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Cruz PD, Wargowsky R, Gonzalez-Almada A, Sifontes EP, Shaykhinurov E, Jaatinen K, Jepson T, Lafleur JE, Yamane D, Perkins J, Pasquale M, Giang B, McHarg M, Falk Z, McCaffrey TA. Blood RNA Biomarkers Identify Bacterial and Biofilm Coinfections in COVID-19 Intensive Care Patients. J Intensive Care Med 2024:8850666241251743. [PMID: 38711289 DOI: 10.1177/08850666241251743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Purpose: Secondary opportunistic coinfections are a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but can be difficult to identify. Presently, new blood RNA biomarkers were tested in ICU patients to diagnose viral, bacterial, and biofilm coinfections. Methods: COVID-19 ICU patients had whole blood drawn in RNA preservative and stored at -80°C. Controls and subclinical infections were also studied. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) quantified 6 RNA biomarkers of host neutrophil activation to bacterial (DEFA1), biofilm (alkaline phosphatase [ALPL], IL8RB/CXCR2), and viral infections (IFI27, RSAD2). Viral titer in blood was measured by ddPCR for SARS-CoV2 (SCV2). Results: RNA biomarkers were elevated in ICU patients relative to controls. DEFA1 and ALPL RNA were significantly higher in severe versus incidental/moderate cases. SOFA score was correlated with white blood cell count (0.42), platelet count (-0.41), creatinine (0.38), and lactate dehydrogenase (0.31). ALPL RNA (0.59) showed the best correlation with SOFA score. IFI27 (0.52) and RSAD2 (0.38) were positively correlated with SCV2 viral titer. Overall, 57.8% of COVID-19 patients had a positive RNA biomarker for bacterial or biofilm infection. Conclusions: RNA biomarkers of host neutrophil activation indicate the presence of bacterial and biofilm coinfections in most COVID-19 patients. Recognizing coinfections may help to guide the treatment of ICU patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Dela Cruz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Richard Wargowsky
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Alberto Gonzalez-Almada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Erick Perez Sifontes
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Eduard Shaykhinurov
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kevin Jaatinen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tisha Jepson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- True Bearing Diagnostics, Washington, DC, USA
| | - John E Lafleur
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - David Yamane
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - John Perkins
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mary Pasquale
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Brian Giang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Matthew McHarg
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Zach Falk
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Timothy A McCaffrey
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- True Bearing Diagnostics, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
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McCaffrey TA, Toma I, Yang Z, Katz R, Reiner J, Mazhari R, Shah P, Falk Z, Wargowsky R, Goldman J, Jones D, Shtokalo D, Antonets D, Jepson T, Fetisova A, Jaatinen K, Ree N, Ri M. RNAseq profiling of blood from patients with coronary artery disease: Signature of a T cell imbalance. J Mol Cell Cardiol Plus 2023; 4:100033. [PMID: 37303712 PMCID: PMC10256136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmccpl.2023.100033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Background Cardiovascular disease had a global prevalence of 523 million cases and 18.6 million deaths in 2019. The current standard for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) is coronary angiography either by invasive catheterization (ICA) or computed tomography (CTA). Prior studies employed single-molecule, amplification-independent RNA sequencing of whole blood to identify an RNA signature in patients with angiographically confirmed CAD. The present studies employed Illumina RNAseq and network co-expression analysis to identify systematic changes underlying CAD. Methods Whole blood RNA was depleted of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and analyzed by Illumina total RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to identify transcripts associated with CAD in 177 patients presenting for elective invasive coronary catheterization. The resulting transcript counts were compared between groups to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and to identify patterns of changes through whole genome co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Results The correlation between Illumina amplified RNAseq and the prior SeqLL unamplified RNAseq was quite strong (r = 0.87), but there was only 9 % overlap in the DEGs identified. Consistent with the prior RNAseq, the majority (93 %) of DEGs were down-regulated ~1.7-fold in patients with moderate to severe CAD (>20 % stenosis). DEGs were predominantly related to T cells, consistent with known reductions in Tregs in CAD. Network analysis did not identify pre-existing modules with a strong association with CAD, but patterns of T cell dysregulation were evident. DEGs were enriched for transcripts associated with ciliary and synaptic transcripts, consistent with changes in the immune synapse of developing T cells. Conclusions These studies confirm and extend a novel mRNA signature of a Treg-like defect in CAD. The pattern of changes is consistent with stress-related changes in the maturation of T and Treg cells, possibly due to changes in the immune synapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A. McCaffrey
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
- The St. Laurent Institute, 317 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
- True Bearing Diagnostics, 2450 Virginia Avenue, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Ian Toma
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
- Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
- True Bearing Diagnostics, 2450 Virginia Avenue, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Zhaoqing Yang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Richard Katz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Reiner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Ramesh Mazhari
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Palak Shah
- INOVA Heart and Vascular Institute, 3300 Gallows Road, Fairfax, VA 22042, United States of America
| | - Zachary Falk
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Richard Wargowsky
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Goldman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Dan Jones
- SeqLL, Inc., 3 Federal Street, Billerica, MA 01821, United States of America
| | - Dmitry Shtokalo
- The St. Laurent Institute, 317 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801, United States of America
- A.P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems SB RAS, 6, Acad. Lavrentyeva Ave, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Denis Antonets
- The St. Laurent Institute, 317 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801, United States of America
| | - Tisha Jepson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
- The St. Laurent Institute, 317 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801, United States of America
- True Bearing Diagnostics, 2450 Virginia Avenue, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Anastasia Fetisova
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Kevin Jaatinen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, The George Washington University, 2300 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States of America
| | - Natalia Ree
- Center for Mitochondrial Functional Genomics, Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kalingrad 236040, Russia
| | - Maxim Ri
- The St. Laurent Institute, 317 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801, United States of America
- A.P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems SB RAS, 6, Acad. Lavrentyeva Ave, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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Shudo Y, MacArthur JW, Kunitomi Y, Joubert L, Kawamura M, Ono J, Thakore A, Jaatinen K, Eskandari A, Hironaka C, Shin HS, Woo YPJ. Three-Dimensional Multilayered Microstructure Using Needle Array Bioprinting System. Tissue Eng Part A 2021; 26:350-357. [PMID: 32085692 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2019.0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue engineering is an essential component of developing effective regenerative therapies. In this study, we introduce a promising method to create scaffold-free three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineered multilayered microstructures from cultured cells using the "3D tissue fabrication system" (Regenova®; Cyfuse, Tokyo, Japan). This technique utilizes the adhesive nature of cells. When cells are cultured in nonadhesive wells, they tend to aggregate and form a spheroidal structure. The advantage of this approach is that cellular components can be mixed into one spheroid, thereby promoting the formation of extracellular matrices, such as collagen and elastin. This system enables one to create a predesigned 3D structure composed of cultured cells. We found that the advantages of this system to be (1) the length, size, and shape of the structure that were designable and highly reproducible because of the computer controlled robotics system, (2) the graftable structure could be created within a reasonable period (8 days), and (3) the constructed tissue did not contain any foreign material, which may avoid the potential issues of contamination, biotoxicity, and allergy. The utilization of this robotic system enabled the creation of a 3D multilayered microstructure made of cell-based spheres with a satisfactory mechanical properties and abundant extracellular matrix during a short period of time. These results suggest that this new technology will represent a promising, attractive, and practical strategy in the field of tissue engineering. Impact statement The utilization of the "three dimensional tissue fabrication system" enabled the creation of a three-dimensional (3D) multilayered microstructure made of cell-based spheres with a satisfactory mechanical properties and abundant extracellular matrix during a short period of time. These results suggest that this new technology will represent a promising, attractive, and practical strategy in the field of tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Shudo
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - John W MacArthur
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | | | - Lydia Joubert
- Cell Sciences Imaging Facility, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Masashi Kawamura
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Jiro Ono
- Cyfuse Biomedical K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akshara Thakore
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Kevin Jaatinen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Anahita Eskandari
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Camille Hironaka
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Hye Sook Shin
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Yi-Ping Joseph Woo
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
