DNA extraction bias is a frequently cited but poorly understood limitation of molecular characterizations of environmental microbial communities. To assess the bias of a commonly used soil DNA ...extraction kit, we varied the cell lysis protocol and conducted multiple extractions on subsamples of clay, sand, and organic soils. DNA, as well as bacterial and fungal ribosomal gene copies as measured by quantitative PCR, continued to be isolated in successive extractions. When terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was used, a significant shift in community composition due to extraction bias was detected for bacteria but not for fungi. Pyrosequencing indicated that the relative abundances of sequences from rarely cultivated groups such as Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonades, and Verrucomicrobia were higher in the first extraction than in the sixth but that the reverse was true for Proteobacteria and ACTINOBACTERIA: This suggests that the well-known phylum-level bacterial cultivation bias may be partially exaggerated by DNA extraction bias. We conclude that bias can be adequately reduced in many situations by pooling three successive extractions, and additional measures should be considered when divergent soil types are compared or when comprehensive community analysis is necessary.
Functional differences between trees with arbuscular (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (ECM) partnerships influence important ecological processes including nutrient cycling, community assembly, and biomass ...allocation patterns. Although most broadleaf temperate forests show both mycorrhizal types, relatively few studies have addressed functional difference among coexisting mycorrhizal tree species. The maintenance of ECM associations usually requires higher C investment than AM, leading to (A) lower root biomass and (B) more conservative root trait syndromes in ECM tree species compared to AM species. Here we quantified the representation and trait syndromes of 14 canopy tree species associated with either AM or ECM fungi in a natural forest community. Our results showed that, whereas species root abundance was proportional to basal area, some ECM tree roots were largely under-represented (up to ~ 33%). Most of the under-representation was due to lower than expected root abundance of Quercus rubra and Fagus grandifolia. Functional root traits in tree species were similar, with the exception of higher tissue density in ECM species. Moreover, closely related AM and ECM exhibited similar traits, suggesting inherited trait syndrome from a common ancestor. Thus, we found little evidence of divergent functional root trait syndromes between mycorrhizal types. Cores dominated by ECM species influenced trait distribution at the community level, but not total biomass, suggesting that mycorrhizal affiliation may have a stronger effect on the spatial distribution of traits but not on biomass stocks. Our results present an important step toward relating belowground carbon dynamics to species traits, including mycorrhizal type, in broadleaf temperate forests.
Few studies describe root distributions at the species level in diverse forests, although belowground species interactions and traits are often assumed to affect fine-root biomass (FRB).
We used ...molecular barcoding to study how FRB of trees relates to soil characteristics, species identity, root diversity, and root traits, and how these relationships are affected by proximity to ecotones in a temperate forest landscape.
We found that soil patch root biomass increased in response to soil resources across all species, and there was little belowground vertical or horizontal spatial segregation among species. Root traits and species relative abundance did not explain significant variation in FRB after correcting for soil fertility. A positive relationship between phylogenetic diversity and FRB indicated significant belowground overyielding attributable to local root diversity. Finally, variation in FRB explained by soil fertility and diversity was reduced near ecotones, but only because of a reduction in biomass in periodically anoxic areas.
These results suggest that symmetric responses to soil properties are coupled with complementary species traits and interactions to explain variation in FRB among soil patches. In addition, landscape-level dispersal among habitats and across ecotones helps explain variation in the strength of these relationships in complex landscapes.
Background
Supportive care interventions used to manage chemotherapy‐induced myelosuppression (CIM), including granulocyte colony‐stimulating factors (G‐CSFs), erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents ...(ESAs), and red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, are burdensome to patients and associated with greater costs to health care systems. We evaluated the utilization of supportive care interventions and their relationship with the myeloprotective agent, trilaciclib.
Methods
Data were pooled from three independent randomized phase 2 clinical trials of trilaciclib or placebo administered prior to chemotherapy in patients with extensive‐stage small cell lung cancer (ES‐SCLC). The impact of supportive care on the duration of severe neutropenia (DSN), occurrence of severe neutropenia (SN), and occurrence of RBC transfusions on/after week 5 was analyzed across cycles 1–4. Concordance and association between grade 3/4 anemia, RBC transfusions on/after week 5, and ESA administration was also evaluated.
Results
The use of G‐CSFs, ESAs, or RBC transfusions on/after week 5 was significantly lower among patients receiving trilaciclib versus placebo (28.5% vs. 56.3%, p < 0.0001; 3.3% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.0254; and 14.6% vs. 26.1%, p = 0.0252, respectively). Compared with placebo, trilaciclib significantly reduced DSN and SN, irrespective of G‐CSF administration. RBC transfusions and ESAs were most often administered in patients with grade 3/4 anemia; however, patients typically received RBC transfusions over ESA administration.
Conclusions
By improving CIM and reducing the need for associated supportive care, trilaciclib has the potential to reduce the burden of myelosuppression on patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy for the treatment of ES‐SCLC.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02499770; NCT03041311; NCT02514447).
