Community Index Research Articles

Synthetic Microbial Communities Enhance Pepper Growth and Root Morphology by Regulating Rhizosphere Microbial Communities

Synthetic microbial community (SynCom) application is efficient in promoting crop yield and soil health. However, few studies have been conducted to enhance pepper growth via modulating rhizosphere microbial communities by SynCom application. This study aimed to investigate how SynCom inoculation at the seedling stage impacts pepper growth by modulating the rhizosphere microbiome using high-throughput sequencing technology. SynCom inoculation significantly increased shoot height, stem diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, chlorophyll content, leaf number, root vigor, root tips, total root length, and root-specific surface area of pepper by 20.9%, 36.33%, 68.84%, 64.34%, 29.65%, 27.78%, 117.42%, 35.4%, 21.52%, and 39.76%, respectively, relative to the control. The Chao index of the rhizosphere microbial community and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity of the fungal community significantly increased, while Bray–Curtis dissimilarity of the bacterial community significantly decreased by SynCom inoculation. The abundances of key taxa such as Scedosporium, Sordariomycetes, Pseudarthrobacter, norankSBR1031, and norankA4b significantly increased with SynCom inoculation, and positively correlated with indices of pepper growth. Our findings suggest that SynCom inoculation can effectively enhance pepper growth and regulate root morphology by regulating rhizosphere microbial communities and increasing key taxa abundance like Sordariomycetes and Pseudarthrobacter, thereby benefiting nutrient acquisition, resistance improvement, and pathogen resistance of crops to ensure sustainability.

The Effects of Socioeconomic Position on Endogenous Pain Modulation: A Quasi-Experimental Approach.

Socioeconomic Position (SEP) is a multidimensional construct encompassing education, income, occupation, and neighborhood distress, influencing chronic pain severity, interference, and duration. However, its impact on placebo analgesia, where reduced pain perception occurs due to treatment belief, remains understudied. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we investigated SEP's influence on placebo analgesia in 401 participants with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and 400 pain-free individuals. Using latent class analysis, we grouped participants into two SEP groups based on self-reported education, income, occupation, and neighborhood distress indices, including the area deprivation and distressed community indexes. Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) and self-reported race were included to account for genetic and demographic influences. Placebo analgesia was elicited using verbal suggestion and classical conditioning. Linear mixed models were employed to analyze SEP's impact, while multiple regression and ANCOVA assessed AIMs' and race's effects. Comparable placebo effects were observed between participants with TMD and pain-free individuals (F(1,4765.73) = 0.49, p = 0.48). A trend was noted in the main effect of SEP (F(1,4764.5) = 3.64, p = 0.056). Among TMD participants, those with distressed SEP exhibited lower placebo analgesia (F(1,4765.73) = 7.9, p = 0.005), while placebo response did not differ by SEP in pain-free participants (F(1,4765.73) = 0.27, p = 0.59). East Asian ancestry (β = 5.71, 95% CI [1.50, 9.92]) and self-reported Asian (mean = 24.20, sem = 1.52, p = 0.020) were associated with greater placebo analgesia. This study highlights the interplay of SEP, AIMs, and race in placebo analgesia and calls for tailored pain management interventions. PERSPECTIVE: SEP significantly contributes to pain disparities. This quasi-experimental study demonstrates analogous placebo analgesia between chronic pain and pain-free individuals but finds lower placebo analgesia only among individuals with chronic pain and distressed SEP. This highlights a link between chronic pain, SEP, and impaired placebo effects, suggesting new avenues for research.

Association of Community Socioeconomic Distress With Waitlist and Survival Outcomes in Liver Transplantation.

