Effect of the Organic Loading Rate Increase and the Presence of Zeolite on Microbial Community Composition and Process Stability During Anaerobic Digestion of Chicken Wastes

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York. This study investigates the effect of the organic loading rate (OLR) increase from 1.0 to 3.5 g VS L−1 day−1 at constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 35 days on anaerobic reactors’ performance and microbial diversity during mesophilic anaerobic digestion of ammonium-rich chicken wastes in the absence/presence of zeolite. The effects of anaerobic process parameters on microbial community structure and dynamics were evaluated using a 16S ribosomal RNA gene-based pyrosequencing approach. Maximum 12 % of the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) was efficiently removed by zeolite in the fixed zeolite reactor (day 87). In addition, volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the fixed zeolite reactor accumulated in lower concentrations at high OLR of 3.2–3.5 g VS L−1 day−1. Microbial communities in the fixed zeolite reactor and reactor without zeolite were dominated by various members of Bacteroidales and Methanobacterium sp. at moderate TAN and VFA levels. The increase of the OLR accompanied by TAN and VFA accumulation and increase in pH led to the predominance of representatives of the family Erysipelotrichaceae and genera Clostridium and Methanosarcina. Methanosarcina sp. reached relative abundances of 94 and 57 % in the fixed zeolite reactor and reactor without zeolite at the end of the experimental period, respectively. In addition, the diminution of Synergistaceae and Crenarchaeota and increase in the abundance of Acholeplasmataceae in parallel with the increase of TAN, VFA, and pH values were observed

Shotgun metagenomic data on the human stool samples to characterize shifts of the gut microbial profile after the Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy

© 2017 The Authors The shotgun sequencing data presented in this report are related to the research article named “Gut microbiome shotgun sequencing in assessment of microbial community changes associated with H. pylori eradication therapy” (Khusnutdinova et al., 2016) [1]. Typically, the H. pylori eradication protocol includes a prolonged two-week use of the broad-spectrum antibiotics. The presented data on the whole-genome sequencing of the total DNA from stool samples of patients before the start of the eradication, immediately after eradication and several weeks after the end of treatment could help to profile the gut microbiota both taxonomically and functionally. The presented data together with those described in Glushchenko et al. (2017) [2] allow researchers to characterize the metagenomic profiles in which the use of antibiotics could result in dramatic changes in the intestinal microbiota composition. We perform 15 gut metagenomes from 5 patients with H. pylori infection, obtained through the shotgun sequencing on the SOLiD 5500 W platform. Raw reads are deposited in the ENA under project ID PRJEB21338

LC-MS Method Development for Simultaneous Determination of Trans-3′-hydroxycotinine and Three Mercapturic Acids in Urine

© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. The negative impact of tobacco smoke on the human body is due to a wide range of harmful substances including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some VOCs of tobacco smoke metabolize in human organism into mercapturic acids (MAs). The determination of the amount of MAs in readily available biological fluids, for example in urine, allows to assess the level of exposure of these VOCs in a particular person. It is useful to assess the impact of individual VOCs on the body together with the assessment of the intake of nicotine. The intake of nicotine can be determined by the content of its metabolites in the urine, in particular by the content of trans-3′-hydroxycotinine (tH-Cot). A joint assessment of the concentrations of trans-3′-hydroxycotinine and MAs in urine allows obtaining selective information about effects of different VOCs and nicotine on the smoker’s body. We have developed a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for simultaneous quantifying of tH-Cot and three MAs: N-Acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)cysteine (HPMA), N-Acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl-1-methyl)-L-cysteine (HMPMA), N-Acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA). We used this method to quantify the levels of MAs and tH-Cot in the urine of a group of 15 smokers just before and 5 days after smoking cessation. For all studied compounds, we have found statistically significant changes in concentration on the fifth day of smoking cessation. The method developed can be used to jointly assess the levels of exposure to nicotine and VOCs in the study of various tobacco products

Catamnesis of children from mothers who had A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza during pregnancy