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Pedroza AJ, Koyano T, Trojan J, Rubin A, Palmon I, Jaatinen K, Burdon G, Chang P, Tashima Y, Cui JZ, Berry G, Iosef C, Fischbein MP. Divergent effects of canonical and non-canonical TGF-β signalling on mixed contractile-synthetic smooth muscle cell phenotype in human Marfan syndrome aortic root aneurysms. J Cell Mol Med 2019; 24:2369-2383. [PMID: 31886938 PMCID: PMC7011150 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Aortic root aneurysm formation is a cardinal feature of Marfan syndrome (MFS) and likely TGF‐β driven via Smad (canonical) and ERK (non‐canonical) signalling. The current study assesses human MFS vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype, focusing on individual contributions by Smad and ERK, with Notch3 signalling identified as a novel compensatory mechanism against TGF‐β‐driven pathology. Although significant ERK activation and mixed contractile gene expression patterns were observed by traditional analysis, this did not directly correlate with the anatomic site of the aneurysm. Smooth muscle cell phenotypic changes were TGF‐β‐dependent and opposed by ERK in vitro, implicating the canonical Smad pathway. Bulk SMC RNA sequencing after ERK inhibition showed that ERK modulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and Notch signalling via Notch3 in MFS. Reversing Notch3 overexpression with siRNA demonstrated that Notch3 promotes several protective remodelling pathways, including increased SMC proliferation, decreased apoptosis and reduced matrix metalloproteinase activity, in vitro. In conclusion, in human MFS aortic SMCs: (a) ERK activation is enhanced but not specific to the site of aneurysm formation; (b) ERK opposes TGF‐β‐dependent negative effects on SMC phenotype; (c) multiple distinct SMC subtypes contribute to a ‘mixed’ contractile‐synthetic phenotype in MFS aortic aneurysm; and (d) ERK drives Notch3 overexpression, a potential pathway for tissue remodelling in response to aneurysm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J Pedroza
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Tiffany Koyano
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Jeffrey Trojan
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Adam Rubin
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Itai Palmon
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Kevin Jaatinen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Grayson Burdon
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Paul Chang
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Yasushi Tashima
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Jason Z Cui
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Gerry Berry
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Cristiana Iosef
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Michael P Fischbein
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
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5
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von Bornstädt D, Wang H, Paulsen MJ, Goldstone AB, Eskandari A, Thakore A, Stapleton L, Steele AN, Truong VN, Jaatinen K, Hironaka C, Woo YJ. Rapid Self-Assembly of Bioengineered Cardiovascular Bypass Grafts From Scaffold-Stabilized, Tubular Bilevel Cell Sheets. Circulation 2019; 138:2130-2144. [PMID: 30474423 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.118.035231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular bypass grafting is an essential treatment for complex cases of atherosclerotic disease. Because the availability of autologous arterial and venous conduits is patient-limited, self-assembled cell-only grafts have been developed to serve as functional conduits with off-the-shelf availability. The unacceptably long production time required to generate these conduits, however, currently limits their clinical utility. Here, we introduce a novel technique to significantly accelerate the production process of self-assembled engineered vascular conduits. METHODS Human aortic smooth muscle cells and skin fibroblasts were used to construct bilevel cell sheets. Cell sheets were wrapped around a 22.5-gauge Angiocath needle to form tubular vessel constructs. A thin, flexible membrane of clinically approved biodegradable tissue glue (Dermabond Advanced) served as a temporary, external scaffold, allowing immediate perfusion and endothelialization of the vessel construct in a bioreactor. Subsequently, the matured vascular conduits were used as femoral artery interposition grafts in rats (n=20). Burst pressure, vasoreactivity, flow dynamics, perfusion, graft patency, and histological structure were assessed. RESULTS Compared with engineered vascular conduits formed without external stabilization, glue membrane-stabilized conduits reached maturity in the bioreactor in one-fifth the time. After only 2 weeks of perfusion, the matured conduits exhibited flow dynamics similar to that of control arteries, as well as physiological responses to vasoconstricting and vasodilating drugs. The matured conduits had burst pressures exceeding 500 mm Hg and had sufficient mechanical stability for surgical anastomoses. The patency rate of implanted conduits at 8 weeks was 100%, with flow rate and hind-limb perfusion similar to those of sham controls. Grafts explanted after 8 weeks showed a histological structure resembling that of typical arteries, including intima, media, adventitia, and internal and external elastic membrane layers. CONCLUSIONS Our technique reduces the production time of self-assembled, cell sheet-derived engineered vascular conduits to 2 weeks, thereby permitting their use as bypass grafts within the clinical time window for elective cardiovascular surgery. Furthermore, our method uses only clinically approved materials and can be adapted to various cell sources, simplifying the path toward future clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel von Bornstädt
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Hanjay Wang
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Michael J Paulsen
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Andrew B Goldstone
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Anahita Eskandari
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Akshara Thakore
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Lyndsay Stapleton
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA.,Bioengineering (L.S., A.N.S., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Amanda N Steele
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA.,Bioengineering (L.S., A.N.S., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Vi N Truong
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Kevin Jaatinen