Despite efforts to ensure equitable access to liver transplantation (LT), significant disparities remain. Although prior literature has considered the effects of patient sex, race, and income, the contemporary impact of community socioeconomic disadvantage on outcomes after waitlisting for LT remains to be elucidated. We sought to evaluate the association of community-level socioeconomic deprivation with survival after waitlisting for LT. All waitlisted candidates for isolated LT were identified using the 2005-2023 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. The previously validated Distressed Communities Index, representing poverty rate, median household income, unemployment, business growth, education level, and housing vacancies, was used to characterize community socioeconomic distress. Zip codes in the highest quintile were classified as the "distressed" cohort (others: "nondistressed"). Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models were applied to assess patient and graft survival. We performed a Fine and Gray competing risk regression to consider the impact of distress on waitlist mortality. Of 169 601 patients, 95 020 (56%) underwent LT and 74 581 (44%) remained on the waitlist. Among transplanted patients, 18 774 (20%) were distressed. After adjustment, distressed faced similar posttransplant survival at 1 y but greater mortality hazard at 5 y (hazard ratio [HR], 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.12) and 10 y (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05-1.12). Considering all waitlisted patients, competing risk analysis demonstrated distressed candidates to face significantly greater cumulative incidence of death/deterioration on the waitlist (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.11). Community-level socioeconomic inequity is associated with greater waitlist mortality and inferior post-LT survival. Novel interventions are needed to address structural barriers to care and continued inequities in outcomes.

Characteristics of the Bacterial Community in Alpine Meadows in Response to Altitude and Aspect in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China.

As one of the most sensitive and fragile alpine ecosystems in the Qilian Mountains, the alpine meadow holds significant scientific importance in understanding the changes in the characteristics of soil bacterial community in response to altitude and aspect variations. In our study, we analyzed the composition, diversity, and function of soil bacterial communities in alpine meadows at different altitudes and aspects and their relationship with environmental factors. Our results indicate that altitude and aspect orientation significantly influences the diversity index and composition of soil bacterial communities. Specifically, the Shannon and Chao1 indices of soil bacteria initially increased and then decreased with increasing altitude, with the Shannon index being lower in shady aspects compared to sunny aspects, and the Chao1 index being lower in sunny aspects above an altitude of 3400 m compared to shady aspects at the exact altitudes. Using Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size analysis, we identified 77 bacterial species in the research area, with key ecological functions primarily associated with nitrification, aerobic ammonia oxidation, and chitinolysis. Furthermore, we found that soil water content and Urease were the main factors influencing bacterial community composition. Our findings underscore the significant impact of altitude orientation on bacterial communities in alpine grasslands, emphasizing the importance of considering bacterial differences in evaluating alpine grassland health.

Similarity in the microbial community structure of tobacco from geographically similar regions

To investigate the structural and functional similarities of microbial communities in burnt-sweetness alcoholized tobacco as a function of distance from the equator and their effects on tobacco quality, we sampled alcoholized tobacco from Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China and from Brazil and Zimbabwe, which are also burnt-sweetness-type tobacco producing regions, and performed high-throughput sequencing of tobacco bacterial and fungal communities along with an analysis of the main chemical constituents of the tobacco to analyze differences in the quality of the tobacco and similarities in the structure of the microbial communities. The total nitrogen, nicotine and starch contents of Chenzhou tobacco were greater than those of Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco, and the total sugar and reducing sugar contents of the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco were greater than those of the Chenzhou tobacco (P < 0.05). The alpha diversity indices of the bacterial communities in Chenzhou tobacco were lower than those in the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco, and the alpha diversity indices of the fungal communities in Chenzhou tobacco were greater than those in the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco (P < 0.05). In the ecological networks, bacterial–fungal interactions in the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco were more complex than those in the Chenzhou tobacco, and the microbial ecological networks of the burnt-sweetness-type tobacco from three different regions were dominated by competitive relationships. The microbial community composition of Chenzhou tobacco was similar to that of Brazilian tobacco at the bacterial genus and fungal phylum level, with Sphingomonas being a significantly enriched genus in Brazilian tobacco and a key genus in the Chenzhou network that is able to participate in the degradation of polyphenols and aromatic compounds. Functional microbes related to aromatic compounds and cellulose degradation were significantly more abundant in the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco than in Chenzhou tobacco, and the related degradation of tobacco substances was responsible for the better quality of the Brazilian and Zimbabwean tobacco. In conclusion, there are similarities in the structure, composition and functional flora of microbial communities in tobacco from Chenzhou and Brazil because these regions have similar latitudinal distributions. This study provides theoretical support for selecting cultivation regions for the burnt-sweetness-type alcoholized tobacco and for the alcoholization of tobacco leaves.

