The direct and indirect drivers shaping RNA viral communities in grassland soils.

Recent studies have revealed diverse RNA viral communities in soils. Yet, how environmental factors influence soil RNA viruses remains largely unknown. Here, we recovered RNA viral communities from bulk metatranscriptomes sequenced from grassland soils managed for 5 years under multiple environmental conditions including water content, plant presence, cultivar type, and soil depth. More than half of the unique RNA viral contigs (64.6%) were assigned with putative hosts. About 74.7% of these classified RNA viral contigs are known as eukaryotic RNA viruses suggesting eukaryotic RNA viruses may outnumber prokaryotic RNA viruses by nearly three times in this grassland. Of the identified eukaryotic RNA viruses and the associated eukaryotic species, the most dominant taxa were Mitoviridae with an average relative abundance of 72.4%, and their natural hosts, Fungi with an average relative abundance of 56.6%. Network analysis and structural equation modeling support that soil water content, plant presence, and type of cultivar individually demonstrate a significant positive impact on eukaryotic RNA viral richness directly as well as indirectly on eukaryotic RNA viral abundance via influencing the co-existing eukaryotic members. A significant negative influence of soil depth on soil eukaryotic richness and abundance indirectly impacts soil eukaryotic RNA viral communities. These results provide new insights into the collective influence of multiple environmental and community factors that shape soil RNA viral communities and offer a structured perspective of how RNA virus diversity and ecology respond to environmental changes. IMPORTANCE: Climate change has been reshaping the soil environment as well as the residing microbiome. This study provides field-relevant information on how environmental and community factors collectively shape soil RNA communities and contribute to ecological understanding of RNA viral survival under various environmental conditions and virus-host interactions in soil. This knowledge is critical for predicting the viral responses to climate change and the potential emergence of biothreats.

Dynamic nitrogen fixation in an aerobic endophyte of Populus.

Biological nitrogen fixation by microbial diazotrophs can contribute significantly to nitrogen availability in non-nodulating plant species. In this study of molecular mechanisms and gene expression relating to biological nitrogen fixation, the aerobic nitrogen-fixing endophyte Burkholderia vietnamiensis, strain WPB, isolated from Populus trichocarpa served as a model for endophyte-poplar interactions. Nitrogen-fixing activity was observed to be dynamic on nitrogen-free medium with a subset of colonies growing to form robust, raised globular like structures. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) confirmed that N-fixation was uneven within the population. A fluorescent transcriptional reporter (GFP) revealed that the nitrogenase subunit nifH is not uniformly expressed across genetically identical colonies of WPB and that only ~11% of the population was actively expressing the nifH gene. Higher nifH gene expression was observed in clustered cells through monitoring individual bacterial cells using single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization. Through 15N2 enrichment, we identified key nitrogenous metabolites and proteins synthesized by WPB and employed targeted metabolomics in active and inactive populations. We cocultivated WPB Pnif-GFP with poplar within a RhizoChip, a synthetic soil habitat, which enabled direct imaging of microbial nifH expression within root epidermal cells. We observed that nifH expression is localized to the root elongation zone where the strain forms a unique physical interaction with the root cells. This work employed comprehensive experimentation to identify novel mechanisms regulating both biological nitrogen fixation and beneficial plant-endophyte interactions.

Tracking nitrogen allocation to proteome biosynthesis in a marine microbial community.

Microbial growth in many environments is limited by nitrogen availability, yet there is limited understanding of how complex communities compete for and allocate this resource. Here we develop a broadly applicable approach to track biosynthetic incorporation of 15N-labelled nitrogen substrates into microbial community proteomes, enabling quantification of protein turnover and N allocation to specific cellular functions in individual taxa. Application to oligotrophic ocean surface water identifies taxa-specific substrate preferences and a distinct subset of protein functions undergoing active biosynthesis. The cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the most effective competitor for acquisition of ammonium and urea and shifts its proteomic allocation of N over the day/night cycle. Our approach reveals that infrastructure and protein-turnover functions comprise substantial biosynthetic demand for N in Prochlorococcus and a range of other microbial taxa. The direct interrogation of the proteomic underpinnings of N limitation with 15N-tracking proteomics illuminates how nutrient stress differentially influences metabolism in co-existing microbes.

