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Background : Patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) are at a significantly increased risk of allergic diseases. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an immunoglobulin that mediates allergic sensitization to various allergens and is related to various allergic diseases. However, few studies have analyzed specific IgE on allergy biomarkers after KD is diagnosed. Objective : This study aimed to investigate the pattern of specific IgE levels against food and inhalant allergens. Methods : This retrospective study was conducted in Taiwan to identify patients admitted with KD. A subset of 453 admitted KD children younger than or equal to five years of age with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was followed up at our clinic with available specific IgE data. Results : The most common allergens were Dermatophagoides farina or pteronyssinus, house-dust, and cockroach mix. Positive specific IgE for Dermatophagoides farina or pteronyssinus was less common in children diagnosed with KD who were two years old or younger ( p = 0.028). KD patients with higher basophils before IVIG ( p = 0.010 and 0.018 for two different mites) and higher C-reactive protein (CRP, p = 0.030 and 0.028) after IVIG were at higher risk of mite sensitization. Integrated mite sensitization demonstrated higher basophils before IVIG, age at KD diagnosis, and the male sex to be clinically meaningful after logistic regression models. Conclusions : This study is the first to suggest that specific IgE in KD patients may be correlated with age at KD diagnosis, as well as basophils. Further longitudinal prospective studies are warranted to clarify the unique profile of specific IgE in KD patients.

Hyperbilirubinemia is a common pathological condition in neonates. Free bilirubin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which can lead to bilirubin neurotoxicity. In the context of predicting the risk of bilirubin neurotoxicity, although the specificity and sensitivity of free bilirubin levels are higher than those of total serum bilirubin (TSB), free bilirubin is not widely monitored in clinical practice. The threshold TSB levels at which phototherapy must be administered have been established previously. However, TSB levels are not well correlated with neurodevelopmental outcomes. Currently, TSB levels are commonly used to guide phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Some clinical drugs can displace bilirubin from its albumin-binding sites, and consequently upregulate plasma bilirubin. Daily dosages play a vital role in regulating bilirubin levels. A drug with both a high protein binding capacity and high daily dosage significantly increases bilirubin levels in infants. Premature or very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are vulnerable to the upregulation of bilirubin levels as they exhibit the lowest reserve albumin levels and consequently the highest bilirubin toxicity index. Because bilirubin is involved in maintaining the balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant agents, the downregulation of bilirubin levels is not always desirable. This review provides insights into the impact of protein binding capacity and daily dosage of drugs on the bilirubin levels in susceptible infants., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Food sensitization in early life identifies children at risk of developing allergic diseases. We investigated the sensitization to cow milk (CM), egg whites, and wheat. Newborns and infants under 3 years of age with available specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) data were identified. A retrospective survey was conducted using data from the Chang Gung Research Database. Perinatal characteristics, such as singleton or multiples in a single pregnancy, parity, meconium staining, maternal age, spontaneous delivery or cesarean section, meconium passage, weeks of gestation, birth length, body weight, head and chest circumferences, and season, were obtained. The data on sIgE were collected, and a logistic regression model was used to determine the odds of sensitization. Positive sIgE for CM and egg whites was more likely to occur in boys than in girls. Early-life egg white and wheat sensitization was associated with increased birth body length and weight. A multivariate analysis indicated an association between egg white sIgE positivity and logarithmic total IgE. Higher total IgE levels and younger age were associated with egg white sensitization, and elevated weight and length at birth were linked to food sensitization, particularly to egg whites and wheat.

