A new study reveals that marine cyanobacteria communicate

UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA

 

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IMAGE OF THE TEAM THAT CARRIED OUT THE RESEARCH

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA

Three years ago María del Carmen Muñoz, a researcher at the University of Cordoba, was peering into an electron microscope to study the vesicles of marine cyanobacteria and found, almost accidentally, something she did not expect: structures that, although they had already been discovered years ago in other bacteria, had never been found in this type of living being, responsible for producing more than half of the oxygen on Earth. Thus began an extensive study carried out by a multidisciplinary team. Today their work comes out, its results having just been published in the journal Science Advances. 

These strange structures are called membrane nanotubes, and the most relevant thing is that, according to the study, these small tubes make it possible for these living beings to transfer material by generating an exchange bridge, a kind of hose that connects with nearby cells, allowing them to transfer substances from some cyanobacteria to others. Since the discovery of these organisms, this is the first time that physical and direct contact between them has been demonstrated.  

"This finding has enormous implications, and strengthens the idea that we need to change the way we think about cyanobacteria," said researcher José Manuel García. Challenging the idea that these organisms operate in isolation, the study suggests that they could act as a kind of network in which they interact, a premise of great relevance considering that these living beings are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on the planet, representing a veritable "lung" for the oceans, and being indispensable for the sustenance of life as we know it. 

In recent years the study, led by principal investigator María del Carmen Muñoz, has mobilized a multidisciplinary group composed of, among others, the UCO's Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology; the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research (Cordoba), the University of Cádiz's University Institute of Marine Research, the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (Seville), and oceanographer Sallie W. Chisholm, a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and discoverer of the Prochlorococcus genus of cyanobacteria.

Key details

Since the study began, and after reviewing the literature available on these nanotubes in other bacteria, the team has launched different experiments in the laboratory, such as the use of fluorescent proteins and their monitoring by fluorescence microscopy; and the use of electron microscopy for the characterization of these structures. Through these tests they have been able to confirm that there is an exchange of material from the interior of one cell to the other.
In addition, as doctoral student and the study's first author Elisa Angulo explained, the work has shown that this transfer of substances not only occurs in cyanobacteria of the same lineage, but also between those of different genders, something that has been verified not only at the laboratory level, but also in natural ocean samples. 

New questions 

As is often the case in science, these findings now open the door to new questions: is this transfer of molecules a support mechanism or a weapon to compete for survival? What other substances could be exchanged, beyond proteins? Is there any relationship between this mechanism and the amount of food available in the environment?
Elisa Angulo, a researcher at the University of Cordoba, is already trying to answer this last question, and has just concluded a voyage on the high seas in which she has been researching the behavior of these living beings in oligotrophic areas of the Pacific poor in nutrients. 
We will have to wait for the next few months to continue acquiring knowledge about these marine bacteria, the living beings that invented photosynthesis and that, more than 3.5 billion years old, represent one of the oldest known forms of life. Their study, therefore, is not only of vital importance for ecosystems, but also to understand fundamental processes in the vast field of Biology. 
 

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JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adj1539 

ARTICLE TITLE

Direct interaction between marine cyanobacteria mediated by nanotubes

Small, but smart: How symbiotic bacteria adapt to big environmental changes

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MICROBIOLOGY

 

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AERIAL VIEW OF THE SAMPLING SITE ON THE COASTAL SHORE OF PANAMA.

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CREDIT: ISIDORA MOREL-LETELIER / MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MICROBIOLOGY

Studying the impact of the environment on animal evolution is no easy task, as most animals reproduce slowly and exhibit complex behaviors. However, microbiologists have an advantage: Bacteria reproduce rapidly, which makes them a much easier subject for studying evolution.

The Isthmus of Panama offers a natural experiment

Laetitia Wilkins and her team from the at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, studies bacterial evolution in a very unique scenario: the Isthmus of Panama. This landmass connects North and South America, thus separating the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea, and serves as an ideal location for observing “real-time evolution”. The closure of the Isthmus, which took place 2.8 million years ago, caused significant changes in the marine environments on both sides. The Caribbean side became warmer, more saline, and nutrient-poor, while the Tropical Eastern Pacific experiences variable temperatures, strong tides, and high nutrient levels. These environmental differences forced marine life to develop different survival strategies.

Lucinid clams and their symbiotic bacteria: Partners in evolution

Lucinids are marine bivalves that inhabit both the Caribbean and Pacific waters surrounding the Isthmus of Panama. At least 400 million years old, the family of lucinid clams inhabits a wide variety of habitats, from beautiful beaches to the dark abyssal depths. Their secret to success lies within: Symbiotic bacteria live inside their gills and help them meet their nutritional needs, forming such a close relationship that these clams couldn’t survive without their little companions.