Utilization and Outcomes Associated With Intravascular Ultrasound during Abdominal and Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Interventions in the United States in the Contemporary Era (2016-2023).

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) use in aortic endovascular interventions, including thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), may have similar benefits to those seen in coronary and peripheral interventions, but limited utilization and outcome data exist. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims data were used to identify patients undergoing TEVAR and EVAR from 2016 to 2023. Utilization trends were stratified by region, urbanicity, distressed communities index, community versus academic center, Medicare versus dual enrollment status, indication, urgency, and presence of dissection with malperfusion. Inverse probability weighting was used to assess the impact of IVUS on a composite outcome of repeat aortic intervention or death. Cox regression was used to estimate weighted hazard ratios. A total of 136 540 patients underwent TEVAR and EVAR, of which 9.8% (13 364) used IVUS. IVUS use increased slightly from 2016 to 2023, driven more by use in TEVAR compared with EVAR, and was higher in academic settings, with Medicare and Medicaid dual enrollment, in the West, with dissections, with malperfusion and for elective procedures. IVUS was associated with a lower risk of the primary outcome at 30-days (hazard ratio, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.73-0.89]; P<0.001) and 6-months (hazard ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.87-0.99]; P=0.022) for all-comers. Subgroup analysis suggested lower risks of the primary outcome with IVUS use for aneurysm driven by the abdominal segment, malperfusion, thoracoabdominal dissection with malperfusion, thoracoabdominal repair, and chronic kidney disease. IVUS use has increased slightly in TEVAR and EVAR with heterogeneity in use. IVUS implementation during TEVAR and EVAR was associated with improved early and mid-term outcomes, particularly in certain subsets.

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Nematode Communities in Northeastern Chinese Forests

Nitrogen deposition has a significant impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, various mechanisms by which nitrogen deposition affects soil nematode communities in nitrogen-limited temperate forests remain unclear. We conducted long-term nitrogen deposition simulation experiments (including two treatments, control and 50 kg N ha⁻1 yr⁻1) in the Lesser Khingan Range, Greater Khingan Range, and Changbai Mountain, applying nitrogen fertilizer solutions to investigate the effects of long-term nitrogen addition on soil nematode communities in northeastern Chinese forests. Nitrogen addition significantly decreased the total abundance of soil nematodes in the Lesser Khingan Range, Greater Khingan Range, and Changbai Mountain by 20%, 23%, and 18%, respectively. Furthermore, nitrogen addition reduced the α-diversity of soil nematodes and altered the β-diversity indices. The nematode channel ratio increased significantly, while the relative abundance of bacterivores, such as Euteratocephalus, also rose. In contrast, the structure index of the soil nematode community decreased, whereas the basal index increased. These results suggest that nitrogen addition simplifies the soil nematode community structure, which may be an important factor contributing to the decline in ecosystem function. Therefore, we selected soil nematodes as the research subject to provide a scientific basis for the effective protection, sustainable management, and resource utilization of major forest ecosystems in northeastern China under the context of nitrogen deposition.

Climate and Bedrock Collectively Influence the Diversity Pattern of Plant Communities in Qiniangshan Mountain.

