The research on endothelial function in women and men at risk for cardiovascular disease (REWARD) study: methodology

Background Endothelial function has been shown to be a highly sensitive marker for the overall cardiovascular risk of an individual. Furthermore, there is evidence of important sex differences in endothelial function that may underlie the differential presentation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women relative to men. As such, measuring endothelial function may have sex-specific prognostic value for the prediction of CVD events, thus improving risk stratification for the overall prediction of CVD in both men and women. The primary objective of this study is to assess the clinical utility of the forearm hyperaemic reactivity (FHR) test (a proxy measure of endothelial function) for the prediction of CVD events in men vs. women using a novel, noninvasive nuclear medicine -based approach. It is hypothesised that: 1) endothelial dysfunction will be a significant predictor of 5-year CVD events independent of baseline stress test results, clinical, demographic, and psychological variables in both men and women; and 2) endothelial dysfunction will be a better predictor of 5-year CVD events in women compared to men. Methods/Design A total of 1972 patients (812 men and 1160 women) undergoing a dipyridamole stress testing were recruited. Medical history, CVD risk factors, health behaviours, psychological status, and gender identity were assessed via structured interview or self-report questionnaires at baseline. In addition, FHR was assessed, as well as levels of sex hormones via blood draw. Patients will be followed for 5 years to assess major CVD events (cardiac mortality, non-fatal MI, revascularization procedures, and cerebrovascular events). Discussion This is the first study to determine the extent and nature of any sex differences in the ability of endothelial function to predict CVD events. We believe the results of this study will provide data that will better inform the choice of diagnostic tests in men and women and bring the quality of risk stratification in women on par with that of men

Genetic Testing for Early Detection of Individuals at Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Monitoring Response to Therapy: Challenges and Promises

Coronary heart disease (CHD) often presents suddenly with little warning. Traditional risk factors are inadequate to identify the asymptomatic high-risk individuals. Early identification of patients with subclinical coronary artery disease using noninvasive imaging modalities would allow the early adoption of aggressive preventative interventions. Currently, it is impractical to screen the entire population with noninvasive coronary imaging tools. The use of relatively simple and inexpensive genetic markers of increased CHD risk can identify a population subgroup in which benefit of atherosclerotic imaging modalities would be increased despite nominal cost and radiation exposure. Additionally, genetic markers are fixed and need only be measured once in a patient’s lifetime, can help guide therapy selection, and may be of utility in family counseling

Molecular identification and comparative characterization of Fusarium isolates, obtained from potato plants

© The Authors 2020. The paper analyzes fungi of the genus Fusarium isolated from plants and tubers of different potato cultivars grown on the territory of Tatarstan. It was established that the majority of the strains belonged to the Fusarium oxysporum species complex. Isolates obtained from the root necks of wilting potato plants and conditionally healthy tubers are, to varying degrees, capable of causing dry rot of tubers during artificial inoculation. Also, the virulence of the strains does not correlate with extracellular proteolytic activity. It was shown that the tubers of the Zhukovskij rannij cultivar are most sensitive to fusaria infections, in contrast to the Red Scarlet and Reggi cultivars

Supplementation of Bacillus subtilis GM5 enhances broiler body weight gain and modulates cecal microbiota

We investigated the effect of the strain Bacillus subtilis GM5 on growth, feed conversion, and the composition of cecum microbiota in broiler chickens. Half of which received a control diet, while the other half was fed a diet supplemented with GM5 spores. Cecal contents on days 1, 10, and 42 were subjected to metataxonomic analysis. Principal Component Analysis showed that the control and probiotic groups formed three separate clusters, indicating changes, which occurred gradually in microbial communities. On day 1, Firmicutes (53.87–57.61%) and Proteobacteria (43.77–38.93%) were prevalent in both groups, whereas samples of days 10 and 42 were predominantly occupied by Firmicutes (54.55–81.79%) and Bacteroidetes (26.94–30.45%). In the group of chickens treated with probiotic, the average daily gain in body weight was higher, while feed conversion decreased by 1.44%. A surge in the presence of beneficial bacteria of the Ruminococcaceae family was observed. The introduction of the probiotic led to an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, which positively correlated with chickens’ bodyweight (Spearman ρ = 1.0, P < 0.05). Supplementing broiler feed with B. subtilis GM5 spores leads to improved feed intake and digestibility, which is paramount in reducing the cost of the final product. Thus, the probiotic strain GM5 modulates the cecal microbiota of broiler chickens and increases microbial diversity, which is well exhibited on the 42nd day

