Refractive Astigmatism Outcomes of Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Arcuate Keratotomies Combined with Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery: Two-Year Results.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and stability of refractive astigmatism reduction after penetrating femtosecond laser-assisted arcuate keratotomy performed at the time of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. METHODS: Non-randomized retrospective data analysis of all patients that underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with femtosecond laser-assisted arcuate keratotomy over a 4-year period with a non-toric monofocal intraocular lens (2017-2021) at a tertiary care academic center. Postoperative visual acuity, manifest refraction, and predicted residual refractive error were also recorded at 1 month, 3-6 months, 12-18 months, and 2 years postoperatively. Preoperative keratometric astigmatism was compared to postoperative refractive astigmatism using vector calculations and the ASCRS double-angle plot tool. RESULTS: This study comprised 266 eyes (179 patients) that met inclusion criteria. The mean preoperative keratometric astigmatism magnitude was 0.99 ± 0.53 D. At 1 month, 3-6 months, 12-18 months, and 2 years postoperatively, the mean refractive cylinder was 0.49 ± 0.45 D, 0.49 ± 0.45 D, 0.55 ± 0.54 D, and 0.52 ± 0.46 D, respectively. Horizontal against-the-rule astigmatism showed a higher tendency toward undercorrection than vertical with-the-rule astigmatism, which had a slightly higher tendency toward overcorrection. With-the-rule astigmatism had smaller difference vectors between target-induced astigmatism and surgically induced astigmatism. CONCLUSIONS: Femtosecond laser-assisted arcuate keratotomy performed at the time of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery was an effective option for correcting low-to-moderate corneal astigmatism for up to 2 years.

Synthase-selected sorting approach identifies a beta-lactone synthase in a nudibranch symbiotic bacterium.

BACKGROUND: Nudibranchs comprise a group of > 6000 marine soft-bodied mollusk species known to use secondary metabolites (natural products) for chemical defense. The full diversity of these metabolites and whether symbiotic microbes are responsible for their synthesis remains unexplored. Another issue in searching for undiscovered natural products is that computational analysis of genomes of uncultured microbes can result in detection of novel biosynthetic gene clusters; however, their in vivo functionality is not guaranteed which limits further exploration of their pharmaceutical or industrial potential. To overcome these challenges, we used a fluorescent pantetheine probe, which produces a fluorescent CoA-analog employed in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, to label and capture bacterial symbionts actively producing these compounds in the mantle of the nudibranch Doriopsilla fulva. RESULTS: We recovered the genome of Candidatus Doriopsillibacter californiensis from the Ca. Tethybacterales order, an uncultured lineage of sponge symbionts not found in nudibranchs previously. It forms part of the core skin microbiome of D. fulva and is nearly absent in its internal organs. We showed that crude extracts of D. fulva contained secondary metabolites that were consistent with the presence of a beta-lactone encoded in Ca. D. californiensis genome. Beta-lactones represent an underexplored group of secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical potential that have not been reported in nudibranchs previously. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, this study shows how probe-based, targeted sorting approaches can capture bacterial symbionts producing secondary metabolites in vivo. Video Abstract.

Long-read metagenomics of soil communities reveals phylum-specific secondary metabolite dynamics.

Microbial biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) encoding secondary metabolites are thought to impact a plethora of biologically mediated environmental processes, yet their discovery and functional characterization in natural microbiomes remains challenging. Here we describe deep long-read sequencing and assembly of metagenomes from biological soil crusts, a group of soil communities that are rich in BGCs. Taking advantage of the unusually long assemblies produced by this approach, we recovered nearly 3,000 BGCs for analysis, including 712 full-length BGCs. Functional exploration through metatranscriptome analysis of a 3-day wetting experiment uncovered phylum-specific BGC expression upon activation from dormancy, elucidating distinct roles and complex phylogenetic and temporal dynamics in wetting processes. For example, a pronounced increase in BGC transcription occurs at night primarily in cyanobacteria, implicating BGCs in nutrient scavenging roles and niche competition. Taken together, our results demonstrate that long-read metagenomic sequencing combined with metatranscriptomic analysis provides a direct view into the functional dynamics of BGCs in environmental processes and suggests a central role of secondary metabolites in maintaining phylogenetically conserved niches within biocrusts.

A taxonomic review of the coastal genus Iotarphia Cameron (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) with a description of new species based on morphological and molecular characters.

