Meta-omics analysis indicates the saliva microbiome and its proteins associated with the prognosis of oral cancer patients

Saliva is a biofluid that maintains the health of oral tissues and the homeostasis of oral microbiota. Studies have demonstrated that Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients have different salivary microbiota than healthy individuals. However, the relationship between these microbial differences and clinicopathological outcomes is still far from conclusive. Herein, we investigate the capability of using metagenomic and metaproteomic saliva profiles to distinguish between Control (C), OSCC without active lesion (L0), and OSCC with active lesion (L1) patients. The results show that there are significantly distinct taxonomies and functional changes in L1 patients compared to C and L0 patients, suggesting compositional modulation of the oral microbiome, as the relative abundances of Centipeda, Veillonella, and Gemella suggested by metagenomics are correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, and active lesion. Metagenomics results also demonstrated that poor overall patient survival is associated with a higher relative abundance of Stenophotromonas, Staphylococcus, Centipeda, Selenomonas, Alloscordovia, and Acitenobacter. Finally, compositional and functional differences in the saliva content by metaproteomics analysis can distinguish healthy individuals from OSCC patients. In summary, our study suggests that oral microbiota and their protein abundance have potential diagnosis and prognosis value for oral cancer patients. Further studies are necessary to understand the role of uniquely detected metaproteins in the microbiota of healthy and OSCC patients as well as the crosstalk between saliva host proteins and the oral microbiome present in OSCC.     

Island properties dominate species traits in determining plant colonizations in an archipelago system

The extrinsic determinants hypothesis emphasizes the essential role of environmental heterogeneity in species’ colonization. Consequently, high resident species diversity can increase community susceptibility to colonizations because good habitats may support more species that are functionally similar to colonizers. On the other hand, colonization success is also likely to depend on species traits. We tested the relative importance of environmental characteristics and species traits in determining colonization success using census data of 587 vascular plant species collected about 70 yr apart from 471 islands in the archipelago of SW Finland. More specifically, we explored potential new colonization as a function of island properties (e.g. location, area, habitat diversity, number of resident species per unit area), species traits (e.g. plant height, life-form, dispersal vector, Ellenberg indicator values, association with human impact), and species’ historical distributions (number of inhabited islands, nearest occurrence). Island properties and species’ historical distributions were more effective than plant traits in explaining colonization outcomes. Contrary to the extrinsic determinants hypothesis, colonization success was neither associated with resident species diversity nor habitat diversity per se, although colonization was lowest on sparsely vegetated islands. Our findings lead us to propose that while plant traits related to dispersal and establishment may enhance colonization, predictions of plant colonizations primarily require understanding of habitat properties and species’ historical distributions.     

Global Estimates of the Prevalence and Incidence of Four Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections in 2012 Based on Systematic Review and Global Reporting

Background

Quantifying sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence and incidence is important for planning interventions and advocating for resources. The World Health Organization (WHO) periodically estimates global and regional prevalence and incidence of four curable STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and syphilis.

Methods and Findings

WHO’s 2012 estimates were based upon literature reviews of prevalence data from 2005 through 2012 among general populations for genitourinary infection with chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis, and nationally reported data on syphilis seroprevalence among antenatal care attendees. Data were standardized for laboratory test type, geography, age, and high risk subpopulations, and combined using a Bayesian meta-analytic approach. Regional incidence estimates were generated from prevalence estimates by adjusting for average duration of infection. In 2012, among women aged 15–49 years, the estimated global prevalence of chlamydia was 4.2% (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 3.7–4.7%), gonorrhoea 0.8% (0.6–1.0%), trichomoniasis 5.0% (4.0–6.4%), and syphilis 0.5% (0.4–0.6%); among men, estimated chlamydia prevalence was 2.7% (2.0–3.6%), gonorrhoea 0.6% (0.4–0.9%), trichomoniasis 0.6% (0.4–0.8%), and syphilis 0.48% (0.3–0.7%). These figures correspond to an estimated 131 million new cases of chlamydia (100–166 million), 78 million of gonorrhoea (53–110 million), 143 million of trichomoniasis (98–202 million), and 6 million of syphilis (4–8 million). Prevalence and incidence estimates varied by region and sex.

