Functional annotation and importance of marine bacterial transporters of plankton exometabolites.

Metabolite exchange within marine microbial communities transfers carbon and other major elements through global cycles and forms the basis of microbial interactions. Yet lack of gene annotations and concern about the quality of existing ones remain major impediments to revealing currencies of carbon flux. We employed an arrayed mutant library of the marine bacterium Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 to experimentally annotate substrates of organic compound transporter systems, using mutant growth and compound drawdown analyses to link transporters to their cognate substrates. Mutant experiments verified substrates for thirteen R. pomeroyi transporters. Four were previously hypothesized based on gene expression data (taurine, glucose/xylose, isethionate, and cadaverine/putrescine/spermidine); five were previously hypothesized based on homology to experimentally annotated transporters in other bacteria (citrate, glycerol, N-acetylglucosamine, fumarate/malate/succinate, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate); and four had no previous annotations (thymidine, carnitine, cysteate, and 3-hydroxybutyrate). These bring the total number of experimentally-verified organic carbon influx transporters to 18 of 126 in the R. pomeroyi genome. In a longitudinal study of a coastal phytoplankton bloom, expression patterns of the experimentally annotated transporters linked them to different stages of the bloom, and also led to the hypothesis that citrate and 3-hydroxybutyrate were among the most highly available bacterial substrates. Improved functional annotation of the gatekeepers of organic carbon uptake is critical for deciphering carbon flux and fate in microbial ecosystems.

Magnetic Field Induced Quantum Spin Liquid in the Two Coupled Trillium Lattices of K_{2}Ni_{2}(SO_{4})_{3}.

Quantum spin liquids are exotic states of matter that form when strongly frustrated magnetic interactions induce a highly entangled quantum paramagnet far below the energy scale of the magnetic interactions. Three-dimensional cases are especially challenging due to the significant reduction of the influence of quantum fluctuations. Here, we report the magnetic characterization of K_{2}Ni_{2}(SO_{4})_{3} forming a three-dimensional network of Ni^{2+} spins. Using density functional theory calculations, we show that this network consists of two interconnected spin-1 trillium lattices. In the absence of a magnetic field, magnetization, specific heat, neutron scattering, and muon spin relaxation experiments demonstrate a highly correlated and dynamic state, coexisting with a peculiar, very small static component exhibiting a strongly renormalized moment. A magnetic field B≳4 T diminishes the ordered component and drives the system into a pure quantum spin liquid state. This shows that a system of interconnected S=1 trillium lattices exhibits a significantly elevated level of geometrical frustration.

Norm-focused nudges influence pro-environmental choices and moderate post-choice emotional responses.

In this paper, we use choice architecture techniques to activate both social and personal norms, seeking to increase pro-environmental choices and to better understand the effect of such norm types on post-choice emotional responses. In four experiments, we make different social or personal norms salient by aligning choice environments with psychosocial mechanisms that activate different types of norms. We use different choice architecture techniques to change information, alter product sets, and generate the social consequences of choices. The target behavior, purchasing a recycled paper notebook, is captured through direct purchase behaviors or willingness to pay commitments. We find that choice architecture activates personal but not social norms, and that associated positive and negative emotions (guilt, shame, regret and pride) are elicited by choices but not by willingness to pay. Moreover, manipulating choice environment moderates the relationship between choice and norm-related emotions, such that positive emotional responses seem to be stronger than negative ones. The results suggest that choice architecture interventions can activate individual level beliefs about sustainability and help reduce the attitude-behavior gap.

Utilizing minimally purified secreted rAAV for rapid and cost-effective manipulation of gene expression in the CNS.

