The Impact of Environmental Gaseous Pollutants on the Cultivable Bacterial and Fungal Communities of the Aerobiome.

Understanding air microbial content, especially in highly polluted urban areas, is crucial for assessing its effect on human health and ecosystems. In this context, the impact of gaseous pollutants on the aerobiome remains inconclusive due to a lack of studies separating this factor from other contaminants or environmental factors. In this study, we aimed to experimentally assess the influence of contrasting concentrations of atmospheric gaseous pollutants as isolated variables on the composition of the aerobiome. Our study sites were contrasting Air Quality Index (AQI) sites of the Metropolitan Region of Chile, where nitric oxide (NO) was significantly lower at the low-AQI site than at the high-AQI site, while ozone (O3) was significantly higher. Cultivable aerobiome communities from the low-AQI site were exposed to their own pollutants or those from the high-AQI site and characterized using high-throughput sequencing (HTS), which allowed comparisons between the entire cultivable communities. The results showed increased alpha diversity in bacterial and fungal communities exposed to the high-AQI site compared to the low-AQI site. Beta diversity and compositional hierarchical clustering analyses revealed a clear separation based on NO and O3 concentrations. At the phylum level, four bacterial and three fungal phyla were identified, revealing an over-representation of Actinobacteriota and Basidiomycota in the samples transferred to the high-AQI site, while Proteobacteria were more abundant in the community maintained at the low-AQI site. At the functional level, bacterial imputed functions were over-represented only in samples maintained at the low-AQI site, while fungal functions were affected in both conditions. Overall, our results highlight the impact of NO and/or O3 on both taxonomic and functional compositions of the cultivable aerobiome. This study provides, for the first time, insights into the influence of contrasting pollutant gases on entire bacterial and fungal cultivable communities through a controlled environmental intervention.

Insights into the Gut Microbiome of the South American Leaf-Toed Gecko (Phylodactylus gerropygus) Inhabiting the Core of the Atacama Desert.

Living in arid environments presents unique challenges to organisms, including limited food and water, extreme temperatures, and UV exposure. Reptiles, such as the South American leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus gerrhopygus), have evolved remarkable adaptations to thrive in such harsh conditions. The gut microbiome plays a critical role in host adaptation and health, yet its composition remains poorly characterized in desert reptiles. This study aimed to characterize the composition and abundance of the gut microbiome in P. gerrhopygus inhabiting the hyperarid Atacama Desert, taking into account potential sex differences. Fecal samples from adult female and male geckos were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. No significant differences in bacterial alpha diversity were observed between the sexes. However, the phylum Bacteroidota was more abundant in females, while males had a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio. The core microbiome was dominated by the phyla Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria in both sexes. Analysis of bacterial composition revealed 481 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) shared by female and male geckos. In addition, 108 unique ASVs were exclusive to females, while 244 ASVs were unique to males. Although the overall bacterial composition did not differ significantly between the sexes, certain taxa exhibited higher relative abundances in each sex group. This study provides insight into the taxonomic structure of the gut microbiome in a desert-adapted reptile and highlights potential sex-specific differences. Understanding these microbial communities is critical for elucidating the mechanisms underlying host resilience in Earth's most arid environments, and for informing conservation efforts in the face of ongoing climate change.

Prevention of doxorubicin-induced Cardiotoxicity by pharmacological non-hypoxic myocardial preconditioning based on Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and carvedilol direct antioxidant effects: study protocol for a pilot, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial (CarDHA trial).

BACKGROUND: Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), a condition associated with multiple mechanisms of damage, including oxidative stress, has been associated with poor clinical outcomes. Carvedilol, a ß-blocker with unique antioxidant properties, emerged as a strategy to prevent AIC, but recent trials question its effectiveness. Some evidence suggests that the antioxidant, not the ß-blocker effect, could prevent related cardiotoxicity. However, carvedilol's antioxidant effects are probably not enough to prevent cardiotoxicity manifestations in certain cases. We hypothesize that breast cancer patients taking carvedilol as well as a non-hypoxic myocardial preconditioning based on docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an enhancer of cardiac endogenous antioxidant capacity, will develop less subclinical cardiotoxicity manifestations than patients randomized to double placebo. METHODS/DESIGN: We designed a pilot, randomized controlled, two-arm clinical trial with 32 patients to evaluate the effects of non-hypoxic cardiac preconditioning (DHA) plus carvedilol on subclinical cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients undergoing anthracycline treatment. The trial includes four co-primary endpoints: changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR); changes in global longitudinal strain (GLS) determined by two-dimensional echocardiography (ECHO); elevation in serum biomarkers (hs-cTnT and NT-ProBNP); and one electrocardiographic variable (QTc interval). Secondary endpoints include other imaging, biomarkers and the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events during follow-up. The enrollment and follow-up for clinical outcomes is ongoing. DISCUSSION: We expect a group of anthracycline-treated breast cancer patients exposed to carvedilol and non-hypoxic myocardial preconditioning with DHA to show less subclinical cardiotoxicity manifestations than a comparable group exposed to placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry, ID: ISRCTN69560410. Registered on 8 June 2016.