Conclusions

Estimates of the global prevalence and incidence of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis in adult women and men remain high, with nearly one million new infections with curable STI each day. The estimates highlight the urgent need for the public health community to ensure that well-recognized effective interventions for STI prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment are made more widely available. Improved estimation methods are needed to allow use of more varied data and generation of estimates at the national level.     

Differential Postnatal Development of Monoamine Oxidases A and B in the Blood-Brain Barrier of the Rat

Abstract: We studied the monoamine metabolizing mitochondrial enzyme, monoamine oxidase (MAO), in cerebral microvessels obtained from postnatally developing rats by measuring the specific binding of [³H]pargyline, an irreversible inhibitor of MAO, and the rate of oxidation of three known MAO substrates: benzylamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, and tryptamine. MAO activity increased postnatally, with the greatest increase occurring in the second week and reaching a peak at 3 weeks of age. A concomitant increase in MAO of the cerebral cortex also occurred, but was several-fold less than that of cerebral microvessels. Using clorgyline and deprenyl, relatively specific inhibitors of MAO-A and MAO-B, we showed that cerebral microvessels contain both forms of MAO at all ages, but there was a major preponderance in the postnatal development of MAO-B. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analyses of rat microvessels after [³H]pargyline binding also showed two distinct bands of radioactivity at all ages. These two bands corresponded to molecular weights of ∼6.5,000 for MAO-A and -60,000 for MAO-B. SDS-PAGE resuits of brain microvessels obtained from 1-, 14-, and 42-day-old rats confirm the differential postnatal development of MAO-B in rat brain microvessels.     

Phycoremediation potential,physiological, and biochemical response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amphora subtropica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dunaliella</Emphasis> sp. to nickel pollution

Metal pollution can produce many biological effects on aquatic environments. The marine diatom Amphora subtropica and the green alga Dunaliella sp. possess a high metal absorption capacity. Nickel (Ni) removal by living cells of A. subtropica and Dunaliella sp. was tested in cultures exposed to different Ni concentrations (100, 200, 300, and 500 mg L^?1). The amount of Ni removed by the microalgae increased with the time of exposure and the initial Ni concentration in the medium. The metal, which was mainly removed by bioadsorption to Dunaliella sp. cell surfaces (93.63% of total Ni (for 500 mg Ni L^?1) and by bioaccumulation (80.82% of total Ni (for 300 mg Ni L^?1) into Amphora subtropica cells, also inhibited growth. Exposure to Ni drastically reduced the carbohydrate and protein concentrations and increased total lipids from 6.3 to 43.1 pg cell^?1, phenolics 0.092 to 0.257 mg GAE g^?1 (Fw), and carotenoid content, from 0.08 to 0.59 mg g^?1 (Fw), in A. subtropica. In Dunaliella sp., total lipids increased from 26.1 to 65.3 pg cell^?1, phenolics from 0.084 to 0.289 mg GAE g^?1 (Fw), and carotenoid content from 0.41 to 0.97 mg g^?1 (Fw). These compounds had an important role in protecting the algae against ROS generated by Ni. In order to cope with Ni stress shown by the increase of TBARS level, enzymatic (SOD, CAT, and GPx) ROS scavenging mechanisms were induced.     

Dysregulation of autophagy by HIV-1 Nef in human astrocytes

Viruses often exploit autophagy, a common cellular process of degradation of damaged proteins, organelles, and pathogens, to avoid destruction. HIV-1 dysregulates this process in several cell types by means of Nef protein. Nef is a small HIV-1 protein which is expressed abundantly in astrocytes of HIV-1-infected brains and has been suggested to have a role in the pathogenesis of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND). In order to explore its effect in the CNS with respect to autophagy, HIV-1 Nef was expressed in primary human fetal astrocytes (PHFA) using an adenovirus vector (Ad-Nef). We observed that Nef expression triggered the accumulation of autophagy markers, ATG8/LC3 and p62 (SQSMT1). Similar results were obtained with Bafilomycin A1, an autophagy inhibitor which blocks the fusion of autophagosome to lysosome. Furthermore co-expression of tandem LC3 vector (mRFP-EGFP-LC3) and Ad-Nef in these cells produced mainly yellow puncta (mRFP+, EGFP+) strongly suggesting that autophagosome fusion to lysosome is blocked in PHFA cells in the presence of Nef. Together these data indicate that HIV-1 Nef mimics Bafilomycin A1 and blocks the last step of autophagy thereby helping HIV-1 virus to avoid autophagic degradation in human astrocytes.     

