Impact of effective microorganisms on the transfer of radioactive cesium into lettuce and barley biomass

Publication date: December 2018

Source: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Volume 192

Author(s): Aleksander Nikolaevich Nikitin, Ihar Anatoljevich Cheshyk, Galina Zenonovna Gutseva, Elena Aleksandrovna Tankevich, Masaki Shintani, Shuichi Okumoto

Abstract

Soil microorganisms play an important role in determining the physical and chemical properties of soils. Soil microorganisms have both direct and indirect effects on the physical and chemical states of radionuclides and their availability for uptake by plant roots. Controlling the soil microorganisms to immobilize radionuclides is a promising strategy to reduce the content of radionuclides in the food chain. In this study, we evaluated the impact of effective microorganisms (EM) comprising lactic-acid bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, and yeast on the transfer of ¹³⁷Cs into the aboveground biomass of barley and lettuce. The application of EM or fermented organic fertilizer (bokashi) alone to sod-podzolic sandy-loam soil significantly reduced the aggregated transfer factor of ¹³⁷Cs in barley by 37% and 44%, respectively. The combination of EM with bokashi or potassium fertilizer produced the largest reductions in ¹³⁷Cs transfer into barley biomass (50% and 63%, respectively). EM had a stronger effect on ¹³⁷Cs transfer into barley compared to lettuce. Laboratory experiments suggested that the effect of microorganisms on ¹³⁷Cs uptake can be attributed to a reduction in the proportion of bioavailable physicochemical forms of ¹³⁷Cs in the soils treated with EM and bokashi. This study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to report the mechanism by which microbial fertilizers reduce the transfer of ¹³⁷Cs into plants.

Graphical abstract

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A case of interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma studied by whole-exome sequencing

Abstract

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is an aggressive neoplasm and is an extremely rare disease, with a challenging diagnosis. Etiology of IDCS is also unknown and most studies with only case reports. In our case, immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for S100, CD45, and CD68, but negative for CD1a and CD21. This study aimed to investigate the causative factors of IDCS by sequencing the protein-coding regions of IDCS. We performed whole-exome sequencing with genomic DNA from blood and sarcoma tissue of the IDCS patient using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. After that, we conducted Sanger sequencing for validation of sarcoma-specific variants and gene ontology analysis using DAVID bioinformatics resources. Through comparing sequencing data of sarcoma with normal blood, we obtained 15 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as sarcoma-specific variants. Although the 15 SNPs were not validated by Sanger sequencing due to tumor heterogeneity and low sensitivity of Sanger sequencing, we examined the function of the genes in which each SNP is located. Based on previous studies and gene ontology database, we found that POLQ encoding DNA polymerase theta enzyme and FNIP1 encoding tumor suppressor folliculin-interacting protein might have contributed to the IDCS. Our study provides potential causative genetic factors of IDCS and plays a role in advancing the understanding of IDCS pathogenesis.

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Genome-wide analyses of the Jeju, Thoroughbred, and Jeju crossbred horse populations using the high density SNP array

Abstract

The Jeju horse is an indigenous Korean horse breed that is currently registered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. However, there is severe lack of genomic studies on Jeju horse. This study was conducted to investigate genetic characteristics of horses including Jeju horse, Thoroughbred and Jeju crossbred (Jeju × Thoroughbred) populations. We compared the genomes of three horse populations using the Equine SNP70 Beadchip array. Short-range Linkage disequilibrium was the highest in Thoroughbred, whereas r² values were lowest in Jeju horse. Expected heterozygosity was the highest in Jeju crossbred (0.351), followed by the Thoroughbred (0.337) and Jeju horse (0.311). The level of inbreeding was slightly higher in Thoroughbred (− 0.009) than in Jeju crossbred (− 0.035) and Jeju horse (− 0.038). F_ST value was the highest between Jeju horse and Thoroughbred (0.113), whereas Jeju crossbred and Thoroughbred showed the lowest value (0.031). The genetic relationship was further assessed by principal component analysis, suggesting that Jeju crossbred is more genetically similar to Thoroughbred than Jeju horse population. Additionally, we detected potential selection signatures, for example, in loci located on LCORL/NCAPG and PROP1 genes that are known to influence body. Genome-wide analyses of the three horse populations showed that all the breeds had somewhat a low level of inbreeding within each population. In the population structure analysis, we found that Jeju crossbred was genetically closer to Thoroughbred than Jeju horse. Furthermore, we identified several signatures of selection which might be associated with traits of interest. To our current knowledge, this study is the first genomic research, analyzing genetic relationships of Jeju horse, Thoroughbred and Jeju crossbred.