Maternal risk factors for congenital heart defects in infants with Down syndrome from Western Mexico.

Atrioventricular septal defects (AVSDs) have been identified as intriguingly infrequent among Hispanics with Down syndrome (DS) born in the United States. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of possible maternal risk factors in the presence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in Mexican infants with DS. A total of 231 live birth infants born with DS during 2009-2018 at the "Dr. Juan I. Menchaca" Civil Hospital of Guadalajara (Guadalajara, Mexico) were ascertained in a case-control study. Patients with DS with any major CHD were included as cases and those without major CHD as controls. Potential risk factors were analyzed using logistic regression. Of eligible infants with DS, 100 (43.3%) had ≥1 major CHDs (cases) and were compared with a control group of 131 infants (56.7%) with DS without CHDs. Prevalent CHDs were ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) (46.9%), ventricular septal defects (27.3%), and AVSDs (14%). Lack of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy had a significant risk for CHDs in infants with DS (adjusted odds ratio [aORs] = 2.9 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.0-8.6) and in the analysis by subtype of CHDs, also, for the occurrence of ASDs (aOR = 11.5, 95% CI: 1.4-94.4). Almost half of the infants with DS in our sample had CHDs, being ASD the commonest subtype and AVSD the rarest. Our ethnic background alone or in concomitance with observed nutritional disadvantages seems to contribute differences in CHD subtype rates in our DS patients.

Role of Oxidative Stress in Renal Transplantation: Bases for an n-3 PUFA Strategy Against Delayed Graft Function.

Renal transplantation (RT) is considered the "gold standard" treatment for end-stage renal disease patients. Efforts should be made to reduce ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, which unavoidably occurs in RT as long as several clinical settings, i.e. open-heart surgeries, prosthesis implantation, among others. It is well known that IR is primarily responsible for injury associated with RT. Consequently, tissue inflammation and organ dysfunction will ensue due to the occurrence of oxidative stress (OS) in the reperfused tissue, a condition generated when endogenous antioxidant defences become overwhelmed by a massive production of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, OS is involved in the impairment of renal function, leading to deleterious conditions such as delayed graft function (DGF), which is a common clinical expression of IR injury in RT. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n -3 PUFA) have been widely used in different clinical settings to counteract the deleterious effects of OS. Thus, based on the currently available literature, the central aim of this review was to propose an n-3 PUFAbased strategy targeting the key role of OS in the pathophysiology of renal IR injury in order to encourage protection against the occurrence of DGF.

Estado antioxidante y peroxidación lipídica en la disfunción eréctil: estudio preliminar / Antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in erectile dysfuncion: preliminary

OBJETIVOS: Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron estudiar la situación metabólica del tejido cavernoso en pacientes con impotencia vascular y psicógena, e intentar establecer diferencias metabólicas entre los distintos tipos de disfunción eréctil. MÉTODO: Se estudiaron 103 pacientes divididos en dos grupos dependiendo del tipo de disfunción eréctil que presentaban: grupo A (vascular) y grupo B (psicógena). Para su diagnóstico se empleó: historia clínica, exploración física, test de inyección intracavernosa, eco-doppler peneano, cavernosografía-cavernosometría y test peneano nocturno. Se tomaron muestras de sangre cavernosa, y sangre venosa periférica de cada enfermo; en estas se cuantificó la concentración de lipoperoxidos (LPO) y el estado total antioxidante (ETA). Se empleó el SPSS V9.0 para el análisis estadístico. RESULTADOS: La edad media fue de 62 (32-73) años. La concentración de lipoperoxidos en sangre cavernosa fue estadísticamente (p< 0,05) mayor en pacientes con impotencia vascular (2,45 µmol/L) que en la impotencia psicógena (1,47 µmol/L). El estado antioxidante total en sangre cavernosa fue estadísticamente superior (p<0,05) en pacientes con impotencia psicogena (1,40 mmol/L) que en los vasculares (1,10 mmol/L). Los niveles de lipoperoxidos y estado antioxidante total en en sangre periférica, en ambos grupos fue: (1,68 µmol/L vs 1,60 µmol/L) y (1,29 mmol/L vs 1,35 mmol/L) respectivamente; sin existir diferencias significativas entre los dos grupos. CONCLUSIÓN: En conclusión, la producción de lipoperoxidos, y el estado antioxidante total de la sangre cavernosa puede ser un indicador de la situación metabolica e indirectamente de la funcionalidad del tejido cavernoso (AU)