OneGene PGT: comprehensive preimplantation genetic testing method utilizing next-generation sequencing.

PURPOSE: Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) allows early diagnosis in embryos conceived in vitro. PGT-M helps to prevent known genetic disorders in affected families and ensures that pathogenic variants in the male or female partner are not passed on to offspring. The trend in genetic testing of embryos is to provide a comprehensive platform that enables robust and reliable testing for the causal pathogenic variant(s), as well as chromosomal abnormalities that commonly occur in embryos. In this study, we describe PGT protocol that allows direct mutation testing, haplotyping, and aneuploidy screening. METHODS: Described PGT protocol called OneGene PGT allows direct mutation testing, haplotyping, and aneuploidy screening using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Whole genome amplification product is combined with multiplex PCR used for SNP enrichment. Dedicated bioinformatic tool enables mapping, genotype calling, and haplotyping of informative SNP markers. A commercial software was used for aneuploidy calling. RESULTS: OneGenePGT has been implemented for seven of the most common monogenic disorders, representing approximately 30% of all PGT-M indications at our IVF centre. The technique has been thoroughly validated, focusing on direct pathogenic variant testing, haplotype identification, and chromosome abnormality detection. Validation results show full concordance with Sanger sequencing and karyomapping, which were used as reference methods. CONCLUSION: OneGene PGT is a comprehensive, robust, and cost-effective method that can be established for any gene of interest. The technique is particularly suitable for common monogenic diseases, which can be performed based on a universal laboratory protocol without the need for set-up or pre-testing.

Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange-Mass Spectrometry (HILIC-HDX-MS) for Untargeted Metabolomics.

Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics detects thousands of molecular features (retention time-m/z pairs) in biological samples per analysis, yet the metabolite annotation rate remains low, with 90% of signals classified as unknowns. To enhance the metabolite annotation rates, researchers employ tandem mass spectral libraries and challenging in silico fragmentation software. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) may offer an additional layer of structural information in untargeted metabolomics, especially for identifying specific unidentified metabolites that are revealed to be statistically significant. Here, we investigate the potential of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-HDX-MS in untargeted metabolomics. Specifically, we evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches using hypothetical targets: the post-column addition of deuterium oxide (D2O) and the on-column HILIC-HDX-MS method. To illustrate the practical application of HILIC-HDX-MS, we apply this methodology using the in silico fragmentation software MS-FINDER to an unknown compound detected in various biological samples, including plasma, serum, tissues, and feces during HILIC-MS profiling, subsequently identified as N1-acetylspermidine.

Pyocin-mediated antagonistic interactions in Pseudomonas spp. isolated in James Ross Island, Antarctica.

Interactions within bacterial communities are frequently mediated by the production of antimicrobial agents. Despite the increasing interest in research of new antimicrobials, studies describing antagonistic interactions among cold-adapted microorganisms are still rare. Our study assessed the antimicrobial interactions of 36 Antarctic Pseudomonas spp. and described the genetic background of these interactions in selected strains. The overall bacteriocinogeny was greater compared to mesophilic Pseudomonas non-aeruginosa species. R-type tailocins were detected on transmission electron micrographs in 16 strains (44.4%); phylogenetic analysis of the corresponding gene clusters revealed that the P. prosekii CCM 8878 tailocin was related to the Rp3 group, whereas the tailocin in Pseudomonas sp. CCM 8880 to the Rp4 group. Soluble antimicrobials were produced by eight strains (22.-2%); gene mining found pyocin L homologues in the genomes of P. prosekii CCM 8881 and CCM 8879 and pyocin S9-like homologues in P. prosekii CCM 8881 and Pseudomonas sp. CCM 8880. Analysis of secretomes confirmed the production of all S- and L-type pyocin genes. Our results suggest that bacteriocin-based inhibition plays an important role in interactions among Antarctic soil bacteria, and these native, cold-adapted microorganisms could be a promising source of new antimicrobials.