Introduction: Dengue fever is an arthropod-borne disease and has a wide clinical spectrum. It is hypothesised that dengue serotypes could be a possible factor for such phenomena and therefore be a possible predictor for the development of severe dengue., Method: A retrospective cohort study was done to explore the association between dengue serotypes and the various complications. All patients who underwent dengue serotyping from 1st January to 31st December 2018 in Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital were selected. Serotypes were randomly done for admitted dengue patients. Notes were then retrieved for data collection. Secondary outcomes like length of stay and highest lactate level were also studied. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20., Result: A total of 193 patient records were included in the analysis. Chi-square test for independence indicated that the proportion of dengue complications between male and female were significantly different (χ 2 (1) = 11.37, p = 0.001). Dengue serotype was not associated with the development of dengue complications, total number of dengue complications, length of admission, lactate level and survival among the serotypes. Results of the binary logistic regression showed that men have thrice the odds (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.6 6.7) for developing dengue complications. One patient was found to be co-infected with serotype 2 and 3., Conclusion: Our study did not reveal any association between the different dengue virus serotypes and its complications. Therefore, all dengue infection should be approached with equal meticulousness. There are possibilities that apart from serotype, dengue genotype and lineage would determine clinical outcome. However, more studies are required to study such associations.

(1) Objective: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a recurring skin disease that affects children's daily activities and sleep quality. Due to the limitations of children's understanding and ability to express themselves, shared decision making (SDM) is often made by guardians, which thus affects the acceptance and effectiveness of children's treatments. Previous studies have demonstrated that involving both children and parents in decision making may help improve treatment outcomes; thus, we designed a multimedia mixed reality (MR) interactive game of SDM for children with moderate to severe AD. (2) Methods: Research participants included 6-18-year-old patients with moderate to severe AD. This research consisted of the following steps: designing SDM; character setting and visual design; performing games; system modification and optimization; screen editing and dubbing; and user testing and questionnaires by the System Usability Scale (SUS). (3) Results: We completed the SDM design for children with moderate to severe AD. Four different treatments were biologics, oral immune-modulating drugs, phototherapy, and wet wrap. An animated PowerPoint slide showed the AD apple rolling around before treatments and the AD apple sleeping soundly after treatments. Instructions with video teaching for the four different treatments were played, and then, the MR was turned on so that the patients could help the AD apple in the metaverse to undergo these four treatments. A total of 12 moderate to severe AD patients and six control patients used the game, all aged between six and eighteen years old, with an average SUS score of 81.0 and a standard error of 2.1 points. Adjective ratings yielded a rating between good and excellent. The game showed acceptable usability. We found no statistically significant differences in SUS scores between patients with and without moderate to severe AD or between boys and girls nor significant associations between SUS and age or severity. The analysis identified that the two items with the lowest SUS scores were "I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this product" and "I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this product". Both of these comments show the limitations of this game. (4) Conclusions: Overall, this study provides the first MR SDM game that has passed the SUS and can be used as an aid in clinical SDM.

Comparison between early biologics treatment and late biologics treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in decreasing prescription days of glucocorticoids and painkillers by using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research database from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2013. We defined early use of biologics as biologics prescribed within 2.24 years after the RA diagnosis, and the late use of biologics was defined as those prescribed after 2.24 years of the RA diagnosis. These definitions are based on previous studies defining early arthritis as arthritis within 2 years of diagnosis, while we needed another 3 months for application biologics here in Taiwan, which equals a total of 2.24 years. Among the 821 patients, 410 patients (50%) were classified in the Early group, and the other 411 patients (50%) were classified in the Late group. The use of any of these 3 types of medication, including steroids, disease modifying antirhuematic drugs, and nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was changed significantly after biologics treatment. Comparing between before and after biologics treatment, oral medication was significantly tapered (all P < .0001). The results show that men are 1.81 times more likely than women to taper oral glucocorticoids and NSAIDs. Younger age (<45) patients are 1.91 times more likely to taper steroids and NSAIDs than those aged over 65 years old. Both gender and age were found to be independent factors that could decrease days of prescription of both steroids and NSAIDs in early use of biologics agents. This study indicates that younger patients only need short-term (2.53 ± 1.92 years, P = .03) and early treatment with biologics (within 2.24 years of diagnosis of RA), just in order to taper steroids and NSAIDs to less than 50% compared to the steroids and NSAIDs doses before biologics treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: A regional antibiotic susceptibility database of certain pathogens is crucial for first-line physicians in terms of providing clinical judgement and appropriate selection of antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study is to update the epidemiological data of Salmonella serogroups and drug resistance in pediatric patients. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study enrolling patients aged from 0 to 18 years who were hospitalized with cultured proven non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection from 2004 to 2019. The isolates were collected and the demographic data, serogroups of Salmonella and antimicrobial susceptibilities were further analyzed. Results: A total of 1583 isolates of NTS were collected. Serogroup C2 was prone to cause invasive non-typhoidal salmonellosis (iNTS), especially bacteremia. Patients aged < 2 years were associated with serogroups B and C2 infection, while those aged ≥ 2 years were associated with serogroups D and E infection. The prevalence of serogroup B declined with simultaneous increase in prevalence of serogroups D and E. Serogroups B and E were associated with ceftriaxone resistance, while Serogroup D was less drug-resistant than the others. The prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant Salmonella had not increased, although more ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were found in iNTS infection. Conclusions: Age < 2 years is a risk factor of iNTS for children, and the distribution of serogroup changes should be closely monitored. Ceftriaxone is still the drug of choice for treating pediatric iNTS infection, and although no increase was observed in the prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant strains in this study, continuing surveillance of such cases is warranted.

