Dihydrobenzofurans and Propynylthiophenes From the Roots of Eupatorium heterophyllum

Seven new dihydrobenzofurans and 2 new propynyl thiophenes were isolated from the roots of Eupatorium heterophyllum together with 13 known compounds. The compounds were characterized using spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR, infrared, and mass spectrometric techniques. Aerial parts of this plant have been known to contain various sesquiterpenoids and displayed high chemical diversity (several compounds isolated and/or identified) among their chemical constituents depending on the collection site. Nevertheless, we found that the chemical diversity in the roots was lower than in the aerial parts.

Divergence together with microbes: A comparative study of the associated microbiomes in the closely related Littorina species

Any multicellular organism during its life is involved in relatively stable interactions with microorganisms. The organism and its microbiome make up a holobiont, possessing a unique set of characteristics and evolving as a whole system. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of the conservativeness of microbiomes associated with intertidal gastropods. We studied the composition and the geographic and phylogenetic variability of the gut and body surface microbiomes of five closely related sympatric Littorina (Neritrema) spp. and a more distant species, L. littorea, from the sister subgenus Littorina (Littorina). Although snail-associated microbiomes included many lineages (207–603), they were dominated by a small number of OTUs of the genera Psychromonas, Vibrio, and Psychrilyobacter. The geographic variability was greater than the interspecific differences at the same collection site. While the microbiomes of the six Littorina spp. did not differ at the high taxonomic level, the OTU composition differed between groups of cryptic species and subgenera. A few species-specific OTUs were detected within the collection sites; notably, such OTUs never dominated microbiomes. We conclude that the composition of the high-rank taxa of the associated microbiome (“scaffolding enterotype”) is more evolutionarily conserved than the composition of the low-rank individual OTUs, which may be site- and / or species-specific.

Construction and validation of a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents

Background: Valid and reliable instruments are required to measure the level of information on contraceptive methods in adolescents to promote their correct use. Objective: To construct and validate a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents between 15 and 19 years old. Method: A 36-item test was developed that included the different contraceptive methods and information on the characteristics, use, efficacy, advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Once validated by expert judges, a college in Ecatepec was randomly selected as data collection site. Students of the three school grades answered the test. Results: The test was applied to a total of 229 students between 15 and 19 years old (M = 16.22; SD = .978). The majority were women (66%), single (88.5%) and lived with their parents (62.9%). Of the 36 initial items, 31 showed discriminatory power between those who performed well on the test and those who did not. The difficulty index of the questionnaire was .45 and revealed a reliability index value of .739. Around 60% of the participants obtained a percentage below 50% of correct answers in the entire test. Only about 4% of participants got a percentage of correct responses higher than 70%. The categories of characteristics and use were those in which the participants performed best when answering 48% of these questions correctly. The worst was effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages with 33%. Conclusion: The test’s psychometric properties showed that it is a valid and reliable test for its application in Mexican adolescents. The results indicate that most adolescents of the simple do not have complete information about contraceptive methods and that they know the least about their effectiveness and side effects.

Season-long infection of diverse hosts by the entomopathogenic fungus Batkoa major

Populations of the entomopathogenic fungus Batkoa major were analyzed using sequences of four genomic regions and evaluated in relation to their genetic diversity, insect hosts and collection site. This entomophthoralean pathogen killed numerous insect species from 23 families and five orders in two remote locations during 2019. The host list of this biotrophic pathogen contains flies, true bugs, butterflies and moths, beetles, and barkflies. Among the infected bugs (Order Hemiptera), the spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula ) is a new invasive planthopper pest of various woody plants that was introduced to the USA from Eastern Asia. A high degree of clonality occurred in the studied populations and high gene flow was revealed using four molecular loci for the analysis of population structure. We did not detect any segregation in the population regarding host affiliation (by family or order), or collection site. This is the first description of population structure of a biotrophic fungus-generalist in the entomopathogenic Order Entomophthorales. This analysis aimed to better understand the potential populations of entomopathogen-generalists infecting emerging invasive hosts in new ecosystems.

Creation and Operation of a COVID-19 Pooled Testing Collection Site Prior to a CTC Rotation

ABSTRACT Introduction This brief report describes the process, used by the 1st Infantry Division (1ID) and Irwin Army Community Hospital (IACH) at Fort Riley, Kansas, for conducting pooled testing collection of over 2,500 Soldiers prior to a large-scale exercise involving multiple units. Materials and Methods The authors captured after action review comments on the process and results of their pooled specimen collection site. Pooled specimen test results were reviewed and classified according to Aberdeen Proving Ground criteria to determine the percentage of successful and failed pooled specimens. Results 1ID and IACH performed pooled testing collection and shipment of 2,684 specimens divided into 298 pools over 6 flight manifests. Of the 298 pooled specimens, 4 (1.34%) were found to be inconclusive or invalid, and the other 294 (98.7%) had sufficient number of human cells to be certified as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) positive or COVID-19 not detected. Conclusion Pooled testing collection is a complex process that may continue to be a requirement for mass screening of COVID-19 prior to military operations. While planning should be tailored to the specific mission and unit, key factors that the authors feel are required for pooled testing to be successful in any situation are standardized training and personnel continuity, quality assurance, administrative oversight by the unit, and collaboration and communication between all involved entities.

