A metagenomics-based approach to decipher the resistome and mobilome of two seahorse species, Hippocampus barbouri and Hippocampus comes.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in seahorses (Hippocampus barbouri and Hippocampus comes) and their surrounding environment. METHODS: A combination of shotgun metagenomics and bioinformatics was used to investigate the resistome of both seahorse species. RESULTS: The analyses demonstrated a higher abundance of ARGs in seahorse-associated microbiomes, particularly in skin and gut samples, compared to those from water and sediment. Interestingly, genes conferring multidrug resistance (e.g., acrB, acrF, cpxA, msbA, and oqxB) were highly prevalent in all samples, especially in skin and gut samples. High levels of genes conferring resistance to fluoroquinolones (e.g., mfd and emrB), ß-lactam (e.g., blaCMY-71, blaOXA-55, and penA), aminocoumarin (e.g., mdtB and mdtC), and peptide antibiotics (arnA, pmrE, and rosA) were also observed in skin and gut samples. An enrichment of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was also observed in the analysed samples, highlighting their potential role in facilitating the acquisition and spread of ARGs. In fact, the abundance of mobilisation (MOB) relaxases (e.g., MOBF, MOBP, MOBT, and MOBV) in gut and skin samples suggests a high potential for conjugation events. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of ARGs and MGEs in seahorses and the surrounding environment raises concerns about their transmission to humans, either through direct contact or the consumption of contaminated seafood. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive analysis of ARGs in seahorse-associated microbiomes, and its results emphasise the need for monitoring and controlling the spread of ARGs in environmental settings.

Shotgun Metagenomics Reveals Taxonomic and Functional Patterns of the Microbiome Associated with Barbour's Seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri).

This study aimed to investigate the taxonomic and functional patterns of the microbiome associated with Barbour's seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri) using a combination of shotgun metagenomics and bioinformatics. The analyses revealed that Pseudomonadota and Bacillota were the dominant phyla in the seahorse skin microbiome, whereas Pseudomonadota and, to a lesser extent, Bacillota and Bacteroidota were the dominant phyla in the seahorse gut microbiome. Several metabolic pathway categories were found to be enriched in the skin microbiome, including amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, energy metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, as well as membrane transport, signal transduction, and cellular community-prokaryotes. In contrast, the gut microbiome exhibited enrichment in metabolic pathways associated with the metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, and quorum sensing. Additionally, although the relative abundance of bacteriocins in the skin and gut was slightly similar, notable differences were observed at the class level. Specifically, class I bacteriocins were found to be more abundant in the skin microbiome, whereas class III bacteriocins were more abundant in the gut microbiome. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive examination of the taxonomic and functional patterns of the skin and gut microbiome in Barbour's seahorse. These findings can greatly contribute to a deeper understanding of the seahorse-associated microbiome, which can play a pivotal role in predicting and controlling bacterial infections, thereby contributing to the success of aquaculture and health-promoting initiatives.

Occurrence of Aeromonas Species in the Cutaneous Mucus of Barbour's Seahorses (Hippocampus barbouri) as Revealed by High-Throughput Sequencing.

Although several studies have described the bacterial community composition associated with marine fish, there is limited information related to seahorses. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that the skin microbiota is useful for determining health status and common disorders in the host. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the skin bacterial community composition in Barbour's seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri) using high-throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Water and sediment samples from the surrounding environment were also analyzed for comparative purposes. The results revealed that sequences affiliated with the Shewanellaceae family were dominant in the skin of female Barbour's seahorses and sediment samples, whereas sequences affiliated with the Bacillaceae family were dominant in the skin of male Barbour's seahorses. Interestingly, sequences affiliated with the Aeromonas genus were found in the skin of Barbour's seahorses, whose abundance was slightly similar between the female and male specimens. Further comparative analysis showed that the presence of Aeromonas species in the skin of Barbour's seahorses was strongly influenced by the surrounding sediment. Given that some Aeromonas species are known to be important pathogens in humans and fish, these results may be used for further research on the dependency of the skin microbial composition on the environment as well as determine whether the presence of Aeromonas and other detected species has implications on seahorse health.

Allometric Models for Predicting Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Stock of Tropical Perennial C4 Grasses in Hawaii.

Biomass is a promising renewable energy option that provides a more environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil resources by reducing the net flux of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Yet, allometric models that allow the prediction of aboveground biomass (AGB), biomass carbon (C) stock non-destructively have not yet been developed for tropical perennial C4 grasses currently under consideration as potential bioenergy feedstock in Hawaii and other subtropical and tropical locations. The objectives of this study were to develop optimal allometric relationships and site-specific models to predict AGB, biomass C stock of napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane under cultivation practices for renewable energy and validate these site-specific models against independent data sets generated from sites with widely different environments. Several allometric models were developed for each species from data at a low elevation field on the island of Maui, Hawaii. A simple power model with stalk diameter (D) was best related to AGB and biomass C stock for napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane, (R2 = 0.98, 0.96, and 0.97, respectively). The models were then tested against data collected from independent fields across an environmental gradient. For all crops, the models over-predicted AGB in plants with lower stalk D, but AGB was under-predicted in plants with higher stalk D. The models using stalk D were better for biomass prediction compared to dewlap H (Height from the base cut to most recently exposed leaf dewlap) models, which showed weak validation performance. Although stalk D model performed better, however, the mean square error (MSE)-systematic was ranged from 23 to 43 % of MSE for all crops. A strong relationship between model coefficient and rainfall was existed, although these were irrigated systems; suggesting a simple site-specific coefficient modulator for rainfall to reduce systematic errors in water-limited areas. These allometric equations provide a tool for farmers in the tropics to estimate perennial C4 grass biomass and C stock during decision-making for land management and as an environmental sustainability indicator within a renewable energy system.