Preventing Asthma Emergencies in Schools.

Asthma is a significant public health issue, impacting quality of life, morbidity, and health care costs nationally. Stock asthma rescue medication policies authorize school districts to maintain unassigned albuterol and enable trained staff members to administer the medication in response to asthma symptoms, exercise premedication, and asthma emergencies. Stock asthma rescue (or reliever) medication laws serve as an important fail-safe measure. Such laws provide districts with the ability to respond if a student has an asthma emergency at school but either lacks a diagnosis or does not have access to their own medication. As of September 2019, 13 states have enacted either a law or regulation authorizing the stocking of asthma rescue medication in schools: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Three additional states provide stock albuterol asthma guidelines but do not have legislation: Indiana, New York, and Nebraska. Some states have found that these policies reduce the need for 911 calls and emergency medical services transports as a result of asthma exacerbations. Initial data also demonstrate that these policies reach populations in need and improve health outcomes. This case study will describe the current state of asthma in Illinois, an innovative policy solution to address asthma emergencies in schools, and the steps taken to advocate for stock asthma rescue medication in Illinois. Legislation for stock albuterol in Illinois was signed into law in August 2018.

Metabolic and biogeochemical consequences of viral infection in aquatic ecosystems.

Ecosystems are controlled by 'bottom-up' (resources) and 'top-down' (predation) forces. Viral infection is now recognized as a ubiquitous top-down control of microbial growth across ecosystems but, at the same time, cell death by viral predation influences, and is influenced by, resource availability. In this Review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the biogeochemical impact of viruses, focusing on how metabolic reprogramming of host cells during lytic viral infection alters the flow of energy and nutrients in aquatic ecosystems. Our synthesis revealed several emerging themes. First, viral infection transforms host metabolism, in part through virus-encoded metabolic genes; the functions performed by these genes appear to alleviate energetic and biosynthetic bottlenecks to viral production. Second, viral infection depends on the physiological state of the host cell and on environmental conditions, which are challenging to replicate in the laboratory. Last, metabolic reprogramming of infected cells and viral lysis alter nutrient cycling and carbon export in the oceans, although the net impacts remain uncertain. This Review highlights the need for understanding viral infection dynamics in realistic physiological and environmental contexts to better predict their biogeochemical consequences.

Closely related viruses of the marine picoeukaryotic alga Ostreococcus lucimarinus exhibit different ecological strategies.

In marine ecosystems, viruses are major disrupters of the direct flow of carbon and nutrients to higher trophic levels. Although the genetic diversity of several eukaryotic phytoplankton virus groups has been characterized, their infection dynamics are less understood, such that the physiological and ecological implications of their diversity remain unclear. We compared genomes and infection phenotypes of the two most closely related cultured phycodnaviruses infecting the widespread picoprasinophyte Ostreococcus lucimarinus under standard- (1.3 divisions per day) and limited-light (0.41 divisions per day) nutrient replete conditions. OlV7 infection caused early arrest of the host cell cycle, coinciding with a significantly higher proportion of infected cells than OlV1-amended treatments, regardless of host growth rate. OlV7 treatments showed a near-50-fold increase of progeny virions at the higher host growth rate, contrasting with OlV1's 16-fold increase. However, production of OlV7 virions was more sensitive than OlV1 production to reduced host growth rate, suggesting fitness trade-offs between infection efficiency and resilience to host physiology. Moreover, although organic matter released from OlV1- and OlV7-infected hosts had broadly similar chemical composition, some distinct molecular signatures were observed. Collectively, these results suggest that current views on viral relatedness through marker and core gene analyses underplay operational divergence and consequences for host ecology.

Advocating for Automatic Eligibility for Early Intervention Services for Children Exposed to Lead.

Lead poisoning remains one of the most prevalent and preventable environmental health hazards affecting children. Low-level lead exposure has been shown to significantly increase the risk of learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and developmental delay. It also has substantial social implications as lead toxicity disproportionately affects children from low-income, ethnic minority households. Early Intervention (EI) is a state-based federal program (Part C of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) created to support the development of children from birth to age 3 years who are experiencing or who are at risk for developmental delay. In 2016, an Illinois EI and Lead Workgroup was established to address the best practice of offering EI services to children who have been exposed to lead. This work serves as a template for advocates and health providers in other states to establish automatic eligibility for EI services at low levels of lead exposure, while also demonstrating the capacity to serve these children without overwhelming the state's EI system. [Pediatr Ann. 2018;47(10):e413-e418.].

