Phylogenetic Framework and Metabolic Genes Expression Analysis of Bacteria Isolated from Contaminated Marine Environments of Niger Delta

Aims: To explore the phylogenetic framework of bacteria isolated from contaminated marine environments of Niger Delta and the expression of the metabolic genes coding for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation and surfactant production. Study Design: Nine treatments designs were set up in triplicates containing 25 mL of sterile modified mineral basal medium supplemented with nine marine hydrocarbon degraders incubated at 24°C for 5 days. Three of the set ups were supplemented each with 1 mg /L of xylene, anthracene and pyrene. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa between September, 2015 to December, 2017. Methodology: A laboratory scale study was carried on six composite samples of the sediment and water samples from the three studied areas using enrichment, screening, selection, characterization, and PCR assays to explore the phylogenetic framework and metabolic genes expression of the marine bacteria for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation and surfactant production. Results: The findings revealed that there was significant abundance of THB (P = .05) more than TCHUB and more xylene degraders than anthracene and pyrene degraders in the sediment and water samples respectively. The phylogenetic correlational analysis revealed that all the nine selected best degraders out of 48 isolates from the studied area were evolutionary related belonging to the genera: Providencia, Alcaligenes, Brevundimonas, Myroides, Serratia, and Bacillus; able to significantly (P = .05) utilize the all the aromatic hydrocarbons. The existence of catabolic and surfactant genes namely catechol dioxygenase (C23O), rhamnolipid enzyme (rhlB) and surfactin /lichenysin enzyme (SrfA3 /LicA3) genes were detected in only four (4) out of the nine (9) marine aromatic degrading bacteria with 881 base pairs sizes. Conclusion: Thus, the study revealed that these bacterial strains especially Serratia marcescens XYL7 might possess metabolic genes for in situ aromatic hydrocarbon degradation and surfactant production.

Nutritional Care for the Elderly / 대한소화기학회지

Malnutrition among older people is a common health problem. It is well known that malnutrition is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Especially older individuals in catabolic crisis require comprehensive nutritional management to improve clinical outcome not only recovery of disease itself but also maintain physical and cognitive function. Intensive nutritional therapy in acute care is important since nutritional status is closely related to long-term clinical outcome and quality of life in the older people.

Predictive value of glycosylated serum protein combined with glycemic variability on secondary persistent inflammatory immunosuppressed catabolic syndrome prediction in elderly septic patients / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To investigate the predictive value of glycosylated serum protein (GSP) combined with glycemic variability (GV) in persistent inflammation immunosuppressive catabolic syndrome (PICS) in elderly septic patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted. The septic patients aged≥60 years old with 28 days hospitalized duration admitted to geriatric intensive care unit (ICU) of Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command from January 2014 to December 2017 were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether PICS occurred within 14 days after ICU admission according to the PICS diagnostic criteria. General patients' data including gender, age, underlying disease, site of infection, the length of ICU stay were collected, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ), GSP at 1 day after hospitalization and lymphocyte count (LYM), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (ALB), prealbumin (PA) levels at 1 day and 14 days were recorded. The levels of blood glucose on the 1st day and 14th day were observed, the GV was calculated. Data were cross-validated using the random forest method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive value of glycemic parameters for PICS. Results A total of 315 elderly septic patients were included. Patients with malignant tumors, severe autoimmune diseases, and immunosuppressive therapy or dead within 28 days of hospitalization were excluded. A total of 132 patients were enrolled in the analysis, including 45 in the PICS group and 87 in the non-PICS group. The length of ICU stay in the PICS group was significantly longer than that in the non-PICS group [days: 35.0 (22.0, 49.5) vs. 8.0 (5.0, 23.0), P < 0.01]. No significant difference in the baseline data of gender, age, underlying disease, infection site or APACHE Ⅱ score between the two groups was found. ① Parameters for PICS diagnosis: with the prolongation of ICU stay, LYM and PA in the non-PICS group were increased and those in the PICS group were decreased, and CRP and ALB levels were decreased in both groups. LYM, ALB and PA levels in the PICS group were significantly lower than those in the non-PICS group at 14 days after ICU admission [LYM (×109/L): 0.6 (0.5, 0.7) vs. 1.1 (0.9, 1.6), ALB (g/L): 25.4±2.7 vs. 29.9±4.3, PA (g/L): 0.08 (0.05, 0.14) vs. 0.11 (0.10, 0.21), all P < 0.01], and CRP level was significantly higher than that in the non-PICS group (mg/L: 87.5±56.3 vs. 49.2±49.1, P < 0.01). ② Glycemic parameters: the GSP level of the PICS group at 1 day after ICU admission was significantly lower than that of the non-PICS group (mmol/L: 2.3±0.6 vs. 2.7±0.6, P < 0.01), but there was no statistically significant difference in the level of blood glucose or GV at 1 day and 14 days after ICU admission as compared with the non-PICS group [blood glucose (mmol/L): 10.0±3.3 vs. 9.4±3.3 at 1 day, 10.8±3.6 vs. 10.4±3.5 at 14 days; GV: (24.2±1.4)% vs. (23.7±1.2)% at 1 day, (24.8±7.8)% vs. (24.7±7.7)% at 14 days, all P > 0.05]. ③ ROC curve analysis: 1-day GSP as well as 1-day and 14-day GV had certain predictive value for PICS secondary to sepsis in the elderly. The predictive value of 1-day GSP combined with 14-day GV was the highest, its area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.637, with a sensitivity of 95.8% and a specificity of 25.0%, while the positive likelihood ratio was 1.278, the negative likelihood ratio was 0.167, the positive predictive value was 71.9%, and the negative predictive value was 75.0%. Conclusion GSP combined with GV could effectively predict secondary PICS in elderly septic patients.

