Bacterial Community Survey of Solenopsis invicta Buren (Red imported fire Ant) Colonies in the Presence and Absence of Solenopsis invicta Virus (SINV)

Insect bacterial symbionts contribute to many essential biological functions of their hosts and can also influence host fecundity and fitness. The physiological contribution symbionts provide can aid in immune response and xenobiotic detoxification. Both of these immune factors can directly impact strategies aimed at managing insect populations. One biological control strategy that shows promise in insects is the use of single-stranded RNA viruses within the group Dicistroviridae. The Solenopsis invicta Virus (SINV; Dicistroviridae), a ssRNA virus, has been proposed as a potential biological control agent for the urban pest S. invicta Buren or red imported fire ant (RIFA). SINV has been shown to be prevalent in RIFA populations of Texas and Florida; however, mortality is associated with high viral load. In other insect microbe systems, presence of particular bacteria induced resistance against Dicistrovirus. If this type of relationship is present in the RIFA–SINV system, their bacterial community could reduce the effectiveness of SINV as a biological control system. The advantage of 454 pyro-sequencing is that it enables classification of unculturable bacteria. This study examines the bacterial community in brood, workers, and reproductive cast members from colonies with and without SINV infection. Manipulation of the bacterial community may alter virus infection and replication within the mid-gut. Understanding the differences in the microbial community of ant colonies may provide insights that will refine current efforts designing control strategies for this important urban pest.     

Arabidopsis and Maize RidA Proteins Preempt Reactive Enamine/Imine Damage to Branched-Chain Amino Acid Biosynthesis in Plastids

RidA (for Reactive Intermediate Deaminase A) proteins are ubiquitous, yet their function in eukaryotes is unclear. It is known that deleting Salmonella enterica ridA causes Ser sensitivity and that S. enterica RidA and its homologs from other organisms hydrolyze the enamine/imine intermediates that Thr dehydratase forms from Ser or Thr. In S. enterica, the Ser-derived enamine/imine inactivates a branched-chain aminotransferase; RidA prevents this damage. Arabidopsis thaliana and maize (Zea mays) have a RidA homolog that is predicted to be plastidial. Expression of either homolog complemented the Ser sensitivity of the S. enterica ridA mutant. The purified proteins hydrolyzed the enamines/imines formed by Thr dehydratase from Ser or Thr and protected the Arabidopsis plastidial branched-chain aminotransferase BCAT3 from inactivation by the Ser-derived enamine/imine. In vitro chloroplast import assays and in vivo localization of green fluorescent protein fusions showed that Arabidopsis RidA and Thr dehydratase are chloroplast targeted. Disrupting Arabidopsis RidA reduced root growth and raised the root and shoot levels of the branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis intermediate 2-oxobutanoate; Ser treatment exacerbated these effects in roots. Supplying Ile reversed the root growth defect. These results indicate that plastidial RidA proteins can preempt damage to BCAT3 and Ile biosynthesis by hydrolyzing the Ser-derived enamine/imine product of Thr dehydratase.     

一氧化氮对盐胁迫下烟草细胞渗透调节能力的影响

一氧化氮(NO)作为信号分子广泛参与植物的生长发育、逆境胁迫响应过程。为了明确NO对细胞渗透调节作用,该研究以NaCl为盐胁迫因子,以烟草悬浮细胞为材料,研究了NO对盐胁迫下细胞渗透调节能力的影响。结果显示:(1)NaCl胁迫能诱发烟草细胞内源NO的生成,且100mmol·L-1 NaCl诱发了细胞内源NO的快速产生,在1h达到峰值,NO产生量约为对照的2倍,之后NO产生量快速下降,直至3h才逐渐回升,并在48h内维持在较高水平。(2)外源NO显著增强了烟草细胞的抗渗透胁迫能力,且150μmol·L-1 NO供体硝普钠(SNP)处理显著提高了NaCl胁迫下细胞的活力和再生能力(提高幅度分别为78.6%和63.2%),降低了细胞死亡率(降幅约为48.5%);SNP处理下的NaCl胁迫细胞能更大程度降低渗透势,延缓水势的降低,维持细胞压力势。(3)外源NO显著促进了NaCl胁迫细胞中脯氨酸的合成和积累,且150μmol·L-1 SNP处理将NaCl胁迫细胞中的脯氨酸含量提高25.9%;SNP处理也影响了脯氨酸代谢关键酶的活性和基因表达水平,即提高了谷氨酸脱氢酶(GDH)、精氨酸酶和鸟氨酸转氨酶(OAT)的活性,降低了脯氨酸脱氢酶(PDH)的活性,同时使GDH、OAT和PDH基因的表达表现出与酶活性相似的变化趋势。研究表明,NO参与了盐胁迫下烟草细胞的渗透调节,通过调控脯氨酸代谢可能是NO参与渗透调节的重要机制。     

芦荟内生菌内生哈茨木霉LH-7对植物病原菌的抗性

通过体外培养方法,研究了药用植物库拉索芦荟内生真菌内生哈茨木霉LH-7对9种常见植物病原菌的抑菌谱及其拮抗机理.结果表明： 内生哈茨木霉LH-7 对供试植物病原真菌具有显著的抑制作用(抑制率为62.4%～88.4%),且营养竞争和重寄生是其主要拮抗机制.该菌株的代谢产物中具有能够抑制病原菌生长及孢子萌发的活性物质,其作用可导致病原菌菌丝体生长的畸形、细胞壁破裂、产孢结构发育不健全、孢子形成及萌发率降低,从而有效抑制病原菌的生长和繁殖.
     