BACKGROUND: Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is widely used in the neuroscience field to manipulate gene expression in the nervous system. However, a limitation to the use of rAAV vectors is the time and expense needed to produce them. To overcome this limitation, we evaluated whether unpurified rAAV vectors secreted into the media following scalable PEI transfection of HEK293T cells can be used in lieu of purified rAAV. METHODS: We packaged rAAV2-EGFP vectors in 30 different wild-type and mutant capsids and subsequently collected the media containing secreted rAAV. Genomic titers of each rAAV vector were assessed and the ability of each unpurified virus to transduce primary mixed neuroglial cultures (PNGCs), organotypic brain slice cultures (BSCs) and the mouse brain was evaluated. RESULTS: There was ~ 40-fold wide variance in the average genomic titers of the rAAV2-EGFP vector packaged in the 30 different capsids, ranging from a low ~ 4.7 × 1010 vector genomes (vg)/mL for rAAV2/5-EGFP to a high of ~ 2.0 × 1012 vg/mL for a capsid mutant of rAAV2/8-EGFP. In PNGC studies, we observed a wide range of transduction efficiency among the 30 capsids evaluated, with the rAAV2/6-EGFP vector demonstrating the highest overall transduction efficiency. In BSC studies, we observed robust transduction by wild-type capsid vectors rAAV2/6, 2/8 and 2/9, and by capsid mutants of rAAV2/1, 2/6, and 2/8. In the in vivo somatic brain transgenesis (SBT) studies, we found that intra-cerebroventricular injection of media containing unpurified rAAV2-EGFP vectors packaged with select mutant capsids resulted in abundant EGFP positive neurons and astrocytes in the hippocampus and forebrain of non-transgenic mice. We demonstrate that unpurified rAAV can express transgenes at equivalent levels to lysate-purified rAAV both in vitro and in vivo. We also show that unpurified rAAV is sufficient to drive tau pathology in BSC and neuroinflammation in vivo, recapitulating previous studies using purified rAAV. CONCLUSIONS: Unpurified rAAV vectors secreted into the media can efficiently transduce brain cells in vitro and in vivo, providing a cost-effective way to manipulate gene expression. The use of unpurified virus will greatly reduce costs of exploratory studies and further increase the utility of rAAV vectors for standard laboratory use.

Inductive Heating Using a High-Magnetic-Field Pulse to Initiate Chemical Reactions to Generate Composite Materials.

Induction heating is efficient, precise, cost-effective, and clean. The heating process is coupled to an electrically conducting material, usually a metal. As most polymers are dielectric and non-conducting, induction heating is not applicable. In order to transfer energy from an electromagnetic field into polymer induction structures, conducting materials or materials that absorb the radiation are required. This report gives a brief overview of induction heating processes used in polymer technology. In contrast to metals, most polymer materials are not affected by electromagnetic fields. However, an unwanted temperature rise of the polymer can occur when a radio frequency field is applied. The now available high-field magnetic sources provide a new platform for induction heating at very low frequencies, avoiding unwanted thermal effects within the material. Using polycarbonate and octadecylamine as an example, it is demonstrated that induction heating performed by a magnetic-field pulse with a maximum flux density of 59 T can be used to initiate chemical reactions. A 50 nm thick Ag loop, with a mean diameter of 7 mm, placed in the polymer-polymer interface acts as susceptor and a resistive heating element. The formation of urethane as a linker compound was examined by infrared spectroscopic imaging and differential scanning calorimetry.

Managing nitrogen through cover crop species selection in the U.S. mid-Atlantic.

Cover crops have the potential to be agricultural nitrogen (N) regulators that reduce leaching through soils and then deliver N to subsequent cash crops. Yet, regulating N in this way has proven difficult because the few cover crop species that are well-studied excel at either reducing N leaching or increasing N supply to cash crops, but they fail to excel at both simultaneously. We hypothesized that mixed species cover crop stands might balance the N fixing and N scavenging capabilities of individual species. We tested six cover crop monocultures and four mixtures for their effects on N cycling in an organically managed maize-soybean-wheat feed grain rotation in Pennsylvania, USA. For three years, we used a suite of integrated approaches to quantify N dynamics, including extractable soil inorganic N, buried anion exchange resins, bucket lysimeters, and plant N uptake. All cover crop species, including legume monocultures, reduced N leaching compared to fallow plots. Cereal rye monocultures reduced N leaching to buried resins by 90% relative to fallow; notably, mixtures with just a low seeding rate of rye did almost as well. Austrian winter pea monocultures increased N uptake in maize silage by 40 kg N ha-1 relative to fallow, and conversely rye monocultures decreased N uptake into maize silage by 40 kg N ha-1 relative to fallow. Importantly, cover crop mixtures had larger impacts on leaching reduction than on maize N uptake, when compared to fallow plots. For example, a three-species mixture of pea, red clover, and rye had similar maize N uptake to fallow plots, but leaching rates were 80% lower in this mixture than fallow plots. Our results show clearly that cover crop species selection and mixture design can substantially mitigate tradeoffs between N retention and N supply to cash crops, providing a powerful tool for managing N in temperate cropping systems.