Interestingly, the symbiotic bacteria don’t seem to depend on the lucinids. They can also live freely in the sediment. This allows them to interact with other bacteria and exchange genetic material with them, through what's known as horizontal gene transfer. This, combined with their fast reproduction, helps them adapt rapidly to their environment.

“We wanted to find out how these symbiotic bacteria adapted to the different environmental conditions on both sides of the Isthmus", says Isidora Morel-Letelier, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral thesis together with Benedict Yuen. To achieve this, the team traveled to Panama to collect lucinid clams and analyzed the DNA of the symbiotic bacteria in their gills to detect differences in their genomes.

Different adaptation in the Caribbean and the Pacific

Morel-Letelier discovered that symbiotic bacteria dealt with the challenge very differently on both sides of the Isthmus: Those in the Caribbean were able to fix nitrogen, whereas those in the Pacific lacked this ability. “Life is not possible without nitrogen. Because the Caribbean has very low levels of nitrate – an easily usable form of nitrogen –, the bacteria need other sources of this nutrient. Their ability to fix nitrogen likely allowed them to survive there. On the other hand, Pacific symbionts didn’t face this issue because their waters contain nitrate levels ten times higher than those in the Caribbean”, Morel-Letelier explains.

And there are more genetic differences. The scientists from Bremen discovered unique genes that were present in the Pacific symbionts, but were absent in the Caribbean ones. For example, symbionts in the Pacific had the potential to synthesize gammapolyglutamate, which is a storage compound produced by bacteria during nutrient limitation, or electron-transferring-flavoprotein (ETF) dehydrogenases, which are produced in response to low temperatures and anaerobic conditions. “These genes likely help the symbionts cope with the Pacific's more significant seasonal changes in nutrients, temperature, and oxygen levels compared to the Caribbean”, says Morel-Letelier.

New metabolic capabilities revealed a unique evolutionary journey

The Max Planck scientists also wanted to understand how the Caribbean symbionts acquired the genes required for nitrogen fixation genes. For that, they compared the genomes of symbionts across the Isthmus of Panama with other lucinid symbiont genomes from around the world. “It seems like their last common ancestor did not possess the capacity for nitrogen fixation. Most probably nitrogen fixation is a recent trait acquired only by symbionts that faced a nutrient-poor environment”, explains Morel-Letelier. This finding highlights the critical role that the environment plays in shaping bacterial evolution. “Through horizontal gene transfer, lucinid symbionts likely obtained the nitrogen fixation genes from another symbiont lineage”, notes Morel-Letelier.

Future investigations should focus on understanding the symbiotic relationship between these bacteria and their lucinid hosts. “It would be very interesting to know whether the new metabolic capabilities of the bacteria, such as fixing nitrogen, benefit the lucinid clams in their ability to survive in the environment, and whether clams actively select the bacterial candidates that are better adapted to live inside them”, says Morel-Letelier.

“This study improves our understanding of the ability of bacteria to respond to environmental changes, which leads us to think that bacterial communities may already be adapting to anthropogenic changes, such as the flow of excess nutrients from agricultural fields into coastal waters,” group leader Laetitia Wilkins comments.

 

Lucinid clams of various sizes, collected for further analysis in the laboratory.

CREDIT

Isidora Morel-Letelier / Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

The team from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology collected lucinid clams on the coastline of Panama in collaboration with the Diving Center Cuajiniquil.

CREDIT

Isidora Morel-Letelier / Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Development of the Isthmus of Panama. The Isthmus separates the Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. It closed about 2.8 million years ago.

CREDIT

Nathalie Renier

JOURNAL

PLoS Genetics

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgen.1011295 

ARTICLE TITLE

Adaptations to nitrogen availability drive ecological divergence of chemosynthetic symbionts

 

Summer droughts in Northern hemisphere increasingly likely as seasonal streamflows change

Declining snowfall is changing the seasonal patterns of streamflow throughout the Northern hemisphere boosting chances of water shortages in the summer, scientists have found. 

Snowy areas in in the Rocky Mountains of North America, the European Alps and northern Europe are thawing prematurely as the Earth warms. Additionally, seasonal flows in less snowy areas are delayed as warm-season rain arrives later in the year becoming a more dominant source of river flow. Precipitation over winter is reduced.

The findings, published in Nature, suggest a higher risk of summer droughts, which could adversely impact water and food security, ecosystem health, and hydropower generation.

Lead author Dr Ross Woods from the University of Bristol’s Faculty of Engineering explained: “Streamflow seasonality affects the temporal distribution of water resources and has wide-ranging implications for ecosystem functioning, food security, and natural hazard management.

“In some places where snowfall is a major component of the water cycle, researchers had previously shown that, with climate warming, less of the precipitation falls as snow, snowpacks were changing, and the associated pulse of river flow generated by that melt water was also changing.

“However, there were conflicting reports about these changes, with some places showing earlier peaks, some not changing, and some were later in the year.”

