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The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) can be as high as 80% in patients with risk factors (e.g., females, history of motion sickness). PONV delays postoperative recovery and costs several hundred million dollars annually. Cell-based assays show that halogenated ethers (e.g., isoflurane) activate 5-HT3 receptors, which are found on gastrointestinal vagal afferents and in the hindbrain - key pathways for producing nausea and vomiting. This project evaluated the role of the vagus and activation of the hindbrain in isoflurane-induced emesis in musk shrews – a small animal model with a vomiting reflex, which is lacking in rats and mice. Sham-operated and abdominal vagotomized shrews were exposed to 1 to 3% isoflurane to determine effects on emesis; vagotomy was confirmed by lack of vagal transport of the neuronal tracer Fluoro-Gold. In an additional study, shrews were exposed to isoflurane and hindbrain c-Fos was measured at 90 min after exposure using immunohistochemistry. There were no statistically significant effects of vagotomy on isoflurane-induced emesis compared to sham-operated controls. Isoflurane exposure produced a significant increase in c-Fos-positive cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract and vestibular nuclei but not in the area postrema or dorsal motor nucleus. These results indicate that the abdominal vagus plays no role in isoflurane-induced emesis and suggest that isoflurane activates emesis by action on the hindbrain, as shown by c-Fos labeling. Ultimately, knowledge of the mechanisms of inhalational anesthesia-induced PONV could lead to more targeted therapies to control PONV.

Bacteriophages Phinally and Vivi2 were isolated from soil from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, using host Gordonia terrae 3612. The Phinally and Vivi2 genomes are 59,265 bp and 59,337 bp, respectively, and share sequence similarity with each other and with GTE6. Fewer than 25% of the 87 to 89 putative genes have predictable functions.

Gordonia bacteriophage Yvonnetastic was isolated from soil in Pittsburgh, PA, using Gordonia terrae 3612 as a host. Yvonnetastic has siphoviral morphology and a genome of 98,136 bp, with 198 predicted protein-coding genes and five tRNA genes. Yvonnetastic does not share substantial sequence similarity with other sequenced bacteriophage genomes.

Attis and SoilAssassin are two closely related bacteriophages isolated on Gordonia terrae 3612 from separate soil samples in Pittsburgh, PA. The Attis and SoilAssassin genomes are 47,881 bp and 47,880 bp, respectively, and have 74 predicted protein-coding genes, including toxin-antitoxin systems, but no tRNAs.

Lucky10 is a newly isolated phage of Gordonia terrae 3612 that was recovered from a soil sample in Pittsburgh, PA. Lucky10 has siphoviral morphology and a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome of 42,979 bp, with 70 predicted protein-coding genes. Lucky10 shows little similarity to previously reported Gordonia phages.

Mycobacteriophages Cambiare, FlagStaff, and MOOREtheMARYer are newly isolated phages of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 155 recovered from soil samples in Pittsburgh, PA. All three genomes are closely related to cluster G mycobacteriophages but differ sufficiently in nucleotide sequence and gene content to warrant division of cluster G into several subclusters.

Momo is a newly discovered phage of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 155. Momo has a double-stranded DNA genome 154,553 bp in length, with 233 predicted protein-encoding genes, 34 tRNA genes, and one transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) gene. Momo has a myoviral morphology and shares extensive nucleotide sequence similarity with subcluster C1 mycobacteriophages.