oxidative activity towards ABTS, indicating secretion of oxidative enzymes (i.e. laccases and class II peroxidases). Cellulase activity was medium or low for most strains and in some strains – absent. Allstrainswereabletodegradealderandpinesawdust. There was no correlation between the enzymatic activity, biodegradation potential and geographic origin of S. ochraceum strains. However, S. ochraceum strains isolated from the same wood substrates exhibited similar characteristics in most cases. Strain LE-BIN 3398 was the most effective for degrading both alder and pine sawdust and could be regarded as a promising source of oxidative enzymes for biotechnology. Keywords: basidiomycetes, biodegradation, solid state fermentation, oxidase activity, Steccherinumochraceu

Organic matter composition and greenhouse gas production of thawing subsea permafrost in the Laptev Sea

Subsea permafrost represents a large carbon pool that might be or become a significant greenhouse gas source. Scarcity of observational data causes large uncertainties. We here use five 21-56 m long subsea permafrost cores from the Laptev Sea to constrain organic carbon (OC) storage and sources, degradation state and potential greenhouse gas production upon thaw. Grain sizes, optically-stimulated luminescence and biomarkers suggest deposition of aeolian silt and fluvial sand over 160 000 years, with dominant fluvial/alluvial deposition of forest- and tundra-derived organic matter. We estimate an annual thaw rate of 1.3 ± 0.6 kg OC m−2 in subsea permafrost in the area, nine-fold exceeding organic carbon thaw rates for terrestrial permafrost. During 20-month incubations, CH4 and CO2 production averaged 1.7 nmol and 2.4 µmol g−1 OC d−1, providing a baseline to assess the contribution of subsea permafrost to the high CH4 fluxes and strong ocean acidification observed in the region

CASCADE-The Circum-Arctic Sediment CArbon DatabasE

Biogeochemical cycling in the semi-enclosed Arctic Ocean is strongly influenced by land–ocean transport of carbon and other elements and is vulnerable to environmental and climate changes. Sediments of the Arctic Ocean are an important part of biogeochemical cycling in the Arctic and provide the opportunity to study present and historical input and the fate of organic matter (e.g., through permafrost thawing). Comprehensive sedimentary records are required to compare differences between the Arctic regions and to study Arctic biogeochemical budgets. To this end, the Circum-Arctic Sediment CArbon DatabasE (CASCADE) was established to curate data primarily on concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and OC isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) yet also on total N (TN) as well as terrigenous biomarkers and other sediment geochemical and physical properties. This new database builds on the published literature and earlier unpublished records through an extensive international community collaboration. This paper describes the establishment, structure and current status of CASCADE. The first public version includes OC concentrations in surface sediments at 4244 oceanographic stations including 2317 with TN concentrations, 1555 with δ13C-OC values and 268 with Δ14C-OC values and 653 records with quantified terrigenous biomarkers (high-molecular-weight n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and lignin phenols). CASCADE also includes data from 326 sediment cores, retrieved by shallow box or multi-coring, deep gravity/piston coring, or sea-bottom drilling. The comprehensive dataset reveals large-scale features of both OC content and OC sources between the shelf sea recipients. This offers insight into release of pre-aged terrigenous OC to the East Siberian Arctic shelf and younger terrigenous OC to the Kara Sea. Circum-Arctic sediments thereby reveal patterns of terrestrial OC remobilization and provide clues about thawing of permafrost. CASCADE enables synoptic analysis of OC in Arctic Ocean sediments and facilitates a wide array of future empirical and modeling studies of the Arctic carbon cycle. The database is openly and freely available online (https://doi.org/10.17043/cascade; Martens et al., 2021), is provided in various machine-readable data formats (data tables, GIS shapefile, GIS raster), and also provides ways for contributing data for future CASCADE versions. We will continuously update CASCADE with newly published and contributed data over the foreseeable future as part of the database management of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University

Periostin as a Biomarker of Bronchial Asthma

Immune inflammation regulated by CD4+ cells (T cells type 2) is integral to the pathogenesis of most cases of bronchial asthma (BA). However, not all mechanisms of chronic inflammation in BA are studied well enough. More recently the role of periostin (extracellular matrix protein) in development of eosinophilic inflammation and airway remodeling at BA has been revealed. The effect of periostin on BA course and development can be confirmed by its high expression in bronchial epithelium of patients with BA. This review shows current data on periostin structure and synthesis, correlation between periostin and BA course and development and pulmonary function test. Special attention is given to the periostin role in BA in children

Diagnosis of Bronchial Asthma in Children 3–6 Years Old by Using Serum Periostin and Surrogate Markers of Eosinophilic Inflammation (Blood Eosinophils and Total IgE): a Cross-Sectional Study