Comparing how land use change impacts soil microbial catabolic respiration in Southwestern Amazon

Abstract Land use changes strongly impact soil functions, particularly microbial biomass diversity and activity. We hypothesized that the catabolic respiration response of the microbial biomass would differ depending on land use and that these differences would be consistent at the landscape scale. In the present study, we analyzed the catabolic response profile of the soil microbial biomass through substrate-induced respiration in different land uses over a wide geographical range in Mato Grosso and Rondônia state (Southwest Amazon region). We analyzed the differences among native areas, pastures and crop areas and within each land use and examined only native areas (Forest, Dense Cerrado and Cerrado), pastures (Nominal, Degraded and Improved) and crop areas (Perennial, No-Tillage, Conventional Tillage). The metabolic profile of the microbial biomass was accessed using substrate-induced respiration. Pasture soils showed significant responses to amino acids and carboxylic acids, whereas native areas showed higher responses to malonic acid, malic acid and succinic acid. Within each land use category, the catabolic responses showed similar patterns in both large general comparisons (native area, pasture and crop areas) and more specific comparisons (biomes, pastures and crop types). The results showed that the catabolic responses of the microbial biomass are highly correlated with land use, independent of soil type or climate. The substrate induced respiration approach is useful to discriminate microbial communities, even on a large scale.

Progress of virulence determinants in community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus / 国际儿科学杂志

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a prominent human pathogen.Traditionally, MRSA infections occurred exclusively in hospitals and were limited to immunocompromised patients or individuals with predisposing risk factors. However, recently there has been a worldwide epidemic caused by community-associated (CA)-MRSA strains, which can cause severe infections that can result in necrotizing fasciitis or even death in otherwise healthy children or adults outside of healthcare settings. People have made great progress to explain the reasons for enhanced virulence of CA-MRSA, here we review the recent progress made towards four virulence determinants, which are Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), α-Hemolysin (Hla),α-type phenol-soluble modulin ( PSMα) and arginine catabolic mobile element (ACM E) .

Treatment options for osteoporosis and decision making criteria: 2009 / Alternativas de tratamiento para osteoporosis y criterios de decisión: 2009

Osteoporosis is recognized worldwide as a major public health problem since many decades ago, mainly due to the cost of treatment for related fragility fractures. Fortunately, WHO has provided new strategies for identifying populations with a high ten-year fracture risk, which together with increasingly sensitive diagnostic methods make it feasible for decision makers in this field to design cost effective fracture prevention strategies. These strategies are aimed at preventing falls and improving bone strength and therefore diminishing the prevalence and incidence of new or recurrent osteoporosis related fractures. Herein we review the content of these new strategies, and the medical treatments available, as well as their efficacy in the Mexican context. Several countries are now reporting a decreasing incidence and prevalence of osteoporosis related fractures, after 30 years of clinical and population-based interventions. Mexico has several effective anti-fracture drug treatments available. Such drugs can be classified according to the mechanism that makes them effective as: 1) antidestuctive or anticatabolic, 2) bone forming or anabolic, and 3) those with both actions or mixed drugs. The authors argue that treatment strategies that use drugs to strengthen bone tissue must assure normal mineralization of the already formed, remnant bone tissue and/or the newly formed bone tissue in order to encourage biochemical outcomes like formation of mature hydroxyapatite crystals with complete biomechanical and biochemical properties and therefore long term benefits. The present review includes some perspectives that will surely enhance osteoporosis management in the near future and which will bring about a decrease in the impact of the problems in Mexico.

