Friends and Foes: Bacteria of the Hydroponic Plant Microbiome.

Hydroponic greenhouses and vertical farms provide an alternative crop production strategy in regions that experience low temperatures, suboptimal sunlight, or inadequate soil quality. However, hydroponic systems are soilless and, therefore, have vastly different bacterial microbiota than plants grown in soil. This review highlights some of the most prevalent plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and destructive phytopathogenic bacteria that dominate hydroponic systems.

Ticagrelor alters the membrane of and enhances the activity of vancomycin and daptomycin without eliciting cross-resistance.

Infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria pose a major healthcare problem which urges the need for novel treatment options. Besides its potent antiplatelet properties, ticagrelor has antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant (MRSA and VRSA). Several retrospective studies in cardiovascular patients support an antibacterial effect of this drug which is not related to its antiplatelet activity.

Synthesis of a Conjugative System from Human Gut Metagenomic Data for Targeted Delivery of Cas9 Antimicrobials.

Metagenomic sequences represent an untapped source of genetic novelty, particularly for conjugative systems that could be used for plasmid-based delivery of Cas9-derived antimicrobial agents. However, unlocking the functional potential of conjugative systems purely from metagenomic sequences requires the identification of suitable candidate systems as starting scaffolds for DNA synthesis. Here, we developed a bioinformatics approach that searches through the metagenomic "trash bin" for genes associated with conjugative systems present on contigs that are typically excluded from common metagenomic analysis pipelines.

Multi-site microbiota alteration is a hallmark of kidney stone formation.

Background: Inquiry of microbiota involvement in kidney stone disease (KSD) has largely focussed on potential oxalate handling abilities by gut bacteria and the increased association with antibiotic exposure. By systematically comparing the gut, urinary, and oral microbiota of 83 stone formers (SF) and 30 healthy controls (HC), we provide a unified assessment of the bacterial contribution to KSD.

Results: Amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing approaches were consistent in identifying multi-site microbiota disturbances in SF relative to HC.

The Use of PGPB to Promote Plant Hydroponic Growth.

Improvements to the world's food supply chain are needed to ensure sufficient food is produced to meet increasing population demands. Growing food in soilless hydroponic systems constitutes a promising strategy, as this method utilizes significantly less water than conventional agriculture, can be situated in urban areas, and can be stacked vertically to increase yields per acre. However, further research is needed to optimize crop yields in these systems.