HYBRIDIZATION OF PANUS TIGRINUS AND LENTODIUM SQUAMULOSUM

Crosses between monokaryotic isolates of two strains of Lentodium squamulosum and one strain of Panus tigrinus showed complete intercompatibility. Hybrid fruits from crosses between monokaryotic isolates of L. squamulosum and P. tigrinus were uniformly like the P. tigrinus parent. Though both isolates of L. squamulosum showed considerable variability in form, merging toward P. tigrinus, L. squamulosum could always be distinguished from P. tigrinus from hand sections of the hymenophore. The significance of these results as they bear on the problem of inter-relationships between hymenomycetes and gasteromycetes is discussed. L. squamulosum is recognized as variety squamulosus of P. tigrinus.     

Impact of vaginal microbiome communities on HIV antiretroviral-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug metabolism

Despite the efficacy of antiretroviral-based pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) in men who have sex with men, studies in women have produced widely varying outcomes. Recent evidence demonstrates that vaginal microbial communities are associated with increased HIV acquisition risk and may impact PrEP efficacy. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying how vaginal bacteria alter PrEP drug levels and impact HIV infection rates ex vivo. Using cervicovaginal lavages (CVLs) from women with or without bacterial vaginosis (BV), we identified microbial metabolism of PrEP drugs in BV samples through LC-MS/MS analysis of soluble drug levels and metabolite formation in dual T-cell cultures. CVL samples were assessed for microbiome analysis using sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. We also observed non-Lactobacillus bacteria that are associated with BV may potentially impact PrEP efficacy through increased HIV infection rates in co-cultures containing Lactobacillus or BV bacteria, PrEP drugs, CEM-GFP cells, and HIV-1_LAI virus. Finally, we used these data to develop a novel predictive mathematical simulation modeling system to predict these drug interactions for future trials. These studies demonstrate how dysbiotic vaginal microbiota may impact PrEP drugs and provides evidence linking vaginal bacteria to PrEP efficacy in women.     

Flow distribution and cryoprotectant concentration in rabbit kidneys perfused with glycerol solutions

Rabbit kidneys were perfused at 10 °C with a solution containing gelatin polypeptides (Haemaccel), and glycerol was introduced, and then removed, using a technique that has previously been shown to result in viable kidneys. This involved increasing the concentration of glycerol in the perfusate from zero to a maximum of 3 , holding it at this level for 30 min, and then decreasing it at the same rate to < 0.1 . Measurements were made of the concentration of glycerol in cortex, cortico-medullary zone, and medulla at various stages of perfusion. During the experiments it was observed that vascular resistance increased dramatically toward the end of deglycerolization, and changes in regional perfusate flow were measured by the diffusable indicator method. It was found that renal tissue is effectively permeated by glycerol using this technique. The perfusate flow throughout all regions of the kidney was reduced during deglycerolization but the greatest effect was on cortico-medullary flow, which was found to be abnormally high during the initial stages of hypothermic perfusion, but was severely impaired when the glycerol was removed. The cryoprotectant was almost completely removed by the washout procedure adopted.