La osteoporosis se reconoce mundialmente como un problema de salud pública desde hace muchas décadas, principalmente por el impacto global implícito en la atención de las fracturas que ocasiona. Afortunadamente, cada vez contamos con más y mejores estrategias desarrolladas por la OMS para identificar oportunamente a las personas en riesgo de sufrir una fractura; actualmente es posible definir este riesgo para los siguientes diez años. Lo cual, aunado a métodos cada vez más sensibles para establecer diagnósticos definitivos y opciones de tratamiento costo-eficaces para evitar caídas y disminuir significativamente la presentación de fracturas, permite a quien toma decisiones en este problema diseñar y poner en práctica planes de atención sustentados en la mejor evidencia científica, que son motivo de esta revisión. Varios países empiezan a informar un abatimiento del número de fracturas, después de haber establecido programas dirigidos a este fin desde hace 30 años. Contamos con medicamentos que han demostrado su eficacia para abatir la presentación de la primera fractura o de fracturas recurrentes de manera costo-eficiente, estos se pueden dividir para su estudio de acuerdo al mecanismo de acción que los vuelve eficaces. Así, aquellos que frenan la destrucción del tejido óseo se clasifican como anti-catabólicos, los que estimulan la formación de tejido óseo nuevo son anabólicos, los que tienen ambas acciones se conocen como de acción mixta. En todos los casos, el tejido remanente, previamente formado o en vías de destrucción, que se fortalecerá o el tejido de nueva formación, requieren medidas para garantizar que el proceso de mineralización suceda normalmente y se genere hidroxiapatita o un compuesto con características similares para que la eficiencia biomecánica del tejido realmente mejore a largo plazo. Esta revisión incluye algunas perspectivas que seguramente mejorarán nuestro manejo de la osteoporosis en el futuro inmediato y que...

nPCR as an Influencing Factor on rHuEPO Response / 대한신장학회잡지

Owing to the mass production of recombinant human erythropoietin(rHuEPO), anemia in hemodialysis patients is effectively treated by intravenous or subcutaneous injection of rHuEPO at each dialysis session. But considerable portion of patients being injected rHuEPO have the resistance of EPO treatment. The most common cause of EPO resistance is caused by functional and storage iron deficiency and followed by chronic inflammation, hyperparathyroidism and aluminum intoxication in its incidence. But the rHuEPO resistance is not fully explained by these causes. In the present study, the relationship between nPCR reflecting daily protein intake and the weekly doses of rHuEPO required to maintain hemoglobin levels at approximately 10gm/dL was analyzed in 34 hemodialysis patients All subjective patients of 34 hemodialysis were injected rHuEPO subcutaneously and divided into two group:Group A composing 22 hemodialysis patients is nPCR=1.0gm/kg/day. There were no significant differences in age, duration of hemodialysis, serum ferritin, serum iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation(%) of each group. The patients who had serum ferritin below 100 micro gm/dL or transferrin saturation(%) below 20% were excluded in this study. The weekly rHuEPO doses in patients with Group B was lower than those of patients with Group A(58.7627+/-20.465IU/kg/week vs 80.4317+/-38.6258IU/kg/week, P=0.041). Moreover Serum albumin levels in Group A were significantly lower than those of Group B(3.6522+/-0.4461gm/dL vs 4+/-0.3606gm/dL, P=0.031) and Kt/V in Group B were significantly higher than those of Group A (1.145+/-0.2049+/-1.4021+/-0.2981, P=0.021). Serum parathyroid hormone levels were significantly higher in Group A than those of Group B(171.9783+/-150.3378 pg/dL vs 72.8809+/-79.7226 pg/dL, P=0.049). But other various factors including serum aluminum, body mass index and acute phase reactant proteins such as C-reactive protein and ESR had no significant differences in each group. CONCLUSION: Our result showed that nPCR presenting daily protein intake is related with rHuEPO response and the patient's nutritional status. So we think that the nutrition aspect in EPO treatment should be considered. However, to prove this relationships completely between nutritional factors and rHuEPO response, further study shoud be needed.