The team analysed climate and river flow data for more than 3000 river basins across the northern hemisphere, from 1950-2020. For each year of data, they calculated the fraction of precipitation falling as snow, the seasonal variation and the seasonal timing of precipitation and river flow. They then compared these seasonality indicators between the two ten-year periods with the highest and lowest snowfall fraction.

Dr Woods continued: “The increased interannual variability of streamflow seasonality implies greater uncertainty in seasonal streamflow patterns, posing challenges for water resource planning and management.

“Water managers need different strategies to adapt to this, depending on their location. Future planning for water infrastructure will need to take account of these changes in seasonal river flow.”

As climate warms, seasonal streamflow peaks tend to decrease, so there is more uniform streamflow distribution over a year. The reduction in seasonal variation is mainly driven by a decrease in warm-season streamflow, while cold-season streamflow remains relatively unchanged.

“The timing and seasonal variation of streamflow showed a larger interannual variability during declining snowfall which means planning for more variability between years into the future as climate continues to warm is essential,” concluded Dr Woods.

The team now plan to further investigate reasons for consistent reductions in cold season precipitation in warmer winters.

Paper:

‘Streamflow Seasonality in a Snow-Dwindling World’ by Juntai Han, Ziwei Liu, Ross Woods et al in Nature. 

 

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JOURNAL

Nature

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Streamflow Seasonality in a Snow-Dwindling World

 

Proto-Sarada writings: traces of daily life in ancient India

UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

 

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THIS IS WHAT THE ANCIENT INDIAN PROTO-SARADA SCRIPT LOOKS LIKE, HERE ON A 14-CENTIMETRE-WIDE PIECE OF BIRCH BARK. THE TERMS "MARKET" AND "MERCHANT" APPEAR IN THE TEXT, WHICH INDICATES AN ECONOMIC CONTEXT.

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CREDIT: INGO STRAUCH / UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE

From the sixth to the tenth century AD, an important historical transition phase took place in the northwest of India, in what is now Pakistan: a predominantly Buddhist society became a Hindu society; this was immediately followed by the Muslim invasions. Little is known about the social, economic, and cultural history of this period of change.

Kathrin Holz, Junior Professor of Indology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany, and her colleague Professor Ingo Strauch from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland want to change that. They are using inscriptions and manuscripts written in the Proto-Sarada script – a script that was in use throughout north-west India at the time – as the key to this period of upheaval.

For the first time, the researchers will systematically collect, document and scientifically analyse historical evidence written in Proto-Sarada. They want to reconstruct the development and use of the ancient script and analyse the written objects with a regard to their material and historical context. The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) are funding the project.

Clay Seals and Manuscripts on Birch Bark

An important core of the project is a private collection of historical administrative documents and letters that have not yet been scientifically analysed in any way. The collection consists of 35 folders, 43 large and 205 small birch bark scrolls and 203 clay seals.

The collection is a real treasure, as there is not much evidence of the Proto-Sarada script. "This is because the birch bark, on which most of the writing was done, is not particularly durable in the tropical climate," says Kathrin Holz.

The project aims to include all other known Proto-Sarada scriptures worldwide. The research team is planning an initial study trip to Pakistan in autumn 2024 to visit important museums and the local research partner, the Department of Archaeology at the University of Lahore.

Ultimately, the envisaged revision of the entire inscriptional corpus will result in a comprehensive edition of Proto-Sarada inscriptions.

Funding and Duration

The project "The Proto-Sarada Project: Towards the edition of a new collection of administrative letters and documents from pre-modern South Asia" will start on 1 August 2024 and run for three years. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the project with around 368,000 euros and the Swiss National Science Foundation with 526,000 Swiss francs.

 

New study challenges 'pop psychology' myths about habits

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

By ditching 'pop psychology myths' about habits, we can better understand our habits and take more effective action, according to researchers at the University of Surrey.  

Pop psychology tends to portray all stable behaviours as habitual, as well as implying that forming new habits will always lead to positive long-term change. 

New analysis by Surrey researchers argues that a habit is simply a mental link between a situation (cue) and an action (response). When someone with a habit is in the situation, an unconscious urge prompts the action. However, whether this urge leads to habitual behaviour depends on other competing impulses that influence our actions. 

Dr Benjamin Gardner, co-author and Reader in Psychology from the University of Surrey, said:  

"Forming a habit means connecting a situation you often encounter with the action you usually take. These connections help by creating impulses that push us to do the usual action without thinking. But the pushes from habits are just one of many feelings we might have at any time. 

"Impulses are like babies, each crying for our attention. We can only tend to one at a time. These impulses come from various sources – intentions, plans, emotions, and habits. We act according to whichever impulse demands our attention by crying the loudest at any given moment. 

"Habit impulses usually cry the loudest, guiding us to do what we normally do, even when other impulses are vying for our attention. However, there are times when other impulses cry louder." 

Other impulses can overrule your habits – like cold weather derailing your habitual morning run.  

