Tracking sero-molecular trends of swine brucellosis in Hawai'i and the central Pacific.

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of mammals caused by bacterial species of the genus. The reservoir for disease is typically mammals, with species of found infecting amphibians, bats, and marine mammals. spp.

Planktonic microbial signatures of sinking particle export in the open ocean's interior.

A considerable amount of particulate carbon produced by oceanic photosynthesis is exported to the deep-sea by the "gravitational pump" (~6.8 to 7.7 Pg C/year), sequestering it from the atmosphere for centuries.

Marine viral particles reveal an expansive repertoire of phage-parasitizing mobile elements.

Phage satellites are mobile genetic elements that propagate by parasitizing bacteriophage replication. We report here the discovery of abundant and diverse phage satellites that were packaged as concatemeric repeats within naturally occurring bacteriophage particles in seawater. These same phage-parasitizing mobile elements were found integrated in the genomes of dominant co-occurring bacterioplankton species.

Diverse Genomic Traits Differentiate Sinking-Particle-Associated versus Free-Living Microbes throughout the Oligotrophic Open Ocean Water Column.

Bacteria and archaea are central to the production, consumption, and remineralization of dissolved and particulate organic matter and contribute critically to carbon delivery, nutrient availability, and energy transformations in the deep ocean. To explore environmentally relevant genomic traits of sinking-particle-associated versus free-living microbes, we compared habitat-specific metagenome-assembled genomes recovered throughout the water column in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The genomic traits of sinking-particle-associated versus free-living prokaryotes were compositionally, functionally, and phylogenetically distinct.

Multi-Omics Profiling Specifies Involvement of Alternative Ribosomal Proteins in Response to Zinc Limitation in .

Zinc ion (Zn) is an essential micronutrient and a potent antioxidant. However, Zn is often limited in the environment. Upon Zn limitation, (basonym: ) undergoes a morphogenesis, which relies on alternative ribosomal proteins (AltRPs); i.

Zinc limitation triggers anticipatory adaptations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has complex and dynamic interactions with the human host, and subpopulations of Mtb that emerge during infection can influence disease outcomes. This study implicates zinc ion (Zn2+) availability as a likely driver of bacterial phenotypic heterogeneity in vivo. Zn2+ sequestration is part of "nutritional immunity", where the immune system limits micronutrients to control pathogen growth, but this defense mechanism seems to be ineffective in controlling Mtb infection.

Black-white disparities in 2009 H1N1 vaccination among adults in the United States: A cautionary tale for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Prior research has highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in H1N1 vaccination in the United States. Our study adds to this literature by utilizing an intersectionality framework to examine the joint influence of race and sex on H1N1 vaccination beliefs and behaviors among non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites (hereafter blacks and whites).

Methods: Using data from the National H1N1 Flu Survey of U.

Assembly-free single-molecule sequencing recovers complete virus genomes from natural microbial communities.

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play key roles in host ecology, evolution, and horizontal gene transfer. Despite recent progress in viral metagenomics, the inherent genetic complexity of virus populations still poses technical difficulties for recovering complete virus genomes from natural assemblages. To address these challenges, we developed an assembly-free, single-molecule nanopore sequencing approach, enabling direct recovery of complete virus genome sequences from environmental samples.

Hemodynamics of the diastolic pressure gradients in acute heart failure: implications for the diagnosis of pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension in left heart disease.

The diastolic pressure gradient (DPG) has been proposed as the metric of choice for the diagnosis of pulmonary vascular changes in left heart disease. We tested the hypothesis that this metric is less sensitive to changes in left atrial pressure and stroke volume (SV) than the transpulmonary gradient (TPG). We studied the effect of dynamic changes in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), SV, and pulmonary artery capacitance (PAC) on DPG and TPG in 242 patients with acute heart failure undergoing decongestive therapy with continuous hemodynamic monitoring.

The Influence of Hispanic Ethnicity and Nativity Status on 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Vaccination Uptake in the United States.

Previous research suggests Hispanic vaccination rates for H1N1 were similar to non-Hispanic whites. These previous estimates do not take into account nativity status. Using the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, we estimate adult H1N1 vaccination rates for non-Hispanic whites (n = 8780), U.

Mutation of the toxR or mshA genes from Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN014 reduces infection of the coral Acropora cytherea.

Thermal stress increases the incidence of coral disease, which is predicted to become more common with climate change, even on pristine reefs such as those surrounding Palmyra Atoll in the Northern Line Islands that experience minimal anthropogenic stress. Here we describe a strain of Vibrio coralliilyticus, OCN014, which was isolated from Acropora cytherea during an outbreak of Acropora white syndrome (AWS), a tissue loss disease that infected 25% of the A. cytherea population at Palmyra Atoll in 2009.

Cumulative exposure to short sleep and body mass outcomes: a prospective study.