Utilidad de las secuencias funcionales por resonancia magnética en el estudio de los tumores óseos y de partes blandas. Revisión imaginológica / Difusion and Functional Sequences: Utility in the Study of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors. Pictorial Review

La resonancia magnética es la técnica de imagen de elección para diagnosticar, caracterizar, estadificar, realizar el seguimiento y valorar la respuesta al tratamiento de los tumores musculoesqueléticos. Para estos fines se utilizan las secuencias convencionales. Desde hace algunos años se han comenzado a implementar nuevas técnicas avanzadas, como la secuencia en fase y fase opuesta, difusión, perfusión y espectroscopia, que en conjunto se denominan técnicas funcionales, las cuales proporcionan información más específica del comportamiento, fisiología, metabolismo y biología molecular del tumor. Estas secuencias son no invasivas, aportan información adicional cualitativa, cuantitativa, metabólica y vascular por lo que deberían utilizarse de manera rutinaria en el momento de realizar el diagnóstico y, especialmente, en el seguimiento de los tumores óseos y de partes blandas. En este artículo se revisa la técnica de dichas secuencias, particularmente la secuencia de difusión, mediante casos ilustrativos de nuestros hospitales: Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe y Hospital Universitario Quirón Salud de Madrid. También se revisarán las aplicaciones e importancia de un análisis combinado de estas nuevas herramientas, que aportarán información adicional para adecuada caracterización, enfoque diagnóstico y respuesta al tratamiento de las lesiones tumorales en el sistema musculoesquelético

Magnetic resonance imaging (MR) is the preferred technique for the diagnosis, characterization, staging, follow-up and assessment of response to treatment of musculoskeletal tumors. Conventional sequences help to classify these lesions. Recently new evolving functional MR sequences with advanced techniques have been implemented, such as phase sequence, opposite phase, diffusion, perfusion and spectroscopy, which provide specific information about the behavior, physiology, metabolism and molecular biology of the tumor. These sequences are non-invasive and provide additional qualitative, quantitative, metabolic and vascular information, making them important for the diagnosis and monitoring of bone and soft tissue tumors. This article reviews the technique of these sequences, particualrly the diffusion technique, using illustrative cases from the Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe (Medellin ­ Colombia) and the University Hospital Quirón Salud (Madrid ­ Spain). We aim to review the utility and importance of a combined analysis of these new tools, which will provide additional information for adequate characterization, diagnosis and response to treatment of tumor lesions in the musculoskeletal system.

[Rhabdomyolysis in a Bipolar Adolescent. Analysis of Associated Factors]. / Rabdomiolisis en adolescente bipolar. Análisis de los factores asociados.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of rhabdomyolysis associated with the use of quetiapine and lamotrigine in an adolescent treated for bipolar disorder. METHOD: Description of the clinical case, analysis of the associated factors and a non-systematic review of the relevant literature. RESULTS: An 18 year old male, with bipolar disorder and treated pharmacologically with quetiapine and lamotrigine, after two weeks of physical activity presents with rhabdomyolysis. Quetiapine and exercise have been associated with rhabdomyolysis. The mediator mechanism of this association has not been found, although it has been established that there is neuromuscular dysfunction and an increase in sarcomere permeability. CONCLUSIONS: This clinical case allowed the complex interaction between antipsychotic agents and increased physical activity to be observed in a psychiatric adolescent patient, as well as the appearance of a potentially lethal medical complication.

