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Abstract The use of organic materials has been widely promoted to improve soil health. Surface‐active soil macrofauna serves as a key biological indicator of soil health as it supports agricultural productivity. However, the effects of organic amendments on soil fauna and their relationships with crop production are still unknown in C‐limited soil conditions. A field experiment was conducted under different fertilizer management in two soils with contrasting C content (14.2/5.1 g C kg−1 at the Lusaka/Kabwe site) in Zambia. Our results show a contrast in soil fauna abundance in two soils. During the experimental period, we collected a total of 926 individual soil fauna in all plots at the Lusaka site, while only 145 individual soil fauna were collected at the Kabwe site. Soil fauna was predominantly composed of Araneae, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diplopoda, and Orthoptera. Organic amendments significantly increased soil fauna abundance only at the Lusaka site, and the abundance of Coleoptera and Diplopoda was highly related to the crop yield. At the Kabwe site, the effect of organic amendment on soil fauna abundance was minimal, although significantly higher crop yields were observed in soils with organic amendment. These contrasting results may be due to soil nutrient and water status between different sites. Our findings suggest that site‐specific strategies are required to protect and enhance soil fauna communities in C‐depleted soils.

Diversity of the soil microbial community is an important factor affecting its stability against disturbance. However, the impact of the decline in soil microbial diversity on the stability of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) is not known, particularly considering the repeated soil nutrient disturbances occurring in modern agricultural systems. Here, we conducted a microcosm experiment and modified the soil microbial diversity using the dilution-to-extinction approach to determine the stability and population dynamics of AOB and AOA communities with repeated nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. Our results demonstrated that the AOB community became more abundant and stable against repeated disturbances by N in the treatments with the highest microbial diversity. In contrast, the abundance of AOA decreased following repeated N fertilizer application, regardless of the microbial diversity. Notably, during the initial application phase, AOA displayed a potential for increased abundance in treatments with high soil microbial diversity. These findings highlight that the soil microbial diversity controls the stability of ammonia oxidizers during short-interval repeated N disturbances.

Purpose Undecomposed rice straw incorporated into the soil can negatively impact rice growth, but it is also an important source of soil carbon. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of weeds that naturally grow in rice paddy ecosystems could accelerate the decomposition rate of rice straw. The microbes that contribute to the decomposition process were also investigated.Method Trifolium pratense (clover) and Rumex obtusifolius (bitter dock) both alone and in combination were decomposed along with rice-straw litterbags in rice paddy soils. The rice-straw decomposition rate was measured using the weight changes of the litterbags. The rice-straw carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and microbial abundance (fungi and bacteria) were also measured, as well as the soil respiration rate every seven days.Results The addition of weed residues increased the soil respiration rates, but it did not influence the rice-straw decomposition rate. However, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the remaining rice-straw and the fungi-to-bacteria ratio in the soil were both affected by the presence of the weeds, and the magnitudes of the effects were dependent on the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the added weeds.Conclusion Given that the addition of weeds altered the quality of the remaining rice straw and the soil microbial community composition, longer term studies are required to determine whether the addition of weed residues primes the rice straw for the later stage of decomposition.

Recently, several studies for lung regeneration have been reported. However, regenerating the lung tissue by the transfer of any cells directly to the lung has been hardly successful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fetal lung cells (FLCs) in a mouse model of lung emphysema. C57BL/6 mice were stimulated with neutrophil elastase (NE) intra-tracheally (i.t.) to generate lung emphysema. To collect fetal lung cells, C57BL/6-Tg (CAG-EGFP) mice were bred for 14 days. Before delivery, the bred mice were euthanized, and fetal lungs were harvested from the fetal mice and the cells were collected. The FLCs were transferred i.t. 24 h after the NE instillation. Four weeks after the NE instillation, mice were euthanized, and the samples were collected. The mean linear intercept (MLI) was significantly prolonged in the NE instillation group compared to the control group. However, in the FLCs transfer group stimulated with NE, the MLI became shorter than the NE-stimulated group without an FLCs transfer. This result shows that an FLCs transfer inhibited the progression of lung emphysema. Additionally, motility of the mice was also improved by the FLCs transfer. These results indicate that transfer of the FLCs, which were presumed to be progenitor cells for lung tissue, may improve the emphysematous change.

Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa, efforts have been made to increase soil carbon (C) content in agricultural ecosystems due to severe soil degradation. The use of organic materials is a feasible method for recovering soil organic C; however, the effects of organic amendments on soil microbial communities and C cycles under C-limited soil conditions are still unknown. In this study, we conducted field experiments in Zambia using organic amendments at two sites with contrasting C content. At both sites, temporal changes in soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and prokaryotic community structures were monitored during the crop growing season (126 days). The organic amendments increased CO2 emissions and prokaryotic abundance at the Kabwe site, whereas no direct impacts were observed at the Lusaka site. We also observed a larger temporal variability in the soil microbial community structure at Kabwe than that at Lusaka. These contrasting results between the two soils may be due to the microbial community stability differences between each site. However, as organic amendments have considerable potential to enhance microbial abundance and consequently sequester C at the Kabwe site, site-specific strategies are required to address the issues of soil C depletion in drylands.

Abstract Type III interferons (IFNs) play an important role in respiratory viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study aimed to determine whether the expression of serum type III IFNs predicted disease severity among patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients admitted to a single hospital between March 21, 2020, and March 31, 2021. Patients were divided into mild to moderate I (MM) and moderate II to severe (MS) groups based on the COVID-19 severity classification developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. A total of 257 patients were included in the analysis. Human interleukin-28A (IL-28A/IFN-λ2) expression was significantly lower, and interleukin (IL)-6 expression was significantly higher in the MS group than in the MM group (both p

We report a case of Talaromyces marneffei fungemia in a patient with HIV infection with a history of travelling to southern China. At first, Pneumocystis pneumonia was considered in this case because chest CT images showed typical ground-glass opacity and elevated β-D-glucan levels. However, PCR testing of sputum for Pneumocystis jirovecii was negative and a filamentous fungus was isolated from blood cultures. The cultured fungus was subsequently identified as T. marneffei, and the patient was considered to have pneumonia caused by this organism. However, skin disease and lymphadenopathy, which are common in T. marneffei infections, were not observed during the disease course. This patient was successfully treated with voriconazole and consequently the chest CT shadow disappeared. In the present case, T. marneffei infection required differentiation from pneumonia with Pneumocystis jirovecii infection.

Abstract Soil microorganisms are important for the maintenance of soil health and related functions. Agricultural management practices such as land use, season, and fertilizer affect soil microbial community structures. However, the effect of these management practices on soil microorganisms and related functions, influenced by regionally different soil types, is still not clear. Hence, the study was conducted in an Andosol (volcanic soil) dominated agricultural region in a cool temperate climate to determine the effect of land use (cropland, grassland), season (spring, summer), and fertilizer (anaerobic digestate—AD) on soil microorganisms and related functions. Soils were sampled from farmers’ fields, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted and sequenced targeting 16S rRNA region. As a result, land use had a significant effect on beta diversity and evenness with higher values recorded in cropland than grassland. However, grassland had a higher number of unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (10303) compared with cropland (5112). In cropland, season had a significant effect on beta diversity, evenness, OTU numbers, and Shannon index with higher values recorded in summer compared to spring. Based on predicted soil functions, nitrogenase (nifH) had significantly higher values in cropland‐summer while nitrite reductase (nirK) and ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) were significantly higher in cropland‐spring. In grassland, season had a significant effect on beta diversity only. These results indicate that grassland microorganisms were stable and more resistant to seasonal changes than cropland, suggesting that conventional tillage practices have a negative effect on soil microbial stability. Additionally, grassland‐spring (7059) had a higher number of unique OTUs than grassland‐summer (2597). Based on predicted soil functions, nifH was significantly higher in grassland‐spring while nirK and amoA were significantly higher in grassland‐summer. These results indicate that the impact of seasons on soil microorganisms’ distribution and abundance in cropland and grassland may directly affect soil functions.

Introduction Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and smoking cessation is the most effective treatment for patients with COPD. However, few studies have investigated the continuation/cessation of smoking and heated tobacco products (HTP) in patients with COPD. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients with COPD, those who are current smokers and those who switched from cigarettes to HTP, and to examine the reason for the continuation or cessation of smoking. Methods This multicenter, cross-sectional study included 411 outpatients with COPD. Data for this study were part of a study conducted for a comprehensive evaluation of the smoking status and clinical factors in patients with COPD and their families. Results Logistic regression analysis revealed that a younger age, longer duration of smoking, fewer daily cigarettes, and lower modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea score, and a lower Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) score for appetite, were characteristics of current smokers (age OR=0.94; duration of smoking OR=1.07; number of cigarettes per day OR=0.94; mMRC OR=0.68; SNAQ OR=0.83; p