The paper points out that forming a new habit creates an association that can help keep you on the right track, but it does not ensure that a new behaviour will always stick. 

Dr Phillippa Lally, co-author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Psychology from the University of Surrey, said:  

"Think of someone who has developed a habit of eating a healthy breakfast every morning. One day, they wake up late, leave the house without having time for breakfast, and then grab a sugary snack on their commute. 

"This single disruption can make them feel like they've failed, potentially leading them to abandon the healthy eating habit altogether.  When trying to make a new behaviour stick, it's a good idea to form a habit and have a backup plan for dealing with setbacks, such as keeping healthy snacks on hand that you can quickly grab on busy mornings." 

As for breaking bad habits, the Surrey researchers suggest several methods. 

Dr Gardner explains:  

"There are multiple ways to stop yourself from acting on your habits. Imagine you want to stop snacking in front of the TV. One way is to avoid the trigger - don't switch on the set. Another is to make it harder to act impulsively – not keeping snacks at home. Or, you could stop yourself when you feel the urge. 

"While the underlying habit may remain, these strategies reduce the chances of ‘bad’ behaviours from occurring automatically." 

Dr Lally adds:  

"In principle, if you can't avoid your habit cues or make the behaviour more difficult, swapping out a bad habit for a good one is the next best strategy. It's much easier to do something than nothing, and as long as you're consistent, the new behaviour should become dominant over time, overpowering any impulses arising from your old habit." 

[ENDS] 

 

• Dr Benjamin Gardner is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.   

• The full paper is available here. 

 

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JOURNAL

Social and Personality Psychology Compass

DOI

10.1111/spc3.12975 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

What is habit and how can it be used to change real-world behaviour? Narrowing the theory-reality gap

Reports of 'death' of impulsivity as personality trait are likely exaggerated

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS

We can all act on an impulse, with some seemingly doing it more often and others less. Psychologists have been studying impulsivity as a personality trait since the 1930s and have linked impulsivity to a variety of harmful behaviors, such as violence and excessive use of social media, as well as mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder and substance use disorder. 

A study by a research team led by Dr. LUAN Shenghua from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has provided comprehensive evidence that impulsivity is a stable, measurable, and predictive personality trait. 

The study, one of the largest in the field, disagrees with the pessimistic view that research on impulsivity is fraught with problems, including inconsistencies in its definition and a lack of reliable measurement tools. 

It was published online in PNAS on June 3. 

A total of 1,676 participants took part in the study. Each completed 48 impulsivity measures derived from 10 self-report scales and 10 behavioral tasks. The participants also reported the frequency of seven impulsivity-related behaviors, such as impulsive buying and social media use. 

Using advanced psychometric methods, the researchers found a general factor of impulsivity, I, in this large-scale data. Factor I is similar to the general factor g in intelligence and represents the common component shared by a wide range of impulsivity measures. 

According to the researchers, factor I was stable over time—in fact, it was the most stable of all measures over a three-month interval—and was good at predicting impulsivity-related behaviors, as evidenced by analysis using machine learning algorithms. 

Based on their data and modeling results, the researchers further developed a new scale, the Adjustable Impulsivity Scale (AIMS), to measure impulsivity. AIMS has excellent psychometric properties that are largely retained in shorter versions and is quite effective with only 10 measurement items. 

"These results show that impulsivity is a valid and useful psychological construct for differentiating people. To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of impulsivity may have been greatly exaggerated, and this construct is still very much alive," said Dr. LUAN, corresponding author of the study. 

The discovery of the general impulsivity factor I and the development of the new AIMS scale are the two most notable contributions of this study. They significantly advance the conceptualization and measurement of impulsivity and facilitate the application of impulsivity as a personality trait in both clinical and non-clinical contexts. 

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Institute of Psychology of CAS. 

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2321758121 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Impulsivity is a stable, measurable, and predictive psychological trait

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jun-2024

 

Florida infection preventionist successfully advocates for staff growth, keeping pace with hospital’s expanding service lines

Creative approach, diversified IPC roles create onramp for non-traditional staff

Meeting Announcement

ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN INFECTION CONTROL

San Antonio, Texas, June 4, 2024 – In an era of hospital budget cuts and staffing freezes, a Florida hospital more than doubled staff positions for infection prevention and control (IPC) over a four-year period, reducing infections and creating opportunities for non-clinical team members to enter the field and excel.

By presenting a business case showing costs of excess healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), infection preventionist (IP) Luz Caicedo, MPH, CPH, CIC, CRCST, VA-BC at AdventHealth in Celebration, Florida was able to increase IPC staff from 2 to 4.8 full-time equivalents (FTEs) and decrease HAIs and communicable disease exposures between 2019 and 2023, according to an oral abstract being presented today at the 2024 APIC Annual Conference. She also created an IPC career ladder with diversified roles, outlining career progression and enhancing retention among the team.