The aim of this study was to assess 5-years catamnesis of children from mothers who had A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza during pregnancy. The design of the research: cohort cross-sectional retrospective "case - control" study. The study group included 227 children of mothers who had A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza during pregnancy, and the control group was consisted of 227 children whose mothers didn't have A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza in epidemic period during pregnancy. It was shown that 11,9 % of children born to mothers with influenza infection during pregnancy vs 1,8 % of children of the control group to 5-year age formed a cohort of patients with recurrent respiratory tract infections (p < 0,001). Acute respiratory infections were complicated by pneumonia in 15,4 % of study group children vs 8,8 % of children in the comparison group (p = 0,044). We founded a significant association between maternity A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza during 1st and 2nd trimesters of gestation and increased frequency of asthma in their children

Reservoir Topology in Deep Echo State Networks

Deep Echo State Networks (DeepESNs) recently extended the applicability of Reservoir Computing (RC) methods towards the field of deep learning. In this paper we study the impact of constrained reservoir topologies in the architectural design of deep reservoirs, through numerical experiments on several RC benchmarks. The major outcome of our investigation is to show the remarkable effect, in terms of predictive performance gain, achieved by the synergy between a deep reservoir construction and a structured organization of the recurrent units in each layer. Our results also indicate that a particularly advantageous architectural setting is obtained in correspondence of DeepESNs where reservoir units are structured according to a permutation recurrent matrix.Comment: Preprint of the paper published in the proceedings of ICANN 201

Gut Microbiome Shotgun Sequencing in Assessment of Microbial Community Changes Associated with H. pylori Eradication Therapy

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Disturbance of intestinal microbiota content and functions often results in different pathological conditions. Pharmacotherapy including antibiotics use is one of the factors leading to dysbiosis. To evaluate the influence of antibiotics use on intestinal microbiota metagenomic profiles of stool, samples of 74 patients before and after Helicobacter pylori—eradication therapy—were analyzed. Evaluation of taxonomic diversity changes based on Shannon index and Bray-Curtis metrics allows to range patients according to mild, moderate, and severe risk of disturbance of intestinal microbiota pathological conditions

Food behavior as a factor of health

One of the theoretical foundations for improving student health is the correct nutritional behavior of a person and the right attitude to physical education. The physiological parameters of eating behavior are determined by the body's need for consumption and digestion of food, the state of homeostasis, which maintains the stability of its functional systems, including the digestive system. The psychological parameters of eating behavior are determined by the personal attitude to eating and its methods. Analysis of risk factors for the development of metabolic syndrome in students helps to include such innovative methods in the learning process at the university as ecologization of students' knowledge, increasing the actualization of physical education among students.Одной из теоретических основ улучшения здоровья студентов является правильное пищевое поведение человека и правильное отношение к физическому воспитанию. Физиологические параметры пищевого поведения определяются потребностью организма в потреблении и переваривании пищи и определяют нутритивный статус человека. Психологические параметры пищевого поведения определяются личным отношением к еде и её потреблению. Анализ факторов риска развития метаболического синдрома у студентов помогает включать такие инновационные методы в процесс обучения в ВУЗе, как экологизация знаний студентов, повышение актуализации физической культуры среди студентов

Characterization of Dysbiotic Changes of Skin Microbiota in Contact Sports Athletes

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Contact sports athletes often suffer from various skin disorders (inflammatory diseases of bacterial and fungal origin, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, etc.) resulting in long breaks in training which ruin athletic performance. Wrestling implies intense skin-to-skin contact that creates perfect conditions for transmission of the infectious agents. Following the standard rules of hygiene (showering and handwashing directly after each competition and training) does not exclude the possibility to get an infection from sparring partner. To characterize the skin microbial composition of wrestlers who do not have current manifestation of any skin disorders, the metagenomic analysis was performed. Absolute predominance of Bacillus genus in metagenomic profiles of wrestlers’ skin was observed in contrast with the existing literature data. Classic microbiological approaches allowed to detect hemolytic forms of microorganisms. Wrestlers’ skin appeared to be colonized with hemolytic bacilli, whereas the non-wrestler athletes did not have such bacteria on their skin. Such dysbiotic shifts in the microbial community may cause the emergence of skin diseases. Revealed properties could help to design highly effective antiseptics for the contact sports hygiene