The Clinical Significance of tCO2 as a Marker of Nutritional Status in Stable Hemodialyzed Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

Metabolic acidosis is a well-recognized complication of chronic hemodialyzed patients. The metabolic acidosis in stable hemodialyzed patients is mainly resulted from the consequences of the inability to excrete nonvolatile acid and the patients daily protein intake. So severe metabolic acidosis in patients on hemodialysis is known as an independent determinant of protein catabolic rate and high mortality rate but the moderate degree of metabolic acidosis in stable patients on maintenace hemodialysis can be explained by the patients nutritional status. On the other hand, patients having adequate daily protein intake could have lower total CO2 levels than those of patients having inadequately lower daily protein intake. To identify this relationship, we analyzed correlations between pre-hemodialysis total CO2 and various factors reflecting the patient's nutritional status in 37 patients on stable hemodialysis. The total CO2 was ranged from 15.6 to 26.5mMol/L. Among various factors, total CO2 had negative linear correlation with normalized protein catabolic rate(nPCR) reflecting the patient's daily protein intake indirectly(Y= -0.0371X+1.75, r=-0.1319, P=0.014). Moreover, metabolic acidosis having CO2 lower than 18mMol/L may modulate protein kinetics as showing steeper slope than those of more than 18mMol/L(Y=-0.1321 X +3.342, r2=0.1074 vs Y=-0.03373X+1.7543 r2=0.1001, P=0.0001). However other factors including serum albumin, body mass index, pre-hemodialysis BUN, and Kt/V, had no correlation with the total CO2. The result suggested that moderately lower pre- hemodialysis total CO2 ranging from 18 to 26.5 mMol/L was usually resulted from the high intake of the patient's daily protein intake and should be of no concern in stable patients on maintenance hemodialysis and it may use as a parameter of nutritional status. However metabolic acidosis having CO2 lower than 18mMol/L may modulate protein-kinetics, which may make the protein catabolic rate increased and can not reflect the patient's nutritional status. But it should be recommended that further studies should be needed to confirm this factor.

Impact of Metabolic Acidosis on Serum Albumin and Other Mutritional Parameters in CAPD Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