Backgrounds: Drugs with the ability to displace bilirubin from albumin-binding sites subsequently leading to an increased bilirubin level may cause hyperbilirubinemia in neonates. Ibuprofen is commonly used to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in neonates, yet the use of ibuprofen has drawn mixed conclusions. We performed a retrospective study to determine how ibuprofen use influences the total serum bilirubin (TSB) level in neonates of differing birth weight (BW). Materials and methods: Neonates (including premature infants) born at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan during January 2004 to July 2020 were entered into this study. We recorded the phototherapy duration, including the initial day and end day, and determined the average influence of one-day phototherapy on TSB level. The highest monitored TSB level post-ibuprofen use minus the one measured prior to ibuprofen use was considered the TSB change following ibuprofen administration in this study, and the above-mentioned influence of daily phototherapy on the TSB level was used to correlate the results. Neonates with any of the following conditions were excluded: those who received ceftriaxone, those with intraventricular hemorrhage, and those infected with TORCH. Results: The average daily influence of phototherapy on the TSB level of neonates was −0.20 (−0.57~0.05) mg/dL, −0.28 (−0.84~0.13) mg/dL, −0.75 (−1.77~0.10) mg/dL, and −1.60 (−2.70~−0.50) mg/dL in neonates with BWs of <1 kg, 1−1.49 kg, 1.5−2.49 kg, and ≥2.5 kg, respectively, indicating that neonates with a BW ≥ 1.5 kg experienced a greater reduction in TSB level following phototherapy as compared with those with a BW < 1.5 kg. The average TSB increase following ibuprofen use in neonates was 3.38 ± 2.77 mg/dL, 2.04 ± 2.53 mg/dL, and 1.34 ± 2.24 mg/dL in neonates with BWs of <1 kg, 1−1.49 kg, and ≥1.5 kg, respectively, i.e., an elevated TSB change with a decreased neonate BW was noted post-ibuprofen use (p = 0.026, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)). Conclusions: As ibuprofen use is correlated with an apparent increase in TSB level in neonates with a lower BW, especially in those with a BW < 1 kg, iv acetaminophen can be an appropriate alternative to ibuprofen for ELBW neonates for the treatment of PDA if they are experiencing severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia.