Data on the genome analysis of the probiotic strain Bacillus subtilis GM5

© 2019 The Authors In the present study, we report data on the draft genome sequence of a lipopeptide producing rhizospheric Bacillus subtilis GM5 isolate. The genome consists of 4,271,280 bp with a GC-pair content of 43.3%. A total of 4518 genes including 75 tRNA genes, 3 operons coding for rRNA genes and 56 pseudogenes were annotated. Gene clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were validated. Six of the thirty-three clusters identified in the genome code for antimicrobial non-ribosomal peptides synthesis. The Whole Genome Shotgun project of B. subtilis GM5 has been deposited in the NCBI database under the accession number NZ_NKJH00000000 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/NZ_NKJH00000000.1)

Data on the genome analysis of the probiotic strain Bacillus subtilis GM5

© 2019 The Authors In the present study, we report data on the draft genome sequence of a lipopeptide producing rhizospheric Bacillus subtilis GM5 isolate. The genome consists of 4,271,280 bp with a GC-pair content of 43.3%. A total of 4518 genes including 75 tRNA genes, 3 operons coding for rRNA genes and 56 pseudogenes were annotated. Gene clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were validated. Six of the thirty-three clusters identified in the genome code for antimicrobial non-ribosomal peptides synthesis. The Whole Genome Shotgun project of B. subtilis GM5 has been deposited in the NCBI database under the accession number NZ_NKJH00000000 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/NZ_NKJH00000000.1)

The potato rhizoplane actively recruits Fusarium taxa during flowering

In recent years, the incidence of Fusarium wilt in potato plants has steadily increased, in the Middle Volga Region of Russia. The current work aimed to investigate the structure of root mycobiota of the Zhukovskij rannij potato cultivar and assess the effect of growth stage on Fusarium populations in different compartments of the potato root. Using Amplicon-Based Next Generation Sequencing and relevant bioinformatic tools, we compared fungal communities and guilds of the bulk soil (alfisol) and root compartments (rhizosphere, rhizoplane) of potato plants at flowering vegetation and senescence. Root compartments were inhabited by 3 major phyla: Ascomycota (79.41–94.84%), Basidiomycota (2.27–7.68%), and Mucoromycota (1.32–9.81%) irrespective of the stage of development. Fusarium was among the dominant genera of the rhizosphere (11.07 ± 0.99) and rhizoplane (37.61 ± 0.77%) during flowering, while at senescence they were replaced by the closely related genus Monographella (42.38–43.80%), the abundance of which significantly superseded other taxa in the fungal community. Unlike the root, Fusarium populations in the bulk soil did not change, which confirms the role of the potato plant in assembling fungal taxa and guilds. FUNGuild analysis showed that the near root zone of the studied cultivar is highly populated with pathotrophs, irrespective of the growth stage. Thus, the alfisol of the studied region is densely populated with pathotrophs, and the concurrent assembly of phytopathogens and beneficial fungi by the root demonstrates that the recruitment process of alfisol-based symbionts may be insufficient in preventing the influx of pathotrophs during root mycobiome formation in the studied potato cultivar

Structure and variation of root-associated microbiomes of potato grown in alfisol

© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Root-associated fungi and bacteria play a pivotal role in the plant–soil ecosystem by influencing both plant growth and immunity. The aim of this study was to unravel the biodiversity of the bacterial and fungal rhizosphere (RS) and rhizoplane (RP) microbiota of Zhukovskij rannij potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar growing in the Alfisol of Tatarstan, Russia. To assess the structure and diversity of microbial communities, we employed the 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer gene library technique. Overall, sequence analysis showed the presence of 3982 bacterial and 188 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the RP, and 6018 bacterial and 320 fungal OTUs for in the RS. Comparison between microbial community structures in the RS and RP showed significant differences between these compartments. Biodiversity was higher in the RS than in the RP. Although members of Proteobacteria (RS—59.1 ± 4.9%; RP—54.5 ± 9.2%), Bacteroidetes (RS—23.19 ± 10.2%; RP—34.52 ± 10.4%) and Actinobacteria (RS—11.55 ± 4.9%; RP—7.7 ± 5.1%) were the three most dominant phyla, accounting for 94–98% of all bacterial taxa in both compartments, notable variations were observed in the primary dominance of classes and genera in RS and RP samples. In addition, our results demonstrated that the potato rhizoplane was significantly enriched with the genera Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and other potentially beneficial bacteria. The fungal community was predominantly inhabited by members of the Ascomycota phylum (RS—81.4 ± 8.1%; RP—81.7 ± 5.7%), among which the genera Fusarium (RS—10.34 ± 3.41%; RP—9.96 ± 4.79%), Monographella (RS—7.66 ± 4.43%; RP—9.91 ± 5.87%), Verticillium (RS—4.6 ± 1.43%; RP—8.27 ± 3.63%) and Chaetomium (RS—4.95 ± 2.07%; RP—8.33 ± 4.93%) were particularly abundant. Interestingly, potato rhizoplane was significantly enriched with potentially useful fungal genera, such as Mortierella and Metacordiceps. A comparative analysis revealed that the abundance of Fusarium (a cosmopolitan plant pathogen) varied significantly depending on rotation variants, indicating a possible control of phytopathogenic fungi via management-induced shifts through crop rotational methods. Analysis of the core microbiome of bacterial and fungal community structure showed that the formation of bacterial microbiota in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane is dependent on the host plant

Structure and variation of root-associated microbiomes of potato grown in alfisol

© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Root-associated fungi and bacteria play a pivotal role in the plant–soil ecosystem by influencing both plant growth and immunity. The aim of this study was to unravel the biodiversity of the bacterial and fungal rhizosphere (RS) and rhizoplane (RP) microbiota of Zhukovskij rannij potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar growing in the Alfisol of Tatarstan, Russia. To assess the structure and diversity of microbial communities, we employed the 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer gene library technique. Overall, sequence analysis showed the presence of 3982 bacterial and 188 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the RP, and 6018 bacterial and 320 fungal OTUs for in the RS. Comparison between microbial community structures in the RS and RP showed significant differences between these compartments. Biodiversity was higher in the RS than in the RP. Although members of Proteobacteria (RS—59.1 ± 4.9%; RP—54.5 ± 9.2%), Bacteroidetes (RS—23.19 ± 10.2%; RP—34.52 ± 10.4%) and Actinobacteria (RS—11.55 ± 4.9%; RP—7.7 ± 5.1%) were the three most dominant phyla, accounting for 94–98% of all bacterial taxa in both compartments, notable variations were observed in the primary dominance of classes and genera in RS and RP samples. In addition, our results demonstrated that the potato rhizoplane was significantly enriched with the genera Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and other potentially beneficial bacteria. The fungal community was predominantly inhabited by members of the Ascomycota phylum (RS—81.4 ± 8.1%; RP—81.7 ± 5.7%), among which the genera Fusarium (RS—10.34 ± 3.41%; RP—9.96 ± 4.79%), Monographella (RS—7.66 ± 4.43%; RP—9.91 ± 5.87%), Verticillium (RS—4.6 ± 1.43%; RP—8.27 ± 3.63%) and Chaetomium (RS—4.95 ± 2.07%; RP—8.33 ± 4.93%) were particularly abundant. Interestingly, potato rhizoplane was significantly enriched with potentially useful fungal genera, such as Mortierella and Metacordiceps. A comparative analysis revealed that the abundance of Fusarium (a cosmopolitan plant pathogen) varied significantly depending on rotation variants, indicating a possible control of phytopathogenic fungi via management-induced shifts through crop rotational methods. Analysis of the core microbiome of bacterial and fungal community structure showed that the formation of bacterial microbiota in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane is dependent on the host plant