A Genetic Variant of Delta-9 Desaturase Is Associated With Latitudinal Adaptation in a Coral from the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral populations across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) could rapidly adapt to the warming climate if they have standing genetic variation for thermal tolerance. Here, we describe a locus likely involved in latitudinal adaptation of Acropora millepora. This locus shows a steep latitudinal gradient of derived allele frequency increasing at higher latitudes, and harbours a cluster of eight tandemly repeated Δ9-desaturase genes adjacent to a region in the genome where a hard selective sweep likely occurred.

Efficient protein extraction for assessing food allergy risk in complex alternative protein matrices.

Allergy to novel food proteins, due to diverse ingredients and innovative food processing technologies employed to achieve desired functional properties, is a major safety concern. Current allergy testing methods (ELISA and mass spectrometry) depend on high-quality protein extracts, meaning existing methods are often tailored to specific matrices. Therefore, a more efficient and general protein extraction method is desirable for comprehensive allergy risk assessment.

Microenvironmental host-microbe interactions in chronic inflammatory skin diseases.

Several microbiome studies have recently demonstrated microbial dysbiosis in various chronic inflammatory skin diseases, and it is considered an important role in the pathogenesis. Although the role of skin dysbiosis in inflammatory skin diseases is debatable, the local microenvironment is considered essential concerning compositional changes and functional alterations of the skin microbiota. Indeed, various local nutrients (e.

Thermal tolerance traits of individual corals are widely distributed across the Great Barrier Reef.

Adaptation of reef-building corals to global warming depends upon standing heritable variation in tolerance traits upon which selection can act. Yet limited knowledge exists on heat-tolerance variation among conspecific individuals separated by metres to hundreds of kilometres. Here, we performed standardized acute heat-stress assays to quantify the thermal tolerance traits of 709 colonies of from 13 reefs spanning 1060 km (9.

Chromosomal inversions harbour excess mutational load in the coral, Acropora kenti, on the Great Barrier Reef.

The future survival of coral reefs in the Anthropocene depends on the capacity of corals to adapt as oceans warm and extreme weather events become more frequent. Targeted interventions designed to assist evolutionary processes in corals require a comprehensive understanding of the distribution and structure of standing variation, however, efforts to map genomic variation in corals have so far focussed almost exclusively on SNPs, overlooking structural variants that have been shown to drive adaptive processes in other taxa. Here, we show that the reef-building coral, Acropora kenti, harbours at least five large, highly polymorphic structural variants, all of which exhibit signatures of strongly suppressed recombination in heterokaryotypes, a feature commonly associated with chromosomal inversions.

Hair removal with a clipper and microbial colonisation prior to knee arthroplasty: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Despite the widely reported success of knee arthroplasty, studies show that 1.6-3 % of patients undergo revision within the first postoperative year predominantly due to infection. Preoperative skin preparation may potentially decrease the bacterial load and consequently, the risk of periprosthetic joint infections.

Symbiodiniaceae diversity varies by host and environment across thermally distinct reefs.

Endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae) influence coral thermal tolerance at both local and regional scales. In isolation, the effects of host genetics, environment, and thermal disturbances on symbiont communities are well understood, yet their combined effects remain poorly resolved. Here, we investigate Symbiodiniaceae across 1300 km in Australia's Coral Sea Marine Park to disentangle these interactive effects.

Associations of gender with sexual functioning, loneliness, depression, fatigue and physical function amongst patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with a particular focus on methotrexate usage.

There is a lack of knowledge regarding methotrexate (MTX) usage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its possible links with gender, disease characterization and sexual functioning, loneliness, fatigue and depression. We, therefore, investigated the associations of gender with physical function, fatigue, depression, loneliness and sexual functioning with a particular focus on MTX usage. A cross-sectional study design was used.

Natural history of cardiac findings in mucopolysaccharidosis type I: report from an international registry.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I is an inborn error of glycosaminoglycan catabolism with phenotypes ranging from severe (Hurler syndrome) to attenuated (Hurler-Scheie and Scheie syndromes). Cardiovascular involvement is common and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the prevalence and natural history of cardiac abnormalities in treatment-naïve individuals enrolled in the international Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I Registry.

A simplified bacterial community found within the epidermis than at the epidermal surface of atopic dermatitis patients and healthy controls.

There has been considerable research into the understanding of the healthy skin microbiome. Similarly, there is also a considerable body of research into whether specific microbes contribute to skin disorders, with atopic dermatitis (AD) routinely linked to increased Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonisation.

Identification and Characterization of Mercury Contamination in Vegetables and Herbs Cultivated on a Commercial Vertical Indoor Farming System with Light-Emitting Diode Lighting: Unveiling an Unusual Food Safety Risk of Some Improperly Manufactured High-Density Agricultural Production Systems.

