Bacterial communities are important for the health and productivity of soil ecosystems and have great potential as novel indicators of environmental perturbations. To assess how they are affected by ...anthropogenic activity and to determine their ability to provide alternative metrics of environmental health, we sought to define which soil variables bacteria respond to across multiple soil types and land uses. We determined, through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the composition of bacterial communities in soil samples from 110 natural or human-impacted sites, located up to 300 km apart. Overall, soil bacterial communities varied more in response to changing soil environments than in response to changes in climate or increasing geographic distance. We identified strong correlations between the relative abundances of members of Pirellulaceae and soil pH, members of Gaiellaceae and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, members of Bradyrhizobium and the levels of Olsen P (a measure of plant available phosphorus), and members of Chitinophagaceae and aluminum concentrations. These relationships between specific soil attributes and individual soil taxa not only highlight ecological characteristics of these organisms but also demonstrate the ability of key bacterial taxonomic groups to reflect the impact of specific anthropogenic activities, even in comparisons of samples across large geographic areas and diverse soil types. Overall, we provide strong evidence that there is scope to use relative taxon abundances as biological indicators of soil condition.
The impact of land use change and management on soil microbial community composition remains poorly understood. Therefore, we explored the relationship between a wide range of soil factors and soil bacterial community composition. We included variables related to anthropogenic activity and collected samples across a large spatial scale to interrogate the complex relationships between various bacterial community attributes and soil condition. We provide evidence of strong relationships between individual taxa and specific soil attributes even across large spatial scales and soil and land use types. Collectively, we were able to demonstrate the largely untapped potential of microorganisms to indicate the condition of soil and thereby influence the way that we monitor the effects of anthropogenic activity on soil ecosystems into the future.
Soil ecosystems consist of complex interactions between biological communities and physico-chemical variables, all of which contribute to the overall quality of soils. Despite this, changes in ...bacterial communities are ignored by most soil monitoring programs, which are crucial to ensure the sustainability of land management practices. We applied 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the bacterial community composition of over 3000 soil samples from 606 sites in New Zealand. Sites were classified as indigenous forests, exotic forest plantations, horticulture, or pastoral grasslands; soil physico-chemical variables related to soil quality were also collected. The composition of soil bacterial communities was then used to predict the land use and soil physico-chemical variables of each site.
Soil bacterial community composition was strongly linked to land use, to the extent where it could correctly determine the type of land use with 85% accuracy. Despite the inherent variation introduced by sampling across ~ 1300 km distance gradient, the bacterial communities could also be used to differentiate sites grouped by key physico-chemical properties with up to 83% accuracy. Further, individual soil variables such as soil pH, nutrient concentrations and bulk density could be predicted; the correlations between predicted and true values ranged from weak (R
value = 0.35) to strong (R
value = 0.79). These predictions were accurate enough to allow bacterial communities to assign the correct soil quality scores with 50-95% accuracy.
The inclusion of biological information when monitoring soil quality is crucial if we wish to gain a better, more accurate understanding of how land management impacts the soil ecosystem. We have shown that soil bacterial communities can provide biologically relevant insights on the impacts of land use on soil ecosystems. Furthermore, their ability to indicate changes in individual soil parameters shows that analysing bacterial DNA data can be used to screen soil quality. Video Abstract.
RATIONALE:Cardiac progenitor cells are an attractive cell type for tissue regeneration but their mechanism for myocardial remodeling is still unclear.
OBJECTIVE:This investigation determines how ...chronological age influences the phenotypic characteristics and the secretome of human cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), as well as their potential to recover injured myocardium.
METHODS AND RESULTS:Adult (aCPCs) and neonatal (nCPCs) cells were derived from patients more than 40 years or less than one month of age, respectively, and their functional potential was determined in a rodent myocardial infarction (MI) model. A more robust in vitro proliferative capacity of nCPCs, compared to aCPCs, correlated with significantly greater myocardial recovery mediated by nCPCs in vivo. Strikingly, a single injection of nCPC-derived total conditioned media (nTCM) was significantly more effective than nCPCs, aCPC-derived TCM (aTCM), or nCPC-derived exosomes in recovering cardiac function, stimulating neovascularization, and promoting myocardial remodeling. High resolution accurate mass spectrometry (HRAMS) with reverse phase liquid chromatography fractionation and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to identify proteins in the secretome of aCPCs and nCPCs, and literature-based networking software identified specific pathways affected by the secretome of CPCs in the setting of MI. Examining the TCM, we quantified changes in the expression pattern of 804 proteins in nTCM and 513 proteins in aTCM. Literature-based proteomic network analysis identified that 46 and 6 canonical signaling pathways were significantly targeted by nTCM and aTCM, respectively. One leading candidate pathway is heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1), potentially affecting 8 identified pathways for nTCM but none for aTCM. To validate this prediction, we demonstrated that modulation of HSF-1 by knockdown in nCPCs or overexpression in aCPCs significantly altered the quality of their secretome.