Fruit is a kind of plant food which is rich in nutrients and immune-regulating ingredients. A meta-analysis has demonstrated that fruits have a protective effects against asthma. On the other hand, clinical syndromes of allergic reactions to fruits manifest as an oral allergy syndrome. We aimed to investigate the patterns and associated factors of fruit allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) sensitization among patients with suspected clinical symptoms. Data were extracted from the Chang Gung Research Database. Fruit sensitization in Taiwan was evaluated using the presence of IgE antibodies against specific fruits. The overall prevalence of positive sIgE responses to fruit allergens in Taiwan, in order of decreasing importance, was pineapple, kiwi, banana, and papaya. Children aged 0-18 had a higher positive rate of allergic responses to pineapple, kiwi, banana, and papaya than adults over the age of 18. Positive specific IgE for kiwi, banana, or papaya was more frequent in younger than in older children and children with a higher total IgE of both logarithmic (log) and arithmetic values. The analysis of log IgE for pineapple positive vs. negative children determined an optimal cutoff value, log IgE 2.2, with both sensitivity (0.9) and specificity (0.5). Dermatitis was significantly more prevalent in children with positive IgE for pineapple, kiwi, banana, and papaya than negative specific IgE. The highest positive rate of sIgE against fruits was pineapple among children. Even in older children, the positive rate of pineapple allergens was high. IgE discriminates with and without sIgE for pineapple, with an optimal cutoff of 158.5 U/mL.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of 5 years old. Antibiotics are often prescribed for KD patients even before a diagnosis is made due to their prolonged fever and elevated inflammatory markers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of antibiotics usage on the disease outcome of KD., Methods: We carried out a retrospective chart review of children between 2005 and 2017 for initial immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment of KD. KD children with initial IVIG treatment more than 10 days after the onset of symptoms were excluded., Results: In total, 280 children were eligible for this study, among which 209 had been treated with antibiotic(s) and 71 had not been. The IVIG resistance rates were 5.6% (4/71), 8.9% (10/112), and 21.6% (21/97) in non-users, single-drug users, and multiple-drug users, respectively (r = 0.205, p = 0.003). The IVIG resistance rate of the multiple antibiotics drug users in KD patients was significantly higher than the other two groups. Furthermore, the likelihood of IVIG resistance was found to increase with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) values (1.010/unit, p < 0.001) but not with total white blood cell (WBC) count (p = 0.466)., Conclusion: The probability of IVIG resistance increases with elevated CRP values and the use of multiple IV antibiotics, thus indicating that physicians should be prudent in administering multiple IV antibiotics when treating assumed infections in KD children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All of the authors hereby declare that they have no financial interests to disclose in relation to this article., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Few studies have addressed the risk of infection in transfusion-naïve thalassemia patients. We aimed to investigate whether transfusion-naïve thalassemia population has higher hospitalization rates for lower airway infection-related diseases than non-thalassemia population in children. A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using detailed medical records of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Transfusion-naïve thalassemia patients were compared with a matched cohort at a ratio of 1:4. Data of the selected patients were adjusted for age, sex, and related comorbidities. We recorded the frequency of admissions or outpatient clinic visits for patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia or acute bronchitis/bronchiolitis. Based on our results, the hospitalization rates and incidence rate ratios of bronchitis/bronchiolitis and pneumonia for transfusion-naïve thalassemia children were all higher than those for non-thalassemia controls. Therefore, we conclude that transfusion-naïve thalassemia children are more likely to experience lower airway infections and have a higher probability of hospitalization for these conditions., (Copyright © 2020 Tsai, Tsai, Yang, Lee, Sheen, Lee, Tsai, Chen, Chang, Niu and Yu.)

Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) in a patient with relapse of idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura (ITP) can be lethal. The site of haemorrhage, compounded by low platelets in this disease, makes its management extremely challenging, especially when a neurosurgical procedure is warranted. We report a case report of an unconventional way of increasing platelet counts in ITP rapidly in an emergency setting.

