Current malnourishment statistics are high and are exacerbated by contemporary agricultural practices that damage the very environments on which the production of nutritious food depends. As the ...World's population grows at an unprecedented rate, food systems must be revised to provide adequate nutrition while minimizing environmental impacts. One specific nutritional problem that needs attention is mineral (e.g., Fe and Zn) malnutrition, which impacts over two-thirds of the World's people living in countries of every economic status. Microgreens, the edible cotyledons of many vegetables, herbs, and flowers, is a newly emerging crop that may be a dense source of nutrition and has the potential to be produced in just about any locale. This study examined the mineral concentration of broccoli microgreens produced using compost-based and hydroponic growing methods that are easily implemented in one's own home. The nutritional value of the resulting microgreens was quantitatively compared to published nutritional data for the mature vegetable. Nutritional data were also considered in the context of the resource demands (i.e., water, fertilizer, and energy) of producing microgreens in order to gain insights into the potential for local microgreen production to diversify food systems, particularly for urban areas, while minimizing the overall environmental impacts of broccoli farming. Regardless of how they were grown, microgreens had larger quantities of Mg, Mn, Cu, and Zn than the vegetable. However, compost-grown (C) microgreens had higher P, K, Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe, Ca, Na, and Cu concentrations than the vegetable. For eight nutritionally important minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Na), the average C microgreen:vegetable nutrient ratio was 1.73. Extrapolation from experimental data presented here indicates that broccoli microgreens would require 158-236 times less water than it does to grow a nutritionally equivalent amount of mature vegetable in the fields of California's Central Valley in 93-95% less time and without the need for fertilizer, pesticides, or energy-demanding transport from farm to table. The results of this study suggest that broccoli microgreens have the potential to be a rich source of minerals that can be produced by individuals, even in urban settings, providing better access to adequate nutrition.
Numerous studies indicate that carbon monoxide (CO) participates in a broader range of processes than any other single molecule, ranging from subcellular to planetary scales. Despite its toxicity to ...many organisms, a diverse group of bacteria that span multiple phylogenetic lineages metabolize CO. These bacteria are globally distributed and include pathogens, plant symbionts and biogeochemically important lineages in soils and the oceans. New molecular and isolation techniques, as well as genome sequencing, have greatly expanded our knowledge of the diversity of CO oxidizers. Here, we present a newly emerging picture of the distribution, diversity and ecology of aerobic CO-oxidizing bacteria.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
mothur aims to be a comprehensive software package that allows users to use a single piece of software to analyze community sequence data. It builds upon previous tools to provide a flexible and ...powerful software package for analyzing sequencing data. As a case study, we used mothur to trim, screen, and align sequences; calculate distances; assign sequences to operational taxonomic units; and describe the α and β diversity of eight marine samples previously characterized by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments. This analysis of more than 222,000 sequences was completed in less than 2 h with a laptop computer.
Previous studies showed that members of the
were important in the succession of aerobic, molybdenum-dependent CO oxidizing-bacteria on volcanic soils. During these studies, four isolates were ...obtained from Kilauea Volcano (Hawai'i, USA); one strain was isolated from Pico de Orizaba (Mexico) during a separate study. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the Pico de Orizaba isolate and the isolates from Kilauea Volcano were provisionally assigned to the genera
and
, respectively. Each of the isolates possessed a form I
gene that encoded the catalytic subunit of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH); none of the most closely related type strains possessed
or oxidized CO. Genome sequences for
type strains facilitated an analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities and average nucleotide identities (ANI). ANI did not exceed 95% (the recommended cutoff for species differentiation) for any of the pairwise comparisons among 27 reference strains related to the new isolates. However, since the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity among this set of reference strains was 98.93%, DNA-DNA hybridizations (DDH) were performed for two isolates whose 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with their nearest phylogenetic neighbors were 98.96 and 99.11%. In both cases DDH values were <16%. Based on multiple variables, four of the isolates represent novel species within the
:
sp. nov. (type strain I2
= DSM 28029
= LMG 27952
);
sp. nov. (type strain WA
= DSM 28027
= LMG 27949
);
sp. nov. (type strain PP52-1
= DSM 28028
= LMG 27950
); and
sp. nov. (type strain DNBP6-1
= DSM 28030
= LMG 28140
). The remaining isolate represents the first CO-oxidizing member of the
complex:
sp. nov. (type strain PO-04-17-38
= DSM 28031
= LMG 28138
).