Artificial grow lights, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent grow lights, are commonly used in modern day indoor farming, citing advantages in energy efficiency and a higher controlled environment. However, the use of LEDs poses a risk in mercury contaminations as a result of its production process, specifically LEDs with polyurethane encapsulates that were traditionally produced using mercury resins as a catalyst. A total of 10.

Management approaches to conserve Australia's marine ecosystem under climate change.

Australia's coastal marine ecosystems have a deep cultural significance to Indigenous Australians, include multiple World Heritage sites, and support the nation's rapidly growing blue economy. Yet, increasing local pressures and global climate change are expected to undermine the biological, social, cultural, and economic value of these ecosystems within a human generation. Mitigating the causes of climate change is the most urgent action to secure their future; however, conventional and new management actions will play roles in preserving ecosystem function and value until that is achieved.

Role of the bicarbonate transporter SLC4γ in stony-coral skeleton formation and evolution.

Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems of immense ecological, economic, and aesthetic importance built on the calcium-carbonate-based skeletons of stony corals. The formation of these skeletons is threatened by increasing ocean temperatures and acidification, and a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved may assist efforts to mitigate the effects of such anthropogenic stressors. In this study, we focused on the role of the predicted bicarbonate transporter SLC4γ, which was suggested in previous studies to be a product of gene duplication and to have a role in coral-skeleton formation.

E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 are downregulated in wound edges of human chronic wounds.

Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to proceed through the normal phases of wound healing; a complex process involving different dynamic events including migration of keratinocytes in the epidermis. Chronic wounds are estimated to affect 1-2% of the human population worldwide and are a major socioeconomic burden. The prevalence of chronic wounds is expected to increase with the rising number of elderly and patients with diabetes and obesity, who are at high risk of developing chronic wounds.

Analysis of RNA Polymerase II Chromatin Binding by Flow Cytometry.

RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcribes DNA into mRNA and thereby plays a critical role in cellular protein production. In addition, RNAPII plays a central role in DNA damage responses. Measurements of RNAPII on chromatin may thus give insight into several essential processes in eukaryotic cells.

Endolysin Inhibits Skin Colonization by Patient-Derived Staphylococcus Aureus and Malignant T-Cell Activation in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma.

Staphylococcus aureus is suspected to fuel disease activity in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. In this study, we investigate the effect of a recombinant, antibacterial protein, endolysin (XZ.700), on S.

Defining the temporal relationship between the skin microbiome, immune response and skin barrier function during flare and resolution of atopic dermatitis: protocol of a Danish intervention study.

Introduction: Lesional skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) is often colonised by and the bacterial abundance increases during a flare. However, the role of and the skin microbiome in the pathogenesis of AD, including its influence on the dysfunctional skin barrier and immune response, remains to be elucidated. In this study, the temporal relationship between alterations in the skin barrier function, inflammation and microbiome is examined in adults with AD.

Cryptic diversity and spatial genetic variation in the coral and its endosymbionts across the Great Barrier Reef.

Genomic studies are uncovering extensive cryptic diversity within reef-building corals, suggesting that evolutionarily and ecologically relevant diversity is highly underestimated in the very organisms that structure coral reefs. Furthermore, endosymbiotic algae within coral host species can confer adaptive responses to environmental stress and may represent additional axes of coral genetic variation that are not constrained by taxonomic divergence of the cnidarian host. Here, we examine genetic variation in a common and widespread, reef-building coral, , and its associated endosymbiotic algae along the entire expanse of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Symbioses are restructured by repeated mass coral bleaching.

Survival of symbiotic reef-building corals under global warming requires rapid acclimation or adaptation. The impact of accumulated heat stress was compared across 1643 symbiont communities before and after the 2016 mass bleaching in three coral species and free-living in the environment across ~900 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. Resilient reefs (less aerial bleaching than predicted from high satellite sea temperatures) showed low variation in symbioses.

Coral restoration and adaptation in Australia: The first five years.

While coral reefs in Australia have historically been a showcase of conventional management informed by research, recent declines in coral cover have triggered efforts to innovate and integrate intervention and restoration actions into management frameworks. Here we outline the multi-faceted intervention approaches that have developed in Australia since 2017, from newly implemented in-water programs, research to enhance coral resilience and investigations into socio-economic perspectives on restoration goals. We describe in-water projects using coral gardening, substrate stabilisation, coral repositioning, macro-algae removal, and larval-based restoration techniques.

Characterization of pig skin microbiome and appraisal as an in vivo subcutaneous injection model.

Pig skin is commonly used in the medical industry as an injection model due to its compelling physiological affinity to human skin. However, the pig neck skin microflora remains largely uncharacterized, which may have undesirable implications for the translatability of results to humans. This study aimed to characterize pig neck skin microbiome with direct comparison with human skin microflora at emblematic injection sites to appraise its suitability as an injection model.