Effect of fixed orthodontic appliances on gingival status and oral microbiota: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This pilot study aimed to investigate how fixed orthodontic appliances simultaneously applied on the upper and lower arches affect the oral environment in the medium term. METHODS: The oral status of 30 orthodontic patients was evaluated using the number of decay-missing-filled teeth (DMFT), plaque (PI), and gingival indices (GI) before bonding of fixed orthodontic appliances (T0) and during the therapy (T1). Besides, the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and a dental plaque were collected. Samples were analyzed for selected Candida sp. and for 10 selected oral bacteria using mass spectroscopy and multiplex polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: In 60% of patients, deterioration of the oral status (demonstrated by the increase in PI) was recorded (p < 0.05). Moreover, the changes in PI correlated with those of GI (p < 0.001). At the T1 time point, the mean representation of Actinomyces sp. in the total prokaryotic DNA in GCF and dental plaque of individual patients increased compared to T0 (p < 0.05). The probability of finding any of the 7 selected periodontal bacteria combined with Candida sp. was 10 times higher in patients in whom PI deteriorated between T0 and T1 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the oral microbial diversity and an increase in PI were observed in the medium term after bonding of orthodontic appliance. Our study highlights the importance of a complex approach in this type of research as the association between clinical characteristics and combined microbial parameters is higher than when evaluated separately.

Prevalence of bacteriocins and their co-association with virulence factors within Pseudomonas aeruginosa catheter isolates.

Urinary tract infections represent common nosocomial infectious diseases. Bacteriocin production has been recently described as a putative virulence factor in these infections but studies focusing particularly on Pseudomonas aeruginosa are not available. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of the bacteriocin genes, their co-occurrence and their co-association with previously detected virulence factors in a set of 135 P. aeruginosa strains from catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). The overall bacteriocinogeny reached 96.3 % with an average of 3.6 genes per strain. The most frequently detected determinants were the encoded pyocins S4 (76.3 %), R (69.6 %), and S2 (67.4 %). A statistically significant co-occurrence and a negative relationship were observed between several pyocin types. Particular pyocins exhibited associations with biofilm formation, production of pyochelin, pyocyanin, antibiotic-degrading enzymes, overall strain susceptibility and resistance, and motility of the strain. Co-occurrence of the pyocins S2 and S4 (p<<0.0001; Z = 13.15), both utilizating the ferripyoverdine receptor FpvAI, was found but no relation to pyoverdine production was detected. A negative association (p = 0.0047; Z=-2.83) was observed between pyochelin and pyocin S5 utilising the ferripyochelin receptor FptA. Pairwise assays resulted in 52.1 % inhibition which was equally distributed between soluble and particle types of antimicrobials. In conclusion, pyocin determinants appear to be important characteristics of CAUTI-related P. aeruginosa isolates and could contribute to their urovirulence.

Fluorescent Capillary Electrophoresis Is Superior to Culture in Detecting Candida Species from Samples of Urinary Catheters and Ureteral Stents with Mono- or Polyfungal Biofilm Growth.

Molecular techniques in fungal detection and identification represent an efficient complementary diagnostic tool which is increasingly used to overcome limitations of routinely used culture techniques. The aim of this study was to characterize Candida sp. representation in samples from urine, urinary catheter, and ureteral stent biofilm using ITS2 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) amplification followed by fluorescent capillary electrophoresis (f-ITS2-PCR-CE) and to compare the results with those obtained by culture. A total of 419 samples were analyzed, and 106 (25.2%) were found positive, out of which 17 (16%) were polyfungal. The positivity rate did not differ between samples from catheters and stents (23.6% versus 20.9%) or between catheter and stent corresponding urine samples (40.2% versus 30.2%). Ten different Candida species were detected, with Candida parapsilosis (31.4%), Candida albicans (26.5%), and Candida tropicalis (12.4%) predominating. f-ITS2-PCR-CE was evaluated as substantially less time-consuming and 8.3 times more sensitive than the routinely applied culture technique with 1 µl of urine/sonicated fluid inoculated, detecting 67 (19.9%) versus 8 (2.4%) positive samples out of 337 initially analyzed samples. The culture sensitivity considerably improved to 1.7 times lower than that of f-ITS2-PCR-CE after the inoculation volume was increased to 100 µl in the additional 82 samples. Moreover, the molecular technique, unlike routine cultivation, enabled precise pathogen composition determination in polymicrobial samples. In conclusion, the f-ITS2-PCR-CE method was shown to be a quick and efficient tool for culture-independent detection and identification of fungi in urinary tract-related samples, demonstrating a higher sensitivity than culture.

[Our experience in laboratory diagnosis of rotaviruses].

