Colonization-competition tradeoffs have been shown to be important determinants of succession in plant and animal communities, but their role in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities is not well ...understood. To experimentally examine whether strong spore-based competitors remain dominant on plant root tips as competition shifts to mycelial-based interactions, we investigated the mycelial competitive interactions among three naturally co-occurring ECM species (Rhizopogon occidentalis, R. salebrosus, and Suillus pungens). Each species was grown alone and in all pair-wise combinations on P. muricata seedlings in experimental microcosms and culture assays. Competitive outcomes were assessed from ECM root tip colonization, soil mycelial abundance, and mycelial growth in culture. In the microcosm experiment, we observed a clear competitive hierarchy of R. salebrosus>R. occidentalis>S. pungens. Competitive effects were also apparent in the culture assays, however, no similar hierarchy was present. These results contrast with our previous findings from spore-based competition, suggesting that ECM competitive outcomes can be life-stage dependent. The differing competitive abilities observed here also showed general correspondence with patterns of ECM succession in Pinus muricata forests, indicating that competitive interactions may significantly influence temporal patterns of ECM community structure.
Alnus trees associate with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi and nitrogen‐fixing Frankia bacteria and, although their ECM fungal communities are uncommonly host specific and species poor, it is unclear ...whether the functioning of Alnus ECM fungal symbionts differs from that of other ECM hosts. We used exoenzyme root tip assays and molecular identification to test whether ECM fungi on Alnus rubra differed in their ability to access organic phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) when compared with ECM fungi on the non‐Frankia host Pseudotsuga menziesii. At the community level, potential acid phosphatase (AP) activity of ECM fungal root tips from A. rubra was significantly higher than that from P. menziesii, whereas potential leucine aminopeptidase (LA) activity was significantly lower for A. rubra root tips at one of the two sites. At the individual species level, there was no clear relationship between ECM fungal relative root tip abundance and relative AP or LA enzyme activities on either host. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that ECM fungal communities associated with Alnus trees have enhanced organic P acquisition abilities relative to non‐Frankia ECM hosts. This shift, in combination with the chemical conditions present in Alnus forest soils, may drive the atypical structure of Alnus ECM fungal communities.
To examine the geographic patterns in
Alnus
-associated ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal assemblages and determine how they may relate to host plant biogeography, we studied ECM assemblages associated ...with two
Alnus
species (
Alnus acuminata
and
Alnus jorullensis
) in montane Mexico and compared them with
Alnus
-associated ECM assemblages located elsewhere in the Americas. ECM root samples were collected from four sites in Mexico (two per host species), identified with ITS and LSU rRNA gene sequences, and assessed using both taxon- (richness, diversity, evenness indices) and sequence divergence-based (UniFrac clustering and significance) analyses. Only 23 ECM taxa were encountered.
Clavulina
, an ECM lineage never before reported with
Alnus
, contained the dominant taxon overall. ECM assemblage structure varied between hosts, but UniFrac significance tests indicated that both associated with similar ECM lineage diversity. There was a strikingly high sequence similarity among a diverse array of the ECM taxa in Mexico and those in
Alnus
forests in Argentina, the United States, and Europe. The Mexican and United States assemblages had greater overlap than those present in Argentina, supporting the host–ECM fungi co-migration hypothesis from a common north temperate origin. Our results indicate that
Alnus
-associated ECM assemblages have clear patterns in richness and composition across a wide range of geographic locations. Additional data from boreal western North America as well as the eastern United States and Canada will be particularly informative in further understanding the co-biogeographic patterns of
Alnus
and ECM fungi in the Americas.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are relatively rare mesenchymal tumors. The treatment of these tumors has drastically changed based on molecular treatment methods, namely tyrosine kinase ...inhibitors, which have led to impressive survival benefits. While medical management has enhanced patient outcomes, surgery is still the standard of care for stable, completely resectable primary tumors or metastases that are >2 cm. This case presents the resection of a diaphragmatic metastasis of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor-controlled GIST in a 51-year-old male. The surgery was collaboratively approached from both the thoracic and abdominal cavities, utilizing the da Vinci robotic system. Prior data is limited regarding patient outcomes after robotic-assisted resection of GISTs. However, small case series have shown it to be a safe and effective surgical option. Our patient's quick recovery and return to normal function demonstrate the successful use of robotic-assisted surgery for GIST resection.
Aims
To investigate whether a ‘CT first’ approach to Rapid Access Lung Cancer Clinic (RALC) review could be feasible in an Irish context.
Methods
A retrospective review of our institution’s Lung ...Cancer Database was performed. All RALC first attendances from 2012-2018 were identified. Timing of CT was assessed as well as CT imaging findings.
Results
Total first attendances in this period were 2372, of whom 91% had CT thorax as part of their evaluation. 866 patients (37%) were diagnosed with lung cancer, all had an abnormal CT. 1290 patients (54%) underwent CT but did not have lung cancer after clinical work up. 34% of patients diagnosed with Lung Cancer had their CT scan post RALC. Time to diagnosis was longer in those who had post RALC CT (34.5 versus 21 days)
Conclusion
CT scanning plays a vital role in the RALC pathway. Initial delays in obtaining CT can result in delayed time to diagnosis. These findings warrant close consideration when devising future national lung cancer policy.