Non-Listening and Self Centered Leadership – Relationships to Socioeconomic Conditions and Employee Mental Health

Background

The way in which leadership is experienced in different socioeconomic strata is of interest per se, as well as how it relates to employee mental health.

Methods

Three waves of SLOSH (Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, a questionnaire survey on a sample of the Swedish working population) were used, 2006, 2008 and 2010 (n = 5141). The leadership variables were: “Non-listening leadership” (one question: “Does your manager listen to you?” - four response categories), “Self centered leadership” (sum of three five-graded questions – “non-participating”, “asocial” and “loner”). The socioeconomic factors were education and income. Emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms were used as indicators of mental health.

Results

Non-listening leadership was associated with low income and low education whereas self-centered leadership showed a weaker relationship with education and no association at all with income. Both leadership variables were significantly associated with emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. “Self centered” as well as “non-listening” leadership in 2006 significantly predicted employee depressive symptoms in 2008 after adjustment for demographic variables. These predictions became non-significant when adjustment was made for job conditions (demands and decision latitude) in the “non-listening” leadership analyses, whereas predictions of depressive symptoms remained significant after these adjustments in the “self-centered leadership” analyses.

Conclusions

Our results show that the leadership variables are associated with socioeconomic status and employee mental health. “Non-listening” scores were more sensitive to societal change and more strongly related to socioeconomic factors and job conditions than “self-centered” scores.     

β-D-glucan Surveillance with Preemptive Anidulafungin for Invasive Candidiasis in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Randomized Pilot Study

Background

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a devastating disease. While prompt antifungal therapy improves outcomes, empiric treatment based on the presence of fever has little clinical impact. Β-D-Glucan (BDG) is a fungal cell wall component detectable in the serum of patients with early invasive fungal infection (IFI). We evaluated the utility of BDG surveillance as a guide for preemptive antifungal therapy in at-risk intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Methods

Patients admitted to the ICU for ≥3 days and expected to require at least 2 additional days of intensive care were enrolled. Subjects were randomized in 3∶1 fashion to receive twice weekly BDG surveillance with preemptive anidulafungin in response to a positive test or empiric antifungal treatment based on physician preference.

Results

Sixty-four subjects were enrolled, with 1 proven and 5 probable cases of IC identified over a 2.5 year period. BDG levels were higher in subjects with proven/probable IC as compared to those without an IFI (117 pg/ml vs. 28 pg/ml; p<0.001). Optimal assay performance required 2 sequential BDG determinations of ≥80 pg/ml to define a positive test (sensitivity 100%, specificity 75%, positive predictive value 30%, negative predictive value 100%). In all, 21 preemptive and 5 empiric subjects received systemic antifungal therapy. Receipt of preemptive antifungal treatment had a significant effect on BDG concentrations (p< 0.001). Preemptive anidulafungin was safe and generally well tolerated with excellent outcome.

Conclusions

BDG monitoring may be useful for identifying ICU patients at highest risk to develop an IFI as well as for monitoring treatment response. Preemptive strategies based on fungal biomarkers warrant further study.

Trial Registration

Clinical Trials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00672841","term_id":"NCT00672841"}}NCT00672841     

Distinguishing the impacts of inadequate prey and vessel traffic on an endangered killer whale (Orcinus orca) population

Managing endangered species often involves evaluating the relative impacts of multiple anthropogenic and ecological pressures. This challenge is particularly formidable for cetaceans, which spend the majority of their time underwater. Noninvasive physiological approaches can be especially informative in this regard. We used a combination of fecal thyroid (T3) and glucocorticoid (GC) hormone measures to assess two threats influencing the endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKW; Orcinus orca) that frequent the inland waters of British Columbia, Canada and Washington, U.S.A. Glucocorticoids increase in response to nutritional and psychological stress, whereas thyroid hormone declines in response to nutritional stress but is unaffected by psychological stress. The inadequate prey hypothesis argues that the killer whales have become prey limited due to reductions of their dominant prey, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The vessel impact hypothesis argues that high numbers of vessels in close proximity to the whales cause disturbance via psychological stress and/or impaired foraging ability. The GC and T3 measures supported the inadequate prey hypothesis. In particular, GC concentrations were negatively correlated with short-term changes in prey availability. Whereas, T3 concentrations varied by date and year in a manner that corresponded with more long-term prey availability. Physiological correlations with prey overshadowed any impacts of vessels since GCs were lowest during the peak in vessel abundance, which also coincided with the peak in salmon availability. Our results suggest that identification and recovery of strategic salmon populations in the SRKW diet are important to effectively promote SRKW recovery.