A dimensional reduction approach to modulate the core ruminal microbiome associated with methane emissions via selective breeding

The rumen is a complex microbial system of substantial importance in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and feed efficiency. This study proposes combining metagenomic and host genomic data for selective breeding of the cow hologenome toward reduced methane emissions. We analyzed nanopore long reads from the rumen metagenome of 437 Holstein cows from 14 commercial herds in 4 northern regions in Spain. After filtering, data were treated as compositional. The large complexity of the rumen microbiota was aggregated, through principal component analysis (PCA), into few principal components (PC) that were used as proxies of the core metagenome. The PCA allowed us to condense the huge and fuzzy taxonomical and functional information from the metagenome into a few PC. Bivariate animal models were applied using these PC and methane production as phenotypes. The variability condensed in these PC is controlled by the cow genome, with heritability estimates for the first PC of ~0.30 at all taxonomic levels, with a large probability (>83%) of the posterior distribution being >0.20 and with the 95% highest posterior density interval (95%HPD) not containing zero. Most genetic correlation estimates between PC1 and methane were large (≥0.70), with most of the posterior distribution (>82%) being >0.50 and with its 95%HPD not containing zero. Enteric methane production was positively associated with relative abundance of eukaryotes (protozoa and fungi) through the first component of the PCA at phylum, class, order, family, and genus. Nanopore long reads allowed the characterization of the core rumen metagenome using whole-metagenome sequencing, and the purposed aggregated variables could be used in animal breeding programs to reduce methane emissions in future generations.     

Update on the Diagnostic Pitfalls of Autopsy and Post-Mortem Genetic Testing in Cardiomyopathies

Inherited cardiomyopathies are frequent causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), especially in young patients. Despite at the autopsy they usually have distinctive microscopic and/or macroscopic diagnostic features, their phenotypes may be mild or ambiguous, possibly leading to misdiagnoses or missed diagnoses. In this review, the main differential diagnoses of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (e.g., athlete’s heart, idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy), arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (e.g., adipositas cordis, myocarditis) and dilated cardiomyopathy (e.g., acquired forms of dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction) are discussed. Moreover, the diagnostic issues in SCD victims affected by phenotype-negative hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the relationship between myocardial bridging and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are analyzed. Finally, the applications/limits of virtopsy and post-mortem genetic testing in this field are discussed, with particular attention to the issues related to the assessment of the significance of the genetic variants.     

A GIS-based Land Cover Classification Approach Suitable for Fine‐scale Urban Water Management

Water Resources Management - In the context of climate stress, urbanisation and population growth, design and planning tools that assist in decentralised and environmental infrastructural planning...     

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of a starch film with bioextracts microencapsulated from cactus fruits (Opuntia oligacantha)

Food Science and Biotechnology - The use of unconventional sources is very relevant in the food area. In the present study the development of active films with the addition of bioextract (BE) or...     

How drivers decide whether to get a fuel cell vehicle: An ethnographic decision model

This article develops and tests an ethnographic decision model (EDM) of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) adoption using interviews with California residents that either actually adopted an FCV or “seriously considered” doing so before deciding against it. We developed an initial model from 25 semi-structured interviews in which respondents self-described their decision-making processes. We iteratively tested and refined the model in a second round of 53 structured interviews. The final model consists of a first stage that assesses FCV adoption feasibility and a second stage that compares FCVs to other vehicle types. The model ultimately correctly predicts 86.8% of cases in the sample. In the first stage, respondents preferred to satisfy their need for a primary refueling station near home but a substantial number were willing to rely on a station near or on the way to work or other destination. Most drivers required a convenient backup station and a means of managing long-distance trips. Vehicle size options eliminated a few respondents. None rejected FCV adoption due to insufficient driving range. In the second stage, nearly all drivers engaged in some kind of cost comparison, though the factors considered varied greatly. Most opted for what they viewed as the less costly option, although a few FCV adopters and non-adopters were willing to pay more for their more preferred option. EDM is a promising qualitative research method for generating insights into how people navigate the decision whether or not to get an alternative-fuel vehicle.     

Rare Titin (TTN) Variants in Diseases Associated with Sudden Cardiac Death

A leading cause of death in western countries is sudden cardiac death, and can be associated with genetic disease. Next-generation sequencing has allowed thorough analysis of genes associated with this entity, including, most recently, titin. We aimed to identify potentially pathogenic genetic variants in titin. A total of 1126 samples were analyzed using a custom sequencing panel including major genes related to sudden cardiac death. Our cohort was divided into three groups: 432 cases from patients with cardiomyopathies, 130 cases from patients with channelopathies, and 564 post-mortem samples from individuals showing anatomical healthy hearts and non-conclusive causes of death after comprehensive autopsy. None of the patients included had definite pathogenic variants in the genes analyzed by our custom cardio-panel. Retrospective analysis comparing the in-house database and available public databases also was performed. We identified 554 rare variants in titin, 282 of which were novel. Seven were previously reported as pathogenic. Of these 554 variants, 493 were missense variants, 233 of which were novel. Of all variants identified, 399 were unique and 155 were identified at least twice. No definite pathogenic variants were identified in any of genes analyzed. We identified rare, mostly novel, titin variants that seem to play a potentially pathogenic role in sudden cardiac death. Additional studies should be performed to clarify the role of these variants in sudden cardiac death.