When Caicedo joined AdventHealth in 2019, there were just two full-time equivalent IPs on staff and the 217-bed Florida hospital was in the midst of an expansion to accommodate 357 beds, in addition to bringing on more operating rooms, catheterization labs, interventional radiology, endoscopy, and ambulatory sites. Already understaffed and unable to visit operating rooms or ambulatory sites more than a few times a year, Caicedo knew she needed to expand IP capacity to adequately protect patients and staff from HAIs.

To assess the resources necessary to provide adequate coverage and build her business case, she based her ideal IP staffing ratio not just on the number of inpatient beds, but also on the hospital’s growing number of procedural areas and outpatient service lines, using the 2012 New York State Acute Care Bed equivalent as a model.

Starting with surgical site infections (SSIs), she was able to convince hospital leaders to let her hire a new IP to cover the surgical service. When SSIs decreased markedly, she received approval for additional staff. As a result of expanding the size of the IP team from 2 in 2019 to 4.8 FTEs in 2023, AdventHealth Celebration achieved a 37% decrease in CLABSIs, and a 45% decrease in healthcare-onset C. difficile as the hospital increased its operations.

“Our Chief Nursing Officer is very supportive of the IPC department because we've been able to show her results,” said Caicedo. “Every time that she has invested IPC staff positions, we’ve been able to lower our infection rates.”

With approval to grow the department came the challenge of determining the type of positions to bring on. To address this, Caicedo created an IPC career ladder and diversified the roles in the department to include an entry-level IP Associate and IP Coordinator, as well as Infection Preventionist, and IP Manager. This structured career progression has enhanced retention and has created pathways for non-clinical team members to enter the field.

Additional staffing has allowed the IPC team to introduce quality improvement initiatives like building dashboards to track device rounds, launching a ‘CAUTI bootcamp’ which has dramatically reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and working with the lab to lower blood culture contamination rates.

“The work that the AdventHealth IPC team is undertaking and the success they have achieved would be impossible without proper staffing,” said Tania Bubb, PhD, RN, CIC, FAPIC, 2024 APIC president. “Their success is a testament to the support received from hospital leaders and also to Luz’s ability to demonstrate that investment in infection prevention can impact the whole facility. Tools like the APIC IP Staffing Calculator and the one that Luz used can help facilities quantify IPC staffing needs to make the case for adequate resources.”

The oral abstract, “Advancing Infection Prevention: Navigating Staffing Growth and Implementing a Career Ladder (LDPM 16)” is being presented at 1:41pm CT, June 4, at the APIC Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. 

Surgical site infection rates and other secondary outcomes decrease dramatically at multi-state hospital system through standardized, preoperative, surgical, antibiotic practices

Improved outcomes for orthopedic, colorectal, and abdominal hysterectomy surgery patients

ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN INFECTION CONTROL

San Antonio, Texas, June 4, 2024 – Mortality, length of stay, readmissions, and surgical site infections (SSI) all declined after a six-state hospital system implemented a comprehensive surgical site infection (SSI) prevention bundle, according to a report presented today at the 2024 APIC Annual Conference.

Banner Health, which operates facilities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming, reported on the impact of a surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) bundle on more than 57,000 surgical cases from January 2019 to December 2023. Four publicly reportable procedures were included in the analysis: hip and knee arthroplasty, colorectal surgery, and abdominal hysterectomy.

The infection prevention (IP) team at Banner Health began delving into an all-encompassing clinical practice for SSI prevention in 2019 with the goal of reducing their Standardized Infection Ratios (SIRs). It was determined that focusing on one bundle component, specifically SAP across all 30 of their facilities, could have the greatest impact on SSI reduction. As part of the intervention, they monitored adherence to the appropriate selection of preoperative antibiotics, dose, administration times, and redose. Starting from a baseline of 67.1% in 2019, adherence to this process measure increased to 82.2% by 2023.

During the same period, compliance with the SAP bundle produced the beneficial effect of shortening length of stay (LOS) by 4 days, decreasing overall mortality rates by 4.4%, and lowering the average 30-day readmission rates by 3.9%. Similarly, compliance with the SAP bundle in hip arthroplasty procedures evidenced a statistically significant (p<0.0001) reduction in average 30-day readmission rates from 11% to 7%.

“This work shows that a bundle of evidence-based interventions designed to reduce infections can also impact other important outcomes like mortality, length of stay, and readmissions,” said Aarikha D'Souza, BS, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, clinical practice lead and infection prevention regional director at Banner Health. “If we’re sending patients home earlier there’s a ripple effect as we also decrease the chances of them developing deep vein thrombosis, pneumonia, pressure injuries, or having a fall.”