Climate and geological diversity have been proven to make an important contribution to biodiversity. Volcanic ecosystems often have a long geological history and diverse bedrock, thus shaping a variety of habitats. Understanding the relative importance and role of the contemporary climate and geological bedrock environment in volcanic biodiversity still needs further exploration. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the patterns of plant diversity and phylogenetic structure at the community level in Qiniangshan Mountain, while also exploring the relationship between biodiversity and regional environmental factors (e.g., climate and bedrock types). In the Qiniangshan Mountain plant communities, species richness is higher at mid-to-high elevations. Montane communities exhibit higher species richness compared to coastal communities. There are significant differences in species richness among plant communities on different bedrock, with the highest species richness found on pyroclastic lava. Bedrock, along with climate factors related to energy and precipitation, collectively influence the patterns of species richness in plant communities. The Net Relatedness Index (NRI) of plant communities is influenced by climate factors and aspects, while the Nearest Taxon Index (NTI) is affected by both bedrock and climate factors. The Phylogenetic Diversity Index (PDI) is primarily related to climate factors. Climate and bedrock collectively influence the patterns of species richness and phylogenetic structure within Qiniangshan Mountain's plant communities. These findings highlight the profound impact of both climate and bedrock on montane vegetation and community biodiversity.

Сообщества пресмыкающихся пустынных ландшафтов и анализ герпетофауны Юго-восточного Казахстана

We used the route method to carry out quantitative counts of reptiles in nine regions of Southeastern Kazakhstan. The results yielded data on the population density of reptiles in fourteen habitats. We observed the greatest diversity of species and the largest number of reptiles in sandy deserts. Both measures were much smaller in loamy plains and low mountains. In desert habitats, the Central Asian tortoise Agrionemys horsfieldii and the rapid racerunner Eremias velox were more common than other species. In the desert habitat, agama Trapelus sanguinolentus was less common. Despite its wide distribution, the Central Asian tortoise was rare or common in most habitats: its population density values did not exceed four individuals/ha. High numbers (23.2±8.4 ind./ha) were recorded for the species only in the north of the Moyinkum desert. The population density of the tortoise in commercial harvesting areas from 1950 up to the 1980s remained low (3.5±0.9 ind./ha) and failed to recover. Using the population density data, we calculated similarity indices of reptile communities and then grouped communities into several complexes based on similarity indices and the ecological specialization of numerically dominant species. In loamy, sandy loam, and stony deserts, eurytopic species formed the basis of the population. These were A. horsfieldii, E. velox, and T. sanguinolentus. In the sands of Taukum and Saryesik Atyrau, racerunners (Eremias) dominated in the reptile communities. These were E. intermedia, E. lineolata, and E. velox, among these stenotopic species dominated. The community of the foothills of the Kyrgyz ridge turned out to be the most isolated from the others. The similarity was revealed between nine desert areas in terms of reptile fauna. The deserts that are similar in landscape features (especially the substrate and vegetation) had high indices of commonality regardless of their remoteness and isolation. This shows that the process of historical dispersal of species and their movement between territories faced no obstacles.

Impact of Aerated Irrigation Duration on the Growth of Greenhouse Grape Seedlings and Rhizosphere Soil Microorganisms

This study investigates the effects of varying durations of aerated irrigation, administered at a consistent frequency, on the growth of greenhouse grape seedlings and the structure of the rhizosphere soil microbial community. Using two-year-old ‘Flame Seedless’ grape seedlings as the test material, we established a control group with no aeration (CK) and three treatment groups with aeration durations of 10 min (T1), 20 min (T2), and 30 min (T3), respectively. We determined grape seedling growth under different aerating durations. Additionally, changes in the rhizosphere soil microbial community of the plants were analyzed using 16S and ITS high-throughput genome sequencing to further explore the correlation between microbial diversity and plant growth. The results revealed that: (1) Aerated irrigation significantly enhanced plant growth, with the T2 treatment yielding superior increases in plant height, above-ground dry weight, below-ground dry weight, total root length, and root volume compared to T1 and T3 treatments. (2) Aeration treatments notably elevated the Shannon and Chao1 indices of the rhizosphere soil fungal community, with the T2 treatment exhibiting the most substantial effects, and the Shannon index of the bacterial community was also significantly higher under the T2 treatment. (3) The T2 treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of beneficial aerobic bacterial genera such as Flavobacterium, Ellin6067, and Coniochaeta, while decreasing the relative abundance of detrimental fungal genera like Fusarium and Gibberella. In conclusion, a 20 min aeration duration can effectively promote grape seedling growth, enhance the diversity of rhizosphere soil microbial communities, increase beneficial aerobic microorganisms, and reduce harmful ones. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing aerated irrigation practices in facility grape cultivation.

