Project description:We aimed to investigate the microbial community composition in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and its effect on prognosis. The relationship between changes in bacterial flora and the prognosis of spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage was studied in two cohort studies. Fecal samples from healthy volunteers and patients with intracerebral hemorrhage were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing at three time points: T1 (within 24 hours of admission), T2 (3 days post-surgery), and T3 (7 days post-surgery) using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology.
Project description:Prolific heterotrophic biofilm growth is a common occurrence in airport receiving streams containing deicer and anti-icer runoff. This study investigated relations of heterotrophic biofilm prevalence and community composition to environmental conditions at stream sites upstream and downstream of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, WI, during two deicing seasons (2009–2010 and 2010–2011). Modern genetic tools (such as microarray) have not previously been applied to biofilm communities in this type of setting. We used microarray results to characterize biofilm community composition as well as the response of the biofilm community to environmental factors (i.e., organic content (using chemical oxygen demand concentration) and temperature).
Project description:Tire wear particles (TWP) are small micro- or nano-particles resulting from the friction of tire tread against roads. These microplastics have been found in waterways, usually through rain and wind, posing a potential risk to exposed aquatic life. The goal of this project was to assess the toxicity of chemical leachates from TWP and characterize how they may impact the health and development of aquatic life, like Danio rerio, zebrafish. Furthermore, we also determined if solar-simulated or dark conditions intensified the effects of TWP, considering processes like photodegradation and photochemical oxidation occur in sunlight. Zebrafish were exposed from 0-4 days post fertilization (dpf) to a filtered TWP solution at varying concentrations, and each concentration was leached in either solar-simulated or dark conditions. Mortality and hatching rates were quantified throughout the exposures, and physical anomalies were recorded at 4 dpf using microscopy. Ethyoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, an indicator of Phase I biotransformation, was performed using fluorescent microscopt. RNA sequencing was performed for 4 dpf larvae. TWP exposures, regardless of leaching light status, increased mortality, yolk sac edema, pericardial edema, spinal curvature, and craniofacial malformations, while decreasing hatching and swim bladder inflation. Regardless of lighting during leaching, EROD activity increased in the liver and brain and decreased in the gut CYP1A. RNA sequencing revealed some conserved processes in response to TWP, regardless of light status during leaching, including those involved in neurobiological function. However, divergent responses were also observed for processes such as amino acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and fatty acid metabolism. Overall, these results suggest a disruption of embryonic development in zebrafish when exposed to TWP, and that sunlight during chemical leaching can alter the molecular responses to TWP.
Project description:Analysis of microbial community composition in arctic tundra and boreal forest soils using serial analysis of ribosomal sequence tags (SARST). Keywords: other
Project description:Wood-decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems is a very important process with huge ecologic consequences. This decomposition process is a combination of biological respiration, leaching and fragmentation, mainly triggered by organismic activities. In order to gain a deeper insight into these microbial communities and their role in deadwood decay, we used metaproteomics. Metaproteomics is an important tool and offers the ability to characterize the protein complement of environmental microbiota at a given point in time. In this dataset, we provide data of an exemplary beech wood log and applied different extraction methods to provide the proteome profile of beech dead wood and their corresponding fungal-bacterial community.
Project description:Bacteriophage – host dynamics and interactions are important for microbial community composition and ecosystem function. Nonetheless, empirical evidence in engineered environment is scarce. Here, we examined phage and prokaryotic community composition of four anaerobic digestors in full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across China. Despite relatively stable process performance in biogas production, both phage and prokaryotic groups fluctuated monthly over a year of study period. Nonetheless, there were significant correlations in their α- and β-diversities between phage and prokaryotes. Phages explained 40.6% of total prokaryotic community composition, much higher than the explainable power by abiotic factors (14.5%). Consequently, phages were significantly (P<0.010) linked to parameters related to process performance including biogas production and volatile solid concentrations. Association network analyses showed that phage-prokaryote pairs were deeply rooted, and two network modules were exclusively comprised of phages, suggesting a possibility of co-infection. Those results collectively demonstrate phages as a major biotic factor in controlling bacterial composition. Therefore, phages may play a larger role in shaping prokaryotic dynamics and process performance of WWTPs than currently appreciated, enabling reliable prediction of microbial communities across time and space.