Search

The invasive fish, Amur sleeper, poses a significant and growing threat to Central European freshwater ecosystems. Despite its rapid spread, the ecological implications of its invasion have been poorly explored. Recent findings confirm its presence in various Estonian freshwater systems, raising concerns about its imminent expansion into larger lakes. To better understand its potential ecological impacts, we explored the isotopic niche of the Amur sleeper in comparison with native fish species co-existing in three Estonian freshwater ecosystems. We employed carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses alongside gut content analyses. Our findings show that the Amur sleeper’s diet in newly-invaded Estonian water bodies predominantly comprises benthic macroinvertebrates, although it may also include fish, confirming its role as a predator in the local food web. Notably, Amur sleeper populations exhibited clear isotopic niche partitioning in three invaded ecosystems. A logistic regression model, based on stomach content analyses, revealed an ontogenetic diet shift from benthivorous to piscivorous feeding habits from small to large specimens. Amur sleeper exhibits voracious, non-selective feeding habits, which can negatively impact native freshwater communities. The ability to occupy a distinct isotopic niche, with minimal overlap with native fish populations, may reduce interspecific competition, facilitating the spread and establishment of Amur sleeper in newly-invaded habitats. Managing the spread of this invasive species thus becomes even more critical to safeguard the integrity of native aquatic ecosystems.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are highly evolved obligate parasites threatening global food security. These parasites have a remarkable ability to establish elaborate feeding sites in roots, which are their only source of nutrients throughout their life cycle. A wide range of nematode effectors have been implicated in modulation of host pathways for defense suppression and/or feeding site development. Plants produce a diverse array of peptide hormones including PLANT PEPTIDE CONTAINING SULFATED TYROSINE (PSY)-family peptides, which promote root growth via cell expansion and proliferation. A sulfated PSY-like peptide RaxX (required for activation of XA21 mediated immunity X) produced by the biotrophic bacterial pathogen (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae) has been previously shown to contribute to bacterial virulence. Here, we report the identification of genes from root-knot nematodes predicted to encode PSY-like peptides (MigPSYs) with high sequence similarity to both bacterial RaxX and plant PSYs. Synthetic sulfated peptides corresponding to predicted MigPSYs stimulate root growth in Arabidopsis. MigPSY transcript levels are highest early in the infection cycle. Downregulation of MigPSY gene expression reduces root galling and egg production, suggesting that the MigPSYs serve as nematode virulence factors. Together, these results indicate that nematodes and bacteria exploit similar sulfated peptides to hijack plant developmental signaling pathways to facilitate parasitism.

ABSTRACT Virulence screens have indicated potential roles during Streptococcus pneumoniae infection for the one-carbon metabolism pathway component Fhs and proline synthesis mediated by ProABC. To define how these metabolic pathways affect S. pneumoniae virulence, we have investigated the phenotypes, transcription, and metabolic profiles of Δfhs and ΔproABC mutants. S. pneumoniae capsular serotype 6B BHN418 Δfhs and ΔproABC mutant strains had strongly reduced virulence in mouse sepsis and pneumonia models but could colonize the nasopharynx. Both mutant strains grew normally in complete media but had markedly impaired growth in chemically defined medium, human serum, and human cerebrospinal fluid. The BHN418 ΔproABC strain also had impaired growth under conditions of osmotic and oxidative stress. The virulence role of proABC was strain specific, as the D39 ΔproABC strain could still cause septicemia and grow in serum. Compared to culture in broth, in serum, the BHN418 Δfhs and ΔproABC strains showed considerable derangement in global gene transcription that affected multiple but different metabolic pathways for each mutant strain. Metabolic data suggested that Δfhs had an impaired stringent response, and when cultured in sera, BHN418 Δfhs and ΔproABC were under increased oxidative stress and had altered lipid profiles. Loss of proABC also affected carbohydrate metabolism and the accumulation of peptidoglycan synthesis precursors in the BHN418 but not the D39 background, linking this phenotype to the conditional virulence phenotype. These data identify the S. pneumoniae metabolic functions affected by S. pneumoniae one-carbon metabolism and proline biosynthesis, and the role of these genetic loci for establishing systemic infection.IMPORTANCERapid adaptation to grow within the physiological conditions found in the host environment is an essential but poorly understood virulence requirement for systemic pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. We have now demonstrated an essential role for the one-carbon metabolism pathway and a conditional role depending on strain background for proline biosynthesis for S. pneumoniae growth in serum or cerebrospinal fluid, and therefore for systemic virulence. RNAseq and metabolomic data demonstrated that the loss of one-carbon metabolism or proline biosynthesis has profound but differing effects on S. pneumoniae metabolism in human serum, identifying the metabolic processes dependent on each pathway during systemic infection. These data provide a more detailed understanding of the adaptations required by systemic bacterial pathogens in order to cause infection and demonstrate that the requirement for some of these adaptations varies between strains from the same species and could therefore underpin strain variations in virulence potential.

