Diversity patterns and ecological assembly mechanisms of bacterial communities in the northeastern Indian Ocean epipelagic waters during the northeast monsoon.

Disentangling microbial community diversity patterns and assembly mechanisms is critical for understanding ecological processes and evaluating biogeochemical cycling in ecosystems. However, the diversity patterns and assembly mechanism of the microbial communities in the epipelagic waters in the northeastern Indian Ocean (NEIO) on the spatial scale are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the spatial dynamics, geographic distribution pattern, and assembly process of the bacterial community using 532 samples collected from the epipelagic waters in the NEIO during the northeast monsoon. The results indicate that the bacterial richness and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity exhibited the strongest correlations with depth compared to the latitudinal and longitudinal scales. The dissolved oxygen was identified as the most important environmental factor affecting the bacterial richness and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity compared to temperature and salinity. The distance-decay relationship (DDR) of the bacterial community strengthened with increasing water depth. Turnover was the predominant ß-diversity component influencing the spatial changes in the whole bacterial community. The dispersal limitation of the stochastic process and homogeneous selection of the deterministic process governed the bacterial ecological assembly process of the whole bacterial community. Abundant and rare subcommunities differed in terms of the niche breath, composition changes. The abundant subcommunities exhibited a much wider niche breath than the rare subcommunities. Regarding the abundant subcommunity species changes, the contributions of the turnover and nestedness varied with the water depth and oceanic region. In contrast, turnover was the major ß-diversity component regarding the changes in the rare species. These data improve our understanding of the ecological processes of bacterial community assemblages in the NEIO.

How strain affects the reactivity of surface metal oxide catalysts.

Highly dispersed molybdenum oxide supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15 has been prepared by anion exchange resulting in a series of catalysts with changing Mo densities (0.2-2.5 Mo atoms nm(-2) ). X-ray absorption, UV/Vis, Raman, and IR spectroscopy indicate that doubly anchored tetrahedral dioxo MoO4 units are the major surface species at all loadings. Higher reducibility at loadings close to the monolayer measured by temperature-programmed reduction and a steep increase in the catalytic activity observed in metathesis of propene and oxidative dehydrogenation of propane at 8 % of Mo loading are attributed to frustration of Mo oxide surface species and lateral interactions. Based on DFT calculations, NEXAFS spectra at the O-K-edge at high Mo loadings are explained by distorted MoO4 complexes. Limited availability of anchor silanol groups at high loadings forces the MoO4 groups to form more strained configurations. The occurrence of strain is linked to the increase in reactivity.

Influenza A Viral Infection with Septic Shock in Pregnancy.

The influenza virus is RNA virus and is classified into four subtypes, influenza A, influenza B, influenza C, and influenza D. One of the subtypes of influenza A, the H1N1 strain, also known as swine flu, is especially of high risk for development of complications in pregnant women. The influenza A virus infection is difficult to diagnose clinically because its presenting symptoms are similar to those of the common cold but are more severe, last longer, and can be potentially life-threatening. This case also presented with common cold symptoms but her condition worsened later. Fortunately, obstetric health providers were vigilant enough to address the developing infection and its related complications. It was the cooperative effort of multidisciplinary team care which resulted in a favourable outcome in both mother and baby.

Understanding the Relationship between Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Staff of an University in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) was found to be one of the strongest markers in predicting the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study was to determine the AIP and its relationship with other CVD risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was done among 349 staff of a public university in Sarawak. Data were collected using questionnaire, blood sampling, and anthropometric and blood pressure measurement. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. RESULTS: A total of 349 respondents participated with majority females (66.8%), aged 38.5 ± 7.82 years. Nearly 80% of the respondents were overweight and obese, 87.1% with high and very high body fat, and 46.9% with abnormal visceral fat. For AIP category, 8.9% were found to be in intermediate and 16.4% were at high risk. Elevated lipid profile showed that total cholesterol (TC) is 15.5%, low density lipoprotein (LDL) is 16.1%, and triglyceride (TG) is 10.6%. AIP was significantly correlated with body mass index (r=0.25), visceral fat (r=0.37), TC (r=0.22), LDL (0.24), HDL (r=-0.72), TG (r=0.84), glucose (r=0.32), systolic blood pressure (r=0.22), and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.28). CONCLUSION: It indicated that AIP is associated with other CVD risk factors. Modification of lifestyle is strongly recommended.

Caecal Perforation from Primary Intestinal Tuberculosis in Pregnancy.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is rising worldwide, despite the efficacy of the BCG vaccination. Populations at greatest risk of contracting TB are migrant communities, as well as immunocompromised individuals. The diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) can often present as a diagnostic conundrum, due to its nonspecific and varied presentation, often mimicking inflammatory bowel disease or malignancy. We present a case of caecal TB in pregnancy, which resulted in caecal perforation, a right hemicolectomy, and severe preterm delivery. The aim of this case report is to discuss the diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB, as well as its subsequent management in pregnancy.

A cross-sectional survey of soil-transmitted helminthiases in two Myanmar villages receiving mass drug administration: epidemiology of infection with a focus on adults.

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are still highly prevalent in southeast Asia. The country of Myanmar has had ongoing mass drug administration (MDA) programmes since 2003 in an attempt to control STH and reduce STH-related morbidities. Whilst the MDA programmes have reported high nationwide coverage, there have been no epidemiological surveys that included measurements from adults. This paper details three cross-sectional surveys that took place over the course of a year in two villages endemic for STH and receiving MDA in lower Myanmar. RESULTS: At baseline, 27.81% of participants were infected with at least one type of STH. The most prevalent STH was Trichuris trichiura (18.12%) followed by hookworm (8.71%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (5.34%). Most infections were of low intensity, measured by eggs per gram of faeces (EPG). Gender stratification revealed that A. lumbricoides prevalence was significantly higher in females, whereas hookworm prevalence was significantly higher in males. The distribution of EPG in the study sample was highly overdispersed, suggesting that most people release few eggs whereas a few people release many eggs. Adults harbour a major proportion of the overall STH burden; 65.15% of STH infections were harboured by adults. CONCLUSIONS: STH infection remains at medium prevalence in the study villages despite past and recent MDA. Recorded prevalence of STH in school-aged children has not substantially decreased since the last monitoring and evaluation activities in Myanmar in 2013. Analyses suggest that adults are a major contributor to the total STH prevalence and EPG burden, probably perpetuating transmission.

Unusual variations of the lateral and posterior cords in a female cadaver.

The presence of anatomical variations of the peripheral nervous system often accounts for unexpected clinical signs and symptoms. We report unusual variations of the lateral and posterior cords of the brachial plexus in a female cadaver. Such variations are attributed to a faulty union of divisions of the brachial plexus during the embryonic period. The median nerve lay medial to the axillary artery (AA) on both sides. On the right, the lateral root of the median nerve crossing the AA and the median nerve in relation to the medial side of the AA was likely the result of a faulty development of the seventh intersegmental artery. We discuss these variations and compare them with the findings of other researchers. Knowledge of such rare variations is clinically important, aiding radiologists, anaesthesiologists and surgeons to avoid inadvertent damage to nerves and the AA during blocks and surgical interventions.