Background: Combining a fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil count (B-EOS) may be a useful strategy for administration of biologics such as anti-IgE or anti-IL-5 to patients with type 2 inflammatory-predominant severe asthma and is important to be elucidated considering the increasing use of biologics.Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the clinical data from 114 adult patients with severe asthma, who were treated at Saitama Medical University Hospital. The eligible patients were stratified into four subgroups defined by thresholds of FeNO and blood eosinophil (B-EOS) counts to detect sputum eosinophilia, using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. A total of 75 patients with optimal samples were stratified into four subtypes defined by thresholds of sputum eosinophilia and neutrophilia. Clinical characteristics, pattern of biologics, and distribution of sputum subtypes were analyzed in the stratified subclasses according to the FeNO and B-EOS thresholds. The asthma exacerbation (AE)-free time of the FeNO/B-EOS subgroups and any biologics treatment including anti-IgE or anti-IL-5 use were examined using the Kaplan–Meier method. The hazard ratios (HRs) for AE-free time were examined using the Cox proportional hazard model.Results: The optimal cutoff values for prediction of sputum eosinophilia were defined as ≥2.7% wherein for FeNO as ≥27 ppb and B-EOS as ≥265/µL were considered. The high-FeNO subgroups showed significant high total IgE, compared with the low FeNO. The high-FeNO/high-B-EOS and the high-FeNO/low-B-EOS subgroups showed the largest prevalence of mepolizumab and benralizumab use among the other FeNO/B-EOS, respectively. The high-FeNO/low-B-EOS showed the largest frequency of AEs, high HR, and the shortest AE-free time, among the other FeNO/B-EOS. The sputum eosinophil-predominant subtype was the great majority in the high FeNO/high B-EOS. A diverse distribution of sputum leukocyte-predominant subtype was observed in the other FeNO/B-EOS. The subsequent AE-free time and its HR were comparable among the biologics use groups.Conclusion: The strategy of classifying severe asthma based on the combination of FeNO and B-EOS proposes particular refractory type 2 severe asthma and underlying airway inflammation as a feasible trait for optimal biologics use.

Background: Condition of asthma in patients with asthma and concomitant seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) deteriorates during the Japanese cedar pollen (JCP) season. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: We analyzed seasonal variations in eicosanoid levels in the airways of patients with asthma and concomitant SAR sensitized to JCP (N = 29, BA-SAR-JCP group) and those not sensitized (N = 13, BA-AR-non-JCP group) during the JCP season. The association between changes in eicosanoid concentrations and pulmonary function was assessed. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was collected, and pulmonary function tests were performed during the JCP and non-JCP seasons. The cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), prostaglandin D2-methoxime (PGD2-MOX), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) levels in the collected EBC were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent immunoassays. Results: The log CysLT levels significantly increased in the BA-SAR-JCP group during the JCP season compared with the non-JCP season (1.78 ± 0.55, 1.39 ± 0.63 pg/mL, mean ± standard deviation, respectively, p = 0.01) and those in the BA-AR-non-JCP group during the JCP season (1.39 ± 0.38 pg/mL, p = 0.04). Moreover, the log TXB2 levels seemed to increase. However, the log LTB4 and log PGD2-MOX levels did not increase. The changes in the log CysLT levels during the two seasons were negatively correlated to forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in the BA-SAR-JCP group (r = −0.52, p

Biochar application to legume-based mixed cropping systems may enhance soil microbial diversity and nitrogen (N)-cycling function. This study was conducted to elucidate the effect of biochar application on soil microbial diversity and N-cycling function with a particular focus on legume species. Therefore, we performed a pot experiment consisting of three legume species intercropped with maize: cowpea, velvet bean, and common bean. In addition, one of three fertilizers was applied to each crop: biochar made of chicken manure (CM), a chemical fertilizer, or no fertilizer. Amplicon sequencing for the prokaryotic community and functional prediction with Tax4Fun2 were conducted. Under the CM, Simpson’s diversity index was higher in soils with common beans than those in other legume treatments. On the other hand, N-cycling genes for ammonia oxidation and nitrite reductase (NO-forming) were more abundant in velvet bean/maize treatment, and this is possibly due to the increased abundance of Thaumarchaeota (6.7%), Chloroflexi (12%), and Planctomycetes (11%). Cowpea/maize treatment had the lowest prokaryotes abundances among legume treatments. Our results suggest that the choice of legume species is important for soil microbial diversity and N-cycling functions in CM applied mixed cropping systems.

Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) with bilateral opacities causes fatalities in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is often difficult to identify the causes of AHRF at the time of admission. The SpO2 to FiO2 (S/F) ratio has been recently used as a non-invasive and alternative marker of the PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio in acute respiratory failure. This retrospective cohort study was conducted from October 2010 to March 2019 at the Showa University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. We enrolled 94 AHRF patients who had bilateral opacities and received mechanical ventilation in ICU to investigate their prognostic markers including S/F ratio. Significant differences were observed for APACHE II, S/F ratio, PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio, and ventilator-free-days at day 28 for ICU mortality, and for age, S/F ratio, P/F ratio, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ventilator-free days at day 28 for hospital mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the S/F ratio was significantly and independently associated with the risk of death during in ICU (p = 0.003) and hospitalization (p = 0.002). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) based on the S/F ratio were significantly greater than those based on simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) for ICU mortality (0.785 in S/F ratio vs. 0.575 in SAPS II, p = 0.012; 0.785 in S/F ratio vs 0.594 in SOFA, p = 0.021) and for hospital mortality (0.701 in S/F ratio vs. 0.502 in SAPS II, p = 0.012; 0.701 in S/F ratio vs. 0.503 in SOFA, p = 0.005). In the subanalysis for bacterial pneumonia and interstitial lung disease groups, the AUC based on the S/F ratio was the greatest among all prognostic markers, including APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA. The S/F ratio may be a useful and noninvasive predictive prognostic marker for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure with bilateral opacities in the ICU.

In natural farming rice paddies, intertillage (tillage between rows, during rice growth period) is often performed mainly to remove weeds without the use of chemicals. Also, the intertillage disturbs soil surfaces, potentially impacting the characteristics of soil microbial communities, such as their diversity and abundance. Natural farming systems aim to maintain biodiversity, but it remains unclear whether the intertillage impacts soil microbes in rice paddies. Thus, this study aimed to understand to what extent “five times intertillage” treatment (5T) influences soil bacterial abundance and community structures compared with no tillage (NT), under a natural farming rice paddy system. Soils were sampled at rice proximity, soil surface, and 10 cm depth in a natural farming rice paddy, during the early to late vegetative phase (June to July), in Hokkaido, Japan. The 16S rRNA community structures and abundance were analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) and quantitative PCR, respectively. We observed that NT had significantly higher bacterial abundances at the soil surface than 5T. However, there were no clear differences between 5T and NT, regarding the bacterial community structures, including their diversity indices. Instead, the sampling timings markedly impacted the bacterial community structures for the rice proximity and soil surface, showing increasing diversity indices at the late vegetative stage, compared to the early vegetative stage, suggesting the interaction between the crop growth and bacterial communities. In this study, we did not observe the significant difference between the rice yield from NT (2.3 ± 0.7 t·ha−1) and 5T plots (2.7 ± 0.9 t·ha−1); however, the 5T might have negatively impacted soil bacterial abundances but not the community structure of the bacteria.

Livestock waste-based products, such as composted manure, are often used in crop production systems. The products’ microbial characteristics differ depending on animal waste treatment methods used (e.g., biogas production/composting). The question remains whether different livestock waste-based products differently impact soil microbiota. A pot experiment with five treatments (control, chemical fertilizer, digestate + chemical fertilizer, wheat straw compost + chemical fertilizer, and woodchip compost + chemical fertilizer) was conducted to compare the survival rates of microbial communities from digestate and composted manure, after their application to agricultural soil. Potatoes were planted in each pot. The changes in soil pH, the concentration of ammonium and nitrate, and the microbial community properties were monitored after 1, 6, 10, and 14 weeks of the application of livestock waste-based products. The application of composted manure, especially woodchip compost, showed a relatively more extensive impact on the soil microbial community structure than the other treatments. Woodchip compost contained a relatively more abundant and diverse bacterial community than digestate, and its family-level bacterial community structure was similar to that of the soil. These characteristics might determine the extent of the impact of livestock waste-based products on soil microbial communities. Digestate markedly influenced the inorganic nitrogen concentrations in soils but did not affect the soil microbial community. In conclusion, the survival rate of microbes of livestock waste-based products varies depending on the product type. Further investigation is needed to fully understand their impact on soils’ microbial functions.