CONCLUSIONS:In conclusion, a deep proteomic analysis revealed both detailed and global mechanisms underlying the chronological age-based differences in the ability of CPCs to promote myocardial recovery via the components of their secretome.
Up to 30% of patients presenting with ascending aortic disease are deemed inoperable. Ascending aortic endovascular repair provides an alternative option for these patients.
From 2018 to 2019, 13 ...patients who were considered to have prohibitive risk for open ascending aortic repair underwent endovascular repair. Aortic disease included type A dissection (n = 8), pseudoaneurysm (n = 3), penetrating ulcer (n = 3), and chronic aortic aneurysm (n = 1). Ascending aortic stent placement with thoracic endovascular aortic repair was performed in 9 patients, endovascular cuff extension was inserted in 3, and in 1 patient endovascular coil embolization was undertaken. Preoperative and follow-up electrocardiogram-gated computed tomographic analysis was performed to compare the remodeling effect of the stent on the aorta. The median follow-up time was 13 months.
The stent graft was successfully implanted in all patients (100%). Operative mortality and stroke rate were 15% (2 of 13) and 8% (1 of 13), respectively. One patient required transcatheter aortic valve replacement for severe aortic insufficiency 5 months after ascending thoracic endovascular aortic repair. The location of the aortic pathologic process was in zone 0A in 2 patients, zone 0B in 7 patients, and zone 0C in 3 patients. No endoleak was observed after the ascending endovascular repair in 9 patients (70%). Follow-up computed tomographic scan analysis revealed a tendency of favorable aortic remodeling in the mid-ascending and descending aorta.
Ascending aortic stent placement for ascending aortic disease is feasible and is associated with favorable aortic remodeling. Despite persistent perfusion to the false lumen in a subset of patients, there is minimal aortic dilation at short-term follow-up with excellent survival.
Data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database was used to examine the incidence and factors associated with acute stroke following type A repair.
Acute type A aortic ...dissection repairs performed from 2014 to 2017 were identified from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. The effect of cannulation strategy (eg, axillary, femoral, direct, or innominate), lowest temperature, cerebral protection techniques (antegrade cerebral profusion, retrograde cerebral perfusion, both, or none), repair technique, and institutional volume on postoperative stroke was investigated.
Acute type A repair was performed on 8937 patients at 772 centers, of which 7353 met inclusion criteria. Operative mortality was 17% and incidence of postoperative stroke was 13%. Axillary cannulation was associated with lower risk of stroke versus femoral (odds ratio, 0.60; P < .001). Retrograde cerebral perfusion was associated with reduced risk for stroke compared with no cerebral perfusion (odds ratio, 0.75; P = .008) or antegrade cerebral perfusion (odds ratio, 0.75; P = .007). Total arch replacement was associated with greater risk for stroke versus hemiarch technique (odds ratio, 1.30; P = .013). Longer circulatory arrest time, cerebral perfusion time, and cardiopulmonary bypass time were all related to higher risk of postoperative stroke.
Stroke is a common complication after type A repair. Axillary cannulation was associated with lower incidence of stroke, whereas femoral cannulation significantly increased the risk of stroke regardless of the cerebral perfusion strategy or the degree of hypothermia. Retrograde cerebral profusion was found to have reduced risk for postoperative stroke. Degree of hypothermia and center volume were not related to stroke incidence.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Summary
Members of the marine actinomycete genus Salinispora constitutively produce a characteristic orange pigment during vegetative growth. Contrary to the understanding of widespread carotenoid ...biosynthesis pathways in bacteria, Salinispora carotenoid biosynthesis genes are not confined to a single cluster. Instead, bioinformatic and genetic investigations confirm that four regions of the Salinispora tropica CNB‐440 genome, consisting of two gene clusters and two independent genes, contribute to the in vivo production of a single carotenoid. This compound, namely (2′S)‐1′‐(β‐D‐glucopyranosyloxy)‐3′,4′‐didehydro‐1′,2′‐dihydro‐φ,ψ‐caroten‐2′‐ol, is novel and has been given the trivial name ‘sioxanthin’. Sioxanthin is a C40‐carotenoid, glycosylated on one end of the molecule and containing an aryl moiety on the opposite end. Glycosylation is unusual among actinomycete carotenoids, and sioxanthin joins a rare group of carotenoids with polar and non‐polar head groups. Gene sequence homology predicts that the sioxanthin biosynthetic pathway is present in all of the Salinispora as well as other members of the family Micromonosporaceae. Additionally, this study's investigations of clustering of carotenoid biosynthetic genes in heterotrophic bacteria show that a non‐clustered genome arrangement is more common than previously suggested, with nearly half of the investigated genomes showing a non‐clustered architecture.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background:
Operative mortality for type A aortic dissection is still 10–20% at centers of excellence. Additionally, 10–20% are not considered as viable candidates for open surgical repair and not ...offered life-saving emergency surgery. ARISE is a multicenter investigation evaluating the novel GORE® Ascending Stent Graft (ASG; Flagstaff, AZ).