Factors impacting sleep center no-show rates post hospital discharge utilizing geospatial coding in Appalachia.

Screening for early detection of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in hospitalized patients has been shown to reduce readmission rates. However, post-discharge polysomnography for confirmation of diagnosis is required. We analyzed factors for "no-shows" using geospatial techniques. Data were obtained between September 2019 and September 2023. The outcome for the study was patient's no-show rate (non-compliant) for polysomnography post hospital discharge. Predictors included patient age, gender, BMI, health literacy, distressed community index (DCI) score and distance to sleep center for the patient's zip code of residence. Logistic regression was applied to estimate odds of patient compliance at the patient-level utilizing geospatial mapping technique. Geographically weighted logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds of a zip-code having compliant patients. Of the 1318 hospitalized patients established as high risk for SDB and referred for an overnight sleep study who were able to be geocoded, 228 were compliant and 1130 were non-compliant. In non-spatial regression analyses, health literacy (aOR = 1.06, 95%CI = 1.03, 1.09), age (aOR=0.99, 95% CI=0.98, 0.99), and drive time (aOR=0.95, 95% CI = 0.92, 0.97) were identified as statistically significant predictors of patient compliance. Spatial regression analyses identified areas that had high and low predictive probability of patient compliance, as well as which community level factors were co-occurring in those areas. The findings suggest that both patient-level factors and the community where patients live may impact no-show rates. Health literacy was identified as a key modifiable predictor at the patient level. At the community level, we found that predicted probability of patient compliance varied throughout the state. Efforts should focus on enhancing patient education at the individual level and understanding geographical factors to improve compliance.

ECOLOGICAL INDICES OF MANGROVE GASTROPODS COMMUNITY IN NICKEL MINING IMPACTED AREA OF POMALAA, SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

Article Highlights- Gastropods (Invertebrates: Mollusca) have the potential to be developed as biological indicators of the health of coastal aquatic environments- The development of gastropod communities has been proven to provide a significant ecological response in assessing environmental quality in the mangrove in relation to overburden waste input from nickel mining activities.- Overburden waste systemically degrades the ground floor (substrate) of the mangrove ecosystem as an area where the entire life cycle of the gastropod community is carried out.AbstractThis research aimed to determine the structure of gastropod community in the nickel mining impact area in the mangrove ecosystem of Tambea Village, Pomalaa District, Southeast Sulawesi Province. The scope of this research was gastropod community influenced by nickel mining activities, especially the impact of overburden waste input (reddish-orange colored sediment) toward the health status of the aquatic environment based on the ecological indices of the gastropod community in the mangrove ecosystem of Tambea Village. Two sampling methods were adopted in this research: (1) purposive sampling method to determine stations (locus) and (2) simple random sampling method to determine the distribution of substations or sampling points. Gastropod samples were taken using handpicking techniques. The structure of gastropod community in mangrove area affected by overburden waste showed low diversity index values (H’ = 0.81), low species richness (R = 1.75), moderate evenness (E = 0.50), and dominance of certain species (C = 0.54). The results of this research showed the massive impact of overburdened waste, which can systemically degrade the life of the typical fauna that make up the mangrove ecosystem. Three gastropods species were observed to live in the research location, namely Telescopium telescopium, Terebralia sulcata, and Terebralia palustris having low abundance (1-9 ind./m2) which can survive in environment exposed to overburden waste. Many of gastropod species were found dead, indicated by the finding of 2 shells of Ellobium aurisjudae. The input of overburdened waste may imply degradation system of the aquatic environment, especially in the mangrove ecosystem. This research offers outlooks of overburden waste on aquatic biota in mangrove ecosystems and other complimentary ecosystems. In the end, the condition of the gastropod community in a watered area becomes a basis of the health status of the water environment.