Effects of the water content of ground surface on windborne lead (Pb) dispersion from the zinc (Zn) leach residue site at the Kabwe mine, Zambia, were simulated. The Pb-bearing Zn plant leach residue site was selected as the source of the dispersion, and water conditions of the surface of the source were evaluated by the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) under the actual weather conditions in the year 2019. The MNDWI was calculated based on Sentinel-2 datasets, which were acquired in the year 2019. The index was used for monitoring the surface condition of the source necessary for simulating Pb dispersion, because the higher surface water content reduces the intensity of windborne source. The results showed that the wind speeds and directions had huge impacts on Pb dispersion when the MNDWI had negative values, and that the dispersion was inhibited when the MNDWI had positive values. These indicate that the water content of the surface is sensitive to dispersion, and that MNDWI is an effective parameter that expresses the source strength.

Use of systemic corticosteroids for the treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is not well described. A 58-year-old man with fever and progressive dyspnea was admitted to the Showa University Hospital, and showed severe respiratory failure which needed mechanical ventilation. His chest computed tomography scanning showed emphysema and bilateral ground-glass opacity caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. He received 30 mg prednisolone for five days with antiviral drug of favipiravir, and was successfully extubated on day five. A SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test became negative on day 15. He was discharged on day 21. Serum IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 converted to positive on day 7 and they kept positive on day 54 for both IgM and IgG. Combination treatment of short-course systemic corticosteroid and favipiravir might improve the prognosis for critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia with COPD without negative influence on viral clearance or antibody production.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most severely affected regions regarding soil degradation, a global issue with the loss of nutrients caused by inappropriate management, leading to low agricultural productivity. Here we asked the question of how soil prokaryotic communities are affected by shifts in land use management and subsequent losses in soil organic carbon. We sampled soils from three sites in Zambia which have neighboring natural and managed sites. After the measurement of soil properties, soil DNA was sequenced, targeting the 16S rRNA gene. As expected, total carbon in soil was decreased in the managed sites, with significant reductions of bacterial biomass. However, the diversity indices in the managed soils were higher than in natural soils. Particularly, the relative abundance of nitrifiers was increased in the managed soils, most likely as a result of fertilization. However also other bacteria, e.g., those which formed tight interactions with the cultivated crops including the genera Balneimonas, and Bacillus, were increased in the managed soils. In contrast bacteria belonging to the family Chloroflexi, which were high in abundance in the natural soil were outcompeted by other prokaryotes in the managed soils most likely as a result of changes in the amount of soil organic carbon. Overall, our results suggest that we need to discuss the trends of prokaryotic diversity separately from those for prokaryotic abundance. Even when bacterial abundances were decreased in the managed soils, nitrifiers’ relative abundance and diversity increased in our experiment, suggesting the possible alteration of the nitrogen cycle in managed soils in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dispersion of lead (Pb) in mine wastes was simulated for reproducing Pb contamination of soil in Kabwe District, Zambia. Local weather data of year 2019 were monitored in situ and used for the simulations. The plume model, weak puff model, and no puff model were adopted for calculation of Pb dispersion under different wind conditions. The results showed that Pb dispersion from the Kabwe mine was directly affected by wind directions and speeds in the dry season, although it was not appreciably affected in the rainy season. This may be because the source strength is lower in the rainy season due to higher water content of the surface. This indicates that Pb dispersion patterns depend on the season. In addition, the distribution of the amount of deposited Pb-bearing soils around the mine corresponded to the distribution of Pb contents in soils. These results suggest that Pb contamination in soils primarily results from dispersion of fine mine wastes.

Abstract Agricultural soil is often subjected to waterlogging after heavy rainfalls, resulting in sharp and explosive increases in the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), an important greenhouse gas primarily released from agricultural soil ecosystems. Previous studies on waterlogged soil examined the abundance of denitrifiers but not the composition of denitrifier communities in soil. Also, the PCR primers used in those studies could only detect partial groups of denitrifiers. Here, we performed pyrosequencing analyses with the aid of recently developed PCR primers exhibiting high coverage for three denitrification genes, nirK, nirS, and nosZ to examine the effect of short-term waterlogging on denitrifier communities in soil. We found that microbial communities harboring denitrification genes in the top 5 cm of soil distributed according to soil depth, water-soluble carbon, and nitrate nitrogen. Short-term waterlogging scarcely affected abundance, richness, or the alpha-diversities of microbial communities harboring nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes, but significantly affected their composition, particularly in microbial communities at soil depths of 0 to 1 cm. Our results indicated that the composition of denitrifying microbial communities but not the abundance of denitrifiers in soil was responsive to short-term waterlogging of an agricultural soil ecosystem.