Metabolic acidosis (MA) is associated with increased proteolysis, increased osteoclast activity and blunted cardiac muscle response, but the effect of MA on various clinic al parameters in CAPD patients is not well known. To evaluate the effects of MA on serum albumin level and other nutritional parameters in CAPD patients, we studied 106 CAPD patients retrospectively who have had monthly biochemical measurement and urea kinetic studies every 6 months for more than 2 years. The patients were divided into three groups according to their mean total CO2 (tCO2) level of the 2-year follow-up (Group l; mean tCO2 or = 26mM/L), and the clinical, biochemical, and urea kinetic data were compared among the three groups. 1)The mean age of the subjects was 46.9+/-12.2 years with a sex ratio of 1.2:1, the mean CAPD duration 28.3+/-21.8 months, mean body weight (Bwt) 59.0+/-8.9kg, %Bwt/IBW 104.1+/-11.5%, %LBM/Bwt 75.5+/-11.1% and well-nourished patients by subjective global assessment (SGA) were 65%. 2)The mean BUN, creatinine, total protein and albumin of all patients were 55.6+/-13.6mg/dL, 12.3+/-3.5mg/dL, 6.6+/-0.7g/dL and 4.0+/-0.4g/dL, respectively. In urea kinetic study, the mean NPCR, weekly Kt/ Vurea, SCCr and RRF were 0.96+/-0.16g/kg/day, 2.02+/-0.37, 63.7+/-18.4L/week/1.73m2, and 0.99+/-1.32ml/ min, respectively. 3)The mean age was significantly higher in group l (51.0+/-10.8) than those of group ll (47.0+/-12.4) and lll (42.6+/-11.4) (P<0.05). %Bwt/IBW of group l (114.4+/-15.8%) was also significantly higher than those of group ll (104.6+/-12.6%) and lll (103.5+/-13.7 %) (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in sex ratio, CAPD duration, %LBM/Bwt, and SGA among the three groups. 4)The mean tCO2 in group l, group ll, and group lll were 20.6+/-1.2mM/L, 23.9+/-1.1mM/L, and 27.3+/-0.8mM/L, respectively. Compared to group lll, group l had significantly higher BUN (61.1+/-14.3 vs. 46.1+/-7.2mg/dL, P<0.05) and serum albumin (4.04+/-0.31 vs. 3.75+/-0.39g/dL, P<0.05), in spite of comparable dialysis dose and albumin loss into dialysate. 5)NPCR (1.02+/-0.21g/kg/day vs. 0.88+/-0.14g/kg/ day, P<0.05) and ultrafiltration volume (1.4+/-0.4 vs. 1.0+/-0.3, P<0.05) were significantly higher in group l than those of group lll. But there were no significant differences in Kt/Vurea, SCCr, RRF, and 24-hour dialysate loss of protein/albumin among the three groups. 6)No differences were observed among the three groups in the changes of body weight, %Bwt/IBW, %LBM/Bwt, BUN, albumin, NPCR, and RRF from the baseline values after the 2-year follow-up. 7)There were significant inverse correlations between the mean tCO2 level and NPCR (r=-0.33, P<0.001), %Bwt/IBW (r=-0.32, P<0.001), RRF (r=-0.29, P<0.005), and serum albumin level (r=-0.24, P<0.05). But, creatinine, %LBM/Bwt, and Kt/Vurea did not show any correlation with the mean tCO2 level. 8)Using stepwise multiple regression analysis, NPCR (beta=-0.3491, P<0.001), %Bwt/IBW (beta=-0.046, P<0.001), and ultrafiltration volume (beta=-0.0012, P< 0.005) were independent factors affecting the mean tCO2 level. In conclusion, low total CO2 level in long-term CAPD patients may reflect increased protein intake and mild to moderate degree of metabolic acidosis may not affect the nutritional status of well-dialyzed CAPD patients.

Biodegradation of commercial linear alkyl benzenes by Nocardia amarae.

Laboratory degradation studies of two indigeneously produced linear alkyl benzenes by Nocardia amarae MB-11 isolated from soil showed an overall degradation of linear alkyl benzenes isomers to the extent of 57-70%. Degradation of 2-phenyl isomers of linear alkyl benzenes was complete and faster than that of other phenyl position (C3–C7) isomers which were degraded to the extent of 40-72% only. Length of alkyl side chains (C10–C14) had little or no impact on the degradation pattern. Major metabolities detected were 2-, 3- and 4-phenyl butyric acids, phenyl acetic acid and cis, cis-muconic acid. Minor metabolites were trans-cinnamic acid, 4-phenyl 3-butenoic acid and 3-phenyl pentanoic acid along with two unidentified hydroxy acids. On the basis of the formation pattern of these metabolities, three catabolic pathways of linear alkyl benzenes isomers in Nocardia amarae MB-11 were postulated. All the phenyl position (C2–C7) isomers of C10, C12, and C14 linear alkyl benzenes along with 3-phenyl and 5-phenyl isomers of C11 and C13 linear alkyl benzenes were degraded via cis,cis-muconic acid pathway. Other phenyl position isomers of C11 and C13 linear alkyl benzenes with phenyl substitution at even number carbon atoms were principally degraded via phenyl acetic acid pathway while trans -cinnamic acid formation provided a minor pathway.

Effects of endotoxin on protein catabolism of skeletal muscles in severe scalding rats / 第三军医大学学报

In order to study the role played by infection in the occurrence and mechanism of negative nitrogen balance of the skeletal muscles in the early stage of scalding,37% TBSA full thickness scalding was inflicted on the back and one hind leg of rats and the protein catabolic rate in the soleus muscle of both the scalded and healthy legs was determined and the effects of endotoxin on the catabolic rate were observed.It was found that the protein catabolic rate was markedly accelerated in the scalded soleus 3 days after iujusy;and showed no significant changes in the healthy one,in which the protein catabolic rate was near or similar to that of the normal control.After 2 mg/kg of endotoxin was administered intraperitoneally.the findings were as follows:(1)Endotoxin could also accelerate the protein catabolic rate in the skeletal muscles;(2)The protein catabolic rate in the scalded soleus was not further increased and no summation effect of scalding and endotoxin on protein catabolism occurred.