OBJECTIVE: Group A rotavirus (RVA) is one of leading causes of gastroenteritis in children under five years of age and is also an important nosocomial pathogen. In Europe, the most prevalent genotypes of RVA are G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], G9P[8] and G12P[8]. Severe dehydration is the most important complication of RVA gastroenteritis. Each year, rotavirus infection is responsible for 3,000 to 5,000 hospitalizations of children in the Czech Republic. The aim of this study was to detect rotaviruses in patients with suspected acute viral gastroenteritis. METHODS: A total of 1 566 stool samples were obtained from patients with acute gastroenteritis from March 2016 to December 2018. All samples were tested by the enzyme immunoassay, rapid immunochromatographic test and quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay to detect RVA. All RVA positive samples were G- and P-typed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: RVA was detected in 13.7 % of the samples (214/1566). The incidence of RVA was 58.9 % (126/214) in males and 41.1 % (88/214) in females. The percentages of positivity ranged from 1 % to 33 % in different age groups. The highest proportion of positive patients was in the age group 4-5 years, 32.6 % (30/92). There was a significant difference in the incidence of rotaviruses between different age groups (p = 0.3946). The prevalent RVA genotypes were G1P[8], G9P[8], G3P[8], G2P[4] and G8P[8]. The detection of the G8P[8] genotype was unusual. The obtained results show that despite the possibility of vaccination, the incidence of RVA infection remains high in the Czech Republic.

Evaluation of Fluorescent Capillary Electrophoresis for Rapid Identification of Candida Fungal Infections.

Early diagnosis of fungal infection is critical for initiating antifungal therapy and reducing the high mortality rate in immunocompromised patients. In this study, we focused on rapid and sensitive identification of clinically important Candida species, utilizing the variability in the length of the ITS2 rRNA gene and fluorescent capillary electrophoresis (f-ITS2-PCR-CE). The method was developed and optimized on 29 various Candida reference strains from which 26 Candida species were clearly identified, while Candida guilliermondii, C. fermentati, and C. carpophila, which are closely related, could not be distinguished. The method was subsequently validated on 143 blinded monofungal clinical isolates (comprising 26 species) and was able to identify 88% of species unambiguously. This indicated a higher resolution power than the classical phenotypic approach which correctly identified 73%. Finally, the culture-independent potential of this technique was addressed by the analysis of 55 retrospective DNA samples extracted directly from clinical material. The method showed 100% sensitivity and specificity compared to those of the combined results of cultivation and panfungal PCR followed by sequencing used as a gold standard. In conclusion, this newly developed f-ITS2-PCR-CE analytical approach was shown to be a fast, sensitive, and highly reproducible tool for both culture-dependent and culture-independent identification of clinically important Candida strains, including species of the "psilosis" complex.

Influence of Culture Media on Microbial Fingerprints Using Raman Spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy has a broad range of applications across numerous scientific fields, including microbiology. Our work here monitors the influence of culture media on the Raman spectra of clinically important microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans). Choosing an adequate medium may enhance the reproducibility of the method as well as simplifying the data processing and the evaluation. We tested four different media per organism depending on the nutritional requirements and clinical usage directly on a Petri dish. Some of the media have a significant influence on the microbial fingerprint (Roosvelt-Park Institute Medium, CHROMagar) and should not be used for the acquisition of Raman spectra. It was found that the most suitable medium for microbiological experiments regarding these organisms was Mueller-Hinton agar.

CIEF separation, UV detection, and quantification of ampholytic antibiotics and bacteria from different matrices.

The effect of antibiotics on the microbial cells and concentration of antibiotics in the human body is essential for the effective use of antimicrobial therapy. The capillary isoelectric focusing is a suitable technique for the separation and the detection of bacteria, and amphoteric substances from nature. However, the determination of isoelectric points of ampholytic antibiotics by conventional techniques is time consuming. For this reason, capillary isoelectric focusing seems to be appropriate as a simple and reliable way for establishing them. The separation conditions for the capillary isoelectric focusing of selected ampholytic antibiotics with known isoelectric points and pK as, ampicillin (pI 4.9), ciprofloxacin (pI 7.4), ofloxacin (pI 7.1), tetracycline (pI 5.4), tigecycline (pI 9.7), and vancomycin (pI 8.1), were found and optimized in the suitable pH ranges pH 2.0-5.3, 2.0-9.6, and 9.0-10.4. The established values of isoelectric points correspond with those found in the literature except tigecycline. Its pI was not found in the literature. As an example of a possible procedure for direct detection of both ampholytic antibiotics and bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis, in the presence of culture media or whole human blood, was found. The changes of the bacterial cells after their treatment with tetracycline were confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Capillary isoelectric focusing allows the fast and simple determination of isoelectric points of relevant antibiotics, their quantification from the environment, as well as studying their effectiveness on microorganisms in biological samples.

