We evaluated the effects of applying a combination inoculant to 4 corn hybrids harvested at high moisture on their nutritive value and microbial populations. The treatment design was the factorial combination of corn hybrids ensiled with (INO) and without (CON) inoculant. The hybrids were TMF2R737 (MCN), F2F817 (MBR), P2089YHR (PCN), and PI144XR (PBR), ensiled at dry matter (DM) concentrations of 30.5, 26.3, 31.1, and 31.5%, respectively; MBR and PBR were brown midrib mutants (BMR). The inoculant contained Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus pentosaceus (4 × 10 5 and 1 × 10 5 cfu/g of fresh corn). The experiment had a complete randomized design with treatments replicated 6 times. Corn was treated or not with inoculant, packed into 7.6L bucket silos, and stored for 100 d. At d 0, the relative abundance (RA, %) of Enterobacteriaceae was lower in PBR vs. the other hybrids [51.3 vs x= (average of) 58.4] and in the case of fungi, incertae sedis (i.s.) Tremellales and Mucoraceae were more and less abundant, respectively, in conventional hybrids vs. BMRs (x= 25.8 vs. x= 13.9 and x= 3.64 vs. x= 7.52; P < 0.04). After ensiling, INO had higher LAB (9.3 vs. 7.1 log cfu/g of fresh corn) and acetic acid (3.44 vs. 1.32% of DM) and lower yeast (3.1 vs. 4.6) and molds (1.5 vs. 3.0), and also extended the aerobic stability (582 vs. 111h) but decreased DM recovery (95.6 vs. 97.4%) vs. CON (P < 0.02). Inoculation reduced bacterial phylogenetic diversity (6.75 vs. 14.4) but increased fungal observed taxonomical units (46 vs. 20) vs. CON (P < 0.01). Also, a higher relative abundance (RA) for Lactobacillaceae (99.2 vs. 75.7%) and lower for Enterobacteriaceae (0.28 vs. 9.93) was observed due to inoculation (P < 0.001). For fungi, INO had a lower RA compared to CON for Monascaceae (12.6 vs. 44.7) and increased i.s. Tremellales (8.0 vs. 1.2) and i.s. Saccharomycetales (6.4 vs. 0.3%; P < 0.006). Inoculation changed the diverse bacterial community found in the phyllosphere across hybrids to a taxonomically uneven one dominated by Lactobacillaceae. In the case of fungi, INO application increased the fungal diversity at d 100 mainly by reducing the dominance of Monascaceae vs. CON. In conclusion, the INO treatment overwhelmed the disparate microbial populations found across BMR and conventional hybrids ensiled at low DM concentrations and ensured a significant concentration of acetic acid that modified fungal populations and in turn extended the aerobic stability of all hybrids.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases and is characterized by sinonasal inflammation that lasts longer than 12 weeks. Whether the effect of chronic inflammation caused by CRS on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is similar to its effect on other inflammatory disorders has not been thoroughly evaluated. We aimed to demonstrate whether CRS patients have a higher prevalence of CVDs, including stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Methodology: We compared the prevalence of various comorbidities between CRS and control participants through a case-control cohort study from 2002 to 2015 that included 514,866 participants. CRS (n=6,552) and control (n=26,208) participants who were over 40 years old were selected by matching age, sex, income, and area of residence at a 1:4 ratio. Results: A stratified Cox proportional hazards model was utilized to assess the hazard ratio (HR) of CRS for stroke and IHD. The HRs for stroke and IHD were significantly increased in CRS patients compared to controls after adjusting for obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, hemoglobin, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores. The HR of stroke was significantly higher in the absence of nasal polyps than in the presence of nasal polyps. The HR of IHD was significantly increased in the CRS group regardless of the presence of nasal polyps. Conclusions: This study showed that CRS participants had a significantly higher prevalence of stroke and IHD.