Abstract Objectives Severe bleeding related to cardiac surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Thromboelastography (TEG) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM) are point-of-care tests ...(POCT). Bedside ROTEM/TEG can rapidly detect changes in blood coagulation and therefore provide a goal-directed, individualized coagulation therapy. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to determine the current evidence for or against POCT-guided algorithm in patients with severe bleeding after cardiac surgery. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational trials retrieved from a literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Only trials comparing transfusion strategy guided by TEG/ROTEM with a standard of care control group undergoing cardiac surgery were included. In addition, at least one clinical outcome had to be mentioned: mortality, surgical re-exploration rate, sternal wound infection, and acute kidney injury (AKI). Also, surrogate parameters such as transfusion requirements and amount of blood loss were analyzed. The pooled treatment effects (odds ratio OR and 95% confidence intervals CI) were assessed using a fixed or random-effects model. Results The literature search retrieved a total of 17 trials (nine randomized controlled trial and eight observational trials) involving 8332 cardiac surgery patients. POCT-guided transfusion management significantly decreased the odds for patients to receive allogeneic blood products (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.56-0.71; P < 0.00001) and the re-exploration rate due to postoperative bleeding (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.45-0.71; P < 0.00001). Furthermore, the incidence of postoperative AKI (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.98; P = 0.0278) and thromboembolic events (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.70; P = 0.0006) was significantly decreased in the TEG/ROTEM group. No statistical differences were found with regard to inhospital mortality, cerebrovascular accident, or length of intensive care unit and hospital stay. Conclusions TEG/ROTEM-based coagulation management decreases the risk of allogeneic blood product exposure after cardiac surgery. Furthermore, it results in significantly lower re-exploration rate, decreased incidence of postoperative AKI, and thromboembolic events in cardiac surgery patients. Results of this meta-analysis indicate that POCT-guided transfusion therapy is superior to the current standard of care.
Soil microbial communities influence the rate and trajectory of ecosystem recovery after wildfire, but how their composition varies with burn severity in different vegetation types is largely ...unknown. This study utilized high throughput amplicon sequencing of a bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragment to determine the bacterial community composition in soils that were unburned, moderately burned (“low burn”) and severely burned (“high burn”) in ponderosa pine (‘P’) and mixed conifer (‘M’) forests, three months after the Las Conchas fire (New Mexico, USA; July 2011). Community composition was distinct in unburned M and P soils, but it was similar in high burn soils, despite differences in initial and post-burn M and P soil parameters (i.e. pH, moisture, organic matter, carbon and nitrogen content), which are known to correlate with shifts in bacterial community composition. Richness tended to be lower in the high burn M soils relative to unburned M soils, while it was similar across all P soils. Collectively, our findings indicate that high burn severity may result in bacterial communities shifting to similar compositions within a few months post-fire, even if the initial communities, as well as initial and post-burn soil physical and chemical properties are distinct.
•Soil properties varied differentially with burn severity in two vegetation types.•Richness varied differentially with burn severity in two vegetation types.•Composition was distinct in two unburned soils but similar in high burn soils.•Specific taxa present may better predict fire response than overall composition.
Nonnative Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is decimating sagebrush steppe, one of the largest ecosystems in the Western United States, and is causing regional-scale shifts in the predominant plant-fungal ...interactions. Sagebrush, a native perennial, hosts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), whereas cheatgrass, a winter annual, is a relatively poor host of AMF. This shift is likely intertwined with decreased carbon (C)-sequestration in cheatgrass-invaded soils and alterations in overall soil fungal community composition and structure, but the latter remain unresolved. We examined soil fungal communities using high throughput amplicon sequencing (ribosomal large subunit gene) in the 0-4 cm and 4-8 cm depth intervals of six cores from cheatgrass- and six cores from sagebrush-dominated soils. Sagebrush core surfaces (0-4 cm) contained higher nitrogen and total C than cheatgrass core surfaces; these differences mirrored the presence of glomalin related soil proteins (GRSP), which has been associated with AMF activity and increased C-sequestration. Fungal richness was not significantly affected by vegetation type, depth or an interaction of the two factors. However, the relative abundance of seven taxonomic orders was significantly affected by vegetation type or the interaction between vegetation type and depth. Teloschistales, Spizellomycetales, Pezizales and Cantharellales were more abundant in sagebrush libraries and contain mycorrhizal, lichenized and basal lineages of fungi. Only two orders (Coniochaetales and Sordariales), which contain numerous economically important pathogens and opportunistic saprotrophs, were more abundant in cheatgrass libraries. Pleosporales, Agaricales, Helotiales and Hypocreales were most abundant across all libraries, but the number of genera detected within these orders was as much as 29 times lower in cheatgrass relative to sagebrush libraries. These compositional differences between fungal communities associated with cheatgrass- and sagebrush-dominated soils warrant future research to examine soil fungal community composition across more sites and time points as well as in association with native grass species that also occupy cheatgrass-invaded ecosystems.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and rates of nitrogen (N)-deposition to forest ecosystems are predicted to alter the structure and function of soil fungal communities, but the ...spatially heterogeneous distribution of soil fungi has hampered investigations aimed at understanding such impacts. We hypothesized that soil physical and chemical properties and fungal community composition would be differentially impacted by elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) and N-fertilization in spatially separated field samples, in the forest floor, 0-2, 2-5, and 5-10 cm depth intervals in a loblolly pine Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment. In all soils, quantitative PCR-based estimates of fungal biomass were highest in the forest floor. Fungal richness, based on pyrosequencing of the fungal ribosomal large subunit gene, increased in response to N-fertilization in 0-2 cm and forest floor intervals. Composition shifted in forest floor, 0-2 and 2-5 cm intervals in response to N-fertilization, but the shift was most distinct in the 0-2 cm interval, in which the largest number of statistically significant changes in soil chemical parameters (i.e., phosphorus, organic matter, calcium, pH) was also observed. In the 0-2 cm interval, increased recovery of sequences from the Thelephoraceae, Tricholomataceae, Hypocreaceae, Clavicipitaceae, and Herpotrichiellaceae families and decreased recovery of sequences from the Amanitaceae correlated with N-fertilization. In this same depth interval, Amanitaceae, Tricholomataceae, and Herpotriciellaceae sequences were recovered less frequently from soils exposed to eCO2 relative to ambient conditions. These results demonstrated that vertical stratification should be taken into consideration in future efforts to elucidate environmental impacts on fungal communities and their feedbacks on ecosystem processes.
