Increased Inflammatory Response in Cytomegalovirus Seropositive Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been associated with increased local inflammation in the affected brain regions, and in some studies also with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to promote a more effector-oriented phenotype in the T-cell compartment, increasing with age. The aim of this study was to investigate the inflammatory response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AD patients and non-demented (ND) controls. Using a multiplex Luminex xMAP assay targeting GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10 and TNF-α, cytokine profiles from PBMCs were analysed after stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 beads, CMV pp65 peptide mix or amyloid β (Aβ) protofibrils, respectively. CMV seropositive AD subjects presented with higher IFN-γ levels after anti-CD3/CD28 and CMV pp65 but not after Aβ stimulation, compared to CMV seropositive ND controls. When analysing IFN-γ response to anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation on a subgroup level, CMV seropositive AD subjects presented with higher levels compared to both CMV seronegative AD and CMV seropositive ND subjects. Taken together, our data from patients with clinically manifest AD suggest a possible role of CMV as an inflammatory promoter in AD immunology. Further studies of AD patients at earlier stages of disease, could provide better insight into the pathophysiology.     

Attempted Suicide in Bipolar Disorder: Risk Factors in a Cohort of 6086 Patients

Objective

Bipolar disorder is associated with high risk of self-harm and suicide. We wanted to investigate risk factors for attempted suicide in bipolar patients.

Method

This was a cohort study of 6086 bipolar patients (60% women) registered in the Swedish National Quality Register for Bipolar Disorder 2004–2011 and followed-up annually 2005–2012. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for fatal or non-fatal attempted suicide during follow-up.

Results

Recent affective episodes predicted attempted suicide during follow-up (men: odds ratio = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.76–7.51; women: odds ratio = 2.81, 95% CI = 1.78–4.44), as did previous suicide attempts (men: odds ratio = 3.93, 95% CI = 2.48–6.24; women: odds ratio = 4.24, 95% CI = 3.06–5.88) and recent psychiatric inpatient care (men: odds ratio = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.59–8,01; women: odds ratio = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.60–4.50). Further, those with many lifetime depressive episodes were more likely to attempt suicide. Comorbid substance use disorder was a predictor in men; many lifetime mixed episodes, early onset of mental disorder, personality disorder, and social problems related to the primary group were predictors in women.

Conclusion

The principal clinical implication of the present study is to pay attention to the risk of suicidal behaviour in bipolar patients with depressive features and more severe or unstable forms of the disorder.     

Grey Matter Changes in Cognitively Impaired Parkinson's Disease Patients

Background

Cortical changes associated with cognitive decline in Parkinson''s disease (PD) are not fully explored and require investigations with established diagnostic classification criteria.

Objective

We used MRI source-based morphometry to evaluate specific differences in grey matter volume patterns across 4 groups of subjects: healthy controls (HC), PD with normal cognition (PD-NC), PD with mild cognitive impairment (MCI-PD) and PD with dementia (PDD).

Methods

We examined 151 consecutive subjects: 25 HC, 75 PD-NC, 29 MCI-PD, and 22 PDD at an Italian and Czech movement disorder centre. Operational diagnostic criteria were applied to classify MCI-PD and PDD. All structural MRI images were processed together in the Czech centre. The spatial independent component analysis was used to assess group differences of local grey matter volume.

Results

We identified two independent patterns of grey matter volume deviations: a) Reductions in the hippocampus and temporal lobes; b) Decreases in fronto-parietal regions and increases in the midbrain/cerebellum. Both patterns differentiated PDD from all other groups and correlated with visuospatial deficits and letter verbal fluency, respectively. Only the second pattern additionally differentiated PD-NC from HC.

Conclusion

Grey matter changes in PDD involve areas associated with Alzheimer-like pathology while fronto-parietal abnormalities are possibly an early marker of PD cognitive decline. These findings are consistent with a non-linear cognitive progression in PD.     

Host-Specificity and Dynamics in Bacterial Communities Associated with Bloom-Forming Freshwater Phytoplankton

Many freshwater phytoplankton species have the potential to form transient nuisance blooms that affect water quality and other aquatic biota. Heterotrophic bacteria can influence such blooms via nutrient regeneration but also via antagonism and other biotic interactions. We studied the composition of bacterial communities associated with three bloom-forming freshwater phytoplankton species, the diatom Aulacoseira granulata and the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. Experimental cultures incubated with and without lake bacteria were sampled in three different growth phases and bacterial community composition was assessed by 454-Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Betaproteobacteria were dominant in all cultures inoculated with lake bacteria, but decreased during the experiment. In contrast, Alphaproteobacteria, which made up the second most abundant class of bacteria, increased overall during the course of the experiment. Other bacterial classes responded in contrasting ways to the experimental incubations causing significantly different bacterial communities to develop in response to host phytoplankton species, growth phase and between attached and free-living fractions. Differences in bacterial community composition between cyanobacteria and diatom cultures were greater than between the two cyanobacteria. Despite the significance, major differences between phytoplankton cultures were in the proportion of the OTUs rather than in the absence or presence of specific taxa. Different phytoplankton species favoring different bacterial communities may have important consequences for the fate of organic matter in systems where these bloom forming species occur. The dynamics and development of transient blooms may also be affected as bacterial communities seem to influence phytoplankton species growth in contrasting ways.     

UV-B induced mortality and antioxidant enzyme activities in Daphnia magna at different oxygen concentrations and temperatures

Survival of adult Daphnia magna was assessed after acute (<96h) exposure to UV₃₁₂ under various temperatures (6, 12 and 18°C)or oxygen concentrations (5.6, 8.5 and 14.1 mg O₂ l^–1)in the laboratory. The surviving animals were screened for theenzymes catalase (CAT) and glutathione transferase (GST), whichmay protect against UV-induced oxidative damage. In addition,the same two enzymes were assayed in separate experiments afteracute exposure to UV₃₁₂ (6 h, 0.014 mW cm^–2) and the differentlevels of temperature and oxygen. No differences were observedin either CAT or GST activity after exposure to the three levelsof oxygen, but there was a tendency for decreasing specificactivity with decreasing temperature for both enzymes. CAT activitywas not influenced by UV radiation, whereas GST activity displayeda slight increase. Oxygen concentration did not influence survivalduring UV exposure but, contrary to expectations, survival testsat different temperatures clearly showed that reduced temperatureincreased survival. The results indicate that temperature effectsmust be considered when comparing dose effect relationshipsin situ, and suggest that low temperature is not a major causeof UV susceptibility in cold-adapted alpine and Arctic populationsof Daphnia.     

Filtering structures and particle size selection in coexisting Cladocera

Summary Five commonly co-occurring cladocerans, Holopedium gibberum, Daphnia longispina, Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Bosmina longispina, Diaphanosoma brachyurum and the calanoid copepod Eudiaptomus gracilis were fed monodisperse fluorescent latex beads (0.5, 1,5 m) to reveal clearance rates and particle size selection. The results were compared to those obtained with labelled bacteria and yeast. All cladoceran species ingested the beads, and particle size selection varied from a strong predominance of the largest particles in Holopedium, to an almost non selective particle retention in Diaphanosoma. The results indicated a strong correlation between morphology of the filtering combs, measured by Scanning electron microscopy, and ability to retain the smallest particles.     

Zooplankton contribution to particulate phosphorus and nitrogen in lakes

Based on the recognition of rather constant species-specificelement to dry weight ratios in freshwater zooplankton, poolsof metazoan zooplankton P and N were calculated for 45 Norwegianlakes of varying trophy. On the average zooplankton constituted20.4±12.3% and 4.6±4.3% of particulate P and Nrespectively. The fraction was considerably higher in many oligotrophiclakes, at most >50 and 20% respectively, but declined to15% (P) and 5% (N) in meso- to eutrophic lakes. In general,phytoplankton contribution to particulate P was <50%, leavinga large share of particulate P to bacteria and microzooplankton.The zooplankton proportion of particulate P was only weaklyinfluenced by the predation pressure in terms of fish communitystructure. Zooplankton P is important in the overall lake metabolism,and knowledge of this pool may be used to estimate zooplankton-mediatedloss and regeneration of P and improve total nutrient elementbudgets in lakes.     

The discovery of the virulence gene ToxA in the wheat and barley pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana

Bipolaris sorokiniana is the causal agent of multiple diseases on wheat and barley and is the primary constraint to cereal production throughout South Asia. Despite its significance, the molecular basis of disease is poorly understood. To address this, the genomes of three Australian isolates of B. sorokiniana were sequenced and screened for known pathogenicity genes. Sequence analysis revealed that the isolate BRIP10943 harboured the ToxA gene, which has been associated previously with disease in the wheat pathogens Parastagonospora nodorum and Pyrenophora tritici‐repentis. Analysis of the regions flanking ToxA within B. sorokiniana revealed that it was embedded within a 12‐kb genomic element nearly identical to the corresponding regions in P. nodorum and P. tritici‐repentis. A screen of 35 Australian B. sorokiniana isolates confirmed that ToxA was present in 12 isolates. Sequencing of the ToxA genes within these isolates revealed two haplotypes, which differed by a single non‐synonymous nucleotide substitution. Pathogenicity assays showed that a B. sorokiniana isolate harbouring ToxA was more virulent on wheat lines that contained the sensitivity gene when compared with a non‐ToxA isolate. This work demonstrates that proteins that confer host‐specific virulence can be horizontally acquired across multiple species. This acquisition can dramatically increase the virulence of pathogenic strains on susceptible cultivars, which, in an agricultural setting, can have devastating economic and social impacts.