The recovery of nucleic acid from biomining and acid mine drainage microorganisms

The cornerstone of biological molecular techniques is the extraction of the intra- or extra-cellular component of interest. However, inefficiencies in the extraction method can lead to results that are not representative of the microbial population under investigation. It is particularly difficult to extract clean and pure samples of the cellular component of interest from the microbial inhabitants of low-pH, sulfidic environments, such as those found in biomining or acid mine drainage (AMD). A number of nucleic acid (NA) extraction methods were tested using microorganisms commonly found in biomining and AMD environments, including archaea and Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The different stages in the methods of NA extraction were investigated separately, including the: (i) removal of cells from pyrite, (ii) cell lysis and nucleic acid extraction, (iii) nucleic acid precipitation and (iv) RNA purification using, as appropriate, microscopy, spectrophotometry, agarose gel electrophoresis of NA, PCR, quantitative-PCR and quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR to assess the quality and quantity of the DNA and RNA.The relative percentage of NA recovered from each microorganism using the optimised method discussed in this paper returned the following percentage of NA per cell: At. ferrooxidans 91% ± 1.4%; At. caldus 91% ± 2.7%; L. ferriphilum 98% ± 1.2%; F. acidiphilum 83% ± 2.9%; and S. thermosulfidooxidans 79% ± 0.7%. Differences in lysis methods and NA precipitation greatly impacted the quality and quantity of the extracted NA. A method for the reliable, representative and reproducible extraction of NA from five strains of biomining and AMD microorganisms from pyrite and from liquid culture is described

Synthesis of the originally proposed structures of elatenyne and an enyne from Laurencia majuscula

A bidirectional synthesis of the originally proposed structures for the natural products elatenyne and a chloroenyne from Laurencia majuscula is described along with a reassessment of the structures of the halogenated enynes based upon a C-13 NMR chemical shift/structure correlation

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Synthesis of the originally proposed structure of elatenyne and an enyne from Laurencia majuscula

YesA bidirectional synthesis of the originally proposed structures for the natural products elatenyne and a chloroenyne from Laurencia majuscula is described along with a reassessment of the structures of the halogenated enynes based upon a 13C NMR chemical shift/structure correlationEPSR

A randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of Tai Chi alongside usual care with usual care alone on the postural balance of community-dwelling people with dementia: Protocol for The TACIT Trial (TAi ChI for people with dementia).

Background: Falls are a public health issue for the older adult population and more so for people with dementia (PWD). Compared with their cognitively intact peers, PWD are at higher risk of falls and injurious falls. This randomised controlled trial aims to test the clinical and cost effectiveness of Tai Chi to improve postural balance among community-dwelling PWD and to assess the feasibility of conducting a larger definitive trial to reduce the incidence of falls among PWD. Methods: A 3-centre parallel group randomised controlled trial with embedded process evaluation. One hundred and fifty community-dwelling dyads of a person with dementia and their informal carer will be recruited and assessed at baseline and at six-month follow-up. Dyads will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either usual care or usual care plus a Tai Chi intervention for 20 weeks. The Tai Chi intervention will consist of weekly classes (45 minutes’ Tai Chi plus up to 45 minutes for informal discussion, with up to 10 dyads per class) and home-based exercises (20 minutes per day to be facilitated by the carer). Home practice of Tai Chi will be supported by the use of behaviour change techniques with the Tai Chi instructor at a home visit in week 3-4 of the intervention (action planning, coping planning, self-monitoring, and alarm clock reminder) and at the end of each class (feedback on home practice). The primary outcome is dynamic balance measured using the Timed Up and Go test, coinciding with the end of the 20-week intervention phase for participants in the Tai Chi arm. Secondary outcomes for PWD include functional balance, static balance, fear of falling, global cognitive functioning, visual-spatial cognitive functioning, quality of life, and falls. Secondary outcomes for carers include dynamic balance, static balance, quality of life, costs, and carer burden. Discussion: This trial is the first in the UK to test the effectiveness of Tai Chi to improve balance among PWD. The trial will inform a future study that will be the first in the world to use Tai Chi in a trial to prevent falls among PWD. Trial registration: NCT02864056

Effects of pH, temperature and solids loading on microbial community structure during batch culture on a polymetallic ore

The bioleaching of an organic-rich polymetallic ore was conducted under conditions intended to probe the boundaries of microbial activity using iron and sulphur oxidising microorganisms and heterotrophs enriched from self-heating pyritic coal. Solution chemistry parameters such as rapidly increased ORP and reduction in pH subsequent to inoculation point to the development of active microbial communities. The ease with which communities adapted to the organic-rich ore and the bioleaching systems indicated that the organic compounds were not present in leachates at toxic levels. Overall, extractions obtained in three series of inoculated tests were at 35 °C: 79–96% Zn, 48–82% Cu, 47–55% Ni and 79–86% Co; at 55 °C: 96–97% Zn, 72–80% Cu, 46–50% Ni and 82–83% Co. T-RFLP provided semi-quantitative estimates of species abundance. The greatest microbial complexity was observed with moderate pH and low solids loading. Microbial complexity was reduced significantly by low pH or increased solids loading. Nevertheless, efficient bioleaching was observed over a relatively wide range of operating conditions. Even under the more extreme conditions, the community profile was dominated by combinations of organisms not typically seen in most commercial operations

Antimicrobial resistance as a super wicked problem: how do we engage the public to be part of the solution

Summary: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now regarded as one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. The complexity, urgent timeframe, and lack of clear solution to AMR have contributed to its classification as a ‘super wicked problem’. Yet knowledge surveys of the general public have found that they still harbour numerous misconceptions linked to both the sources and impact of AMR. This confusion is compounded by AMR being a One Health issue, and therefore a factor in not just human health but in other industries, such as farming. This can further inhibit understanding and knowledge transfer around AMR for those without a prior knowledge base.In order to address the escalating risk that AMR presents, however, it is essential to address this knowledge gap and engage with the public to support wide scale changes in behaviour and consumer choice. The WHO now requires national action plans tackling AMR to include patient and public involvement/engagement (PPI/E) to support changing the trajectory of AMR. Despite this, little detail is available as part of strategic plans on how PPI/E should be undertaken in order to aid implementation. This paper discusses a number of approaches to support the design and delivery of PPI/E in relation to AMR, including the different social behaviour models underlying successful PPI/E strategies, and key considerations linked to specific activity types. The framework produced includes features for steps from initial planning and design through to evaluation. The aim is to help improve the ability of scientists and healthcare professionals to produce high quality AMR PPI/E