This paper proposes a method that fuses two kinds of stereo measurements using a fisheye stereo camera. A stereo measurement method can be divided into two types: binocular and motion stereo. Generally, the accuracy of long range depends on the baseline of the camera. In case of the binocular stereo, the direction of the baseline is horizontal. Its size is small due to the convenience of installation conditions. By contrast, in the case of the motion stereo, the direction of the baseline changes depending on the direction of the camera motion. For example, the direction of the baseline is the optical axis when a stereo camera is mounted on a vehicle or a mobile robot that drives in the forward direction. When the speed is high such as in driving, its baseline becomes larger as it becomes the moving distance between frames. Therefore, between the two stereo measurements there are differences in the magnitude of the baseline and the uncertainty of the position in the image. In addition, the area-based approach is used for binocular stereo and the feature-based approach is used for motion stereo at the time of corresponding point search. So, robustness against false matching is different. In this paper, we try to fuse the two stereo measurements in order to realize more accurate range image generation. A method, which restricts the disparity search range using the reference disparity map and a bilateral-like filter, which is a weighted averaging are proposed for fusing the two stereo measurements. The proposed methods are verified by experiments in indoor and outdoor environments.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of soil- and plant-associated bacterial diversity on the rates of litter decomposition, and bacterial community dynamics during its early phases. We performed an incubation experiment where soil bacterial diversity (but not abundance) was manipulated by autoclaving and reinoculation. Natural or autoclaved maize leaves were applied to the soils and incubated for 6 weeks. Bacterial diversity was assessed before and during litter decomposition using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. We found a positive correlation between litter decomposition rates and soil bacterial diversity. The soil with the highest bacterial diversity was dominated by oligotrophic bacteria including Acidobacteria, Nitrospiraceae, and Gaiellaceae, and its community composition did not change during the incubation. In the less diverse soils, those taxa were absent but were replaced by copiotrophic bacteria, such as Caulobacteraceae and Beijerinckiaceae, until the end of the incubation period. SourceTracker analysis revealed that litter-associated bacteria, such as Beijerinckiaceae, only became part of the bacterial communities in the less diverse soils. This suggests a pivotal role of oligotrophic bacteria during the early phases of litter decomposition and the predominance of copiotrophic bacteria at low diversity.

Background and objectives: Incidence rates of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease have been increasing, especially in the elderly population. Given the limited evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of NTM treatment, this study aimed to evaluate the same among elderly patients. Material and methods: Patients diagnosed with NTM disease at a tertiary hospital from January 2007 to December 2017 were enrolled and data were then retrospectively collected. Data of elderly patients who received antimycobacterial treatment were then analyzed. Results: A total of 161 patients satisfied the diagnostic criteria for NTM disease. There were 40 elderly patients who received treatments. Of the patients, 60% received the guideline oriented standard regimens. Single drug regimens were administered to 22.5% of patients. Only 55.0% of the patients were able to continue any treatment. Treatment-related discontinuation was observed in 44.4% of discontinued or changed patients. There were no significant differences in the characteristics of patients with or without adverse events. Patients who were able to continue the treatment for >12 months had a lower proportion of activities of daily living (ADL) disability (nine in 18, 50.0% vs. three in 22, 13.6%, p = 0.018) and heart disease (six in 18, 33.3% vs. 1/22, 4.6%, p = 0.033). Sputum culture conversion was achieved in 28 out of 40 (70.0%) elderly patients treated, and those who achieved sputum culture conversion had more standard regimens prescribed than those who failed sputum culture conversion (21 in 28, 75% vs. 3 in 12, 25%; p = 0.005). Conclusion: Age may not be an obstacle for receiving the benefits of the treatment of NTM disease with a precise evaluation of patient’s comorbidities. Furthermore, elderly patients without heart disease and ADL disability may have better rate of continuing the NTM treatment. The current study suggested that selecting standard regimens to treat pulmonary NTM is important for elderly patients.