Objective:
The purpose of this study is to assess early feasibility of using these investigational devices to treat ascending aortic dissection.
Methods:
This a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized, single-arm study that enrolls patients at high surgical risk with appropriate anatomical requirements based on computed tomography imaging at 7 of 9 US sites. Devices are delivered transfemorally under fluoroscopic guidance. Primary endpoint is all-cause mortality at 30 days. Secondary endpoints include major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months.
Results:
Nineteen patients were enrolled with a mean age of 75.7 years (range 47–91) and 11 (57.9%) were female. Ten (52.6%) had DeBakey type I disease, and the rest were type II. Sixteen (84.2%) of the patients were acute. Patients were treated with safe access, (7/19 (36.8%) percutaneous, 10/19 (52.6%) transfemoral, 2/19 (10.5%) iliac conduit), delivery, and deployment completed in all cases. Median procedure time was 154 mins (range 52–392) and median contrast used was 111 mL (range 75–200). MACCE at 30 days occurred in 5 patients including mortality 3/19 (15.8%), disabling stroke in 1/19 (5.3%), and myocardial infarction in 1/19 (5.3%).
Conclusion:
Results from the ARISE early feasibility study of a specific ascending stent graft device to treat ascending aortic dissection are promising.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Deep sequencing was used to discover a novel rhabdovirus (Bas-Congo virus, or BASV) associated with a 2009 outbreak of 3 human cases of acute hemorrhagic fever in Mangala village, Democratic Republic ...of Congo (DRC), Africa. The cases, presenting over a 3-week period, were characterized by abrupt disease onset, high fever, mucosal hemorrhage, and, in two patients, death within 3 days. BASV was detected in an acute serum sample from the lone survivor at a concentration of 1.09 × 10(6) RNA copies/mL, and 98.2% of the genome was subsequently de novo assembled from ≈ 140 million sequence reads. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that BASV is highly divergent and shares less than 34% amino acid identity with any other rhabdovirus. High convalescent neutralizing antibody titers of >1:1000 were detected in the survivor and an asymptomatic nurse directly caring for him, both of whom were health care workers, suggesting the potential for human-to-human transmission of BASV. The natural animal reservoir host or arthropod vector and precise mode of transmission for the virus remain unclear. BASV is an emerging human pathogen associated with acute hemorrhagic fever in Africa.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
BACKGROUND
Perioperative use of allogeneic blood products is associated with higher morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs after cardiac surgery. Blood conservation techniques such as acute ...normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) report variable success. We hypothesized that large‐volume ANH with limited hemodilution would reduce allogeneic blood transfusion compared to the standard practice.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
Retrospective observational study of cardiac surgery patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center between January 2014 and September 2017. Using the institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database 91 autologous and 981 control patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement, or both were identified. After propensity matching of 13 preoperative characteristics, 84 autologous and 84 control patients were evaluated. Our primary endpoint was avoidance of blood transfusion during index hospitalization, and secondary endpoints were postoperative bleeding and major adverse outcomes.
RESULTS
The median harvest volumes in the ANH and control groups were 1100 mL and 400 mL, respectively. Of the ANH group, 25% received any transfusion versus 45.2% of the control group after propensity score matching (p < 0.006). When controlling for preoperative platelet count, the transfusion rate ratios for ANH were 0.58 (95% confidence interval, 0.39–0.88) for RBCs and 0.63 (0.44–0.89) for non‐RBC components, which were both found to be statistically significant. There was no difference found in major adverse events.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that large‐volume ANH is beneficial in reducing both RBC and non‐RBC component usage in cardiac surgery. A further prospective validation is warranted.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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