Acute kidney injury after myeloablative cord blood transplantation in adults: the efficacy of strict monitoring of vancomycin serum trough concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common medical complication after myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). We have previously performed a retrospective analysis of AKI after cord blood transplantation (CBT) in adults, and found that the maximum of vancomycin (VCM) trough levels were significantly higher in patients with AKI. Following these results, we have monitored VCM serum trough concentrations more strictly, to not exceed 10.0 mg/L, since 2008. METHODS: In this report, we performed an analysis of AKI in a new group of 38 adult patients with hematological malignancies treated with unrelated CBT after myeloablative conditioning between January 2008 and July 2011. RESULTS: Cumulative incidence of AKI at day 100 after CBT was 34% (95% confidence interval 19-50). The median of the maximum value of VCM trough was 8.8 (4.5-12.2) mg/L. In multivariate analysis, no factor was associated with the incidence of AKI. No transplant-related mortality was observed. The probability of disease-free survival at 2 years was 83%. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that strict monitoring of VCM serum trough concentrations has a beneficial effect on outcomes of CBT.

The use of a pneumatic leg brace in soldiers with tibial stress fractures--a randomized clinical trial.

STUDY DESIGN: Single blind randomized controlled replication study. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the effect of a pneumatic leg brace on return-to-activity and pain in soldiers with tibial stress fractures. METHODS AND MEASURES: Thirty-one subjects diagnosed with tibial stress fractures were randomly assigned to either a brace or control group. Dependent variables included time to pain-free single-leg hopping, visual analog pain scale, and time to a pain-free 1-mile run. Twenty subjects (10 brace, 10 control) completed a detailed functional progression culminating in a 1-mile run. RESULTS: There was no difference between groups for time to pain-free hop (p > 0.86; power = 0.43) and time to pain-free 1-mile run (p > 0.24; power = 0.92). Subjects in both groups experienced statistically significant improvements in pain measurements (p < 0.002), but no difference was found between groups (p > 0.93). CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated no added benefit of Aircast leg braces in the treatment of tibial stress fractures in the military training environment.

Partnership: an analysis of the concept within the nurse-client relationship.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Current nursing literature that describes the nurse-client relationship as a partnership provides little clarity about the elements and processes of this partnership. This is hardly surprising as conceptual definitions of partnership differ in scope and vary according to the context of the partnership and types of partners. AIMS OF THE PAPER: This paper examines the concept of partnership using Rodgers's (2000) evolutionary approach to concept analysis. The paper describes the antecedents, attributes and consequences of partnership as well as changing socio-political and economic contexts that illuminate how and why nurse-client partnership emerged. Temporal changes in the concept of partnership are also examined. FINDINGS: The nurse-client relationship as partnership evolved from a growth in democratic thinking and progress in clarifying how to honour basic human rights in health care relationships. The attributes of partnership include structural and process phenomena. The structure of partnership includes the phases of the relationship, focus and aims of each phase, and roles and responsibilities of the partners. The process of partnership embodies power sharing and negotiation. The main consequence of partnership is client empowerment, which is understood to be the improved ability of the client to act on his/her own behalf. CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes with suggestions for further development of the concept of partnership through empirical research.

[The relationship between RBC ferritin content in chronic liver diseases and iron deposition in hepatocytes].

The erythrocyte (RBC) ferritin content was measured in patients with chronic liver diseases including alcoholic liver disease, liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and normal subjects as controls. The relationship between RBC ferritin content and iron deposition in hepatocytes was studied. The mean RBC ferritin content (MV +/- 1SD) from normal subjects was 20.7 +/- 9.7 ag/cell in male, 11.1 +/- 5.5 ag/cell in female (ag = 10(-18)g). RBC ferritin content from chronic liver disease was higher than that of normal subjects, especially in liver cirrhosis. It elevated to 71.0 +/- 52.2 ag/cell in male, and 41.6 +/- 35.0 ag/cell in female. The iron deposition in hepatocyte was observed mostly in patients with RBC ferritin content over 20 ag/cell. The microheterogeneities of RBC ferritin from liver cirrhosis was examined by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and compared with that of normal subjects. RBC ferritin from normal subjects was detected at pI range from 5.1 to 5.7 in most cases, while it was detected at pI range from about 5.0 to 6.0 in the liver cirrhosis. More basic ferritin was detected in the latter and the peaks of pI was also more basic than that of normal controls. Since patients with liver cirrhosis examined had iron deposition in hepatocytes, it is conceivable that the occurrence of basic ferritin reflects iron overload in the liver. Taking these results together, it was concluded that the presence of iron deposition in hepatocytes and the degree of iron overload can be assumed from the determination of RBC ferritin content, a noninvasive procedure.