We report the draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus equi strain DPC6820, isolated from equine feces. L. equi is a predominant Lactobacillus species in the horse hindgut microbiota. An examination of ...the genome identified genes and enzymes highlighting L. equi adaptations to the herbivorous gastrointestinal tract of the horse, including fructan hydrolases. This genome sequence may help us further understand the microbial ecology of the equine hindgut and the influence lactobacilli have on it.
Clinical chelation therapy of mercury poisoning generally uses one or both of two drugsmeso-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid (DMPS), commercially sold as Chemet and ...Dimaval, respectively. We have used a combination of mercury LIII-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to investigate the chemistry of interaction of mercuric ions with each of these chelation therapy drugs. We show that neither DMSA nor DMPS forms a true chelate complex with mercuric ions and that these drugs should be considered suboptimal for their clinical task of binding mercuric ions. We discuss the design criteria for a mercuric specific chelator molecule or “custom chelator”, which might form the basis for an improved clinical treatment.
Serotonergic receptor binding is altered in the medullary serotonergic nuclei, including the paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGCL), in many infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). ...The PGCL receives inputs from many sites in the caudal brainstem and projects to the spinal cord and to more rostral areas important for arousal and vigilance. We have shown previously that local unilateral nonspecific neuronal inhibition in this region with GABA(A) agonists disrupts sleep architecture. We hypothesized that specifically inhibiting serotonergic activity in the PGCL would result in less sleep and heightened vigilance. We analyzed sleep before and after unilaterally dialyzing the 5-HT1A agonist (+/-)-8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) into the juxtafacial PGCL in conscious newborn piglets. 8-OH-DPAT dialysis resulted in fragmented sleep with an increase in the number and a decrease in the duration of bouts of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and a marked decrease in amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. After 8-OH-DPAT dialysis, there were decreases in body movements, including shivering, during NREM sleep; body temperature and heart rate also decreased. The effects of 8-OH-DPAT were blocked by local pretreatment with N-2-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinylethyl-N-2-pyridinylcyclohexane-carboxamide, a selective 5-HT1A antagonist. Destruction of serotonergic neurons with 5,7-DHT resulted in fragmented sleep and eliminated the effects of subsequent 8-OH-DPAT dialysis on REM but not the effects on body temperature or heart rate. We conclude that neurons expressing 5-HT1A autoreceptors in the juxtafacial PGCL are involved in regulating or modulating sleep. Abnormalities in the function of these neurons may alter sleep homeostasis and contribute to the etiology of SIDS.
Alterations in intestinal microbiota composition are associated with several chronic conditions, including obesity and inflammatory diseases. The microbiota of older people displays greater ...inter-individual variation than that of younger adults. Here we show that the faecal microbiota composition from 178 elderly subjects formed groups, correlating with residence location in the community, day-hospital, rehabilitation or in long-term residential care. However, clustering of subjects by diet separated them by the same residence location and microbiota groupings. The separation of microbiota composition significantly correlated with measures of frailty, co-morbidity, nutritional status, markers of inflammation and with metabolites in faecal water. The individual microbiota of people in long-stay care was significantly less diverse than that of community dwellers. Loss of community-associated microbiota correlated with increased frailty. Collectively, the data support a relationship between diet, microbiota and health status, and indicate a role for diet-driven microbiota alterations in varying rates of health decline upon ageing. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
New, updated, and/or revised CCD parallaxes determined with the Strand Astrometric Reflector at the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station are presented. Included are results for 309 late-type dwarf and ...subdwarf stars observed over the 30+ years that the program operated. For 124 of the stars, parallax determinations from other investigators have already appeared in the literature and we compare the different results. Also included here are new or updated VI photometry on the Johnson-Kron-Cousins system for all but a few of the faintest targets. Together with 2MASS JHKs near-infrared photometry, a sample of absolute magnitude versus color and color versus color diagrams are constructed. Because large proper motion was a prime criterion for targeting the stars, the majority turn out to be either M-type subdwarfs or late M-type dwarfs. The sample also includes 50 dwarf or subdwarf L-type stars, and four T dwarfs. Possible halo subdwarfs are identified in the sample based on tangential velocity, subluminosity, and spectral type. Residuals from the solutions for parallax and proper motion for several stars show evidence of astrometric perturbations.
