Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases Induces K+ Channel Remodeling and Action Potential Prolongation in HL-1 Atrial Cardiomyocytes

Background/Aims: Cardiac arrhythmias are triggered by environmental stimuli that may modulate expression of cardiac ion channels. Underlying epigenetic regulation of cardiac electrophysiology remains incompletely understood. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) control gene expression and cardiac integrity. We hypothesized that class I/II HDACs transcriptionally regulate ion channel expression and determine action potential duration (APD) in cardiac myocytes. Methods: Global class I/II HDAC inhibition was achieved by administration of trichostatin A (TSA). HDAC-mediated effects on K+ channel expression and electrophysiological function were evaluated in murine atrial cardiomyocytes (HL-1 cells) using real-time PCR, Western blot, and patch clamp analyses. Electrical tachypacing was employed to recapitulate arrhythmia-related effects on ion channel remodeling in the absence and presence of HDAC inhibition. Results: Global HDAC inhibition increased histone acetylation and prolonged APD90 in atrial cardiomyocytes compared to untreated control cells. Transcript levels of voltage-gated or inwardly rectifying K+ channels Kcnq1, Kcnj3 and Kcnj5 were significantly reduced, whereas Kcnk2, Kcnj2 and Kcnd3 mRNAs were upregulated. Ion channel remodeling was similarly observed at protein level. Short-term tachypacing did not induce significant transcriptional K+ channel remodeling. Conclusion: The present findings link class I/II HDAC activity to regulation of ion channel expression and action potential duration in atrial cardiomyocytes. Clinical implications for HDAC-based antiarrhythmic therapy and cardiac safety of HDAC inhibitors require further investigation

Prediction of the intestinal resistome by a three-dimensional structure-based method

The intestinal microbiota is considered to be a major reservoir of antibiotic resistance determinants (ARDs) that could potentially be transferred to bacterial pathogens via mobile genetic elements. Yet, this assumption is poorly supported by empirical evidence due to the distant homologies between known ARDs (mostly from culturable bacteria) and ARDs from the intestinal microbiota. Consequently, an accurate census of intestinal ARDs (that is, the intestinal resistome) has not yet been fully determined. For this purpose, we developed and validated an annotation method (called pairwise comparative modelling) on the basis of a three-dimensional structure (homology comparative modelling), leading to the prediction of 6,095 ARDs in a catalogue of 3.9 million proteins from the human intestinal microbiota. We found that the majority of predicted ARDs (pdARDs) were distantly related to known ARDs (mean amino acid identity 29.8%) and found little evidence supporting their transfer between species. According to the composition of their resistome, we were able to cluster subjects from the MetaHIT cohort (n = 663) into six resistotypes that were connected to the previously described enterotypes. Finally, we found that the relative abundance of pdARDs was positively associated with gene richness, but not when subjects were exposed to antibiotics. Altogether, our results indicate that the majority of intestinal microbiota ARDs can be considered intrinsic to the dominant commensal microbiota and that these genes are rarely shared with bacterial pathogens

Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response

Soils store about four times as much carbon as plant biomass(1), and soil microbial respiration releases about 60 petagrams of carbon per year to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide(2). Short-term experiments have shown that soil microbial respiration increases exponentially with temperature(3). This information has been incorporated into soil carbon and Earth-system models, which suggest that warming-induced increases in carbon dioxide release from soils represent an important positive feedback loop that could influence twenty-first-century climate change(4). The magnitude of this feedback remains uncertain, however, not least because the response of soil microbial communities to changing temperatures has the potential to either decrease(5-7) or increase(8,9) warming-induced carbon losses substantially. Here we collect soils from different ecosystems along a climate gradient from the Arctic to the Amazon and investigate how microbial community-level responses control the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. We find that the microbial community-level response more often enhances than reduces the mid-to long-term (90 days) temperature sensitivity of respiration. Furthermore, the strongest enhancing responses were observed in soils with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and in soils from cold climatic regions. After 90 days, microbial community responses increased the temperature sensitivity of respiration in high-latitude soils by a factor of 1.4 compared to the instantaneous temperature response. This suggests that the substantial carbon stores in Arctic and boreal soils could be more vulnerable to climate warming than currently predicted.Output Type: Lette

Vocational training of nurses in the study bridging-conscious choice or necessity?

