Steps towards collective sustainability in biomedical research

The optimism surrounding multistakeholder research initiatives does not match the clear view of policies that are needed to exploit the potential of these collaborations. Here we propose some action items that stem from the integration between research advancements with the perspectives of patient-advocacy organizations, academia, and industry

ROM-1 Potentiates Photoreceptor Specific Membrane Fusion Processes

Photoreceptor outer segment (OS) renewal requires a series of tightly regulated membrane fusion events which are mediated by a fusion complex containing protein and lipid components. The best characterized of these components, is a unique photoreceptor specific tetraspanin, peripherin/rds (P/rds, a.k.a., peripherin-2, Rds and Prph). In these studies we investigated the role of peripherin\u27s non-glycosylated homolog, ROM-1, in OS fusion using a COS cell heterologous expression system and a well characterized cell free fusion assay system. Membranes isolated from COS-7 cells transfected with either FLAG-tagged P/rds or HA-tagged ROM-1 or both proteins were assayed for their ability to merge with fluorescently labeled OS plasma membrane (PM). Such membrane merger is one measure of membrane fusogenicity. The highest percent fusion was observed when the proteins were co-expressed. Furthermore detailed analysis of the fusion kinetics between fluorescently labeled PM and proteo-liposomes containing either, pure P/rds, pure ROM-1 or the ROM-1-P/rds complex clearly demonstrated that optimal fusion requires an ROM-1/P/rds complex. Proteo-liposomes composed of ROM-1 alone were not fusogenic. Peptide competition studies suggest that optimization of fusion may be due to the formation of a fusion competent peripherin/rds C-terminus in the presence of ROM-1. These studies provide further support for the hypothesis that a P/rds dependent membrane fusion complex is involved in photoreceptor renewal processes. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

ROM-1 Potentiates Photoreceptor Specific Membrane Fusion Processes

Photoreceptor outer segment (OS) renewal requires a series of tightly regulated membrane fusion events which are mediated by a fusion complex containing protein and lipid components. The best characterized of these components, is a unique photoreceptor specific tetraspanin, peripherin/rds (P/rds, a.k.a., peripherin-2, Rds and Prph). In these studies we investigated the role of peripherin’s non-glycosylated homolog, ROM-1, in OS fusion using a COS cell heterologous expression system and a well characterized cell free fusion assay system. Membranes isolated from COS-7 cells transfected with either FLAG-tagged P/rds or HA-tagged ROM-1 or both proteins were assayed for their ability to merge with fluorescently labeled OS plasma membrane (PM). Such membrane merger is one measure of membrane fusogenicity. The highest percent fusion was observed when the proteins were co-expressed. Furthermore detailed analysis of the fusion kinetics between fluorescently labeled PM and proteo-liposomes containing either, pure P/rds, pure ROM-1 or the ROM-1-P/rds complex clearly demonstrated that optimal fusion requires an ROM-P/rds1 complex. Proteo-liposomes composed of ROM-1 alone were not fusogenic. Peptide competition studies suggest that optimization of fusion may be due to the formation of a fusion competent peripherin/rds C-terminus in the presence of ROM-1. These studies provide further support for the hypothesis that a P/rds dependent membrane fusion complex is involved in photoreceptor renewal processes

Efficacité de biofilms de bactéries As-oxydantes pour l'étape de traitement biologique d'eaux potabilisables arséniées

L'arsenic est un métalloïde toxique dont la présence, relativement fréquente, dans les eaux et les sols est liée soit au fond géochimique, soit aux activités humaines. En ce qui concerne les eaux destinées à la consommation, la législation impose une concentration maximale en arsenic de 10 µg.L-1. Les effets nocifs de l'arsenic sur la santé humaine rendent nécessaire le développement de technologies efficaces et peu couteuse pour éliminer cet élément des eaux potables, ainsi que dans les aquifères pollués et dans les effluents miniers (Wang et Zhao, 2009). Une unité de traitement biologique d'eaux potabilisable faiblement arséniée (As< 50µg/L), couplée à une unité de piégeage de l'As en sortie du bioréacteur, a été mise en œuvre sur un site réel afin d'étudier la robustesse du bioprocédé. Un bioréacteur contenant de la pouzzolane (matériau utilisé dans les traitements d'eaux) a été préalablement ensemencé par une souche bactérienne As(III) oxydante autotrophe (Thiomonas arsenivorans) (Battaglia-Brunet et al., 2002, Michon et al., 2010 ; Wan et al., 2010) puis alimenté par l'eau issue du forage à température ambiante (15-17°C) avec un fonctionnement discontinu (asservissement de l'alimentation du bioréacteur à la pompe du forage d'alimentation en eau). Le suivi du développement du biofilm As(III) oxydant au cours du traitement biologique a été réalisé par la recherche des gènes codant pour l'ARNr 16S (diversité bactérienne totale) et ceux codant pour une arsénite oxydase (aoxB) (diversité des bactéries As(III)-oxydantes). Ce suivi a montré une colonisation rapide et stable du support minéral par des bactéries endogènes de l'eau à traiter. Le rendement d'oxydation de l'étape d'oxydation biologique est compris entre 54 et 100 % avec des temps de séjour de 30 minutes à 7 minutes qui sont comparables à des temps de séjour de techniques classiques de traitement. Les concentrations résiduelles en As en sortie du procédé complet (oxydation biologique + piégeage) sont inférieures à 1 µg/L, et qui sont donc très encourageants pour une application industrielle