Sagebrush steppe (Artemisia tridentata and congenerics), one of the most extensive ecotypes in the Western United States, is being decimated by the invasion of a nonnative annual, Bromus tectorum ...(cheatgrass). Sagebrush loss negatively impacts the distribution of macrofauna, but the impact on soil microbial community structure and composition remains unresolved. High-throughput amplicon sequencing (16S rDNA) was conducted on two soil depth intervals (0–4 cm (T) and 4–8 cm (B)) in 12 spatially separated soil cores collected from cheatgrass (C)- or sagebrush (S)-dominated soils to determine how soil microbial communities associated with cheatgrass and sagebrush may differ. Average normalized bacterial richness was significantly lower in SB libraries than in the ST, CT or CB libraries. Soil depth impacted diversity indices only in S soils with Chao1 and Shannon diversity indices being significantly lower in SB than in ST libraries. Non-metric multidimensional scaling plots indicated that the community composition of SB soils was distinct from the others examined; shifts along axes were most highly correlated with Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Armatimonadetes, unclassified Archaea, Crenarcheota and Firmicutes. These findings demonstrate that the vertical stratification of soil bacterial community structure and composition is reduced in association with cheatgrass relative to that in association with sagebrush.
•Vertical stratification reduced in cheatgrass relative to sagebrush soil communities.•Increased bacterial richness in cheatgrass 4–8 cm soil interval.•Sagebrush soil (4–8 cm) composition was distinct from other soil intervals.•Sagebrush soils contain high levels of undescribed microbial diversity.•Evidence for shift to predominantly saprotrophic communities in cheatgrass soils.
Innate immune responses and rapid recruitment of leukocytes, which regulate inflammation and subsequent healing, play a key role in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 ...(PAD4) is critically involved in chromatin decondensation during the release of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) by activated neutrophils. Alternatively, activated macrophages (M2) and accurate collagen deposition determine the repair of the infarcted heart. In this study, we investigated the impact of NETs on macrophage polarization and their role for acute cardiac inflammation and subsequent cardiac healing in a mouse model of acute MI. NETs were found to promote
macrophage polarization toward a reparative phenotype. NETs suppressed pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1) under hypoxia and diminished IL-6 and TNF-α expression. Further on, NETs strongly supported M2b polarization and IL-10 expression. In cardiac fibroblasts, NETs increased
expression under hypoxic culture conditions. PAD4
mice subjected to permanent ligation of the left anterior descending artery suffered from overwhelming inflammation in the acute phase of MI. Noteworthy, PAD4
neutrophils were unable to release NETs upon
stimulation with ionomycin or PMA, but produced significantly higher amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increased levels of circulating cell-free DNA, mitochondrial DNA and cardiac troponin were found in PAD4
mice in the acute phase of MI when compared to WT mice. Reduced cardiac expression of
, and M2 marker genes, as well as increased
α expression, suggested a pro-inflammatory state. PAD4
mice displayed significantly increased cardiac
expression under baseline conditions. At day 1, post-MI, PAD4
mice showed increased end-diastolic volume and increased thinning of the left ventricular wall. Interestingly, improved cardiac function, as demonstrated by significantly increased ejection fraction, was found at day 21. Altogether, our results indicate that NETs support macrophage polarization toward an M2 phenotype, thus displaying anti-inflammatory properties. PAD4 deficiency aggravates acute inflammation and increases tissue damage post-MI, partially due to the lack of NETs.
PDF