Increased adherence to the SAP bundle illustrated the most benefit among orthopedic patients. Hip arthroplasty procedures resulted in a statistically significant 32.8% decrease in SSI rates and 48.3% drop in SIR, while knee arthroplasty procedures resulted in a 15.2% reduction in SSI rates and 33.1% decrease in SIR. Additionally, adherence to the SAP bundle in colorectal surgeries and abdominal hysterectomy procedures decreased SSI rates by 17.4% and SIR by 8.11%, respectively.

“This project shows the value of intense focus on a specific set of process measures to influence not just infection rates, but also other important quality metrics,” said Tania Bubb, PhD, RN, CIC, FAPIC, 2024 APIC president. “We are grateful to Banner Health for their exceptional patient safety work and for sharing their success at the APIC Conference.”

The oral abstract, “Effect of a Standardized Preoperative Prophylactic Antimicrobial Guideline on Improved Postoperative Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Outcomes,” (ISR 11) is being presented at 2:30 pm CT, June 4, at the APIC Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. 

About APIC

Founded in 1972, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading association for infection preventionists and epidemiologists. With more than 15,000 members, APIC advances the science and practice of infection prevention and control. APIC carries out its mission through research, advocacy, and patient safety; education, credentialing, and certification; and fostering development of the infection prevention and control workforce of the future. Together with our members and partners, we are working toward a safer world through the prevention of infection. Join us and learn more at apic.org.

APIC’s Annual Conference, June 3-5, is one of the most comprehensive infection prevention conferences in the world, with programs led by experts from across the globe and attended by physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, educators, administrators, and medical technologists, with strategies that can be implemented immediately to improve prevention programs and make healthcare safer. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #APIC24.

 

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US pre-teens discover rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex; Science expedition chronicled in extraordinary documentary

Skeleton may reveal secrets of T. rex growth years; Narrated by Sir Sam Neill, documentary brings Teen Rex to life with 3D animation

Reports and Proceedings

TERRY COLLINS ASSOC

 

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(L-R): LIAM FISHER, KAIDEN MADSEN AND JESSIN FISHER, THEN 7, 9 AND 10, MADE THE DISCOVERY OF A LIFETIME NEAR THEIR NORTH DAKOTA HOME IN 2022: THE REMAINS OF A RARE TEENAGE TYRANNOSAURUS REX THAT COULD REWRITE HISTORY.  AN AWARD-WINNING GIANT SCREEN FILMS DOCUMENTARY CREW, RENOWNED PALAEONTOLOGISTS LED BY DR. TYLER LYSON OF THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE, SEVERAL OF THE WORLD’S FOREMOST NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS, AND TOP ANIMATORS HAVE PARTNERED TO PRESENT THE KIDS’ DISCOVERY IN DRAMATIC CINEMATIC FASHION. DEBUTING JUNE 21, T.REX WILL ROAR IN 100 MUSEUM THEATRES WORLDWIDE. 