Candida parapsilosis biofilm identification by Raman spectroscopy.

Colonies of Candida parapsilosis on culture plates were probed directly in situ using Raman spectroscopy for rapid identification of specific strains separated by a given time intervals (up to months apart). To classify the Raman spectra, data analysis was performed using the approach of principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis of the data sets generated during the scans of individual colonies reveals that despite the inhomogeneity of the biological samples unambiguous associations to individual strains (two biofilm-positive and two biofilm-negative) could be made.

Following the mechanisms of bacteriostatic versus bactericidal action using Raman spectroscopy.

Antibiotics cure infections by influencing bacterial growth or viability. Antibiotics can be divided to two groups on the basis of their effect on microbial cells through two main mechanisms, which are either bactericidal or bacteriostatic. Bactericidal antibiotics kill the bacteria and bacteriostatic antibiotics suppress the growth of bacteria (keep them in the stationary phase of growth). One of many factors to predict a favorable clinical outcome of the potential action of antimicrobial chemicals may be provided using in vitro bactericidal/bacteriostatic data (e.g., minimum inhibitory concentrations-MICs). Consequently, MICs are used in clinical situations mainly to confirm resistance, and to determine the in vitro activities of new antimicrobials. We report on the combination of data obtained from MICs with information on microorganisms' "fingerprint" (e.g., DNA/RNA, and proteins) provided by Raman spectroscopy. Thus, we could follow mechanisms of the bacteriostatic versus bactericidal action simply by detecting the Raman bands corresponding to DNA. The Raman spectra of Staphylococcus epidermidis treated with clindamycin (a bacteriostatic agent) indeed show little effect on DNA which is in contrast with the action of ciprofloxacin (a bactericidal agent), where the Raman spectra show a decrease in strength of the signal assigned to DNA, suggesting DNA fragmentation.

Rapid Identification of Pathogens Causing Bloodstream Infections by Raman Spectroscopy and Raman Tweezers.

The search for the "Holy Grail" in clinical diagnostic microbiology-a reliable, accurate, low-cost, real-time, easy-to-use method-has brought up several methods with the potential to meet these criteria. One is Raman spectroscopy, an optical, nondestructive method based on the inelastic scattering of monochromatic light. The current study focuses on the possible use of Raman spectroscopy for identifying microbes causing severe, often life-threatening bloodstream infections. We included 305 microbial strains of 28 species acting as causative agents of bloodstream infections. Raman spectroscopy identified the strains from grown colonies, with 2.8% and 7% incorrectly identified strains using the support vector machine algorithm based on centered and uncentred principal-component analyses, respectively. We combined Raman spectroscopy with optical tweezers to speed up the process and captured and analyzed microbes directly from spiked human serum. The pilot study suggests that it is possible to capture individual microbial cells from human serum and characterize them by Raman spectroscopy with notable differences among different species. IMPORTANCE Bloodstream infections are among the most common causes of hospitalizations and are often life-threatening. To establish an effective therapy for a patient, the timely identification of the causative agent and characterization of its antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance profiles are essential. Therefore, our multidisciplinary team of microbiologists and physicists presents a method that reliably, rapidly, and inexpensively identifies pathogens causing bloodstream infections-Raman spectroscopy. We believe that it might become a valuable diagnostic tool in the future. Combined with optical trapping, it offers a new approach where the microorganisms are individually trapped in a noncontact way by optical tweezers and investigated by Raman spectroscopy directly in a liquid sample. Together with the automatic processing of measured Raman spectra and comparison with a database of microorganisms, it makes the whole identification process almost real time.

[The comparison of selected virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa catheter isolates]. / Porovnání produkce vybraných faktoru virulence Pseudomonas aeruginosa izolovaných z katétru.

