Bacterial and fungal diversity in the lorandite (TlAsS2) mine 'Allchar' in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The Allchar mineral mine is one of the oldest arsenic-antimony mines in the Republic of North Macedonia. The mine is a well-known reservoir of the worldwide purest source of the thallium-bearing mineral, lorandite (TlAsS2). The current study evaluated the bacterial and fungal diversity of three As- and Tl-contaminated sites in Allchar mineral mine. We used a combination of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. Trace metal content was detected using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Our analysis showed the presence of 25 elements and confirmed a high concentration of As and Tl. Alpha diversity indices suggested a high diversity and evenness of bacterial and fungal communities. Bacterial phyla that dominated the environment were Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Looking at the genus level, we found the following groups of bacteria: Chryseolinea, Opitutus, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Terrimonas, Sphingomonas and Reyranella. For the fungi genera, we report Tetracladium sp., Coprinellus micaceus, Coprinus sp. from Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla in all sites. We also observed a high abundance of the fungal species Pilidium sp., Dendroclathra lignicola, Rosellinia desmazieri, Hypomyces rosellus and Coprinellus disseminatus. This study is the first to identify specific As- and Tl-tolerant fungal (Pilidium sp., Cladophialophora sp., Neobulgaria sp. and Mycena acicula) and bacterial (Trichococcus, Devosia, Litorilinea and Gimesia) genera from Allchar mine, suggesting bioremediation and industrial potential.

Association between the Gut Microbiota and Obesity.

BACKGROUND: People co-evolved with members of the microbiota and developed, used and adapted many complex immune mechanisms, which are used for monitoring and control of the microbiota. The gut microbiota in cooperation with humans became its essential part, so-called "hidden organ" with many important and indispensable functions. Quantitative and/or qualitative deficiency of the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) probably is a basis of many disorders, including obesity. AIM: To present an overview of the possible association between gut microbiota and obesity. METHODS: Meta-analysis of available scientific and published data including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library. RESULTS: In the intestinal microbiota at obese people is detected a specific increase in the proportion between class Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes despite the non-obese people. Also, it is detected a decrease in this proportion if the person lost weight. These facts may be secondary to obesity. The colonisation of germ-free mice with microbiota from ordinarily feed or obese mice, without changes in the feed style leads to increase body fat to more than 50%. CONCLUSION: The human gut microbiota directly affects the food digestion, absorption and metabolism. The gut microbiota of obese people has a higher capacity for receiving energy from the food than the microbiota at slim people. The gut microbiota affects appetite control and energy balance. Lifestyle and food regimen affect the diversity of the gut microbiota and the presence of dysbiosis.

Variation of indoor radon concentration and ambient dose equivalent rate in different outdoor and indoor environments.

Subject of this study is an investigation of the variations of indoor radon concentration and ambient dose equivalent rate in outdoor and indoor environments of 40 dwellings, 31 elementary schools and five kindergartens. The buildings are located in three municipalities of two, geologically different, areas of the Republic of Macedonia. Indoor radon concentrations were measured by nuclear track detectors, deployed in the most occupied room of the building, between June 2013 and May 2014. During the deploying campaign, indoor and outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates were measured simultaneously at the same location. It appeared that the measured values varied from 22 to 990 Bq/m(3) for indoor radon concentrations, from 50 to 195 nSv/h for outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates, and from 38 to 184 nSv/h for indoor ambient dose equivalent rates. The geometric mean value of indoor to outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates was found to be 0.88, i.e. the outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates were on average higher than the indoor ambient dose equivalent rates. All measured can reasonably well be described by log-normal distributions. A detailed statistical analysis of factors which influence the measured quantities is reported.

Screening of Chlamydia trachomatis urogenital infections among the male and female population of the Republic of Macedonia.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive urine screening for Chlamydia trachomatis infections offers a valuable public health tool, that could be of vast importance in Chlamydia control programs. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to determine the prevalence of C. trachomatis infections among a sexually active population, to define the epidemiological factors associated with it, and to develop potential selective screening strategies among asymptomatic individuals in the Republic of Macedonia, using a highly sensitive and specific DNA amplification method for C. trachomatis. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1435 urine samples, divided into two main groups: asymptomatic individuals (n = 1210) and symptomatic patients (n = 225), were tested. Samples from the asymptomatic group were collected during routine screening programs, while the symptomatic group consisted of patients with symptoms of urogenital tract infection, attending sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics. The presence of C. trachomatis was determined using commercial AMPLICOR C. trachomatis Assay (Roche Diagnostic Systems, Inc., Branchburg, NJ, USA). RESULTS: The prevalence of C. trachomatis infections among different groups was: recruits 0%, soldiers 0.4%, policemen 3.5%, clerks 4.6%, pregnant women 4%, and students 4.4%. The average prevalence for both groups (asymptomatic and symptomatic) was 2.3%[95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5-3.1%]. The average prevalence for the asymptomatic group was 1.6% (95% CI: 0.8-2.4%), while the average prevalence for the symptomatic group was 6.2% (95% CI: 3.1-9.3%) which were significantly different (P = 0.00003). CONCLUSION: Testing first void urine specimens by AMPLICOR C. trachomatis assay is a highly sensitive and specific method for diagnosing C. trachomatis infections in men and women. This method provides health care workers and public health officials with a new molecular amplification assay that uses noninvasive urine specimens for population-based screening purposes. The prevalence of C. trachomatis was relatively low among asymptomatic individuals. However, selective screening strategies are highly recommended for testing the student population in the Republic of Macedonia.