Meta-analysis cum machine learning approaches address the structure and biogeochemical potential of marine copepod associated bacteriobiomes.

Copepods are the dominant members of the zooplankton community and the most abundant form of life. It is imperative to obtain insights into the copepod-associated bacteriobiomes (CAB) in order to identify specific bacterial taxa associated within a copepod, and to understand how they vary between different copepods. Analysing the potential genes within the CAB may reveal their intrinsic role in biogeochemical cycles. For this, machine-learning models and PICRUSt2 analysis were deployed to analyse 16S rDNA gene sequences (approximately 16 million reads) of CAB belonging to five different copepod genera viz., Acartia spp., Calanus spp., Centropages sp., Pleuromamma spp., and Temora spp.. Overall, we predict 50 sub-OTUs (s-OTUs) (gradient boosting classifiers) to be important in five copepod genera. Among these, 15 s-OTUs were predicted to be important in Calanus spp. and 20 s-OTUs as important in Pleuromamma spp.. Four bacterial s-OTUs Acinetobacter johnsonii, Phaeobacter, Vibrio shilonii and Piscirickettsiaceae were identified as important s-OTUs in Calanus spp., and the s-OTUs Marinobacter, Alteromonas, Desulfovibrio, Limnobacter, Sphingomonas, Methyloversatilis, Enhydrobacter and Coriobacteriaceae were predicted as important s-OTUs in Pleuromamma spp., for the first time. Our meta-analysis revealed that the CAB of Pleuromamma spp. had a high proportion of potential genes responsible for methanogenesis and nitrogen fixation, whereas the CAB of Temora spp. had a high proportion of potential genes involved in assimilatory sulphate reduction, and cyanocobalamin synthesis. The CAB of Pleuromamma spp. and Temora spp. have potential genes accountable for iron transport.

CTA collateral status and response to recanalization in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Collateral status at baseline is an independent determinant of clinical outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke. We sought to identify whether the association between recanalization after intra-arterial acute stroke therapy and favorable clinical response is modified by the presence of good collateral flow assessed on baseline CTA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data are from the Keimyung Stroke Registry, a prospective cohort study of patients with acute ischemic stroke from Daegu, South Korea. Patients with M1 segment MCA with or without intracranial ICA occlusions on baseline CTA from May 2004 to July 2009 who also had baseline MR imaging were included. Two readers blinded to all clinical information assessed baseline and follow-up imaging. Leptomeningeal collaterals on baseline CTA were assessed by consensus by use of the regional leptomeningeal score. RESULTS: Among 84 patients (mean age, 65.2 ± 13.2 years; median NIHSS score, 14; interquartile range, 8.5), median time from stroke onset to initial MR imaging was 164 minutes. TICI 2b-3 recanalization was achieved in 38.1% of patients and mRS 0-2 at 90 days in 35.8% of patients. In a multivariable model, the interaction between collateral status and recanalization was significant. Only patients with intermediate or good collaterals who recanalized showed a statistically significant association with good clinical outcome (rate ratio = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.2-12.1). Patients with good and intermediate collaterals who did not achieve recanalization and patients with poor collaterals, even if they achieved recanalization, did not do well. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with good or intermediate collaterals on CTA benefit from intra-arterial therapy, whereas patients with poor collaterals do not benefit from treatment.

Bioavailability trials of beta-carotene from fresh and dehydrated drumstick leaves (Moringa oleifera) in a rat model.

Male albino rats (Charles Foster, n = 40) were fed a synthetic diet deficient in vitamin A for 4 weeks. Six rats died during the depletion period. Of the 34 surviving, 5 rats were continued on the vitamin A deficient diet for 4 more weeks and 24 were repleted with vitamin A (4000 IU/kg diet) in the form of vitamin A acetate (group A, n = 8), fresh drumstick leaves (group B, n = 8) or dehydrated drumstick leaves (group C, n = 8) for 4 weeks. The remaining 10 rats were continued on the vitamin A adequate diet for 4 (n = 5) and 8 weeks, respectively (n = 5). A marked reduction in food intake, body weight, accompanied by clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency and a decline in serum vitamin A (29.2 to 19.1 microg/dL) and liver vitamin A (3.7 to 2.0 microg/dL) were seen at the end of 4 weeks of feeding a vitamin A deficient diet. On repletion significant improvements in clinical signs, food intake and body weights were noted in the three groups compared to the baseline (n = 5) and at the end of 4 weeks of depletion. The gain in body weight was highest for the group repleted with dehydrated drumstick leaves. Among the repleted groups, the serum vitamin A was highest for group A (34.7 microg/dL) given synthetic vitamin A, compared to group B (25.8 microg/dL) and group C (28.2 microg/dL) given drumstick leaves. All these were significantly higher than the serum vitamin A values seen at the end of 4 weeks of depletion (19.1 microg/dL). A significant improvement was also observed in the liver retinol levels on repletion for 4 weeks in the three groups, compared to the vitamin A depleted rats. These results imply that beta-carotene from drumstick leaves was effective in overcoming vitamin A deficiency although serum vitamin A levels remained somewhat lower compared to the group repleted with vitamin A acetate. In terms of growth parameters, the fresh and dehydrated drumstick leaves were better than the synthetic vitamin A. It is therefore concluded that in the developing countries like India, sources of vitamin A such as drumstick leaves are valuable in overcoming the problem of vitamin A deficiency.