This narrative review describes the state of the art in the management of anastomotic leakage in ovarian cancer. Multiple surgical procedures, including bowel resection, are often required to achieve “optimal” cytoreduction in locally advanced ovarian cancer. Intestinal anastomosis is currently the most common way to restore bowel continuity. However, in some patients, a temporary protective stoma is indicated to prevent anastomotic leakage. This is an important issue to improve surgical outcomes and until recently there has been a lack of objective data to clarify the risk factors for anastomotic leakage. This review describes the risk factors for AL associated with surgery and compares the results of recent studies. We also review the current indications for placement of a protective ileostomy and treatment options for conservative management of AL. We present two examples of practical clinical AL risk calculators, in addition to the most assessed AL risk factor. To date, the decision-making processes that lead surgeons to perform a protective ileostomy are quite heterogeneous and based on the personal experience of the surgeon, mainly depending on individual training. Three different management options after colorectal anastomosis in OC are described: conservative management, diversion ileostomy and ghost ileostomy.

Climate change and invasive alien species pose a significant threat to biodiversity and the survival of native species. This study considered the impact of drought conditions on the escape behaviour through terrestrial dispersal ability of two invasive freshwater crayfish species, the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Using an experimental design simulating drought conditions and Mediterranean summer temperatures, we tested the hypothesis that P. clarkii exhibits a greater tendency to terrestrial migration and a higher land-walking speed than the P. leniusculus. The results indicated that both species demonstrated strong escape behaviour, with P. clarkii showing escape success higher than P. leniusculus, and increasing with decreasing mean night temperature and crayfish weight. Although drought conditions did not trigger escape, invasive species showed increased resistance and the ability to move to more favourable environments, suggesting that drought is not an effective geographic barrier against the spread of these species. These results underline the importance of considering invasive species' ability to escape and climb as part of management and control strategies.

Abstract Resolving inflammation is thought to return the affected tissue back to homoeostasis but recent evidence supports a non-linear model of resolution involving a phase of prolonged immune activity. Here we show that within days following resolution of Streptococcus pneumoniae-triggered lung inflammation, there is an influx of antigen specific lymphocytes with a memory and tissue-resident phenotype as well as macrophages bearing alveolar or interstitial phenotype. The transcriptome of these macrophages shows enrichment of genes associated with prostaglandin biosynthesis and genes that drive T cell chemotaxis and differentiation. Therapeutic depletion of post-resolution macrophages, inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis or treatment with an EP4 antagonist, MF498, reduce numbers of lung CD4+/CD44+/CD62L+ and CD4+/CD44+/CD62L-/CD27+ T cells as well as their expression of the α-integrin, CD103. The T cells fail to reappear and reactivate upon secondary challenge for up to six weeks following primary infection. Concomitantly, EP4 antagonism through MF498 causes accumulation of lung macrophages and marked tissue fibrosis. Our study thus shows that PGE2 signalling, predominantly via EP4, plays an important role during the second wave of immune activity following resolution of inflammation. This secondary immune activation drives local tissue-resident T cell development while limiting tissue injury