A taxonomic review of the marine littoral genus Iotarphia Cameron is presented. Three species are recognized, one of which is described as a new species (I. magna Song Ahn, sp. n.) based on morphological and molecular characters. Genetic divergence of COI using uncorrected p-distance among Iotarphia species ranged from 10% to 11.6%, while intraspecific divergence ranged from 0% to 1.3%. All three species were strongly supported as a single lineage on both neighbor-joining and parsimony trees. The genus Iotarphia and I. australis Cameron are redescribed with illustrations of diagnostic characters. The female of I. rufobrunnea is characterized for the first time. A key and comparison table for similarities and differences among the species are presented.

Impact of necrophytoremediation on petroleum hydrocarbon degradation, ecotoxicity and soil bacterial community composition in diesel-contaminated soil.

Hydrocarbon degradation is usually measured in laboratories under controlled conditions to establish the likely efficacy of a bioremediation process in the field. The present study used greenhouse-based bioremediation to investigate the effects of natural attenuation (NA) and necrophytoremediation (addition of pea straw (PS)) on hydrocarbon degradation, toxicity and the associated bacterial community structure and composition in diesel-contaminated soil. A significant reduction in total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration was detected in both treatments; however, PS-treated soil showed more rapid degradation (87%) after 5 months together with a significant reduction in soil toxicity (EC50 = 91 mg diesel/kg). Quantitative PCR analysis revealed an increase in the number of 16S rRNA and alkB genes in the PS-amended soil. Substantial shifts in soil bacterial community were observed during the bioremediation, including an increased abundance of numerous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. The bacterial community shifted from dominance by Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria in the original soil to Actinobacteria during bioremediation. The dominance of two genera of bacteria, Sphingobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, in both NA- and PS-treated soil demonstrated changes occurring within the soil bacterial community through the incubation period. Additionally, pea straw itself was found to harbour a diverse hydrocarbonoclastic community including Luteimonas, Achromobacter, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus and Microbacterium. At the end of the experiment, PS-amended soil exhibited reduced ecotoxicity and increased bacterial diversity as compared with the NA-treated soil. These findings suggest the rapid growth of species stimulated by the bioremediation treatment and strong selection for bacteria capable of degrading petroleum hydrocarbons during necrophytoremediation. Graphical abstract.

Bilateral Vision Loss with p-ANCA Associated Lymphocytic Vasculitis.

Purpose: To describe a case of p-ANCA associated vasculitis in a patient with bilateral vision loss with no systemic symptoms or signsMethods: A descriptive review of a caseResults: We report a case of bilateral sequential vision loss in a 73-year-old woman who had no constitutional symptoms except headache and was found to have positive p-ANCA and lymphocytic infiltration on bilateral temporal artery biopsy. Despite the early administration of systemic corticosteroids, the visual outcome was unfavorable.Conclusion: It is important to consider ANCA associated vasculitides when temporal artery biopsy does not support GCA.

Interkingdom Genetic Mix-and-Match To Produce Novel Sunscreens.

Sunscreen-containing skincare products protect the skin from damage caused by sun exposure. However, many of them contain oxybenzone and/or octinoxate, which have been reported to be toxic to juvenile coral and to cause coral bleaching. Thus, there is a growing need for new sunscreen compounds that are less harmful to the environment. Here, we report an engineered biosynthetic pathway employing genes from a vertebrate and two Gram-(+) bacteria that forms novel sunscreen compounds with hybrid structures of gadusol and mycosporine-like amino acids, both of which are found in marine environments. These compounds, named gadusporines, have unique UV absorbance at 340 nm, expanding the range of mycosporine- and gadusol-based sunscreen products. The synthesis of gadusporines in Streptomyces coelicolor establishes a platform for the design and production of novel sunscreens.

Vaccination Data When the Outbreak Happens: A Qualitative Evaluation of Oregon's Rapid Response Tool.

OBJECTIVE: Immunization data are vital to support responses to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. The Oregon Immunization Program developed a unique prototype instrument-the Rapid Response Tool (RRT)-that provides population data to local responders within 2 hours of a request. Data outputs include vaccination coverage by age group and zip code; percentages of students with nonmedical exemptions to vaccination requirements, by school; and current, comprehensive lists of local vaccination providers. METHODS: The RRT was demonstrated to staff at 7 Oregon counties and feedback was solicited via comments and a structured survey. RESULTS: The RRT received strong support. Attendees identified several uses for RRT data, including outbreak response and ongoing intervention efforts, and they pointed to areas for further development. CONCLUSIONS: The success of the RRT demonstrations illustrates that a well-populated immunization information system can contribute to preparedness work well beyond current standards. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:682-685).