Compared with placebo, administering trilaciclib prior to chemotherapy reduces chemotherapy‐induced neutropenia and anemia, with a reduction in the use of hematopoietic growth factors and red blood cell transfusions. By improving key myelosuppressive endpoints and reducing the need for associated supportive care, trilaciclib has the potential to reduce both the societal and economic burden of chemotherapy‐induced myelosuppression on patients with extensive‐stage small cell lung cancer.
Much of the existing literature related to patient knowledge of anesthesia relies on single-institution clinical settings and traditional methodologies, which entail either surveying patients or ...observing encounters between patients and providers.1–2 Recent narrative reviews on informed consent in adult and pediatric perioperative settings reveal that the informed consent process often inadequately provides patients with a satisfactory understanding of the risks associated with various types of sedation.1–3 One way to ascertain population-level interest in health care interventions is through the use of search engine queries,4 which may provide insight into areas of health communication requiring increased attention. Overall, internet search terms can help anesthesia providers understand which aspects of anesthesia are most pertinent to the general population, which in turn may guide the informed consent process with patients. Reporting of this study conforms to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.5 This study of publicly available, de-identified data was deemed exempt for Institutional Review Board approval by Case Western Reserve University.
This guideline was developed to identify evidence‐based best practices in haemophilia care delivery, and discuss the range of care providers and services that are most important to optimize outcomes ...for persons with haemophilia (PWH) across the United States. The guideline was developed following specific methods described in detail in this supplement and based on the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach). Direct evidence from published literature and the haemophilia community, as well as indirect evidence from other chronic diseases, were reviewed, synthesized and applied to create evidence‐based recommendations. The Guideline panel suggests that the integrated care model be used over non‐integrated care models for PWH (conditional recommendation, moderate certainty in the evidence). For PWH with inhibitors and those at high risk for inhibitor development, the same recommendation was graded as strong, with moderate certainty in the evidence. The panel suggests that a haematologist, a specialized haemophilia nurse, a physical therapist, a social worker and round‐the‐clock access to a specialized coagulation laboratory be part of the integrated care team, over an integrated care team that does not include all of these components (conditional recommendation, very low certainty in the evidence). Based on available evidence, the integrated model of care in its current structure, is suggested for optimal care of PWH. There is a need for further appropriately designed studies that address unanswered questions about specific outcomes and the optimal structure of the integrated care delivery model in haemophilia.
Research has expanded the notion of attachment to caregivers to other figures such as God, and there is now literature supporting positive effects of attachment to God with various psychosocial ...outcomes. The dimensions of attachment to God—anxiety and avoidance—reflect varying ways that people see God as supportive and reliable versus unsupportive and inconsistent. As a stable aspect of the individual, attachment to God results in recurring patterns of interpersonal behavior that can maintain and support self-control or disrupt it. No studies have examined the moderating effect of attachment to God on the relationship between self-control and negative social exchanges. To fill this gap, a sample of 1049 adults across the United States completed measures on attachment to God, self-control, and interpersonal outcomes. First, results showed that insecure attachment to God is associated with a hostile-dominant interpersonal style. Second, it was found that the highest level of negative social exchanges occurred in individuals low in self-control and high in attachment avoidance and anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of self-regulation, stress exposure, and situation selection. An implication of the current study is that secure attachment to God may foster less stress exposure by influencing a person’s situation selection.
Methamphetamine (mAMPH) is an addictive drug that produces memory and recall impairments in humans. Animals subjected to a binge mAMPH dosing regimen that damages brain dopamine and serotonin ...terminals show impairments in an object recognition (OR) task. Earlier research demonstrated that preceding a single-day mAMPH binge regimen with several days of increasing mAMPH doses greatly attenuates its neurotoxicity in rats. The escalating dose (ED) paradigm appears to mimic the human pattern of escalating drug intake. The current aim was to test whether an ED plus binge mAMPH regimen produces OR impairments. In addition to its translational value, this experiment helps address whether monoaminergic neurotoxicity accounts for OR impairments seen after mAMPH administration. To further address this issue, a separate experiment investigated both OR impairments and monoamine transporter integrity in groups of rats treated with a range of mAMPH doses during a single day. An ED mAMPH regimen attenuated the acute hyperthermic response to the subsequent mAMPH binge and prevented the OR impairments and reductions in 125 IRTI-55 binding to monoamine transporters in striatum, hippocampus (HC), and perirhinal cortex (pRh) that otherwise occur 1 week after the mAMPH binge. Single-day mAMPH regimens (4 x 1mg/kg to 4 x 4 mg/kg, s.c.) dose-dependently produced acute hyperthermia and, 1 week post-mAMPH, produced dose-dependent impairments in OR and reductions in monoamine transporter binding. The OR impairments of single-day mAMPH-treated rats correlated with monoaminergic transporter loss in ventral caudate-putamen, HC, and pRh. In aggregate, these findings suggest a correspondence between mAMPH-induced monoaminergic injury and the resulting OR deficits.
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