Evaluation of Systematic Position of Helicoprorodontids and Chaeneids (Ciliophora,Litostomatea): An Attempt to Break Long Branches in 18S rRNA Gene Phylogenies

Phylogenetic position of some free‐living litostomatean taxa has not been correctly determined because of long‐branch artifacts in 18S rRNA gene trees. The main aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of various masking algorithms, tree‐building techniques, binarization of DNA data as well as combining morphological and molecular data to eliminate long‐branch attraction of two problematic groups, helicoprorodontids and chaeneids. Guidance and SlowFaster masking in a combination with PhyloBayesian tree construction erased the artifactual positions of helicoprorodontids and chaeneids. On the other hand, binarization of DNA sequences and the strategy of combining morphological and molecular data eliminated only the artifactual position of chaeneids but not that of helicoprorodontids which were still being attracted by out‐group taxa. According to statistical tree topology tests and comparative morphological studies, helicoprorodontids are classified as a distinct order while chaeneids are considered to be fast evolving members of the order Lacrymariida. The high body contractility, “cephalization” of the anterior body end, and helicalization of the anterior portion of some or all somatic ciliary rows indicate relatedness of helicoprorodontids, chaeneids, and lacrymariids. On the other hand, the dorsal brush separated from the circumoral kinety by dense ciliary files supports kinships of chaeneids, lacrymariids, and didiniids.     

Microbiological interactions with cold plasma

There is a diverse range of microbiological challenges facing the food, healthcare and clinical sectors. The increasing and pervasive resistance to broad‐spectrum antibiotics and health‐related concerns with many biocidal agents drives research for novel and complementary antimicrobial approaches. Biofilms display increased mechanical and antimicrobial stability and are the subject of extensive research. Cold plasmas (CP) have rapidly evolved as a technology for microbial decontamination, wound healing and cancer treatment, owing to the chemical and bio‐active radicals generated known collectively as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This review outlines the basics of CP technology and discusses the interactions with a range of microbiological targets. Advances in mechanistic insights are presented and applications to food and clinical issues are discussed. The possibility of tailoring CP to control specific microbiological challenges is apparent. This review focuses on microbiological issues in relation to food‐ and healthcare‐associated human infections, the role of CP in their elimination and the current status of plasma mechanisms of action.     

Investigating a flower-insect forager network in a mountain grassland community using pollen DNA barcoding

Faced with the decline of pollinators, it is relevant to strengthen our understanding of the whole plant-pollinator web in semi-natural grasslands that serve as refuges for pollinator populations. The aim of this study was to explore the diversity of flower-foraging insects involved in pollen transfer in mountain semi-natural grasslands. Insects actively collecting pollen and/or nectar were caught in spring in six mountain semi-natural grasslands displaying a floristic richness gradient. Individual determinations of insects were made at the finest possible taxonomic scale and pollen loads were removed from the insect body. Using next-generation DNA sequencing, pollens were identified through the ribosomal DNA cistron using the ITS2 database and the ITS plant rDNA cistron sequences from Genbank. A total of 236 flower-foraging insects were collected. Diptera represented 82% of the total catches distantly followed by Hymenoptera (15%) and Apoidea (bees) (11%). Visual observations revealed that Diptera foraged on 16 of the 21 flower species visited by insects. DNA metabarcoding showed that 82% (191) of all of the collected insects were carrying pollen and 44% (104) were carrying two genera of plants or more. Our results demonstrate that Diptera are potential key-pollinators in mountain semi-natural grasslands that cannot be overlooked by the scientific community. However difficulties of taxonomic determination due to severe shortage of experts for Diptera have to be urgently overcome. Further studies on the link between pollen transfer and actual pollination in a global change context are also required. Moreover, our results support the idea that DNA metabarcoding provides accurate information about the plants-insects networks but it also pointed out sensitive issues, especially the necessity to build reliable national barcode databases.     

Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of recruitment across the distribution range of a seed-dimorphic herb

Recruitment of new individuals, through germination and seedling survival, is a key process for short-lived plants. Here, we analyzed intraspecific variation in recruitment across the latitudinal range of Plantago coronopus, a widespread herb that produces both large basal seeds with a mucilaginous coat and small apical seeds without coat. We experimentally tested the effects of seed traits and water availability on recruitment, by using seeds from a wide environmental stress gradient from N Africa to N Europe. Our experiments were carried out in controlled environmental conditions and in dunes where the species naturally occurs. Water shortage decreased seed germination and seedling survival for all populations, showing the importance of water supply for P. coronopus. Basal seeds showed higher and faster germination rates than apical seeds. Since among-population variation in seed mass was not related to potential germination rate, it is the mucilaginous coat rather than size difference that likely drives the differential success between seed morphs. Seed mass positively affected seedling survival instead, but only in controlled conditions with regular water supply. An experiment in a dune showed indeed that the highest survival corresponded to the local population and not the one with the largest seeds. Our results demonstrate that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors drive inter-population variation in the early life stages of this short-lived plant, allowing it to adapt across the environmentally heterogeneous distribution range. Gathering information on intraspecific variation in recruitment-related traits will help us to understand and predict plant responses in a context of climatic change.     

μOrgano: A Lego?-Like Plug & Play System for Modular Multi-Organ-Chips

Human organ-on-a-chip systems for drug screening have evolved as feasible alternatives to animal models, which are unreliable, expensive, and at times erroneous. While chips featuring single organs can be of great use for both pharmaceutical testing and basic organ-level studies, the huge potential of the organ-on-a-chip technology is revealed by connecting multiple organs on one chip to create a single integrated system for sophisticated fundamental biological studies and devising therapies for disease. Furthermore, since most organ-on-a-chip systems require special protocols with organ-specific media for the differentiation and maturation of the tissues, multi-organ systems will need to be temporally customizable and flexible in terms of the time point of connection of the individual organ units. We present a customizable Lego^®-like plug & play system, μOrgano, which enables initial individual culture of single organ-on-a-chip systems and subsequent connection to create integrated multi-organ microphysiological systems. As a proof of concept, the μOrgano system was used to connect multiple heart chips in series with excellent cell viability and spontaneously physiological beat rates.     

A Method for Identification and Analysis of Non-Overlapping Myeloid Immunophenotypes in Humans

The development of flow cytometric biomarkers in human studies and clinical trials has been slowed by inconsistent sample processing, use of cell surface markers, and reporting of immunophenotypes. Additionally, the function(s) of distinct cell types as biomarkers cannot be accurately defined without the proper identification of homogeneous populations. As such, we developed a method for the identification and analysis of human leukocyte populations by the use of eight 10-color flow cytometric protocols in combination with novel software analyses. This method utilizes un-manipulated biological sample preparation that allows for the direct quantitation of leukocytes and non-overlapping immunophenotypes. We specifically designed myeloid protocols that enable us to define distinct phenotypes that include mature monocytes, granulocytes, circulating dendritic cells, immature myeloid cells, and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). We also identified CD123 as an additional distinguishing marker for the phenotypic characterization of immature LIN^-CD33⁺HLA-DR^- MDSCs. Our approach permits the comprehensive analysis of all peripheral blood leukocytes and yields data that is highly amenable for standardization across inter-laboratory comparisons for human studies.     

Electrocardiographic Screening for Prolonged QT Interval to Reduce Sudden Cardiac Death in Psychiatric Patients: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

ImportanceSudden cardiac death is a leading cause of mortality in psychiatric patients. Long QT (LQT) is common in this population and predisposes to Torsades-de-Pointes (TdP) and subsequent mortality.ObjectiveTo estimate the cost-effectiveness of electrocardiographic screening to detect LQT in psychiatric inpatients.ResultsIn the base-case scenario, the numbers of patients needed to screen were 1128 and 2817 to avoid one TdP and one death, respectively. The ICER of systematic ECG screening was $8644 (95%CI, 3144-82 498) per QALY. The probability of cost-effectiveness was 96% at a willingness-to-pay of $50 000 for one QALY. In sensitivity analyses, results were sensitive to the case-fatality of TdP episodes and to the TdP reduction following the diagnosis of LQT.

Conclusion and Relevance

In psychiatric hospitals, performing systematic ECG screening at admission help reduce the number of sudden cardiac deaths in a cost-effective fashion.