Several universal genomic traits affect trade-offs in the capacity, cost, and efficiency of the biochemical information processing that underpins metabolism and reproduction. We analyzed the role of these traits in mediating the responses of a planktonic microbial community to nutrient enrichment in an oligotrophic, phosphorus-deficient pond in Cuatro Ciénegas, Mexico. This is one of the first whole-ecosystem experiments to involve replicated metagenomic assessment. Mean bacterial genome size, GC content, total number of tRNA genes, total number of rRNA genes, and codon usage bias in ribosomal protein sequences were all higher in the fertilized treatment, as predicted on the basis of the assumption that oligotrophy favors lower information-processing costs whereas copiotrophy favors higher processing rates. Contrasting changes in trait variances also suggested differences between traits in mediating assembly under copiotrophic versus oligotrophic conditions. Trade-offs in information-processing traits are apparently sufficiently pronounced to play a role in community assembly because the major components of metabolism-information, energy, and nutrient requirements-are fine-tuned to an organism's growth and trophic strategy., Competing Interests: JO, AP, ZL, AR, LA, LE, JS, VS, CD, JE No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Okie et al.)

Nutrient availability and ratios can play an important role in shaping microbial communities of freshwater ecosystems. The Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) in Mexico is a desert oasis where, perhaps paradoxically, high microbial diversity coincides with extreme oligotrophy. To better understand the effects of nutrients on microbial communities in CCB, a mesocosm experiment was implemented in a stoichiometrically imbalanced pond, Lagunita, which has an average TN:TP ratio of 122 (atomic). The experiment had four treatments, each with five spatial replicates - unamended controls and three fertilization treatments with different nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) regimes (P only, N:P = 16 and N:P = 75 by atoms). In the water column, quantitative PCR of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that P enrichment alone favored proliferation of bacterial taxa with high rRNA gene copy number, consistent with a previously hypothesized but untested connection between rRNA gene copy number and P requirement. Bacterial and microbial eukaryotic community structure was investigated by pyrosequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes from the planktonic and surficial sediment samples. Nutrient enrichment shifted the composition of the planktonic community in a treatment-specific manner and promoted the growth of previously rare bacterial taxa at the expense of the more abundant, potentially endemic, taxa. The eukaryotic community was highly enriched with phototrophic populations in the fertilized treatment. The sediment microbial community exhibited high beta diversity among replicates within treatments, which obscured any changes due to fertilization. Overall, these results showed that nutrient stoichiometry can be an important factor in shaping microbial community structure.

Infants who are exposed to the rhinovirus or respiratory syncytial virus are at a higher risk of subsequently developing wheezing or asthma. This study aims to determine whether preschoolers with a history of symptomatic enterovirus infection are at an increased risk of developing allergic diseases or not.We used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1999 to 2006 for this nationwide population-based cohort study. The subsequent risks for allergic diseases, which included asthma (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-9: 493.X), allergic rhinitis (AR; ICD-9 CM code 477.X), and atopic dermatitis (AD; ICD-9-CM code 691.X), were compared between herpangina (ICD-9: 074.0) and hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD; ICD-9: 074.3) throughout the follow-up period using the Cox proportional hazards model.In this database, 12,016 neonates were born between January 1999 and December 1999. Among them, we further evaluated 8337 subjects; 3267 children infected with either herpangina or HFMD served as the study cohort, and the other 5070 children made up the comparison cohort. Children in the herpangina group had a higher risk of developing AR and AD, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.15 (1.02-1.30, 95% CI) and 1.38 (1.17-1.63. 95% CI), respectively, while children suffered from HFMD had decreased risks of asthma, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.76 (0.63-0.93, 95% CI).Children who previously suffered from herpangina experienced an increased risk of subsequently developing AD and AR. Meanwhile, children who had suffered from HFMD experienced a decrease in the subsequent occurrence of asthma compared to the general population., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