Treatment of Large Brain Metastases With Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

INTRODUCTION: We report our series of patients with large brain metastases, >3 cm in diameter, who received stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a component of their treatment, focusing on survival and intracranial recurrence rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The brain tumor database was queried for patients treated with SRS for large brain metastases. Local recurrence (LR) and distant brain recurrence (DBR) rates were calculated using cumulative incidence analysis, and overall survival (OS) was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Patients were classified into 1 of the 4 groups based on treatment strategy: SRS alone, surgery plus SRS, SRS plus whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT), and salvage SRS from more remote WBRT and/or surgery. RESULTS: A total of 153 patients with 164 lesions were evaluated. The SRS alone was the treatment approach in 62 lesions, surgery followed by SRS to the resection bed (S + SRS) in 33, SRS + WBRT in 19, and salvage SRS in 50. There was no statistically significant difference in OS between the 4 treatment groups (P = .06). Median survival was highest in patients receiving surgery + SRS (12.2 months) followed by SRS + WBRT (6.9 months), SRS alone (6.6 months), and salvage SRS (6.1 months). There was also no significant difference for LR rates between the groups at 12 months. No significant variables on univariate analysis were noted for LR. The 12-month DBR rates were highest in the S + SRS group (52%), followed by salvage SRS (31%), SRS alone (28%), and SRS + WBRT (13%; P = .03). CONCLUSION: There were no significant predictors for local control. Keeping in mind that patient numbers in the SRS + WBRT group are small, the addition of WBRT to SRS did not appear to significantly improve survival or local control, supporting the delayed use of WBRT for some patients to prevent potential side effects provided regular imaging surveillance and salvage therapy are utilized. Prospective studies are needed to optimize SRS treatment regimens for patients with large brain metastases.

Management of Brain Metastasis in Patients With Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: The patterns of intracranial failure in patients with brain metastasis from pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (PNEC) remain unknown. METHODS: From 1998 to 2013, 29 patients with the diagnosis of PNEC were treated for brain metastasis: 16 patients (55%) underwent whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT), 5 (17%) patients underwent WBRT with a stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) boost, and 8 (28%) patients underwent primary SRS alone. RESULTS: The median age at treatment was 61 years (range: 44-84 years) and the median follow-up was 9.6 months (0-157.4 months). Of the patients treated with SRS alone, 1 patient had radiographic local progression of disease and 1 patient had a distant intracranial failure. Of the patients treated with WBRT with or without an SRS boost, 9 patients developed intracranial progression, including 1 local failure. No differences in rates of intracranial progression or local failure between the 2 groups (P = .94 and P = .44, respectively) were observed. The actuarial rates of distant intracranial failure at 12 months were 32.9% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 8.9%-56.8%) and 25% (95% CI 0.0%-67.4%) in patients undergoing primary WBRT or SRS, respectively (P = .31). The median overall survival was 15.8 months in patients treated with WBRT and 20.4 months in patients treated with primary SRS (P = .78). CONCLUSION: Patients with brain metastasis from PNECs can be effectively treated with either WBRT or SRS alone, with a pattern of failure more consistent with non-small cell lung cancer than small cell lung cancer. In this series, there was not a statistically significant increased risk of distant intracranial failure when patients were treated with primary SRS.

Environmental science. Rethinking the marine carbon cycle: factoring in the multifarious lifestyles of microbes.

The profound influence of marine plankton on the global carbon cycle has been recognized for decades, particularly for photosynthetic microbes that form the base of ocean food chains. However, a comprehensive model of the carbon cycle is challenged by unicellular eukaryotes (protists) having evolved complex behavioral strategies and organismal interactions that extend far beyond photosynthetic lifestyles. As is also true for multicellular eukaryotes, these strategies and their associated physiological changes are difficult to deduce from genome sequences or gene repertoires­a problem compounded by numerous unknown function proteins. Here, we explore protistan trophic modes in marine food webs and broader biogeochemical influences. We also evaluate approaches that could resolve their activities, link them to biotic and abiotic factors, and integrate them into an ecosystems biology framework.