Healthcare quality improvement brings about an increasing number of invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and thus also an increasing number of high-risk patients prone to hospital infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most commonly isolated nosocomial species and the treatment of the infection is often long and problematic, with frequent recurrences. The pathogenesis of Pseudomonas infection is associated with a range of virulence factors. In the present study, 93 catheter isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were screened for the biofilm formation, motility and secretion of selected extracellular products. A high rate of the strains tested were producers of hemolysins, LasB elastase, and pyoverdines (> 70%). The biofilm formation was detected in 80% of isolates and formation of aerated biofilm was present in 90% of isolates with a positive correlation found between the two types of biofilm formation (p = 0.00583; gamma = 0.551). All strains showed swarming motility, 95% of strains showed swimming motility, and 75% of strains showed twitching motility. Among the virulence factors studied, only pyocyanin and pyochelin were produced by a lower proportion of isolates (< 25%). A positive correlation was seen between the production of some extracellular molecules (pyochelin and pyocyanin, pyocyanin and LasB elastase, and LasB elastase and haemolysins), between biofilm formation and formation of aerated biofilm, and between formation of aerated biofilm and pigments (pyoverdine and pyocyanin) production. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between biofilm production and LasB elastase production and between the production of biofilm under immersion and pigments (pyoverdine and pyocyanin) production. All correlations are significant at the level p = 0.05, with the correlation coefficient gamma > 0.50.

[Yeast colonization of urinary catheters and the significance of biofilm formation]. / Kvasinková kolonizace mocových katétru a význam tvorby biofilmu.

OBJECTIVE: Urinary catheters are colonized by a wide range of microorganisms, including numerous yeasts. The catheters are usually colonized by more microbial species forming a community - multispecies biofilm. Catheter colonization usually does not affect the patient's clinical status in any significant way. On the other hand, the biofilm can become a source of endogenous infection and its presence can affect functionality of the catheter and formation of urinary stones. Material a METHODS: A total of 721 urinary catheters were studied. Microorganisms were released from catheters by sonication and subsequently cultured. Their identification was performed with the use of common phenotypic tests, as well as using MALDI TOF. Yeasts whose identification was ambiguous were recognized by sequencing. Biofilm formation was assessed by growth in a microtiter plate. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Yeast colonization was proved in 244 urinary catheters. However, a total of 274 yeast strains were isolated. Most of them occurred together with other yeast species and/or bacteria on the catheters, producing multispecies biofilm there. The most frequent species was Candida albicans (a total of 144 isolated strains), followed by Candida glabrata (41), Candida tropicalis (41) and Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto (14). Other isolated species were as follows: Candida kefyr (10), Candida krusei (9), Candida fabianii (6), Candida lusitaniae (5), Candida dubliniensis (3) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (one case). Most of the yeasts rather readily formed a firmly adhering biofilm layer on artificial surfaces.

Raman Spectroscopy-A Novel Method for Identification and Characterization of Microbes on a Single-Cell Level in Clinical Settings.

Rapid and accurate identification of pathogens causing infections is one of the biggest challenges in medicine. Timely identification of causative agents and their antimicrobial resistance profile can significantly improve the management of infection, lower costs for healthcare, mitigate ever-growing antimicrobial resistance and in many cases, save lives. Raman spectroscopy was shown to be a useful-quick, non-invasive, and non-destructive -tool for identifying microbes from solid and liquid media. Modifications of Raman spectroscopy and/or pretreatment of samples allow single-cell analyses and identification of microbes from various samples. It was shown that those non-culture-based approaches could also detect antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, recent studies suggest that a combination of Raman spectroscopy with optical tweezers has the potential to identify microbes directly from human body fluids. This review aims to summarize recent advances in non-culture-based approaches of identification of microbes and their virulence factors, including antimicrobial resistance, using methods based on Raman spectroscopy in the context of possible use in the future point-of-care diagnostic process.