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Camille Hironaka
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
| | - Y Joseph Woo
- Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery (D.v.B., H.W., M.J.P., A.B.G., A.E., A.T., L.S., A.N.S., V.N.T., K.J., C.H., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA.,Bioengineering (L.S., A.N.S., Y.J.W.), Stanford University, CA
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6
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Noreikiene K, Öst M, Seltmann M, Boner W, Monaghan P, Jaatinen K. Nest cover and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites are linked to hatching success and telomere length in breeding Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima). CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Habitat-associated crypsis may affect perceived predation vulnerability, selecting for different predator avoidance strategies. Glucocorticoids could mediate the adjustment of escape responses to the extent of crypsis, introducing an overlooked source of variation in glucocorticoid–fitness relationships. However, prolonged exposure to elevated glucocorticoids may be costly, leading to accelerated telomere loss and, consequently, senescence. Here, we examined how nest cover and immunoreactive faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels are linked to hatching success and telomere length in breeding female Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (L., 1758)). We hypothesized that the degree of nest crypsis, reflecting differences in perceived predation risk, would moderate the relationship between reproductive success and fGCM levels. We also expected that telomere length would be shorter in birds with higher glucocorticoid concentration. Results showed that individuals with high fGCM levels had higher hatching success in nests with low cover, while low fGCM levels were more successful in well-concealed nests. We found that shorter telomeres were associated with high fGCM in nesting sites offering little cover and with low fGCM in well-concealed ones. This study provides the first evidence of habitat-dependent moderation of the relationships between stress physiology, telomere length and hatching success.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Noreikiene
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - M. Öst
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Artillerigatan 6, FI-20520 Turku, Finland; Novia University of Applied Sciences, Raseborgsvägen 9, FI-10600 Ekenäs, Finland
| | - M.W. Seltmann
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - W. Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - P. Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - K. Jaatinen
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
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7
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Jaatinen
- Aronia Coastal Zone Research Team; Åbo Akademi University and Novia University of Applied Sciences; Ekenäs Finland
| | - M. W. Seltmann
- Aronia Coastal Zone Research Team; Åbo Akademi University and Novia University of Applied Sciences; Ekenäs Finland
| | - M. Öst
- Aronia Coastal Zone Research Team; Åbo Akademi University and Novia University of Applied Sciences; Ekenäs Finland
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8
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Jaatinen K, Tuittila ES, Laine J, Yrjälä K, Fritze H. Methane-oxidizing bacteria in a Finnish raised mire complex: effects of site fertility and drainage. Microb Ecol 2005; 50:429-39. [PMID: 16283115 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-005-9219-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2004] [Accepted: 03/09/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) are the only biological sinks for methane (CH4). Drainage of peatlands is known to decrease overall CH4 emission, but the effect on MOB is unknown. The objective of this work was to characterize the MOB community and activity in two ecohydrologically different pristine peatland ecosystems, a fen and a bog, and their counterparts that were drained in 1961. Oligotrophic fens are groundwater-fed peatlands, but ombrotrophic bogs receive additional water and nutrients only from rainwater. The sites were sampled in August 2003 down to 10 cm below the water table (WT), and cores were divided into 10-cm subsamples. CH4 oxidation was measured by gas chromatography (GC) to characterize MOB activity. The MOB community structure was characterized by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing methods using partial pmoA and mmoX genes. The highest CH4 oxidation rates were measured from the subsamples 20-30 and 30-40 cm above WT at the pristine oligotrophic fen (12.7 and 10.5 micromol CH4 dm-3 h-1, respectively), but the rates decreased to almost zero in the vicinity of WT. In the pristine ombrotrophic bog, the highest oxidation rate at 0-10 cm was lower than in the fen (8.10 micromol CH4 dm-3 h-1), but in contrast to the fen, oxidation rates of 4.5 micromol CH4 dm-3 h-1 were observed at WT and 10 cm below WT. Drainage reduced the CH4 oxidation rates to maximum values of 1.67 and 5.77 micromol CH4 dm-3 h-1 at 30-40 and 20-30 cm of the fen and bog site, respectively. From the total of 13 pmoA-derived DGGE bands found in the study, 11, 3, 6, and 2 were observed in the pristine fen and bog and their drained counterparts, respectively. According to the nonmetric multidimensional scaling of the DGGE banding pattern, the MOB community of the pristine fen differed from the other sites. The majority of partial pmoA sequences belonged to type I MOB, whereas the partial mmoX bands that were observed only in the bog sites formed a distinct group relating more to type II MOB. This study indicates that fen and bog ecosystems differ in MOB activity and community structure, and both these factors are affected by drainage.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Jaatinen
- Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Centre, Finland.