Background. It is difficult to diagnose bronchial asthma (BA) in children under the age of 6 due to the limited ability to study respiratory function. Therefore, it is relevant to search for such diagnostic markers of BA that do not require the active participation of a child.Objective. Our aim was to assess the diagnostic value of serum periostin levels in comparison with surrogate markers of eosinophilic inflammation (total IgE and blood eosinophils) for the diagnosis of BA in preschool children.Methods. A cross-sectional study included children 3–6 years of age with BA and healthy peers. The levels of serum periostin (ELISA), total IgE (chemiluminescent method), blood eosinophils (counted on a hematological analyzer) were determined. To study the diagnostic value of peripheral blood parameters ROC-analysis was used.Results. Children with BA (n = 56) compared with the healthy group (n = 29) showed higher levels of serum periostin (median and quartile) — 5.7 (3.4, 8.0) and 2.7 (1, 7; 3.6) ng/ml (p < 0.001), total IgE — 180 (122; 622) and 55 (45; 87) IU/ml (p < 0.001), blood eosinophils — 6.1% (3.8; 8.0) and 3.6% (2.7; 4.1) (p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for serum periostin was 0.81 (95% CI 0.73–0.89), for total IgE — 0.86 (95% CI 0.77–0.92), for blood eosinophils — 0.77 (95% CI 0.67–0.86). Independent predictors of serum periostin were total IgE and the number of exacerbations of BA over the past 12 months > 2 (R2 = 0.527).Conclusion. The level of serum periostin in preschool children with BA is higher than in their healthy peers. The diagnostic value of serum periostin in BA is in the range from moderate to good and is comparable to that for the levels of blood eosinophils and total IgE

ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN LIVING IN URBAN SETTINGS OF THE ALTAI REGION: A POPULATION-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background. It is necessary to study the prevalence and risk factors of allergic rhinitis (AR) among pre-school children in order to develop a disease prevention strategy.Objective. Our aim was to study the prevalence, clinical and allergological features, and risk factors for AR in pre-school children living in urban settings of the Altai Region.Methods. At the screening stage, the study enrolled children aged 3–6 years attending pre-school educational institutions in 5 cities of the Altai Region. AR symptoms were determined using the ISAAC questionnaire. The AR was diagnosed if ≥ 2 symptoms (rhinorrhea, nasal breathing difficulty, itching in the nasal cavity, repetitive sneezing) lasted ≥ 1 h with a positive prick test and/or a blood level of specific IgE > 0.35 kU/L to at least one allergen (total 11).Results. The prevalence of AR in urban children aged 3–6 years (n = 3,205) was 10.6%; 48% of them were previously diagnosed with AR. 85% of children had a persistent course of the disease; 69% had mild AR. Most often, there was established sensitization to house dust mites (61.6%), birch pollen (40.9%), and cat fur (19.4%). The risk factors for AR were family history of allergies [odds ratio (OR) 4.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.5–5.9], masculine (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.9–4.0), smoking parents (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.9), nonadherence to a regimen/dosage of vitamin D3 intake in infancy (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.8), presence of asthma-like symptoms (OR 10.2, 95% CI 7.2–14.5), and manifestations of atopic dermatitis (OR 6.0, 95% CI 4.2–8.5).Conclusion. AR occurs in every tenth pre-school child (mainly of mild severity and persistent course), every second disease among them was diagnosed for the first time. Sensitization occurs to typical for childhood allergens. The risk factors for AR are family history of allergies, masculine, passive smoking, ignoring the recommendations of taking vitamin D3 in infancy, the presence of atopic dermatitis, and asthma-like symptoms

Legislative Documents

Also, variously referred to as: House bills; House documents; House legislative documents; legislative documents; General Court documents

Fungal Adaptation to the Advanced Stages of Wood Decomposition: Insights from the Steccherinum ochraceum

Steccherinum ochraceum is a white rot basidiomycete with wide ecological amplitude. It occurs in different regions of Russia and throughout the world, occupying different climatic zones. S. ochraceum colonizes stumps, trunks, and branches of various deciduous (seldom coniferous) trees. As a secondary colonizing fungus, S. ochraceum is mainly observed at the late decay stages. Here, we present the de novo assembly and annotation of the genome of S. ochraceum, LE-BIN 3174. This is the 8th published genome of fungus from the residual polyporoid clade and the first from the Steccherinaceae family. The obtained genome provides a first glimpse into the genetic and enzymatic mechanisms governing adaptation of S. ochraceum to an ecological niche of pre-degraded wood. It is proposed that increased number of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) belonging to the AA superfamily and decreased number of CAZymes belonging to the GH superfamily reflects substrate preferences of S. ochraceum. This proposition is further substantiated by the results of the biochemical plate tests and exoproteomic study, which demonstrates that S. ochraceum assumes the intermediate position between typical primary colonizing fungi and litter decomposers or humus saprotrophs. Phylogenetic analysis of S. ochraceum laccase and class II peroxidase genes revealed the distinct evolutional origin of these genes in the Steccherinaceae family