Rabdomiolisis en adolescente bipolar. Análisis de los factores asociados / Rhabdomyolysis in a Bipolar Adolescent. Analysis of Associated Factors

Objetivo: Describir un caso de rabdomiolisis asociada a uso de quetiapina y lamotrigina en adolescente tratado por trastorno afectivo bipolar. Método: Descripción del caso clínico, análisis de los factores asociados y revisión no sistemática de la literatura relevante. Resultados: Varón de 18 arios de edad con trastorno afectivo bipolar, tratado farmacológicamente con quetiapina y lamotrigina, que tras 2 semanas de entrenamiento físico presentó rabdomiolisis. La quetiapina y el ejercicio se han asociado a rabdomiolisis. No se ha encontrado el mecanismo que media tal asociación, si bien se plantea disfunción neuromuscular e incremento en la permeabilidad sarcomérica. Conclusiones: Este caso clínico permite observar la interacción compleja de los psicofármacos y la actividad física en un paciente psiquiátrico adolescente, y la aparición de una complicación médica potencialmente letal.

Objective: To describe a case of rhabdomyolysis associated with the use of quetiapine and lamotrigine in an adolescent treated for bipolar disorder. Method: Description of the clinical case, analysis of the associated factors and a nonsystematic review of the relevant literature. Results: An 18 year old male, with bipolar disorder and treated pharmacologically with quetiapine and lamotrigine, after two weeks of physical activity presents with rhabdomyolysis. Quetiapine and exercise have been associated with rhabdomyolysis. The mediator mechanism of this association has not been found, although it has been established that there is neuromuscular dysfunction and an increase in sarcomere permeability. Conclusions: This clinical case allowed the complex interaction between antipsychotic agents and increased physical activity to be observed in a psychiatric adolescent patient, as well as the appearance of a potentially lethal medical complication.

Prevalencia de sintomatología compatible con rizartrosis en la profesión de fisioterapeuta en colombia, replica / Prevalence of rhizarthrosis compatible symptomatology in physiotherapy profession in Colombia

La rizartrosis es la degeneración de la base del pulgar. Ésta lesiona la articulación metacarpofa-lángica y su síntoma más común es el dolor. El objetivo de éste estudio es describir la frecuencia sintomatológica compatible con rizartrosis y determinar los factores relacionados con su desa-rrollo en la población de fisioterapeutas de diferentes ciudades de Colombia.Para tal fin entre los meses de Noviembre y Diciembre de 2011, se aplicó una encuesta para identificar la sintomatolo-gía de la patología en una muestra de 59 fisioterapeutas en ejercicio asistencial de su profesión. El análisis de datos comprende dos componentes, uno descriptivo y otro correlacional, que se realizaron mediante el programa SPSS.La edad media de los participantes fue de 32 años y el 50% de la población ejerce como fisioterapeuta hace más de 6 años, trabaja más de 3 horas diarias y utiliza el pulgar en el 60% del tiempo laboral. 22 participantes reportan dolor pero solo el 1.7% de estos manifiesta dolor en la articulación trapeciometacarpiana. Adicionalmente, se encontró relación entre el dolor y los procedimientos de masaje, digitopresión y de agarres. Se concluye que la fisioterapia se puede considerar una profesión en riesgo para desarrollar sintomatología compatible con rizartrosis, siendo los esfuerzos de masaje, digitopresión y agarres, los que favo-recen su desarrollo.

Rhizarthrosis is the degeneration of the base of the thumb. It injuries the trapeziometacarpal joint and its most common symptom is pain.The objective of this study to describe the frequency of symptomatology compatible with rhizarthrosis and to determine the factors related to its development among the physiotherapist in different Colombian cities. For this purpose during the months of November and December in 2011 was applied a survey to identify the symptomatology of the pathology in a sample of 59 therapists in care exercise of their profession. The data analysis includes two components, a descriptive one and a correlational one, made using the SPSS software. The average age of the sample was 32 years and 50% of them has practiced the profession for more than 6 years, works more than 3 hours and uses the thumb 60% of their working time. 22 participants report pain but only 1.7% reports it in the trapeziometacarpal joint. Additionally, relationship was found between pain and massage procedures, digital pressure and holds. It was concluded that p-hysiotherapy can be considered as a profession with high risk to develop symptoms compatible with rhizarthrosis, being the massage efforts, digital pressure and holds the factors that promote its development.