A 454 high-throughput pyrosequencing approach was used to characterize the structures of microbial communities in wetland mesocosms receiving caffeine-enriched wastewater at a concentration of 250 μg L(-1). The removal efficiencies of caffeine in the planted beds (93.0 %) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in the unplanted beds (81.4 %). Bacterial diversity was decreased by 25 and 22.4 %, respectively, in both planted and unplanted mesocosms after 210-day operation. The results of taxonomic analyses suggested that chronic exposure of wetland ecosystems to caffeine could lead to moderate shifts in microbial community composition. In total, 2156 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were generated and 20 phyla comprising 260 genera were identified. The major phylogenetic groups at phylum level included Firmicutes (39 %), Actinobacteria (25.1 %), Proteobacteria (17.1 %), Synergistetes (5.6 %), and Chloroflexi (5.5 %). Bacilli and Synergistia increased in abundance in the planted mesocosms, while for the unplanted mesocosms, Actinobacterial, Clostridia and Betaproteobacteria exhibited increased proportion under the exposure of caffeine. At genus level, Propionibacterium, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Streptococcus were found to be increased in abundance after caffeine treatment. As for the response of fungal community to caffeine enrichment, genus like Cladosporium, Emericellopsis, Aspergillus, and Phoma were found to be resistant to caffeine disturbance. When compared to the microbial community between planted and unplanted mesocosms, a distinct community profile for both bacteria and fungi community was observed. The presence of plants had a remarkable effect on the structure of microbial community, helping buffer against the stress associated with caffeine exposure.

The treatment performance of ibuprofen (IBP)-enriched wastewater by horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands planted with cattail (Typha angustifolia) and unplanted control mesocosms was investigated. Removal efficiencies of IBP were significantly (p < .05) enhanced in the planted mesocosms (78.5%) compared to those in the unplanted beds (57.9%). An 18S rRNA gene high-throughput pyrosequencing approach was used to investigate the effects of IBP on the structure of the fungal community in these wetland systems. The overall diversity of the fungal community was reduced under the IBP exposure. Taxonomic analysis revealed that 62.2% of the fungal sequences were affiliated with Basidiomycota, followed by Ascomycota (37.4%) at the phylum level. Uncultured fungus (48.2%), Chaetomium sp. (14.2%), Aspergillus sp. (12.4%), Trichoderma sp. (5.7%), Cladosporium sp. (5.4%), and Emericellopsis sp. (5.2%) were identified as dominant genera. At the genus level, a distinct profile of the fungal community in the IBP-enriched mesocosms was observed as compared to the control beds, and as well specific fungal genera were enhanced in the planted beds, regardless of IBP enrichment. However, despite these differences, the composition of the fungal community (as measured by Bray-Curtis similarity) was mostly unaffected by the significant IBP enrichment. On the other hand, a consistent similarity pattern of fungal community structure in the planted mesocosms suggests that the presence of higher macrophytes in the wetland systems may well help shape the fungal community structure.

The combination of simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) provides a more efficient and economically viable option for nutrient removal from municipal wastewater compared to conventional two-step nitrification-denitrification. This study analyzed the nutrients (N and P) profiles in a full-scale municipal wastewater reclamation plant (WRP) located in the tropical region, in which more than 90% of nitrogen was removed. Interestingly, average SND efficiency in aerobic zones was found to be up to 50%, whereas phosphorus profile displayed a clear cyclic release and uptake pattern with a phosphorus removal efficiency of up to 76%. The capability of sludge to perform SND and EBPR was further confirmed through a series of batch experiments. Microbial analysis revealed the presence of Accumulibacter and Tetrasphaera phosphate accumulating organisms in the plant, while few glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) was observed. This study showed the significant occurrence of combined SND and EBPR, known as simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal (SNDPR), in the studied WRP under warm climate. The possible causes behind the observed SNDPR were also discussed.

