Polymorphism in Alnus based Frankia of Darjeeling

DNA samples extracted from the root nodules of Alnus nepalensis, collected from 10 different locations of Darjeeling hills, were used to assess the genetic diversity of Frankia. The DNA samples from the nodules of naturally growing plants were used as templates in PCR, targeting different genomic regions of Frankia, namely distal, middle and proximal parts of 16S rRNA gene and nifH-D IGS region with locus specific primers. The PCR products were digested with a number of frequent (4-base) cutter restriction endonucleases. Bands were scored as present (1) or absent (0) and the clustering was done using NTSYSpc. Distinct polymorphism was found among the nodules collected from different parts of the region and those of same geographic area. These results demonstrate that genetic diversity is indeed present among the naturally occurring Frankia of Darjeeling, India.     

Plasma Gelsolin Depletion and Circulating Actin in Sepsis—A Pilot Study

Background

Depletion of the circulating actin-binding protein, plasma gelsolin (pGSN) has been described in septic patients and animals. We hypothesized that the extent of pGSN reduction correlates with outcomes of septic patients and that circulating actin is a manifestation of sepsis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We assayed pGSN in plasma samples from non-surgical septic patients identified from a pre-existing database which prospectively enrolled patients admitted to adult intensive care units at an academic hospital. We identified 21 non-surgical septic patients for the study. Actinemia was detected in 17 of the 21 patients, suggesting actin released into circulation from injured tissues is a manifestation of sepsis. Furthermore, we documented the depletion of pGSN in human clinical sepsis, and that the survivors had significantly higher pGSN levels than the non-survivors (163±47 mg/L vs. 89±48 mg/L, p = 0.01). pGSN levels were more strongly predictive of 28-day mortality than APACHE III scores. For every quartile reduction in pGSN, the odds of death increased 3.4-fold.

Conclusion

We conclude that circulating actin and pGSN deficiency are associated with early sepsis. The degree of pGSN deficiency correlates with sepsis mortality. Reversing pGSN deficiency may be an effective treatment for sepsis.     

Goats in the city: prevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Giardia duodenalis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptosporidium</Emphasis> spp. in extensively reared goats in northern India

Background

Various characteristics of goats mean they are highly suitable livestock for backyard rearing by people with limited resources. They are a popular livestock choice in India, where they are often kept to supplement an already scarce income. In these settings, hygiene and sanitation standards tend to be low, and weakens the interface between humans and animals, thus reducing the barrier between them and thereby increasing the likelihood that zoonotic and anthroponotic infections will occur.

Results

This study reports an investigation of the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in goats being reared in different settings in urban and peri-urban areas in northern India, and addressed the zoonotic potential of these important protozoan parasites shed from goats living close to humans. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 33.8 and 0.5% for Cryptosporidium spp.; the relatively low prevalence of cryptosporidiosis may reflect that most samples were derived from adult animals. The prevalence of G. duodenalis excretion was found to be similar to that reported in other studies. However, although other studies have reported a predominance of non-zoonotic Assemblage E in goats, in this study potentially zoonotic Assemblages predominated [Assemblage A (36%) and Assemblage B (32%)].

Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that in this area where goats and humans are living in close proximity, there may be sharing of intestinal parasites, which can be detrimental for both host species.

     

L<Subscript>2</Subscript>-norm multiple kernel learning and its application to biomedical data fusion

Background  

This paper introduces the notion of optimizing different norms in the dual problem of support vector machines with multiple kernels. The selection of norms yields different extensions of multiple kernel learning (MKL) such as L _∞, L ₁, and L ₂ MKL. In particular, L ₂ MKL is a novel method that leads to non-sparse optimal kernel coefficients, which is different from the sparse kernel coefficients optimized by the existing L _∞ MKL method. In real biomedical applications, L ₂ MKL may have more advantages over sparse integration method for thoroughly combining complementary information in heterogeneous data sources.