Pan-cancer analysis of the effect of biopsy site on tumor mutational burden observations

Background Tumor mutational burden (TMB) has been proposed as a predictive biomarker of response to immunotherapy. Efforts to standardize TMB scores for use in the clinic and to identify the factors that could impact TMB scores are of high importance. However, the biopsy collection site has not been assessed as a factor that may influence TMB scores. Methods We examine a real-world cohort comprising 137,771 specimens across 47 tissues in 12 indications profiled by the FoundationOne assay (Foundation Medicine, Cambridge, MA) to assess the prevalence of biopsy sites for each indication and their TMB scores distribution. Results We observe a wide variety of biopsy sites from which specimens are sent for genomic testing and show that TMB scores differ in a cancer- and tissue-specific manner. For example, brain or adrenal gland specimens from NSCLC patients show higher TMB scores than local lung specimens (mean difference 3.31 mut/Mb; p < 0.01, 3.90 mut/Mb; p < 0.01, respectively), whereas bone specimens show no difference. Conclusions Our data shed light on the biopsied tissue as a driver of TMB measurement variability in clinical practice.

Efficiency of Different Traps and Baits for Catching Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium Spp. for Broodstock Development

Catching of wild freshwater prawns in Palawan is done by using different fishing gears, including baited traps. However, there are only limited studies related to the efficiency of these traps on catching freshwater prawns. In this study, the efficiency of four different traps (traditional plastic traps, bamboo traps, modified traps, and rattan traps) and three baits (low-valued fish, grilled coconut, and octopus) was tested in catching live Macrobrachium spp. from the rivers of two localities in the Barangay Bagongbayan, Roxas and Sitio Catama, Dumaran, Palawan at two sampling events with 12-hr intervals along the river bank. Each trap was deployed randomly 5-8 meters apart in the collection site late afternoon and retrieved the following day. The highest catch was obtained using plastic traps with low-value fish as bait. All samples from the different traps were collected alive. Modifications are underway to improve the design of these traps to improve catch efficiency. Regulating the collection of Macrobrachium from the wild by developing it into broodstocks will support the sustainable aquaculture industry using hatchery-produced seedstocks instead of sourcing it from the wild.

Microbial growth and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from carpet and drywall under elevated relative humidity conditions

Background Microbes can grow in indoor environments if moisture is available, and we need an improved understanding of how this growth contributes to emissions of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs). The goal of this study was to measure how moisture levels, building material type, collection site, and microbial species composition impact microbial growth and emissions of mVOCs. We subjected two common building materials, drywall, and carpet, to treatments with varying moisture availability and measured microbial communities and mVOC emissions. Results Fungal growth occurred in samples at >75% equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) for carpet with dust and >85% ERH for inoculated painted drywall. In addition to incubated relative humidity level, dust sample collection site (adonis p=0.001) and material type (drywall, carpet, adonis p=0.001) drove fungal and bacterial species composition. Increased relative humidity was associated with decreased microbial species diversity in samples of carpet with dust (adonis p= 0.005). Abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that accounted for >1% emissions were likely released from building materials and the dust itself. However, certain mVOCs were associated with microbial growth from carpet with dust such as C10H16H+ (monoterpenes) and C2H6SH+ (dimethyl sulfide and ethanethiol). CO2 production from samples of carpet with dust at 95% ERH averaged 5.92 mg hr-1 kg-1, while the average for carpet without dust at 95% ERH was 2.55 mg hr-1 kg-1. Conclusion Microbial growth and mVOC emissions occur at lower relative humidity in carpet and floor dust compared to drywall, which has important implications for human exposure. Even under elevated relative humidity conditions, the VOC emissions profile is dominated by non-microbial VOCs, although potential mVOCs may dominate odor production.

Is the city of La Plata the collection site for Bothriurus bonariensis (C.L. Koch, 1843) syntypes (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae)?

Bothriurus bonariensis syntypes were described by C.L. Koch in 1843 who mentioned "La Plata" as the collection site, but this city did not exist until 1882, suggesting that he was referring to the Río de La Plata area. An error is also pointed out in relation to publications and web pages which mention 1842 and not 1843 as the year of publication.

Genetic diversity of Brazilian Bacillus thuringiensis isolates with toxicity against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) isolates native to Maranhão (BtMA) that are highly toxic to Aedes aegypti larvae and seven standard subspecies of Bt were analyzed for genetic diversity using the rep-PRC technique with BOX, ERIC, REP, MB1, and GTG 5 markers. The rep-PCR technique is considered an extremely reliable, reproducible, fast and highly discriminatory technique that may be used even among populations of the same species. These five markers revealed a total of 38 polymorphic DNA fragments for 30 BtMA isolates. Eight groups were obtained with the dendrogram generated through Pearson's correlation analysis, with four groups formed only with BtMA isolates and four comprised of isolates of BtMA and the standard subspecies toxic to dipterans and lepidopterans. Despite the high genetic diversity of BtMA, a low correlation between the collection site, gene content and mortality against A. aegypti larvae was evidenced. The clustering of the standard subspecies of Bt that were toxic against dipterans with BtMA isolates confirm the mosquitocidal action of the native isolates from Maranhão, and they can be used as an alternative for A. aegypti control and other insects of medical importance and for the control of agricultural pests.