The Concordance of Parent and Child Immunization.

BACKGROUND: A substantial body of work has related survey-based parental vaccine hesitancy to noncompliant childhood immunization. However little attention has been paid to the connection between parents' own immunization behavior and the immunizations their children receive. METHODS: Using the Oregon ALERT Immunization Information System, we identified adult caregiver-child pairs for children between 9 months and 17 years of age. The likelihood of adult-child concordance of influenza immunization per influenza season from 2010-2011 through 2014-2015 was assessed. The utility of adult immunization as a predictor was also assessed for other, noninfluenza recommended immunizations for children and adolescents. RESULTS: A total of 450 687 matched adult caregiver-child pairs were included in the study. The children of immunizing adults were 2.77 times more likely to also be immunized for seasonal influenza across all seasons (95% confidence interval, 2.74-2.79), with similar results applying within each season. Adult immunization status was also significantly associated with the likelihood of children and adolescents getting other noninfluenza immunizations, such as the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV). When adults improved their own behavior from nonimmunizing to immunizing across influenza seasons, their children if not immunized in the previous season were 5.44 times (95% confidence interval, 5.35-5.53) more likely to become immunized for influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Children's likelihood of following immunization recommendations is associated with the immunization behavior of their parents. Encouraging parental immunization is a potential tool for increasing children's immunization rates.

The sedoheptulose 7-phosphate cyclases and their emerging roles in biology and ecology.

Covering up to: 1999-2016This highlight covers a family of enzymes of growing importance, the sedoheptulose 7-phosphate cyclases, initially of interest due to their involvement in the biosynthesis of pharmaceutically relevant secondary metabolites. More recently, these enzymes have been found throughout Prokarya and Eukarya, suggesting their broad potential biological roles in nature.

Evolution and Distribution of C7-Cyclitol Synthases in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.

2-Epi-5-epi-valiolone synthase (EEVS), a C7-sugar phosphate cyclase (SPC) homologous to 3-dehydroquinate synthase (DHQS), was discovered during studies of the biosynthesis of the C7N-aminocyclitol family of natural products. EEVS was originally thought to be present only in certain actinomycetes, but analyses of genome sequences showed that it is broadly distributed in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including vertebrates. Another SPC, desmethyl-4-deoxygadusol synthase (DDGS), was later discovered as being involved in the biosynthesis of mycosporine-like amino acid sunscreen compounds. Current database annotations are quite unreliable, with many EEVSs reported as DHQS, and most DDGSs reported as EEVS, DHQS, or simply hypothetical proteins. Here, we identify sequence features useful for distinguishing these enzymes, report a crystal structure of a representative DDGS showing the high similarity of the EEVS and DDGS enzymes, identify notable active site differences, and demonstrate the importance of two of these active site residues for catalysis by point mutations. Further, we functionally characterized two representatives of a distinct clade equidistant from known EEVS and known DDGS groups and show them to be authentic EEVSs. Moreover, we document and discuss the distribution of genes that encode EEVS and DDGS in various prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including pathogenic bacteria, plant symbionts, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, myxobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, stramenopiles, and animals, suggesting their broad potential biological roles in nature.

A Highly Promiscuous ß-Ketoacyl-ACP Synthase (KAS) III-like Protein Is Involved in Pactamycin Biosynthesis.

ß-Ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ß-Ketoacyl-ACP) synthase (KAS) III catalyzes the first step in fatty acid biosynthesis, involving a Claisen condensation of the acetyl-CoA starter unit with the first extender unit, malonyl-ACP, to form acetoacetyl-ACP. KAS III-like proteins have also been reported to catalyze acyltransferase reactions using coenzyme A esters or discrete ACP-bound substrates. Here, we report the in vivo and in vitro characterizations of a KAS III-like protein (PtmR), which directly transfers a 6-methylsalicylyl moiety from an iterative type I polyketide synthase to an aminocyclopentitol unit in pactamycin biosynthesis. PtmR is highly promiscuous, recognizing a wide array of S-acyl-N-acetylcysteamines as substrates to produce a suite of pactamycin derivatives with diverse alkyl and aromatic features. The results suggest that KAS III-like proteins may be used as versatile tools for modifications of complex natural products.