Forced labor risk is pervasive in the US land-based food supply

Social risk assessments and case studies of labor conditions in food production primarily focus on specific subpopulations, regions, and commodities. To date, research has not systematically assessed labor conditions against international standards across diverse, complex food products. Here, we combine data on production, trade, labor intensity, and qualitative risk coding to quantitatively assess the risk of forced labor embedded in the U.S. land-based food supply, building upon our previous assessment of fruits and vegetables. We demonstrate that animal-based proteins, processed fruits and vegetables, and discretionary foods are major contributors to forced labor risk and that 62% of total forced labor risk stems from domestic production or processing. Our findings reveal the widespread risk of forced labor present in the US food supply and the necessity of collaborative action across all countries – high, middle, and low income - to eliminate reliance on labor exploitation

Dynamics of Bacterial Communities Mediating the Treatment of an As-Rich Acid Mine Drainage in a Field Pilot

Passive treatment based on iron biological oxidation is a promising strategy for Arsenic (As)-rich acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation. In the present study, we characterized by 16S rRNA metabarcoding the bacterial diversity in a field-pilot bioreactor treating extremely As-rich AMD in situ, over a 6 months monitoring period. Inside the bioreactor, the bacterial communities responsible for iron and arsenic removal formed a biofilm (“biogenic precipitate”) whose composition varied in time and space. These communities evolved from a structure at first similar to the one of the feed water used as an inoculum to a structure quite similar to the natural biofilm developing in situ in the AMD. Over the monitoring period, iron-oxidizing bacteria always largely dominated the biogenic precipitate, with distinct populations (Gallionella, Ferrovum, Leptospirillum, Acidithiobacillus, Ferritrophicum), whose relative proportions extensively varied among time and space. A spatial structuring was observed inside the trays (arranged in series) composing the bioreactor. This spatial dynamic could be linked to the variation of the physico-chemistry of the AMD water between the raw water entering and the treated water exiting the pilot. According to redundancy analysis (RDA), the following parameters exerted a control on the bacterial communities potentially involved in the water treatment process: dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, dissolved sulfates, arsenic and Fe(II) concentrations and redox potential. Appreciable arsenite oxidation occurring in the bioreactor could be linked to the stable presence of two distinct monophylogenetic groups of Thiomonas related bacteria. The ubiquity and the physiological diversity of the bacteria identified, as well as the presence of bacteria of biotechnological relevance, suggested that this treatment system could be applied to the treatment of other AMD

Cross-correlating Planck tSZ with RCSLenS weak lensing: implications for cosmology and AGN feedback

We present measurements of the spatial mapping between (hot) baryons and the total matter in the Universe, via the cross-correlation between the thermal Sunyaev–Zeldovich (tSZ)map from Planck and the weak gravitational lensing maps from theRed Cluster Sequence Lensing Survey (RCSLenS). The cross-correlations are performed on the map level where all the sources (including diffuse intergalactic gas) contribute to the signal. We consider two configurationspace correlation function estimators, ξ y–κ and ξ y–γt , and a Fourier-space estimator, Cy–κ , in our analysis. We detect a significant correlation out to 3◦ of angular separation on the sky. Based on statistical noise only, we can report 13σ and 17σ detections of the cross-correlation using the configuration-space y–κ and y–γ t estimators, respectively. Including a heuristic estimate of the sampling variance yields a detection significance of 7σ and 8σ, respectively. A similar level of detection is obtained from the Fourier-space estimator, Cy–κ . As each estimator probes different dynamical ranges, their combination improves the significance of the detection. We compare our measurements with predictions from the cosmo-OverWhelmingly Large Simulations suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, where different galactic feedback models are implemented. We find that a model with considerable active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback that removes large quantities of hot gas from galaxy groups and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 7-yr best-fitting cosmological parameters provides the bestmatch to the measurements. All baryonic models in the context of a Planck cosmology overpredict the observed signal. Similar cosmological conclusions are drawn when we employ a halo model with the observed ‘universal’ pressure profile

Birth outcomes in Colorado's undocumented immigrant population

BACKGROUND: The birth outcomes of undocumented women have not been systematically studied on a large scale. The growing number of undocumented women giving birth in the United States has important implications for clinical care and public health policy. The objective of this study was to describe birth outcomes of undocumented immigrants in Colorado. METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study of singleton births to 5961 undocumented women using birth certificate data for 1998–1999. RESULTS: Undocumented mothers were younger, less educated, and more likely to be single. They had higher rates of anemia, were less likely to gain enough weight, and less likely to receive early prenatal care. They were much less likely to use alcohol or tobacco. Undocumented women had a lower rate of low birth weight (5.3% v 6.5%, P < .001) or preterm infants (12.9% v 14.5%; p = .001). Undocumented women experienced higher rates of labor complications including excessive bleeding (2.3% v 0.8%, p < .001) and fetal distress (8.7% v 3.6%, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Undocumented women have lower rates of preterm delivery and low birth weight infants, but higher rates of pregnancy related risk factors. Higher prevalence of some risk factors which are amenable to medical intervention reveals the need for improved prenatal care in this group