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Boman E, Lyyra-Laitinen T, Kolmonen P, Jaatinen K, Tervo J. Simulations for inverse radiation therapy treatment planning using a dynamic MLC algorithm. Phys Med Biol 2003; 48:925-42. [PMID: 12701896 DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/48/7/309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The inverse radiation treatment planning model for a dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC) is used to find the optimal solution of planning problem. The model for dynamic MLC is explained in Tervo et al (2003 Appl. Math. Comput. 135 227-50). The advantage of this model is that it optimizes leaf velocity parameters directly. Our algorithm uses a gradient-based local optimization method. Two patient cases, prostate carcinoma and tonsilla carcinoma, are studied. Field arrangements are pre-selected and velocity parameters for MLC leaves are optimized to obtain the prescribed dose in the patient space. In both simulated cases, high dose distribution conforms the planning target volume well and organs-at-risk are saved in most parts. Simulations show that the model has its functionality in patient treatments, although it is still formal and needs further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Boman
- Research Institute for Radiotherapy Physics, Department of Applied Physics, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
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Yang J, Kuikka JT, Jaatinen K, Länsimies E, Patomäki L. A novel method of scatter correction using a single isotope for simultaneous emission and transmission data. Nucl Med Commun 1997; 18:1071-6. [PMID: 9423208 DOI: 10.1097/00006231-199711000-00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Photon attenuation and scatter are the most important factors degrading the quantitative accuracy of single photon emission tomography (SPET). Simultaneous SPET and transmission tomographic (TT) scans with dual isotopes have been reported to correct attenuation and scatter. However, there is cross-contamination of different energies (scatter from emission data to transmission data and from transmission data to emission data). A method has been proposed to acquire emission (functional) and transmission (structural) data simultaneously with a single isotope scan. A 99Tcm transmission line source at the focal distance is attached to the rotating drum plate of a triple-headed gamma camera equipped with fan-beam collimators. The transmission source has the same energy spectrum as the emission source because 99Tcm is also used for SPET. The triple-headed SPET system allows the transmission and emission data to be acquired by one detector (D1), while the other two detectors (D2, D3) simultaneously acquire emission data. The transmission data can be calculated by subtracting D2 (D3) from D1 after correction for time-decay. A transmission-dependent method for scatter correction was implemented with the transmission and emission data. In principle, there is no energy cross-contamination using 99Tcm as the transmission-emission source. The results of scatter correction demonstrate a clear improvement in spatial resolution. The contrasts were increased for different sized 'hot' regions both in SPET and brain phantoms. The results indicate that the proposed method can overcome the difficulty associated with simultaneous dual-isotope acquisition. They further support the feasibility of simultaneous SPET and TT scanning using a single isotope.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Yang
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland
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Abstract
The flood-field uniformity index has been investigated as a function of the total number of counts and the image matrix size. The analysis showed the dependence of the NEMA integral uniformity index on the counting statistics. A linear model to determine the noise-free component of the uniformity index that was applied successfully to the experimental data is presented. In addition, the heterogeneity of the integral uniformity index IU presented as a function of image matrix size m fits well to the fractal equation IU(m)/IU(1) = mD-1 with the fractal dimension D = 1.34. This result shows that the uniformity index could be handled as a fractal quantity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Tenhunen
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
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