Short sleep duration is associated with excess body mass among adolescents and young adults. The mechanisms theorized to drive that association suggest that persistent exposure to short sleep should be associated with greater accumulations of body mass. We use prospective cohort data from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1994-2009; n = 14 800) to examine associations between cumulative exposure to short sleep throughout adolescence and early adulthood and obesity and elevated waist circumference outcomes.

Diuretic Response: Clinical and Hemodynamic Predictors and Relation to Clinical Outcome.

Objective: The aims of this work were to investigate the clinical and hemodynamic profile underlying the response to loop diuretics in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), and to compare the relative usefulness of measures of diuretic resistance for predicting mortality.

Methods And Results: We studied 475 patients with ADHF, of whom 241 underwent right heart catheterization. Linear regression models were used to identify factors that affected urine output.

The trpE gene negatively regulates differentiation of heterocysts at the level of induction in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.

Levels of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) reflect nitrogen status in many bacteria. In heterocystous cyanobacteria, a spike in the 2-OG level occurs shortly after the removal of combined nitrogen from cultures and is an integral part of the induction of heterocyst differentiation. In this work, deletion of one of the two annotated trpE genes in Anabaena sp.

Monitoring receipt of seasonal influenza vaccines with BRFSS and NHIS data: challenges and solutions.

Despite the availability of vaccines that mitigate the health risks associated with seasonal influenza, most individuals in the U.S. remain unvaccinated.

Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN008 is an etiological agent of acute Montipora white syndrome.

Identification of a pathogen is a critical first step in the epidemiology and subsequent management of a disease. A limited number of pathogens have been identified for diseases contributing to the global decline of coral populations. Here we describe Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN008, which induces acute Montipora white syndrome (aMWS), a tissue loss disease responsible for substantial mortality of the coral Montipora capitata in Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i.

The impact of obesity on US mortality levels: the importance of age and cohort factors in population estimates.

Objectives: To estimate the percentage of excess death for US Black and White men and women associated with high body mass, we examined the combined effects of age variation in the obesity-mortality relationship and cohort variation in age-specific obesity prevalence.

Methods: We examined 19 National Health Interview Survey waves linked to individual National Death Index mortality records, 1986-2006, for age and cohort patterns in the population-level association between obesity and US adult mortality.

Results: The estimated percentage of adult deaths between 1986 and 2006 associated with overweight and obesity was 5.

Fluid loss, venous congestion, and worsening renal function in acute decompensated heart failure.

Aims: To investigate the relationship between decongestion, central venous pressure, and risk of worsening renal function (WRF) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods And Results: We studied 475 patients with ADHF, of whom 238 underwent right heart catheterization. Right atrial pressure (RAP) was measured at baseline and at 24 h.

Hemodynamic determinants of dyspnea improvement in acute decompensated heart failure.

Background: Dyspnea relief constitutes a major treatment goal and a key measure of treatment efficacy in decompensated heart failure. However, there are no data with regard to the relationship between hemodynamic measurements during treatment and dyspnea improvement.

Methods And Results: We studied 233 patients assigned to right heart catheterization in the Vasodilation in the Management of Acute Congestive Heart Failure trial.

Herpes simplex virus-1 encephalitis: a review of current disease management with three case reports.

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is the most common cause of lethal sporadic encephalitis. Despite improved therapy with intraveneous acyclovir, HSV-1 encephalitis is associated with persistent severe neurological deficits. We report three cases of adult patients with HSV-1 encephalitis (HSE), discuss the current accepted guidelines for treatment as published by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and review the literature pertaining to HSE.

Crescendo in depolarization and repolarization heterogeneity heralds development of ventricular tachycardia in hospitalized patients with decompensated heart failure.

Background: A critical need exists for reliable warning markers of in-hospital life-threatening arrhythmias. We used a new quantitative method to track interlead heterogeneity of depolarization and repolarization to detect premonitory changes before ventricular tachycardia (VT) in hospitalized patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Methods And Results: Ambulatory ECGs (leads V(1), V(5), and aVF) recorded before initiation of drug therapy from patients enrolled in the PRECEDENT (Prospective Randomized Evaluation of Cardiac Ectopy with Dobutamine or Nesiritide Therapy) trial were analyzed.

Relationship between reactive pulmonary hypertension and mortality in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Background: In patients with heart failure, pulmonary hypertension (PH) predicts higher risk for morbidity and mortality. However, few data are available on the prognostic implications of reactive (precapillary) PH superimposed on passive (postcapillary) PH.

Methods And Results: We performed a subgroup analysis of 242 patients with acute decompensated heart failure assigned to pulmonary artery catheter placement in the Vasodilation in the Management of Acute Congestive Heart Failure trial.

The relationship between transient and persistent worsening renal function and mortality in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Background: Worsening renal function (WRF) is an ominous complication in patients with acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS). Few data are available with regard to the clinical implications of transient versus persistent WRF in this setting.

Methods And Results: We studied 467 patients with AHFS and creatinine measurements at baseline and on days 2, 5, 14, and 30.