Immobilization of catalase via adsorption onto -histidine grafted functional pHEMA based membrane

Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (pHEMA) based flat sheet membrane was prepared by UV-initiated photopolymerization technique. The membrane was then grafted with -histidine. Catalase immobilization onto the membrane from aqueous solutions containing different amounts of catalase at different pH was investigated in a batch system. The maximum catalase immobilization capacity of the pHEMA–histidine membrane was 86 μg cm⁻². The activity yield was decreased with the increase of the enzyme loading. It was observed that there was a significant change between V_max value of the free catalase and V_max value of the adsorbed catalase on the pHEMA–histidine membrane. The K_m value of the immobilized enzyme was higher 1.5 times than that of the free enzyme. Optimum operational temperature was 5°C higher than that of the free enzyme and was significantly broader. It was observed that enzyme could be repeatedly adsorbed and desorbed without loss of adsorption capacity or enzyme activity.     

Implications of biofuel policy‐driven land cover change for rainfall erosivity and soil erosion in the United States

Large‐scale conversion of traditional agricultural cropping systems to biofuel cropping systems is predicted to have significant impact on the hydrologic cycle. Changes in the hydrologic cycle lead to changes in rainfall and its erosive power, and consequently soil erosion that will have onsite impacts on soil quality and crop productivity, and offsite impacts on water quality and quantity. We examine regional change in rainfall erosivity and soil erosion resulting from biofuel policy‐induced land use/land cover (LULC) change. Regional climate is simulated under current and biofuel LULC scenarios for the period 1979–2004 using the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model coupled to the NOAH land surface model. The magnitude of change in rainfall erosivity under the biofuel scenario is 1.5–3 times higher than the change in total annual rainfall. Over most of the conterminous United States (~56%), the magnitude of the change in erosivity is between ?2.5% and +2.5%. A decrease in erosivity of magnitude 2.5–10% is predicted over 23% of the area, whereas an increase of the same magnitude is predicted over 14% of the area. Corresponding to the changes in rainfall erosivity and crop cover, a decrease in soil loss is predicted over 60% of the area under the biofuel scenario. In Kansas and Oklahoma, the states in which a large fraction of land area is planted with switchgrass under the biofuel scenario, soil loss is estimated to decrease 12% relative to the baseline. This reduction in soil loss is due more to changes in the crop cover factor than changes in rainfall or rainfall erosivity. This indicates that the changes in LULC, due to future cellulosic biofuel feedstock production, can have significant implications for regional soil and water resources in the United States and we recommend detailed investigation of the trade‐offs between land use and management options.     

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Crude Extracts and Essential Oils of Syzygium cumini Leaves

This research highlights the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essential oils and various crude extracts (using methanol and methylene chloride) from Syzygium cumini leaves. Essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The abundant constituents of the oils were: α-pinene (32.32%), β-pinene (12.44%), trans-caryophyllene (11.19%), 1, 3, 6-octatriene (8.41%), delta-3-carene (5.55%), α-caryophyllene (4.36%), and α-limonene (3.42%).The antioxidant activities of all extracts were examined using two complementary methods, namely diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRAP). In both methods, the methanol extract exhibited a higher activity than methylene chloride and essential oil extracts. A higher content of both total phenolics and flavonoids were found in the methanolic extract compared with other extracts. Furthermore, the methanol extract had higher antibacterial activity compared to methylene chloride and the essential oil extracts. Due to their antioxidant and antibacterial properties, the leaf extracts from S. cumini may be used as natural preservative ingredients in food and/or pharmaceutical industries.