This study investigates microbiome assembly in the fungus-growing ant Trachymyrmex septentrionalis , showing how colony, caste, and lab adaptation influence the microbiome and revealing unique patterns of mollicute symbiont abundance. We find that ant microbiomes differ strongly between colonies but less so within colonies.

Background IN insulin is a potential treatment for neurodegenerative disease shown to increase cerebral glucose update, reduce amyloid plaques and improve verbal memory in cognitively‐impaired as well as normal adults. Investigations have suggested that rapid‐acting (RA) insulins such as glulisine may result in superior cognitive benefits compared to regular insulin. Method We performed a single center, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of IN glulisine versus placebo in N=35 memory impaired (MCI/AD) subjects. Subjects with non‐insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were included in the study. IN administration utilized the Impel NeuroPharma I109 Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD®) device. The ADAS‐Cog13, CDR global score, and FAQ were measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Secondary outcome measures included digit span forward/backwards, Trailmaking part A/B, COWAT, and WMS logical memory. Depression and suicidality were assessed using the GDS and C‐SSRS Results Subjects in the saline group were significantly older than those in the saline group (p=0.022). No significant differences in gender, education, ApoE4 status, and MOCA score existed between treatment groups. Overall, the number of adverse events per person was similar between groups (2.32 vs. 2.24, p=0.824); although subjects receiving IN glulisine had higher rates of nasal irritation (25.0% vs 13.9%) and respiratory symptoms (15.9% vs 8.3%) compared to placebo. Glucose<70 was observed in one subject receiving RA insulin, but otherwise, there were no other cases of hypoglycemia, including three NIDDM patients. Insulin levels and blood pressure was unaffected by treatment. No significant difference for ADAS‐Cog 13, CDR‐SOB or FAQ scores were found between treatment groups at 3 and 6 months. There was no impact of IN glulisine on depression or suicidality. Conclusion IN glulisine was safe and well‐tolerated and did not consistently impact peripheral glucose or insulin levels. There were no enhancing effects of IN glulisine on cognition, function, or mood, but the ability to detect significance was limited by number of subjects successfully enrolled and study duration. Additional investigations following a larger MCI/AD cohort inclusive of NIDDM subjects over a longer duration are necessary to better evaluate RA insulin efficacy in this population.

Although there are numerous studies of fireflies’ mating flashes, lantern bioluminescence, and anti-predation lucibufagin metabolites, almost nothing is known about their microbiome. We therefore used 16S rRNA community amplicon sequencing to characterize the gut and body microbiomes of four North American firefly species: Ellychnia corrusca, Photuris sp., Pyractomena borealis, and Pyropyga sp. These firefly microbiomes all have very low species diversity, often dominated by a single species, and each firefly species has a characteristic microbiome. Although the microbiomes of male and female fireflies did not differ, Photuris sp. gut and body microbiomes did, with their gut microbiomes being enriched in Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. E. corrusca egg and adult microbiomes differed except for a single egg microbiome that shared a community type with E. corrusca adults, which could suggest microbial transmission from mother to offspring. Mollicutes that had been previously isolated from fireflies were common in our firefly microbiomes. These results set the stage for further research concerning focus on the function and transmission of these bacterial symbionts.

Although there are numerous studies of firefly mating flashes, lantern bioluminescence, and anti-predation lucibufagin metabolites, almost nothing is known about their microbiome. We therefore used 16S rRNA community amplicon sequencing to characterize the gut and body microbiomes of four North American firefly taxa: Ellychnia corrusca, the Photuris versicolor species complex, Pyractomena borealis, and Pyropyga decipiens. These firefly microbiomes all have very low species diversity, often dominated by a single species, and each firefly type has a Pyractomena borealis and Pyropyga decipiens [2]. These 4 types of fireflies occur sympatrically, ranging from the eastern coast of Canada, south to Florida, and west to the Great Plains [2, 3]. All four of these fireflies are carnivorous or omnivorous as larvae, attacking snails as their prey, and/or eating nectar and plant sap [4]. Ellychnia corrusca, Pyractomena borealis and Pyropyga decipiens are all closely related to each other, and both E. corrusca and Pyropyga decipiens are diurnal with no lantern [2]. Ellychnia corrusca, Pyractomena borealis, and many other North American fireflies use lucibufagins as a chemical defense. Lucibufagins are cardioactive C-24 steroidal pyrenes and a subclass of the bufadienolides [5-8] that create a disagreeable taste to predators and thereby provide fireflies with protection from bats, birds, and spiders [5].However, the biosynthetic origin of lucibufagins is not known. At least five genera of fireflies, including the groups in this study, ingest the nectar of the common milkweed plant (Asclepias syriaca L.). Although eating is not required for adult firefly survival, cardenolides (a type of toxic steroid) found on milkweed plants are ingested by adult fireflies and may be used to produce lucibufagins [9].In this study, we focused especially on two fireflies with unique lifestyles: E. corrusca and the Photuris versicolor species complex. Ellychnia corrusca is nicknamed the winter firefly because it has a winter-spring activity cycle, in contrast to the late spring-summer activity cycles of most other fireflies [2,10]. Ellychnia corrusca larvae in New England (North America) extend their larval stage across two years instead of one to ensure that they ingest ample calories, emerging in the late fall of their second year as adults and sexually maturing during the winter to start mating, which lasts until late spring [11]. Normally, adult fireflies do not need to feed because they only survive as adults for 2 to 4 weeks [2,4]. However, E. corrusca firefly adults live for ~9 months, and in Massachusetts USA they ingest interstitial fluid and sap from maple .

Blood product usage is a quality outcome for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. To address an increase in blood product usage since the discontinuation of aprotinin, blood conservation strategies were initiated at a tertiary hospital in Oakland, CA. Improving transfusion rates for open heart surgery patients requiring Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) involved multiple departments in coordination. Specific changes to conserve blood product usage included advanced CPB technology upgrades, and precise individualized heparin dose response titration assay for heparin and protamine management. Retrospective analysis of blood product usage pre-implementation, post-CPB changes and post-Hemostasis Management System (HMS) implementation was done to determine the effectiveness of the blood conservation strategies. Statistically significant decrease in packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, and platelet usage over the stepped implementation of both technologies was observed. New oxygenator and centrifugal pump technologies reduced active circuitry volume and caused less damage to blood cells. Individualizing heparin and protamine dosing to a patient using the HMS led to transfusion reductions as well. Overall trends toward reductions in hospital length of stay and intensive care unit stay, and as a result, blood product cost and total hospitalization cost are positive over the period of implementation of both CPB circuit changes and HMS implementation. Although they are multifactorial in nature, these trends provide positive enforcement to the changes implemented.