Wstęp. Lata 90. XX wieku to początek transformacji w systemie kształcenia polskich pielęgniarek. Zgodnie z zapisami Dyrektywy 2005/36/WE Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady pielęgniarki stanęły przed możliwością uzupełnienia swoich kwalifikacji zawodowych do obowiązujących w krajach Unii Europejskiej.Cel. Celem pracy było poznanie opinii pielęgniarek o kształceniu zawodowym w ramach studiów pomostowych.Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 320 czynnych zawodowo pielęgniarek (315) i pielęgniarzy (5) z województwa zachodniopomorskiego, których podzielono na dwie grupy. Pierwsza z nich — grupa badana (207 osób) to pielęgniarki/rze, którzy ukończyli kształcenie w ramach studiów pomostowych lub byli w trakcie ich realizacji. Druga grupa ankietowanych to grupa kontrolna (113 osób), która nie skorzystała z tej opcji podniesienia wykształcenia. Narzędziem badawczym były dwie autorskie ankiety.Wyniki. Dla większości uczestników kształcenia pomostowego (77,5%) studia są świadomie podjętą decyzją. Jednak dla wielu respondentów są one koniecznością.Wnioski. 1. Studia pomostowe są dla pielęgniarek/rzy szansą uzupełnienia kwalifikacji zawodowych do poziomu licencjata pielęgniarstwa spełniającego wymogi unijne. Studia pomostowe wzmacniają samoocenę na gruncie zawodowym i społecznym, zwiększają motywację do dalszego doskonalenia kwalifikacji zawodowych oraz dają poczucie stabilizacji zawodowej.2. W opinii pielęgniarek/rzy nieuczestniczących w kształceniu pomostowym studia te są dla większości koniecznością, wynikającą z niekorzystnego zapisu traktatu akcesyjnego. Ich ukończenie daje możliwość podjęcia pracy w zawodzie poza granicami kraju, motywuje do dalszego podnoszenia kwalifikacji zawodowych oraz wzmacnia prestiż zawodowy. Dla wielu z nich studia pomostowe to strata czasu i pieniędzy.Introduction. The ’90s of the twentieth century was the beginning of a transformation in the education system of Polish nurses. In accordance with the Directive 2005/36/WE of the European Parliament and the Council, nurses could finally obtain professional qualifications at the level obligatory in the European Union.Aim. The purpose of this study is to analyze opinions of nurses on bridging courses.Material and methods. The study involved 320 nurses, including 315 women and 5 men. The respondents were professionally active nurses from the region of West Pomerania. They were divided into two groups: the study group (207) – nurses who were studying or had completed bridging studies, and the control group (113) – nurses who had not decided to raise their education levels. The research tools were two original questionnaires.Results. For most respondents bridging studies (77.5%) are a consequence of a consciously taken decision. For many of them, however studies are a necessity.Conclusions. 1. Bridging studies are an opportunity to obtain a professional nurse degree in accordance with the EU requirements. They increase motivation to improve professional skills and give a sense of professional stability. 2. According to non-participants of bridging courses, studies are for most nurses a necessity resulting from the unfavorable record of the Accession Treaty. Studies give the possibility of working as a nurse in another country, motivate to improve professional skills, and strengthen professional prestige. Many respondents perceive bridging studies as a waste of time and money

eHealth mindfulness-based music therapy for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A pilot randomized controlled trial protocol

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is the preferred therapy for patients with high-risk or relapsed hematologic malignancies, but may be complicated by psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) and symptom burden (e.g., fatigue, pain). Mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT), a relatively novel integrative medicine intervention that draws from mindfulness and music therapy principles, has shown promise in improving psychosocial outcomes and symptom burden in cancer patients. We outline an eHealth-based MBMT (eMBMT) intervention protocol examining: (1) feasibility, acceptability, and intended effects of eMBMT in improving HRQOL, symptom burden, and clinical markers of disease activity (e.g., infections), and (2) the extent to which eMBMT music therapy component-associated improvements in HRQOL, symptom burden, and disease activity are mediated by improvements in psychosocial and physiological (e.g., systemic inflammation, immune recovery) adaptation. Participants (n = 60) with a hematologic malignancy undergoing allo-SCT will be randomized to receive eMBMT or an eHealth-based mindfulness meditation (eMM) intervention. eMBMT includes eight 60-min sessions facilitated by a music therapist focusing on mindfulness and music therapy. eMM includes eight 60-min self-led MM practices. Feasibility, acceptability, HRQOL, symptom burden, disease activity, and mediation effects of psychosocial and physiological adaptation will be assessed at baseline, pre-infusion, and post-engraftment with blood collection at baseline and post-engraftment. The current pilot RCT is the first eMBMT intervention to address the HRQOL and symptom burden of patients who are undergoing allo-SCT. Results will inform a fully powered RCT to establish preliminary efficacy of eMBMT on improvements in HRQOL, symptom burden, and disease activity. •Allo-SCT patients face chronic emotional, psychosocial, and physical challenges.•MBMT incorporates principles of music therapy and mindfulness meditation practice.•There are no MBMT interventions specifically designed for allo-SCT patients.•eMBMT aims to improve HRQOL, reduce symptom burden, and ameliorate disease activity

WG4: Development of Standards and Guidelines for Data Archiving and long-term preservation (content, curation, technical, documentation)

WG4 Tasks (a) Identify existing communities and expertise, concepts and standards on storage space and solutions on data archiving and long-term preservation (b) Compile guidelines about strategies for long term data archiving for different types of institution