Associations between socioeconomic status and open globe injury.

To examine associations between socioeconomic status (SES), as evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and Distressed Communities Index (DCI), and the characteristics of open globe injury (OGI). Retrospective review of electronic medical records for patients treated for OGI at an academic Level I trauma centre between May 2009 and March 2021. Patient data included age, date of injury, mechanism of injury, visual acuity at presentation, concomitant orbital wall fracture, and ocular trauma score (OTS). The SVI and DCI scores were obtained based on the patient's home zip code. Patients were classified based on individual mechanisms of injury and grouped into non-accidental vs. accidental cases. 899 patients (75.0% male) were included. Average ± SD age (years), SVI, and DCI scores were 44.8 ± 22.7, 0.418 ± 0.207, and 37.9 ± 24.0, respectively. Younger age was associated with higher DCI and lower OTS score (p ≤ 0.002). Non-accidental trauma patients had lower OTS and higher SVI and DCI scores compared to accidental trauma (p < 0.001); firearm-associated ocular injuries (FAOIs) were associated with higher SVI and DCI scores (p < 0.001 and p = 0.040, respectively); domestic violence/assault was associated with worse OTS and higher DCI (p < 001). Falls and sports-related injuries correlated with lower DCI scores (p ≤ 0.031). In our region, among patients with OGIs, lower SES scores were associated with younger age, FAOIs, and non-accidental injuries, including domestic violence/assault. Therefore, lower SES may be considered a risk factor for several distinct mechanisms of OGI.

A community resilience index for place-based actionable metrics.

Community resilience measurement to natural hazards is becoming increasingly relevant due to the growth of federal programs and local and state resilience offices in the United States. This study introduces a methodology to co-produce an actionable resilience metric to measure locally relevant and modifiable indicators of community resilience for the state of South Carolina. The "actionable" metrics, based on the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) index, are calculated at the county and tract scale and then compared to "conventional" versions of BRIC. Actionable BRICs perform better in reliability testing than conventional BRICs. Correlations across the two scales of BRIC construction show a stronger relationship between the actionable BRICs than conventional, though all are highly correlated. When mapped, actionable BRIC shows a shifted region of low resilience in the state when compared to conventional BRIC, suggesting that actionable and conventional BRICs are distinct. Scale differences show dissimilar drivers of resilience, with county-level resilience driven by community, social, and environmental resilience and tract-level resilience driven by social and institutional resilience. Actionable tract-level BRIC appears to be the best representation of modifiable resilience for South Carolina, but it comes with trade-offs, including calculation complexity and changing geographies over time. Regardless of scale, the resulting actionable indices offer a useful tracking mechanism for the state resilience office and highlight the importance of integrating top-down and bottom-up resilience perspectives to consider local drivers of resilience. The resulting methodology can be replicated in other states and localities to produce actionable and locally relevant resilience metrics.

Effect of Spirulina on the Rumen Microbiota and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Lambs

