The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

Immune-mediated beta-cell destruction in vitro and in vivo-A pivotal role for galectin-3.

Pro-apoptotic cytokines are toxic to the pancreatic β-cells and have been associated with the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Proteome analysis of IL-1β exposed isolated rat islets identified galectin-3 (gal-3) as the most up-regulated protein. Here analysis of human and rat islets and insulinoma cells confirmed IL-1β regulated gal-3 expression of several gal-3 isoforms and a complex in vivo expression profile during diabetes development in rats. Over-expression of gal-3 protected β-cells against IL-1β toxicity, with a complete blockage of JNK phosphorylation, essential for IL-1-mediated apoptosis. Mutation scanning of regulatory and coding regions of the gal-3 gene (LGALS3) identified six polymorphisms. A haplotype comprising three cSNPs showed significantly increased transmission to unaffected offspring in 257 T1D families and replicated in an independent set of 170 T1D families. In summary, combined proteome–transcriptome–genome and functional analyses identify gal-3 as a candidate gene/protein in T1D susceptibility that may prove valuable in future intervention/prevention strategies

Emergence of enteroaggregative<i> escherichia coli </i>within the ST131 lineage as a cause of extraintestinal infections

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) is a major cause of urinary and bloodstream infections. Its association with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) significantly complicates treatment. Its best-described component is the rapidly expanding H30Rx clade, containing allele 30 of the type 1 fimbrial adhesin gene fimH. This lineage appears to have emerged in the United States and spread around the world in part due to the acquisition of the ESBL-encoding blaCTX-M-15 gene and resistance to fluoroquinolones. However, non-H30 ST131 sublineages with other acquired CTX-M-type resistance genes are also emerging. Based on whole-genome analyses, we describe here the presence of an (fimH) H27 E. coli ST131 sublineage that has recently caused an outbreak of community-acquired bacteremia and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Denmark. This sublineage has acquired both a virulence plasmid (pAA) that defines the enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) diarrheagenic pathotype and multiple genes associated with extraintestinal E. coli (ExPEC); combined, these traits have made this particular ST131 sublineage successful at colonizing its human host and causing recurrent UTI. Moreover, using a historic World Health Organization (WHO) E. coli collection and publicly available genome sequences, we identified a global H27 EAEC ST131 sublineage that dates back as far as 1998. Most H27 EAEC ST131 isolates harbor pAA or pAA-like plasmids, and our analysis strongly implies a single ancestral acquisition among these isolates. These findings illustrate both the profound plasticity of this important pathogenic E. coli ST131 H27 sublineage and genetic acquisitions of EAEC-specific virulence traits that likely confer an enhanced ability to cause intestinal colonization. IMPORTANCE E. coli ST131 is an important extraintestinal pathogenic lineage. A signature characteristic of ST131 is its ability to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal tract and then opportunistically cause extraintestinal infections, such as cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urosepsis. In this study, we identified an ST131 H27 sublineage that has acquired the enteroaggregative diarrheagenic phenotype, spread across multiple continents, and caused multiple outbreaks of community-acquired ESBL-associated bloodstream infections in Denmark. The strain’s ability to both cause diarrhea and innocuously colonize the human gastrointestinal tract may facilitate its dissemination and establishment in the community