Concussion symptoms in youth motocross riders: a prospective, observational study.

OBJECT: Action motorsports, including motocross, have been gaining popularity among children and adolescents, raising concerns for increased risk of concussions in participating youth. The authors undertook this study to test the following hypotheses: 1) that there is a high rate of concussion symptoms associated with a number of preventable or adjustable risk factors, and 2) that a high percentage of these symptoms are not be reported to adults and medical personnel. METHODS: The authors identified all motocross riders under the age of 18 at a regional racetrack during the riding season between May and October 2010. The participants completed questionnaires pertaining to demographic characteristics and variables associated with motocross. The questionnaire results were compared with the incidence of self-reported concussion symptoms. RESULTS: Two hundred two riders were identified who met the criteria for participation in the study, and 139 of them completed the study questionnaire. Of these 139 riders, 67 (48%) reported at least 1 concussion symptom during the season. The majority of riders (98%) reported "always" wearing a helmet, and 72% received professional help with fitting of their helmets. Proper helmet fitting was associated with a 41% decreased risk of concussion symptoms (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.44-0.81, p < 0.01). Sixty-six riders (47%) reported having received sponsor support for motocross participation. Sponsor support conferred a relative risk for concussion symptoms of 1.48 (95% CI 1.05-2.08, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of all motocross competitors under the age of 18 reported concussion symptoms. Preventive measures are necessary to limit the negative impact from concussions. The risk of concussive injury can be decreased for pediatric motocross riders if they receive professional help with proper helmet fitting and through implementation of stricter guidelines regarding sponsorship.

Functional outcomes and quality of life following surgical treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts of the pelvis in children.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are a benign aggressive tumor that occurs rarely in the pelvis in the pediatric population. Pelvic ABCs may involve the triradiate cartilage and/or the acetabulum, which increases the technical difficulty of surgical treatment and has potential implications on the growth and development of the hip joint. This study examines the clinical presentation, rate of surgical complications, and recurrence rate, as well as, long-term clinical and functional outcomes of children with pelvic ABCs treated at a single institution by a single treatment modality. METHODS: Between 1988 and 2008, 142 children with histologically confirmed ABCs were treated at our institution. Seventeen (12 %) tumors were located in the pelvis. A total of 13 pelvic ABCs (5 ilium-periacetabular, 4 pubic, 3 ilium-iliac wing, and 1 ischium) were included in this study. There were eight male and five female patients with a mean age of 12.9 years (range 4.1-17.5 years) at the time of surgery. The Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society 1993 (MSTS'93) score, and the Short Form Health Survey Sf-36 were obtained at a minimum 5-year follow-up in all patients (mean follow-up 11.5 years, range 5.5-19.8 years). The mean age at follow-up was 24.3 years (range 14.6-32.6 years). RESULTS: All patients were treated surgically with intralesional curettage extended with a high-speed burr and bone grafting. Eight patients received adjunctive therapy with phenol. Five patients had preoperative selective arterial embolization. Of the 13 patients, 1 had a local recurrence diagnosed at 6 months after surgery. The only complication in the cohort was a superficial wound infection. At the latest follow-up, all patients were free of disease. The mean TESS score was 95 and the mean MSTS'93 score was 93 %. The mean self-rated general health score, according to the SF-36 was 87 % of total points possible. CONCLUSIONS: Extended curettage and bone grafting of pelvic ABCs in the pediatric population can yield high clinical and functional scores at an average of 11 years follow-up with a low rate of complications and recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, case series.

Phylogenetic constraints on elemental stoichiometry and resource allocation in heterotrophic marine bacteria.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of evolutionary history to variation in the biomass stoichiometry and underlying biochemical allocation patterns of heterotrophic marine bacteria. We hypothesized that phylogeny significantly constrains biochemical allocation strategy and elemental composition among taxa of heterotrophic marine bacteria. Using a 'common-garden' experimental design, we detected significant interspecific variation in stoichiometry, macromolecule allocation and growth rate among 13 strains of marine Proteobacteria. However, this variation was not well explained by 16S rRNA phylogenetic relationships or differences in growth rate. Heterotrophic bacteria likely experience C-limitation when consuming resources in Redfield proportions, which consequently decouples growth rate from allocation to rRNA and biomass P content. Accordingly, overall bacterial C : nutrient ratios (C : P = 77, C : N = 4.9) were lower than Redfield proportions, whereas the average N : P ratio of 17 was consistent with the Redfield ratio. Our results suggest that strain-level diversity is an important driver of variation in the C : N : P ratios of heterotrophic bacterial biomass and that the potential importance of non-nucleic acid pools of P warrants further investigation. Continued work clarifying the range and controls on the stoichiometry of heterotrophic marine bacteria will help improve understanding and predictions of global ocean C, N and P dynamics.