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is rich in a variety of fermentable fibers and prebiotics, which can promote the proliferation of beneficial flora in the intestinal tract of ruminants and optimize the balance of microorganisms in the rumen. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether dietary supplementation with Spirulina has a beneficial effect on the rumen microbial community and serum indices in lambs. For this purpose, 36 lambs with a mean weight of 21.68 kg (standard deviation 1.04 kg) and an age of approximately 5 months (standard deviation 4 days) were selected for the study. The same scale was used for age standard deviation, i.e., 4 days/30.5 days (1 month) = 0.13 months. All lambs were randomly assigned into two treatments, and received non-Spirulina diet as the control (CK treatment) and the Spirulina added diet (Spirulina was added at a rate of 3% of the fresh weight of the diet). The results indicated that the triacylglycerol (p &lt; 0.0001), alanine transaminase (ALT) (p &lt; 0.0001), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p &lt; 0.0001), glucose (p &lt; 0.0001), immunoglobulin G (p = 0.0066) and insulin (p = 0.0025) levels were markedly increased in the Spirulina treatment compared to those in the CK treatment. The principal coordinates analysis showed that the bacterial community did not cluster separately between the CK and Spirulina treatments. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the dominant members of the community in two treatments. Prevotella were the primary genera, followed by the Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group, Olsenella, Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-001 and Ruminococcus, and a significant (p &lt; 0.05) difference was found in Olsenella between the two treatments. These results suggest that the addition of Spirulina is more beneficial for serum biochemical parameters and rumen microbiota of lambs. Overall, these findings contribute to the development of strategies to improve rumen microbial communities for healthy ecosystems on the Mongolian Plateau and provide a scientific basis for the use of Spirulina in feed.

Use of Pulmonary Rehabilitation after Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalization: An Analysis of Statewide Patient and Hospital Data.

Rationale: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a clinically effective and cost-effective outpatient treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that remains highly underused. Existing analyses of PR use patterns have been focused largely on patient characteristics, but hospital-level analysis is lacking and is needed to inform interventions aimed at improving use after COPD hospitalization. Objectives: To evaluate PR use across hospitals after COPD hospitalization in the state of Michigan, with the goal of characterizing hospital-level variation and identifying the characteristics of high-performing hospitals. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with COPD hospitalizations between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021, using claims data from the Michigan Value Collaborative and hospital data from the American Hospital Association annual survey. Our primary outcome was the initiation of PR within 30 days of discharge. Chi-square tests and analysis of variance were used to test for differences in patient and hospital covariates. Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze associations between patient covariates and the primary outcome and to characterize hospital-level variation. Results: A total of 36,389 patients and 99 hospitals were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were older than 65 years of age, female, White, and Medicare fee-for-service insured. The rate of PR initiation within 30 days after hospitalization was 0.8%. Adjusted rates of PR initiation by hospital ranged from 0.4% to 2.0%. Compared with the set reference groups, being female, in the fifth Distressed Community Index quintile, and older than 85 years of age independently decreased the odds of initiating PR. Some variation in initiation rate was attributed to the hospital level (7%; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.07 [95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.15]). The median odds ratio was 1.6 for PR initiation by hospital. Conclusions: Rates of PR initiation after COPD hospitalization are universally low across all hospitals, though there is some variation. Interventions targeted at patients alone are not sufficient to improve use. Hospital-based strategies to improve PR use after discharge, adapted from those being successfully used with cardiac rehabilitation, should be further explored.

Co-application of sheep manure and commercial organic fertilizer enhances plant productivity and soil quality in alpine mining areas.

The addition of organic fertilizers and sheep slat manure have important effects on soil quality in alpine mining areas, but how they affect soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms is not yet known. The current study employed field-controlled experiments and high-throughput sequencing technology to investigate differences in soil physicochemical properties, microbial community structures, and diversity under four treatments: no fertilization (CK), 100% sheep manure (SM), a combination of 50% sheep manure and 50% commercial organic fertilizer (MF), and 100% commercial organic fertilizer (OF). Aboveground biomass increased by 191.93, 253.22, and 133.32% under SM, MF and OF treatments, respectively, when compared to CK treatment. The MF treatment resulted in significantly higher soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic matter, and available nitrogen content compared to other treatments. Soil total nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, organic matter, available nitrogen content and available phosphorus content were 211, 120, 380, 557, and 271% higher, respectively, under the MF treatment than the CK treatment. Different nutrient additions significantly influenced soil microbial community composition. The SM and MF treatments notably increased soil bacterial and fungal community Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) indices and Chao 1 indices, while nutrient addition had no meaningful effect on the Simpson indices for microbial communities. There was a highly significant positive correlation between aboveground biomass and observed soil nutrient content. The combined application of sheep manure and commercial organic fertilizer is more conducive to improving soil quality and enhancing plant productivity in alpine mining areas.