Volcanic eruptions discharge massive amounts of ash and pumice that decrease light penetration in lakes and lead to concomitant increases in phosphorus (P) concentrations and shifts in soluble C/P ratios. The consequences of these sudden changes for bacteria community composition, metabolism, and enzymatic activity remain unclear, especially for the dynamic period immediately after pumice deposition. Thus, the main aim of our study was to determine how ambient bacterial communities respond to pumice inputs in lakes that differ in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and P concentrations and to what extent these responses are moderated by substrate C/P stoichiometry. We performed an outdoor experiment with natural lake water from two lakes that differed in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. We measured nutrient concentrations, alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), and DOC consumption rates and assessed different components of bacterial community structure using next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Pumice inputs caused a decrease in the C/P ratio of dissolved resources, a decrease in APA, and an increase in DOC consumption, indicating reduced P limitation. These changes in bacteria metabolism were coupled with modifications in the assemblage composition and an increase in diversity, with increases in bacterial taxa associated with biofilm and sediments, in predatory bacteria, and in bacteria with gliding motility. Our results confirm that volcanic eruptions have the potential to alter nutrient partitioning and light penetration in receiving waterways which can have dramatic impacts on microbial community dynamics.

Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) is a desert ecosystem that hosts a large diversity of water bodies. Many surface waters in this basin have imbalanced nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) stoichiometry (total N:P > 100 by atoms), where P is likely to be a limiting nutrient. To investigate the effects of nutrient stoichiometry on planktonic and sediment ecosystem components and processes, we conducted a replicated in situ mesocosm experiment in Lagunita, a shallow pond located in the southwest region of the basin. Inorganic N and P were periodically added to mesocosms under three different N:P regimes (P only, N:P = 16 and N:P = 75) while the control mesocosms were left unamended. After three weeks of fertilization, more than two thirds of the applied P was immobilized into seston or sediment. The rapid uptake of P significantly decreased biomass C:P and N:P ratios, supporting the hypothesis that Lagunita is P-limited. Meanwhile, simultaneous N and P enrichment significantly enhanced planktonic growth, increasing total planktonic biomass by more than 2-fold compared to the unenriched control. With up to 76% of added N sequestered into the seston, it is suspected that the Lagunita microbial community also experienced strong N-limitation. However, when N and P were applied at N:P = 75, the microbes remained in a P-limitation state as in the untreated control. Two weeks after the last fertilizer application, seston C:P and N:P ratios returned to initial levels but chlorophyll a and seston C concentrations remained elevated. Additionally, no P release from the sediment was observed in the fertilized mesocosms. Overall, this study provides evidence that Lagunita is highly sensitive to nutrient perturbation because the biota is primarily P-limited and experiences a secondary N-limitation despite its high TN:TP ratio. This study serves as a strong basis to justify the need for protection of CCB ecosystems and other low-nutrient microbe-dominated systems from anthropogenic inputs of both N and P.

The increase of nutrients in water bodies, in particular nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) due to the recent expansion of agricultural and other human activities is accelerating environmental degradation of these water bodies, elevating the risk of eutrophication and reducing biodiversity. To evaluate the ecological effects of the influx of nutrients in an oligotrophic and stoichiometrically imbalanced environment, we performed a replicated in situ mesocosm experiment. We analyzed the effects of a N- and P-enrichment on the bacterial interspecific interactions in an experiment conducted in the Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB) in Mexico. This is a desert ecosystem comprised of several aquatic systems with a large number of microbial endemic species. The abundance of key nutrients in this basin exhibits strong stoichiometric imbalance (high N:P ratios), suggesting that species diversity is maintained mostly by competition for resources. We focused on the biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance of 960 strains of cultivated bacteria in two habitats, water and sediment, before and after 3 weeks of fertilization. The water habitat was dominated by Pseudomonas, while Halomonas dominated the sediment. Strong antibiotic resistance was found among the isolates at time zero in the nutrient-poor bacterial communities, but resistance declined in the bacteria isolated in the nutrient-rich environments, suggesting that in the nutrient-poor original environment, negative inter-specific interactions were important, while in the nutrient-rich environments, competitive interactions are not so important. In water, a significant increase in the percentage of biofilm-forming strains was observed for all treatments involving nutrient addition.