Raman spectroscopy-a tool for rapid differentiation among microbes causing urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections belong to the most common infections in the world. Besides community-acquired infections, nosocomial infections pose a high risk especially for patients having indwelling catheters, undergoing urological surgeries or staying at hospital for prolonged time. They can be often complicated by antimicrobial resistance and/or biofilm formation. Therefore, a rapid diagnostic tool enabling timely identification of a causative agent and its susceptibility to antimicrobials is a need. Raman spectroscopy appears to be a suitable method that allows rapid differentiation among microbes and provides a space for further analyses, such as determination of capability of biofilm formation or antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance in tested strains. Our work here presents a possibility to differ among most common microbes causing urinary tract infections (belonging to 20 species). We tested 254 strains directly from colonies grown on Mueller-Hinton agar plates. The results show that it is possible to distinguish among the tested species using Raman spectroscopy, which proves its great potential for future use in clinical diagnostics. Moreover, we present here a pilot study of a real-time analysis and identification (in less than 10 min) of single microbial cells directly in urine employing optical tweezers combined with Raman spectroscopy.

Candida species and selected behavioral factors co-associated with severe early childhood caries: Case-control study.

Severe Early Childhood Caries (sECC) is a multifactorial disease associated with the occurrence of specific oral microorganisms and other environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors. This study aimed to construct a multivariable model including the occurrence of Candida spp. and selected behavioral factors (length of breastfeeding, serving sweet beverages and beginning of brushing child's teeth) to determine their relationships to the occurrence of sECC. In this case-control study 164 children with sECC and 147 children without dental caries were included. MALDI-TOF MS and multiplex qPCR were used to identify Candida spp. and selected bacteria in dental plaque samples, respectively. A questionnaire on oral hygiene, diet, and children's health was filled in by the parents. The constructed multivariable logistic regression model showed an independent influence of the microbial and behavioral factors in sECC etiopathogenesis. The occurrence of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis was associated with higher odds of sECC development (odds ratio, OR: 9.62 and 16.93, respectively), together with breastfeeding of 6 months or less (OR: 2.71), exposure to sweet beverages (OR: 3.77), and starting to brush child's teeth after the 12th month of age (OR: 4.10), all statistically significant (p < 0.01). Considering the high occurrence of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis in dental plaque in children with sECC, we propose them as "keystone pathogens" and risk factors for sECC. The models showed that presence of specific species of Candida in dental plaque may be a better descriptor of sECC than the mentioned behavioral factors.

Long-Term Effect of Exercise on Irisin Blood Levels-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Physical exercise may activate a number of important biochemical processes in the human body. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the long-term effect of physical activity on irisin blood levels. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles addressing the long-term effect of physical exercise on irisin blood levels. Fifty-nine articles were included in the final qualitative and quantitative syntheses. A statistically significant within-group effect of exercise on irisin blood levels was in 33 studies; out of them, the irisin level increased 23× and decreased 10×. The significant positive between-groups effect was found 11×. Furthermore, the meta-analysis indicated that physical exercise had a significant positive effect on irisin blood levels (SMD = 0.39 (95% CI 0.27-0.52)). Nevertheless, considerably high heterogeneity was found in all the analyses. This systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that physical exercise might increase irisin blood levels; however, the results of individual studies were considerably inconsistent, which questions the methodological detection of irisin by ELISA kits.

Actinotignum schaalii: Relation to Concomitants and Connection to Patients' Conditions in Polymicrobial Biofilms of Urinary Tract Catheters and Urines.

Actinotignum schaalii is an emerging, opportunistic pathogen and its connection to non-infectious diseases and conditions, such as prostate or bladder cancer, or chronic inflammation has been proposed. Here, we analyzed 297 urine, ureteral and urinary catheter samples from 128 patients by Polymerase Chain Reaction followed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Sequencing (PCR-DGGE-S), and culture, and 29 of these samples also by 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing, to establish A. schaalii's prevalence in urinary tract-related samples, its relation to other bacteria, and its potential association with patients' conditions and samples' characteristics. A. schaalii-positive samples were significantly more diverse than A. schaalii negative and between-group diversity was higher than intra-group. Propionimicrobium lymphophilum, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella sp., Morganella sp., and Aerococcus sp. were significantly more often present in A. schaalii-positive samples; thus, we suggest these species are A. schaalii's concomitants, while Enterobacter and Staphylococcaceae were more often identified in A. schaalii-negative samples; therefore, we propose A. schaalii and these species are mutually exclusive. Additionally, a significantly higher A. schaalii prevalence in patients with ureter stricture associated hydronephrosis (p = 0.020) was noted. We suggest that A. schaalii could be an early polybacterial biofilm colonizer, together with concomitant species, known for pro-inflammatory features.