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Water and Life: The Medium is the Message.

ABSTRACT: Water, the most abundant compound on the surface of the Earth and probably in the universe, is the medium of biology, but is much more than that. Water is the most frequent actor in the chemistry of metabolism. Our quantitation here reveals that water accounts for 99.4% of metabolites in Escherichia coli by molar concentration. Between a third and a half of known biochemical reactions involve consumption or production of water. We calculated the chemical flux of water and observed that in the life of a cell, a given water molecule frequently and repeatedly serves as a reaction substrate, intermediate, cofactor, and product. Our results show that as an E. coli cell replicates in the presence of molecular oxygen, an average in vivo water molecule is chemically transformed or is mechanistically involved in catalysis?~?3.7 times. We conclude that, for biological water, there is no distinction between medium and chemical participant. Chemical transformations of water provide a basis for understanding not only extant biochemistry, but the origins of life. Because the chemistry of water dominates metabolism and also drives biological synthesis and degradation, it seems likely that metabolism co-evolved with biopolymers, which helps to reconcile polymer-first versus metabolism-first theories for the origins of life.

SUBMITTER: Frenkel-Pinter M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7884305 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Water and Life: The Medium is the Message.

Frenkel-Pinter Moran M Rajaei Vahab V Glass Jennifer B JB Hud Nicholas V NV Williams Loren Dean LD

Journal of molecular evolution 20210111 1-2

Water, the most abundant compound on the surface of the Earth and probably in the universe, is the medium of biology, but is much more than that. Water is the most frequent actor in the chemistry of metabolism. Our quantitation here reveals that water accounts for 99.4% of metabolites in Escherichia coli by molar concentration. Between a third and a half of known biochemical reactions involve consumption or production of water. We calculated the chemical flux of water and observed that in the li ...[more]

PMID: 33427903

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Project description:Current options for depopulation of adult cattle are limited, have logistic constraints, and may not be practical on a large scale. Aspirated water-based foam (WBF) has been shown to be successful in depopulating poultry and swine but has yet to be tested in cattle. WBF is advantageous because necessary equipment can be readily available, easy to use, and presents minimal personnel risk. With the use of a modified rendering trailer in a field setting, we evaluated the efficacy of aspirated WBF for depopulation of adult cattle. Water-based medium-expansion foam was added to the trailer holding cattle to a depth of approximately 50 cm greater than head height. The study was conducted as a gated design and the initial trial was conducted using six anesthetized and six conscious animals for verification of the process and followed by four replicates each containing 18 conscious cattle. A total of 84 cattle were used, with a subset (n = 52) implanted with subcutaneous bio-loggers that recorded activity and electrocardiograms. Cattle were loaded onto the trailer and three gasoline-powered water pumps delivered foam into the trailer followed by a 15-min foam dwell period. Average (± SD) time to completely fill the trailer with foam was 84.8 ± 11.0 s. No animal vocalizations were heard during foam application or the dwell period, and all cattle were confirmed dead upon removal from the trailer after 15 min of immersion. Necropsies of a subset of cattle revealed foam extending to at least the tracheal bifurcation in all cattle and distal to this level in 67% (8/12) animals. Time to cessation of movement, which served as a proxy for loss of consciousness, was 2.5 ± 1.3 min and time to cardiac death was 8.5 ± 2.5 min as determined by data from animals carrying subcutaneous bio-loggers. The results of this study indicate that WBF is a rapid and effective method for depopulation of adult cattle with potential advantages in speed and carcass handling and disposal over current methods.

Project description:IntroductionQuality counseling can positively impact maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN) behaviors linked to poor nutrition outcomes. Global guidance includes 93 recommendations on MIYCN counseling.MethodsA desk review and key informant interviews sought to assess compliance to the recommendations, reach and quality, systemic gaps and opportunities for MIYCN counseling in seven South Asian countries. Ninety-three (93) policies and guidelines, 180 counseling materials and over 50 documents were reviewed; 115 key informant interviews were conducted. Information synthesis captured eight domains. Data from national surveys were analyzed to determine MIYCN counseling reach, quality and association with nutrition behaviors.ResultsResults showed that national guidelines were inconsistent with global recommendations for seven thematic areas. Coverage of contacts points like antenatal and postnatal care (ANC, PNC) with potential to deliver MIYCN counseling was highly variable. Having at least four ANC contacts was significantly associated with consumption of 100+ iron folic acid tablets in all countries. Rates of early initiation of breastfeeding (18% Pakistan to 90% Sri Lanka) were lower than institutional delivery rates, except for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. PNC contact within 48 h of birth was positively correlated with exclusive breastfeeding in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (OR 1.4, 3.1, 3.2). Health worker contacts and wealth status equally influenced child's dietary diversity in India. MIYCN services were add-on roles for community-based workers, except in India. Supervision mechanisms exist but were not focused on quality of MIYCN services. Counseling resources were predominantly paper based (>70%), had rural-focused messaging on diets and mainly targeted women. Platforms to engage men were largely missing. Health management information systems included indicators on maternal contact points in all countries but not for children. Assessing funding for MIYCN counseling was challenging as costs were subsumed across several budget line-items.DiscussionThe research findings can be used to (1) align country guidance with global recommendations, (2) review workforce responsibilities and capacity building with supervision, (3) assess the need for new counseling materials based on coverage of content, service providers and audience, (4) integrate MIYCN counseling indicators in information systems and (5) include MIYCN counseling services with activities and budget in country plans.

Dataset Information

Water and Life: The Medium is the Message.

Publications

Water and Life: The Medium is the Message.

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