Too Many Cows? An exploration of relationships between livestock density and river water quality in Aotearoa New Zealand

Intensive cattle farming is a major driver of freshwater pollution in Aotearoa New Zealand, yet research on the link between cattle intensity and river water quality is limited. This exploratory study investigated relationships between livestock intensity and freshwater indicators – nitrates and macroinvertebrates. We found that higher dairy stocking rates and total cattle numbers are linked to increased nitrate pollution at regional and district levels, with no significant correlations for beef cattle or MCI (macroinvertebrate community index) scores. Our findings underscore an urgent need for further research, particularly at the catchment level, to inform farm management plans and freshwater policy.

Aggregate Size Mediated the Changes in Soil Microbial Communities After the Afforestation of a Former Dryland in Northwestern China

Although the afforestation of former arable lands is a common global land-use conversion, its impact on soil microbial communities at the aggregate scale has not been adequately addressed. In this study, soil samples were categorized into large macroaggregates (LM, &gt;2 mm), small macroaggregates (SM, 2–0.25 mm), and microaggregates (MI, &lt;0.25 mm) to assess the changes in microbial composition, diversity, network complexity, and network stability within soil aggregates after the afforestation of a former dryland in northwestern China. The results revealed that afforestation enhanced the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Ascomycota, and Mortierellomycota within the soil aggregates, suggesting that these phyla may have greater advantages in microbial communities post-afforestation. The Shannon–Wiener and Pielou indices for bacterial communities showed no significant differences between land-use types across all aggregate fractions. However, the alpha diversity of fungal communities within the LM and SM significantly increased after afforestation. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity indices showed that afforestation altered bacterial beta diversity within the LM and MI but had a minimal impact on fungal beta diversity across all three aggregate fractions. The topological features of cross-kingdom microbial co-occurrence networks within the soil aggregates generally exhibited a decreasing trend post-afforestation, indicating a simplification of microbial community structure. The reduced robustness of microbial networks within the LM and SM fractions implies that afforestation also destabilized the structure of microbial communities within the macroaggregates. The composition of the soil microbial communities correlated closely with soil carbon and nitrogen contents, especially within the two macroaggregate fractions. The linkages suggests that improved resource conditions could be a key driver behind the shifts in microbial communities within soil aggregates following afforestation. Our findings indicate that the impact of afforestation on soil microbial ecology can be better understood by soil aggregate fractionation.

Association of DCI with number of preoperative comorbidities and 30-day outcomes following inguinal hernia repair: an analysis of the ACHQC database.

The Distressed Communities Index (DCI) is a stratification tool that captures socioeconomic disparities based on zip code. To date, no prior study has investigated the association of DCI score and inguinal hernia repair outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the association between DCI score and 30-day outcomes following inguinal hernia repair using the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) database. We hypothesize that patients with higher DCI scores will have a higher number of comorbidities and 30-day postoperative events. All patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair from 2015 to 2023 with an available DCI score and 30-day follow-up data available were included. Patients were stratified into DCI quintiles based on zip code. Primary outcomes of interest were 30-day hernia-specific postoperative outcomes. Pearson's chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare DCI scores with comorbid conditions and perioperative outcomes. 30,927 patients were included for analysis; 12,206 patients were classified as prosperous (40%), 7190 patients as comfortable (23%), 4884 patients as mid-tier (16%), 3485 patients as at-risk (11%), and 3162 as distressed (10%). Distressed patients were more likely to have ASA 3 or higher and comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, ESRD, and COPD (p < 0.001). Patients with higher DCI scores were significantly more likely to undergo an emergency operation and have a longer OR time (p < 0.001). Distressed patients were also more likely to experience a major wound complication requiring readmission (p = 0.05) and reoperation (p < 0.001). DCI scores are strongly linked to surgical risk and outcomes following inguinal hernia repair. Special consideration should be given to DCI scores when optimizing patients prior to inguinal hernia repair.