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CREDIT: GIANT SCREEN FILMS

Marmarth, ND – Three keen-eyed young fossil hunters made the discovery of a lifetime when they found the remains of a rare teenage Tyrannosaurus rex that could rewrite history, scientists and filmmakers announce today.  The boys -- brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, 7 and 10 years old at the time, and their 9-year-old cousin, Kaiden Madsen -- spotted a large fossilized leg bone on a walk in the Hell Creek badlands area of North Dakota on July 31, 2022. Believing they had found a relatively common duckbill dinosaur, they sent a photo to family friend and Marmarth native Dr. Tyler Lyson, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who organized an excavation that began 11 months later, adding the boys and a sister, Emalynn Fisher, now 14, to his team of palaeontology volunteers and experts.  Brushing off a tooth soon after arriving, Dr. Lyson realized the boys had found a notorious T. rex -- a very rare juvenile specimen. The team unearthed it in 11 days after an estimated 67 million years in that spot. Airlifted onto a truck by a Black Hawk helicopter, giant plaster jackets containing the “Teen Rex” are now at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where the public will be able to follow the fossil’s preparation in the new “Discovering Teen Rex Prep Lab.”  Remarkably, the secret of the teenage T. rex find held for nearly two years while an award-winning documentary crew, renowned palaeontologists, several of the world’s foremost natural history museums, and top animators partnered to present the kids’ discovery in dramatic cinematic fashion. A crew from Giant Screen Films (GSF), a world-leading producer of large-format documentaries, was embedded with expedition and had 8K cameras rolling as the fossil’s diagnostic features were unearthed, including the eureka moment when Dr. Lyson confirmed that the kids had found a Tyrant King.  As a result, audiences can experience the adventure of the discovery and excavation through an immersive new giant screen documentary, T. REX, narrated by New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill, who portrayed Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films.  With hat tips to famous specimens, landmark discoveries, and wild cinematic depictions over the last century, GSF’s documentary intercuts the remarkable expedition with cutting edge computer graphics that bring the iconic T. rex—from hatchling to hulking adult—to life on the world’s largest screens.  Extremely rare juvenile T. rex ‘Juvenile rex specimens are extremely rare,” said Dr. Lyson, who found his first dinosaur in the same area at age 6. He credits his own career to the mentorship of paleontologists who invited him to join their work in the Badlands.  “This find is significant to researchers because the ‘Teen Rex’ specimen may help answer questions about how the king of dinosaurs grew up,” he said. The size of the specimen’s tibia (shin bone), 82 cm, compared to the size for a full grown adult’s tibia (112 cm) suggests that it was 13 to 15 years old when it died around 67 million years ago. Paleontologists also estimate that “Teen Rex” likely weighed around 3,500 pounds (1,632 kg), measured roughly 25 feet (7.6 m) from nose to tail, and stood about 10 feet (3 m) in height—about two-thirds the size of a full grown adult. “It’s remarkable to consider how T. rex might have grown from a kitten-sized hatchling into the 40-foot, 8,000 pound adult predator we are familiar with,” said Dr. Thomas Holtz, a vertebrate paleontologist from the University of Maryland and renowned T. rex authority.  He continued, “scientists can really only speculate on how ‘Teen rex’ might have lived and behaved, so discoveries like this one have the potential to provide important new information about those earlier life stages, when fastest growth likely occurred.”  The experience was especially exciting for Jessin, a dinosaur aficionado and aspiring paleontologist who dressed up as his hero, Dr. Tyler Lyson, for Halloween a few years ago.  And “helping these kids experience the thrill of their discovery and to be inspired by science is incredibly rewarding to me personally,” said Dr. Lyson, who was himself mentored by leading paleontologists visiting the area when he was very young.  The boys are keen to visit the “Teen Rex Prep Lab” when it opens and the film debuts in Denver June 21. They are also excited about a later film screening for Marmarth schoolmates to share the thrill of their discovery.  With Dr. Holtz as lead advisor, the T. REX filmmakers collaborated with a consortium of paleontologists, eight prominent natural history museums, and award-winning visual effects artists to create scientifically accurate models of rex and the Hell Creek prehistoric ecosystem, a highly studied rock formation in the Upper Midwest that contains fossil remains from the Late Cretaceous, the final days of the dinosaurs—from Triceratops to Edmontosaurus.  Supported by a coalition of leading museums worldwide, the documentary features cameos of SUE, perhaps the most well-known T. rex specimen ever found (Field Museum, Chicago); T. rex WYREX (Houston Museum of Natural History); T. rex THOMAS (Los Angeles Natural History Museum) and HORRIDUS the Triceratops (Melbourne Museum).  A dream documentary story “We never could have planned the inspiring story that unfolded in front of the cameras,’ said producer and writer Andy Wood. “Kids finding any large dinosaur is remarkable, but as the shoot progressed, the team realized that we were witnessing something even more rare—a truly historic T. rex discovery. It’s been a real thrill.”  "This is more than just a documentary—it's a chance for families to experience the thrill of discovery through the eyes of these young explorers in a format that makes you feel like you’re right there with them,” says co-director/writer David Clark. “This is the kind of story that documentary filmmakers dream of capturing.” “Beyond fostering an appreciation of the fun of science, the film sends a message about getting outside and exploring,” said Dr. Lyson. “That’s a really important message that we want to come through—one that I think is just baked into this story.” T. REX will premiere at select theatres worldwide beginning June 21, opening in 100 cities over the coming months in all immersive museum cinema formats, including large format, IMAX, 3D, and giant dome.  GSF has also partnered with Rextooth Studios to create a graphic novel to accompany the film. Discovering a ‘Teen Rex’ is extremely rare and may help reveal how the king of dinosaurs grew up.  CREDIT Giant Screen Films With renowned University of Maryland T. rex expert Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. as lead advisor, T. REX filmmakers collaborated with 8 prominent natural history museums and award-winning visual effects artists to create scientifically accurate models of T. rex and its ecosystem in the Late Cretaceous (the final days of the dinosaurs) in Hell Creek — a highly-studied rock formation in the Upper Midwest US. Jurassic Park actor Sir Sam Neill narrates. Video: https://bit.ly/3R5DtSP CREDIT Giant Screen Films The fossil was collected on land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (USA), permit ND2023-00084. T. REX is a Giant Screen Films and D3D Cinema production, in partnership with: Field Museum, Chicago Denver Museum of Nature & Science Houston Museum of Natural Science Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in association with Cincinnati Museum Center Cleveland Museum of Natural History Museums Victoria, Australia, and New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Giant Screen Films  Based in Evanston, Illinois, GSF is one of the world’s leading and most active large-format film producers. It has often partnered with the National Science Foundation and pioneered large-format films that push the boundaries of the medium. Through the magic of immersive sight and sound technologies, GSF’s productions challenge the imaginations of children and adults, offering inspiring perspective on the world and an unforgettable theater experience. Meaningful educational collaborations and partnerships extend each film’s impact far beyond the theater.