BackgroundYoga may be an ideal early intervention for those with modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) development.ObjectiveTo examine the effects of Kundalini yoga (KY) training versus memory enhancement training (MET) on the resting-state connectivity of hippocampal subregions in women with subjective memory decline and cardiovascular risk factors for AD.MethodsParticipants comprised women with subjective memory decline and cardiovascular risk factors who participated in a parent randomized controlled trial (NCT03503669) of 12-weeks of KY versus MET and completed pre- and post-intervention resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans (yoga: n = 11, age = 61.45±6.58 years; MET: n = 11, age = 64.55±6.41 years). Group differences in parcellated (Cole-anticevic atlas) hippocampal connectivity changes (post- minus pre-intervention) were evaluated by partial least squares analysis, controlling for age. Correlations between hippocampal connectivity and perceived stress and frequency of forgetting (assessed by questionnaires) were also evaluated.ResultsA left anterior hippocampal subregion assigned to the default mode network (DMN) in the Cole-anticevic atlas showed greater increases in connectivity with largely ventral visual stream regions with KY than with MET (p

One hundred twenty-nine protein kinases, selected to represent the diversity of the rice (Oryza sativa) kinome, were cloned and tested for expression in Escherichia coli. Forty of these rice kinases were purified and screened using differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) against 627 diverse kinase inhibitors, with a range of structures and activities targeting diverse human kinases. Thirty-seven active compounds were then tested for their ability to modify primary root development in Arabidopsis. Of these, 14 compounds caused a significant reduction of primary root length compared with control plants. Two of these inhibitory compounds bind to the predicted orthologue of Arabidopsis PSKR1, one of two receptors for PSK, a small sulfated peptide that positively controls root development. The reduced root length phenotype could not be rescued by the exogenous addition of the PSK peptide, suggesting that chemical treatment may inhibit both PSKR1 and its closely related receptor PSKR2. Six of the compounds acting as root growth inhibitors in Arabidopsis conferred the same effect in rice. Compound RAF265 (CHIR-265), previously shown to bind the human kinase BRAF (B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase), also binds to nine highly conserved rice kinases tested. The binding of human and rice kinases to the same compound suggests that human kinase inhibitor sets will be useful for dissecting the function of plant kinases.

ObjectivesTwo-thirds of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease are women. Declining estrogen levels influence mood and cognition. Cumulative lifetime estrogen exposure (CLEE) correlates with cognition later in life. We examined the relationship of CLEE to depression and cognition in older women with major depression compared to non-depressed women.DesignOlder women (age ≥60 years) with depression were compared to non-depressed women using a lifetime estrogen exposure questionnaire. CLEE was defined as combined durations of reproductive span (age of menopause minus age of menarche) and any post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy use. Higher vs lower CLEE groups were based on a median of 474 months of estrogen exposure.SettingUniversity hospital outpatient research program.Participants135 women ≥60 years; 64 depressed and 71 non-depressed.MeasurmentsParticipants completed a comprehensive cognitive test battery. General linear models were used to examine the association between cognitive domain scores and CLEE in depressed and non-depressed women, controlling for age, education, and ethnicity.ResultsDepressed and non-depressed groups had significantly different levels of CLEE, measured in months: mean 495.7 (SD 108.6) vs 456.4 (SD 66.0) months, F(1,130) = 5.01, p = .03. Within the non-depressed participants, higher CLEE was associated with improved delayed recall (F(1,59) = 5.94, p = .02, effect size = .61), while no such relationship was observed in the depressed group.ConclusionHigher CLEE was associated with improvement in delayed recall among non-depressed, but not among depressed participants. This suggests a protective role of estrogen on memory in non-depressed older postmenopausal women. Further research should examine the role of the CLEE in antidepressant response and cognitive decline.

