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Introduction: Intravenous vitamin C was administered following hematopoietic stem cell transplant to mitigate nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in a Phase II clinical trial., Methods: Patients with advanced hematologic malignancies received IV vitamin C, 50 mg/kg/day, in three divided doses on days 1-14 after HSCT, followed by 500 mg bid oral until 6 months., Results: All patients enrolled (55) were deficient in vitamin C at day 0 and had restoration to normal levels. Vitamin C recipients had a trend for lower nonrelapse mortality (NRM, 11% vs. 25%, p -value = 0.07) compared with propensity score-matched historical controls. A similar trend toward improved survival was observed (82% vs. 62% p  = 0.06), with no attributable grade 3 and 4 toxicities to vitamin C., Conclusion: In patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT, repletion of vitamin C is feasible and may reduce NRM and improve overall survival. Randomized trials in large uniform cohorts of patients are needed to confirm the utility of this easily available and inexpensive therapy., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose., (© 2024 The Author(s). eJHaem published by British Society for Haematology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The use of reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens has increased in an effort to minimize hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) end-organ toxicity, including gonadal toxicity. We aimed to describe the incidence of fertility potential and gonadal function impairment in adolescent and young adult survivors of HCT and to identify risk factors (including conditioning intensity) for impairment. We performed a multi-institutional, international retrospective cohort study of patients age 10 to 40 years who underwent first allogeneic HCT before December 1, 2019, and who were alive, in remission, and available for follow-up at 1 to 2 years post-HCT. For females, an AMH level of ≥.5 ng/mL defined preserved fertility potential; an AMH level of ≥.03 ng/mL was considered detectable. Gonadal failure was defined for females as an elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level >30 mIU/mL with an estradiol (E2) level <17 pg/mL or current use of hormone replacement therapy (regardless of specific indication or intent). For males, gonadal failure was defined as an FSH level >10.4 mIU/mL or current use of hormone replacement therapy. A total of 326 patients (147 females) were available for analysis from 17 programs (13 pediatric, 4 adult). At 1 to 2 years post-HCT, 114 females (77.6%) had available FSH and E2 levels and 71 (48.3%) had available AMH levels. FSH levels were reported for 125 males (69.8%). Nearly all female HCT recipients had very low levels of AMH. One of 45 (2.2%) recipients of myeloablative conditioning (MAC) and four of 26 (15.4%) recipients of reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) (P = .06) had an AMH ≥.5 ng/m, and 8 of 45 MAC recipients (17.8%) and 12 of 26 RIC recipients (46.2%) (P = .015) had a detectable AMH level. Total body irradiation (TBI) dose and cyclophosphamide equivalent dose (CED) were not associated with detectable AMH. The incidence of female gonadal hormone failure was 55.3%. In univariate analysis, older age at HCT was associated with greater likelihood of gonadal failure (median age, 17.6 versus 13.9; P < .0001), whereas conditioning intensity (RIC versus MAC), TBI, chronic graft-versus-host disease requiring systemic therapy, and CED were not significantly associated with gonadal function. In multivariable analysis, age remained statistically significant (odds ratio [OR]. 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.22) for each year increase; P = .012), Forty-four percent of the males had gonadal failure. In univariate analysis, older age (median, 16.2 years versus 14.4 years; P = .0005) and TBI dose (P = .002) were both associated with gonadal failure, whereas conditioning intensity (RIC versus MAC; P = .06) and CED (P = .07) were not statistically significant. In multivariable analysis, age (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06-1.27 for each year increase; P = .0016) and TBI ≥600 cGy (OR, 6.23; 95% CI, 2.21 to 19.15; P = .0008) remained significantly associated with gonadal failure. Our data indicate that RIC does not significantly mitigate the risk for gonadal failure in females or males. Age at HCT and (specifically in males) TBI use seem to be independent predictors of post-transplantation gonadal function and fertility status. All patients should receive pre-HCT infertility counseling and be offered appropriate fertility preservation options and be screened post-HCT for gonadal failure., (Copyright © 2024 The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Many studies show that seagrass δ(15)N ratios increase with the amount of urbanization in coastal watersheds. However, there is little information on the relationship between urbanization and seagrass δ(15)N ratios on a global scale. We performed a meta-analysis on seagrass samples from 79 independent locations to test if seagrass δ(15)N ratios correlate with patterns of population density and fertilizer use within a radius of 10-200 km around the sample locations. Our results show that seagrass δ(15)N ratios are more influenced by intergeneric and latitudinal differences than the degree of urbanization or the amount of fertilizer used in nearby watersheds. The positive correlation between seagrass δ(15)N ratios and latitude hints at an underlying pattern in discrimination or a latitudinal gradient in the (15)N isotopic signature of nitrogen assimilated by the plants. The actual mechanisms responsible for the correlation between δ(15)N and latitude remain unknown., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated potential nitrogen fixation, net nitrification, and denitrification responses to short-term crude oil exposure that simulated oil exposure in Juncus roemerianus salt marsh sediments previously impacted following the Deepwater Horizon accident. Temperature as well as crude oil amount and type affected the nitrogen cycling rates. Total nitrogen fixation rates increased 44 and 194 % at 30 °C in 4,000 mg kg(-1) tar ball and 10,000 mg kg(-1) moderately weathered crude oil treatments, respectively; however, there was no difference from the controls at 10 and 20 °C. Net nitrification rates showed production at 20 °C and consumption at 10 and 30 °C in all oil treatments and controls. Potential denitrification rates were higher than controls in the 10 and 30 ºC treatments but responded differently to the oil type and amount. The highest rates of potential denitrification (12.7 ± 1.0 nmol N g(-1) wet h(-1)) were observed in the highly weathered 4,000 mg kg(-1) oil treatment at 30 °C, suggesting increased rates of denitrification during the warmer summer months. These results indicate that the impacts on nitrogen cycling from a recurring oil spill could depend on the time of the year as well as the amount and type of oil contaminating the marsh. The study provides evidence for impact on nitrogen cycling in coastal marshes that are vulnerable to repeated hydrocarbon exposure.

Two anaerobic (A1 and A2), 1 selective (S1), and 3 conventional (C1, C2, and C3) transport media formulations were compared for their capacity to maintain the viability of Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae. Initial experiments compared the recovery of S. hyodysenteriae from pure cultures held in each transport medium for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days at -40 C, 4 C, 25 C, and 36 C. Subsequent experiments compared each transport medium for maintenance of S. hyodysenteriae in fecal specimens obtained from experimentally infected pigs after holding for up to 7 days at 25 C. In each experiment, the viability of S. hyodysenteriae in each transport medium incubated at each temperature and for each period was determined by inoculating the transport medium onto either trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep blood or selective BJ agar and incubating at 42 C anaerobically. Viability and fecal flora contamination were evaluated blindly after 2-, 4-, and 6-day incubation periods. At -40 C, recovery of viable S. hyodysenteriae from pure culture did not differ among the transport media from 0.5 to 7 days, and all of the transport media consistently maintained the viability of the spirochetes for 7 days. At 4 C, the anaerobic and selective transport media maintained the viability of pure cultures of S. hyodysenteriae significantly better than did the conventional transport media group at day 7 (P = 0.019). At the same temperature, the anaerobic media maintained viability better than did the conventional media at 5 days (P less than 0.042).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)