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Poincaré plot indices as measures of sympathetic cardiac regulation: Responses to psychological stress and associations with pre-ejection period

Publication date: Available online 11 August 2018

Source: International Journal of Psychophysiology

Author(s): Saif Rahman, Mathew Habel, Richard J. Contrada

Abstract

The Poincaré plot is a visual representation of the R-R time series within a Cartesian plane constructed by plotting each R-R interval as a function of the previous one. The plot can be characterized by parameters that quantify the standard deviation (SD) of short- and long-term R-R interval variability (SD1 and SD2, respectively). Claims regarding the use of Poincaré plot analysis as an alternative to conventional time-domain and spectral analytic measures of parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability (HRV) have been evaluated somewhat extensively. However, its proposed utility for characterizing sympathetic influences on HRV during periods of acute mental stress, using SD2 and the SD1/SD2 ratio, has received minimal attention. In the present study, the electrocardiogram was used to record R-R interval variability in healthy participants during a resting baseline period, while they performed a challenging reaction time task, and then during a recovery period. Simultaneously, the thoracic impedance cardiogram was used to derive the pre-ejection period (PEP), which reflects sympathetic cardiac control. HRV was quantified using time-domain, spectral analytic, and Poincaré plot indices. Task performance elicited significant reductions in HRV and PEP parameters, indicating withdrawal of parasympathetic tone with concomitant sympathetic activation. Following cessation of task performance, all HRV and impedance measures returned to baseline levels, signaling resumption of parasympathetic dominance. Bivariate associations linking SD2 and the SD1/SD2 ratio to PEP were observed; however, these were not large in magnitude, were exceeded in size by associations between the Poincaré metrics and conventional HRV markers of parasympathetic cardiac influences, and were eliminated when the latter were controlled statistically. These observations challenge the proposal that the Poincaré SD2 and SD1/SD2 metrics are suitable markers of sympathetic cardiac regulation in research concerned with mental and physical health.

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Effects of Probiotics on Inflammation and Uremic Toxins Among Patients on Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background/Objectives

We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate effects of probiotics on inflammation, uremic toxins, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.

Methods

A literature search was conducted utilizing MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database from inception through October 2017. We included studies that assessed assessing effects of probiotics on inflammatory markers, protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs), and GI symptoms in ESRD patients on dialysis. Effect estimates from the individual study were extracted and combined utilizing random effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO; No. CRD42017082137.

Results

Seven clinical trials with 178 ESRD patients were enrolled. There was a significant reduction in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) from baseline to post-probiotic course (≥ 2 months after treatment) with standardized mean difference (SMD) of − 0.42 (95% CI − 0.68 to − 0.16, p = 0.002). When compared to control, patients who received probiotics also had a significant higher degree of reduction in CRP level with SMDs of − 0.37 (95% CI − 0.72 to 0.03, p = 0.04). However, there were no significant changes in serum TNF-alpha or albumin with SMDs of − 0.32 (95% CI − 0.92 to 0.28, p = 0.29) and 0.16 (95% CI − 0.20 to 0.53, p = 0.39), respectively. After probiotic course, there were also significant decrease in PBUTs and improvement in overall GI symptoms (reduction in GI symptom scores) with SMDs of − 0.61 (95% CI − 1.16 to − 0.07, p = 0.03) and − 1.04 (95% CI − 1.70 to − 0.38, p = 0.002), respectively.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates potential beneficial effects of probiotics on inflammation, uremic toxins, and GI Symptoms in ESRD patients. Future large-scale clinical studies are required to assess its benefits on other important clinical outcomes including patient mortality.

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Peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, and arterial stiffness in adolescents

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the associations of peak oxygen uptake ( \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) ) and \(\dot {V}_2}\) at ventilatory threshold ( \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT) with arterial stiffness in adolescents.

Methods

The participants were 55 adolescents (36 girls, 19 boys) aged 16–19 years. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and augmentation index (AIx%) were measured by non-invasive oscillometric device from right brachial artery level. \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) was directly measured during a maximal ramp test on a cycle ergometer. \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT was determined using the equivalents for ventilation ( \({\dot {V}_{\text{E}}}\) / \(\dot {V}{\text{C}}_2}\) and \({\dot {V}_{\text{E}}}\) / \(\dot {V}_2}\) ). \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) and \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT were normalised for body mass (BM) and lean mass (LM). Data were analysed using linear regression analyses and analysis of covariance adjusted for age and sex.

Results

\(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) normalised for BM (β = − 0.445, 95% CI − 0.783 to − 0.107) and \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) normalised for LM (β = − 0.386, 95% CI − 0.667 to − 0.106) were inversely associated with PWVao. A higher \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT normalised for BM (β = − 0.366, 95% CI − 0.646 to − 0.087) and LM (β = − 0.321, 95% CI − 0.578 to − 0.064) was associated with lower PWVao. Adolescents in the lowest third of \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) by LM (6.6 vs. 6.1 m/s, Cohen's d = 0.33) and \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT by LM (6.6 vs. 6.0 m/s, Cohen's d = 0.33) had a higher PWVao than those in the highest third of \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) or \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT by LM.

Conclusions

Higher \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) and \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT by BM and LM were related to lower arterial stiffness in adolescents. Normalising \(\dot {V}_{2{\text{peak}}}}\) and \(\dot {V}_2}\) at VT for LM would provide the most appropriate measure of cardiorespiratory fitness in relation to arterial stiffness.

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Risk of Colorectal Polyps and Malignancies Among Predominantly Rural Hispanics

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer. However, due to variations in diet, it was hypothesized that risk of adenomatous or hyperplastic polyps or malignancies would be lower among Hispanics. Participants (n = 1671) underwent a colonoscopy. Results were grouped into one of four groups: normal, hyperplastic polyps only, adenomatous polyps, and malignancies. As expected, Hispanics had a lower risk of hyperplastic (p = .031, OR = 0.47) and adenomatous polyps (p = .031, OR = 0.66) than non-Hispanic Whites. Comparison between malignancies was not possible as no Hispanics had a malignancy. Contrary to expectations, risk of hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps and malignancies were no different between non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites. Among rural and mostly rural populations, Hispanics had a lower risk of hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps.

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