BackgroundAs an adjunct to antidepressant treatment, Tai Chi Chih (TCC) is superior to health education and wellness (HEW) training in improving the general health of patients with geriatric depression (GD). This study investigated the brain connectivity changes associated with TCC and HEW in combination with antidepressant treatment in patients with GD.MethodsForty patients with GD under stable antidepressant treatment underwent TCC training (n = 21) or HEW training (n = 19) for 12 weeks, and completed baseline and 3-month follow-up resting state magnetic resonance imaging scans. Within-group and between-group differences in parcel-to-parcel connectivity changes with intervention were evaluated by general linear modeling. Relationships between significant connectivity changes and symptom/resilience improvement were evaluated by partial least squares correlation analysis.ResultsSignificantly greater increases in connectivity with TCC than with HEW (FDR-corrected p

Olfactory dysfunction is a prevalent non-motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD), affecting approximately 65–90% of subjects. PD patients may also report odor perception in the absence of any external source, often referred to as olfactory hallucinations (OHs) or phantosmia. This study aims to explore the current understanding of OHs in PD and offer a comprehensive overview of their prevalence and characteristics. We conducted a systematic search of the literature published on PubMed from inception to July 2023 regarding OHs in PD, following PRISMA guidelines. From the 2875 studies identified through database searching, 29 studies fulfilled the necessary criteria and underwent data extraction. The frequency of OHs in PD patients varies widely, ranging from 0.5% to 18.2%, with female prevalence ranging from 36% to 75% of the patients. Olfactory experiences may vary widely, ranging from pleasant scents to unpleasant odors. Several studies have indicated the concurrent presence of other types of hallucinations alongside phantosmia, especially visual and auditory hallucinations. OHs in PD are a type of hallucination that has been largely overlooked. To gain a deeper understanding of OHs in PD patients, the next crucial step should involve the development and validation of a dedicated questionnaire.

The management of urban stormwater needs a wide array of environmentally friendly solutions to safeguard water resources and improve the quality of the urban environment. In that, permeable pavements, a type of sustainable drainage system, are designed to reduce the volume and peak flow of stormwater on-site, improve infiltrating water quality, and combat the urban heat island phenomena. In this study, we tested the infiltration capacity of 15-year-old concrete grid pavers (CGPs) using single ring infiltrometer tests. We investigated how various factors, including location within the parking space, affect infiltration rates. Despite no maintenance and 15 years of operation, the infiltration capacity of the CGPs still exceeds the minimum infiltration capacity of 1.62 mm/min as required in many European regions. This may be due to the presence of soil cracks and the development of plant roots and insect/microorganism activities within the pavement voids. Indeed, this ‘living soil system’ continuously develops and counteracts the formation of clogging, interacting with the compaction process. Our study demonstrates that incorporating CGPs is effective in addressing emerging challenges associated with urban hydrology. Due to effectiveness and limited maintenance requirements, CGPs could be successfully included in long term climate adaptation measures. HIGHLIGHTS We provide data on 88 single-ring infiltration tests in concrete grid pavers (CGPs).; Infiltration in CGPs meets the technical standards even after 15 years of operation.; Wheel passing on CGPs causes reduced infiltration due to soil compaction and reduced development of root apparatus.; The role of vegetation in CGPs is substantial in maintaining high infiltration with time.; Selection of rustic/drought resistant grass species is important to assure maintaining vegetation in the long run in CGPs voids.;

About 50% of High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer exhibit a high degree of genomic instability due to mutation of genes involved in Homologous Recombination (HRD) and such defect accounts for synthetic lethality mechanism of PARP inhibitors (PARP-i). Several clinical trials have shown how BRCA and HRD mutational status profoundly affect first line chemotherapy as well as response to maintenance therapy with PARP-i, hence Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival. Consequently, there is urgent need for the development of increasingly reliable HRD tests, overcoming present limitations, as they play a key role in the diagnostic and therapeutic process as well as have a prognostic and predictive value. In this review we offer an overview of the state of the art regarding the actual knowledge about BRCA and HRD mutational status, the rationale of PARPi use and HRD testing (current and in development assays) and their implications in clinical practice and in the treatment decision process, in order to optimize and choose the best tailored therapy in patients with ovarian cancer.

ObjectivesGeriatric depression is difficult to treat and frequently accompanied by treatment resistance, suicidal ideations and polypharmacy. New adjunctive mind-body treatment strategies can improve clinical outcomes in geriatric depression and reduce risk for side-effects of pharmacological treatments.MethodsWe conducted a 3-month randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy and tolerability of combining Tai Chi Chih (TCC) or Health Education and Wellness training (HEW) with the stable standard antidepressant treatment on mood and cognitive functioning in depressed older adults (NCT02460666). Primary outcome was change in depression as assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) post-treatment. Remission was defined as HAM-D ≤ 6; naturalistic follow-up continued for 6 months. We also assessed psychological resilience, health-related quality of life and cognition.ResultsOf the 178 randomized participants, 125 completed the 3-month assessment and 117 completed the 6-month assessment. Dropout and tolerability did not differ between groups. Remission rate within TCC was 35.5% and 33.3%, compared to 27.0% and 45.8% in HEW, at 3 and 6 months respectively (χ2(1) = 1.0, p = 0.3; χ2(1) = 1.9, p =0.2). Both groups improved significantly on the HAM-D at 3 and 6 months. TCC demonstrated a greater improvement in general health compared to HEW.ConclusionsBoth TCC and HEW combined with a standard antidepressant treatment improved symptoms of depression in older adults. While TCC was superior to HEW in improving general health, we did not find group differences in improvement in mood and cognition.

Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae causes substantial mortality among children under 5-years-old worldwide. Polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are highly effective at reducing vaccine serotype disease, but emergence of non-vaccine serotypes and persistent nasopharyngeal carriage threaten this success. We investigated the hypothesis that following vaccine, adapted pneumococcal genotypes emerge with the potential for vaccine escape. We genome sequenced 2804 penumococcal isolates, collected 4-8 years after introduction of PCV13 in Blantyre, Malawi. We developed a pipeline to cluster the pneumococcal population based on metabolic core genes into “Metabolic genotypes” (MTs). We show that S. pneumoniae population genetics are characterised by emergence of MTs with distinct virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles. Preliminary in vitro and murine experiments revealed that representative isolates from emerging MTs differed in growth, haemolytic, epithelial infection, and murine colonisation characteristics. Our results suggest that in the context of PCV13 introduction, pneumococcal population dynamics had shifted, a phenomenon that could further undermine vaccine control and promote spread of AMR.

This study presents an approach to synthesizing a mathematical model for determining the composition of geopolymer foams. The focus is on improving the accuracy of multicriteria optimization for metakaolin-based geopolymer composite composition. Experimental data on the physical and mechanical properties of geopolymers are digitized to establish the computational basis for these calculations. Optimization criteria include density, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, Young's modulus, volumetric heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity. In addition, parameters such as shrinkage, processability, adsorption, adhesion, and economic aspects are also considered. The proposed format aims to fine-tune the geopolymer composite formulation by using the developed model for multi-criteria analysis of technological and physical-mechanical properties of foamed geopolymer composite materials (FGCM). A synthesis of mathematical models including the main criterion, suboptimization, generalized criterion, lexicographic optimization, sorting of alternatives, interval values, and decision tree methods was used to develop methods for multi-criteria optimization of the composition of foamed geopolymers. The study additionally uses the method of criteria convolution, in which the indices of specific criteria are modified in the form of a ratio scale to clarify the limits and boundaries of changes in the composition of the geopolymer mixture. This minimizes contradictory conclusions and expert opinions and highlights the extreme values for each group of parameters. By filtering the raw information, the accuracy of estimates is improved. The exclusivity of the proposed model for determining the composition of foamed geopolymers lies in the possibility of selecting the necessary formulation by mathematical processing of digitized information of the results of measurements of physical-mechanical and operational-technological properties according to the proposed innovative algorithms and schemes. Compared to existing methods, the focus of the proposed method allows for solving problems that are inaccessible to direct observation. This is due to the discovery of hidden information about the interaction of structural and strength parameters. Combining subjective and objective elements of the choice of the optimal geopolymer formulation, the proposed methodology of information processing allows for improving the quality of determining the optimal composition of the geopolymer mixture. The results of multicriteria optimization for foamed geopolymer indicate that the optimal component composition of the geopolymer matrix, within the selected range of variation, consists of 100g metakaolin, 90g potassium activator, 5g silica fume, 100g silica sand, 7g basalt fiber, and 3g aluminum. These proportions yield the best mechanical, thermal, and technological properties.