Digging deeper into the taxonomy of Cylindrospermum and description of Johanseniella tripurensis gen. et sp. nov. from India.

The wet soil-inhabiting cyanobacterium URH-6-PS was collected from the state of Tripura, India, and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Initial microscopic analysis indicated the strain to be a member of the genus Cylindrospermum, however, the 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis showed some interesting results. The strain URH-6-PS clustered in the Clade I, which positioned itself outside the Cylindrospermum sensu stricto clade with strong probability/bootstrap support, indicating that the strain may not belong to the genus Cylindrospermum. Further, analysis of the 16S-23S ITS region using the folded secondary structures of the D1-D1', Box-B, and V3 helices and the 16S-23S ITS percentage dissimilarity values clearly indicated the distinctiveness of strain URH-6-PS from other members of the Clade I. The detailed investigations conducted in this study provided sufficient evidence that the taxonomic status of the members of Clade I need to be revised. Interestingly, all members of the clade I originated from tropical and subtropical habitats while members of the Cylindrospermum sensu stricto clade have been reported from temperate conditions. Previous studies had also indicated the possibility of the formation of tropical and subtropical Cylindrospermum-like genera, and thus this comes across as a much-awaited study to resolve the taxonomic complexities around the genus Cylindrospermum. Based on the results obtained in this study and the trends observed in the earlier studies, we describe a novel Cylindrospermum-like genus Johanseniella gen. nov., with the type species Johanseniellatripurensis sp. nov. in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

Limited Health Literacy Is Associated With Worse Patient-Reported Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face complex health tasks and decisions. Limited health literacy is a risk factor for poor health outcomes, but this has not been examined in IBD. This study aims to assess the role of health literacy for patients with IBD. Methods: We prospectively enrolled adults with IBD receiving care from the Section of Gastroenterology at the Boston Medical Center. In-person, standardized questionnaires were administered to measure health literacy with the Newest Vital Sign, self-efficacy with the Medication Use and Self-Efficacy Scale, quality of life with the 10-question Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, depression with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System Short Form, and clinical disease activity for patients with Crohn's disease with the Harvey-Bradshaw Index and for patients with ulcerative colitis with the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI). The relationships between health literacy and these variables were subsequently examined. Results: Of 112 patients invited to participate, 99 enrolled and completed the interview. Limited health literacy was identified in 40% (n = 40) of patients. Patients with limited health literacy reported significantly worse overall health (P = 0.03) and more depressive symptoms (P = 0.01). Of the 56 patients with Crohn's disease, those with adequate health literacy were more likely to be in clinical remission (mean Harvey-Bradshaw Index score < 5), compared with those with limited health literacy (odds ratio, 4.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.37 to 13.45; P = 0.01). There was no significant association between health literacy and clinical disease activity (SCCAI) in patients with ulcerative colitis. Conclusions: Limited health literacy is associated with lower ratings of subjective health and depression in IBD and more symptoms of active disease in patients with Crohn's disease.