Microdiversity of extracellular enzyme genes among sequenced prokaryotic genomes.

Understanding the relationship between prokaryotic traits and phylogeny is important for predicting and modeling ecological processes. Microbial extracellular enzymes have a pivotal role in nutrient cycling and the decomposition of organic matter, yet little is known about the phylogenetic distribution of genes encoding these enzymes. In this study, we analyzed 3058 annotated prokaryotic genomes to determine which taxa have the genetic potential to produce alkaline phosphatase, chitinase and ß-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase enzymes. We then evaluated the relationship between the genetic potential for enzyme production and 16S rRNA phylogeny using the consenTRAIT algorithm, which calculated the phylogenetic depth and corresponding 16S rRNA sequence identity of clades of potential enzyme producers. Nearly half (49.2%) of the genomes analyzed were found to be capable of extracellular enzyme production, and these were non-randomly distributed across most prokaryotic phyla. On average, clades of potential enzyme-producing organisms had a maximum phylogenetic depth of 0.008004-0.009780, though individual clades varied broadly in both size and depth. These values correspond to a minimum 16S rRNA sequence identity of 98.04-98.40%. The distribution pattern we found is an indication of microdiversity, the occurrence of ecologically or physiologically distinct populations within phylogenetically related groups. Additionally, we found positive correlations among the genes encoding different extracellular enzymes. Our results suggest that the capacity to produce extracellular enzymes varies at relatively fine-scale phylogenetic resolution. This variation is consistent with other traits that require a small number of genes and provides insight into the relationship between taxonomy and traits that may be useful for predicting ecological function.

MicroRNAs, cancer and cancer stem cells.

MicroRNAs regulate self-renewal, differentiation, and division of cells via post-transcriptional gene silencing. Aberrant microRNA levels, specifically an overall downregulation, are present in many cancers, as compared to their normal tissue counterparts. Therefore, a potential therapeutic use of microRNAs is to correct these aberrant transcript levels involved in the signaling pathways of cancer. This review focuses on the current knowledge of microRNAs and their involvement with cancer cells and cancer stem cells. The methods currently being used to develop miRNA-based cancer therapeutics are examined, and the limitations halting further progress are also discussed.

Principles and core functions of integrated child health information systems.

Infants undergo a series of preventive and therapeutic health interventions and activities. Typically, each activity includes collection and submission of data to a dedicated information system. Subsequently, health care providers, families, and health programs must query each information system to determine the child's status in a given area. Efforts are underway to integrate information in these separate information systems. This requires specifying the core functions that integrated information systems must perform.

An electromyographical evaluation of the validity of the 2-minute sit-up section of the Army Physical Fitness Test in measuring abdominal strength and endurance.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate electromyographically the validity of the sit-up section of the Army Physical Fitness Test as a way to assess abdominal endurance. METHODS: Twenty-eight Reserve Officer Training Corps students at the University of Scranton (Scranton, PA) performed the test while eight electromyography surface electrodes picked up the activity of the rectus abdominus and rectus femoris muscles. The researchers analyzed three groups of five contractions from the beginning, middle, and the end of the test. The percentage area of each group of five contractions for each channel and for each of the 28 participants was averaged. RESULTS: Two paired sample t tests were used to analyze the change in area for the left hip flexor and left abdominal muscle (t = 5.951, p < 0.001) and right hip flexor and right abdominal muscle (t = 5.025, p < 0.001). Results for both right and left sides indicate a statistically significant increase in the use of hip flexors as compared with abdominal muscles. CONCLUSION: Hip flexors can compensate for fatigued abdominal muscles, causing sit-ups to be performed unsafely, yet are still counted as correct according to Army Physical Fitness Test standards.