Insights into the cultured bacterial fraction of corals

Bacteria associated with coral hosts are diverse and abundant, with recent studies suggesting involvement of these symbionts in host resilience to anthropogenic stress. Despite their putative importance, the work dedicated to culturing coral-associated bacteria has received little attention. Combining published and unpublished data, here we report a comprehensive overview of the diversity and function of culturable bacteria isolated from corals originating from tropical, temperate, and cold-water habitats. A total of 3,055 isolates from 52 studies were considered by our metasurvey. Of these, 1,045 had full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, spanning 138 formally described and 12 putatively novel bacterial genera across the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria phyla. We performed comparative genomic analysis using the available genomes of 74 strains and identified potential signatures of beneficial bacterium-coral symbioses among the strains. Our analysis revealed \u3e 400 biosynthetic gene clusters that underlie the biosynthesis of antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and other secondary metabolites. Moreover, we uncovered genomic features-not previously described for coral-bacterium symbioses-potentially involved in host colonization and host-symbiont recognition, antiviral defense mechanisms, and/or integrated metabolic interactions, which we suggest as novel targets for the screening of coral probiotics. Our results highlight the importance of bacterial cultures to elucidate coral holobiont functioning and guide the selection of probiotic candidates to promote coral resilience and improve holistic and customized reef restoration and rehabilitation efforts

Differences in Accelerometer-Measured Patterns of Physical Activity and Sleep/Rest Between Ethnic Groups and Age: An Analysis of UK Biobank

Background: Physical activity and sleep are important for health; whether device-measured physical activity and sleep differ by ethnicity is unclear. This study aimed to compare physical activity and sleep/rest in white, South Asian (SA), and black adults by age. Methods: Physical activity and sleep/rest quality were assessed using accelerometer data from UK Biobank. Linear regressions, stratified by sex, were used to analyze differences in activity and sleep/rest. An ethnicity × age group interaction term was used to assess whether ethnic differences were consistent across age groups. Results: Data from 95,914 participants, aged 45–79 years, were included. Overall activity was 7% higher in black, and 5% lower in SA individuals compared with white individuals. Minority ethnic groups had poorer sleep/rest quality. Lower physical activity and poorer sleep quality occurred at a later age in black and SA adults (>65 y), than white adults (>55 y). Conclusions: While black adults are more active, and SA adults less active, than white adults, the age-related reduction appears to be delayed in black and SA adults. Sleep/rest quality is poorer in black and SA adults than in white adults. Understanding ethnic differences in physical activity and rest differ may provide insight into chronic conditions with differing prevalence across ethnicities

Glycaemic variability affects ischaemia-induced angiogenesis in diabetic mice.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of GV (glycaemic variability) in diabetic vascular complications and to explore the molecular pathways modulated by glycaemic 'swings'. We developed a murine model. A total of 30 diabetic mice received once daily basal insulin administration plus two oral boluses of glucose solution (GV group, named 'V') and 30 diabetic mice received once daily basal insulin plus two oral boluses of saline solution (stable hyperglycaemia group, named 'S') for a period of 30 days. Glycaemia was measured eight times daily to detect GV. Finally, postischaemic vascularization, induced by hindlimb ischaemia 30 days after diabetes onset, was evaluated. We found that GV was significantly different between S and V groups, whereas no significant difference in the mean glycaemic values was detected. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging and histological analyses revealed that the ischaemia-induced angiogenesis was significantly impaired in V mice compared with S group, after ischaemic injury. In addition, immunostaining and Western blot analyses revealed that impaired angiogenic response in V mice occurred in association with reduced VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) production and decreased eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) and Akt (also called protein kinase B) phosphorylation. In conclusion, we describe a murine model of GV. GV causes an impairment of ischaemia-induced angiogenesis in diabetes, likely to be independent of changes in average blood glucose levels, and this impaired collateral vessel formation is associated with an alteration of the VEGF pathway

Association of timing and balance of physical activity and rest/sleep with risk of COVID-19: A UK Biobank study

Behavioural lifestyle factors are associated with cardiometabolic disease and obesity, which are risk factors for COVID-19. We aimed to investigate whether physical activity, and the timing and balance of physical activity and sleep/rest, were associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity and COVID-19 severity. Data from 91,248 UK Biobank participants with accelerometer data, complete covariate and linked COVID-19 data to 19th July 2020 were included. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity and COVID-19 severity, in relation to overall physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), balance between activity and sleep/rest, and variability in timing of sleep/rest, was assessed with adjusted logistic regression. Of 207 individuals with a positive test, 124 were classified as having a severe infection. Overall physical activity and MVPA were not associated with severe COVID-19, while a poor balance between activity and sleep/rest was (OR per standard deviation: 0.71 [95% CI: 0.62, 0.81]). This was related to higher daytime activity being associated with lower risk (OR 0.75 [0.61, 0.93]) but higher movement during sleep/rest with higher risk (OR 1.26 [1.12, 1.42]) of severe infection. Greater variability in timing of sleep/rest was also associated with increased risk (OR 1.21 [1.08, 1.35]). Results for testing positive were broadly consistent. In conclusion, these results highlight the importance of not just physical activity, but also quality sleep/rest and regular sleep/rest patterns, on risk of COVID-19. Our findings indicate the risk of COVID-19 was consistently ∼1.2 times higher per ∼40-minute increase in variability in timing of proxy measures of sleep, indicative of irregular sleeping patterns

Enhancing clinical and public health interpretation of accelerometer-assessed physical activity with age-referenced values based on UK Biobank data

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Physical Activity Volume, Intensity and Incident Cardiovascular Disease

Aims The interplay between physical activity (PA) volume and intensity is poorly understood in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study aimed to investigate the role of PA intensity, over and above volume, in relation to incident CVD. Methods and results Data were from 88 412 UK Biobank middle-aged adults (58% women) without prevalent CVD who wore accelerometers on their dominant wrist for 7 days, from which we estimated total PA energy expenditure (PAEE) using population-specific validation. Cox proportional hazards regressions modelled associations between PAEE (kJ/kg/day) and PA intensity (%MVPA; the fraction of PAEE accumulated from moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA) with incident CVD (ischaemic heart disease or cerebrovascular disease), adjusted for potential confounders. There were 4068 CVD events during 584 568 person-years of follow-up (median 6.8 years). Higher PAEE and higher %MVPA (adjusted for PAEE) were associated with lower rates of incident CVD. In interaction analyses, CVD rates were 14% (95% confidence interval: 5–23%) lower when MVPA accounted for 20% rather than 10% of 15 kJ/kg/d PAEE; equivalent to converting a 14 min stroll into a brisk 7 min walk. CVD rates did not differ significantly between values of PAEE when the %MVPA was fixed at 10%. However, the lowest CVD rates were observed for combinations of both higher PAEE and %MVPA. Conclusion Reductions in CVD risk may be achievable through higher PA volume and intensity, with the role of moderately intense PA appearing particularly important. This supports multiple approaches or strategies to PA participation, some of which may be more practical or appealing to different individuals.</p