The deammonification process combining partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation has been considered as a viable option for energy-efficient used water treatment. So far, many full-scale sidestream deammonification plants handling high-ammonia used water have been in successful operation since Anammox bacteria were first discovered in the 1990s. However, large-scale application of this process for treating municipal used water with low ammonia concentration has rarely been reported. Compared to the sidestream deammonification process, the mainstream deammonification process for municipal used water treatment faces three main challenges, i.e., (i) high COD/N ratio leading to denitrifiers outcompeting Anammox bacteria, (ii) numerous difficulties in selective retention of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) over nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and (iii) sufficient accumulation of Anammox bacteria. Therefore, this paper attempts to provide a detailed analysis of these challenges and possible solutions towards sustainable mainstream deammonification process.

Volcanic eruptions are a widespread force of geological and ecological disturbance and present recurrent opportunities for the study of biological responses to novel habitat formation. However, scientific study of such events is difficult given their short duration and often distant location. Here we report results from opportunistic sampling of unique volcano-generated habitats formed during the 2011 explosive eruption in the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle complex (Chile), when massive amounts of pumice were ejected, creating novel floating substrata that have never before been characterized from a microbiological perspective. DNA sequencing revealed a dynamic community of microbes that came to inhabit the pumice, with a unique composition distinct from that of the lakes' surface waters and with suggestions of ecological convergence across lakes and sampling times. Furthermore, biogeochemical studies of net nutrient fluxes showed that, while the fresh pumice arriving to the lakes was an initial source of phosphorus (P), colonized pumice had high rates of nitrogen (N) and P uptake and was sufficiently abundant to represent a significant lake-wide nutrient sink. These findings highlight the remarkable versatility of microbes in exploiting novel environments and are consistent with a recent proposal of floating pumice as a favorable environment for the initial origins of life on early Earth., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Curcumin (CCM) is a well-known phytocompound and food component found in the spice turmeric and has multifunctional bioactivities. However, few studies have examined its effects on exercise performance and physical fatigue. We aimed to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of CCM supplementation on fatigue and ergogenic function following physical challenge in mice. Male ICR mice were divided into four groups to receive vehicle or CCM (180 μg/mL) by oral gavage at 0, 12.3, 24.6, or 61.5 mL/kg/day for four weeks. Exercise performance and anti-fatigue function were evaluated after physical challenge by forelimb grip strength, exhaustive swimming time, and levels of physical fatigue-associated biomarkers serum lactate, ammonia, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and glucose and tissue damage markers such as aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and creatine kinase (CK). CCM supplementation dose-dependently increased grip strength and endurance performance and significantly decreased lactate, ammonia, BUN, AST, ALT, and CK levels after physical challenge. Muscular glycogen content, an important energy source for exercise, was significantly increased. CCM supplementation had few subchronic toxic effects. CCM supplementation may have a wide spectrum of bioactivities for promoting health, improving exercise performance and preventing fatigue.

A dramatic exception to the general pattern of single-copy genes in bacterial and archaeal genomes is the presence of 1-15 copies of each ribosomal RNA encoding gene. The original version of the Ribosomal RNA Database (rrnDB) cataloged estimates of the number of 16S rRNA-encoding genes; the database now includes the number of genes encoding each of the rRNAs (5S, 16S and 23S), an internally transcribed spacer region, and the number of tRNA genes. The rrnDB has been used largely by microbiologists to predict the relative rate at which microbial populations respond to favorable growth conditions, and to interpret 16S rRNA-based surveys of microbial communities. To expand the functionality of the rrnDB (http://ribosome.mmg.msu.edu/rrndb/index.php), the search engine has been redesigned to allow database searches based on 16S rRNA gene copy number, specific organisms or taxonomic subsets of organisms. The revamped database also computes average gene copy numbers for any collection of entries selected. Curation tools now permit rapid updates, resulting in an expansion of the database to include data for 785 bacterial and 69 archaeal strains. The rrnDB continues to serve as the authoritative, curated source that documents the phylogenetic distribution of rRNA and tRNA genes in microbial genomes.