Previous structural studies of the lipopolysaccharides from the veterinary pathogens
Mannheimia haemolytica (
Mh)
, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (
Ap) and
Pasteurella multocida (
Pm) had ...identified a conserved inner core oligosaccharide structure that was present in all strains investigated. In order to examine the potential of this inner core structure as a vaccine, a mutagenesis strategy was adopted to interrupt a
d-
glycero-
d-
manno-heptosyltransferase gene (
losB) of
Mh. This gene encodes the enzyme responsible for the addition of a
d-
glycero-
d-
manno-heptose residue, the first residue beyond the conserved inner core, and its inactivation exposed the conserved inner core structure as a terminal unit on the mutant LPS molecule. Subsequent analyses confirmed the targeted structure of the mutant LPS had been obtained, and complementation with
losB in trans confirmed that the
losB gene encodes an α-1, 6-
d-
glycero-
d-
manno-heptosyltransferase.
Monoclonal antibodies raised in mice to this LPS structure were found to recognise LPS and whole-cells of the truncated mutant and wild-type
Mh. The antibodies were bactericidal against a wild-type
Mh strain and were able to passively protect mice in a model of
Mh disease. This illustrates that it is possible to raise functional antibodies against the conserved inner core LPS structure.
Abstract Background Nonmedical prescription opioid use (NPOU) is a major public health concern and few studies have described this phenomenon among victimized women involved in the criminal justice ...system. Objective This study will describe the relationship between victimization, psychological distress, health status and NPOU among the vulnerable population of victimized women on probation and parole. Methods A sample of 406 women on probation and parole responded to items assessing victimization history, self-reported health status, physical pain, psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Multiple logistic regression analysis was utilized to differentiate NPOUs versus nonusers. Results Overall, 169 (41.6%) women reported lifetime NPOU, and 20% reported use in the past year. Compared to women who did not report NPOU, NPOUs were more likely to be White, have poorer general health, and more severe psychological distress across nine symptom domains. In multiple logistic regression models, each year of age reduced the odds of NPOU by 4%; White women were twice as likely as women of other races to report NPOU; each unit increase in the measure for physical pain was associated with a 30% increase in the odds of NPOU; and participants who met diagnostic criteria for PTSD were 60% more likely to report NPOU compared to individuals who did not. Conclusion Victimized women on probation and parole report high rates of NPOU and comorbid mental and physical health problems. The criminal justice system should routinely screen for NPOU, as well as untreated or poorly managed physical pain and psychological distress, which may increase risk of NPOU.
•Horses in university settings often undergo periods of disuse over semester breaks•Conditioned and non-conditioned horses were compared at beginning of semester•Peak heart rate during exercise was ...not different between treatments•Topline score of conditioned horses was greater than non-conditioned•Pasture access during disuse may assist in retaining a degree of fitness
Periods of limited activity during semester break may reduce performance during return to ridden work. This study evaluated fitness and muscling of horses when returning to work, following a 12-week period during which horses either continued (conditioned) or discontinued (non-conditioned) ridden work. It was hypothesized that non-conditioned horses would have a lower level of fitness, resulting in higher resting and peak heart rates and lower levels of muscling. Twelve mature, stock type horses aged 16 ± 5 years were assigned to either a conditioned group that maintained light-to-moderate riding or a non-conditioned group receiving no formal exercise. All horses had access to voluntary exercise for 12-24hr/d on grass pasture (1.5-2.5 hectares). Following the 12-week period, all horses were placed into a light-to-moderate intensity exercise program with resting heart rate, peak heart rate, body condition score, gaskin and forearm circumference, and topline muscle measurements performed on d 0, 14, and 28. Peak and resting heart rates were not different between groups (P > 0.05) but increased for both groups throughout the study (P = 0.04). Gaskin circumference of non-conditioned horses was larger (P = 0.04), although non-conditioned horses tended to be heavier (551.4 versus 491.4 ± 21.4 kg; P = 0.07). Conditioned horses had greater average topline muscling scores (P = 0.02). Horses that were conditioned over a 12-week break had greater muscling, but changes in fitness were not detected. Pasture access could contribute to maintenance of fitness during unridden periods.
Death receptor activation triggers recruitment of FADD, which via its death effector domain (DED) engages the DEDs of procaspase 8 and its inhibitor FLIP to form death-inducing signalling complexes ...(DISCs). The DEDs of FADD, FLIP and procaspase 8 interact with one another using two binding surfaces defined by α1/α4 and α2/α5 helices, respectively. Here we report that FLIP has preferential affinity for the α1/α4 surface of FADD, whereas procaspase 8 has preferential affinity for FADD's α2/α5 surface. These relative affinities contribute to FLIP being recruited to the DISC at comparable levels to procaspase 8 despite lower cellular expression. Additional studies, including assessment of DISC stoichiometry and functional assays, suggest that following death receptor recruitment, the FADD DED preferentially engages FLIP using its α1/α4 surface and procaspase 8 using its α2/α5 surface; these tripartite intermediates then interact via the α1/α4 surface of FLIP DED1 and the α2/α5 surface of procaspase 8 DED2.
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