Genotypic diversity within a natural coastal bacterioplankton population

The genomic diversity and relative importance of distinct genotypes within natural bacterial populations have remained largely unknown. Here, we analyze the diversity and annual dynamics of a group of coastal bacterioplankton (greater than 99% 16S ribosomal RNA identity to Vibrio splendidus). We show that this group consists of at least a thousand distinct genotypes, each occurring at extremely low environmental concentrations (on average less than one cell per milliliter). Overall, the genomes show extensive allelic diversity and size variation. Individual genotypes rarely recurred in samples, and allelic distribution did not show spatial or temporal substructure. Ecological considerations suggest that much genotypic and possibly phenotypic variation within natural populations should be considered neutral.     

Future Cereal Starch Bioengineering: Cereal Ancestors Encounter Gene Technology and Designer Enzymes

The importance of cereal starch production worldwide cannot be overrated. However, the qualities and resulting values of existing raw and processed starch do not fully meet future demands for environmentally friendly production of renewable, advanced biomaterials, functional foods, and biomedical additives. New approaches for starch bioengineering are needed. In this review, we discuss cereal starch from a combined universal bioresource point of view. The combination of new biotechniques and clean technology methods can be implemented to replace, for example, chemical modification. The recently released cereal genomes and the exploding advancement in whole genome sequencing now pave the road for identifying new genes to be exploited to generate a multitude of completely new starch functionalities directly in the cereal grain, converting cereal crops to production plants. Newly released genome data from cereal ancestors can potentially allow for the reintroduction of cereal traits including, for example, health‐promoting carbohydrates that may have been lost during domestication. Raw materials produced in this manner can be processed by clean enzyme‐assisted techniques or thermal treatment in combination to further functionalize or stabilize the starch polymers. Importantly, such products can be multifunctional in the sense of combined food/material or food/pharma purposes, for example, edible plastics, shape memory materials, and cycloamylose carriers and stabilizers for diverse bioactives.     

IgG isotype profile is correlated with cardiomegaly in Beagle dogs infected with distinct Trypanosoma cruzi strains

A systematic study following infection by various strains of the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, and the simultaneous monitoring of the humoral immune response together with the elicited cellular response, could add greatly to our understanding of differences between strains of this important human pathogen. In that sense, acute and chronic infections with distinct T. cruzi strains (Y, Berenice-78 and ABC) in Beagle dogs were studied through a longitudinal evaluation of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1 and IgG2 isotypes (by ELISA and flow cytometry (FC)), as well as measurements of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation over a 100-week period, and their correlation with cardiomegaly. Our results show that infected animals presenting cardiomegaly showed lower or absent levels of IgG1 during the chronic phase of the infection, when compared to those that did not show an increase in heart weight. In that manner, our results suggest that IgG1 could be used as a marker for cardiac pathogenicity in Chagas disease.     

Cardiac troponin I in dogs anaesthetized with propofol and sevoflurane: the influence of medetomidine premedication and inspired oxygen fraction

Objective

To investigate changes in serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations in dogs in which medetomidine was used for sedation or for premedication prior to anaesthesia with propofol and sevoflurane.

The role of biochar in retaining nutrients in amended tropical soils

This study investigated the effect of biochar amendments on the retention and availability of plant nutrients and Al in seven acidic tropical soils from Zambia and Indonesia. The experiments carried out investigated whether the adsorption capacity of NH$ _4^+ $ in the soils increased upon the addition of biochar and which effect biochar had on available concentrations of NO$ _3^- $ , K⁺, Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺ , PO$ _4^{3‐} $ , and Al³⁺. These nutrients were selected as they represent those important to plant growth and soil quality. No significant increases or decreases in aqueous NH$ _4^+ $ ‐N concentration with additions of biochar were detected. The Gaines–Thomas model was used in order to calculate selectivity coefficients for NH$ _4^+ $ exchange (K_gt values). Following the addition of biochar to soil, K_gt values decreased showing a reduction in the selective binding of NH$ _4^+ $ in the biochar amended soil compared to the control. The concentration of NO$ _3^- $ increased following the addition of biochar to the soils. The addition of 5 and 10% biochar to the Indonesian soil did not significantly alter (t‐test confidence level 0.05) the sorption of PO$ _4^{3‐} $ to the soil–biochar mixtures as compared to the soil alone. However, the addition of biochar to the soil from Zambia increased the sorption of PO$ _4^{3‐} $ compared to the soil alone. The concentrations of K⁺ and Mg²⁺ were significantly increased for almost all soils (t‐test at the 0.05 confidence level) following the addition of biochar. Addition of biochar to all but two soils significantly decreased (t‐test confidence level 0.05) Mn²⁺ concentrations. The concentration of Al³⁺ in the soils decreased exponentially significantly (t‐test confidence level 0.05) following the amendment of biochar in accordance with the increase in pH observed when biochar was added to the soil. These results show that biochar has the ability to release essential plant growth nutrients as well as alleviate Al toxicity in these soils.     

Anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, free-radical-scavenging, and antimicrobial activities of hawthorn berries ethanol extract

Hawthorn [Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and Crataegus oxyacantha L.; sin. Crataegus laevigata (Poiret) DC., Rosaceae] leaves, flowers, and berries are used in traditional medicine in the treatment of chronic heart failure, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, and various digestive ailments, as well as geriatric and antiarteriosclerosis remedies. According to European Pharmacopoeia 6.0, hawthorn berries consist of the dried false fruits of these two species or their mixture. The present study was carried out to test free-radical-scavenging, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, and antimicrobial activities of hawthorn berries ethanol extract. Phenolic compounds represented 3.54%, expressed as gallic acid equivalents. Determination of total flavonoid aglycones content yielded 0.18%. The percentage of hyperoside, as the main flavonol component, was 0.14%. With respect to procyanidins content, the obtained value was 0.44%. DPPH radical-scavenging capacity of the extract was concentration-dependent, with EC50 value of 52.04 microg/mL (calculation based on the total phenolic compounds content in the extract). Oral administration of investigated extract caused dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect in a model of carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. The obtained anti-inflammatory effect was 20.8, 23.0, and 36.3% for the extract doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively. In comparison to indomethacin, given in a dose producing 50% reduction of rat paw edema, the extract given in the highest tested dose (200 mg/kg) showed 72.4% of its activity. Gastroprotective activity of the extract was investigated using an ethanol-induced acute stress ulcer in rats with ranitidine as a reference drug. Hawthorn extract produced dose-dependent gastroprotective activity (3.8 +/- 2.1, 1.9 +/- 1.7, and 0.7 +/- 0.5 for doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively), with the efficacy comparable to that of the reference drug. Antimicrobial testing of the extract revealed its moderate bactericidal activity, especially against gram-positive bacteria Micrococcus flavus, Bacillus subtilis, and Lysteria monocytogenes, with no effect on Candida albicans. All active components identified in the extract might be responsible for activities observed.     

The Role of Weather in Meningitis Outbreaks in Navrongo, Ghana: A Generalized Additive Modeling Approach

Bacterial (meningococcal) meningitis is a devastating infectious disease with outbreaks occurring annually during the dry season in locations within the ??Meningitis Belt??, a region in sub-Saharan Africa stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal. Meningococcal meningitis occurs from December to May in the Sahel with large epidemics every 5?C10?years and attack rates of up to 1000 infections per 100,000 people. High temperatures coupled with low humidity may favor the conversion of carriage to disease as the meningococcal bacteria in the nose and throat are better able to cross the mucosal membranes into the blood stream. Similarly, respiratory diseases such as influenza and pneumonia might weaken the immune defenses and add to the mucosa damage. Although the transmission dynamics are poorly understood, outbreaks regularly end with the onset of the rainy season and may begin anew with the following dry season. In this paper, we employ a generalized additive modeling approach to assess the association between number of reported meningitis cases and a set of weather variables (relative humidity, rain, wind, sunshine, maximum and minimum temperature). The association is adjusted for air quality (dust, carbon monoxide), as well as varying degrees of unobserved time-varying confounding processes that co-vary with both the disease incidence and weather. We present the analysis of monthly reported meningitis counts in Navrongo, Ghana, from 1998?C2008.