Background: Viral infection is the main cause of asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) exacerbation and accumulate inflammatory cells to airway tissue. We have reported poly I:C, a mimic product of the virus and ligand of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), induced inflammatory chemokines from airway epithelial cells and found prior incubation with corticosteroids diminishes the effect of TLR3 activation. In clinical practice, mild asthma is recommended as-needed budesonide (BUD) when symptoms occur following a viral infection, etc. However, many questions still surround BUD’s usefulness if taken after a virus has already infected airway tissue. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of BUD on inflammatory cytokines induced by viral infection. Methods: Normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were stimulated with poly I:C or infected with human rhinovirus-16 (HRV16) and BUD was added after the initial stimulation. Expression of both thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and CCL26/eotaxin-3 was quantified by real-time RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Knockdown study was performed. Results: Pre-or post-incubation with BUD inhibited both poly I:C- and HRV16-induced mRNAs and proteins of both thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and CCL26 with significance. Knockdown of the glucocorticoid receptor diminished these effects of BUD. Under the same conditions of BUD’s experiment, post-incubation with neither fluticasone propionate nor dexamethasone suppressed expression of both TSLP and CCL26, which induced by poly I:C. Conclusion: Post-addition of BUD inhibited the virus-induced TSLP and CCL26 from the airway epithelial cells. These results suggest that inhalation of BUD after viral infection has beneficial effects on asthma. Conclusion: Late addition of BUD may benefit among patient with viral infection and type 2 allergic airway disease such as asthma.

Background: Severe asthma is a complex disease with heterogeneous features and involves type 2 airway inflammation, including eosinophil accumulation. Surrogate biomarkers, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil count (b-EOS), may predict eosinophilic airway inflammation. Here we investigated clinical characteristics of severe asthma phenotype using a combined analysis of FeNO and b-EOS. Methods: This retrospective study examined clinical data of patients with severe asthma (N = 107; median age, 64 years) treated at Saitama Medical University Hospital from 2009 to 2016. Thresholds of FeNO and b-EOS for sputum eosinophil ratio ≥2% were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Clinical characteristics were analyzed after classifying patients into four subgroups according to these thresholds. Results: Of 39 induced sputum samples examined, ROC area under the curve for predicting sputum eosinophilia was 82.0% (p = 0.001) for b-EOS and 77.0% (p = 0.006) for FeNO at optimal cut-off values of ≥300/μL and ≥25 ppb, respectively. The number of sensitized allergens was higher in the high FeNO/low b-EOS and high FeNO/high b-EOS subgroups (p

Riverbank soil ecosystems are important zones in terms of transforming inorganic nitrogen (N), particularly nitrate (NO3−-N), in soils to nitrous oxide (N2O) gases. Thus, the gasification of N in the riverbank soil ecosystems may produce a greenhouse gas, N2O, when the condition is favourable for N2O-producing microbes. One of the major N2O-producing pathways is denitrification. Thus, we investigated the denitrification potentials along Shibetsu River, Hokkaido, Japan. We sampled riverbank soils from eight sites along the Shibetsu River. Their denitrification potentials with added glucose-carbon (C) and NO3−-N varied from 4.73 to 181 μg·N·kg−1·h−1. The increase of the denitrification after the addition of C and N was negatively controlled by soil pH and positively controlled by soil NH4+-N levels. Then, we investigated the changes in 16S rRNA bacterial community structures before and after an anaerobic incubation with added C and N. We investigated the changes in bacterial community structures, aiming to identify specific microbial species related to high denitrification potentials. The genus Gammaproteobacteria Aeromonadaceae Tolumonas was markedly increased, from 0.0 ± 0.0% to 16 ± 17%, before and after the anaerobic incubation with the excess substrates, when averaged across all the sites. Although we could not find a significant interaction between the denitrification potential and the increase rate of G. Aeromonadaceae Tolumonas, our study suggested that along the Shibetsu River, bacterial response to added excess substrates was similar at the genus level. Further studies are needed to investigate whether this is a universal phenomenon even in other rivers.

The conversion of natural lands into agricultural lands can lead to changes in the soil microbial community structure which, in turn, can affect soil functions. However, few studies have examined the effect of land use changes on the soil microbial community structure in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the relationships among soil characteristics and microbial communities in natural and agricultural ecosystems in a semideveloped lowland farm in the central region of Zambia, within which small-scale wetlands had been partly developed as watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and/or maize (Zea mays) farms. We sampled soils from four different land use types within this farm: “native forest,” “grassland,” “watermelon farm,” and “maize farm.” We found that the land use type had a significant effect on the soil bacterial community structure at the class level, with the class Bacilli having significantly higher relative abundances in the forest sites and Gammaproteobacteria having significantly higher relative abundances in the maize sites than in the other land use types. These findings indicate that these bacterial classes may be sensitive to changes in soil ecosystems, and so further studies are required to investigate microbial indicators for the sustainable development of wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is related to allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma (BA), atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to examine the eosinophil infiltration in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract in patients with BA using esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Methods: Patients with BA who had upper GI tract symptoms were enrolled. Patients who received systemically administered steroids were excluded. Eosinophil infiltrations in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum were examined with regard to the endoscopic findings and pathological findings of biopsy specimens (UMIN000010132). Results: Ninety patients were enrolled from October in 2012 to September in 2014. Thirty-six were male, 54 were female, and the mean age was 57.5 years. Eighty-one (90%) used inhaled corticosteroids. Fourteen patients (15.6%) had reflux esophagitis, 8 of whom had grade A and 6 had grade B. No patient with EoE was observed. One female patient who had marked eosinophil infiltration in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum was diagnosed as having eosinophilic gastroenteritis, but endoscopy showed only mucosal edema in the antrum. Another female patient who had marked eosinophil infiltration in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum was diagnosed as having eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and endoscopy showed erosions in the antrum and the duodenum. Three patients had eosinophil infiltration in the stomach, but none of them had severe symptoms. Conclusions: Patients with asthma who had upper gastrointestinal symptoms rarely had eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. Biopsy specimens are of high importance in the diagnosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders even if there is no remarkable endoscopic finding.