 

​​​​​​​Urgent need for action now for increasing threat from invasive alien species

Team of around 90 international experts calls for collaboration across borders and within countries

UK CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY

 

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While invasive alien species have long been recognised as a major threat to nature and people, urgent action now is needed to tackle this global issue. This is the critical evaluation by the 88 authors, representing 101 organisations from 47 countries, of ‘Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable’ published in Nature, Ecology & Evolution, including lead author Professor Helen Roy from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Exeter.

Focused on the main findings of the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) thematic assessment report on invasive alien species and their control*, the paper also highlights that the impacts of invasive alien species observed today are likely to underestimate the magnitude of future impacts. Also, the interactions among biodiversity drivers are key as no driver acts in isolation.

Co-chair of the IPBES IAS assessment and lead author, Professor Helen Roy from the UKCEH and the University of Exeter, said: “The paper brought together the entire expert team of the IAS assessment, with this diverse group spanning many disciplines with perspectives from around the world drawing the same conclusion about the need for urgent action on the major and growing threat of invasive alien species.

“With the number of invasive alien species set to rise, the IPBES invasive alien species assessment provides the evidence-base and options to inform immediate and ongoing action. To achieve this there is a need for collaboration, communication and cooperation, not only across borders but within countries.”

Professor Peter Stoett from Ontario Tech University, co-chair of the IPBES IAS assessment, added: “Interdisciplinarity is key to the success of IPBES assessments. It was wonderful to see social science and humanities experts interacting with invasion biologists and other natural scientists, in a community-building process that will inform policy decisions moving forward.”

The threats posed by invasive alien species are expected to continue to rise. Every year, approximately two hundred new alien species are now being introduced globally by human activities to regions they had not been recorded before. Even without the introduction of new species by human activities, already established alien species will continue to naturally expand their geographic ranges and spread into new countries and regions, with many causing negative impacts. Simple extrapolations from the impacts of invasive alien species observed today are likely to underestimate the magnitude of future impacts.

Interactions among drivers of biodiversity loss are amplifying biological invasions with no driver acting in isolation. Climate change is a major driver facilitating the establishment and spread of invasive alien species into previously inhospitable regions. For example, climate warming is enabling aquatic and terrestrial invasive alien species to establish and spread poleward, including into the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Also, in some mountainous regions, climate change, acting together with other drivers of biodiversity loss, has allowed invasive alien species to extend their ranges into higher elevations twice as fast as native species.

The IPBES invasive species assessment provided the first comprehensive synthesis of evidence globally concluding that the threat of biological invasions is major but can be mitigated with urgent cross-sectorial cooperative and collaborative action. Co-developing management actions with multiple stakeholders including government and private sector stakeholders, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities will be critical to achieving success in addressing biological invasions.

Aníbal Pauchard, co-chair of the IPBES IAS assessment and Professor at the University of Concepción, Chile, highlights the importance of inclusion within the assessment: “This is not only the most comprehensive global assessment on invasive alien species to date, but also the selection of experts and the evidence gathering was done under the highest standards of inclusivity, resulting in a report which provides critical insights for all stakeholders.”

Coordinating bodies such as the Non-Native Species Secretariat can ensure effective collaboration among diverse stakeholder groups. Indeed, management actions in response to incursions of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in the UK have involved multiple stakeholders coming together to ensure rapid flow of information following detection of the species leading to effective control of nests.

The paper recognises that the engagement of the general public through awareness raising campaigns, education and community science platforms also contributes to establishing shared responsibilities in managing biological invasions. Community science initiatives, supported by digital identification tools are important for the rapid detection of invasive alien species. Records submitted by the public through the Asian Hornet Watch app in the UK are making a major contribution to Vespa velutina (Asian hornet) early warning and rapid response.

Paper information

Helen Roy et al. 2024. Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable. Nature, Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02412-w

Media enquiries

For interviews and further information, please contact Simon Williams, Media Relations Officer, UKCEH. Email simwil@ceh.ac.uk or call +44 (0)7920 295384.

Notes to Editors

*The IPBES report on the Thematic Assessment on Invasive Alien Species and their Control (published in September 2023) is the first comprehensive global review of the status, trends, drivers, impacts, management, and governance challenges of biological invasions. It provides unequivocal evidence of the major and growing threat of invasive alien species alongside ambitious but realistic approaches to manage biological invasions.
Find out more at ipbes.net/ias

About the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is a world-leading centre for excellence in environmental sciences across water, land and air. The Centre has a long history of investigating, monitoring and modelling environmental change. Its 500+ scientists provide the data and insights that researchers, governments and businesses need to create a productive, resilient and healthy environment. 

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is a strategic delivery partner for the Natural Environment Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

www.ceh.ac.uk / @UK_CEH / LinkedIn: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

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JOURNAL

Nature Ecology & Evolution

DOI

10.1038/s41559-024-02412-w 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

ARTICLE TITLE

Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable’