Catalase activity in macro- and microorganisms as an indicator of biotic stress in coastal waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea

In this study we examined the activity of catalase in the water column (mainly attributed to planktonic microorganisms) and the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as lipid peroxidation in the midgut gland of the benthic bivalve Donax trunculus as possible indicators of biotic stress. The measurements were performed at stations situated at known contaminated and clean sites in the coastal waters and shores along the Israeli coast (eastern Mediterranean Sea). In the water column, we found that catalase activity was higher in polluted coastal waters than in nearby unpolluted or less-polluted stations. Moreover, there was diurnal periodicity in catalase activity rates which matched the diurnal changes in hydrogen peroxide levels in seawater. Consistent evidence of extracellular catalase activity was found in the seawater sampled. Catalase activity rates in the midgut gland of D. trunculus did not exhibit clear patterns with respect to site (polluted or clean) or season. However, SOD activity and lipid peroxidation measured in the same tissues were good indicators of organic pollution in the coastal waters examined and, among the three stations examined in Haifa Bay, Qiriat Haim was the most polluted.     

Clustering and methylation of repeated DNA: persistence in avian development and evolution.

In the chicken genome, clusters of repeated DNA sequences occur which have alternate arrangements of the component sequence elements. Many of these clustered, repeated sequences are extensively methylated. We have established that both their arrangement and their methylation are invariant regardless of the source of chicken DNA. Comparisons included DNA from sperm, from a series of embryonic stages, from tissues of single adult individuals, and from thirty individual chickens of two strains. These same sequences are found in the DNA of some avian species related to chickens, and there they show the same clustered, methylated form. In related species, some of the arrangements found in chicken DNA are different or missing.     

Short- and long-term outcomes in infective endocarditis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Despite advances in medical knowledge, technology and antimicrobial therapy, infective endocarditis (IE) is still associated with devastating outcomes. No reviews have yet assessed the outcomes of IE patients undergoing short- and long-term outcome evaluation, such as all-cause mortality and IE-related complications. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the short- and long-term mortality, as well as IE-related complications in patients with definite IE.

Methods

A computerized systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar from 2000 to August, 2016. Included studies were published studies in English that assessed short-and long-term mortality for adult IE patients. Pooled estimations with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with DerSimonian-Laird (DL) random-effects model. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also performed. Publication bias was evaluated using inspection of funnel plots and statistical tests.

Results

Twenty five observational studies (retrospective, 14; prospective, 11) including 22,382 patients were identified. The overall pooled mortality estimates for IE patients who underwent short- and long-term follow-up were 20% (95% CI: 18.0–23.0, P?<?0.01) and 37% (95% CI: 27.0–48.0, P?<?0.01), respectively. The pooled prevalence of cardiac complications in patients with IE was found to be 39% (95%CI: 32.0–46.0) while septic embolism and renal complications accounted for 25% (95% CI: 20.0–31) and 19% (95% CI: 14.0–25.0) (all P?<?0.01), respectively.

Conclusion

Irrespective of the follow-up period, a significantly higher mortality rate was reported in IE patients, and the burden of IE-related complications were immense. Further research is needed to assess the determinants of overall mortality in IE patients, as well as well-designed observational studies to conform our results.

     

Genome-wide studies of copy number variation and exome sequencing identify rare variants in BAG3 as a cause of dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy commonly causes heart failure and is the most frequent precipitating cause of heart transplantation. Familial dilated cardiomyopathy has been shown to be caused by rare variant mutations in more than 30 genes but only ~35% of its genetic cause has been identified, principally by using linkage-based or candidate gene discovery approaches. In a multigenerational family with autosomal dominant transmission, we employed whole-exome sequencing in a proband and three of his affected family members, and genome-wide copy number variation in the proband and his affected father and unaffected mother. Exome sequencing identified 428 single point variants resulting in missense, nonsense, or splice site changes. Genome-wide copy number analysis identified 51 insertion deletions and 440 copy number variants > 1 kb. Of these, a 8733 bp deletion, encompassing exon 4 of the heat shock protein cochaperone BCL2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3), was found in seven affected family members and was absent in 355 controls. To establish the relevance of variants in this protein class in genetic DCM, we sequenced the coding exons in BAG3 in 311 other unrelated DCM probands and identified one frameshift, two nonsense, and four missense rare variants absent in 355 control DNAs, four of which were familial and segregated with disease. Knockdown of bag3 in a zebrafish model recapitulated DCM and heart failure. We conclude that new comprehensive genomic approaches have identified rare variants in BAG3 as causative of DCM.