A new species of Iotarphia Cameron (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from Tasmanian seacoasts, Australia.

Iotarphia rufobrunnea Lee & Ahn, sp. n. is described from Tasmania. The new species is compared with another species of the genus, Iotarphia australis Cameron. A description, habitus photograph and illustrations of the diagnostic characters are provided.

Interrogating the Tailoring Steps of Pactamycin Biosynthesis and Accessing New Pactamycin Analogues.

Pactamycin is a bacteria-derived aminocyclitol antibiotic with a wide-range of biological activity. Its chemical structure and potent biological activities have made it an interesting lead compound for drug discovery and development. Despite its unusual chemical structure, many aspects of its formation in nature remain elusive. Using a combination of genetic inactivation and metabolic analysis, we investigated the tailoring processes of pactamycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces pactum. The results provide insights into the sequence of events during the tailoring steps of pactamycin biosynthesis and explain the unusual production of various pactamycin analogues by S. pactum mutants. We also identified two new pactamycin analogues that have better selectivity indexes than pactamycin against malarial parasites.

Spatial and temporal variability of bacterial communities within a combined sewer system.

This study describes the temporal and spatial variability of bacterial communities within a combined sewer system in England. Sampling was conducted over 9 months in a sewer system with intensive monitoring of hydraulic conditions. The bacterial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene-targeted terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. These data were related to the hydraulic data as well as the sample type, location, and time. Temporal and spatial variation was observed between and within wastewater communities and biofilm communities. The bacterial communities in biofilm were distinctly different from the communities in wastewater and exhibited greater spatial variation, while the wastewater communities exhibited variability between different months of sampling. This study highlights the variation of bacterial communities between biofilm and wastewater, and has shown both spatial and temporal variations in bacterial communities in combined sewers. The temporal variation is of interest for in-sewer processes, for example, sewer odor generation, as field measurements for these processes are often carried out over short durations and may therefore not capture the influence of this temporal variation of the bacterial communities.

De novo synthesis of a sunscreen compound in vertebrates.

Ultraviolet-protective compounds, such as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) and related gadusols produced by some bacteria, fungi, algae, and marine invertebrates, are critical for the survival of reef-building corals and other marine organisms exposed to high-solar irradiance. These compounds have also been found in marine fish, where their accumulation is thought to be of dietary or symbiont origin. In this study, we report the unexpected discovery that fish can synthesize gadusol de novo and that the analogous pathways are also present in amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Furthermore, we demonstrate that engineered yeast containing the fish genes can produce and secrete gadusol. The discovery of the gadusol pathway in vertebrates provides a platform for understanding its role in these animals, and the possibility of engineering yeast to efficiently produce a natural sunscreen and antioxidant presents an avenue for its large-scale production for possible use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Waning immunity to pertussis following 5 doses of DTaP.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of pertussis by time since vaccination in children in Minnesota and Oregon who received 5 doses of acellular pertussis vaccines (DTaP). METHODS: These cohort analyses included Minnesota and Oregon children born between 1998 and 2003 who had 5 DTaP doses recorded in state Immunization Information Systems. Immunization records and statewide pertussis surveillance data were combined. Incidence rates and risk ratios for pertussis were calculated for the 6 years after receipt of the fifth DTaP dose. RESULTS: The cohorts included 224,378 Minnesota children and 179,011 from Oregon; 458 and 89 pertussis cases were identified in Minnesota and Oregon, respectively. Pertussis incidence rates rose each year of follow-up: 15.6/100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.1-21.4) at year 1 to 138.4/100,000 (CI: 113.3-166.9) at year 6 (Minnesota); 6.2/100,000 (CI: 3.3-10.6) in year 1 to 24.4/100,000 (CI: 15.0-37.8) in year 6 (Oregon). Risk ratios increased from 1.9 (CI: 1.3-2.9) in year 2 to 8.9 (CI: 6.0-13.0) in year 6 (Minnesota) and from 1.3 (CI: 0.6-2.8) in year 2 to 4.0 (CI: 1.9-8.4) in year 6 (Oregon). CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation reports steady increase in risk of pertussis in the years after completion of the 5-dose DTaP series. This rise is likely attributable in part to waning immunity from DTaP vaccines. Continuing to monitor disease burden and vaccine effectiveness in fully vaccinated children in coming years will be important to assess ongoing risk as additional cohorts vaccinated solely with acellular pertussis vaccines are introduced.