First Results from the AMoRE-Pilot neutrinoless double beta decay experiment

The Advanced Molybdenum-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) aims to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0$\nu\beta\beta$) of $^{100}$Mo with $\sim$100 kg of $^{100}$Mo-enriched molybdenum embedded in cryogenic detectors with a dual heat and light readout. At the current, pilot stage of the AMoRE project we employ six calcium molybdate crystals with a total mass of 1.9 kg, produced from $^{48}$Ca-depleted calcium and $^{100}$Mo-enriched molybdenum ($^{48\textrm{depl}}$Ca$^{100}$MoO$_4$). The simultaneous detection of heat(phonon) and scintillation (photon) signals is realized with high resolution metallic magnetic calorimeter sensors that operate at milli-Kelvin temperatures. This stage of the project is carried out in the Yangyang underground laboratory at a depth of 700 m. We report first results from the AMoRE-Pilot $0\nu\beta\beta$ search with a 111 kg$\cdot$d live exposure of $^{48\textrm{depl}}$Ca$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystals. No evidence for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay of $^{100}$Mo is found, and a upper limit is set for the half-life of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ of $^{100}$Mo of $T^{0\nu}_{1/2} > 9.5\times10^{22}$ y at 90% C.L.. This limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass limit in the range $\langle m_{\beta\beta}\rangle\le(1.2-2.1)$ eV

Напряженность иммунитета к кори в различных группах населения

Objective: to examine the state of the immunity to measles in different age groups.Materials and methods: In 2018, 4444 people were examined at the Diagnostic Center (virological). Among them, 3783 people were examined using the passive haemagglutination test for measles (manufactured by Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia). In the remaining 661 cases, the IgG to measles were detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by VektoMeaseles IgG test (manufactured by Vector-Best, Russia). The correlation between the measles IgG level (ELISA) and the age was examined in 518 patients. Results: In this study, the immunity to measles was shown to be insufficient in all groups of observed people. Even among medical staff, nearly 10% had no protective level of measles antibodies. We have shown that the correlation between the measles IgG level and the age is statistically significant, so that the number of seronegative persons in different age groups differs significantly. Conclusion: The highest ratio of seronegative individuals was found in the age group between 18 and 25 years (52,33%), which can lead to serious measles outbreaks. Hence, this study confirms a strong need for additional immunization in all groups and especially in young population.Цель: изучить состояние иммунитета к кори в различных возрастных группах.Материалы и методы: В 2018 г. в Клинической инфекционной больнице им. С.П. Боткина в Городском консультативно-диагностическом центре (вирусологическом) было обследовано 4444 человека: у 3783 человек исследование было выполнено при помощи набора реагентов для реакции пассивной гемагглютинации к кори (производитель Научно-исследовательский институт эпидемиологии и микробиологии имени Пастера, Россия), в 661 случае был выполнен иммуноферментный анализ по определению IgG к вирусу кори с использованием тестсистемы «ВектоКорь IgG» (производитель АО «ВекторБест», Россия). Зависимость уровня антител к кори (метод иммуноферментного аналаиза) от возраста была исследована у 518 пациентов. Результаты: в данном исследовании было показано, что в настоящее время напряженность иммунитета во всех возрастных группах недостаточна. Даже среди медицинских работников был отмечен высокий процент серонегативных лиц. Показано наличие достоверной корреляции между уровнем IgG к кори и возрастом пациентов. Выявлены достоверные отличия по количеству серонегативных по кори лиц в различных возрастных группах. Заключение: значительное количество серонегативных лиц в возрастной группе до 25 лет создает серьезный риск возникновения эпидемии кори. Данное исследование показывает необходимость дополнительной иммунизации против кори всех групп населения и особенно лиц молодого возраста.