In the airways of severe asthmatics, an increase of neutrophils and eosinophils is often observed despite high-dose corticosteroid therapy. We previously reported that interleukin-8-stimulated neutrophils induced trans-basement membrane migration (TBM) of eosinophils, suggesting the link between neutrophils and eosinophils. Concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the airway increase in severe asthma. As neutrophils express Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 and can release chemoattractants for eosinophils, we investigated whether LPS-stimulated neutrophils modify eosinophil TBM. Neutrophils and eosinophils were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers and severe asthmatics. Eosinophil TBM was examined using a modified Boyden's chamber technique. Eosinophils were added to the upper compartment, and neutrophils and LPS were added to the lower compartment. Migrated eosinophils were measured by eosinophil peroxidase assays. LPS-stimulated neutrophils induced eosinophil TBM (about 10-fold increase), although LPS or neutrophils alone did not. A leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist, a platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist or an anti-TLR4 antibody decreased eosinophil TBM enhanced by LPS-stimulated neutrophils by almost half. Neutrophils from severe asthmatics induced eosinophil TBM and lower concentrations of LPS augmented neutrophil-induced eosinophil TBM. These results suggest that the combination of neutrophils and LPS leads eosinophils to accumulate in the airways, possibly involved the pathogenesis of severe asthma.

Cow urine deposition on pasture soils is a major source of N-related environmental impacts in the dairy farming systems. The urine-N can potentially be lost to the ground water as nitrate (NO3-) and to the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (N2O). These N-related environmental impacts are possibly related to the sodium (Na+) concentrations in urine. We sampled a pasture soil and separated it into three aggregate size groups (0–3, 3–5, and 5–7 mm). Then, cow urine with variable Na+ concentrations (4.3–6.1 g Na+ L−1) was added to the soil cores. We treated the cores with simulated heavy rains and measured the amounts of calcium (Ca2+), Na+, potassium (K+), and inorganic-N leached from the soils. N2O emission rates were also determined throughout the experimental period. Increasing Na+ concentration in urine decreased the loss of NO3- (−20%), after repeatedly applied simulated rain treatments (30 mm × 3), whereas it increased the loss of ammonium (31%) and K+ (19%). For the loss of Ca2+ and the emissions of N2O, the effect of the Na+ concentrations was unclear. Field level studies and studies focusing on the mechanisms behind the changes in nutrient losses are needed.

The composition of the gut microbiome varies due to dietary habits. We investigated influences of diet on the composition of the gut microbiome using the feces of 11 avian species, which consumed grain-, fish- and meat-based diets. We analyzed gut microbiome diversity and composition by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 16S ribosomal RNA. The grain-diet group had higher gut microbiome diversity than the meat- and fish-diet group. The ratio of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla was higher in the grain-diet group than in the meat- and fish-diet groups. The grain-diet group had a higher ratio of Veillonellaceae than the meat-diet group and a higher ratio of Eubacteriaceae than the fish-diet habit group. To clarify the influence of diet within the same species, white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla, n=6) were divided into two groups, and given only deer meat or fish for approximately one month. The composition of the gut microbiome of individuals in both groups were analyzed by NGS. There were indications of fluctuation in the levels of some bacteria (Lactobacillus, Coriobacteriales, etc.) in each diet group. Moreover, one individual for each group which switched each diet in last week changed to each feature of composition of bacterial flora. The above results show that the composition of the gut microbiome differ depending on diet, even within the same species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]