Lactobacilli are gram-positive bacteria that are a subdominant element in the human gastrointestinal microbiota, and which are commonly used in the food industry. Some lactobacilli are considered ...probiotic, and have been associated with health benefits. However, there is very little culture-independent information on how consumed probiotic microorganisms might affect the entire intestinal microbiota. We therefore studied the impact of the administration of Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118, a microorganism well characterized for its probiotic properties, on the composition of the intestinal microbiota in two model animals. UCC118 has anti-infective activity due to production of the bacteriocin Abp118, a broad-spectrum class IIb bacteriocin, which we hypothesized could impact the microbiota. Mice and pigs were administered wild-type (WT) L. salivarius UCC118 cells, or a mutant lacking bacteriocin production. The microbiota composition was determined by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from faeces. The data show that L. salivarius UCC118 administration had no significant effect on proportions of major phyla comprising the mouse microbiota, whether the strain was producing bacteriocin or not. However, L. salivarius UCC118 WT administration led to a significant decrease in Spirochaetes levels, the third major phylum in the untreated pig microbiota. In both pigs and mice, L. salivarius UCC118 administration had an effect on Firmicutes genus members. This effect was not observed when the mutant strain was administered, and was thus associated with bacteriocin production. Surprisingly, in both models, L. salivarius UCC118 administration and production of Abp118 had an effect on gram-negative microorganisms, even though Abp118 is normally not active in vitro against this group of microorganisms. Thus L. salivarius UCC118 administration has a significant but subtle impact on mouse and pig microbiota, by a mechanism that seems at least partially bacteriocin-dependent.
A novel arsenic−selenium solution species was synthesized by reacting equimolar sodium selenite and sodium dimethylarsinate with 10 mol equiv of glutathione (pH 7.5) in aqueous solution. The solution ...species showed a single 77Se NMR resonance at 112.8 ppm. Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) as the simultaneous arsenic-, selenium-, sulfur-, and carbon-specific detector revealed an arsenic−selenium moiety with an As:Se molar ratio of 1:2. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of the chromatographically purified compound showed a molecular mass peak at m/z 263 in the negative ion mode. Fragmentation of the parent ion (ESI-MS-MS) produced (CH3)2As- and Se2 - fragments. Arsenic and selenium extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) of the purified species revealed two As−C interactions at 1.943 Å and two As−Se interactions at 2.279 Å. On the basis of these results this novel solution species is identified as the dimethyldiselenoarsinate anion.
Choice of variables, climate models and emissions scenarios all influence the results of species distribution models under future climatic conditions. However, an overview of applied studies suggests ...that the uncertainty associated with these factors is not always appropriately incorporated or even considered. We examine the effects of choice of variables, climate models and emissions scenarios can have on future species distribution models using two endangered species: one a short-lived invertebrate species (Ptunarra Brown Butterfly), and the other a long-lived paleo-endemic tree species (King Billy Pine). We show the range in projected distributions that result from different variable selection, climate models and emissions scenarios. The extent to which results are affected by these choices depends on the characteristics of the species modelled, but they all have the potential to substantially alter conclusions about the impacts of climate change. We discuss implications for conservation planning and management, and provide recommendations to conservation practitioners on variable selection and accommodating uncertainty when using future climate projections in species distribution models.
Determining the speciation of selenium in vivo is crucial to understanding the biological activity of this essential element, which is a popular dietary supplement due to its anti-cancer properties. ...Hyphenated techniques that combine separation and detection methods are traditionally and effectively used in selenium speciation analysis, but require extensive sample preparation that may affect speciation. Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption and fluorescence techniques offer an alternative approach to selenium speciation analysis that requires minimal sample preparation. We present a brief summary of some key HPLC-ICP-MS and ESI-MS/MS studies of the speciation of selenium in cells and rat tissues. We review the results of a top-down approach to selenium speciation in human lung cancer cells that aims to link the speciation and distribution of selenium to its biological activity using a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM). The results of this approach highlight the distinct fates of selenomethionine, methylselenocysteine and selenite in terms of their speciation and distribution within cells: organic selenium metabolites were widely distributed throughout the cells, whereas inorganic selenium metabolites were compartmentalized and associated with copper. New data from the XFM mapping of electrophoretically-separated cell lysates show the distribution of selenium in the proteins of selenomethionine-treated cells. Future applications of this top-down approach are discussed.
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