Internet-based self-management in asthma

This thesis describes the role of internet-based support in the delivery of an asthma self management program. First, the compliance and reliability of home lung function monitoring, one of the key features of asthma self-management, was studied and appeared to be high over a 4-week period. Second, we explored intrinsic barriers to current asthma management and revealed possible benefits from internet-based asthma self-management. Participants considered feasible electronic monitoring, easily accessible information, e-mail communication and the use of an electronic action plan to be the main benefits of internet-based asthma self-management. Third, we assessed the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of an internet-based asthma self-management program over a period of 1 year. Internet-based self-management improved asthma related quality of life, asthma control, symptom-free days and lung function, but did not decrease the number of exacerbations. The benefits gained were attained at reasonable costs from a societal perspective and even more so from a health care perspective.ZonMW (Nederlandse organisatie voor gezondheidsonderzoek en zorginnovatie), Astmafonds en SBOH (werkgever van huisartsen in opleiding).UBL - phd migration 201

Draft Genome Sequence of Plantibacterflavus Strain 251 Isolated from a Plant Growing in a Chronically Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site.

Plantibacter flavus isolate 251 is a bacterial endophyte isolated from an Achillea millefolium plant growing in a natural oil seep soil located in Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada. We present here a draft genome sequence of an infrequently reported genus Plantibacter, highlighting an endophytic lifestyle and biotechnological potential

Physiological and transcriptome changes induced by Pseudomonas putida acquisition of an integrative and conjugative element.

Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) comprise ubiquitous large mobile regions in prokaryotic chromosomes that transmit vertically to daughter cells and transfer horizontally to distantly related lineages. Their evolutionary success originates in maximized combined ICE-host fitness trade-offs, but how the ICE impacts on the host metabolism and physiology is poorly understood. Here we investigate global changes in the host genetic network and physiology of Pseudomonas putida with or without an integrated ICEclc, a model ICE widely distributed in proteobacterial genomes. Genome-wide gene expression differences were analyzed by RNA-seq using exponentially growing or stationary phase-restimulated cultures on 3-chlorobenzoate, an aromatic compound metabolizable thanks to specific ICEclc-located genes. We found that the presence of ICEclc imposes a variety of changes in global pathways such as cell cycle and amino acid metabolism, which were more numerous in stationary-restimulated than exponential phase cells. Unexpectedly, ICEclc stimulates cellular motility and leads to more rapid growth on 3-chlorobenzoate than cells carrying only the integrated clc genes. ICEclc also concomitantly activates the P. putida Pspu28-prophage, but this in itself did not provoke measurable fitness effects. ICEclc thus interferes in a number of cellular pathways, inducing both direct benefits as well as indirect costs in P. putida

Genome-wide gene expression changes of Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2 during bioaugmentation in polluted soils.

Bioaugmentation aims to use the capacities of specific bacterial strains inoculated into sites to enhance pollutant biodegradation. Bioaugmentation results have been mixed, which has been attributed to poor inoculant growth and survival in the field, and, consequently, moderate catalytic performance. However, our understanding of biodegradation activity mostly comes from experiments conducted under laboratory conditions, and the processes occurring during adaptation and invasion of inoculants into complex environmental microbiomes remain poorly known. The main aim of this work was thus to study the specific and different cellular reactions of an inoculant for bioaugmentation during adaptation, growth and survival in natural clean and contaminated non-sterile soils, in order to better understand factors limiting bioaugmentation. As inoculant we focused on the monoaromatic compound-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2. The strain proliferated in all but one soil types in presence and in absence of exogenously added toluene. RNAseq and differential genome-wide gene expression analysis illustrated both a range of common soil responses such as increased nutrient scavenging and recycling, expression of defense mechanisms, as well as environment-specific reactions, notably osmoprotection and metal homeostasis. The core metabolism of P. veronii remained remarkably constant during exponential growth irrespective of the environment, with slight changes in cofactor regeneration pathways, possibly needed for balancing defense reactions. P. veronii displayed a versatile global program, enabling it to adapt to a variety of soil environments in the presence and even in absence of its target pollutant toluene. Our results thus challenge the widely perceived dogma of poor survival and growth of exogenous inoculants in complex microbial ecosystems such as soil and provide a further basis to developing successful bioaugmentation strategies

Draft Genome Sequence of Microbacterium foliorum Strain 122 Isolated from a Plant Growing in a Chronically Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site.

Microbacterium foliorum strain 122 is a bacterial endophyte isolated from a Dactylis glomerata plant growing in a natural oil seep soil located in Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada. We present here a draft genome sequence of an endophytic strain that has promising potential in hydrocarbon degradation and plant growth promotion

Insights into Mobile Genetic Elements of the Biocide-Degrading Bacterium Pseudomonas nitroreducens HBP-1.

The sewage sludge isolate Pseudomonas nitroreducens HBP-1 was the first bacterium known to completely degrade the fungicide 2-hydroxybiphenyl. PacBio and Illumina whole-genome sequencing revealed three circular DNA replicons: a chromosome and two plasmids. Plasmids were shown to code for putative adaptive functions such as heavy metal resistance, but with unclarified ability for self-transfer. About one-tenth of strain HBP-1's chromosomal genes are likely of recent horizontal influx, being part of genomic islands, prophages and integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). P. nitroreducens carries two large ICEs with different functional specialization, but with homologous core structures to the well-known ICEclc of Pseudomonas knackmussii B13. The variable regions of ICEPni1 (96 kb) code for, among others, heavy metal resistances and formaldehyde detoxification, whereas those of ICEPni2 (171 kb) encodes complete meta-cleavage pathways for catabolism of 2-hydroxybiphenyl and salicylate, a protocatechuate pathway and peripheral enzymes for 4-hydroxybenzoate, ferulate, vanillin and vanillate transformation. Both ICEs transferred at frequencies of 10 <sup>-6</sup> -10 <sup>-8</sup> per P. nitroreducens HBP-1 donor into Pseudomonas putida, where they integrated site specifically into tRNA <sup>Gly</sup> -gene targets, as expected. Our study highlights the underlying determinants and mechanisms driving dissemination of adaptive properties allowing bacterial strains to cope with polluted environments

Long-term effects of husbandry procedures on stress-related parameters in male mice of two strains

In socially unstable groups of male laboratory mice, individuals may experience a chronic stress situation. Previous experiments have shown that the transfer of specific olfactory cues during cage cleaning, and the provision of nesting material decrease aggression and stress in group-housed male mice. In this study, the combined effect of these husbandry procedures were tested for their long-term effect on stress in groups of moderately aggressive (BALB/c) and severely aggressive (CD-1) male mice. The physiological and behavioural stress-related parameters used were body weight, food and water intake, spleen and thymus weight, adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase activity, urine corticosterone levels and behaviour in a cage emergence test. Long-term provision of nesting material and its transfer during cage cleaning was found to influence several stress-related physiological parameters. Mice housed in cages enriched with nesting material had lower urine corticosterone levels and heavier thymuses, and they consumed less food and water than standard-housed mice. Furthermore, marked differences were found between strains. CD-1 mice were less anxious in the cage emergence test, weighed more, ate and drank more, and had heavier thymuses but lighter spleens and lower corticosterone levels than BALB/c mice. We conclude that the long-term provision of nesting material, including the transfer of nesting material during cage cleaning, reduces stress and thereby enhances the welfare of laboratory mice.</p

Virtual reality and collaborative learning: a systematic literature review

Computer Systems, Imagery and Medi