Prevalencia de caries dental en preescolares con dentición decidua área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá / Prevalence of dental caries in preschool children with primary dentition area Metropolitan of Valle the Aburra

Introducción y Objetivo: El diagnóstico de caries de la infancia temprana debe ser una prioridad en todos los sistemas de salud. El propósito del estudio fue describir la situación de caries dental en niños con dentición decidua completa, pertenecientes a un estrato socioeconómico 2 y 3 del área metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá. Materiales y Métodos: Se hizo un estudio descriptivo en 447 niños entre 2 y 4 años de edad, seleccionados de los registros de Susalud, con confiabilidad del 95%y un error de muestreo de 5%. Se realizó un examen clínico por 3 examinadores estandarizados en el Sistema Internacional de Evaluación y Detección de Caries Dental (ICDAS). (Kappa 0.73 – 0.85). Resultados: La prevalencia de niños con caries dental fue de 74.7% y un promedio de 7.3±9.1 superficies afectadas, la experiencia de caries fue 74.9% con un promedio ceo-s de 7.7±9.7 superficies afectadas. La prevalencia de niños con al menos una superficie afectada por lesión no cavitada fue del 73.4%. La prevalencia de caries dental fue significativamente mayor en la IPS La Playa (70.2%) que en Itagüí (62.8%). Conclusión: El uso de sistemas de diagnóstico de caries dental que incluyen la lesión no cavitada es de gran importancia, el elevado porcentaje de caries dental encontrado en este grupo de la población indica la necesidad de un diagnóstico precoz y al mismo tiempo de desarrollar actividades terapéuticas y preventivas específicas y oportunas para este grupo de edad.

Introduction and Objective: Dental caries diagnosis during early childhood should be a priorityin all health systems. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial dental caries situation in children with complete deciduous teeth, both genders, with lower and middle lower social-economic level from an urban area in Medellín. Materials and Methods: A randomly selected sample of 447children between 2 and 4 years old was calculated; the sample was taken from the Susalud database, with 95% reliability, power of 80% and an error of 5%. A clinical test was performed by 3 calibrated examiners according to the International Dental Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS)(Kappa 0.73 – 0.85). A WHO periodontal probe (11.5) was used for caries detection. Results: Treated and untreated dental caries prevalence of children was 74.7% with a specific mean of 9.7 ± 9.3 (SD), affected surfaces, prevalence of children having surfaces affected by non- treated dental decay was 74.9% while the dmf-s mean was 7.6 ± 7.7 (SD). 73.4% of children had at least one non-cavitated affected surface. Dental caries prevalence at “La Playa” Dental Clinic (70.2%) was higher than the“Itagúi” Dental Clinic (62.8%) with a significant statistical difference (p value = 0.01 chi). The dmf-smean according to Dental Clinic was 0.8 ± 2.7 (SD) in Itagui and 1.5 ± 3.9 at La Playa. Conclusions: The use of diagnostic systems that include non-cavited lesions is very important, the high percentage of decay at this age indicates the early presence of this illness, thus the importance of an early diagnosisand at the same time the implementation of specific treatment and prevention.

Granuloma Piogena: Reporte de caso clínico / Pyogenous Granuloma: Case report

La recibida después del tratamiento de lesiones como el granuloma piógeno ha sido bien reportada en la literatura por diferentes autores. Este tipo de lesión aunque generalmente es indolora, puede causar molestias de tipo estético y funcional que hacen necesario la remoción quirúrgica de esta clase de agrandamiento gingival. Algunos autores han descrito técnicas mucogingivales para cubrir los defectos producidos por la escisión quirúrgica para mejorar la estética y la morfología gingival. En el reporte de este caso se utilizaron 2 técnicas diferentes para dicho propósito presentándose recidiva con ambas, la primera consistió en un injerto gingival libre y la segunda en colgados desplazados lateralmente. Debido a esto, se decidió realizar la excisión quirúrgica sin cubrimiento posterior del defecto. Como conclusión se observo que la recidiva del granuloma piógeno es independiente de la técnica utilizada para cubrir dichos defectos.